Desperate Nagato!

At the same time, Nagato, who was remotely controlling Tendo Pain, was not as composed as he appeared.

Even as a member of the Uzumaki Clan, renowned for their vast chakra reserves, using Super Shinra Tensei demanded every ounce of his strength.

Beside him, Konan watched with growing concern. She could tell that Nagato was pushing himself to the limit—something he rarely needed to do.

It was clear that this time, he had encountered an opponent far beyond the norm.

Normally, even in fierce battles like the one against Jiraiya, Nagato had never needed to exert himself fully. But now, he had resorted to his most devastating technique.

And from his earlier words, it was evident that Super Shinra Tensei had been used against someone specific.

Konan found this hard to believe.

The Third Hokage was dead.

Danzo was dead.

Jiraiya was dead.

There should have been no one in Konoha strong enough to force Nagato to this extent. Tsunade was powerful, but not a threat that warranted such drastic measures.

Could it be Naruto Uzumaki?

Konan considered the possibility.

But even if it was Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, surely Nagato could handle him.

With that thought, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

On the Battlefield...

Tsunade, Kakashi, and the other Konoha shinobi gazed in shock at Tendo Pain, who floated in the sky like a divine being.

"What… is he trying to do?"

Before anyone could answer—

BOOM!

A repulsive force, far beyond anything before, erupted from Tendo Pain's body.

Its target—Bai Ye.

The very earth trembled.

Under the sheer force of the attack, the ground within a thousand square meters instantly caved in, forming a crater tens of meters deep.

It was a level of destruction capable of wiping out an entire nation.

And it didn't stop there.

The shockwave spread outward.

RUMBLE!

The land itself was torn apart—trees were uprooted, entire structures were obliterated, and debris was hurled into the sky like dust in a storm.

"Run!" Tsunade shouted.

The shinobi, still frozen in horror, snapped back to reality and scrambled to escape the oncoming devastation.

Nearly a minute later, the storm of destruction finally settled.

The result was unbelievable.

A massive circular crater, spanning tens of kilometers, lay where the battlefield once stood.

Everything within it had been completely erased—reduced to nothing but barren earth.

"This… is this even humanly possible?"

The Konoha shinobi, who had retreated to a high ridge, stared in disbelief.

Even the legendary Third Hokage had never displayed such power.

"Wait—what happened to Bai Ye?"

Silence fell over the group.

They had no doubt that Bai Ye was powerful—but even he couldn't have survived that.

He had been at the very center of the attack.

The thought sent a chill down their spines.

Tsunade's expression darkened. She scanned the battlefield, trying desperately to spot any sign of Bai Ye.

But the crater was too deep.

Worry gnawed at her.

Meanwhile...

Not far from the battlefield, space distorted—and two figures materialized.

Obito and White Zetsu.

White Zetsu let out a whistle of admiration.

"As expected of the Rinnegan... Such terrifying power."

Obito nodded, his expression unreadable.

"That fool tried to take the attack head-on," he muttered.

"What a stupid choice."

White Zetsu smirked.

"Under that kind of repulsive force, he should've been pulverized into nothing."

Above the Battlefield...

Floating mid-air, Tendo Pain remained motionless, gazing down at the ruins below.

Originally, Nagato had intended to use Super Shinra Tensei to annihilate Konoha.

Instead, he had been forced to use it against a single man.

"You should be honored to die by my hand," he said coldly.

But then—

He froze.

From the depths of the crater—

A figure emerged.

The smoke and dust began to clear, revealing a man shrouded in white energy.

In his hand—

A flaming sword.

Nagato's breath caught in his throat.

"How… is this possible?!"

The figure slowly stepped forward.

It was Bai Ye.

Not only had he survived, but he was completely unscathed.

Even his clothes remained pristine—without a single speck of dust.

In the Distance…

Obito's single visible eye widened.

"He... actually survived?"

Even for someone as composed as Obito, this was difficult to process.

If Bai Ye had simply phased into another dimension like himself, dodging the attack would have made sense.

But to withstand it directly?

That was an entirely different level of power.

At that moment, Obito recalled legends of the strongest shinobi in history—

Uchiha Madara.

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

Could this man be on their level?

Meanwhile, the shinobi on the ridge erupted into cheers.

"He's alive!"

Tsunade smiled.

"This guy… he's on a completely different level."

Back on the Battlefield…

Bai Ye slowly floated toward Tendo Pain.

"If that's all you've got," he said, his voice calm, "then this is going to be disappointing."

Nagato clenched his fists in fury.

"How dare you look down on a god!"

His chakra surged.

This time—

Nagato was truly going all out.