Since the Nagato from moments ago had been a Shadow Clone, the kunai before him was now highly suspicious. The moment this thought crossed Tokuma's mind, his body was already retreating backward. With a "poof," the kunai that had been hovering in mid-air transformed into a wisp of white smoke.
Nagato's form instantly materialized before Tokuma's eyes. "Can you escape?" Nagato asked coldly. As he spoke, a kunai shot from his hand.
Tokuma's expression remained unchanged as he raised his palm and struck forward, a burst of force knocking the incoming kunai aside. A sudden whoosh of wind came from beside Tokuma. Nagato had somehow flashed to his side.
A heavy strike! Tokuma's vision blurred, followed by a sharp pain in his chest as Nagato sent him crashing down from the air.
"Lord Tokuma!" The remaining Hyuga ninja paled at the sight.
A flicker of pain crossed Tokuma's eyes, but as he landed, he quickly raised his palm and struck forward. Though Tokuma had been struck down by Nagato, the two landed almost simultaneously.
Seeing Tokuma's reflexive attack, a faint smile touched Nagato's lips. Tokuma realized the figure before him was Nagato, but it was already too late. The swirling tomoe of the Sharingan clearly appeared before Tokuma's eyes.
The attacking Tokuma froze in place. Nagato raised his hand and swiftly reached for Tokuma's neck.
Earth Style—Decapitation in the Heart! A hand suddenly erupted from the flat ground below, grabbing Nagato's ankle and pulling him down forcefully. But Nagato showed no surprise on his face.
The hand reaching for Tokuma instead slammed down onto the ground. A heavy thud echoed as the ground shook violently. The hand that had emerged from the ground crumbled back into dirt.
A Shadow Clone? Nagato raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Just as he was about to continue his attack, a chaotic birdcall suddenly rang out from behind.
Lightning Style—Chidori! Kakashi's palm crackled with intense electrical current, resembling a blade as it stabbed toward Nagato's back.
Water Style—Water Wall! Without turning, Nagato's hands flew through seals in a blur. A torrent of water erupted behind him, forming a barrier that blocked Kakashi's path.
Seeing the water barrier before him, Kakashi's expression tightened as he forced himself to stop. If he charged through, the Water Wall couldn't withstand the Chidori, but getting his body wet would expose him to the lightning's danger.
Though Kakashi stopped, he didn't dissipate his Lightning Style chakra. Instead, he swung forward violently, shaping his Chidori. "Lightning Style—Lightning Tiger Killing Blow!"
A roar-like sound erupted from Kakashi's palm. A wolf-like creature formed entirely of lightning charged forward, shattering the Water Wall and lunging straight for the figure behind it.
A moment later, a scream echoed above them all. Damn it! Kakashi's expression darkened instantly.
Behind the water stood not Nagato, but Tokuma. The electrocuted Tokuma snapped out of the genjutsu, his body limp as he collapsed to one knee. A sharp kunai had pierced his heart.
With a splash of blood, Tokuma's eyes widened as he fell into a pool of his own blood. Nagato, standing behind Tokuma, calmly pulled out the kunai, a faint smile on his face as he looked at Kakashi across the way.
"You've been quite helpful."
"Lord Tokuma!!" Disbelieving and enraged shouts came from the distance. All the Hyuga ninja, their faces filled with killing intent, charged toward Nagato.
"Don't!" Kakashi shouted at the sight, but it was too late. The Hyuga ninja, consumed by hatred, couldn't possibly heed his words.
"The warm-up is over. Die." Nagato's eyes flashed with coldness as the Sharingan in his sockets spun rapidly, activating into the Mangekyou Sharingan. A terrifying chakra aura erupted from Nagato's body.
Susanoo! Orange-red chakra rapidly condensed around Nagato, and a giant formed entirely of chakra appeared before everyone's eyes.
The charging ninja's eyes widened in horror as they launched their strongest attacks at Nagato. Nagato manipulated the Susanoo, raising a massive shield to block himself.
As all the attacks struck the shield, they were all deflected back. At the same time, Nagato raised an arm and swung forward forcefully.
A tremendous whoosh exploded in the ears of all the Hyuga ninja. Under the terrifying power of the Susanoo, all but the last Hyuga ninja were instantly slain!
Blood sprayed into the air, making Kakashi's body stiffen from the distance. Blood continuously dripped to the ground, nearly dyeing the entire land beneath it red.
Kakashi lowered his head, looking at his blood-soaked body as his pupils contracted. "You survived last time. This time, you'll stay here for good."
Nagato coldly looked at Kakashi, commanding the Susanoo to lunge toward him. Kakashi quickly prepared to dodge to the side, but suddenly noticed numerous white papers had somehow appeared beneath his feet, pinning him firmly in place.
Evidently, Konan, who had been standing back without acting, had finally made her move. Konan manipulated the papers, gripping them tightly to trap Kakashi.
Though Nagato wanted to deal with them himself, Konan couldn't resist intervening—after all, Kakashi had escaped from her grasp before. Nagato slightly frowned but didn't stop his attack.
The massive hand of the Susanoo came crashing down toward Kakashi. A deathly aura flooded Kakashi's heart, making every hair on his body stand on end.
Sweat beaded on Kakashi's forehead as his mind raced for an escape route. No escape!
Kakashi swallowed hard, and the Sharingan in his left eye had begun spinning uncontrollably. The rapidly rotating tomoe darkened in color.
Kakashi felt a sharp pain in his left eye, followed by a tear of blood streaming from his eye socket. At that moment, the three-tomoe Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyou Sharingan!
Kamui! A massive amount of chakra was drawn from Kakashi's body. Kakashi widened his eyes, staring at the descending Susanoo.
Nagato's gaze suddenly sharpened as the Susanoo in mid-air began to warp, causing it to hesitate slightly. Seizing this moment of hesitation, Kakashi's hand erupted with terrifying Lightning Style chakra.
Lightning Cutter! The intense electrical currents surged downward, shattering the numerous paper binds trapping him. Kakashi's figure flashed as he darted to the side.
Summoning Jutsu! Two rather large ninja dogs burst from the smoke, rushing toward the remaining Hyuga ninja and the injured Might Guy.
Each dog grabbed one person, and the three of them—Kakashi and the two dogs—rushed into the surrounding forest in different directions. Nagato retracted the Susanoo, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the massive vortex-shaped crater above.
Space-time ability? Nagato's mind suddenly flashed with Obito's image, but after a moment's thought, his gaze shifted to the petite figure blocking him and Konan.
"Ranmaru? Why did you stop us from pursuing them?" Konan asked, surprise and deep confusion in her voice. If not for Ranmaru suddenly blocking their path, Kakashi and the others would never have escaped so easily.
Feeling the weakness in his body, Ranmaru forced himself to stand, looking at Nagato and Konan with determination on his young face. "They're part of the 'Seven Blades'... Next time... I'll personally..."
Ranmaru didn't finish before collapsing into unconsciousness again. Nagato and Konan fell silent for a moment.
Though they had been staying in Kirigakure, they ultimately didn't belong there. "Should we pursue them now?" Konan asked softly.
"It's probably too late to pursue them now. This matter is for Lord Yuto to decide," Nagato replied calmly. He walked over and picked up Ranmaru.
Konan picked up Ringi Ameyuri from the ground. Their figures flashed, disappearing and reappearing beside Neji.
"You're the person Lord Yuto is looking for? If so, follow us." Nagato glanced at Neji before turning and walking in a certain direction into the forest.
Neji was stunned, having witnessed the entire battle. Though Ranmaru and Ringi Ameyuri had been defeated, it wasn't due to weakness.
On the contrary, these two had left a deeper impression on Neji. Neither was particularly old—Ranmaru was even younger than Neji, and Ringi wasn't much older.
Yet their strength was dozens of times greater than his. Against either of them, Neji believed he would undoubtedly die.
For someone who had always been called a genius, this was a heavy blow. Uzumaki Naruto? Uchiha Sasuke? Neji suddenly found it almost amusing.
He had still considered them his rivals, but compared to these two... Neji took a deep breath, his fists clenched, and quickly followed after Nagato and Konan
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