"Truly terrifying, innocence can actually be contagious," Kakuzu remarked, observing the Ninja Sect's ninjas with a sidelong glance.
It was hard for Kakuzu to imagine that these Ninja Sect ninjas fighting side by side have only known each other for a few months.
Faced with such an almost certain death battle, not even the weakest Ninja Sect ninja ran away or betrayed their companions.
Originally, Kakuzu thought the cautious Ike Masaya would run away, but it turned out Ike was fighting exceptionally hard.
Of course, it was just effort; from Kakuzu's perspective, without Ike and the others, the battle might have been easier. Yahiko and Nagato couldn't unleash their full potential to protect their companions from the Ninja Sect.
If Kakuzu had not regained most of his strength to block half the ninjas, casualties would have likely appeared in the team by now.
"If the village had been like this back then, what would the result have been..." Kakuzu kicked away the nearby Rain Ninja, interrupting his thoughts.
Because he knew that group of self-serving leaders would never be like this.
If it were the leaders of the Waterfall Ninja here, they would undoubtedly choose to abandon the weaker ninjas, not spending any effort to protect them.
Though there was a rapport in their cooperation, the enemies were too numerous and too strong. Nagato and the others inevitably fell into a disadvantage, and the disadvantage was rapidly expanding.
Nagato was extremely anxious, but he lacked the ability to break the deadlock because although he knew many types of Ninjutsu, none had the power like Mokgetsu's Fire Dragon Dance.
Noticing Nagato's situation, Mokgetsu intentionally pulled his and Hanzo's battlefield closer to Nagato.
The battle-hardened Hanzo quickly realized Mokgetsu's intention, feigning ignorance and allowing Mokgetsu to approach the valley.
This was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for all along.
Yahiko, not as strong as Kakuzu and lacking Earth Grudge Fear, struggled under the enormous pressure.
In his urgency, Nagato rushed forward to relieve Yahiko's pressure, but this prevented Nagato from using Ninjutsu frequently for suppression, soon leading him into the midst of the Rain Ninja.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
Mokgetsu suddenly stopped engaging Hanzo, flashed next to the Rain Ninjas, and unleashed two sharp Wind Blades, instantly killing the Rain Ninjas surrounding Nagato and Yahiko.
The Rain Ninjas knew that Mokgetsu was the biggest enemy in this battle, so many Rain Ninjas immediately launched attacks on Mokgetsu.
But Mokgetsu's body technique was agile; no Rain Ninja's attack could touch him.
"Finally, the opportunity has arrived." Joy flashed in Hanzo's eyes as he concentrated Chakra and shot a waterline towards Mokgetsu.
"Teacher, be careful!" Just as Nagato was about to thank Mokgetsu, he noticed Hanzo's attack and hastily shouted to warn Mokgetsu.
But Hanzo's timing was perfect. By the time Nagato shouted his warning, Hanzo's attack was already near Mokgetsu. Mokgetsu tried his best to dodge, but only avoided a fatal spot; blood spattered as a bloody hole appeared in Mokgetsu's abdomen.
At this moment, Mokgetsu was not far from Nagato, and Nagato, with his excellent vision, could clearly see the spraying blood and the steadily bleeding hole in Mokgetsu.
Even though it was just blood flowing from one person, Nagato's world was dyed red, as if the whole world was cursed.
"What a pity, if Sosuke hadn't brought people, Hanzo would have had no chance," Kitsuchi said, showing a regretful expression.
Personally, Kitsuchi appreciated Mokgetsu, who was righteous and affectionate, more than the unscrupulous Hanzo.
This sneak attack by Hanzo was enough to wipe out all of Mokgetsu's previous advantages and create a significant advantage for himself.
Such a wound would affect Mokgetsu's combat power, and Hanzo's poison could directly enter Mokgetsu's body through the wound.
Though he appreciated Mokgetsu, Kitsuchi would not help because Mokgetsu's Ninja Sect was suspected of killing Hidden Rock Ninjas.
Shimura Danzo showed a smile, as the situation was developing in the direction he most hoped for.
Although Mokgetsu was injured, he still had fighting strength. Even if defeated by Hanzo, he could deplete most of Hanzo's strength.
Then he would have his men step in, disguised as Rain Ninjas to help, with the reward being nothing more than needing a pair of Rinnegan.
"Uncle Sosuke!" Yahiko, beside him, looked worried when he saw Mokgetsu injured, retrieving a bandage from the ninja pouch.
But before Yahiko could put the bandage in Mokgetsu's hand, the Rain Ninja and Hanzo's attacks came again.
Looking at the injured Mokgetsu and Yahiko, who was in danger once more, Nagato felt a bit despondent.
He realized that the peace he pursued seemed mistaken, as people could not truly understand each other.
Even though their Ninja Sect had done nothing to wrong the Rain Village, Hanzo wanted to deceive and eliminate them.
Teacher Mokgetsu possessed greater strength than Hanzo, yet he was injured by the insidious Hanzo while trying to protect them.
The organization doing the right things fell into a crisis through deceptive means; honorable and upright people were hurt by despicable, cunning people. Is such a world truly normal?
"Must everyone go through the same pain personally to understand each other?" Nagato's fist clenched tightly as his emotions turned extreme under the influence of negativity.
"I can't do anything, nor have I done anything right." Reflecting on his life, Nagato found that it was characterized by failure.
If he could have used the Rinnegan, then maybe he could have stopped the Konoha ninja from killing his parents, instead of losing control and killing the Konoha ninja afterwards.
The Nagato who killed the Konoha ninja didn't feel the satisfaction of revenge because no matter how he sought revenge, his parents would never return to his side.