The Truth-Seeking Orbs behind Nagato's back slowly rotated, reflecting the churning brilliance in his eyes.
What The Collector had casually torn apart was more than just Sakumo's death. He had torn apart the ironclad laws of the entire Shinobi World!
Nagato's form, floating in mid-air, suddenly trembled as his Rinnegan were ignited by a fanatical hope.
He stared fixedly at Takuno. A millennium's worth of accumulated Pain and pleading broke through the shackles of the Six Paths' majesty, and his hoarse voice resounded across the battlefield:
"The Collector! You were able to reverse the fate of Sakumo's death... then what about Yahiko?!"
Nagato's breathing grew rapid. The eight Truth-Seeking Orbs surrounding him vibrated violently with his surging emotions, and even his six paths staff let out a hum:
"Tell me! Can Yahiko also break free from the cage of mediocrity? Can he also... be reborn?!!"
Takuno leaned back against his stone throne. He swept his gaze over Nagato's crumbling hope, the corners of his mouth curling into an inscrutable arc:
"The boundary between life and death is but a chain forged by the self-imposed limitations of the mediocre." He paused deliberately, his gaze piercing through the purple glow of Nagato's Rinnegan.
"You have already stepped into this level now, and you should be able to perceive the world beyond death.
You should be the most aware of this. After all, Yahiko's body has always been by your side."
Takuno's words pierced Nagato's heart like an icicle; Yahiko could not be resurrected by "reversing the consensus of life and death" like Hatake Sakumo.
At that moment, Takuno let out a light chuckle and spoke again.
"How to resurrect Yahiko—you yourself should be most clear about that now, shouldn't you?"
Hearing this, Nagato's body, suspended among the Truth-Seeking Orbs, gave an almost imperceptible jolt.
Edo Tensei. Rinne Rebirth.
These two terms thundered in Nagato's mind.
Of course he knew! From the moment he saw Edo Madara descend upon the battlefield, this thought had cropped up.
First use Edo Tensei to recall Yahiko's soul and earthen body, then use the Rinnegan's Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to bestow true life upon him...
Theoretically, the Six Paths Power was enough to support this forbidden chain of techniques.
But would Yahiko accept it?
The look in his best friend's eyes as he fell into the ruins of Amegakure flashed before Nagato's eyes—a look of determination to die for the sake of protecting the ideals of the three of them.
If Yahiko knew that his rebirth was traded for the destruction of the world by the Ten-Tails, he would likely only denounce it as a violent act of betrayal against their convictions.
What terrified him even more was Rinne Rebirth itself, and the price of the caster's inevitable death...
Even though he was already the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, he would only be able to hold on for a bit longer instead of dying immediately.
Would Yahiko be able to accept the possibility of using his life in exchange for his own resurrection?
Furthermore, if Yahiko's soul had already found peace in the afterlife, would forcibly tearing through the boundary of life and death to drag him back to the living world not be the greatest desecration of the deceased?
Takuno leaned back on his stone throne, taking in the struggle in Nagato's eyes and the desire that was almost overflowing.
He could almost see through Nagato's chaotic thoughts and accurately guess his current hesitation.
The fear of the deceased's wishes, the wariness of the price of the resurrection technique, and the guilt over the path of destruction he was treading.
Regarding this, Takuno was non-committal, and even a trace of indifference flickered through him.
Admittedly, looking back in time, he didn't just have the ability to change the fate of the White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.
He even had full confidence in reversing Yahiko's long-predestined tragic end.
If he wanted to, at the moment Yahiko was cornered by Hanzou's conspiracy and pushed to the brink of despair, He could have intervened as casually as rewriting the White Fang's script, letting that flower of life, which should have withered, continue to bloom.
But why would he do that?
Resurrecting Hatake Sakumo was merely an experiment for him.
A verification of the boundaries of his own abilities, the resilience of the world's rules, and the possibility of resisting so-called "predestined fate."
The experiment was a success, proving that "consensus" could be broken and death could be reversed.
With the goal achieved and the experiment complete, he no longer had the slightest interest in repeating the process.
He, Takuno, had never been some compassionate Mr. Nice Guy.
Much less did he have any intention of playing the role of a deity who mended others' regrets and reshaped the world for the better.
The only coordinate of his existence was that endless staircase leading to the peak of power.
To climb to the summit, he could trample on rules, toy with fate, and view all living beings as mere grass.
Helping Nagato resurrect Yahiko? The very idea was laughably absurd.
Yahiko's death was the catalyst for Nagato's transformation, the key node for shaping Pain and driving the plan to collect the Tailed Beasts.
Resurrecting him would mean disrupting or even destroying the direction of this grand chess game that Takuno was currently observing with interest.
Furthermore, would it provide any substantial benefit to his pursuit of ultimate power, the legendary Kekkei Mora, the power of the Chakra Fruit?
He changed the White Fang's fate because the result of his "death" itself constituted a "consensus" he could leverage.
Yahiko's death was also a consensus, but breaking it would not bring him new experimental data or power gains; it would only add unnecessary variables.
He had no reason to waste a single shred of attention on a stranger's obsession.
He was a pure predator who would use any means necessary for power.
Mending regrets? Saving the world? Those were but fragile fantasies used by the weak to numb themselves.
What he gazed upon was forever higher, further, and stronger.
Thus, in Takuno's eyes, there was only bottomless indifference.
He would never do such a thing.
Madara's Rinnegan swept over Hatake Sakumo's figure. That familiar silver hair allowed him to instantly recognize the former "White Fang of Konoha."
A brief flash of surprise crossed his face, which was covered in the dust of Edo Tensei.
A man dead for many years suddenly reappearing on the battlefield was indeed somewhat unexpected.
After listening to the conversation between Takuno and Nagato, he naturally understood what this method was as well.
Looking at the hesitant Nagato, he spoke with undisguised mockery.
"What's the matter? Nagato, are you wavering? Hesitating just because you heard of the possibility of resurrecting Yahiko?"
Nagato floated within the protective circle formed by the Truth-Seeking Orbs, his white robes snapping in the gale, six paths staff held firmly in hand.
Madara clearly captured the struggle and vacillation in Nagato's eyes.
His Edo Tensei face curled into a smirk of undisguised ridicule.
"Heh... truly laughable.
For the sake of so-called peace and world transformation, you didn't hesitate to turn yourself into a Jinchuriki, Controlling the Ten-Tails, yet now you're indecisive because of the possibility of a dead man's resurrection?
Is this your so-called resolve to 'let the world feel pain'?"
His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly on the silent battlefield.
"Nagato, in the end, you are just a weakling bound by emotions." Madara's mockery was merciless.
"You couldn't even save your important companion, and now you're delusional enough to hope for salvation through another's charity?
How pathetic and ridiculous! Someone like you is simply not worthy of possessing the Rinnegan, let alone controlling the power of the Ten-Tails!"
Nagato's face darkened, and the Truth-Seeking Orbs vibrated slightly around him, showing his inner turmoil.
Every word of Madara's was like a sharp knife stabbing into his deepest pain.
Takuno still leaned against the stone throne he had manifested out of thin air, one hand supporting his chin. He appeared indifferent to both Madara's provocation and Nagato's wavering, as if watching a play that had nothing to do with him.
Minato stood at the front of the Allied Forces, his brow furrowed.
Madara's appearance and instigation heightened the uncertainty of the battlefield, and the White Fang's "resurrection" made the situation even more complex.
He whispered to Kakashi beside him, "Kakashi, stay alert. Madara is trying to provoke Nagato to make us fall into disarray."
Kakashi's gaze moved between his father Sakumo and Madara, a flash of complexity in his Sharingan.
The shock brought by his father "returning from the dead" had not yet subsided, and Madara's mockery added fuel to the fire.
Just then...
Nagato suddenly looked up, a cold light flashing in his Rinnegan. "Madara! You have no right to judge my path!"
He pointed his six paths staff at Madara. "This pain, this hatred—I will make you experience it personally!"
"Bansho Tenin!"
A powerful gravitational force instantly attacked the Edo Madara!
Madara's body was involuntarily sucked toward Nagato, but a strange smile appeared on his face.
"Good! Let me see just how much the power of the Ten-Tails is worth!"
His Edo Tensei body adjusted its posture in the air, and the blue skeleton of the Perfect Susanoo instantly erupted!
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Countless thick trees burst from the ground, coiling toward the airborne Nagato!
Minato witnessed Madara launching the Perfect Susanoo and Deep Forest Emergence at Nagato.
Although he was extremely wary of Madara, he knew that the threat of Six Paths Nagato far exceeded all current enemies.
Minato made a prompt decision, issuing orders to the Allied Forces through Inoichi's mental network.
"Coordinate with Madara's actions and concentrate attacks on Nagato's main body!"
Six Paths Nagato floated above the barrier formed by the Truth-Seeking Orbs, his expression indifferent in the face of the group's pincer attack.
Edo Madara's Perfect Susanoo's giant blade slashed down with world-destroying force, while simultaneously using Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence to entwine and seal him.
Nagato formed a hand seal with one hand, and three Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him instantly transformed into a rotating shield.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A violent repulsive force field erupted. The Susanoo's giant blade was forcibly knocked off course, and the dense forest was turned to dust the moment it touched the force field.
Madara's offensive was forcibly halted.
Minato's figure appeared behind Nagato's side accompanied by a Yellow Flash, his Rasengan—condensed with Senjutsu chakra—stabbing directly toward the back of his heart.
Nagato didn't even turn around; a stray Truth-Seeking Orb automatically intercepted like a living thing.
Clang!
The Rasengan collided with the Truth-Seeking Orb, producing an explosive sound.
Minato's pupils shrank, and he vanished with a Body Flicker. The spot where he had been standing was pierced by another Truth-Seeking Orb that shot over.
Shisui turned into several green afterimages that were hard to track, his Mangekyo Sharingan focusing in an attempt to apply genjutsu.
A cold light flashed in Nagato's Rinnegan, instantly seeing through the trajectories of all the clones.
"Bansho Tenin!"
The powerful gravitational force instantly locked onto Shisui's main body, forcibly pulling him out of his high-speed movement.
As Shisui struggled to break free, a Truth-Seeking Orb shot toward his face like a meteor!
At the critical moment, Itachi's Yata Mirror phantom blocked in time, saving Shisui.
Itachi seized the gap created by Shisui being saved, blood-tears flowing from his Mangekyo Sharingan:
"Amaterasu!"
Pitch-black flames ignited on Nagato's white robes.
However, the Six Paths Power covering Nagato's body fluctuated slightly, and a Truth-Seeking Orb—symbolizing the pinnacle of Yin-Yang Release—lightly brushed over the black flames.
The Amaterasu flames, capable of incinerating all things, were silently annihilated!
Naruto condensed an incredibly massive Tailed Beast Bomb, his Nine-Tails chakra cloak boiling as he charged forward like a golden comet:
"Take this!"
Nagato finally looked directly at him, his staff lightly tapping the void:
Shinra Tensei erupted on a scale far exceeding anything before!
The violent circular shockwave not only instantly sent the giant Tailed Beast Bomb flying but also slammed back the charging Nine-Tails Naruto along with the earth beneath him, plowing a hundred-meter trench into the ground.
Six Paths Nagato's strength was terrifyingly immense!
In that instant, everyone's pincer formation was immediately broken!
Minato's figure instantly appeared at the position where he had previously launched his attack, the golden flash of the Flying Thunder God not yet fully dissipated.
He gripped his slightly numb right hand, his palm feeling as if it still retained the sensation of colliding with that pitch-black sphere, the Truth-Seeking Orb.
At this moment, his thoughts involuntarily replayed the instant of the collision with the Truth-Seeking Orb.
Surprise.
Raikage Ay's violent Lightning Release had been silently annihilated, and Tsuchikage Onoki's proud Dust Release had been easily deflected; he had seen these with his own eyes.
By all logic, his Rasengan, which had condensed a massive amount of chakra, Even if it were immensely powerful, should have dissipated like a bubble upon hitting that Truth-Seeking Orb, which represented the pinnacle of the power of all creation.
But the result was an explosion!
Although the intense energy impact failed to shake the Truth-Seeking Orb's main body, that unmistakable roar and light proved that his attack had an effect; it had not been "erased."
'Why?' A sharp glint flashed in Minato's blue eyes as his brain worked at high speed, eliminating various possibilities.
'What is the essential difference between my Rasengan and the Ninjutsu of others? Chakra volume? No, the Raikage and Tsuchikage's chakra are equally vast.
Technique? The Rasengan is indeed refined, but the Truth-Seeking Orb's suppression at the level of rules seems to transcend technique...'
The only variable clearly emerged: Senjutsu chakra!
The reason he could maintain Sage Mode now was the support of the massive Nine-Tails chakra shared by his son, Naruto.
And the core of the Rasengan was precisely the Senjutsu chakra formed by integrating Natural Energy from Mount Myōboku!
'So... those black Truth-Seeking Orbs cannot easily annihilate senjutsu attacks containing Natural Energy?'
This discovery was like a bolt of lightning through the darkness, instantly illuminating a blind spot in his understanding.
Senjutsu chakra, a form of energy that merged the spiritual, physical, and natural into a trinity, seemed to possess a certain quality capable of countering the "power of all creation"!
This was undoubtedly a key piece of intelligence for countering the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Six Paths Nagato!
However, just a moment later, a bitter smile appeared on Minato's face.
This discovery was certainly major and significant, but on the current battlefield, it seemed so... powerless.
Looking around, the battle situation was still dire.
Nagato, floating in the air, was surrounded by eight pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs, emitting a suffocating pressure.
The combined attacks of the Allied Forces' top combatants appeared fragile before the Truth-Seeking Orbs and Shinra Tensei.
The Raikage and Killer Bee were pushed back again, and Gaara's gold sand and Onoki's Dust Release were fruitless.
'Even if I know, so what?' Minato sighed in his heart.
'Among the Allied Forces present, the only one who has mastered Sage Mode... is me alone.'