"Ahhh—!"
Nagato roared again, his chakra surging violently.
From the mouth of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, an intense mass of chakra began to gather.
That chakra then condensed into the shape of a dragon and shot out toward Dragonite.
"What is that…?"
Konan, perched a little above on the statue, widened her eyes in shock.
She recognized this jutsu very well—Hanzo the Salamander and countless Rain ninja had perished to this very technique.
Ryo's expression darkened. "Dragonite, use Hyper Beam at full power—blast that chakra dragon apart!"
This wasn't something they could just dodge. Ryo remembered this move clearly—so long as chakra kept pouring into it, the chakra dragon wouldn't dissipate. Unless destroyed with brute force, it would keep chasing forever.
Dragonite nodded, gathering a terrifying ball of energy in its mouth.
Nagato, seeing this, grimaced and ramped up his chakra output.
Of course he knew what was coming.
Six Paths of Pain—his strongest technique—had once fallen to that same attack.
He couldn't allow Dragonite to complete it. That raw power couldn't be withstood head-on.
The chakra dragon accelerated, streaking toward Dragonite and closing the distance in an instant.
Dragonite was still charging Hyper Beam.
Nearby, protected by Garchomp, Cynthia cried out in alarm, "Ryo! Tell Dragonite to retreat—it's too late!"
Everyone nearby turned toward Ryo in panic.
But he didn't give the order to dodge.
"Ryo, hurry!"
Cynthia shouted again, her voice laced with deep concern.
Still, Ryo remained silent, fists clenched, gaze fixed on the sky.
Unlike Cynthia or Tsunade, he knew exactly how this chakra dragon worked.
If they gave up this attack now to evade, they'd never get another chance. The dragon would stick to Dragonite like glue, never allowing enough time to charge another Hyper Beam.
At that moment, the chakra dragon had already reached Dragonite's face—but Dragonite kept charging, refusing to flinch.
The crowd below turned away, unable to watch.
BOOM—!
A thunderous explosion echoed through the air, followed by a massive gust of wind.
Everyone instinctively looked up.
Just as the chakra dragon was about to hit, Dragonite unleashed its fully charged Hyper Beam.
The two forces collided, shaking the sky. Clouds shattered from the shockwave.
The air surged and twisted violently. A hurricane formed from nothing.
Even the elite shinobi struggled to remain standing, arms shielding their eyes from the debris.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others could barely hold their ground. The ordinary ninja in the back? Many were outright blown away, bodies flung into the distance.
And the land itself suffered too.
Entire forests were ripped from the ground, soaring into the sky like leaves in a storm.
Even the dirt was sucked upward, spreading outward like a storm cloud.
Crack! Crack!
Suddenly, the crowd heard something behind them. Turning back, they saw cracks spreading across the Spirit House. Wooden planks broke off and flew into the air.
Seeing that, Ryo—who had been using psychic power to stabilize himself—gritted his teeth.
"Damn it… this fight's about to destroy my home."
But no matter how frustrated he was, there was nothing he could do. He looked back up at the sky.
Despite the chaos unfolding across the battlefield, the combatants remained unfazed.
Their attacks clashed, still locked in a fierce standoff.
BOOM—!
Another blast tore through the sky as both attacks finally dissipated, the energy scattering like mist.
The violent winds vanished. All the debris—trees, soil, shattered rock—began to rain down from the sky.
Yet no one cared.
All eyes were fixed on Dragonite and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Mouths hung open in disbelief, as if they had witnessed something utterly impossible.
"W-What kind of power is this…?"
"It's not just humans—even Pokémon can wield that kind of strength?"
"No… to unleash power like that… they're no longer human. They're gods!"
Shock gripped the gathered shinobi.
Even Tsunade and the members of the Akatsuki stood frozen in awe.
Before this, they'd all believed themselves to be powerful. As Kage-level shinobi, they were at the peak of the ninja world.
But now? That belief had been shattered.
The gap between them and these beings—Ryo and Nagato—was like heaven and earth.
And no one felt this more acutely than Jiraiya.
His whole worldview felt shaken. He couldn't help but wonder…
Was that really his student up there?
Was this power even reasonable anymore?
It all felt… excessive.
———
But Ryo and Nagato, the centerpieces of this storm, paid no mind to the thoughts of others.
As the dust settled and their attacks canceled out, Ryo slowly floated up, arriving beside Dragonite. He stared at Nagato.
"So… now that we've come this far, what's your move?"
Nagato fell silent.
He already knew he couldn't win.
That chakra dragon was one of his most powerful techniques. And even that had failed to break through Ryo's defenses.
Still, though he knew the truth, he couldn't bring himself to give up.
To surrender now would make his and Yahiko's dream look like a joke.
"Nagato, enough…"
Konan flew over and landed on the statue's head, looking at him gently.
That last attack had drained Nagato nearly dry. If he continued, he'd be spending his life force next.
Nagato shook his head, face conflicted.
He couldn't defeat Dragonite—that much was clear. But abandoning their ideals… he just couldn't do it.
Seeing the turmoil in Nagato's eyes, Ryo said nothing. He gave him the space to think.
Time passed slowly.
Eventually, Nagato clenched his teeth, eyes burning with resolve. He looked at Ryo.
"Let's continue. I… can't give up.
But if I die… I have only one request—please, let Konan go. This has nothing to do with her."
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