Gekko Chizan's offensive had fully unfolded.
Forcefully taking down the Three-Tails and killing Kakuzu—all of it had happened within just a few minutes.
With the Three-Tails and Kakuzu gone to balance things out, the scales had begun to tip.
"Damn it!"
"Don't think you've already won just because of this!"
"The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
Nagato had personally sent Kakuzu off, and that drove him into a fury.
Although Kakuzu hadn't been in the organization for long, losing such a talent like that still pained him deeply.
Of course, that pain quickly transformed into hatred toward Gekko Chizan.
The chakra throughout his body surged wildly into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. He had already given up controlling the other bodies—now the Demonic Statue was his primary means of attack.
At the same time, black rods began emerging one after another from his back.
These rods had always been embedded in his body, but since he had previously stopped using the Demonic Statue, and his vitality had still been sufficient, their effects hadn't been too severe.
However, as he began using chakra more and more violently, those black substances started exerting a heavy toll on his body.
Nagato's face visibly aged before the naked eye.
This was the consequence of overdriving the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"Heh. Not planning to live anymore?"
"Driving the Demonic Statue like that—even as an Uzumaki, you won't be able to hold on."
Gekko Chizan let out a disdainful laugh and immediately had the Titan Python withdraw from the Demonic Statue's body.
It wasn't just Nagato who was draining himself. Using the Titan Python to restrain the Demonic Statue was also consuming him.
Especially since he had to forcibly withstand the Demonic Statue's lightning—it was nothing like ordinary Lightning Release.
Every time lightning struck, a large portion of his senjutsu chakra was consumed.
Now the Titan Python's body had begun to shrink; this was the result of massive natural energy depletion.
"Chizan, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just used up quite a bit of chakra."
Tagitsuhime had also retreated to his side. The massive crimson serpent had already surpassed the Titan Python in size.
That couldn't be helped—Tagitsuhime was a Snake Princess who had cultivated for a thousand years. The senjutsu chakra within her far exceeded that of Gekko Chizan.
Even after a fierce battle, her consumption hadn't been significant.
Chōmei also flapped its wings and withdrew to their side. But Chōmei's attitude at the moment was anything but normal.
How should one put it?
Excited.
"Hey, Chizan! Let's keep going!"
"Not enough chakra? No problem, I'll give you some!"
"Let's continue—I want to beat that Rinnegan bastard!"
Gekko Chizan looked at the excited Chōmei and shook his head helplessly.
The battlefield temporarily split apart as both sides adjusted their conditions.
Uchiha Makito, protected by Susanoo, also arrived beside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Seeing the Demonic Statue growing increasingly frenzied, he understood that Nagato was already going all out.
But at present, they had no better options. After all, his dōjutsu was support-oriented and lacked offensive capability.
"Nagato, since you've already brought out the Demonic Statue—"
"Use that ability. You know the one."
Nagato nodded. He had already decided to use every means available to kill Gekko Chizan—even if the price was his own life.
The Demonic Statue's abilities were far from simple. After all, it was the body of the Ten-Tails.
Though it couldn't compare to the Ten-Tails itself, it wasn't something that could be understood through common sense.
"I'll go bring Kabuto back. His puppets are also combat strength. If it's just the two of us, leaving him behind will be difficult."
Uchiha Makito stared warily at the three colossal figures across from them.
Two snakes and one insect—such a bizarre combination had actually reduced their Akatsuki forces again and again.
In the next second, his dōjutsu Mukyō activated, and Uchiha Makito vanished from where he stood.
Seeing his movement, Gekko Chizan immediately understood—he must be going to retrieve Kabuto, who had been blasted away by Chōmei.
Gekko Chizan smiled faintly as Uchiha Makito left. He didn't think that even if Kabuto returned, it would make much of a difference.
"He went to save the puppet brat."
"Tch, so what if he brings him back? I can swat him away with one tail!"
Chōmei was utterly dismissive. As one of the strongest brother combinations of this era, it wasn't afraid of some kid who played with puppets.
"Still, this Demonic Statue of the Outer Path really isn't easy to deal with."
"Based on what I know about it, it still has a trump card it hasn't used."
"Huh? Damn it, what did I just say—Chizan, be careful with what's coming next."
A trace of seriousness entered Chōmei's tone. As a Tailed Beast, it knew the Ten-Tails and the Demonic Statue far too well.
Nagato's move had already begun. His hands were still clasped together, and within the mouth of the Demonic Statue, a faint purple glow started to gather.
Those purple lights actually condensed into the shape of a dragon's head.
"I see it. It really isn't easy to deal with."
"An ability that can devour chakra…"
"The three of us right now are all chakra-formed bodies. Against us, that ability is practically a natural disaster."
Gekko Chizan recognized the Demonic Statue's next move at a glance.
His words made Chōmei cry out in surprise.
"Hey, Chizan, you're something else. How'd you know that?"
"Forget it. All these years, I've never figured out what's inside that head of yours."
"But you're right. That's an attack that can devour chakra."
"And the chakra it swallows replenishes itself. Not easy to handle."
Nagato also heard Gekko Chizan's words, but he was no longer surprised.
What he wanted now was simple—kill the monstrous combination before him.
The Demonic Statue's chakra dragon, just as Gekko Chizan said, could directly devour chakra.
Even more terrifying—it could absorb vitality.
Nagato's current condition was terrible, but by using this ability, he could forcibly plunder the opponent's chakra and vitality to nourish himself.
"Gekko Chizan, this battle isn't over yet!"
"Die!"
With a furious roar from Nagato, the purple chakra dragon surged forward.
"Chōmei! Tagitsuhime!"
"Don't clash head-on! Fall back!"
At this moment, both Chōmei and Tagitsuhime were acting in chakra-formed bodies.
If they were entangled by that chakra dragon, having their chakra devoured would drastically reduce their combat power.
Even Gekko Chizan himself dispelled his Titan Python form and used Flying Thunder God for his first dodge.
"Hmph! Chizan, what are you scared of!"
Tagitsuhime revealed her inherently rebellious side. Facing the charge of the purple giant dragon, she advanced instead of retreating.
She too condensed a long serpent out of chakra.
A dragon-versus-serpent clash erupted instantly.
The purple dragon and the crimson serpent collided—and the moment they did, Tagitsuhime's expression changed drastically.
"This is bad! I'm finished!"
"Chizan, save me!"
Gekko Chizan: …You've got to be kidding me!
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