Chapter 364: Willing to Risk Everything to Pull Down the Divine
"Rasa, again!"
A roared, lightning blazing across his body. In an instant, he'd charged before Nagato again, wielding the long sword with waterfall-like blade light—each strike carrying deathly resolve.
Nagato swung his black rod, transforming into a blur barely visible to naked eyes, clashing ding-ding-dang with A.
Though unsure what the Raikage brothers were plotting, Rasa didn't hesitate a moment. He immediately formed rapid hand seals, launching the sand sea tsunami once more. Even more massive, more condensed gold dust waves rose from earth again, pouring toward Nagato.
"Hmph!" Nagato snorted coldly, tossing out another black sphere.
"Planetary Devastation!"
Massive gravity once more crushed the gold dust attack while incidentally disrupting A and others' assault rhythm.
But having learned from previous experience, Rasa and Kurotsuchi coordinated, easily escaping "Planetary Devastation's" gravitational field.
A completely ignored Rasa's situation, only shouting to Ao after the gravitational field dissipated:
"Ao, release mist!"
Without a word, Ao rapidly formed seals before exhaling.
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique!"
Waves of dense fog containing special chakra emerged from Ao's mouth, rapidly permeating the entire field and covering this area, preventing outsiders from discovering what occurred here.
Under chakra interference, even Rinnegan couldn't easily penetrate thick fog.
But mist worked bidirectionally—while blinding enemies' vision, it also left one's own side disoriented.
Rasa and Kurotsuchi immediately frowned, uncertain what the Raikage was plotting.
But recalling tactical arrangements from the pre-battle meeting, both guessed it likely related to Cloud Village's mysteriously secretive Treasured Tools.
If their judgment proved correct, victory or defeat would be decided in moments. Thus both concentrated fully on Nagato's direction, prepared to react instantly.
Only Ao, relying on Byakugan function, not only didn't stop but instead activated "Hidden Mist Assassination Technique," silently approaching Nagato's location.
There, Nagato and A battled intensely. Collision sounds rang dense as rain, sparks flying.
Two of the shinobi world's supreme taijutsu experts couldn't determine victory quickly.
Ao moved holding his breath around the core battlefield's edge, carefully calculating optimal intervention timing and angle—like the most patient hunter awaiting the viper's exposed vital point.
Though Rinnegan vision suffered interference, combat instinct and acute chakra perception meant Nagato wasn't completely unaware of surrounding killing intent.
That deliberately created visual fog itself proclaimed conspiracy's existence.
Irritation and vigilance combined made him cease waiting, deciding to use the most domineering method to sweep this chessboard he found distasteful.
"Boring tricks!"
Nagato snorted coldly, activating "Shinra Tensei" again.
Enormous repulsive force thundered downward once more. Dense fog was violently expelled and scattered upon contact with the repulsive field, transforming this area back into clear skies.
A—launching full assault—and Ao—who'd just reached attack range while raising his arm—bore the brunt.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two dull sounds rang almost simultaneously. Immediately two figures were rapidly blasted away.
But when A and Killer B crossed paths, the airborne Raikage's arm suddenly swung. That blade wrapped in residual lightning transformed into an electric flash, precisely shooting toward Killer B entangled with summoning beasts.
"Killer B!"
"Received!"
Killer B extended a tentacle to catch the blade midair before roaring without hesitation, abandoning the struggle with multiple colossal summoning beasts. He forcibly endured a rhinoceros charge, using the impact to turn while channeling all speed and strength into both legs.
Instantly, ground exploded. Killer B shot forth like a cannonball, once more charging toward Nagato—who'd just released "Shinra Tensei" and was experiencing brief cooldown.
Nagato's expression remained calm. He held mortal ninja calculations in complete contempt, merely raising his black rod again to thrust toward Killer B.
But a voice suddenly rang from the crowd:
"Force out his word spirit, Kōkinjō!"
With this voice, Nagato suddenly felt something rising from his chest, surging upward along his throat, frantically trying to emerge—completely unrestrained by chakra suppression.
He hastily leaped backward while reaching to cover his mouth, but that thing continued emerging relentlessly.
That "thing" seemed to carry intense "expression" and "leakage" impulses, determined to break through his mouth. All attempts at suppression or containment proved futile.
For the first time, obvious discomfort and suspicion appeared on Nagato's perpetually indifferent features.
Killer B seized the opportunity, slashing downward with his blade while forcing Nagato into continuous retreat.
"Nngh..."
Nagato finally couldn't endure it. Opening his mouth, a white ghost-like thing emerged from within—connected to his mouth below while floating in wind above.
What was this thing?
Shock appeared clearly for the first time in this "divine" being's eyes' depths.
He hastily reached to grab it, but the thing resembled spirit-form, completely unaffected by his influence.
Physical contact proved completely ineffective. Chakra grasping disappeared like mud ox into ocean.
That strange thing simply hung there, becoming a conspicuous yet vulnerable "marker."
Terrible!
He'd been trapped!
Though uncertain what Cloud ninja meant by "word spirit," combat instinct made Nagato instantly realize this thing posed extreme danger to him.
His heart trembled. His body hastily floated upward, attempting to fly into clouds for evasion.
But Kurotsuchi and Rasa had prepared for this moment extensively—absolutely unwilling to grant him further opportunities.
"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Technique!"
Kurotsuchi pressed both palms to ground. Chakra surged violently. An immensely thick rock pillar thunderously erupted beneath Killer B like a launch platform, lifting him skyward at astounding speed, directly pursuing Nagato attempting ascent.
Killer B rapidly transformed into tailed beast form, swinging long tentacles. Blade light flashed like silk, slashing downward.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Binding!"
Rasa's gold dust struck from behind.
Just as Nagato was about to accelerate skyward, ground beneath his feet transformed into quicksand. Several brilliant yet lethal gold dust whips shot forth viper-like, firmly binding Nagato's ankles and calves—like golden shackles extended from earth, erupting with enormous downward pulling force, severing his escape to heaven.
Unfortunately, both Nagato's ultimate techniques had just been used, temporarily unavailable for continued use—completely unable to repel these people from his vicinity.
Yet Nagato remained unconcerned, eyes instead filled with fury.
"Mere insects dare challenge divine beings!"
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