Gaara's chest felt unbearably tight. The Five Kage Summit was about to begin, yet these people were playing along the way. As the Fifth Kazekage, the pressure on him was immense. The summit is imminent, and they're throwing snowballs as if they had no care in the world!
Even more perplexing, these childish antics seemed to delight the Akatsuki members. Was it his way of walking that was wrong, or his encounter with Akatsuki that was off?
He hesitated, wondering whether to urge them forward. But suddenly, the playful group froze. With a few bounds, they clustered together.
Pain's expression hardened. Nagato's gaze fixed on a corner of the sky, serious as ever. Everyone tensed. Konan's hand rested on her concealed weapon. Sakura looked confused, but before she could react, Itachi pulled her behind him.
"Nagato," Obito's brows knit with caution.
Nagato nodded and stepped forward, shouting sharply: "Fall back!"
At his command, everyone took positions. Konan, Itachi, and Obito each advanced, securing the most critical spots. Then, amidst the drifting snow, a clear rift appeared in the sky.
Gaara saw a man in white appear from the void, floating midair, shoulder holding a fishing rod, waist strapped with a fish basket, eyes glaring white.
"Yo, Akatsuki! You little pests sure caused me a lot of trouble!"
The voice was playful yet disdainful, arrogance etched into his posture.
Nagato narrowed his eyes, watching coldly.
"An Otsutsuki?" he muttered.
"Hmph, you sure know a lot. I always said that little Kaguya girl was useless."
The words shook everyone. Konan stepped forward, frowning, analyzing the man. According to Kaguya Otsutsuki's scroll, she had three rivals: Kinshiki, Momoshiki, and Urashiki. One could interpret it as a hierarchy, but which one stood before them now?
"Who are you?"
"Since you're about to die, I'll tell you. I'm Urashiki Otsutsuki, Kaguya's superior. Hand over the tailed beast consciousness, and I might grant you a dignified death. Hey, Rinnegan brat, don't think your eyes can match me. You're just insects who can't comprehend power."
"How did you get here?" Konan asked, her right hand tightening on her weapon. Otsutsuki could absorb ninjutsu, which posed a grave risk to anyone relying on it.
"How?" Urashiki sneered. "Think exiling the tailed beast power helped? You're nothing but insects on my farm. Struggling only proves it."
With that, the fishing rod glowed faint red and swung toward Gaara.
Gaara didn't flinch. Absolute defense gave him absolute confidence. As the hook descended, sand from his gourd automatically formed a barrier. Until now, he hadn't fully understood the Otsutsuki's power—perhaps stronger than what Shukaku had claimed, or just Akatsuki exaggeration.
SPLASH!
The hook pierced the sand barrier, striking Gaara's chest. A shock surged through him, his power forcibly ripped away. Urashiki laughed mockingly: "Gotcha."
Gaara gritted his teeth, gripping the red line of the hook with sand, straining to pull it out. As it was extracted, a strange red substance clung to it.
Urashiki sneered:
"Using such a primitive method… is that 'willpower'? Inefficient, really."
"You…"
"Doesn't matter. Three… two… one… fall."
Gaara collapsed to one knee. Urashiki smirked: "Ah, just as expected. Insects should obey. Now, hand it over. One-Tail, Four-Tail, Five-Tail—bring them to me."
"What if I don't?" Nagato asked, calm and stern. Urashiki's suppression was immense, yet insufficient to intimidate him.
Nagato crossed his arms, standing firm. Rinnegan power radiated from him, nullifying Urashiki's oppression. Itachi lifted Sakura, who had collapsed under fear, without breaking his gaze from Urashiki above.
"Oh?" Urashiki's voice carried surprise—someone with Rinnegan resisting him. Then he laughed: "I see. You too have Rinnegan. If you won't give it willingly, I'll take it myself."
The fight erupted.
"Sakura, step back and heal the Kazekage. Konan, Obito, take him down first."
"Yes."
"Understood."
The battle transcended human comprehension—or even Akatsuki's. Otsutsuki could absorb ninjutsu, rendering most attacks useless. Rinnegan users were immune to genjutsu. Only taijutsu remained effective. Few in Akatsuki specialized in hand-to-hand combat, making offensive ninjutsu secondary.
The gap in power was massive, but victory wasn't impossible.
BOOM!
An attack from above struck Konan to the ground, leaving a crater. Deidara immediately filled the gap, launching a barrage against Urashiki. Sakura panicked, rushing to assist the fallen Konan.
"Konan!"
Itachi's voice cut her off sharply:
"Sakura, maintain formation! Konan is not defeated by this!"
Susanoo cloaked Itachi as he hurled the sword at Urashiki. Air combat was nearly sealed off; Urashiki was forced to fight on land. Everyone was exhausted. Kakuzu assisted Deidara with body strikes, hoping to draw even a drop of Urashiki's blood—enough to turn the tide. Yet his unpredictable spatial techniques made coordination difficult.
Konan rose, catching her breath. The Great King returned to her hand. She observed the battlefield: extreme force required extreme measures.
"Time to get serious. I thought I'd miss the chance to use this move."
"Stop wasting time—attack!"
Konan laughed, discarding her upper yukata, revealing a scarred body. Black Cursed Seals spread across her flesh. White hair turned red-black, and two pairs of flesh wings emerged. Her expression remained calm, yet terrifying, with red eyes and exposed fangs. Bone blades extended from her palms, and the Great King gripped tightly.
This was a form no one had seen before, except Obito.