In the distant battlefield, Kanon and Madara looked down at the nine Tailed Beasts below.
"Did Black Zetsu say anything to you?" Madara asked.
"No, he just said he would bring back the Rinnegan in a moment."
"But old man Madara, I don't trust him," Kanon stated flatly.
"He is the manifestation of my will. Why is that?" Madara asked, slightly puzzled.
"Even if he's the manifestation of your will, I simply don't trust him."
Hearing Kanon's words, Madara gave a slight nod. Kanon was implying that when it came to his own will, she preferred to put her faith directly in him.
"It seems reclaiming the left eye is going to take a bit more time," Madara remarked coolly.
Kanon pulled a kunai from her ninja tool pouch. Gaining a steady fix on the Tailed Beasts in the distance, she said softly:
"Then let's get things moving on our end as well."
"Though, old man Madara, do you need to rest for a bit?"
"No need, Kanon. Don't lump me together with that brat who took years just to bring back a few pets."
"With the medical treatment you just gave me, combined with Hashirama's healing factor, I've already fully recovered."
"A moment ago, I merely wanted to test the limits of Hashirama's regenerative powers, so my fighting style was admittedly a bit lacking in elegance."
Across the field, Naruto stared grimly at Kanon, Madara, and the Gedo Mazo looming behind them.
"Let's initiate the attack," Naruto suggested.
"Wait, we don't know how they're going to move yet."
The Nine-Tails vetoed Naruto's idea, knowing that the combined strength of Kanon and Madara across from them was simply too overwhelming.
"The Gedo Mazo, huh..."
Madara dropped into a crouch, his sightless gaze fixed on the distance. "I shall proceed with greater precision."
"Kanon, allow me to show you the true power of the Rinnegan."
Madara paused mid-sentence, seemingly recalling something.
"Right. When the time comes, I will give you my flesh and Hashirama's cells to help you awaken the Rinnegan."
"No need. I have my own way of awakening the eye," Kanon replied softly.
"Oh? Is there a new method?"
Kanon let out a cold mental scoff. She possessed Hagoromo's chakra within her, and she currently held both Yin and Yang Release chakra. Furthermore, Konin was already using the divine art she had specified to lay the groundwork for her.
Thus, she truly possessed her own distinct method of awakening the eye, a Rinnegan unique to Kanon Uchiha alone.
However, since the process still required some time, Kanon had no intention of exposing the fact that she could awaken the Rinnegan just yet.
"Very well. If your method doesn't work out, just come to me. I will make sure your eye awakens."
"I told you before: I will lead you to overthrow the entire shinobi world. I am a woman of my word."
With those words, Madara slammed his palm onto the ground and leapt onto the head of the Gedo Mazo. "This will only take a few seconds, Kanon. Watch closely."
"Limbo: Border Jail!!!"
The exact instant Madara unleashed the jutsu, Kanon's pupils dilated. Within her inner world, Konin had snapped her eyes open.
"Limbo: Border Jail? How nostalgic."
"Limbo: Border Jail?"
"Yes. Though it's a trivial, baseline visual prowess, it still brings back memories," Konin said with a soft chuckle and a nod.
Fragments of long-buried memories flashed across her mind, but in the end, she had always been left completely alone.
The absolute supremacy of a single individual, a lifetime of undefeated glory… it always culminated in pure isolation. Such was the mandatory path to achieving godhood.
A lifetime of training, an era of absolute invincibility, paid for with a world littered with corpses.
The laughter of the past and the sweetest memories had all eroded with the flow of time. That obsessive pursuit, like a moth to a flame, and the final, brilliant radiance of a dying candle... As these thoughts washed over her, Konin's heart gradually settled into a calm stillness.
Some people were destined to be mere passing travelers in one's life. As the years and centuries rolled by, their prints would inevitably fade from the heart without leaving a trace. Once one stood at the absolute pinnacle of existence, the heart would no longer burn with passion.
Suddenly, out on the real battlefield, the Tailed Beasts began to stumble and crash into one another, as if struck by a massive, invisible force.
It was an invisible assault. All nine Tailed Beasts were subjected to a staggering, incomprehensible impact. This was the power of Limbo: Border Jail.
Within their shared consciousness, Konin calmly explained the mechanics of the visual prowess to Kanon.
"An invisible clone, huh..."
As if reading what was on Kanon's mind, Konin stated flatly:
"Rest easy. An attack of this caliber is a walk in the park for the Flower Realm. It's completely beneath your concern."
"Even if he deploys it against you, you don't need to pay it any mind. Kanon, you must understand that the Flower Realm reigns supreme over any visual prowess."
Kanon gave a subtle nod. A brilliant smile graced her features as she playfully nudged Konin with her elbow.
"So, is that jutsu ready yet?"
"Not yet, don't rush me." Konin rolled her eyes at Kanon before closing them once more.
"What a cold-hearted woman."
"Insulting me is the same as insulting yourself," Konin countered flatly.
"Fine! What a beautiful, gentle, and virtuous woman!" Kanon huffed, puffing out her cheeks.
In the physical world, Kanon looked up at Madara and said softly:
"It seems that strike packed quite a punch."
"Indeed. These brutes have finally quieted down a bit. It's time to put on their leashes." Clapping his hands together, Madara stood alongside Kanon atop the statue.
The Gedo Mazo's massive jaws unhinged, emitting a brilliant purple glow. In an instant, nine massive chakra chains erupted, tightly binding all the Tailed Beasts, including the Nine-Tails.
It was a complete departure from Obito's previous attempt; the beasts were entirely overwhelmed in a single moment, and the Gedo Mazo effectively collared all nine of them simultaneously.
"So this is the true power of the Gedo Mazo." Kanon shook her head with a sigh. Obito really had been far too weak by comparison.
"Let's extract the Eight and Nine-Tails from their Jinchuriki first. Kanon, doing so will kill Naruto. If you wish to spare his life, I can go and capture the Fourth Hokage instead," Madara offered softly.
"No need," Kanon replied with a gentle shake of her head.
"Leaving him alive will only cause impediments. Since he refuses to stand on our side, there is no purpose in keeping him."
"Very well." Madara let out a cold smirk as the chains binding the Eight and Nine-Tails began to violently constrict.
Predictably, the Eight-Tails immediately began to buckle under the strain. The sheer power of the Gedo Mazo was not something a Tailed Beast could hope to resist.
"Damn it!" the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails roared in unison.
"Hurry up and undo the Tailed Beast Mode!" Naruto shouted, preparing to weave hand signs, but Madara spoke with chilling indifference.
"It's futile. Once the collar is locked, there is absolute escape." Madara sneered.
Sure enough, Naruto found himself completely unable to sense Kurama; the fox could no longer retreat back into his seal.
At that moment, Naruto's physical form began to be dragged forward toward the statue. A White Zetsu popped up from the ground below, calling out to Madara, "Madara-sama, you have to start from the One-Tail first!"
"I am aware."
"The Tailed Beasts that need to be ripped out of their Jinchuriki happen to be the last two, the Eight and Nine-Tails."
"In that case, why don't we use this time to absorb the One through the Seven-Tails first?!"
Hearing White Zetsu's voice, Naruto bellowed in fury, "You bastards! I won't let you take Kurama!"
Madara stared down at Shukaku, his voice deadpan:
"Yes, this is proving to be a bit more troublesome than I anticipated."
"First... let's begin with this fellow!"
In a flash, Shukaku felt a crushing pressure lock onto him. The immense pulling force was something he could not fight against, no matter how hard he struggled.
"I will never surrender Shukaku to you..."
The moment Gaara attempted to manifest his Sand Shield arms, the surrounding sand violently collapsed into dust. Spikes of rock erupted from beneath the earth, violently blasting Gaara into the air.
"I told you, you can't protect a single thing." Kanon swept her left hand outward, instantly causing Gaara's defensive sand to disintegrate. The distinct pigmentation of Sage Mode markings had manifested at the corners of her eyes.
"Whether it's the deceased Kage or you, you're all nothing more than specks of dust." Kanon stated coldly.
"Gaara, don't lose to Kanon!" Naruto screamed.
"This is all ultimately an exercise in futility." As Kanon spoke, the skeletal frame of her Susanoo materialized behind her, hurling a volley of Yasaka Magatama.
The crimson magatama launched toward Gaara with blistering speed. If a direct hit connected, Gaara would undoubtedly be killed.
"Kanon! Stop!" Naruto roared in desperation.
But in the next heartbeat, Shukaku slammed his massive palm down to intercept the attack. "Don't underestimate me, you Uchiha brat! This old man's entire purpose is absolute defense!"
"I have my own pride as Shukaku!"
"I understand..." Gaara nodded.
"No, none of you understand anything." The corners of Madara's mouth curled up. He already understood exactly what Kanon was planning.
Sure enough, Kanon stated flatly, "Then drag your pride over here with you, you brute."
Kanon snapped her fingers, causing the Yasaka Magatama to detonate with horrific violence. Hidden within the core of that magatama construct was a Rasengan Fire Dance that had been highly compressed by her Susanoo. The resulting explosion sent both Shukaku and Gaara hurtling backward through the air.
The fierce shockwave tore across the entire sector where Shukaku stood, violently dragging him a massive distance toward the Gedo Mazo.
"Gaara! Don't push yourself!"
"I am no longer a Jinchuriki... I can finally... pull an all-nighter with you as an equal!" Gaara roared through gritted teeth. He desperately tried to force himself back onto his feet, but the sheer force of Kanon's coordinated blast had inflicted massive trauma upon him.
"Gaara... you!"
"You really are just like Bunpuku..."
Shukaku snarled through gritted teeth as the remaining Tailed Beasts began to be systematically dragged toward the open jaws of the statue.
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NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]