"Clatter, clatter..."
Chains above the axe-blades retracted, pulling the lowered axes back into position for another use.
"We must charge up before the axes reset, or we'll just repeat the earlier situation!" The Fourth Raikage roared angrily, bursting with powerful Chakra as he charged up the wall once more.
[Summoning Technique]!
Jiraiya summoned three giant toads, shouting to the people around, "A few of you, come up. We'll jump together."
Hearing this, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and over a dozen others nearby squeezed onto the giant toads' heads.
"Jump!"
At Jiraiya's command, the three giant toads bent their hind legs to the extreme, then 'boomed' as they leapt, instantly soaring over a hundred meters, surpassing the Mechanical City's wall height.
However, on the Mechanical City's wall, large devices similar to harpoon guns were already waiting for them.
As soon as the toads appeared, they fired.
"Such petty tricks! How can we let you succeed!"
Jiraiya shouted loudly, forming hand seals. [Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet]!
Blazing flames erupted from his mouth. The toad beneath his feet precisely spat oil at the same moment. The two combined mid-air, instantly causing the fire to surge, covering a range of dozens of meters, dyeing the sky red.
"Let me add some fuel to the fire!"
Orochimaru chuckled, forming hand seals. [Wind Release: Great Breakthrough]!
A ferocious gale blew, sweeping up the flames in a sudden explosion. The previously dozens-of-meters range expanded to over a hundred meters. The previously scattered form coalesced into a horizontal fire tornado. The intense high temperature melted arrows and harpoon guns mid-air. Even the people on the toads felt the scorching heat.
Two of the Legendary Sannin joining forces to unleash Ninjutsu… its power was terrifying.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The three toads landed successfully on the city wall, crushing a batch of war machines.
The people on the toads' heads quickly jumped down, wreaking havoc on the surroundings.
[Summoning Technique]!
[Summoning Technique]!
Orochimaru and Tsunade summoned together. The enormous slug, Katsuyu, and the giant snake, Manda, appeared on the city wall.
"Katsuyu, disperse!"
"Understood, Tsunade-sama!"
"Manda, wreak havoc freely!"
"Don't order me around!"
Katsuyu split, dividing into countless smaller individuals about a meter long, slowly crawling towards nearby machines.
As they crawled, their bodies secreted acidic substance, leaving behind scorching trails.
Although Manda said 'don't order me', it was most interested in wanton destruction. So it twisted its body, recklessly destroying the surroundings.
Add to that the three giant toads summoned by Jiraiya… just the three Sannin alone cleared hundreds of meters of the city wall in an instant.
Affected by this, more and more people climbed onto the wall. It seemed the fall of the Mechanical City was only a matter of time.
...
"That area is very noisy!"
In the center of the wall, Ryuji looked east. However, due to the distance, he could only see the dust of battle.
"Master, segment sixty-seven has been occupied by the enemy!"
The Eye of God's voice transmitted via their mental link informed Ryuji of the situation there.
The city wall was over a hundred kilometers wide. Driving a car would take nearly an hour. Without the Eye of God system's assistance, Sunagakure's manpower would be insufficient to defend such a large wall.
To quickly understand the situation during battle, Ryuji divided the wall into segments every half mile.
"So, they breached the Mechanical City's defenses while I was listening to Nagato and Konan's conversation..." Ryuji pondered briefly. "Although they took advantage of my distraction, anyone capable of breaching the defense system isn't ordinary. Have Gin lead a team to snipe them."
"Yes!"
"Then, I should also focus on stabilizing Nagato quickly!" Ryuji murmured to himself.
Although he had initially guessed Nagato planned to take advantage after Sunagakure and the Allied Shinobi Forces weakened each other, he was confident he could maintain enough strength to defeat Nagato even after beating the Allied Forces. So he planned to go along with the scheme... pretend to be mutually weakened with the Allied Forces, then deal with Nagato when he emerged.
But this improved Impure World Reincarnation exceeded his expectations. He couldn't guarantee he would maintain enough strength to defeat Nagato after successfully sealing the First Hokage.
Nagato with uninjured legs, life force not drained by the Outer Path Statue, developing normally... his potential wasn't something Obito could compare to.
Just how far had the current Nagato reached? It was impossible to know.
But it could be predicted that he definitely wouldn't be weaker than Obito after becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki during the Fourth Shinobi World War in the original work.
Faced with such a situation, trying to still go along with the scheme would likely turn the pretend into a real outcome.
Unless he used his trump cards from the start.
But then, he couldn't pretend to be mutually weakened.
…
"Konan, if you intend to stop me, I will kill even you!" Nagato looked firmly at Konan, his tone resolute.
Konan's heart trembled, tears flowing uncontrollably.
She wasn't sad because Nagato was treating her this way, but heartbroken for the Nagato who had become like this.
She understood Nagato. She knew he was a kind person who would rather starve than kill a little dog for food.
But such a person could now indifferently watch his hometown destroyed for his ideal, could personally kill someone dear to him... just how much pain must he have experienced to become like this?
Konan was truly heartbroken and filled with self-blame.
'Why wasn't I by Nagato's side when he was going through such pain?'
'If I had been there, perhaps I could have shouldered some of his burden, made it easier for him.'
Konan very much wanted to help Nagato. But having been resurrected by Ryuji and living on the Mechanical City for five years, she had gained more understanding of Ryuji.
She knew Nagato wouldn't succeed.
'Continuing like this, Nagato would only die.'
She wanted to persuade Nagato, but looking at that resolute expression, she also knew he wouldn't listen to her persuasions.
"Let me handle it."
Just as Konan was at a loss, Ryuji's voice sounded in her mind. Then her consciousness was taken over.
…
"Long time no see, Nagato."
Hearing a familiar voice distinct from Konan's, even from a female's, Nagato's eyes turned cold. "Senki Ryuji."
"Recognized me, huh? Saves the introduction." Ryuji, borrowing Konan's body, smiled. "I've left the battlefield above to come find you specifically. Presumably, you understand… I am aware of all your plans."
"But even though you know my plans, you didn't scheme against me accordingly. Instead, you specifically came to find me. This indicates you cannot handle the current situation." Nagato responded calmly, not the slightest bit flustered that his plans were exposed.
The situation has developed to this point. What does it matter if his plan is exposed?
Can Sunagakure stop the war now?
Impossible. The Allied Shinobi Forces have already suffered over fifty percent casualties; they can't stop now.