This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 260 Uchiha Madara and Nagato

"Boom boom boom..."

The battle between Kurenai, Might Guy, and the First Hokage intensified, causing the entire floating island to tremble violently, a truly terrifying sight.

Many people secretly worried that the island might fall into the air due to the collision of these powerful forces.

However, this concern was quickly replaced by the current stalemate.

Without the power of the First Hokage and Jinchuriki, the battle situation returned to what it was before. The Allied Forces' high-end combat power was crushed by the Sand Village and could only rely on numbers to fight back.

……

"How do you know these things!?"

Kushina's incredulous voice rang out. The other tailed beasts also gasped in surprise, much to the curiosity of the Jinchuriki.

They had heard of the Sage of Six Paths, but what about the Ten-Tails, Kaguya-hime, and the Otsutsuki clan?

Princess Kaguya could probably tell that it was referring to a certain person, but what was the Ten-Tails?

Is there still a tailed beast hiding in the ninja world?

And the Otsutsuki clan... Does this clan even exist in the ninja world?

And what about the enemy from the stars?

"Master naturally has his own sources of information," Yoru said calmly. "Although you are beings created by the Sage of Six Paths and have survived to this day, knowing many ancient secrets, Master knows more than the Sage of Six Paths and has been preparing for the Otsutsuki's imminent arrival."

"In the near future..." Kurama's voice was heavy with labored breathing, as if even breathing had become difficult. The other tailed beasts were the same.

They were created by the Sage of Six Paths using the Ten-Tails' chakra, and they also know about the Sage of Six Paths and Kaguya... The chakra progenitor that required the Sage of Six Paths and his brother to fight for three months to seal, even she was afraid and worried about it. The Otsutsuki clan from the stars, who had been preparing for this for a long time, will descend in the near future.

"This is impossible! So many years have passed and he hasn't come yet, how could he come now?" Youlv shouted in disbelief.

The other tailed beasts also looked at Ye Moyang.

Even at the end of the night, everything remained calm and serene.

He sighed, "That's precisely why I'm here now! You don't think Princess Kaguya is afraid of an enemy that doesn't even exist, do you?"

Before finishing, he immediately added, "Moreover, the master has never been wrong in predicting the future."

"Even so, this news is too unbelievable. How can you expect us to believe you?"

"It's because you believe in your master!" After correcting the other person's mistake, Yoruyama continued, "I can't make you believe, but Shukaku does."

"That big tanuki..." Kurama murmured, then fell into deep thought.

The same applies to the other tailed beasts.

Seeing this, the Jinchūriki were all baffled.

This was the first time they had seen the Tailed Beasts so serious about something, and they all had an ominous premonition that something even more serious than this war was about to happen.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

In the space of consciousness, Killer Bee asked the Eight-Tails a question.

The Eight-Tails looked up at Killer Bee, hesitated for a moment, and then sighed, "If what that guy said is true, then this war could become the world that accelerates its demise."

"The world is destroyed!?" Killer Bee's eyes widened.

"It doesn't mean the destruction of existing powers, but rather the literal meaning: the seas will dry up, the land will parched, and the entire planet will lose its vitality, becoming a dead star!"

"This, this...you're kidding me, right!"

When have I ever teased you?

Seeing that Killer Bee had become unusually quiet because of his words, the Eight-Tails' consciousness turned its gaze back to the night outside.

"I'll assume you're telling the truth for now. So, what's your master's plan?"

"this……"

Just as Ye Moyang was about to answer, a whooshing sound came from the distance and rapidly approached.

Without a second thought, Ye Moyang clapped his hands together and shouted, "Wood Release: Wood Wall!"

"Knock knock knock..."

Wooden stakes, as thick as large bowls, grew from both sides and quickly curved and converged towards the center, forming a semi-circular protective wall that shielded Ye Moyang and the human pillars behind him.

The next second, eight small missiles fell nearby, creating a violent roar, and the debris and dirt hit the retaining wall with a "crackling" sound.

After a moment, the noise stopped.

Nightfall tentatively opened the protective barrier a little.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the opening was slightly made, a huge, sharp blade, as wide as an adult's palm and with serrated edges, suddenly pierced in.

Ye Moyang was prepared. He turned his hands into wood and slammed them together, clamping the blade between his bare hands. Before he could even catch his breath, he saw a blinding light shining through the gap in the protective wall.

not good!

Ye Moyang sensed something was wrong and quickly retreated.

"Boom!"

With a loud explosion and a violent shockwave, the protective wall was blasted to pieces, and wood chips flew everywhere.

Through the hole, Ye Moyang saw the assailant—a red-haired youth wearing a black robe with red cloud patterns.

"Nagato!"

Nightfall's pupils contracted sharply, and he clapped his hands together, black lines appearing around the corners of his eyes. "Sage Art: Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"

"Rumble..."

As if a Vajra of Buddhism had descended, a majestic body containing boundless power rose from the ground and unleashed a massive fist at the red-haired youth, causing a shockwave to surge forth.

Nagato remained calm. Just as his fist was about to land, he opened his right hand, raised it high above his head, and then slammed it down onto the ground. "Summoning Jutsu: Gedo Mazo!"

"roar!"

A soul-chilling roar, as if from hell, resounded through the sky. With its hands bound and its body taller than a wooden dummy, the golem burst from the ground, raising its fist in response to the roar that sounded like both a wail and a furious howl.

"Bang!"

The shockwave erupted from the collision of fists and spread outwards for hundreds of meters before gradually dissipating.

The ground beneath the two enormous creatures collapsed with a deafening roar.

The violent collision of forces caused the entire floating island to tremble violently, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look over, not understanding what had happened.

Only Long Er's face darkened.

"Knock knock knock..."

The wooden figure stumbled backward and finally landed on its bottom on the ground.

Nagato did not give chase, but instead turned to look at the Jinchuriki who were bound by wooden vines.

Instantly, black chains shot out from the golems' mouths and pierced their abdomens.

No, it's not piercing, it's submerging.

Although the chains entered the abdomens of the Jinchūriki, they did not harm them; rather, they flowed into another bucket of water.

"This is!?"

The Jinchūriki were shocked.

Although they hadn't yet realized what was happening, they understood that this was being targeted at them or the Tailed Beasts.

"Your deaths will be the cornerstone of peace in the ninja world, and everyone will remember you." Nagato said calmly, his right hand forming a hand seal at his chest.

"receive!"

Suddenly, the chains snapped back, and the Tailed Beasts, bound and pulled little by little, were pulled out of the Jinchūriki's body.

"How could I possibly let you succeed!" Nightfall roared, and the wooden figure, under his control, charged wildly toward the Outer Path Statue.

Nagato glanced at him casually, then stretched out her free left hand, opening it wide, and a jet-black sphere the size of a billiard ball flew out from it.

"Planetary Devastation!"

As Nagato uttered the name of the technique, an unparalleled suction force erupted.

Instantly, tree branches snapped, the earth collapsed, and countless people, rocks, and tree branches were pulled and sent flying into the sky.

Nightfall manipulated Konoha to grab him, desperately resisting the gravity. But because there was no foothold, his legs eventually left the ground, and he was slowly pulled up.

"Since we can't resist it, let's just destroy it." Seeing that things were hopeless, Ye Moyang simply gave up resisting and let the wooden figure fly with the black ball of gravity. He clenched his right fist and prepared to smash it the moment it was pulled in.

But Nagato didn't care.

Seeing that no one was bothering him, he increased the amount of chakra he poured in, greatly increasing the power of the chains. He pulled the tailed beasts out of the jinchūriki's body and then quickly pulled them into his mouth.

Don't even think about it!

As the sound came, Ryuji had already arrived beside the Gedo Mazo, his right hand forming a claw as he grabbed the twisted and deformed tailed beasts.

"Ryuuji Ayaki!"

Nagato's eyes widened, unleashing a terrifying aura. An irresistible repulsive force converged at a single point, propelling him forward with a sudden burst of speed.

Ryuji chuckled softly, using his free left hand to draw the repulsive force cluster into his palm.

Having done all this, Ryuji looked at Nagato. "It seems you've made your decision!"

"That's right!" Nagato said, "My plan may not be perfect, but it's much better than yours. At least the power is in our own hands, and everyone has the right to pursue happiness, instead of having to rely on the managers being wise and just like you!"

"Then there's nothing more to say!"

As he spoke, rainbow patterns appeared around Long Er's eyes, and pinhole-sized black dots appeared in his pupils.

"Come here!"

Entering Sage Mode, his power increased dramatically, and he quickly pulled the Tailed Beasts away from the Gedo Mazo's mouth.

"How could I possibly let you succeed!"

Nagato charged forward suddenly, growing three heads and six arms along the way, each wielding a different weapon.

"Leave me alone!"

Ryuji opened his left hand to him, and endless sand surged forth, engulfing him like a tsunami.

"Bang!"

The sand sea exploded, and Nagato rushed out, wielding his sword and slashing, while at the same time a laser shot out from another mechanized arm.

Just as Ryuji was about to make a move, a figure crackling with lightning suddenly appeared beside Nagato, with seven short swords clamped around his body, spinning and slashing like a top.

"Give Hachi back!"

Because of the gravity of Chibaku Tensei, the vines binding them broke off, and Killer Bee immediately came out to rescue Ushioni.

but.

He was no match for Nagato to begin with, and now that his tailed beast had been extracted, coupled with the chakra absorbed by his Wood Release, he was extremely weak.

If it weren't for the bond between him and the Eight-Tails, which gave him the conviction to save it and forced him to stay upright, he would have collapsed to the ground like the other Jinchūriki.

Although he rushed forward, he only managed to pause Nagato for a second before being blasted away by Shinra Tensei.

But one second is enough.

"Thank you, Killer Bee!"

While expressing his gratitude, Ryuji completely pulled out the tailed beast.

Seeing that the tailed beast was about to break free of its restraints and fall into the hands of Ryuuichi, Nagato's eyes were bloodshot, but he was helpless.

"puff!"

The sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh rang out, and Long Er's pulling motion stopped.

He stared blankly down at the knife tip protruding from his chest, then turned his head in disbelief... A middle-aged man with red eyes and a punk hairstyle came into view.

—Uchiha Madara!

Madara leaned close to Ryuji's ear and whispered, "I told you, we'll meet again."

"boom!"

A deafening roar echoed through the sky, and a large amount of debris fell from the sky.

Presumably, someone dealt with the Earth Explosion Star.

But none of the three people present paid attention to what was happening above; their eyes darted back and forth between each other.

Suddenly, the chains rattled and vibrated, pulling back swiftly to snatch the tailed beast from the dragon's grasp, which then swallowed it whole.

However, Nagato made the first move.

"And yours too!"

Black Zetsu peeked out from behind Madara.

Upon hearing this, Nagato immediately formed hand seals, and the Gedo Mazo spewed out another chain, shooting it towards Ryuji.

"when!"

The chains were naturally knocked away.

Madara Uchiha's eyes narrowed, and he spun his sword to cut Ryuji in two. However, he found that the blade was stuck inside Ryuji's body, and he couldn't move it.

"you……"

Just as Ban was about to say something, endless yellow sand surged out, blowing him away like a wave.

"Phew~"

A gust of wind blew by, and the sand stopped churning.

Ryuji withdrew the blade from his body, then turned around nonchalantly to look at Madara Uchiha, Nagato, and Black Zetsu, who were standing on the head of the Gedo Mazo. The pierced wounds were visibly healing.

"Comparable to Hashirama's regenerative abilities?" Madara Uchiha placed his hands on his chest, looking down arrogantly, which was extremely displeasing.

But Ryuji remained completely calm.

He ignored Madara Uchiha and stared at Black Zetsu beside him. "Zetsu, you've finally come out."

"Oh, you seem to really want to kill me!" Jue's face showed curiosity.

"If it weren't for killing you, I wouldn't have been acting all this time."

Jue's ability to conceal himself was too strong; no known sensory ability could detect him. Furthermore, he acted with extreme caution, making it impossible to find any trace of him.

Ryuji once thought of taking advantage of Zetsu's joint operation with the various ninja villages to kill him, but he couldn't find any trace of him. Every time, he only received the news a step too late after Zetsu had completed his meeting with XX.

But it's okay now.

This was thousands of miles above the ground, on a floating island, and it had come into his field of vision.

Ryuji will never let him escape again.

"Are you angry that I've united the ninja world to deal with you?" Zetsu said with a smile.

"No." Ryuji gently shook his head. "It's just because of what you've done that you're someone I have to kill."

"What I did?"

Black Zetsu was stunned, his eyes gleaming.

What exactly does this guy mean?

It doesn't sound like it's because I united the ninja world.

"You're still as arrogant as ever," Madara said calmly. "The last time I saw you, you were just a kid. You've grown up now, but your personality hasn't changed at all."

"Arrogant, huh?" Ryuji chuckled softly. "Tit for tat!"

"Same to you?"

Ban scoffed dismissively and charged down, "This isn't arrogance, it's confidence!"

The next chapter will explain why Madara came out.

(End of this chapter)