Node 2.
Shion looked up at the streaks of dark purple mist in the sky, which seemed to have shattered the firmament as they plunged straight down from the clouds. She asked into her headset: "What happened?"
Through the headset, the Communication Unit replied in despair: "Deepest apologies. Nodes 5, 6, and 8 have fallen one after another; the defensive barrier has been destroyed."
Shion was stunned for a moment: "What do you mean?"
The Communication Unit said: "Everything is over. We lost!"
"Nonsense!"
Shion rebuked them.
The Communication Unit shinobi seemed to have given up entirely: "The defensive barrier is already shattered. The Hegemon's power can now charge in without any obstruction. We—"
Shion said: "It is just a single defensive barrier breaking, what is there to panic about! Pull yourselves together; we haven't lost yet!"
"But..."
Shion interrupted them: "There are no 'buts'! Notify the other nodes. Although the defensive barrier is shattered, the nodes cannot be abandoned. The reinforcement nail beneath each node is equally important; we must ensure the reinforcement nail remains operational!"
The Communication Unit shinobi could only comply: "Yes, we will notify the other nodes immediately!"
Shion said no more and looked toward the sky again.
To others, the current situation was indeed disastrous, but to her—having experienced the Six-Ring World War—the current situation was merely a bit passive. As long as Shinji was still there and as long as the reinforcement nail was running, the outcome was still undecided!
...
Node 3.
Toneri Otsutsuki fought fiercely with Zabuza while listening to the reports from the Communication Unit in his headset.
Although the chakra transmitted by the Infinite Tsukuyomi had stopped, he could still maintain the situation on his end thanks to the presence of the Giant Tenseigan.
The presence of a powerful enemy left him with no energy to worry about anything else; he could only focus on dealing with his opponent. Thus, everything at Node 3 remained normal.
...
Node 4.
Sasuke was breathing heavily, his brow furrowed with deep concern.
He was facing the Third Tsuchikage controlled by the Hegemon of Terror. That opponent's Dust Release was something even a complete Susanoo could not handle; he could only dodge or rely on Truth-Seeker Orbs to tank the hits. He had to be incredibly careful, as any single oversight could result in being instantly killed by the opponent.
Initially, Sasuke was handling things with ease, but once the chakra transmission from the Infinite Tsukuyomi was interrupted, his chakra reserves immediately became tight.
Among all the Six Paths level members of the Akatsuki, his chakra volume was not particularly outstanding. Facing a Third Tsuchikage who had obtained the Hegemon's power, he was actually finding it difficult to continue after fighting to this point.
Sasuke roared in his heart: "Shinji, what should I do? What should I do now?!"
After the defensive barrier shattered, dark purple mist continuously fell from the clouds, entering the body of the Third Tsuchikage opposite him and causing the opponent's aura to climb steadily. Facing such a desperate situation, even someone as arrogant as him could not help but feel lost!
...
Node 9.
Neji looked up at the sky: "Something... seems wrong!"
The enemies attacking Node 9 had all been annihilated, but the sight of countless streaks of dark purple mist pouring into the shinobi world after the barrier shattered made him feel extremely uneasy.
Before Kimimaro could reply, Momoshiki chimed in: "Nonsense, even a stupid pig could see something is wrong!"
Kinshiki asked: "Lord Momoshiki, what exactly are these streaks of dark purple mist falling from the sky? Why do they make me feel fear?"
After Neji and Kimimaro completed their fusion and activated the two Karma, they successfully stepped into the Kekkei Mora level. As the owners of the Karma, Momoshiki and Kinshiki also shared the sensory power of the Kekkei Mora.
Precisely because of this, Kinshiki felt shocked.
He never thought that he, possessing Kekkei Mora power, would ever feel terrified or uneasy because of anything!
Momoshiki curled his lip: "What else could it be? This must be the so-called Hegemon of Terror they keep talking about!"
Momoshiki was actually very terrified in his heart as well, but his pride as an upper-tier Otsutsuki prevented him from showing his inner weakness.
H spoke: "It should be because the defensive barrier shattered, allowing the Hegemon to easily transmit power in."
Hearing this, Momoshiki asked Neji: "Hey, what is your next plan of action?"
Neji shook his head: "Our mission is to protect the node!"
"Tch!" Spitting lightly, Momoshiki said: "Let's go. There is nothing left to linger for here. With our strength, we can survive just as well by leaving this planet!"
H said: "It is useless. This place is the core of the world. Once the Hegemon devours this place, the entire world will collapse. We will have nowhere to escape!"
Once the shinobi world was devoured by the Hegemon, the other planets of the shinobi world, as well as the sub-worlds like the Root Space or Kamui Space that were attached to the shinobi world, would all collapse and eventually become food for the Hegemon along with the shinobi world!
Momoshiki said angrily: "Where is Uchiha Shinji, what is he doing? Is this his defense plan?"
Kimimaro, who had remained silent, said coldly: "Watch your tone!"
"Hmph!" Giving a light snort, Momoshiki said: "Dignity only exists for the victors. If Uchiha Shinji cannot win, then he is just like me—a loser!"
Neji shook his head: "The Leader will definitely have a way. What we must do is execute our orders."
"Execute orders? The defensive barrier is already shattered; staying here is meaningless! What we should do now is save our lives! Even if you cheated to get there, you have indeed reached the Kekkei Mora level now. If you die like this, would you be satisfied?"
Neji's tone was calm: "It has meaning!"
"What?"
Momoshiki was stunned for a moment.
Neji said: "Even though the defensive barrier is shattered, the reinforcement nail beneath our feet is still operating. Therefore, staying here has meaning!"
Momoshiki was puzzled: "Just... just for that, you are going to give up your last chance to run for your life?"
Neji asked back: "Just to run for my life, am I supposed to give up the last chance to save the shinobi world? I have decided to continue holding the node. Kimimaro, H, what about you?"
Kimimaro said indifferently: "Until there is a new mission, I will not leave this place!"
H said: "Naturally, I follow you."
Neji breathed a sigh of relief. He had already put life and death aside, but he did not want to force Kimimaro and H; fortunately, their thoughts were the same as his.
Having unified their opinions, Neji immediately spoke to the Communication Unit shinobi in the Node 9 underground base through his headset: "We will continue to guard Node 9!"
The excited voice of the Communication Unit shinobi soon came through the headset: "Yes! We will inform the other nodes of your decision immediately!"