Black Zetsu nodded, then the roots and tendrils around his body plunged back into the ground once more.
At this moment, Sasori of the Red Sand was not in particularly bad condition. The modification in his abdomen was a rope filled with poison, and with the fixation of both puppeteer techniques and the rope, his state was actually a bit better than Orochimaru's.
After all, Orochimaru had transformed into the Eight-Headed Serpent. Although his weight increased, his volume also expanded, making it extremely difficult to deal with the terrifying suction.
As for Gekko Chizan, his situation was even better. Tagitsuhime had already returned to Gekko Chizan's body, and the Titan Python had dispersed as well.
Gekko Chizan was staring at the black core in the sky, thinking of a countermeasure.
"Chizan, stop thinking. Just let me fire off a Tailed Beast Ball and smash it!"
"This is Chibaku Tensei! A technique only that old Six Paths guy could use back then. It's terrifying."
"Only by destroying the core can it be broken."
Chōmei looked at the black core in the sky and couldn't help feeling nervous. After all, this was a Six Paths sealing technique. For tailed beasts like them, this was practically a natural enemy.
However, Gekko Chizan shook his head, which left Chōmei completely confused by his reaction.
"Chōmei, you can't expose yourself—unless I can kill everyone here. And obviously, I can't."
"So in this situation, I still have to use my own method."
Gekko Chizan casually waved his hand, and a large number of crystals began to appear around him.
The transparent crystals were hard to notice. With Flying Thunder God formulas engraved on them, a batch of coordinate crystals was completed.
"Sensei! Attack the caster!"
"Kill that ring-eyed bastard and the technique will be undone!"
A feint—if he was going to do it, he'd do it thoroughly. Gekko Chizan glared fiercely, and to make it look even more real, he even brought along his teacher, Orochimaru.
The Eight-Headed Serpent froze for a moment, then immediately opened its mouth and began attacking.
Who said a snake's mouth could only spit out snakes, people, or swords?
Orochimaru was here to tell them that a giant snake's mouth could also spit fire, water, wind, rocks…
Rocks…
When Gekko Chizan saw stones actually being spat out from the Eight-Headed Serpent's mouth, he was a bit dazed.
He thought to himself, did Sensei just spit out his own kidney stones? Damn, his teacher really was ruthless.
Facing the barrage filling the sky, Nagato stepped back, not using Shinra Tensei to block it like before.
Having just cast Chibaku Tensei, his chakra had yet to recover.
Four clones immediately stepped forward. There were three massive summoned beasts—the crab, the ox, and the panda—along with the Animal Path, Asura Path, Human Path, and Preta Path.
They formed a wall directly in front of Nagato. Rocks were shattered, wind blades were blocked, and water and fire were absorbed.
They forcibly took all of Orochimaru's and Gekko Chizan's attacks head-on.
At least, on the surface, that was how it looked.
But Gekko Chizan's actions were never meant to be an attack.
Those crystals he had fired out had already transformed mid-flight—either into insects or into small birds.
They bypassed the front entirely and flew straight toward Nagato's position.
"Heh, invisible crystal attacks, huh…"
"Cage!"
Black Zetsu was well aware of Gekko Chizan's abilities. To prevent allies from being injured, the ground shattered as countless vines burst out, forming a cage-like structure that shielded both him and Nagato.
"Tch, annoying bastard. Wouldn't it be better if you just took the beating obediently?!"
"And this damn technique—why does it keep sucking me into the sky?!"
The Gekko Chizan he showed outwardly was irritable and furious, with Sage chakra flowing over his body. No one could tell what he was really thinking.
Seeing this, Orochimaru hurriedly spoke up:
"Chizan, find a way to deal with the one above first!"
The Eight-Headed Serpent had already risen into the air. Even Orochimaru was thinking of dispelling the Eight-Headed Serpent Technique—after all, it was just too big to handle.
"Hahahaha, filthy snake!"
"Looks like you're really unpopular. Let me send you on your way!"
"Die!"
As Orochimaru was still thinking, Sasori of the Red Sand's furious voice rang out once again.
At the same time, two water pillars erupted violently.
The power of the high-pressure water columns was no less than divine weapons. When they struck the Eight-Headed Serpent, they actually tore through its defenses.
"Damn it!"
With its body sliced open, Orochimaru's expression changed. After fighting for so long, this was the first time he felt truly irritated.
But it also made him resolve to cancel the Eight-Headed Serpent Technique.
The enormous serpent began to dissipate, and Orochimaru reappeared amid white smoke—only for the smoke to be immediately sucked into the sky.
At that very moment, Gekko Chizan moved.
"Isn't it just a ball?"
"I've got one too!"
"Rasengan!"
High-purity chakra began to gather in his palm. The appearance of the Rasengan caused everyone present to be slightly startled. A technique formed purely from chakra like this looked quite powerful.
"Come fight!"
Without hesitation, Gekko Chizan kicked off hard with both legs and charged straight toward the Chibaku Tensei in the sky.
With gravity assisting him, his ascent speed was astonishingly fast—so fast that Orochimaru couldn't even stop him to warn him.
Seeing this, Nagato let out a cold laugh.
"You think you can shatter Chibaku Tensei with a technique like that?"
"Gekko Chizan—you're even stupider than I imagined."
Black Zetsu felt puzzled. Even if Sage Mode affected the user's mindset, how could Gekko Chizan be this reckless?
He couldn't understand it. Not at all.
As for Sasori of the Red Sand—just ignore him. He was practically laughing himself insane.
In the entire shinobi world, his greatest enemy was Orochimaru. Add Orochimaru's disciple Gekko Chizan to that, and these two snake-playing bastards were both his enemies. Now there was a chance to get rid of two filthy snakes at once—he was delighted.
Unfortunately, things were rarely as simple as they looked.
Especially when the opponent was someone like Gekko Chizan.
"Chizan, what are you trying to do?!"
"If you get any closer, you won't be able to dodge it!"
Chōmei watched Gekko Chizan draw closer and closer to the center of Chibaku Tensei, growing increasingly anxious.
He wanted to directly burst out chakra to help Gekko Chizan escape, but was stopped by him. For a moment, the big bug couldn't understand Gekko Chizan's line of thinking at all.
"Chōmei, when have you ever seen me this crazy?"
"What are you even thinking?"
Just as he was about to reach the core, Gekko Chizan suddenly smiled—a deeply sinister smile.
That made Chōmei freeze.
"Chibaku Tensei, huh…"
"You don't seriously think I have no way to deal with this technique, do you…"
Slowly raising his right hand, he pushed the Rasengan forward.
Everyone's attention was focused on Gekko Chizan—and then, the very next second—
"Hm? Ngh!!!!"
"Did you forget what I actually specialize in?"
Nagato's expression gradually turned deranged as his eyes suddenly widened.