And this was only the instant when the Ten-Tails had just begun to reclaim its will.
Deep within the consciousness space, the shattered domain was riddled with pitch-black fissures. Among the ten, not a single person retained a fully intact form. Simply keeping their awareness from collapsing was already the limit—controlling the Ten-Tails was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Obito exhausted every ounce of strength he had. Flashes of Rin, of Kakashi, of the old Minato Team crossed his mind. His severed limbs were forcibly reassembled, yet even so, most of his power had already been spent. Still, compared to the others, he was in relatively good shape.
Having barely reclaimed his awareness, Obito began urging on the companions still able to stand beside him, pushing them with everything he had left.
"Itachi! Even for Sasuke's sake, you can't lose to the Ten-Tails! If we fail here, Sasuke is finished!!!"
Using this method, Obito tried to rouse the companions who were still enduring torment.
At those words, Itachi's gaze froze. The parts of his body that had been reduced to a mosaic-like blur slowly began stitching themselves back together.
"Don't give up! Your wish hasn't been fulfilled yet—how can you lose to the Ten-Tails now?!"
Orochimaru cast aside his pride entirely. Years ago, he would rather have died than say such words—but now, for their shared goal, he no longer clung to a shred of that worthless "dignity."
His form had already grown faint, far less solid than it had been at the beginning.
Hearing Orochimaru's encouragement made him feel unbearably stifled, yet the truth was that those words did help—his scattered will began, little by little, to gather again.
Then he saw Deidara: deathly pale, barely able to maintain a human shape, sweat pouring from his brow, blood spilling from his mouth. Gritting his teeth, he forced his own fading body back into shape and shouted at him.
"Deidara, don't lose! I believe in you—your art, and you yourself! So don't lose!"
Under the crushing pressure, Deidara's eyes sharpened. He squeezed out a smile—bright as ever.
What truly reignited everyone's fighting spirit, however, was a single cold remark from Nagato.
"We are Akatsuki. If we lose to a mere beast, what kind of joke would that be."
The shattered bodies gradually began to recover. Even the space itself steadied.
It seemed that, whether Obito, Itachi, Deidara, or Hidan, they all held an unshakable sense of identity in the name Akatsuki.
Jiraiya, too, was stirred by those words. Though they stood on opposing sides, Nagato's actions still filled him with unmistakable pride.
With everyone's spirits lifted, Orochimaru finally gained a moment to breathe. The miniature Ten-Tails calmed slightly, even showing faint signs of submission.
They urged the Ten-Tails forward, step by step, toward the spatial rift. Each step consumed immense mental energy, but they managed to endure. Yet as the rift drew closer, the Ten-Tails' resistance grew increasingly violent.
The first to falter was Hidan. Orochimaru poured the very last trace of his chakra into him, barely keeping his form from dissipating—then vanished from the space entirely.
With Orochimaru gone, the grassy realm began to collapse. Controlling the Ten-Tails alone had already pushed them to the brink of annihilation—how could they possibly spare the strength to maintain this shared space?
Just as the Ten-Tails was about to break free from their control, a voice echoed through the collapsing space.
"Just one final step remains."
The voice was soft—gentle, almost tender.
Konan froze. The instant her chakra flow stalled, the chakra binding the Ten-Tails was brutally severed. She staggered, about to fall—only to land in a surprisingly soft embrace.
The collapsing space gradually cleared once more. Blue skies, white clouds, lush green grass. The severed chakra links reattached themselves, and the nearly berserk Ten-Tails slowly settled down.
Snow-white long hair. A delicate, beautiful face.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Zaraki Kita said softly. Vast chakra flowed into Konan, then along the network linking them all. Her chakra spread through every one of them.
Shattered bodies slowly restored themselves. Wills on the verge of being devoured regained clarity.
A smile curved her lips, light shining in her eyes. Konan turned her head—and saw a face she had not seen in many years.
Just like before. Snow-like hair, and a face that brought an inexplicable sense of ease.
Her hand was wrapped in a comforting warmth—just as her nearly frozen body was enveloped by a familiar, reassuring chakra.
"Konan, if it's you… you can do this."
The words were gentle, as if whispered directly into her ear.
"Kita!!! You bastard!!!"
Kakuzu struggled to shout. Kitata gave an apologetic smile—yet before he could respond, Orochimaru's weak but urgent voice rang out once more.
"Now's not the time for that. Kita, get ready!"
"Got it. Sealing begins in three seconds—three, two, one. Begin!"
As the command fell, everyone's chakra surged explosively.
The Ten-Tails froze for a split second, then was forced forward by an immense controlling force, striding toward the spatial rift.
Everything happened in an instant. The Tenseigan blazed with brilliant light as the massive rift expanded further. A powerful suction erupted from within, dragging the colossal Ten-Tails uncontrollably inside.
As the space itself teetered on the brink of collapse, and the head of the miniature Ten-Tails vanished, Kitata's voice rang out again.
"Now—let go!"
BOOM—RUMBLE!!!
As the chakra links were severed, a violent explosion echoed through the air. Everyone was blasted apart by the shockwave. A sharp pain struck their chests, and when they opened their eyes again, their bodies were already toppling backward.
"Thud."
As consciousness returned to reality, Konan did not hit the ground. Just like before, she fell into someone's arms.
Perhaps old bonds still lingered—Jiraiya also avoided falling. Orochimaru braced him with one hand. Though deathly pale, at least he managed to keep Jiraiya upright.
They looked up in time to see the massive Ten-Tails swallowed entirely by the spatial rift.
Golden light erupted as Toneri manipulated the Tenseigan, refracting dazzling radiance. The golden light formed a massive sphere of chakra, sealing over.
As the Ten-Tails disappeared, the black void visibly shrank, then vanished. When the suction finally ceased, the terrifying wound that resembled a monstrous scar was reduced to a narrow slit—no wider than a finger.
The storm-like winds ceased at last. The artificial sun space, thrown into chaos by the suction, gradually returned to calm.
Everyone lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.
Toneri, who had finally stopped controlling the Tenseigan, stared at the vanished wound—and suddenly burst forth with astonishing energy, hopping and cheering wildly.
"Yes!!! We did it!!! We succeeded!!! I'm finally free!!!!"
A faint smile appeared on Orochimaru's lips. Moments ago, he had expended great effort just to keep Jiraiya from collapsing—yet now that everything was over, he casually withdrew his hand and even lifted a foot to kick Jiraiya flat onto the ground.
At long last, he had fulfilled his long-held wish of trampling Jiraiya underfoot.
The first to react was Kakuzu. The man scrambled up in disarray, glaring venomously in Kitata's direction. He stepped forward, intent on landing a solid punch on the woman in the white yukata patterned with blue flowers—
—but after a single step, his body froze.
Still seated on the ground, Konan restrained Kakuzu instantly with chakra threads. When their gazes met, he saw her give a faint shake of her head.
━━━━ ❖ ━━━
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