Nagato's entire body withered, his once healthy skin shrinking tightly over his bones, revealing the harsh outline of his skeleton.
His life force drained rapidly, flowing through the black rods into the Gedo Statue.
Then—
The Gedo Statue's mouth snapped open.
A torrent of chakra erupted, twisting into a massive purple dragon that coiled in the air, its form pulsing with raw, destructive energy.
With a piercing roar,
Nagato commanded the dragon forward.
It dove mercilessly toward Simu— And the Konoha shinobi standing behind him.
If that chakra dragon touched them…
Their chakra would be stripped away instantly.
Even a Tailed Beast would be severely wounded.
The cost of such power?
Just look at Nagato.
Even with his Uzumaki vitality, he was reduced to skin and bone.
If it were anyone else, they would already be dead.
Facing the Rinnegan, Simu didn't hesitate.
Dark red chakra flickered wildly atop his mace. As he swung his iron rod, a torrent of Conqueror's Haki erupted.
"Mighty Country!"
A crimson pillar of thunder, radiating pure destruction, shot toward the approaching chakra dragon.
The dragon roared, swallowing the shockwave, intending to absorb all the chakra from the attack.
But Nagato's expression changed instantly.
He couldn't sense any chakra in this force.
A wave of shock and dread gripped him—this was a power beyond anything he had ever encountered. A force deeper than chakra itself.
Before he could react, Mighty Country tore through the chakra dragon's massive form and rushed toward him like chains of the Shinigami.
Nagato twisted his body in a desperate attempt to evade.
At the same time, his thoughts surged through the black iron pillar embedded in him, linking directly to the Gedo Statue.
The massive gray titan swung its fist without hesitation.
Its enormous, rock-solid knuckles clashed with the thunder pillar. Though weakened by the chakra dragon, the thunder finally dissipated upon impact with the Gedo Statue's fist.
"As expected of the Rinnegan's power."
Simu gripped his towering mace, eyes gleaming with excitement.
With a single step, the explosive force from his feet shattered the ground. His body blurred into a flash, charging straight at Nagato.
But even at that speed, he couldn't escape the Rinnegan's gaze.
The titan-like Gedo Statue unleashed a storm of fists, pounding the earth relentlessly.
A barrage of giant shadows rained down on Simu, forcing him to halt.
Instead of fear, a wild fighting spirit surged within him.
It had been a long time since anyone had endured his attacks head-on.
"Gedo Statue, I hope you can take a beating!" Simu grinned.
He released his grip, letting the mace crash to the ground.
Then, he met force with force—trading blows in a brutal fistfight against the Gedo Statue!
Although Simu was already a giant by human standards, his fist still seemed tiny compared to the Gedo Statue's giant hand.
Yet, despite the overwhelming size difference, he met every attack head-on, blocking each strike with his own fists.
Both bodies were as solid as steel.
The force of their blows sent shockwaves through the air, like a raging storm.
The ground beneath Simu crumbled layer by layer under the relentless impact.
No rock could withstand such force—everything was reduced to dust.
Watching the scene unfold, Four Tails hesitated before speaking.
"Should we step in and help?"
Despite an instinctive fear of the Gedo Statue, the idea lingered.
Simu was, after all, a far better... contractor than those Shinobi.
Back when they were sealed inside Jinchūriki, all they could do was stare at the desolate spiritual world—day after day, trapped like prisoners.
Any thought of escape was brutally crushed by powerful seals.
Forced to serve as weapons of war, they had to endure not only imprisonment but also the cold, judgmental gazes of humans.
Although it had become a Summoning Beast, it was actually quite free now.
At least it no longer had to endure a dark, suffocating existence inside a Jinchūriki.
Now, it was only summoned for battle—and once the fight was over, it could rest.
But if Simu were to die, it would be forced back into isolation.
And when that happened... it might even end up captured by that old man from Iwa.
With that in mind, the Monkey King of Four Tails had no intention of joining the fight.
But Matatabi, the one who understood Simu best, shook her head.
"Simu-sama is enjoying himself right now."
"Enjoying?" Four Tails frowned, confused.
Then, a burst of wild laughter echoed across the battlefield.
"Hahahaha! Come on, hit me harder!"
The veins in Simu's arms bulged as intense heat radiated from his body.
A powerful layer of Armament Haki coated his arms.
Like an iron clamp, he gripped the Gedo Statue's massive falling fist—holding it back with sheer strength.
"More! Give me more power!"
Beneath his feet, the ground had already caved in, forming a deep pit.
Nagato tried to pull the Gedo Statue away from Simu, but to his shock, Simu's strength seemed to surpass even that of the titan!
"If you don't fight back harder, it'll be my turn next."
With a powerful attack, Simu's sheer force actually threw the Gedo Statue off balance.
At that moment, a golden flash streaked across the sky—appearing right behind the Gedo Statue's head.
Nagato noticed it, but the Gedo Statue was simply too massive to turn around in time.
All he could do was watch as Simu raised his mace high.
"Raime Hakke: Ragnarok!"
Conqueror's Haki surged, transforming into an endless storm of red lightning that coiled around the iron rod—before crashing down in a devastating strike.
BOOM!
The Gedo Statue's steel-like body caved under the impact.
The force of the blow sent shockwaves through the battlefield.
Unable to maintain its balance, the massive titan fall, slamming into the ground with a thunderous crash.
The earth beneath shattered, trembling like an earthquake.
Nagato suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Even he couldn't withstand such a powerful backlash.
The Gedo Statue, barely summoned, dissolved into white smoke the moment it hit the ground.
"Can't hold on any longer?"
Simu rested his mace on his shoulder, tilting his head with a satisfied expression.
Nagato, breathing heavily, spread his arms and stepped in front of Konan.
He didn't need to speak—his stance said it all.
He would never let anyone harm his partner.
"What a precious friendship."
In an instant, Simu returned to his normal form and appeared behind Nagato.
Nagato's Rinnegan widened in shock.
Even though his mind reacted fast enough to register the movement, his battered body couldn't keep up.
"Is this... the end?"
Memories of his traumatic childhood flashed through Nagato's mind—then Jiraiya, Yahiko, and Konan...
As Simu's hand knife struck his shoulder, his vision blurred, and he finally lost consciousness.
In an instant, several Konoha Shinobi appeared beside Simu.
"Lock them up. Don't let them die—I still have use for them."
Without hesitation, the Konoha Shinobi sprang into action.
When Nagato regained consciousness, the first thing he heard was Yahiko's furious shouting.
"Let go of me! Let go of me! I will never compromise with you invaders!"
His voice was unmistakable.
Nagato's eyes snapped open.
The bright light passing through his wine-red hair stung his pupils.
He sat up abruptly—only for a sharp headache to strike him.
Using the Rinnegan always came at a cost.
With his current weakened body, overuse could even drain his life force.
Just like when he fought Simu…
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered was that Yahiko and Konan were still alive!
"Hey, kid, if you bark again, I'll kill all your friends."
Nagato lifted his head and saw Simu standing inside the cage, unnoticed until now.
A lightsaber rested against his neck through the gap in the bars.
"What do you mean, 'kid'?! I'm your senior brother!" Yahiko snapped.
Simu sighed, shaking his head.
"Alright, brother—but you don't want the entire Akatsuki wiped out by my hands, do you?"
Yahiko clenched his teeth and shouted, "Don't hurt them! If you have a problem, take it out on me!"
Simu shrugged.
"Relax. As long as you shut up, I won't harm them."
This guy was way too loud.
If not for Jiraiya, Simu might have been tempted to wipe them all out.
Nagato, glancing at the dense forest surrounding them, suddenly asked:
"Where are you taking us? Konoha?"
Realizing that Simu had no intention of killing them, Nagato gradually calmed down.
No matter the situation, as long as they were alive, there was still a chance.
Simu shoved his hands into his pockets and gazed into the distance.
"We're not going to Konoha just yet. There's somewhere else I need to take you first."
Nagato frowned. "Where?"
Simu's expression darkened as if recalling something. His eyes turned cold.
"A place where you can meet your teacher."
"Teacher Jiraiya?!"
Yahiko's face lit up with excitement.
Nagato and Konan were equally stunned.
At this point in their lives, they still deeply respected Jiraiya—the man who had saved them and guided them.
Simu nodded, glancing at the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"It's about time."
Placing a hand on the cage, he activated a seal.
Black markings spread like a spider's web, covering the entire cage.
"Reverse Summoning Technique!"
.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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