Chapter 206: Konan's Choice

The Wood Human Susanoo's sword fell heavily directly on the Demonic Statue, sending splinters of wood flying.

"It's pretty tough." Natsuo said with a smile. "But it's okay, I can take my time."

He swung the sword like rain, each blow with force.

The Demonic Statue was firmly stuck on the ground, but it could only withstand Natsuo's attacks, emitting roars that sounded almost like wails of fury.

Nagato was pouring chakra frantically but was struggling to keep up. Not because the Demonic Statue was not powerful, but because the gap between him and Natsuo was too big. The biggest difference between them was...

Chakra!

Even if Nagato is from the Uzumaki clan, how could he compare to Natsuo in terms of chakra? Who had had almost two hundred children, and the later they were born, the stronger they would be due to the attributes they would inherit...

In addition to improvements such as the Sage Body, the Six Paths Chakra, among other rewards. Speaking only in terms of Chakra, Natsuo was almost equivalent to Ten Tails.

Nagato gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with blood veins, the veins in his temple pulsed furiously, without caring, he squeezed all the chakra from his body to feed the Demonic Statue, hoping to free him from Natsuo's oppression.

No matter how hard he tried, the Torii that kept the Demonic Statue trapped remained unfazed.

Nagato coughed again and again, and the corners of his mouth had already overflowed with blood. Every cell in his body felt pain, and his whole body seemed to have lost weight again. The vital fire that normally enveloped him now seemed to be on the verge of being extinguished at any moment.

As he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, determined to squeeze every last drop of chakra from his body no matter the cost...

Konan sighed softly and turned. "That's enough, Natsuo. Don't continue... I'll agree to go with you."

Konan took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. She couldn't stand it anymore.

They couldn't win. They had no chance! Furthermore, little by little it seemed acceptable to her to accept going with Natsuo if she could save Nagato.

When the Akatsuki Organization faced Rasa and Terumi Mei, Konan felt that they were formidable opponents. Even the Akatsuki members suffered losses against them.

But now it seems that the reason why the two of them were able to fight Natsuo was entirely because Natsuo didn't use all his strength and was playing with them.

"No! Konan!" Nagato shouted angrily. "Don't give up, I'll save you right away!"

As he spoke, Nagato was about to desperately squeeze out the last drop of Chakra. But the next moment, a figure appeared next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Give up, to be honest, you really have no hope." Natsuo pressed lightly on Nagato's shoulder, obviously only with very light force, but Nagato still felt a heavy pressure.

He froze and turned his head. "Flying Thunder God Technique?"

"Yeah."

Nagato inhaled deeply and exhaled long, a flash of desperation in his eyes.

Even if he tried his hardest and managed to defeat the Susanoo Wood Human, Natsuo could simply take Konan and run away easily. The result of his desperate struggle would be in vain.

Not to mention that Natsuo now appeared behind him very easily, ready to attack at any moment...

"But even so, I won't give up!" Nagato's eyes flashed determination.

He completely ignored the existence of Natsuo beside him, and frantically mobilized his Chakra. He knew that the chances of success were minimal; His behavior bordered on suicide. But he couldn't bear to see Konan fall into Natsuo's hands.

Even if it meant his own death, he wouldn't let all of this happen.

Natsuo saw Nagato's decision and frowned. "You're treating me like the big bad, right...?"

Generally, when the protagonist fights the villain, they do their best in this almost desperate situation.

It is in these moments when the protagonists begin to unleash their maximum potential.

And considering Natsuo's sinful 'deal' with Kakuzu, it seems reasonable to say that he is a villain?

However, with Nagato's current physical condition, let alone having a burst of power, it is still a question whether he will be able to live the next second.

What Natsuo can see, Konan, who has been friends with Nagato for many years, can naturally see it too.

"Nagato!" Konan's expression changed, and he said hastily: "Natsuo, stop him!"

"Yes." Natsuo chuckled.

He directly reached out and touched Nagato's back and pulled out the countless black rods inserted in Nagato's body.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Nagato's expression changed slightly. Those black rods were what connected his body to the Demonic Statue, they were also the conduit through which he transferred his own chakra to the Demonic Statue.

By losing this conduit, Natsuo, who also possesses the Rinnegan, could compete for control of the Demonic Statue.

"In the end, it's not possible, right?" Nagato sighed softly and felt Natsuo's hand begin to exert force. 'Is he going to use the Petra Path to drain all my chakra? In my current situation, I can't resist him at all... It's over!'

He closed his eyes in despair. But in the next second, he opened them in amazement. Because he discovered that Natsuo was not only not absorbing his chakra, but he was injecting a large amount of chakra into him!

The wound caused by the removal of the black rods began to stop bleeding and heal rapidly under the influence of this chakra. The legs that lost the ability to walk quickly recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The skin, pale and without a trace of blood, began to change from white to a healthier tone, almost the same as that of a normal person...

His previously skeletal body also began to rapidly fill with vitality. It was as if the cells regained their vitality.

From afar, Nagato no longer looked like the living skeleton he was before. He now looked more like a man who, due to spending a lot of time at home, had a little pale skin and an air of lack of health.

"This is..." Nagato stared blankly at his hand, the pale and weak palm gave him a sense of strength again.

That sensation, so familiar yet forgotten, made him feel as if he were imbued with a sense of invincibility.

At that moment, Konan also walked away from Natsuo. When she saw that scene she was pleasantly surprised. "Nagato, are you recovering?"

"Natsuo, how did you do it?" Konan looked at Natsuo with surprise, especially when he looked at Nagato's disabled legs, his eyes were filled with relief.

Nagato's legs, which were once severely injured by Hanzo in his attempt to save her, no longer showed signs of her old injury.

At that moment the clues left in Konan's subconscious began to influence her to accept Natsuo even more and even want to voluntarily go with him out of the immense gratitude she felt for improving Nagato's condition.

"It's just a small use of the Yin-Yang Release." Natsuo smiled slightly.

Nagato was silent for a moment. He knew that what Natsuo just did was no small use of Yin-Yang Release.

Despite possessing the Rinnegan for years and having knowledge of Five Element Ninjutsu, as well as the Yin-Yang Release, he would not be able to achieve this.

It wasn't even close to the effects Natsuo had achieved. He couldn't even achieve a cheap version of the technique.

Konan breathed a sigh of relief, she knew how bad Nagato's physical condition was. That was the reason why Nagato planned to collect tailed beasts through the Akatsuki organization, instead of doing it alone, it was all due to his poor physical condition.

Nagato was not afraid to face large shinobi villages. He was confident that, with the Rinnegan, he was one of the most powerful shinobi in the world and there was no opponent who could defeat him using numbers alone.

However, defeating large shinobi villages was one thing; staying firm in the face of that wear and tear was another. That was why he had recruited so many missing-nin and sent them on missions to collect the Tailed Beasts.

But now...

Nagato had completely recovered his health.

Although Nagato still felt a little weak, now that he had gotten rid of the burden of the Demonic Statue, the remaining problems could be easily solved with just his Uzumaki clan lineage.

Nagato looked at Natsuo full of complexity. "Why did you save me?"

"Because then I look less like a villain?" Natsuo pondered for a moment, but then chuckled. "It's okay, I was just joking."

"I just feel that even if I save you, you can't threaten me."

"Well, if so, why not try to win a girl's heart?" Natsuo glanced at Konan out of the corner of his eye, as if to say, 'Yes, I'm trying to impress you.'

Konan couldn't help but roll his eyes back.

Although she had many internal critics, Konan still bowed her head towards Natsuo with gratitude. "Thank you, Natsuo..."

"No problem, after all, I have always been very generous with my wives" Natsuo said with a mocking smile.

Nagato moved his lips and gritted his teeth. "Natsuo, can't we negotiate about this matter?"

"You have seen the power of the Demonic Statue. If I told you that I could give you control of the Demonic Statue and the Tailed Beasts within it, would you release Konan?"

Natsuo looked at him strangely. "You have a good calculation, considering that you have already lost the battle. You are trying to persuade me with what will probably be confiscated after your defeat..."

Nagato was silent. Yes, he has been defeated. In theory, the Demonic Statue and the tailed beasts inside it should have been Natsuo's loot.

If not, he might not even be willing to trade it for Konan, since this is the only pillar of his strategic weapon. Giving up the Demonic Statue would mean giving up his dream with Yahiko and Konan and giving up on peace itself.

For the sake of peace, he can even kill his teacher Jiraiya.

If defeat had not become a reality now, how could he be willing to give up his dream and take Konan?

But...

"I don't want this thing." Natsuo said, shaking his head, far beyond what Nagato had expected.

Both Konan and Nagato were surprised by this unexpected response.

"Actually, it's not like you guys think. In fact, I fully support the idea of you gathering the Nine Biju and merging them into the Ten Tails." Natsuo spread his hands. "To tell the truth, I do not consider them my enemies, and the capture of the Two-Tails does not hinder the awakening of the Ten-Tails at all."

"Oh well, Naruto is out of the question. After all, I watched the boy grow up; I wouldn't let him be hurt."

"But other than that, I really don't care about anyone else."

"You see, that's quite generous of me. Both Rasa and Terumi Mei have tried to contact me several times to intervene against them." Natsuo smiled.

Konan and Nagato's hearts sank. Indeed, Natsuo did not make a move.

Since the start of the capture operation, they had been monitoring Natsuo. The reputation of the most powerful man in the shinobi world was too imposing for them to belittle him.

With a spy like Itachi, surely Natsuo would know about Akatsuki's hideout.

But he hadn't acted yet...

It was quite strange to think about it.

"Are you planning to use our hands?" Konan couldn't help but ask. "You expect us to help you awaken the Ten-Tails and then you will intervene directly?"

"No, I'm not particularly interested in the Ten Tails." Natsuo said with a smile. "Although I can't say I'm not interested at all, but my goal is really not it."

Exactly. Their target is Otsutsuki Kaguya.

The most powerful, talented, and most superior woman in the history of the shinobi world.

Therefore, he simply ignored Akatsuki's actions. He showed a lenient attitude towards Obito as Black Zetsu, although they themselves should not feel that way.

Of course, Konan and Nagato didn't understand at all what Natsuo wanted to achieve.

"Okay, let's leave it at that." Natsuo smiled and looked at Konan. "Our deal has been completed. I hope you don't try to back out."

Konan was silent for a moment. "Don't worry, it won't happen."

At this point she has been completely influenced by the Yumenso and now completely accepts Natsuo, and she feels overwhelming gratitude towards Natsuo for healing Nagato.

Natsuo nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Nagato. "As for you..."

"Have you considered trying a little harder? What if you become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki and manage to defeat me to get Konan back?"

"Yes, a young man who gets an unexpected opportunity and, through arduous training, rescues his first love from the clutches of a villain..."

"That would be a pretty good plot! After you return, you should suggest to Jiraiya that he write some stories like that. It would be much more interesting than those boring stories he always writes!"

Saying this, Natsuo took out the book Icha Icha Paradise from his pocket, criticizing the author's rigid and boring way of writing and the monotonous plot.

Although he was criticizing the book, he continued to read it carefully...

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