"Do we really have to settle our grudges now?"
"Look at the situation we're in."
The Third Raikage's expression was as cold as water. He was still trying to reason with Gyūki.
He truly didn't want to fight it—not when doing so would only allow others to reap the benefits.
"I don't care about the situation."
"Right now, I just want you dead."
Gyūki's eyes were locked solely on the Third Raikage. It had no interest in anything else.
A grudge must be avenged, and hatred must be repaid.
If it had the intelligence of a human, it wouldn't have ended up sealed in the first place.
The moment it finished speaking, it let out a deafening roar, its massive tentacles surging forward toward the Third Raikage.
Though its movements seemed slow, the speed was outrageous—especially in the water, where it had the advantage.
In the blink of an eye, Gyūki closed the distance.
Two of its tentacles lashed out like steel whips, striking with terrifying force.
"This is going to be fun to watch."
Nagato hadn't expected things to play out this way, but he was more than happy to see it happen. Without a word, he subtly retreated.
Why waste his energy when he could let a Tailed Beast do the work?
Once Gyūki and the Third Raikage were both worn down, he could finish them off in one move.
What a perfect plan.
...
Minato, having just lost two opponents, paused for a moment before exchanging a knowing smile with Nagato.
No words were needed—they had already come to an understanding.
Boom! Boom!
Gyūki's tentacles struck down, but the Third Raikage dodged, causing the blows to crash into the ocean instead.
The impact sent massive waves surging, and soon, rain began to pour from the sky.
"You fool!!!"
"You'll regret this!!!"
The Third Raikage knew there was no reasoning with Gyūki anymore. He had no choice but to fight.
His lightning-clad fist came crashing down on Gyūki's head, forcing its massive skull to tilt sideways.
"I might regret this, but you will die."
The Third Raikage's attack barely did any damage. Gyūki retaliated immediately, sending even more tentacles flying toward him.
One large figure, one small—locked in an intense battle, with not a single person daring to intervene.
The ocean beneath them would never be calm again.
...
Meanwhile, Minato and Nagato turned their focus entirely on the Kumo forces.
With no one left to stop them, their advance was unstoppable.
And finally—
Kumogakure's forces collapsed.
The Fourth A was dead.
Gyūki had appeared and was keeping the Third Raikage occupied.
With no leadership left, the remaining Kumo shinobi completely lost their will to fight.
It started with just one man dropping his weapon.
Then, like a spreading virus, more and more followed—choosing to surrender rather than face certain death.
They saw no reason to keep fighting.
At this point, Konoha's regular shinobi didn't even need to lift their weapons.
Kumogakure's forces would be wiped out all on their own.
One by one, the Kumo shinobi knelt on the surface of the sea.
The war was over.
The only battle that still raged—was between Gyūki and the Third Raikage.
...
"So, even Kumogakure has fallen to this."
"Hahaha!"
Gyūki's laughter was like a sledgehammer pounding against the Third Raikage's heart.
Even if the Tailed Beast could see the outcome of the battle, how could the Third Raikage not?
"You think you'll fare any better?"
"All that's changed is your prison—from Kumogakure to Konoha."
"You'll never escape your fate of being sealed."
The Third Raikage's words struck directly at Gyūki's sore spot.
In that moment, both had stabbed at each other's weaknesses.
...
But despite everything, the Third Raikage felt no hatred toward the shinobi who had surrendered.
He knew they had done their best.
The proof was all around him—
The bodies of fallen Kumo ninja, floating lifelessly on the waves, or sinking into the endless depths below.
"You're asking for death!"
Gyūki was furious. Wasn't freedom the only thing it had ever wanted?
The Third Raikage's words felt like a dagger stabbing deep into its heart.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, man and beast clashed once again—this time, with even greater intensity.
Gyūki's tentacle was sliced apart like tofu by the Third Raikage's One-Finger Nukite, but it had more than one tentacle.
As soon as One-Finger Nukite's power waned, another tentacle wrapped tightly around the Third Raikage, trapping him in place.
"Still using the same old tricks?"
The Third Raikage scoffed, showing no sign of panic. He had faced this kind of situation before.
Just as Gyūki increased its grip, preparing to strike again, Nagato made his move.
This was the perfect opportunity—if he didn't act now, was he really going to wait until both of them were too exhausted to fight?
"Chibaku Tensei!"
The words left Nagato's lips as he pressed his hands together, then spread them apart.
A small, black sphere of chakra formed in his palm and shot into the sky.
As it rose, the sphere rapidly expanded, releasing an immense gravitational pull.
Seawater, massive boulders, and entire trees were torn from the shore, sucked upward into the sky.
"What the hell is that?!"
"The power is insane!"
"He had a move like this hidden all along?"
Whether Konoha shinobi or Kumo ninja, everyone was left in shock.
Above them, Chibaku Tensei grew at a visible rate, turning into a monstrous mass.
The pull was so intense that even those on the ground felt as if they might be dragged in.
"So this is the jutsu Sensei talked about?"
Minato's cloak flapped wildly in the wind, his feet planted firmly as his eyes flickered with surprise.
This was the first time he had ever seen Nagato's ultimate technique.
"Hm."
"This is probably the only move that can take both of those monsters out at once."
Nagato nodded slightly, maintaining his chakra output while directing the pull toward Gyūki and the Third Raikage.
...
Gyūki thrashed wildly, but no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't escape the pull of Chibaku Tensei.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, it was sucked into the massive sphere like a cannonball out of control.
The moment it made contact, Gyūki felt an invisible force suppressing its chakra, draining it rapidly.
At the same time, all the debris being pulled into the sphere rained down like a meteor shower, slamming into its massive body over and over.
Each impact sent tremors through its frame.
Before long, the sheer volume of debris buried Gyūki completely.
The Third Raikage wasn't faring any better.
Still trapped in Gyūki's grip, he had no chance to break free.
Like Gyūki, he was pulled into the sphere, completely at its mercy.
The moment he was pressed against its surface, he realized his chakra was being forcefully drained into its core.
As the energy drained from his body, his once-indestructible Lightning Release Armor began to fade.
Without its protection, it only took a few moments for the gravitational force to crush his body, inflicting devastating injuries.
But even after all that, the struggle wasn't over.
Nagato, still controlling Chibaku Tensei from a distance, could faintly sense lingering traces of life.
Without hesitation, he poured more chakra into the technique.
The already-massive sphere grew even larger, its pull growing stronger with every second.
The chaos this created was unbearable for the ordinary shinobi.
Watching from afar, they felt as if they were witnessing the end of the world.
Desperate to avoid being sucked in, they clung to one another, trying to brace against the pull.
They could only thank the heavens that they were far enough away to be affected only by the shockwaves.
If they had been any closer, they wouldn't have lasted a second.
...
As time passed, the life force within Chibaku Tensei grew weaker—
Until, finally, it vanished entirely.
Only then did Nagato finally release the jutsu, cutting off his chakra supply.
Without his energy holding it together, the massive sphere collapsed.
Countless shards of rock and wood plummeted from the sky, crashing into the sea like a torrential downpour.
The sight alone sent chills through the onlookers.
For a moment, it truly felt like the world was ending.
Amidst the falling debris, two figures tumbled from the sky.
Splash.
Their lifeless bodies hit the ocean's surface and sank into the waves.
The Third Raikage.
Killer Bee.
As for Gyūki—it had already been reborn elsewhere.
...
The sea was in chaos, filled with shinobi scrambling to avoid the falling wreckage.
Yet Minato's group stood perfectly still.
Calm. Unshaken.
They watched the panicked shinobi around them with complete indifference.
If those fools got themselves killed, that was their problem.
...
"That's a wrap."
Nagato exhaled deeply, a rare look of relief crossing his face.