Chapter 171: Yahiko Steps In to Reason

Without any hand seals as a foundation, relying purely on the accumulation of a massive amount of chakra, the Super Shinra Tensei was used.

The repulsive force covering the entire Valley of the End erupted suddenly!

This was a limit secret technique Nagato exchanged for by burning his life; because the accumulated chakra volume far exceeded conventional requirements, the destructive power that erupted was enough to instantly annihilate a large ninja village!

The mountain-like piles of boulders and debris were blown away, and the earth, already scraped into a depression, was peeled away layer by layer once more.

The rock strata crumbled continuously, were blown away, and continued to be ground into fine powder in the air.

At the mouth of the Valley of the End, the giant stone statues of Senju and Madara were struck by the impact; their fragile arms snapped first, turning into stone fragments dancing across the sky.

Then, the two giant stone statues and the mountains they relied upon were destroyed by the repulsive force simultaneously, and the ring mountains on both sides of the valley mouth collapsed and receded continuously.

The environment could not even withstand such a violent repulsive force, and the ninjas in the Valley of the End suffered even worse luck.

All ninjas who could not dodge in time had their bodies instantly torn apart by the repulsive force, their flesh and blood scattered in the air, mixing with mud and sand to become blood-colored sludge.

The scene could be described as extremely tragic.

Jiraiya tried his best to erect a massive Earth Style defensive wall, but it could not even hold for a second before being instantly destroyed.

With no other choice, he could only grab Tsunade and dive underground, seeking the protection of the earth.

Even so, he was severely injured by the tremors during the earthquake.

When he crawled back out of the ground, blood was continuously spitting from his mouth, and Sage Mode had long since been forced to deactivate.

The Yin Seal on Tsunade's forehead had already been released, and the emerald-green Strength of a Hundred Healing halo fluctuated violently, relying on super-speed healing to force her body back into condition.

Only Orochimaru, after the shockwave that destroyed everything, was still able to stand perfectly in place, looking as calm and relaxed as if he hadn't retreated even a fraction.

In reality, he had paid the price of three Snake Skin Substitutions and nearly exhausted all his chakra to trade for this moment of composure and polish.

The only one who was truly at ease within the repulsive force Wind Storm was Yamanaka Chujiu.

He did not resist it head-on either; instead, using Faith Power as a foundation, he leveraged his spiritual power to manipulate the violent repulsive force, constructing a highly aerodynamic sliding structure around himself.

Relying on this exquisite structure, he slid away 99% of the shockwave, and the remaining impact was also guided by his spiritual power to become a counter-force that protected him.

Since Yamanaka Chujiu withstood the Super Shinra Tensei, he had enough room to maneuver.

First, the violent chakra erupting from Tiandao Peien would naturally cause even more intense tremors within Tiandao's body.

Yamanaka Chujiu seized the opportunity to wrap the remaining half of the black rods in a spiritual membrane, completely severing the connection between Nagato and Yahiko's body.

The Rinnegan of Tiandao faded, revealing eyes full of death once again.

Then, Yamanaka Chujiu invested more energy to carefully coordinate the previously injected spiritual body, making it harmonize with his own spirit.

He had created hundreds of Living Puppets in the past, but this was the first time he had used an inactive corpse as material to create a so-called Living Puppet.

Thanks to the power of the Rinnegan's ocular prowess, which transcends chakra and Ninjutsu, Yahiko's corpse had been soaked in it for a long time, gaining a strange vitality and satisfying the basic conditions required for a Living Puppet.

Thus, Yahiko "came back to life."

No, it cannot be said that Yahiko lived; rather, his corpse became a Rinnegan Active Corpse Puppet, or perhaps it could be called Yamanaka Chujiu's external avatar.

Yahiko moved on his own, pulled out the black rods from his torso, limbs, and face, and then let out a long breath.

He said: "Nagato, my plan failed, but why does your plan only involve destruction without any steps to rebuild order?"

Yahiko's voice was not loud, but with the help of the black rod in his hand, it was clearly and accurately transmitted to Nagato.

Nagato: "..."

That's right, even though he hadn't heard it for many years, this was Yahiko's voice!

It wasn't just the voice; more importantly, it was the tone!

That composure and indifference that only comes after repeated reflection and understanding of every link, and most importantly, the firmness derived from persistence in one's ideals.

It was truly Yahiko!

Nagato asked tremblingly: "You, are you Yahiko?"

Yahiko denied it: "No, I am not Yahiko, at least not the Yahiko who was willing to sacrifice himself."

"Nagato, did you hear my question?"

"Have you ever thought about why I insisted on taking the path of moderate reform?"

"Although the order is corrupt, any order, no matter how poor, is far better than complete disorder."

"You grieve for the weak and the suffering, so you want to use violence to control violence; I agree with your idea."

"But I cannot agree with your plan—slaughtering all living things, letting everyone experience pain; what happens after that?"

Nagato was stunned: "A, after that?"

Yahiko said: "Yes, after the peace under deterrence descends!"

"How will production be organized? How will life proceed? Who will repair the roads, who will build the docks, and who will guarantee safety?"

Facing the series of questions from his dear friend Yahiko, Nagato completely wilted.

He lowered his head, just like a primary school student who forgot to do their homework: "I, I didn't think about it..."

Yahiko said with heartbreak: "So, you hate wanton slaughter, yet you have to commit slaughter yourself for the sake of peace. You pity the suffering of the world, yet you have to bury lives yourself for the sake of peace, and in the end, you haven't thought about what to do after peace?"

Nagato was speechless: "I, I..."

"What you are doing... is salvation; it is just carefully disguised revenge! It is the venting of anger!"

Every word was resonant, striking directly at the final barrier of Nagato's Dao heart!

Nagato's mind was severely damaged; in the violent trembling, even the burning of his life stopped, and the violent chakra showed obvious stagnation.

This was the chance for a decisive victory!

Yamanaka Chujiu seized the fleeting opportunity, erupting with all his spiritual power and pouring out all his Faith Power to cast his yet-to-be-perfected secret technique.

"Ultimate Technique: Logic Silence!"

The formless spiritual torrent did not interfere with the chakra, but instead passed through the black rod in Yahiko's hand to strike directly at Nagato's heart.

This was the purest spiritual duel, a collision between logics, and the most naked comparison of peace philosophies!

Nagato's years of paranoia were struck by the Yahiko disguised by Yamanaka Chujiu.

The transparent, rational, and pure concept of order, combined with the status of Yahiko in Nagato's heart, instantly caused Nagato's own philosophy to collapse.

His emaciated body began to convulse violently.

He wanted to refute, to roar, to prove that his Dao was not wrong.

Yet with Yahiko's questions constantly echoing in his mind, and the gentle gaze of Yahiko that he yearned for constantly appearing, he could not utter a single word.

Yes, he pursued peace and wanted to redeem the Ninja World, but he had never thought about what would come after; did he really want to save the world, or was he using it as an excuse to take revenge on the entire Ninja World?

Nagato could not figure it out, his mind became increasingly chaotic, his physical condition worsened, and finally, he kicked his legs and fainted.