Chapter 323: Chapter 323: Uzumaki Skin, Konoha Heart

Konoha, the Forest of Death.

Kyoichi, Tsunade, Oriri, and Kushina stood at the four cardinal points, while Nagato remained in the center. Around them, every Anbu proficient in chakra transmission had already gathered.

The air was heavy with tension.

Everyone knew clearly what they were about to attempt.

"Kyoichi, go over the essentials," Tsunade said.

She wanted to lift their spirits, but she also understood something well—caught up in politics and village matters as she had been, her grasp of jutsu was nowhere near that of Kyoichi, who had been steeped in it day and night.

Besides...

What they needed right now wasn’t lofty words, but a clear outline of the dangers and the precautions they’d need to take.

Kyoichi thought for a moment before speaking.

"This time, our mission is to safeguard Nagato as he summons the Giant Statue linked to the Rinnegan. But there’s a chance that the statue is bound together with Madara himself. So no matter what, do not exhaust all your chakra."

"Yes!"

The response was immediate.

But—

A moment later, Kyoichi added, "And to be clear, the reason you mustn’t burn yourselves out isn’t so you can throw yourselves at Madara. It’s so that you’ll have enough strength left to retreat alive."

No one spoke up, not even Tsunade.

"To face an opponent like Madara, sheer numbers are meaningless. If he’s tied to the Statue, then I’ll fight him head-on. If I fall short, the Sannin and the Third will back me up. Only after that would it fall to Kushina and the rest of you."

Kyoichi laid out the plan calmly, point by point.

"But if I unleash the Nine-Tails’ chakra, my combat power will be tremendous!" Kushina said hurriedly.

This time, Kyoichi didn’t need to answer.

Nagato spoke first: "Ever since I gained the tailed beast chakra inside me, my eyes have awakened a new ability—to absorb others’ ninjutsu for myself. The Statue may have a similar function."

"This—"

Kushina froze, left speechless. She truly didn’t grasp the depths of the Rinnegan.

Tsunade only shook her head slightly, signaling Kushina not to argue further.

Kushina reluctantly stepped back.

"That’s the situation. If there are no objections, let’s begin. Once Nagato starts the summoning, everyone channel your chakra into him," Kyoichi said evenly.

He formed a hand seal and pressed his palm against Nagato.

At once, countless threads of chakra spread from Nagato’s body, weaving into a vast network that linked every participant back to him.

The pressure on Nagato was immense.

He wasn’t a child of Konoha. Yet both Kyoichi and Tsunade dared entrust everything to him, rather than seize his eyes and wield them for themselves.

That truth left Nagato with a storm of emotions.

He drew in a deep breath, then nodded heavily and began weaving hand seals.

The next instant—

Everyone started pouring chakra into him.

Kuchiyose no Jutsu—Summoning!

The moment Nagato completed the seals, a vast torrent of chakra erupted from within him. All throughout the Forest of Death, beasts scattered in panic.

Animals were often sharper than humans.

Though the Gedō Statue hadn’t fully appeared yet, its terrible aura already radiated outward, smothering all in its grip.

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

The husk of the God Tree...

Even in this silent, "dead" state, void of chakra, its mere presence was enough to paralyze the heart.

With a shudder of twisted energy—

A colossal figure materialized within the forest, its grotesque posture casting a monstrous shadow in the night. What’s more... it seemed to pulse faintly with life.

Nagato raised his head, eyes wide.

This was...?

The Gedō Statue?

The name surfaced unbidden in his mind.

But—

—Clang!

Before he could react, Oriri moved first.

Dozens of chains shot forth from her, binding the Statue’s limbs and forming a protective barrier before Tsunade. A beat later, Kushina finally caught up, unleashing her Adamantine Sealing Chains.

Their actions, though valiant, were ultimately unnecessary.

Because—

The instant Kyoichi laid eyes on the Statue, he understood: neither Madara nor Black Zetsu had come through with it. This was only the Statue itself, nothing more.

It made sense.

For all his arrogance and hunger for battle, Madara wasn’t a fool. He would never march straight into Konoha’s heart just for a fight. Such reckless bravado was only for his imagination.

So—

What they faced here was nothing but an empty shell.

Oriri sensed it too.

"Hokage-sama, Captain—it’s a shell. No trace of chakra."

"I feel the same," Kyoichi sighed.

Tsunade shot him a sidelong glance, knowing full well he was sighing because Madara hadn’t shown himself.

If Madara had come... then perhaps they really might have ended him here and now.

But instead, she laughed aloud.

"Madara’s grown old. We’re still young. Time is on our side. Why fret over some relic skulking in the shadows?"

Everyone blinked at her words.

And in the end, all eyes turned to Kyoichi—especially Nagato, who stood there uncertain, unsure what was supposed to happen next.

After all...

He had done it. He had summoned the Statue. Yet the aftermath wasn’t the nightmare he’d imagined. It hadn’t drained too much chakra, not even half of the tailed beast chakra stored in his Yin Seal.

And now—

No battle had erupted. The results were far tamer than anyone expected.

"Alright. So Madara didn’t come. That just makes this our chance, doesn’t it? As Hokage-sama said, time is on our side. We’re still young. What does Madara have?"

Kyoichi’s smile broke across his face.

Madara’s absence—this was the best outcome.

Without the Gedō Statue, White Zetsu were limited to their paltry numbers. Black Zetsu might not share Madara’s madness. And if it came to it, Kyoichi had every confidence he could pin Madara down and end him.

Even if Madara gained the Mangekyō, he was no longer a threat to fear.

Kyoichi’s unshakable confidence rippled through the group, loosening the tension in everyone’s hearts.

Tsunade glanced toward the village, and let out a sharp laugh.

"You little brat, always pulling something out of nowhere. When I get back, I’ll be catching hell for this. You’d better make it up to me with a bottle of sake!"

"Of course. I’ll brew it myself," Kyoichi grinned.

Everyone stifled laughter, the heaviness lifting from their chests.

After all—

If their leader was this calm, what reason did they have to worry?

"Head back for now. Keep the village secure in the coming days."

"Yes!"

The Anbu vanished in a blur.

Only then did Kyoichi turn back to the towering Statue.

Too massive.

Leaving it here in the Forest of Death would ruin its purpose as a training ground. The children—what then?

He thought for a moment.

Best to dump it at the Research Institute.

"This thing... really is troublesome. Nagato, how’s the chakra drain?"

"If I don’t use its abilities, it’s not too bad. But if I draw on them... I feel like my life itself would be the price."

Nagato was honest.

By now, he was half a Konoha shinobi already. Though cloaked in Uzumaki skin, with the bones of Amegakure—his heart belonged to Konoha.

That was entirely thanks to Kyoichi and Tsunade.

In truth, it wasn’t what they did, but what they didn’t do.

For someone like Nagato, who had always guarded against Konoha, the simple fact that they hadn’t tried to seize his eyes—that was the greatest support and protection of all.

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