"Third Mizukage, neither the Hatake clan nor Konohagakure have any grudges against you. Why are you interfering in this matter?"
"Hmph, just a mere abandoned pawn. Why should I bother explaining myself to you?"
The Third Mizukage's arrogant and dismissive words made Hatake Sakumo frown deeply. Gripping his blade tightly, he took a light step forward. Just as he was about to launch forward like an arrow leaving the bowstring, his wrist was firmly grabbed by another hand.
Beside him, Kakuzu had appeared.
"Step back for now. You should focus on figuring out how to compensate for your clan's lack of chakra."
With a wave of his hand, Kakuzu signaled Sakumo to withdraw. This battlefield was no longer suitable for him. Sakumo, without protest, silently retreated.
Kakuzu turned his gaze toward Mufu.
"Third Mizukage, what a shame. Last time, I only took your teacher away. This time, I've decided to leave you here as well."
Mufu was unfazed by Kakuzu's appearance. In fact, from the moment he stepped onto the battlefield, he had already sensed Kakuzu hiding in the shadows. He merely sneered in response, saying nothing, as his body began to undergo a drastic transformation.
Gurgle… Gurgle…
Dark red chakra surged, and multiple tails unfurled behind him, swaying against the wind. As the sixth tail emerged, his chakra reached its peak. The Tailed Beast cloak wrapped around Mufu, and his body rapidly expanded.
Another towering beast, dozens of meters high, appeared.
A massive, white, bloated body covered in a sticky liquid, two disproportionately small hands on either side, and four snail-like antennae atop its head—
The Six-Tails, Saiken, had emerged!
With the Six-Tails blocking the front and the Two-Tails cutting off the rear, the situation was clear.
Kakuzu, however, remained indifferent.
"Wood Style: Eight Pillars Binding Technique."
Eight massive wooden spikes shot up from all directions, enclosing the Two-Tails. Their sharp tips pierced through the Tailed Beast's chakra cloak.
Shriek!
The Two-Tails let out an ear-piercing wail. Every time it encountered his jutsu, it suffered the most unbearable pain.
As for the Six-Tails—
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a burst of white smoke, another massive creature appeared.
"Kakuzu, what have you dragged me into this time…? Oh my! You're fighting Tailed Beasts again? Do you have a personal vendetta against them?"
Katsuyu barely had time to stretch before noticing the enraged Six-Tails and Two-Tails before her.
Kakuzu stood atop Katsuyu's head.
"Go. Show them the power of the Shikkotsu Forest."
"But I can't beat them…" Katsuyu's tone was laced with reluctance.
"You won't be fighting alone."
Forming hand seals once more, Kakuzu invoked his next technique.
"Nine Masked Beasts!"
Nine gates of extradimensional space appeared in the air. From within, nine otherworldly summons emerged—
"Go. Have fun with them."
Kakuzu folded his arms, his tone relaxed. He had yet to reach the level of a true god, but dealing with a few Tailed Beasts was still effortless.
...
Minutes later…
Dark markings appeared around Kakuzu's eyes.
"Sage Art!"
This was the core power of Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode. A stronger physique was necessary to wield more powerful jutsu.
Kakuzu grabbed the Two-Tails' massive paw and exerted a force beyond comprehension.
Snap!
The enormous fangs of the Two-Tails were wrenched from its mouth.
Shriek!
The Two-Tails, Matatabi, let out a sky-piercing cry, its body trembling in agony. The giant fangs in Kakuzu's hand still carried traces of lingering flames, which soon extinguished completely.
The Two-Tails' genetic material—acquired.
Sealing the massive cat's fangs into a scroll, Kakuzu glanced up and noticed the Two-Tails rapidly shrinking, retreating back into its Jinchuriki's body.
Dark red chakra flickered briefly on Yotsuki Akira's unconscious form before fading away entirely.
This might have been the most terrifying experience the Two-Tails had endured—only comparable to those two men from the past. In such moments, hiding within its Jinchuriki's body was the safest option.
Kakuzu said nothing, walking over to the unconscious Yotsuki Akira. Without hesitation, he kicked his body toward Sakumo.
"Capture him. He'll be useful later."
Kakuzu then slowly turned to face the still-battling Six-Tails.
Unlike the Two-Tails, the Six-Tails was like a shell-less slug. Its body was bloated and covered in mucus, giving it an exceptionally high level of defense. The sticky outer layer further enhanced its durability, making it even harder to damage.
Fighting the Six-Tails was often a prolonged battle of endurance.
But for Kakuzu, it was hardly an issue.
Leaping onto the Six-Tails' head, he eyed its four antennae. His right hand hardened, and atop his fist, a distinct protrusion—one resembling the horn of the Five-Tails—began to form.
"Your power… I'll be taking it."
Thud! With a single punch, the tentacle burst apart in a spray of fluids. The severed appendage dropped to the ground. Kakuzu was ready to throw another couple of punches, but the Six-Tails had already begun to retreat. It twisted its smooth, serpentine body and, with increased speed, dove back into its jinchuriki.
However, something unexpected happened at that moment.
The Third Mizukage, Mufu, still cloaked in his dark red chakra, had yet to fully revert to normal, yet he forcibly opened his eyes. Without saying a word, he took a sudden step forward and bolted into the distance.
Seeing this, Kakuzu furrowed his brows.
Unless one was a perfect jinchuriki, controlling the form and withdrawal of a Tailed Beast was nearly impossible. The process of releasing and then resealing a beast should leave a jinchuriki utterly drained.
So why, after reclaiming the beast, did this Third Mizukage still have the strength to flee as if nothing had happened? It was utterly baffling.
"But really, where do you think you can run?" Kakuzu muttered.
With a swift midair rotation, he landed steadily on the ground. Unhurriedly, he retrieved a sealing scroll and sealed the severed Six-Tails' tentacle within it. Then, forming the Opposing Seals hand sign with one hand, he vanished with a Body Flicker.
A few minutes later…
Over the vast ocean, the unavoidable route leading to the Land of Water, Mufu finally came to a halt. He knew Kakuzu had already caught up.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Ninja boots pressed against the water's surface, sending ripples outward. As the sound of approaching footsteps grew closer, Kakuzu arrived.
Mufu's face was flushed, his body weak and drained. It was clear he had not yet fully recovered. But even if he had, there was no way out for him today.
"You're different from the rest," Kakuzu remarked, stepping forward. "Tell me what I want to know, and maybe I won't make it too painful for you."
Mufu chuckled coldly. "You want information from me? Keep dreaming. And besides… you can't kill me."
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, his steps quickening. When he was mere meters away, he suddenly leaped forward like a hunting beast, stretching out his massive hand to seize Mufu's face.
But in that split second, a strange sensation flashed through Kakuzu's mind, causing him to furrow his brows.
It was nothing tangible—just an instinct, a sudden wariness. He neither sensed any foreign chakra nor detected any presence nearby. Yet, inexplicably, his intuition screamed at him.
A baseless hunch, perhaps. But in the world of shinobi, gut instinct was often the most reliable warning of all.
How many people in this world could trigger such a reaction from someone like him?
Midair, Kakuzu twisted his body in an instant. His right fist had already hardened thirty times over, its jagged tip infused with the genetic power of the Five-Tails. Simultaneously, the lingering effects of Sage Mode had yet to fade completely.
Tailed Beast power, Kekkei Genkai, Sage Mode—all combined into a single earth-shattering punch.
Even the strongest shinobi in the world would not walk away unscathed.
Yet, what happened next was beyond all expectations.
Kakuzu's fist passed straight through the figure before him as though striking empty air.
Still in midair, Kakuzu turned his head, catching a clear glimpse of the person just as a surge of mental energy flooded his mind.
Upon landing on the water's surface, he clenched his fists, his bones cracking as he forcibly erased the foreign presence from his thoughts. Then, looking back, he saw Mufu sprinting away at full speed, rapidly disappearing into the distance.
Kakuzu did not bother to give chase.
The Third Mizukage? He was insignificant. If needed, Kakuzu could always capture him later.
But the figure standing before him now… now, that was someone truly rare.
A slightly hunched frame, dry and withered hair, skeletal hands clutching a cane. Yet, the spiky hair, the chiseled features, and—most importantly—those deeply unforgettable eyes.
There was no mistake.
Uchiha Madara.
As for why Madara's body had been able to pass through Kakuzu's attack, the reason was simple.
He wasn't physically here.
His entire figure, shimmering in a haze of colors, was nothing more than a projection.
"I never would have thought that a mere insect from the past would evolve to this extent." Madara's voice, now tinged with age and exhaustion, lacked its former vigor.
It was the sound of a man approaching the twilight of his years.
Kakuzu, however, was not surprised in the slightest.
He himself was over fifty, and Madara was even older than Hashirama Senju by a year. That meant he was already in his late sixties.
"So, you've taken control of the Third Mizukage… What exactly are you planning?"
The moment the question left Kakuzu's lips, he suddenly felt foolish.
Because he had just remembered the events of the original timeline.
The reason Obito had fallen into darkness was because of Nohara Rin.
And the reason Rin had died? Ultimately, it all traced back to the Hidden Mist.
Those Mist shinobi had foolishly implanted the Three-Tails into Rin, then intended to send her back to Konoha as a living bomb…
This might seem like a loss for Konohagakure, but if you think about it carefully, isn't this just handing them a tailed beast for free?
Think about it—back in the day, the First Mizukage fought tooth and nail at the negotiation table to secure the Three-Tails. And now, these later generations are just giving it back to Konoha. This is nothing but a foolish move, sacrificing a thousand of their own just to harm the enemy by eight hundred.
But why did the Third Mizukage give such a ridiculous order? If he wasn't just plain brain-dead, then the only explanation that makes sense is that he was being controlled.
Everything that happened was a carefully laid trap, orchestrated by Uchiha Obito. And a setup like this? Only someone like Uchiha Madara could have pulled it off. It seemed Madara had taken control of Kirigakure's Mizukage long before Obito even entered the picture. Obito was merely building upon the foundation Madara had already laid, adding a few finishing touches of his own.
"In a way, your abilities do make you nearly immortal," Kakuzu remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"What's laughable is that fool, Senju Tobirama, actually let you stay by his side back then."
Kakuzu found it absurd—this guy could drag Senju Tobirama into things even after his death. Was he really that unwilling to let the man rest?
Clearing his throat, Kakuzu changed the subject.
"I imagine the wounds left by the First Hokage weren't exactly minor, were they? The infamous 'Shura of the Shinobi World' now reduced to licking his wounds in the shadows."
His meaning was clear—if Madara still had any fight left in him, then why not show himself?
"Such a crude attempt to provoke me," Madara scoffed. "But it seems your knowledge of me is sufficient. Perhaps we share a common goal."
With that, Madara extended a hand.
"Come, let me show you the beauty of my world."
Kakuzu silently nodded to himself. Decades of lurking in the darkness had clearly changed Madara. He wasn't just a brute relying on his fists anymore—he'd learned the art of manipulation.
"Madara, have you ever considered the possibility that everything we're doing… is being orchestrated by someone else? That you and I might just be pieces on someone's chessboard?"
He didn't say it outright, but not because he feared Black Zetsu might be eavesdropping. No, the real reason was simple—if he laid it all out too clearly, Madara's arrogance might cause him to dismiss the idea outright. But leaving a little ambiguity? That might just make him think.
"Hmm?"
Even through the blurred projection, Kakuzu could see a faint change in Madara's expression when he heard those words. It was subtle, but it was there.
However, just as quickly, Madara buried any trace of emotion.
"I almost want to acknowledge you," Madara mused, "but I don't know if you're capable of entertaining me."
"Entertain you?" Kakuzu chuckled, but his expression suddenly darkened.
"Madara, how about I take a little trip to Kirigakure?"
Madara laughed.
"You're welcome to try!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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