"Escaped?"
"A cowardly rat..."
"Every day without dancing is a betrayal of life itself..."
"Without the courage to face a true powerhouse, how can one bear the title of Kage?"
Standing atop the forehead of his deep blue Susano'o, Uchiha Madara spoke with disdain.
Although this Susano'o was not yet in its complete form, its towering height of over a hundred meters and the fluid blue armor covering its body exuded an icy, ruthless aura.
In the next moment, as Madara's Chakra surged violently—
The armored giant, already over a hundred meters tall, suddenly grew even larger. Its tengu mask covered its face, wings sprouted from its back, and it gripped two massive blades in its hands.
Whoosh!
Now over two hundred meters tall, the blue giant flapped its wings and soared through the air, rapidly pursuing Sōmi's direction!
Madara had no intention of letting his Rinnegan fall into someone else's hands so easily.
The Rinnegan, the One-Tail, and even Obito's intriguing Mangekyō Sharingan—all of these were treasures that rightfully belonged to him!
Thus, the chase began. Sōmi and Uchiha Madara, one fleeing and the other pursuing, quickly left Iwagakure behind, heading toward Sunagakure at breakneck speed.
Meanwhile, at Mount Myōboku, an extraordinary event was unfolding.
"What?!"
"Great Elder, you're planning to personally go to the Ryūmyaku and break the seal there?!"
Minato Namikaze stared in shock at the aged Great Toad Sage.
"Someone who does not belong to this era has been resurrected prematurely..."
"A soul returning from the Pure Land will drag the entire shinobi world into a dark abyss..."
"The progenitor of everything..."
"May rise again..."
"And the land we stand upon could once more fall into utter desolation..."
The Great Toad Sage's murky eyes flickered like a revolving lantern, displaying a series of strange images.
Finally, the vision froze on a towering tree that pierced the heavens. At the top of the tree was a massive flower bud, and at the center of the bud was a Rinne Sharingan.
A woman floated in the air, her expression indifferent as she gazed at the moon. However, the once-bright moonlight had turned blood-red, marked with the ominous pattern of the Rinne Sharingan, casting a blinding white light down upon the earth.
The woman in the vision was seen from behind, her long, blue-white hair cascading like a cloak or a blanket.
When the Great Toad Sage saw this scene, his eyes abruptly shut, and two streaks of blood flowed from the corners of his eyes!
"Great Elder?!"
"What's happening to you?!"
Minato's heart was filled with alarm and confusion as he urgently questioned.
After a long pause—
"It's nothing..."
"This is merely the price of forcibly peering through the mists of fate..."
The Great Toad Sage sighed deeply.
When he opened his eyes again, Minato keenly noticed that the once-cloudy but occasionally sharp eyes of the Great Toad Sage had turned completely gray and unfocused.
"Go quickly!"
"If you delay any longer, it may be too late!"
The Great Toad Sage seemed unaffected by the change in his eyes. He slowly adjusted his scholar's cap, retrieved a black cloak from behind his stone seat, and tied it around his neck.
Suddenly, the Great Toad Sage turned to stare at Minato. Yet within the depths of his gray pupils, it was not Minato's figure that appeared.
Instead, it was the image of Minato's lively and cheerful son. Nine-year-old Naruto seemed to grow rapidly, his expression becoming increasingly resolute. When he reached adulthood, the figure of a young man wearing the white robes of the Shinobi Sect overlapped with Naruto's.
Behind these two figures floated the image of an elderly man.
"Rikudo..."
"The promise I made with you back then, I have been doing my best to fulfill..."
"As for the future of the shinobi world... I'll leave it to them..."
The Great Toad Sage murmured to the faint image of the Sage of Six Paths in his heart.
Elsewhere, Sōmi, still fleeing at full speed, began to sense the increasingly oppressive and terrifying aura behind him.
They had been flying through the night without rest. Shukaku, who had been relentlessly refining Senjutsu Chakra, was utterly exhausted. Though Tailed Beasts could recover Chakra, it was barely enough to keep pace with Sōmi's consumption.
Moreover, refining Senjutsu Chakra required mental focus and effort—it was no simple task.
The constant high-speed flight also brought intense wind pressure. To shield himself and his companions, Sōmi conjured a small Shukaku head on the golden cloud to block the wind.
"Sōmi!"
"How much longer can you hold on?"
For once, there was a rare trace of uncertainty in Sasori's voice. Clearly, after experiencing Madara's genuine "god-like power," even Sasori couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness.
However, his Mangekyō Sharingan remained fixed on the sky behind them.
In the distance, a streak of blue light shot through the sky like a bolt of lightning.
Sōmi's heart raced with anxiety. His original plan had been to escape while Madara was restrained, quickly transplant Sasori's other Mangekyō Sharingan, and implant the Rinnegan into himself.
Only then would he have a chance to go head-to-head with Madara.
But the fully restored Madara, even with just a single Rinnegan, had exceeded all of Sōmi's expectations.
Not only had Madara broken free of his seals in a short time, but he had also caught up to them with alarming speed, somehow locking onto their location.
Even if Sōmi could restrain Madara for a little longer, it was only a matter of time before he caught up. After all, Black Zetsu knew Sōmi's secrets.
Having taken one of Madara's Rinnegan, there was no way Madara would ever let him go.
What should he do...
This prime-era "dancer" was terrifying...
Cold sweat dripped down Sōmi's back. Even with the combined Chakra of the One-Tail and the Seven-Tails, it was nothing compared to the overwhelming power of "One Madara plus one Hashirama."
He couldn't lead this monster to Sunagakure...
The village he had painstakingly built would be reduced to rubble with a single strike...
That left only one option—take him to Konohagakure!
Guy was there!
Perhaps only he could "dance" in front of Madara now!
Having entered the desert of the Land of Wind, Sōmi abruptly changed direction, preparing to execute a strategy of diverting disaster eastward.
After all, Konohagakure was Madara's hometown. Since he had finally returned, it was only natural to take him home for a visit...
Sōmi felt no guilt about this decision. His only concern was how to ensure his own survival after Konohagakure's destruction.
If the Nine-Tails in Konohagakure were absorbed into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path or turned into a "battle suit"...
Madara's power would ascend to an entirely new level...
At that point, there would be no chance of victory...
But just as Sōmi's thoughts ran wild, the blue streak in the sky suddenly erupted with waves of exaggerated shockwaves.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The deafening sonic booms grew louder and clearer, approaching rapidly.
Just as Sōmi prepared to go all out and fully unleash Shukaku's power—
The sight ahead in the desert made him freeze in his tracks.
"If you truly want to cooperate, then come with sincerity!"
"Partnerships are built on equality!"
"And in front of me, you'd better drop that sickeningly condescending mask and attitude!"
Sōmi scolded the Masked Man without the slightest courtesy.
"Heh heh heh!"
The Masked Man let out a sinister chuckle. No doubt, his expression beneath the mask must have been far from pleasant at this moment.
After receiving the "legacy" from the elder dancer, he had believed himself capable of manipulating the entire ninja world. Yet, just as he was preparing to strike at Konohagakure, he was dealt a crushing blow by Sōmi.
Not only did he fail to execute his plan, but he had also nearly lost his life to Sōmi.
Originally, the plan had been to keep the Akatsuki hidden, quietly amassing strength and waiting for the Five Great Nations to exhaust themselves in war before emerging to seize the Tailed Beasts. However, with the leak of their plans, everything had fallen apart.
Unable to figure out where things had gone wrong, he had no choice but to come to Sunagakure and confront Sōmi, who had appeared that night.
But Sōmi, with his temperament and sharp wit, was never going to let him extract any useful information.
"Do you really think your so-called strength can protect your village?"
The Masked Man sneered, his tone carrying a veiled threat.
"If you dare make a move against Sunagakure, go ahead and try!"
"And don't think the so-called Rinnegan in the Land of Rain will be enough to save you!"
Feigning anger, Sōmi retorted with a look of feigned ignorance.
"Enough!"
"It seems we won't reach an agreement today. I'll visit again another time..."
The pattern in the Masked Man's right eye had already shifted into the shape of a Mangekyō Sharingan. In his perception, the surrounding space was beginning to solidify. If he didn't leave soon, he feared a repeat of the terrifying scenario from last time.
After all, his supply of Three Tomoe Sharingan was running low...
He would need to find a way to replenish them in Konohagakure.
Under Sōmi's watchful gaze, the Masked Man's figure was enveloped by a vortex of spatial distortion and quickly disappeared from sight.
That guy... using the Mangekyō's powers just for travel—what a waste.
"Sōmi, that man has indeed left."
Moments later, Ichikishimahime flicked her pink tongue and spoke.
"It seems you have an exceptional talent for spatial perception, huh?"
Deactivating Sage Mode, Sōmi looked at the slender snake coiled around his arm, his tone tinged with surprise.
"Really?"
"I wasn't even aware of it myself..."
"Never mind that—hurry up and contact that Orochimaru guy!"
"I want to experience what it's like to have a human body!"
Ichikishimahime blinked her snake eyes in confusion. To her, this ability felt as natural as instinct. However, she quickly remembered the main task at hand and urged Sōmi to act.
Her serpentine body clung tightly to Sōmi's arm, its cool metallic-scaled texture gliding as it moved. Despite the sensation, it evoked no strange thoughts.
Before long—
The massive serpent Manda appeared on the open ground, acting as a messenger.
Lowering its head submissively, it opened its mouth wide. As usual, Sōmi tossed a scroll or letter directly into its maw.
Manda, once the dominant ruler of Ryūchi Cave, likely never imagined it would be reduced to the role of a courier.
It suddenly remembered that Orochimaru still owed it the one hundred living sacrifices he had promised during their last summoning. It would need to collect on that soon...
As for asking Sōmi for payment...
Manda wasn't foolish enough to take such a risk.
Nighttime, the Land of Rain, Amegakure.
The soft patter of rain seemed eternal, drumming against the metal drainage pipes in the pitch-black night, producing a rhythmic drip-drip-drip sound.
"The strength of that guy from Sunagakure is extraordinary. Cooperating with him would be no different from making a deal with a tiger."
"We should find another partner."
The Masked Man stood at the entrance of a tall tower, his figure seemingly swallowed by the darkness, leaving only the faint red glow of his eye flickering uncertainly.
"Understood."
"Eliminate Konohagakure from consideration first. Kirigakure is too far, leaving Kumogakure and Iwagakure... which one?"
A figure with spiraling purple eyes spoke, his voice deep and magnetic, yet calm and still as a dead sea. Behind him, a warm yellow light illuminated his red-clouded black Akatsuki cloak.
Faintly, the sound of solemn, majestic, and resonant string music seemed to echo in the ears of those nearby.
"Let's try Iwagakure first."
"That old man Ōnoki's Dust Release is still somewhat useful. Using Iwagakure as a shield, we can lay low for now and let the current storm blow over."
The Masked Man pondered for a moment before deciding to approach the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure to discuss a potential alliance.
After all, when people grow older, they tend to overthink, preferring to hide in the shadows, believing they can control everything from behind the scenes.
If the ninja world's situation wasn't stirred into chaos again, it would be nearly impossible for the Akatsuki to thrive.
"Zetsu!"
"Investigate Sunagakure and Konohagakure thoroughly. The leak must have come from one of these two villages. There's no way another force exists in the ninja world!"
Finally, the Masked Man issued instructions to the plant-like figure nearby.
The next day.
In Sunagakure, within the Kazekage's office—
"So, the Akatsuki's objective really is as the rumors claim?"
The Third Kazekage, his back to Sōmi, gazed at the map of the Land of Rain.
"Yes, sensei."
"And that man with the Sharingan—besides his space-time ninjutsu, his power is formidable. If he were to attack the village, with our current defenses, we wouldn't be able to harm him, and the losses would be catastrophic."
Sōmi sat on the couch, speaking with a serious expression.
"The Land of Rain, huh..."
"First, there was Hanzō the Salamander, whose reputation shook the ninja world."
"Now, they've created this Akatsuki organization, aiming to collect the Tailed Beasts and dominate the entire ninja world..."
"Truly remarkable individuals!"
The Third Kazekage sighed, a hint of admiration in his tone, as though he appreciated their audacity.
"The current state of the ninja world is volatile. We must tread carefully when dealing with these shadowy figures."
"Otherwise, when the great nations exhaust themselves in war, only for these opportunists to swoop in and claim the victory, it would be utterly disgraceful."
Sōmi cautioned.
"So, what do you propose?"
Turning around, the Third Kazekage looked at Sōmi. He had always valued his disciple's advice. While Sōmi might not provide detailed implementation plans, his strategic insights had never been wrong.
Without Sōmi's series of reform initiatives, Sunagakure wouldn't have achieved its current prosperity and vitality.
"For potential threats and those lurking in the shadows hoping to reap unearned rewards, we must eliminate them first!"
"Only then can we focus on competing with the other great nations without any distractions!"
Sōmi's tone carried a decisive edge.
Compared to Konohagakure, the people of Amegakure were clearly more dangerous.
After all, if they were ever defeated by Konohagakure in the future, they could always feign repentance and pledge allegiance, working together to build a so-called "Ninja World Community of Shared Destiny."
But if Amegakure were allowed to grow stronger... with the Masked Man and Zetsu in the picture, even those who claimed to be gods might unknowingly become pawns of others.
Moreover, behind the Masked Man was the elder dancer himself.
While Sōmi was confident he could outlast anyone in a confrontation with him, protecting Sunagakure was another matter entirely.
The flames of conflict needed to be stoked further...
Kumogakure seemed like the perfect choice. He would find a way to provoke a clash between them and the Akatsuki, using them as the vanguard.
Only in chaos could opportunities be seized from the fire.
Sōmi fell into deep thought.
In this regard, his thoughts aligned surprisingly well with those of the Masked Man.
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