"Boring manga. Finally reached the latest part."
Nearby Madara, Black Zetsu sat in the shadow of a mountain pass, holding freshly updated manga chapters.
After finishing, he closed the book and fell into deep thought.
Collecting all the Tailed Beasts?
Without the Rinnegan, what purpose does the Akatsuki have for collecting Tailed Beasts?
Had he overlooked something, or was the manga author simply drawing nonsense without logic?
This approach seemed genuinely foolish. From what he could see, every squad possessed enough strength to capture Jinchuriki. With such elite teams already in place, why would they need Tailed Beasts to boost their authority?
Moreover, gathering all nine Bijū within three years meant they'd antagonize the entire Ninja World.
Unless they had overwhelming power as backup, this plan just seemed stupid no matter how you looked at it.
Under these circumstances, adding the Rinnegan made everything seem reasonable.
The Rinnegan's power truly sufficed to crush everything.
However, among the Three Great Dojutsu, the Rinnegan was the most mysterious. Very few people in the world knew its origins.
Except himself, even Madara might not understand the Rinnegan's true abilities and uses. Where did this immature brat learn about the Rinnegan from?
"Could it be—the purpose of gathering Tailed Beasts is merely to intimidate the Five Great Nations?"
A ridiculous idea surfaced in Black Zetsu's mind.
There's no doubt that Tailed Beasts were the strongest weapons. If they sealed the Bijū inside their own members, this organization would become equivalent to having dozens of top-level ninja while simultaneously controlling nine Jinchuriki.
Such an organization could indeed intimidate the entire Ninja World, making every country hesitate from taking action. It would be like fielding dozens of top operatives plus nine Tailed Beasts, recreating the kind of overwhelming dominance Hashirama Senju once imposed—a temporary, eerie peace on the Ninja World.
"Hmm, logically there's no problem. Seems like something worth trying to manipulate."
Black Zetsu mused inwardly.
Right now the Ninja World was in a delicate balance, unlikely to erupt in war anytime soon.
This was a perfect opportunity to accumulate strength.
Furthermore, there existed one particularly suitable target nation right now—the Land of Whirlpools, home of the Uzumaki clan.
Recently the Land of Whirlpools had suffered annihilation warfare. The true Whirlpool Country practically existed in name only, with the Uzumaki clan suffering tremendous damage. Some refugees had fled to the Land of Fire.
Those who relocated would be difficult to touch, but surely some hadn't managed to evacuate yet.
Those people would be easiest to brainwash under false peace.
"What about Madara's side? Will he temporarily put this aside?"
He couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Madara possessed exceptional intelligence and might attempt unnecessary experiments. That's why he'd been following Madara ever since his fusion with Hashirama Cells began.
If Madara developed dangerous ideas, he would actively intervene.
Though he'd never gotten the chance to appear until now, leaving for an extended period without supervision still worried him. He'd already waited a thousand years; he didn't want to wait another thousand.
"It should be fine for a short time at least."
Back in Konoha...
Akaba stared at the monitor. He was certain there had been an abnormal points surge this morning.
Of course.
This time the points were only slightly higher than usual—just a couple thousand more—but this abnormal increase clearly indicated that someone was actively contributing.
Was it Black Zetsu or Madara?
Or maybe both?
Having these two bigwigs tracking updates so closely is quite stressful. But here's the real question—did they even pay?
One was a fugitive, while the other didn't even have a solid physical form.
Such a duo hardly looked like it could come up with any money—it was probably just another underhanded trick.
Why are you sighing? With the first arc of the manga complete, isn't this the perfect chance to take a break?
Tsunade gave him a sidelong glance.
She had been busy with her research before and hadn't gone out much, but after healing that rat yesterday and learning some things about Sage Mode and Creation Rebirth…
She suddenly felt unmoored.
We still need to update. So many people are waiting to read. If we go two or three days without an update, our store might get torn down. You remember that time I went off to organize special training and took half a month off?
Akaba felt quite helpless.
Shopping with a girl wasn't fun at all, especially when Tsunade kept dragging him into casinos. It left him completely exhausted.
Come to think of it, Grandma can enter Tailed Beast mode too, right?
Tsunade suddenly stopped.
Since Mito Uzumaki was also a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, if this "Tailed Beast transformation" ability really existed…
Tailed Beast Transformation is essentially a leakage of Bijū chakra. As for Grandma Mito, she probably wouldn't resort to such a basic method.
Akaba mused for a moment.
For Mito Uzumaki, there were far more efficient and powerful techniques available. There was no need to abandon the essential for the secondary.
However, for ordinary ninja, transforming into the Bijū was indeed an immensely powerful force.
What if we seal the Bijū's chakra into an ordinary person? Could that create another jinchuriki?
Tsunade suddenly had an idea.
If chakra really was the key, then sealing the Bijū's chakra using the same method should produce the same effect.
I'm a freaking genius!
Thinking about it, she couldn't help but feel excited.
You're overestimating things.
Akaba sighed.
Didn't this idea sound just like what Masaru from the Twelve Guardian Ninja once thought?
History shows just how naïve Masaru's thinking was.
Can anyone even handle Bijū chakra? The reason Naruto could use the One-Tail state without side effects was partly because his body could withstand its power.
Secondly, the Nine-Tails' life was closely tied to Naruto's. While releasing chakra, the beast partially controlled it to avoid excessive damage to the host.
Once the Bijū's chakra leaves its host, though, things aren't so easy anymore.
But isn't it possible?
Tsunade asked.
Unless your control reaches Grandma Mito's level or you're highly skilled in various Sealing Techniques—you'd have to manage the degree of chakra leakage yourself.
Akaba shrugged. "If you can convince Grandma Mito and the village, maybe you could try it on the Uzumaki kids."
Eww, you always push dangerous stuff onto me. I'd get killed!
Tsunade shivered.
The ten children of the Uzumaki clan are Grandma Mito's most cherished treasures; anyone who dares lay a hand on them will have their arms chopped off.
It was your own suggestion.
Akaba took a few steps forward before suddenly stopping and glancing in a certain direction.
Anbu?
He pondered for a moment, then turned his head and said, "Tsunade, I need to head to the Anbu headquarters first. You can go play on your own."
"Play? I'm busy! I have work waiting at the hospital, okay?"
Tsunade glanced toward where the Anbu were hiding. She had sensed their approach as well—after all, the ninja weren't even trying to conceal their chakra. Even a rookie could've detected it from miles away.
She said that hoping Akaba wouldn't worry too much or overthink things.
Akaba nodded.
"Is Teacher looking for me? Then let's go."
"Yes!"
The Anbu officer gave Tsunade a slight bow of respect before turning to leave for the Anbu headquarters. Akaba grabbed his shoulder and simultaneously activated his chakra.
"No need to go through all that trouble."
In the next instant, both of them appeared together at the entrance of the Anbu headquarters.
The Anbu officer was momentarily startled, but after taking a deep breath, he quickly calmed himself down.
[Using Flying Thunder God] just for transportation...
Now *that's* what I call luxurious.
He inwardly grumbled.
"I'll go in now."
"Of course, please proceed."
The Anbu officer didn't bother leading the way—he realized Akaba probably knew this place better than he did. There was no need to guide him; delivering the message was enough.
Akaba walked inside, easily navigating the winding corridors until he reached Danzo's office door.
He entered, only to find the room completely empty.
Why did he call me here?
As confusion flickered across his face, Danzo appeared behind him. As the other approached, Akaba sensed a faint ripple of chakra.
Wind?
"Mizunashi Kyo has uncovered new intelligence from Shishio," Danzo said, tossing a report toward him.
Akaba caught it. The ink was still fresh—it must've been written not long ago. It detailed recent movements in Kiri, particularly regarding the forging of Shinobi swords.
Besides Kiba, Kiri currently possessed Samehada, Higeki, and Cleaver Sword—part of the elite plan led by the Third Mizukage.
Of course, Mizunashi only seemed aware of a portion of this information.
"Teacher, are you saying you want me to support Shishio?" Akaba asked.
"Shishio hasn't left yet. I've canceled the mission. Someone in the Land of Water claims they've discovered a Devil Fruit, and the news has already spread throughout the Ninja World. That thing originally came from your drawing—you're more qualified to judge."
Danzo spoke calmly.
He understood this was most likely false, but whoever was behind the rumor definitely had an agenda worth considering.
Spreading the news so widely across the ninja world... What was their true intention?
Furthermore,
Because of this incident, security in the Land of Water and Anbu surveillance would inevitably become stricter.
Canceling the mission was the right choice.
Akaba considered it silently for a few seconds before nodding. "I'll investigate personally."
The Devil Fruit definitely didn't exist, but this event itself felt somewhat like...
some kind of orchestrated PR stunt?
He wasn't entirely sure, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Kakuzu was pulling the strings behind this whole thing.
"Also, a squad from the Uchiha clan will be heading there soon. I've given them your Flying Thunder God Kunai. Remember to provide reinforcement when the time comes."
Danzo added casually.
Huh?
Akaba hesitated slightly, then nodded without another word.
He couldn't quite figure it out—what was Uchiha doing over there? Although they had integrated into Konoha's ninja system, their role mostly involved patrolling and maintaining internal security. Suddenly assigning them to this kind of task just felt off.
Could it be related to what happened earlier in the story?
[Killing a comrade awakens the Kaleidoscope Sharingan.]
It seemed many fanatics among the Uchiha actually believed that. But when they could bring themselves to raise a blade against their comrades, it meant they no longer saw those comrades as their closest friends.
The best way for the Uchiha to resolve this would be—
[Acting?]
Akaba fell into thought.
This trip to the Land of Water was probably just about putting on an act. Investigating Devil Fruits was likely secondary.
I'm also curious about the ability of Eno Uchiha's Kaleidoscope Sharingan.
But a mission this simple could easily be handled by sending a Shadow Clone to the village to complete the task.
To ensure prolonged effectiveness, he could use the Sealing Technique to infuse the clone with additional Chakra.
Such Sealing Techniques were already completely mastered by Akaba.
"When do we leave?"
"Now."
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