Within Konohagakure, squads of shinobi dashed out of the village, only to be intercepted by masked ANBU operatives.
"Lord Tobirama gave specific orders: our duty is to guard the barrier and ensure the explosion's range doesn't reach the village," one ANBU member stated firmly.
"But with such intense fighting over there, are you sure Lord Tobirama doesn't need our support?" A jōnin preparing to assist choked back his frustration, his gaze filled with unease as he stared at the towering plume of smoke in the distance.
The ANBU operative cast a glance toward the battlefield, located kilometers away, yet the aftershocks of combat could be clearly felt even here. The intensity of the clash spoke volumes.
"If even Lord Tobirama can't handle it, our presence won't make a difference. Let's stay here and wait," the ANBU reassured.
...
Far off in the battlefield, Kakuzu twisted his wrist, his palm aimed directly at Tobirama.
"Here—returning this to you."
Boom! A torrent of water erupted from Kakuzu's palm, spiraling into a massive vortex as it surged toward Tobirama, threatening to engulf him.
With narrowed eyes, Tobirama teleported away using his Flying Thunder God technique just before the water could close in on him. He reappeared several meters behind Kakuzu, observing with a calculated gaze.
This time, Tobirama didn't rush to attack. Instead, he hesitated briefly, analyzing Kakuzu's new abilities.
'So, he can absorb ninjutsu and reflect it back… This doesn't feel like a jutsu—it's more akin to a kekkei genkai,' Tobirama mused, a rough idea forming in his mind. He had to admit, Kakuzu's new powers were proving exceptionally troublesome.
"You know," Tobirama said, his voice calm but weighted, "Madara isn't dead."
At those words, Kakuzu turned, his expression betraying amusement as he locked eyes with Tobirama.
'That unscrupulous guy must've gone grave-robbing again,' Kakuzu thought wryly. 'Now that his brother isn't around to keep him in check, he's probably diving headfirst into forbidden experiments.'
Feigning indifference, Kakuzu replied, "That has nothing to do with me."
Tobirama's gaze sharpened. From Kakuzu's demeanor, he gleaned a hint of confirmation.
"You do know something," Tobirama said, his tone unwavering.
Kakuzu chuckled but didn't respond. Having his cards revealed was of little concern; after all, Tobirama couldn't defeat him.
After a moment of silence, Tobirama began weaving hand signs.
This was a unique sequence for a water release jutsu Tobirama hadn't used before. The results were staggering—a colossal torrent of water surged forth, submerging the dry ground beneath a churning tide.
Whoosh! The thunderous waves roared, transforming the area into a vast waterlogged expanse spanning tens of meters.
Legends spoke of Tobirama's water technique as being capable of conjuring the sea itself. While those stories were exaggerated—bringing forth an ocean would grant him dominion over the entire shinobi world—the scale of this jutsu was undeniable. It more closely resembled a lake.
The onslaught of water forced Kakuzu to reveal his true form. The black threads of Earth Grudge Fear tore free, and he unleashed all five chakra natures simultaneously.
Fire fed on wind, lightning thrived on water.
Combined with his earth-hardened body and the sinister power of Dark Release, Kakuzu retaliated with overwhelming force.
The clash of chakra and elements left the outskirts of Konoha in ruins. Forests crumbled, reduced to ash and debris.
Several minutes later, the Konoha shinobi stationed nearby witnessed their Second Hokage, drenched and weary, returning alone from the battlefield.
Tobirama said nothing as he passed, merely instructing the ANBU to clean up the remnants of the skirmish.
...
Back in Konoha,
Tobirama officially accepted the feudal lord's decree, cementing his role as the Second Hokage. His focus turned to governance, refining the policies left by Hashirama and establishing new institutions like the Konoha Military Police Force to ensure internal stability.
Months passed, and the village settled into a semblance of peace. The turmoil brought on by Hashirama's death began to fade.
But this calm was limited to Konoha. Across the ninja world, tensions simmered.
The conflict between Kirigakure and Iwagakure intensified. The Second Mizukage dispatched assassination squads to the borders of the Land of Earth. In retaliation, Iwagakure's demolition units infiltrated Kirigakure, triggering devastating explosions on its smaller islands.
Meanwhile, Kumogakure appointed its Second Raikage. Resentment toward Konoha for the First Raikage's death lingered, and relations between the two villages grew even more strained under the new leadership.
While the shinobi world edged closer to all-out war, Kakuzu had returned to White Tree Town.
Unconcerned with the growing tensions, Kakuzu devoted himself to merging kekkei genkai into his body and experimenting with the chakra of tailed beasts.
In his laboratory, he stood before a large turtle shell, the remnants of the Three-Tails. Crimson chakra writhed within, forming tails that lashed violently against the containment fluid. Each movement sent bubbles surging to the surface.
The chakra radiated raw fury, seemingly on the verge of breaking free. But Kakuzu wasn't about to let that happen.
He retrieved a half-full vial of blood from his supply—the last remnants of Hashirama's cells he had stolen from Konoha.
Although a long time had passed, the vitality of the blood remained intact. It had to be said—cells related to the God Tree, like Hashirama's, were truly remarkable. Even after being left for so long, they hadn't decayed. Initially, Kakuzu had planned to save them for his next body reconstruction, but now it seemed more prudent to use them to stabilize the "miniature Three-Tails."
After countless experiments, Kakuzu had finally managed to dilute Hashirama's cells to twenty-five times their original concentration. That specific ratio seemed to strike the perfect balance—it was concentrated enough to interact with the Three-Tails' chakra without overwhelming it, yet not so diluted as to be ineffective.
When Kakuzu poured the diluted Hashirama cells into the nutrient solution, the reaction was immediate. The solution began to churn violently. Blub, blub, blub. A steady stream of bubbles surged upward, and the liquid's agitation grew more intense. Suspended in the center, the shell of the Three-Tails began to tremble violently.
The scene resembled the delicate process of mixing volatile explosives; one misstep, and the entire lab could have been reduced to rubble. But Kakuzu remained composed. He trusted his meticulous process. If he couldn't even tame a fragment of the Three-Tails, how could he face stronger opponents in the future?
The chaos persisted for nearly half an hour. Though the duration felt excruciatingly long, the containment vessel, surprisingly, held firm. When Kakuzu turned his attention to the shell at the center, he saw it floating quietly now. Occasionally, traces of the Three-Tails' chakra would waft out, but the once turbulent energy had been subdued. Compared to its previous state, it was now like a docile kitten.
Kakuzu clenched his fist, his excitement barely contained. It had worked. It had finally worked!
Hashirama's cells naturally suppressed tailed beast chakra. Moreover, thanks to their connection to the God Tree, there seemed to be an unspoken resonance between the two. What Kakuzu had now was a vessel infused with the chakra of the Three-Tails but devoid of any independent will.
The miniature Three-Tails had been born.
The next steps were straightforward. The Eight Trigrams Seal he had obtained from Mito Uzumaki during his departure from Konoha could now be put to use.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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