The remaining Akatsuki members scattered in a panic, putting as much distance as they could between themselves and the Ten-Tails. They stared at the monstrosity, faces pale with dread. They were stuck—unable to fight it, unwilling to retreat.
They had all heard the leader describe his plan to some degree, and that plan's core was this beast, the Ten-Tails. They had intel on the so-called tailed-beast weapon. The problem? Hearing about it and seeing it with your own eyes were two entirely different things.
Right now, a single question echoed in their minds: Could a thing like this ever be controlled by a shinobi? Impossible.
Damn it. They shouldn't have blindly trusted the leader's ability. He called himself a god. And what happened? He took one look at the Ten-Tails and dropped dead on the spot.
That wasn't a god. That was a fraud. Worse than a fraud.
So… what now? Talk about a wasted opportunity.
While some stood there dumbfounded, fulfilling their role as perfect bystanders, others were smarter. Take Kakuzu.
Kakuzu hadn't lived all those years for nothing. He chose to run. Immediately. No hesitation. It was proof: those who lived long tended to keep living longer.
Reason one: That Ten-Tails thing probably didn't need to hit you. A mere graze would be enough to end you. Reason two: Now that this thing existed, the Great Villages had no choice. Letting it run wild was suicide. Reason three: Qianyu was still here. To Kakuzu, that guy felt just as threatening as the Ten-Tails.
He didn't need to think it through. Unless his brain had been flushed down a toilet, the only sane choice was to flee. Staying here, at best, meant getting hunted down by a joint ninja force.
While some gawked, some fled, and others fought, Qianyu appeared beside Nagato and Konan. His goal really was just to help.
Konan was on high alert, hostility radiating off her. Her defensive posture was pure self-comfort, though. Qianyu's power was on a completely different level.
Nagato ordered Konan to flee. She ignored him.
"Don't get worked up. Let's build trust gradually… Well, we're short on time. I'll start with an introduction. I was using a pseudonym within Akatsuki. My real name is Qianyu."
The name 'Qianyu' carried immense weight, though most in this era believed him long dead.
"The Qianyu who founded the Owl Organization?""Leader of the Owl Organization is one of my titles. You can think of it that way."
He saw no need for further explanation. It was pointless. Nagato didn't even know his own surname. No extra details would magically build trust here.
Trust was irrelevant anyway.
"Whoever you are, leave. Now."Konan was momentarily stunned by the introduction. Given Qianyu had no reason to lie, she believed him. Which made her even more wary.
The name 'Qianyu' implied a far greater threat.
"I'm literally just here to help. Fine. No more talking."Konan had no time to react. Qianyu was already beside Nagato, one hand resting on the man's shoulder.
"You—""You're not thinking of setting off all those bombs, are you? Such a waste of explosives. Could have mined a mountain… Friendly reminder: I have a hostage now."
That last sentence froze Konan in place. Nagato was right there. How could she detonate anything? She had the courage to die with an enemy, but not to take Nagato with her.
For a normal person, Qianyu's mastery of Yin-Yang Release was transcendent. In the blink of an eye, Nagato felt vitality surge back into his body. His eye sockets throbbed. An itch spread across his atrophied calves.
Moments later, Nagato's eyes snapped open. Instinctively, he reached out, grabbing Konan's arm for support, and slowly, shakily, pushed himself to his feet.
"You… How did you…"Trust. Established.
Qianyu ignored the question."Nagato. You believe those Rinnegan were born with you. They weren't. They were transplanted into you as a child. They belong to Madara Uchiha. Not that mask-wearing impostor in Akatsuki. The real Madara Uchiha. Madara is dead, but you, a living man, have been his pawn this whole time. From your parents' deaths to your friend's death to capturing the tailed beasts… your will has been steered by an outside force."
"Impossible!"Nagato looked stricken. Who could accept that their entire life was scripted?
"Entirely possible. That masked man? He's a pawn too. Just like you.""What does Madara Uchiha want?""He wants to use the Rinnegan to resurrect. Then use the Ten-Tails to ascend as the Sage of Six Paths. The final step is cliché… After becoming the Sage, he'll end the world."
"What?""Point is, your role is done. The Ten-Tails is revived. You two should leave now. Get as far away as possible.""No! Using the Ten-Tails' deterrence to force permanent peace upon the Shinobi World is my—"Nagato wasn't ready to give up. Freed from the Rinnegan's drain, no longer needing to transmit chakra over distance, with his body restored… he felt incredible. Full of energy.
Qianyu cut him off."And what exactly can you do against the Ten-Tails now? Without the Rinnegan, your power has plummeted. More importantly, you've lost the means to control it."
Nagato was just healthy again. Did he think he could re-enter some "god-mode"?The Rinnegan's inherent benefits remained—he still mastered all chakra natures. But what good was that now? His path to growing stronger would, at best, mirror the Third Hokage's. That level of power meant nothing before the Ten-Tails.
Nagato fell silent.
"What about the Ten-Tails?" Konan asked. "Even if we run, if Madara's plan succeeds… what's the point of surviving a few extra days?"She desperately wanted to take Nagato away. But she needed to convince him first. So she quietly played along, giving Qianyu the opening he needed.
"Relax. The world won't end.""You can stop the Ten-Tails?""The Child of Prophecy can stop it. You should believe that, at least. The only surprise for you is that the Child of Prophecy… isn't you.""Teacher Jiraiya…""He was wrong. His eyesight failed him in his old age."
Konan had had enough. When Yahiko was alive, she followed his lead. Then Nagato's. Now? It was her turn."Nagato. We retreat. For now. You need to adapt to your body, regain your strength. In our current state, staying here is meaningless."
Her logic was sound. Nagato's pride just struggled to accept it. After a moment of internal conflict, reason finally won."Let's go, Konan."For now, he added silently in his mind.
Beneath the towering form of the Ten-Tails, a different battle raged.Rinnegan and Sharingan versus dark eyes and Byakugan.Kamui versus Daikokuten.No victor in sight.
Theoretically, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki far outclassed the Obito-and-Black-Zetsu amalgamation. But theory was just theory. In reality, ever since Kaguya's betrayal, Isshiki had never recovered his full power. Otherwise, why hide within Jigen's body for so long?
Ownership of the Ten-Tails hung in the balance.Stealing it was impossible. Both sides were masters of space-time ninjutsu. Understanding each other's techniques was hard. Disrupting them? Much easier.So they couldn't steal the beast. They had to seize it by force.
Seeing the situation develop this way, Qianyu saw no need to intervene just yet. Let them fight for a while.Kaguya had to be resurrected. Having that bomb buried in the world's fabric was no good for anyone.
As Qianyu quietly observed the spectacle, Sasuke Uchiha was speeding toward the Land of Iron.The good news: the Land of Rain wasn't far from the Land of Iron. At Sasuke's current level, he could cover the distance in a few hours—a veritable new energy source for the Shinobi World.
But let's rewind a little, just before Sasuke's arrival. Back to the moment the Ten-Tails took its first breath.
In the Five Kage Summit chamber, several elite sensory ninja—personal guards to the Kage—jerked to their feet almost in unison. Their faces drained of color as they stared, horrified, in the same direction.
"What is it?""What's happening?"The village leaders, still bickering while their homes were at risk, were clueless.
"Lord Kage…" one of the sensory ninja managed, voice trembling. "An immense… terrifying chakra signature just appeared in that direction. It's… impossible."
Hiruzen Sarutobi reacted first."The direction you're all looking… that's the Land of Rain. Amegakure.""Y-yes, Lord Third."
Hiruzen cursed inwardly. I told you to act, but no one listened. Now it's too late. How can we possibly win a war with insects like you running things?
"Is it tailed-beast level?" Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, asked."No…" The sensory ninja swallowed. "It surpasses any tailed beast. By an order of magnitude. It's not even close."
Anyone who truly felt the Ten-Tails' chakra would ask themselves, deep down: Is this the end? A fear no ordinary tailed beast could ever inspire.
"Let's adjourn. For now." Hiruzen's voice was grim. "I deployed scouts to the Land of Rain. We'll have detailed intel soon. But… I advise you all. Start mobilizing your elite forces. Now. Consider it a precaution."
Relatively speaking, he was the most competent one here. If he weren't, why would the other Kage despise him so much? It was precisely because of his ruthless efficiency, inside and outside his village.
Faced with the looming crisis, no one objected. Orders began flowing from the summit to their respective villages.
Several hours later, first-hand intel from Konoha hadn't arrived yet. But first-hand intel from a Konoha rogue ninja did.
"Intruder in the summit grounds!""What? Now of all times?"
Security at the summit was overkill. The moment an unfamiliar chakra signature appeared, they detected it.
"Lord Raikage, this chakra is…" A sensory ninja whispered into the Fourth Raikage's ear."WHAT?!"
The Raikage shot to his feet. That tears it!Just as he was about to storm out, Sasuke stepped into the conference chamber.
"If you're looking for me, no need to go outside.""SASUKE UCHIHA!"
The Raikage's massive fist was already speeding toward Sasuke's face. Sasuke simply tilted his head a fraction. The blow missed.The enraged Raikage lost his balance, crashing headfirst into the chamber wall.
"I'm here to deliver a message," Sasuke said, tone perfectly flat. "The Ten-Tails has been revived. If you don't want the world to end, perhaps you should do something about it. By 'something,' I mean actions other than holding more meetings."
This was a mature Sasuke, but some traits never changed. He had a knack for delivering scathing sarcasm with dead-serious sincerity.
"Oh. You don't know what the Ten-Tails is? It's what you get when you stuff all the tailed beasts into the Gedo Mazo… You do know about the Gedo Mazo, right?"
That went beyond sarcasm. It was outright mockery.
"Brat! Who do you think you're talking to? Children?" Ōnoki barked.(If not for Hiruzen's earlier briefing, they genuinely wouldn't have known. But even learning a second earlier didn't mean they needed Sasuke to explain it.)
"This 'Ten-Tails'—aren't you part of the group collecting the beasts?""Technically, I was undercover…""Lord Hokage. Is this true?"
Hiruzen remained silent. Even if Sasuke had been undercover, he couldn't admit it now—not after he'd attacked the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki from Kumo. Besides, he wasn't undercover. He was a rogue ninja.
"Regardless," Sasuke continued, unfazed. "Dealing with the Ten-Tails should be a higher priority than dealing with me."
This Sasuke had Sage Mode. The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. As long as he didn't stubbornly try to take on all five Kage head-on, there was little anyone here could do to him.
Meanwhile. Konohagakure.
Naruto Uzumaki was fast asleep. Deep in a dream.
In the dream, his eyes fluttered open. A strange old man with a long beard floated beside his bed.
"Old man… who are you? Why are you in my room?"
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