Prelude
In the dim and damp cave, stalactites hanging upside down from the cave ceiling resemble practitioners of mysterious arts.
The water gathered at the top of the sharp rocks until it could no longer bear the weight and fell, crashing onto the hard ground and shattering into crystal-clear droplets.
The ground is uneven with many puddles; it's as if water has worn away the stone over countless years to create this scene.
Suddenly, a series of light footsteps echoed in the cave. In the dim light, a dark figure stepped into the cave, wading through the uneven puddle.
The dark figure entered the cave and headed straight for the highest platform.
Da da da...
Above the high platform was a huge stone bed, and icy cold air rose from the ground, forming a layer of bone-chilling frost that covered the stone bed.
"He should be awake by now!" The shadowy figure murmured to himself, looking at the person lying on the stone bed with a puzzled expression.
The familiar voice was slightly deep; who else could it be but Black Zetsu?
After hesitating for a moment, Black Zetsu reached out to check the man's breath, but just as his arm reached out...
A pair of deep black eyes suddenly opened, a cold, eerie light flashing in the One Flash of an eye, causing Black Zetsu to freeze and quickly withdraw his arm.
"Uh... hehe, I just wanted to see if you were awake yet." Black Zetsu chuckled awkwardly.
"Is everything taken care of?" Tōka calmly withdrew his gaze, stretching his stiff body as he stood up from the stone bed.
"Orochimaru is probably dead, and Hanabi has already been taken away by Toneri," Black Zetsu replied.
"Should?" Tōka frowned unhappily. "Forget it, it doesn't matter whether Orochimaru lives or dies, as long as he doesn't show his face for a while."
Black Zetsu clapped his hands, and a White Zetsu slowly emerged from the low-lying puddle below.
Tōka glanced at White Zetsu, "This is the prepared clone?"
White Zetsu did not answer. A strange energy surged out and enveloped his entire body, and then his pale body began to change strangely little by little.
Until...
A man with flowing black Long Hair and long, golden pupils appeared before them, his eyes adorned with purple eyeshadow that extended to his nose.
Her pale skin exuded a sickly beauty, and two bluish-green Tomoe- shaped earrings dangled from her ears.
This person looks exactly like Orochimaru!
"Not bad looking, not bad temperament, but those eyes lack a bit of the sinister edge they should have," Tōka said in a deep voice after circling Orochimaru once.
"Remember, the eyes of Poisonous Snake!"
"Yes," Orochimaru replied softly.
Tōka raised his hand, indicating that the other party could leave.
A strange energy emanated from Orochimaru's feet, and his body mysteriously sank to the ground as if the ground were still water.
The dimly lit cave was quiet and cold; water droplets condensed on the stalactites fell, dripping and splashing into the puddle...
Tōka withdrew his gaze, his expression turning serious. "The Tenseigan is not easy to deal with. Do you have enough manpower?"
"Don't worry, everyone who's supposed to be here has arrived," Black Zetsu grinned, replying confidently.
In the Land of Fire, within a hidden base of the Root, a vast underground structure twists and turns, resembling a labyrinth winding underground.
Strangely, neither the dark, narrow passage nor the houses with stone gates were empty.
Danzo and the Third Hokage secretly agreed that Root would disband a large number of its peripheral members, leaving only a small number of elite core members who would then completely hide in the shadows.
However, it shouldn't be this deserted.
Thump!
Knock knock...
Suddenly, a strange sound of hard objects colliding rang out, and a figure emerged from the depths of the narrow passage. It was Danzo, leaning on his cane, making the strange sound.
The dimly lit passageway was illuminated only by a few scattered oil lamps, their faint light barely enough to light the way.
At the end of the passage was a stone chamber. Danzo walked to the door and raised his cane, pressing it against a mechanism on the stone wall.
Rumble!
The stone door opened, revealing the scene inside the stone chamber.
A simple operating table, surrounded by various instruments, and lying on the table is a person, whose eyes are covered by a white sheet.
"You've already earned the Byakugan, shouldn't you hand over what I want?" Danzo stood at the entrance of the stone chamber, not going in.
As soon as he finished speaking, Toneri, who was lying on the operating table, slowly sat up and turned to look at Danzo with a blank expression.
Even with a white cloth covering Toneri's eyes, Danzo felt an endless chill stimulating his skin.
"Don't worry, you'll get what you want!" the Toneri said coldly.
Danzo about to speak, a sudden chill swept over them, abruptly stopping their conversation as Toneri both turned to look at the deep passageway.
But then Orochimaru, with his long black Long Hair and pale face, strolled over.
"Looks like it worked." Orochimaru's eyes held a hint of inquiry as he scrutinized Toneri's face, as if trying to see through the eyes hidden beneath the white cloth.
"Orochimaru, where have you been these past few days?" Danzo looked at Orochimaru with distrust and asked in a cold voice.
"Nothing special, just identified the prey," Orochimaru said ambiguously.
A sharp glint flashed in Danzo's eyes, but he did not press the matter further.
"What, you didn't get what you wanted?" Orochimaru's gaze lingered between Danzo and Toneri, his words full of provocation.
Really!
Upon hearing this, Danzo's old face immediately darkened, and his cold, sinister gaze shot towards Toneri like a sharp arrow.
"Hehe." Toneri curled the corners of his mouth, revealing a meaningful smile.
Here you go!
Buzz!
As Toneri's cool voice fell, a powerful burst of Dojutsu erupted, instantly tearing the white cloth binding his eyes to shreds.
A blue-white halo shimmered in Toneri's pupils, enveloping a tiny, jet-black eye.
"These eyes? They're exactly the same as Tōka's eyes!" Danzo's expression changed drastically as he stared at Toneri's eyes in shock.
Wasn't it supposed to be Byakugan? Why did they turn into these eyes?
No, they're not the same!
Toneri raised his arm, and emerald green orbs of light swirled around his palm, forming a ring, drawn together by a powerful force.
The Prayer Beads condensed into a single point in the Toneri's palm; the Green Light faded, transforming into a dazzling silver light.
"Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
Boom!!
A dazzling silver whirlwind erupted instantly, completely engulfing Danzo and Orochimaru to their astonishment.
The dark and gloomy passage was completely illuminated at this moment, and the light, as bright as day, seemed to dispel all the darkness.
"What you want? Go ask the dead First Hokage for it!" Toneri sneered, his body gradually disappearing into the Void.
Tōka, I'm here!
I will avenge the humiliation of the past tenfold, a hundredfold!
Swish swish swish!!
Six Paths dark figures swiftly darted through the Forest of the Land of Fire, the tinkling of Wind Chime ringing out in unison with their movements.
A fine drizzle, the size of grains of rice, drifted down from the sky, shrouding the dense Forest in a veil of mystery.
"Itachi, is this mission targeting Konoha?" Kisame, carrying his Samehada as he walked alongside Itachi.
His half-joking question immediately made the other four people perk up their ears as well.
Deploying six members of Akatsuki at once—such a massive operation is enough to launch a strong attack on a major power!
However, apart from Itachi, the other five people were still unaware of the mission's details, which was the strangest thing.
"North of Konoha lies Black Water Mountain, a mountain that rises high into the clouds, its peak perpetually covered in snow. Meltwater from the snow flows down the mountainside, passing through layers of dense Woods until it reaches its foot."
Itachi's voice rang out calmly and deliberately.
"Why is it called Black Water Mountain?" Kisame listened attentively, but Itachi stopped halfway through his sentence. Kisame's eyelids twitched, and he quickly asked.
The weasel's figure suddenly stopped, and then it plummeted from a great height, leaping off the Big Tree.
He pointed to a stream at his feet, "Because of this."
"Black water?" Kisame and the others landed one after another, walked to Itachi's side, and stared intently, only to see that it was a stream of pure black water, as black as ink.
Strangely, none of them realized they had poison in their hands.
Why would such a strange phenomenon occur in a place that is clearly blessed with beautiful mountains and clear waters?
"Look closely, it's black and red!" Itachi looked up and followed the water's flow. The stream flowed down from the mountaintop, passing through the Root's base.
That's why the water is blackish-red!
"This is..." Scorpion controlled Hiruko's tail to dip into the stream, getting a little black water in it, then retracted his tail and looked at it closely.
"Blood?!"
"That's right, this time our target is a ninja training base." Itachi didn't specify who the enemy was.
The other five didn't bother to investigate further; killing was just commonplace for ninjas.
The more skilled the ninja, the more ordinary they seem.
After resting for fifteen minutes at the foot of the mountain, the Six People set off again towards the mountainside of Black Water Mountain.
Outside the dark cave, Black Zetsu, who was staring blankly at the rocks in front of him, suddenly froze, his expression changed, and he stood up abruptly.
"They arrived quite quickly." White Zetsu, hiding near Black Water Mountain, sent a message that Itachi Uchiha and the others had arrived.
We need to tell Tōka quickly...
The thought flashed through his mind, and Black Zetsu turned and disappeared into the dark cave.
Tōka sat cross-legged on the stone bed with his eyes closed. A chill rose from the ground, turning into a hazy frost that enveloped him.
The most peculiar thing is that the Pure White Reincarnation Seal on Tōka's forehead, which stores a large amount of Natural Energy, is gradually disappearing.
Until...
Black Zetsu strode over, staring at Tōka in surprise, "Your forehead..."
Black Zetsu knew about the mark between Tōka's eyebrows; it belonged to the power of the Divine Tree, even though Tōka had never told him.
However, Black Zetsu could clearly sense that unique and immense Natural Energy.
The power is drawn from the earth through the Eight Gates Formation of Terrestrial Profundity and nurtured by the Divine Tree!
Disappeared? Does that mean Tōka has completely integrated that power into his body?
"Black Zetsu, didn't I tell you not to bother me for now?" Tōka opened his eyes unhappily, frowning and staring at Black Zetsu with an unfriendly expression.
"Itachi and Kisame have arrived, along with the Art Group and the Ice-Fire Unit." Black Zetsu, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped out of his reverie and quickly said.
"Everyone except Nagato and Konan is here? Won't those two be suspicious?" Tōka had thought that at most two squads would come.
Unexpectedly, Black Zetsu summoned everyone.
Black Zetsu paused for a moment, then explained, "You're also aware of the system; they don't usually care what they do."
"Come on, it's good that you're here. It's good to have more people."
Tōka waved his hand, signaling Black Zetsu to continue. If this plan succeeded, wouldn't Nagato be a pawn he could manipulate at will?
Halfway up Black Water Mountain, lush foliage conceals a secret entrance leading to the base.
Sudden!
With a deafening roar, the entire Black Water Mountain trembled violently, shaking as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had caved in.
Immediately afterwards, with a whoosh, a white shadow, like a beam of light, shot out from the dark, narrow passage.
"Huh? There are still people lying in ambush outside?" Toneri raised an eyebrow, his blue and white eyes coldly darting around, his icy gaze shooting towards a boulder not far away.
To be precise, they were two dark figures lurking behind the boulder.
Swish!
Seemingly realizing they had been discovered, a cloud of white mist suddenly exploded, and then a giant white bird carrying one person soared into the sky.
With a creaking sound, the mechanical joints moved, and another dark figure slowly Earth Flow from behind the boulder. It was Sasori, the genius Puppet Master had been hiding in the Hiruko Sasori of the Red Sands!
The blond boy who soared into the sky on a giant bird was Deidara, the Azure Dragon of Akatsuki, from the Art Group.
"Who are you?" Toneri noticed that Sasori and Deidara were not comparable to the Root trash in the base.
These two possessed Kage -Kage Level chakra, their movements were unpredictable, and their auras were eerie.
If it weren't for the power of the Tenseigan, he wouldn't have been able to detect these two at all.
With a creaking sound, Hiruko Hu leisurely advanced, seemingly unconcerned about the sharp glint in Toneri's eyes, until he stopped ten steps away from Toneri.
Before Scorpion could even speak, a rapid surge of energy rushed through the air.
"The one who will kill you! Hmm!" Deidara clasped his hands together, fingers interlaced, Earth Element chakra gathering in his palms. "Art is an Explosion —drink!"
A dense, dense patch of white dots, each the size of a fingertip, fell like snowflakes.
The beautiful scene, however, made Toneri frown slightly.
Spiders, one by one, long, slender white spiders retreating!
Rumble!!
The enormous explosion was deafening, and in an instant, Kakkō and dust buried the figure of the Toneri in question. Sand and stones flew, and the mountains and forests trembled.
Smoke spread out in all directions...
The Pure Land Reversal uses the ultimate Yin Release to create an invisible chain of cause and effect, thereby giving rise to the most powerful Sealing Technique.
The solution is to sever the chain of cause and effect. Itachi's words were not clear, but he essentially told Tōka that the only way to undo the Pure Land Reversal was to use the ultimate Yang Release technique to generate the strongest life Jutsu Formula.
Tōka naturally knew who controlled this technique, but unfortunately, that guy would never help him.
So, that day in the Forest, when Danzo and Orochimaru saw through Tōka's possession of Hanabi's body, Tōka realized a possibility.
A potentially successful symptomatic treatment...