"Keigo, we can leave the village now. Do you need to inform anyone in your clan?"
Orochimaru's hoarse voice rang out.
Beside him stood Hyuga Ruri, her pretty face alight with excitement and anticipation.
"S-so this is Lord Orochimaru, the one they call the Cold Lord!?"
Hatake Kakashi stared at Orochimaru in shock and awe!
The Sannin's fame resounded throughout Konoha.
"So it's you, Sakumo. Have you completed your mission?"
Orochimaru looked at Hatake Sakumo, his eyes flickering with surprise. Then he glanced at Kakashi and smiled. "Is this your child?"
They were both among Konoha's new generation of strong shinobi. Sakumo was a few years older than Orochimaru, but they often crossed paths.
Especially on the battlefield, where they had fought side by side many times.
They weren't as close as the Sannin were to one another, but they got along well. As fellow prodigies, they had plenty in common. And in Orochimaru's view, Hatake Sakumo was far more sensible than Jiraiya and Tsunade.
He was a keen, intelligent, and powerful shinobi!
He had already reached the pinnacle of the Shinobi World!
"That's right. He's my son, Hatake Kakashi. For now, he's just a child who wants to become a shinobi."
Hatake Sakumo spoke fondly.
Hatake Kakashi was dumbfounded. His face filled with shock. "Th-this... Dad, you actually know Orochimaru, one of the Sannin!?"
"Your father is the man known as the White Fang of the Leaf. On the battlefield, his reputation is every bit as great as the Sannin's."
Uchiha Keigo gave a soft laugh. Even as a child, Kakashi had been a little adorably clueless.
But that was understandable.
The White Fang of the Leaf had always been a low-key man.
So he had never bragged to Kakashi about any of this.
"Well then, Kakashi, Senior White Fang, I'll see you later. Sensei, I need to go home for a bit."
As soon as Uchiha Keigo finished speaking, he vanished.
It was his first time leaving the village. How could he not tell the old man first?
When he reached home,
the old man was already waiting inside. The setting sun stretched his shadow long across the room, and his entire figure was swallowed by darkness, his face indistinct.
"Keigo, you're back?"
Uchiha Kyo lifted his head, revealing a deeply wrinkled face. Every crease looked deep enough to hold a coin, and his drooping eyelids nearly covered half his eyes.
He rose and sat on the steps of the veranda.
Then he gestured for Uchiha Keigo to sit beside him.
They watched the sun slowly sink as a beautiful sunset spread across the sky.
"Today, Sarutobi Hiruzen acted as a go-between and wanted you to take on a mission. At first, I didn't want to agree. But then I thought of all the effort you've put in over the years. I imagine this is the moment you've been working toward."
He shook his head and smiled slowly. "A genius has a battlefield of his own, just as... you have a path you must walk."
"You've grown strong wings now. In my eyes, you're still a child, but you have your own ideas. I shouldn't become a burden holding you back."
A calm, contented smile spread across his aged face.
"Keigo, I have something to ask of you. I suppose I should say it's a request."
Sitting beside Uchiha Kyo, Uchiha Keigo's eyes trembled slightly. "Please, Great Elder."
Over the years,
he had come to think of Uchiha Kyo as his grandfather. The old man had done everything he could to treat him well.
"If the Uchiha Clan ever goes through some upheaval, then... please put the clan in order and become its true leader. That's my request to you."
Uchiha Kyo looked at Uchiha Keigo with kind eyes.
Uchiha Keigo nodded without hesitation. "I will. That's been my goal for a long time."
"The Uchiha Clan will regain its glory under my leadership. No one will be allowed to covet what belongs to the Uchiha Clan!"
Ten minutes later,
Uchiha Keigo walked out of the Uchiha Clan.
His tall, handsome figure was like a newly risen sun!
Inside the Uchiha compound,
Uchiha Kyo watched Uchiha Keigo's departing figure, a trace of guilt in his eyes. "Keigo, you're a shinobi as gifted as Uchiha Madara. Perhaps... geniuses are all loners."
"Without this old man's request, you'd probably... rather live freely, wouldn't you?"
Outside Konoha,
Uchiha Keigo and the others handed their travel documents to the guards at the gate and left the village without incident. Notably, their mission orders had no details written on them at all.
The guards' eyes turned respectful, even reverent, as they looked at the three of them.
This meant their mission was...
so dangerous and important that it couldn't be discussed openly!
"Keigo, you seem a little different."
Orochimaru's voice was hoarse. He licked his lips. "Before, you were like a free-flowing wind. Now... you're like a sturdy tree. You seem to have developed a sense of responsibility."
He knew the feeling well.
It was just like Jiraiya, who had changed somewhat recently.
He kept going on about finding the Child of Prophecy!
"It seems... you've already been chosen as the next leader of the Uchiha Clan, Keigo."
Orochimaru spoke slowly, his amber eyes seemingly able to see right through people!
"Sensei, has anyone ever told you that you have a keen eye, but also a big mouth?"
Uchiha Keigo's mouth twitched.
Orochimaru's eyes were sharp. From the changes in Keigo's mood and thoughts, he had actually guessed what had happened in the Uchiha Clan.
"What!?"
Hyuga Ruri's eyes widened as she stared at Uchiha Keigo's handsome, composed face. "You've been recognized as the next leader of the Uchiha Clan?!"
"How is that possible? You're only twelve!"
"How could they trust you with such a huge responsibility?"
She was crushed.
Why was Uchiha Keigo already chosen as clan leader at twelve, while she—
Even though she was just as brilliant, she still hadn't earned the recognition of those people in her clan. In an instant, all of Hyuga Ruri's good mood vanished.
"It was only a request. To me, it's not really a good thing. If I could choose, I'd rather it never happen." Uchiha Keigo's eyes were deep and solemn.
What did that mean?
When did people make arrangements like that?
Without a doubt, when their time was running out!
The Great Elder... had already sensed that he was nearing the end of his life.
After that, Keigo wasn't as talkative as usual. The three focused on traveling, hurrying toward Kumogakure.
Three days later, the three successfully infiltrated Kumogakure!
"Sensei... do we really have to use these human-skin masks?"
Hyuga Ruri's body trembled. Orochimaru had peeled the skin from a face and fashioned it into a mask in less than three minutes. His cold-blooded methods made her scalp prickle!
"During the Second Shinobi World War, prisoners were skinned and had their tendons ripped out before being tortured to death. Killing the enemy before peeling off their skin is already merciful."
Orochimaru gave a hoarse laugh and put on a human-skin mask himself. His amber eyes fixed on Uchiha Keigo and Hyuga Ruri. "If you're unwilling... you can back out."
"I won't force you."
Uchiha Keigo put on the mask. It fit perfectly, and the material felt soft. It didn't even feel stuffy, but it did make him feel a little uncomfortable and short of breath.
"Breathing's a little difficult. Maybe next time you could make the nostrils a bit bigger to let more air through."
Uchiha Keigo offered his suggestion.
Orochimaru shook his head. "That won't work. The nose is a crucial part; we can't risk getting it wrong. A shinobi needs to control their breathing. I've tried to improve the design, but the results weren't ideal."
"Oh?"
Uchiha Keigo raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll just have to breathe through my mouth."
Hyuga Ruri: "..."
Were these two perverts?
She sighed, clenched her teeth, and put the human-skin mask over her pretty face.
The three of them disguised themselves as Kumogakure shinobi.
There wasn't a single flaw!
No one stopped them or checked their identities along the way. Before long, the three arrived at a tavern.
"Hmph, that freak? I hope he never comes back! If he does, I'll teach him a proper lesson!"
A Kumogakure Chunin snorted, his eyes full of disdain.
"That freak shouldn't have been one of us in the first place. At least he had the sense to hide out on an island to the east. No one in the village likes him!"
"Exactly! He's a shinobi, but he hangs around with a monster like that. Blue B... he's disgusting!"
The tavern was full of talk.
The people's disdain and disgust were plain on their faces!
"This... is how ordinary villagers are prejudiced against Jinchuriki."
Uchiha Keigo's eyes turned cold.
The three vanished and hurried toward the island to the east.
"How ridiculous. Kumogakure's Jinchuriki became one willingly for the sake of Kumogakure, only to end up despised by everyone."
Orochimaru spoke in a hoarse voice, amusement in his eyes.
It really was tragic.
"Even if we hadn't come, it was only a matter of time before Blue B lost control of the Eight-Tails. When a Jinchuriki can't fill the emptiness in their heart with love, they need a strong will instead."
Uchiha Keigo spoke calmly. "And clearly, Kumogakure's Jinchuriki is a selfless, excellent shinobi, but he lacks the willpower."
In the original story,
Blue B couldn't bear the ridicule and looks of disgust, so he went to the island alone.
Even until his death, he could only suppress the Eight-Tails through suffering. He never managed to control it.
"Then... let's set him free!"
Orochimaru gave a cold laugh. The three stopped and landed on the island, where they saw Blue B frowning deeply.
Late that night,
Blue B felt the Eight-Tails' surging chakra battering his mind!
Inside his mental space, the Eight-Tails roared!
The space was filled with more chakra than he could count, surging like a mighty tide, endless and boundless!
"Let me out! Blue B, you don't have the ability to control me. Sooner or later, I'll devour you completely!"
"Can't you see how those people in the village treat you? You willingly became my vessel, but they... treat you like a monster!"
The Eight-Tails' roar crashed like thunder. Cold sweat ran down Blue B's forehead, and his ears rang.
His hearing had been getting worse lately.
His body and mind were utterly exhausted.
Maybe... he really could no longer suppress the Eight-Tails.
"Impossible! Eight-Tails, I won't undo your seal. Before I die, you and I will... remain here until the end of our lives! Until... the next Jinchuriki with a heart full of love holds you motionless inside the seal!"
Blue B was drenched in cold sweat, but he spoke with absolute conviction.
But in the next moment,
his tightly shut eyes flew open, and he gasped in pain.
A pale face appeared before him.
Beside that pale face stood a young man and a young woman, both watching him calmly.
In the young man's eyes was a Three-Tomoe Sharingan!
"You're... Orochimaru, from Konoha!? And a Sharingan from the Uchiha Clan, as well as... the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan!"
Blue B's heart went cold.
It was over.
A Quasi-Kage-level shinobi had pierced his chest while he was completely off guard!
Terrifying chakra burst from him. The surging Tailed Beast Chakra made him look like a monster.
This was... the Eight-Tails fighting back!
"Of course. Do you really need to ask? We've met more than once on the battlefield, Blue B, the new Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."
Orochimaru gave a hoarse laugh, then suddenly shoved a pill into Blue B's mouth.
Caught off guard,
Blue B's pupils shrank.
But he had no choice but to swallow the pill, choking on it in misery.
"You Konoha shinobi ambushed us in Kumogakure. Have you thought about the consequences? You're starting a war between Konoha and Kumogakure. If you don't want this to escalate, then leave now. Kumogakure can choose to let this go!"
Blue B stared coldly at Orochimaru.
He was utterly unyielding.
But even Keigo Uchiha could easily see how little confidence he had.
"From the moment we attacked, you were already doomed."
Keigo Uchiha suddenly spoke. His eyes held a scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and a mocking smile curled his lips. "When you Kumogakure shinobi captured our Konoha Jinchuriki, you should have known this day would come."
Kumogakure's methods had always been violent!
Plundering other villages was a long-standing habit of Kumogakure.
Whether openly or in secret.
This was an invasion—and an act of revenge!
"Uchiha brat, you've certainly got some nerve."
"But even so, you won't make the Eight-Tails go berserk!"
Blue B was drenched in cold sweat.
He shot backward.
Keeping his distance, he glared coldly at the three of them from more than ten meters away, his back going cold.
"You won't get the chance."
Orochimaru spoke in a chilly voice, the corners of his mouth rising. "Haven't you noticed that you're losing control of your body?"
"Yeah... It was that pill!"
Blue B's vision spun. Orochimaru and the others blurred together, and he could no longer make them out clearly.
His body suddenly toppled to the ground.
"As expected of an illusion pill designed for Jinchuriki. The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was already exhausted from fighting the Eight-Tails, but the pill itself is powerful too. It's just that developing it was far too troublesome."
Orochimaru watched the Eight-Tails' rampaging chakra, his face alight with excitement.
He licked his lips.
"Still, this stuff is useful. It can make the Eight-Tails lose its reason, forget everything around it, and have no idea how it went berserk."
"Keigo, carry out Plan A!"
Keigo Uchiha's eyes turned icy. "Understood!"
A terrifying torrent of chakra surged into the sky!
The Eight-Tails rose from Blue B's body, its chakra gathering into a colossal form with an octopus's lower body and a bull's upper body. Its terrifying chakra radiated an overwhelming threat.
This... was a body formed from solidified chakra!
"Hahaha! I'm finally out! After all these years, I finally found my chance! Kumogakure, I'll make you pay!"
The Eight-Tails pounded its chest wildly!
Its eight octopus tentacles thrashed across the water, sending up enormous waves. In the darkness, its eyes shone brilliantly, filled with madness and murderous intent!
But the next moment,
the reason in its eyes began to fade. Its gaze grew blank, until it became nothing more than a furious beast!
"Five Elements Seal!"
Orochimaru moved like the wind!
In an instant, he appeared atop the Eight-Tails' head. Powerful sealing chakra surged from his hand as he slammed it against the beast's forehead.
"Keigo, hurry! Even the Five Elements Seal can't hold the mindless Eight-Tails for long!"
The Five Elements Seal trapped the Eight-Tails in place, leaving it unable to move!
But its furious roar sent Orochimaru's robes flying.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead. He grinned. What a monstrous level of strength!
"Storm Release: Light Severing!"
Keigo Uchiha shouted!
He clapped his hands together!
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes gleamed eerily as he fixed his gaze on the Eight-Tails. The Sharingan gave him absolute control over his perception of movement. Even against the enraged, mindless Eight-Tails, he absolutely... wouldn't miss!
A terrifying, raging Storm Release lightning bolt gathered in his mouth, then instantly formed a thin, terrifying line of lightning!
The line had been compressed to its absolute limit!
It carried immense water pressure and raging lightning!
In the darkness, the Light Severing flashed brilliantly!
Hyuga Ruri, standing nearby, was drenched in cold sweat. "J-just how powerful is that? Even from this distance, I can... feel a chill run through me!"
The lightning illuminated her lovely face, pale with terror!
Crack!
With a sharp crack, one of the Eight-Tails' enormous horns was sliced clean off by Storm Release: Light Severing.
It fell from the sky.
Along with it came the Eight-Tails' furious roar!
Orochimaru burst into wild laughter, his grin brimming with pride and excitement. "Hahaha! I knew it, I knew it! Your Storm Release is absurdly powerful, Keigo!"
"You can even hurt a Tailed Beast!"
"To think a Storm Release technique combining the Second's Water Release secret arts could be this powerful! This is already S-rank! Your talent is even greater than mine, Keigo!"
Keigo Uchiha moved like lightning!
His body was wreathed in a blue-green glow.
In an instant, he appeared beside the enormous horn and swiftly sealed it inside a scroll.
"Sensei, I'm happy you're praising me, but we should retreat now. The Eight-Tails is enraged, and we've already achieved our goal."
Keigo Uchiha looked at Orochimaru, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Why was Orochimaru so excited about his growing strength?
It was almost as if Orochimaru planned to steal his body next.
He wasn't Uchiha Sasuke!
The three of them quickly fled. Less than a minute later, lightning flashed in the night sky in the distance.
Lightning streaked across the darkness!
It was like thunder erupting from the ground!
A terrifying figure plummeted from the sky and crashed to the earth. His hair stood on end, and terrifying lightning power swirled around him. The ground within a radius of several dozen meters was completely shattered!
"What a terrifying body... That's Kumogakure's Heavenly Transfer Technique!"
Orochimaru and the others watched in shock from several hundred meters away.
The sight was horrifying.
It was like a Thunder God descending from the heavens!
If they'd been even a little slower, the Raikage would have caught them. With Orochimaru's ability to escape and Keigo Uchiha's speed, the two of them might have managed to get away in a sorry state, but Hyuga Ruri... definitely wouldn't have escaped!
"What... kind of monster is that? He appeared in the sky from so far away! Is he even human?"
Hyuga Ruri's body trembled. She understood what could have happened.
"He is human, but the Third Raikage's body has surpassed the limits of an ordinary person. He's the strongest Raikage in history. The Heavenly Transfer Technique is a ninjutsu used to transport objects."
Keigo Uchiha's eyes were deep and thoughtful.
He watched the Raikage's massive build and terrifying physical strength, his own eyes gleaming!
This... was the strength he pursued!
"Only certain objects can withstand that spatial pressure and high speed. Yet the Third Raikage endured the force of the Heavenly Transfer Technique with his own body!"
His voice carried admiration. "The Third Raikage is a ninja of the highest caliber!"
"Almost inhuman!"
Even during the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Fourth Raikage had been no match for the Third Raikage.
That alone showed how terrifying the Third Raikage was!
"This... is terrifying. Is this really power a person can wield?"
Hyuga Ruri trembled.
She couldn't even imagine that a ninja like this existed in the world!
Orochimaru's voice was hoarse. He glanced at Keigo Uchiha, his expression strange. "You rarely leave the village, yet you know so much about the Shinobi World. Has the Great Elder been deliberately training you?"
Elsewhere, on the battlefield, the Third Raikage pummeled the Eight-Tails with punch after punch!
The Eight-Tails was actually howling in pain!
"Beast! You went berserk and killed Blue B! I won't let you get away with this!"
Lightning raged around the Raikage!
Like a Thunder God, he fought with wide, powerful movements. His body was completely unguarded, yet he had no openings!
He fought the Eight-Tails head-on with his body, not falling behind in the slightest—in fact, he seemed to have the upper hand!
The Eight-Tails' massive tail sent the Raikage flying, but the Raikage grabbed its tail and slammed it into a mountain like a punching bag!
"I knew the Third Raikage was powerful, but you only realize how terrifying he is once you see him in action."
Keigo Uchiha fixed his scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan on the Raikage, carefully observing the movements and techniques of his Lightning Release Nintaijutsu!
The Sharingan could copy Taijutsu and ninjutsu because of its incredible dynamic vision. It could replicate every subtle movement the opponent made, and it could also see the chakra inside their body!
At that moment, the Raikage's chakra surged through him like an ocean in Keigo's eyes.
Every detail was etched into his mind.
He watched, utterly absorbed. At the same time, his Absolute Control talent corrected the mistakes he'd been making all along!
"Watching the Third Raikage's Nintaijutsu is like watching Zhang Sanfeng teach Zhang Wuji martial arts. Every move is packed with the essence of the art. Every little technique comes from decades of training!"
Keigo Uchiha was stunned beyond words.
So Lightning Release could be even more violent!
It could be used as a weapon, but also as a tool to train oneself!
Lightning Release raged across every inch of the Raikage's skin, yet it was so perfectly controlled, obeying his every command!
Lightning Release could display different properties in different attacks!
It could pierce—or rage!
Or explode!
It all depended on the method of attack and the goal he wanted to achieve.
Even simple attacks could use different techniques and produce different effects!
"In terms of Nintaijutsu, the Third Raikage deserves to be called a legend!"
Keigo Uchiha was so overwhelmed that beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He felt as if he'd just practiced Lightning Release Nintaijutsu countless times!
At the same time,
countless Kumogakure shinobi arrived on the island.
They stared at the scene in shock!
"Sensei, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I have a plan."
Keigo Uchiha looked at all the Kumogakure shinobi and suddenly spoke in a low voice. The corners of his mouth lifted, his eyes full of excitement and encouragement. "Should we take advantage of the fact that all the Kumogakure shinobi are away... and capture the Two-Tails?"
"Capture the Two-Tails?"
Orochimaru froze, his pupils contracting.
"While all the Kumogakure shinobi are unprepared, go capture the Two-Tails?"
He turned sharply to look at Keigo Uchiha's handsome face. "You're even crazier than I am, Keigo... But... let's do it!"
"I was just thinking that one horn from the Eight-Tails might not be enough."
He licked his lips, his eyes full of satisfaction and madness.
If he tried to capture the Two-Tails alone, it would indeed be difficult.
But with Keigo Uchiha here, perhaps... it wouldn't be a problem!
"Ruri, go back the way we came right now. Don't worry about anything else!"
Keigo Uchiha suddenly spoke, his eyes serious and stern. "Kumogakure can't spare the attention to deal with anything else right now, but once the Two-Tails disappears, the Third Raikage will be furious!"
"You can't protect yourself if that happens! So go back to the village at once!"
Hyuga Ruri's beautiful eyes trembled. She nodded firmly. "I understand."
She knew that if she stayed, she'd only be a burden.
But she never would have guessed that Keigo Uchiha and Orochimaru... could be this reckless!
She swallowed, her eyes trembling.
That was the Two-Tails!
You'd just provoked the Eight-Tails, and now you were going after the Two-Tails. Just how reckless could the two of you get?
Had she really come all this way just to be a bystander?
Before you continue