New Realm

The Land of Rain.

The cold raindrops, like beads from a broken string, relentlessly pounded against the gloomy earth. Two figures trudged through the mud, their steps uneven, heading towards the border of the Land of Earth.

The person in the lead was none other than Obito, who had gone out to search for someone, and behind him was one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, whom he had recruited this time— Suikazan Fuguki.

His fleshy face was etched with suppressed rage; rainwater streamed down his greasy hair, adding to his disheveled appearance.

"Damn this weather!" the Fuguki cursed under his breath, stomping hard into a murky puddle, splashing mud everywhere. "How much further?"

"We've arrived," a deep voice replied from beneath the mask.

Obito, disguised as "Madara Uchiha," stopped in his tracks. Ahead of him was an inconspicuous low hill covered with vines and moss.

He raised his hands to Hand Seals, Chakra surged like a stone thrown into calm water. The damp rock wall in front of him silently caved in, revealing a bottomless hole.

Obito stepped into the darkness first, Fuguki hesitated for a moment, but ultimately followed him in, full of resentment.

The cave entrance closed silently behind them, shutting out the continuous rain.

The passageway extends downwards, with scattered lamps placed on the stone walls on both sides, making the passageway even darker.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the view suddenly opened up before me.

A vast, exaggerated underground space was revealed. The dome soared high, hidden in an impenetrable darkness. Deep within the space, the outline of a colossal statue loomed faintly in the shadows.

Even without getting close, the invisible pressure emanating from him made the unsuspecting Suikazan Fuguki as if his heart had stopped, leaving him frozen on the spot. That was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the empty shell of the Ten-Tails.

At the other end of the space, a few relatively bright lights barely illuminated the area, creating a distinct contrast between light and shadow.

Several figures were already standing there, clearly waiting for their arrival.

In the central seat, Pain stood silently, his purple Rinnegan staring emotionlessly at the two who entered.

To his left were two of Akatsuki's "veterans": Konan, who wore a white paper flower on her head, and Zetsu, who had a yin-yang face.

On his right, besides Blood Crow who had already joined the organization, there was another new member.

He was tall, his face mostly obscured by his large hood, revealing only the crisscrossing stitches on his aged skin and a pair of eyes that gleamed with an eerie green light.

This is Kakuzu, the "legendary" Rogue Ninja was "persuaded" to join by Pain and Konan, a monster from the same era as the First Hokage.

With the arrival of Obito and Suikazan Fuguki, the core strength of the Akatsuki's new generation has now officially come together for the first time.

"Hmph, finally here." Blood Crow Raven's hoarse voice came through the mask, clearly quite annoyed by the wait. "The fat guy carrying Greatsword? I hope your skills match your size."

Kakuzu's gaze immediately fell on Fuguki's Headband, and comparing it to his physical features, he spoke in a low, hoarse voice, "That's Samehada, isn't it? You're Suikazan Fuguki? That's quite a bounty."

His tone was calm, yet it revealed a deep-seated obsession with money.

The Fuguki's facial muscles twitched, and he tightened the bandages binding his Samehada. Suppressing his displeasure, he retorted in a gruff voice, "Mind your own business! It's none of your concern!"

Just as they were about to start arguing, Pain's voice rang out.

"Quiet."

Those Rinnegan slowly swept over everyone present. Wherever their gaze fell, even the most arrogant Blood Crow and the greedy Kakuzu subconsciously restrained their auras, and Fuguki felt a chill originating from the depths of his soul.

"When each of you arrived, someone told you about Xiao's goals."

I won't repeat it here, but you must remember one thing: I don't care about your past or your motives. But you must do your best to complete the tasks assigned by the organization, otherwise—"

His words were unfinished, but the aura he exuded spoke volumes.

"Hmph, as long as the pay is good, beating anyone is business." Kakuzu responded in a low voice, his green eyes gleaming in the shadow of his cloak.

Blood Crow let out a short, ambiguous sneer, its fingers unconsciously rubbing the handle of the Kunai at its waist.

The Fuguki snorted heavily, which was taken as tacit agreement. Being suppressed by the Masked Man with absolute force had given him a full understanding of the organization.

The simple "getting acquainted" session ended in a tense atmosphere.

Zetsu, with his white half, immediately chuckled and said, "Hehe---- enough chit-chat, let's get down to business. I've already found the location of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Iwagakure Rōshi."

After "escaping" from Iwagakure, that old fellow is now wandering around the Land of Iron disguised as a wandering monk.

"Very good." Pain's gaze turned to Madara, Fuguki, and Kakuzu. "This is a rare opportunity. The task of capturing the Four-Tails will be carried out by the three of you: Madara, Fuguki, and Kakuzu."

Target: Rōshi Jinchuriki. Requirements: Minimal disturbance, maximum speed. Zetsu's information will continue to guide us. We must capture the Four-Tails before Iwagakure can react.

"Just the three of us?" Fuguki frowned, his tone skeptical. "Dealing with a veteran Jinchuriki? Rōshi's Lava Release is no joke!"

"Hmph, scared?" The Blood Crow's beak mask turned to him, full of mockery.

"Shut up!" the Fuguki growled.

"That's enough." Obito, disguised as "Madara," straightened up, full of confidence in the mission. "Kakuzu's extensive experience is more than enough to handle any unexpected situation. Fuguki, your Samehada is effective at suppressing Jinchuriki Chakra. And I—will ensure the mission is accomplished."

His Sharingan flashed red light in the shadows, and the invisible pressure instantly silenced the Fuguki.

Kakuzu let out a low, hoarse laugh, but did not speak.

Pain ignored their reactions and slowly raised his hands. Seven ancient-looking rings of unknown material floated above his palms, each engraved with a code: Zero, White, Jade, Mysterious, South, North, Three.

With a wave of his hand, all but the "Zero" ring flew towards the three of them.

"Put it on." Pain's voice was flat. "This will be your permanent code name within the organization, and a symbol of your identity."

The White Ring was calmly received by Konan, the Jade Ring flew towards Obito, the Mysterious Ring was caught by Zetsu, the South Ring was roughly grabbed by Fuguki, the North Ring was carefully held by Kakuzu, and the Three Ring fell into the palm of Blood Crow Raven.

"There is a special Chakra connection between the rings," Pain's voice continued. "Even across thousands of miles, simple messages of thought can be transmitted, like a direct resonance of minds. At the same time, it is also a key node for remotely receiving Chakra and Sealing Jutsu."

Everyone slipped the rings onto their fingers. As soon as Fuguki put it on, a faint sense of Chakra spread along his finger, accompanied by instructions on how to use the ring.

Following his memory, he tried to inject a Chakra into it, and several blurry points of light representing the other rings immediately appeared in his mind.

"Oh? Interesting." Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with even greater greed as he repeatedly stroked the ring, as if calculating the extra benefits this wondrous creation could bring.

Blood Crow also looked down at the "Three" rings in his hand, his eyes flickering behind the bird-beak mask, lost in thought.

Even Lian Jue curiously fiddled with his "Mysterious" ring, the white half of it chuckling, "Hehe, this makes chatting so much easier!"

Meanwhile, in Konoha Hidden Village, far from the gloom of the Land of Rain, the sun shines brightly.

Taiichi had a very leisurely time back in the village, teaching his disciples, helping Tsunade with official duties, and of course, his main focus was improving his own strength.

Ever since he realized that his Yin Release Nature Transformation was holding him back, Taiichi has been focusing on developing this ability.

--

When talking about Yin Release, one cannot help but mention the Sharingan of the Uchiha.

If it weren't for Yohei Uchiha being such a fool and an idiot Genjutsu, he would actually be Taiichi's best person to talk to.

Now, he can only take advantage of the opportunity to teach Itachi to frequently visit the Uchiha's territory and discuss the development of Yin Release with the Uchiha clan members.

To be honest, there has been a lot of progress. Although most of the Uchiha's Genjutsu is based on the Sharingan, the essence of Genjutsu is the same, and Taiichi has also gained a lot of experience and knowledge from it.

Deep within Taiichi's residence, in a specially designated meditation room, Taiichi sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and deep.

From a distance, Taiichi appears to be meditating, but a closer look reveals that within a radius of about one meter around him, the space exhibits a strange sense of distortion.

At first, only extremely faint, ethereal outlines, like rising steam, vaguely sketched the scene of Konoha's commercial street: the eaves of shops, the silhouettes of pedestrians, and banners fluttering in the wind.

These illusory figures are like mirages, fleeting and uncertain.

But as time went on, the phantom around him began to fluctuate and coalesce violently, the blurry outline became clear, the words on the grocery store's signboard appeared, the movements of pedestrians became coherent, and one could even "see" the exaggerated mouth movements of the vendors as they shouted.

This is the Genjutsu that reflects reality, directly interfering with the manifestation of reality through illusory imagination.

"Transforming the illusory into the real— the Yin Extreme Transformation!"

Taiichi silently chanted in his heart, his mind highly focused, all his thoughts devoted to the ultimate control of Yin Release Chakra, guiding this power originating from the spirit to interfere with reality, giving the illusory void a real texture.

Sweat seeped from his forehead and slid down his cheeks.

As the illusion grew more and more real, the next second, with a soft "boom," the entire illusion shattered completely, turning into countless tiny, shimmering starlight points, which then slowly dissipated into nothingness.

However, amidst this dreamlike shower of starlight, Taiichi's lips slowly curved upwards, revealing an incredibly clear smile.

"It's done!"

With a slight thought, Attribute Panel that only he could see appeared before his eyes:

[Yin Release Nature Transformation: Lv13 (1/5000)]!

Just a month ago, he was stuck at the bottleneck of Lv12, but now he has broken through! A huge understanding of the essence of Yin Release surged into his mind like a flood.

After digesting the gift of this breakthrough, a glint flashed in Taiichi.

He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward, and his Chakra began to circulate according to some mysterious trajectory. The air in the center of his palm slightly distorted, and a point of pure, pitch-black matter appeared out of thin air.

Under the influence of Yin-Yang Release, this black spot rapidly grew and solidified. In the blink of an eye, a short stick about a foot long lay quietly in his palm.

These are exactly the same Black Receiver that are on the Pain Puppet!

Taiichi gripped the Yin-Yang Release artifact he had created himself, feeling a cold, hard touch and a strange fluctuation emanating from the Black Receiver at his fingertips.

Although this Black Receiver is far less powerful than its close relative, the Truth-Seeking Orb, its creation is undoubtedly a milestone for Taiichi in exploring the mysteries of Yin-Yang Release.

To his even greater surprise, the panel flashed again:

[Transforming the illusory into the real, Yin Release Nature Transformation experience +500]

[Exploring the Yin-Yang Release: Yang Release Nature Transformation experience +1000, Yin Release Nature Transformation experience +1000]

[Yang Release Nature Transformation: Lv13 (3267/5000)]

[Yin Release Nature Transformation: Lv13 (1512/5000)]

"There's even extra experience!" Taiichi was thrilled.

The thousands of experience points that appeared out of nowhere were enough to equal his months of arduous training!

Looking at the Black Receiver in my hand, I realized that since I had gone to so much trouble to create it, it must be used for something.

Only----

"As a weapon, it's far inferior to a specially crafted Chakra Metal sword; however, its core characteristic lies in the conduction and reception of specific Chakra —the Akatsuki's ring communication function is probably based on this principle. So, could I develop a similar function—?"

However, as he carefully felt the energy drained from creating the Black Receiver, his Chakra noticeably decreased slightly.

"The consumption is considerable, about 35%—it seems that the level and proficiency of Yin-Yang Release are still key. Hopefully, the consumption will decrease as the level increases, otherwise it will become too unusable."

Just as he was immersed in deducing the future applications of Yin-Yang Release creation, the door to the meditation room was pushed open without ceremony, bringing with it a gentle breeze.

A figure with a head of distinctive, unruly silver-white hair appeared at the doorway, wearing a common animal mask and the standard attire of the Anbu.

Taiichi didn't even look up; a mocking smile played on his lips. "Oh, isn't this our Konoha's most prominent Anbu elite Hatake Kakashi?"

I said, "With your unique white hair, even if you wore ten masks, you'd still stand out like Fire Fly in the dark among a crowd. What's the point of this disguise?"

The serious and solemn atmosphere was instantly shattered. Kakashi's businesslike demeanor froze halfway through, as if he had been put on pause.

He subconsciously raised his hand to touch his striking silver hair; the expression behind the mask must have been incredibly interesting.

"Ahem-- Taiichi, be serious!" Kakashi's voice carried a hint of awkward helplessness. "Who stares at hair during a mission? This is just your excessive focus on my personal characteristics! Others aren't as bored as you."

"Oh? Is that so?" Taiichi leisurely put away the Black Receiver in his palm, which disappeared into the air as if it had melted. "Then I'd like to ask, what hair color does Sunagakure's Scorch Release user, Pakura, have? And what hair color does Mist Village's, Suikazan Fuguki, have?"

Any ninja with a certain level of skill and distinctive features would be a prime target for the Intelligence Department. Truly professional Anbu either dye their hair or wear hoods.

"Someone like you, with a head full of white hair and swaggering around like that, is truly one of a kind."

He shrugged, his tone mocking, "You're not an Anbu, you're clearly a walking sign saying 'Hatake Kakashi is here'."

Kakashi was speechless, his fingers unconsciously tugging at a stubborn tuft of white hair, a feeling of "this Anbu career is truly full of frustration" welling up inside him.

He sighed helplessly, ripped off the mask from his face, revealing half of his face covered by a black cloth and dead fish eyes.

Taiichi rolled his Byakugan again.

"Enough, enough—" Kakashi rubbed his temples, deciding to give up on this topic. "I'm here to do serious business, not to discuss how my hair color affects my career in the Anbu!"

Taiichi, knowing when to stop, dropped the playfulness from his face and said seriously, "Alright, look how conflicted you are. So, what is it?"

Kakashi took a deep breath, regaining some of his Anbu aura, and said in a deep voice, "The Hokage-sama summons me; it's important."