Sealing the Seven-Tails

The Land of Waterfalls.

The battle is over.

After Obito led the rest of the Akatsuki to retreat, Kakuzu and Hiruko, who were abandoned, did not last long before being swiftly and decisively killed by Taiichi.

Tsunade walked to Taiichi's side, looked at Hiruko's corpse, and felt a slight ripple in her heart.

Hiruko was a ninja of the same generation as the Sannin. In terms of background, he, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were all Civilian ninjas, but their circumstances were completely different.

One was taken in as a disciple by the Hokage and received his full support and training.

One path leads to free development, eventually resulting in becoming Jonin).

Actually, Hiruko's treatment in the village wasn't bad. He was talented; otherwise, he wouldn't have become a Jonin.

Unfortunately, human desires are endless; if you have this today, you want that tomorrow.

However, Hiruko was an ambitious person, and the rules and regulations of Konoha greatly limited his potential, which was the fundamental reason for his defection.

"It's a pity. If he could have persevered for a few more years and caught up with the establishment of the Scientific Research Department and Minato's rise to power, he wouldn't have ended up like this."

Field."

Tsunade was reminiscing about her past comrades, but Hiruzen Sarutobi found it rather unpleasant to hear.

It's as if Hiruko's defection was caused by his incompetence as the Third Hokage.

"If your mindset is flawed, you'll eventually defect, no matter who you're under. You can only blame yourself for your lack of resolve and excessive ambition."

Taiichi finally spoke a fair word. Apart from some problems in certain incidents, the Third Kazekage Hokage generally supported the development of Civilian ninjas, as evidenced by the fact that two of his Third Kazekage Three Disciples were Civilian.

"Never mind him, Taiichi. Go check on that Suien; he doesn't seem to be dead yet. I'll go treat the old man's wounds."

Tsunade to the direction where the Suien had fallen in the distance and spoke to Taiichi, then walked towards the Third Kazekage's position.

"Suien?" Taiichi walked towards the silent Waterfall Village, muttering to himself, "Could this be the villain we'll have later?"

Taiichi carefully laid his body flat, and even after a preliminary examination, he couldn't help but gasp.

This guy is incredibly lucky. He had eight broken ribs, the most dangerous one of which grazed right through his heart. If he had been just a fraction off, he would be lying dead on the ground right now.

Looking at his dying subordinate, Taiichi's hands still emitted a dense green light.

We should still try to save him; we can't kill him now just because he might make mistakes in the future.

If Taiichi had actually done that, Obito would have died a hundred times over.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade arrived at Taiichi's side. The Third Kazekage had only suffered minor injuries, and Tsunade simply helped stop the bleeding and that was it.

Looking at the barely Suien, the two of them didn't know whether to call the guy unlucky or lucky.

"Taiichi, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki has still been captured. Do you have a way to track him down?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were filled with worry. The Akatsuki had already captured four Tailed Beasts. If they added the Seven-Tails, they would have most of the Tailed Beast in their hands. This was a force that anyone would fear.

Taiichi didn't even look up, his hands continuing their work, but he said, "Obito's Space-Time Ninjutsu; it completely blocked all my senses, so I can't find their location for the time being."

"Oh, so you mean you can find them once they come out of that alternate dimension?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes brightened slightly as he keenly perceived the meaning behind Taiichi's words.

"During the battle just now, I left a mark with my final strike, but because I'm not very skilled, the mark can only provide a general location. Also, Obito knows Space-Time Ninjutsu, so he might have the ability to remove the mark."

Taiichi didn't make any definitive statements. In terms of developing the Flying Thunder God Mark, he really couldn't compare to Minato. Right now, the two of them were taking completely different paths with their Flying Thunder God.

"That's good too. Having hope is better than being completely disappointed."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, then thought of Kakashi in Konoha.

"I never expected that the Masked Man was actually Obito. I wonder what Kakashi's reaction will be when he finds out. He's always wanted to save Obito."

"The Akatsuki could even control the Fourth Mizukage with Genjutsu, let alone Obito. If I'm not mistaken, Madara Uchiha was probably still alive when Obito was captured. For someone like him, controlling Obito shouldn't be a difficult task."

With Tsunade arms crossed, Tsunade pieced together the general situation from the information she knew.

It's safe to say that for Kakashi to win Obito back now would be extremely difficult, almost impossible.

Just as the three were discussing the matter, the Suien that had been receiving treatment finally showed signs of life.

"Am I... dead? Is this... the Pure Land?"

Hypnotically Suien, he opened his eyes and looked around. The first thing he saw was Taiichi, whom he didn't recognize.

Taiichi's lips twitched, and he applied a little more force with his hand. The pain from the broken bone slightly stimulated the Suien, allowing him to see more clearly.

"Ah, Third Kazekage Hokage, Lady Tsunade, how come even you've arrived at the Pure Land? Is the Akatsuki really that powerful?"

"Pfft! Hahaha!"

Tsunade couldn't hold back any longer, put a hand on Taiichi's shoulder, and burst out laughing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also had a smile on his lips, but at least he knew the situation was urgent.

"Don't worry, you're not dead yet, but you won't be able to participate in the next rescue operation."

Suien finally regained full consciousness and, upon seeing the person who had treated her, immediately retrieved the corresponding information from her memory.

"Ah, it's Mr. Taichi Matsushita. Thank you so much for saving me."

When he understood the meaning behind Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, he only felt a little downcast.

"Then I'll have to trouble the three lords of Konoha. My abilities are limited, and this is all I can do."

At this moment, Taiichi finally withdrew his hands from the treatment, patted the other person's shoulder, and gave his final medical advice.

"You have eight broken ribs. Time is of the essence, and this is only the initial treatment. Don't rush back; any strenuous activity might cause the ribs to break again."

"Thank you... thank you, Taiichi." Suien touched her chest and thanked him again solemnly.

Taiichi stood up and looked Northern Front. The unique sense of his own mark reappeared, but it was vague and unclear.

o

He pointed north and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade, "Let's go in that direction. The distance is uncertain, so we can only search little by little."

The three left behind their Suien and, following the trail of marks, began to run quickly.

On a cliff in the Central Land of Earth.

Space twisted like a vortex, and four figures tumbled out from it, truly and pathetically falling out.

Suikazan Fuguki's enormous body, like a mountain, pressed down on Obito, Zetsu, and Fuku, leaving them no room to struggle.

"Damn it, get up now!"

Obito's voice came from below in a muffled tone, sounding full of grievance and resentment.

The Suikazan Fuguki had also recovered by this time. He struggled to prop up his massive body, which inevitably caused the person beneath him to groan in pain.

After some effort, the three finally managed to tidy themselves up. Obito was the first to stop in front of the cliff and began to slowly Hand Seals.

A thick mountain wall splits open like a gate, revealing a spacious cave inside.

Obito stepped inside first, followed closely by Zetsu, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, and Suikazan Fuguki.

Inside the cave, a multicolored phantom stood with its back to the entrance. Hearing footsteps approaching, it spoke calmly, "You're much later than expected."

As he spoke, the phantom turned around; it was none other than Deva Path Pain.

But when Pain saw the three people enter, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Not only is the number of returnees wrong, but what about the one leading them, "Madara Uchiha"?

Although he and Konan had long suspected that this "Madara Uchiha" was not the real Madara Uchiha, they did not expect that he would reveal his true colors so quickly.

"Mr. Ban has... changed his appearance?"

These words sounded somewhat sarcastic, Obito's face darkened, but he quickly regained his composure.

"I am the one who inherited Madara Uchiha's will. I concealed my identity before only to cooperate with you better. Do you still doubt my motives now?"

What a brilliant move to turn the tables! What a brilliant way to take control!

Pain was at a loss for words. Just as Obito had said, they were now one, and it was impossible, and even more so, not to doubt each other because of their identities.

However, Pain felt a sense of unease. "You deceived me, but now you're making it seem like it's my fault."

Pain took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions and looked at the group again.

The unconscious little girl... this must be the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. Very good, mission accomplished.

Only----

"Where are Kakuzu and Hiruko? Why didn't they come back with you?"

Obito's expression stiffened. What was bound to happen would happen, but he could only bite the bullet and answer.

"The rescue failed. Not only did Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade arrive, but Taichi Matsushita also came in the end. Kakuzu and Hiruko were tied up by Konoha Ninja, so I had no choice but to lead the rest of the group to retreat first."

The so-called retreat was actually just abandoning Kakuzu and Hiruko, as no one believed they could escape from Taichi Matsushita's clutches.

Pain's purple Rinnegan stared directly into Obito's eyes, and an eerie silence fell over the cave.

"Um—how about we get down to business first?"

At this point, the only one with the audacity to speak up is, of course, the unreliable White Zetsu.

Black Zetsu then deliberately withdrew his consciousness and handed his body over to White Zetsu.

White Zetsu raised the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki in his hand and waved it at Pain.

"This guy seems to be waking up."

Pain glanced at the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, then glared at Obito before turning away.

He had only turned halfway when he suddenly turned back, his tone unusually urgent.

"Taichi Matsushita is here. Did he mark any of you with the Flying Thunder God Mark?"

Pain's question caught everyone off guard.

Zetsu and Suikazan Fuguki thought about it carefully and shook their heads, but then they both looked at Obito.

They had no contact with Taichi Matsushita; the only one who had fought Taiichi at the time was Obito.

Obito's face was ashen as could be. He felt his back, the only place Taichi Matsushita had touched.

At that moment, I don't know if it was just my imagination, but I kept feeling an itch on that area of my skin.

Obito ripped off his shirt, exposing his back to Pain.

The other two also came forward at this time, and everyone saw that on Obito's scarred back, a black mark was particularly conspicuous.

"Damn, it really exists!"

"We've been exposed! Let's get out of here!"

"What's the panic!"

Pain shouted, and the cave fell silent again. He stepped forward and examined the mark closely.

The mark could only be described as barely complete, with some parts even slightly broken. Based on Pain's knowledge of sealing techniques, the mark was clearly incomplete.

This has been proven true; if he were whole, Taichi Matsushita would be here right now.

"Don't worry, this mark is damaged; just destroy it."

Without waiting for Obito's reply, he raised his knife and slashed off the piece of flesh where the mark was located.

"Slap"

The flesh and blood fell to the ground, Pain stomped on it, grinding it back and forth forcefully several times until the flesh and blood were crushed into a pulp and the mark was completely shattered.

This happened so fast and suddenly, but Obito didn't utter a single sound.

Seeing that Pain had finally finished, he put his clothes back on and said calmly to Pain, "Alright, hurry up."

Let's begin; we can't stay here any longer.

Pain did not answer, but his Hand Seals movements were noticeably lighter and quicker.

Spirit Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

A colossal nine-eyed monster slowly rose from the ground, its ten fingers pointing to the sky, and four of its nine eyes were fully open.

This means that the Akatsuki has completed the sealing of the four Tailed Beasts.

Now, they will complete their fifth one!

With everything ready, the four jumped onto their respective fingers. The next moment, as Pain Hand Seals, phantoms of the other members appeared on three more fingers.

"Everyone, the sealing of the Seven-Tails has begun. This time it will take quite a while, so please be prepared."

The three newcomers glanced around and noticed that two people were missing. They roughly understood what had happened, but remained silent.

Everyone formed Ram Seal and began gathering Chakra; the Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals officially began.

At this moment, Taiichi and the others had just left the Land of Waterfalls and were traveling at great speed towards the interior of the Land of Earth.

At one point, Taiichi frowned and looked up at the distance with a puzzled expression.

"Taiichi, what's wrong?" Tsunade forward and asked, puzzled.

"It's going to be harder to find now, they've destroyed my mark," Taiichi said, somewhat annoyed.

"The Flying Thunder God Mark is destroyed. Isn't that something that only becomes ineffective and difficult to destroy?" Tsunade asked, puzzled Hiruzen Sarutobi also cast a curious glance at her.

Taiichi was completely exasperated, but he still patiently explained.

"You're talking about Minato's Flying Thunder God Mark, which is indeed very difficult to destroy. My Flying Thunder God has a different development path than his, and the mark is different as well."

"Oh!" Tsunade feigned sudden realization, then muttered, "It's just that my skill level is too low."

Taiichi remained silent and offered no further explanation.

"The mark finally stopped at one spot. I know roughly where it is. Let's hurry and look for it; maybe we still have time."