The Immortal's Feather Robe
"Hmm? Xia? What brings you here?" Uchiha Gen, holding Terumi Mei, looked at Natsu Hyuga, who was bowing her head behind her, and asked with slight curiosity. Did she have some official business to discuss? Oh, right, those clan elders who died from overwork are still lying in their coffins waiting for him to resurrect them... Never mind, let them stay there. With the weather in Hidden Snow Village, their bodies probably won't stink after one more night, right?
"Um, Gen, I can make Sage Robe and stuff too..."
Although they had already consummated their marriage, Hyuga Natsu Hyuga was still somewhat reserved when it came to this matter. Her voice was so soft that if Uchiha Gen hadn't had such keen senses, he would have been almost unable to hear what she was saying.
"Hmm? Sage Robe? Oh~ This is good, this is good, let's do it together." Uchiha Gen was still a little confused, instantly understood Xia's deeper meaning when he saw her flushed face.
"Gen, you're so annoying~"
Seeing Uchiha Gen's mischievous expression, Natsu Hyuga mustered her courage and took Gen's other hand.
For an entire afternoon and evening, the three of them fought fiercely in Uchiha Gen's usually uninhabited mansion.
Terumi Mei, empowered by the Sage Robe, constantly taunted Heavenly Spear Susanoo Spear in the hands of Uchiha Gen with her enormous Tailed Beast Bomb.
Not to be outdone, Natsu Hyuga, though her Tailed Beast Bomb wasn't as visually striking as Terumi Mei's, managed to close the gap between herself and Terumi Mei using her clan's renowned Ninja World Gentle Fist.
The constant competition between the two was a real hardship for Uchiha Gen, who was caught in the middle trying to deal with both sides. If it weren't for his own superior abilities, just those two huge Tailed Beast Bomb from Terumi Mei would probably have stolen his Terumi Mei Uchiha Clan's Kirigakure material on the spot.
Moreover, there Natsu Hyuga watching him intently from the side. The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, though called a fist technique, is actually a Taijutsu. As a senior Gentle Fist master, Xia's flexibility is probably unmatched in the entire backyard team.
Facing two seasoned powerhouses with exceptional skills, Uchiha Gen risked his life, fighting with his willpower pushed to the brink of death, while secretly preparing to use his One's Own Life Reincarnation at any moment.
The Land of Rain, the Akatsuki ~
"Black Zetsu, after this defeat, Konoha will probably tighten their defenses against the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki even more. We won't have many chances to make a move. Have White Zetsu keep a close eye on the movements of Uchiha Gen and the Nine-Tails brat."
I never imagined that I, who gained Wood Release through the transplantation of White Zetsu Cells, would be no match for Uchiha Gen. Are the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai really that powerful? First there was Madara Uchiha, then Uchiha Obito, and now Uchiha Gen... Heaven truly favors the Uchiha Clan...
"I understand. After all, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path can't exist without the Nine-Tails, just like Konoha can't exist without the Uchiha Clan." It's unexpected that the Uchiha Clan, which was relentlessly suppressed and ostracized by Konoha's higher-ups, has developed even more rapidly than during the Warring States period. With Uchiha Gen's current strength, even Madara, who has awakened the Rinnegan, might not be his match, right?
How did this guy train? With Indra's bloodline alone, he shouldn't be this powerful. Did he mutate? Or is one of Uchiha Gen's parents a descendant of Asura?
No, with Uchiha Gen's strength, Nagato no longer has any advantage. However, given Nagato's potential, it's impossible to improve significantly in a short time. We must think of other ways to enhance the overall strength of the Akatsuki.
"Nagato, you've felt the strength of Uchiha Gen and Uchiha Fugaku. That woman from Hidden Snow Village seems to be even stronger than Uchiha Fugaku. Currently, we are at a disadvantage in terms of high-end combat power. I plan to transplant the same Wood Release as you into Jūzō and the others. After all, the Five Great Nations are now planning to unite against Akatsuki. The more strength we have, the more protection we will have."
Facing just the Uchiha Gen was already incredibly difficult, and with the combined forces of the Five Great Nations, the Akatsuki simply couldn't withstand that power in its current state.
"Well... you can decide for yourself. But Jūzō can transplant Wood Release, but Sasori, whose body can no longer be considered a living person, probably can't, right?"
Even with the strength of someone like Jūzō, who could transplant Wood Release, he couldn't match me.
"I have other plans for Sasori. After all, it's a waste to leave Uchiha Obito, such a powerful fighting force, unused. Given Sasori's obsession with Human Puppet technology, I believe he will be very interested in Obito's body."
I'm not a combatant, and keeping Obito all the time won't do me any good. It's better to give him to Sasori to add some fighting power.
"What? You're going to hand Uchiha Obito to Sasori? Then you yourself..." This guy is actually willing to abandon even a powerful fighter like Uchiha Obito? It seems Black Zetsu has bigger plans than meets the eye. I'd better be careful.
"I have a new target. If I can take him down, we won't be afraid even if the Five Great Nations unite." Uchiha Obito's survival abilities are nothing to me. Even without Kamui and Wood Release to protect him, the only thing that can restrain me is Sealing Jutsu.
"Oh? Are there really such powerful figures in the Ninja World who can change the course of a battle? I've never heard of them before." Could it be another hidden powerhouse like those from Hidden Snow Village? The Ninja World is truly full of hidden talents; I underestimated everyone before.
"You've not only heard of this person, you've also seen him. He's Orochimaru, one of the Sannin Jiraiya a teammate of your teacher Jiraiya. If it weren't for Jiraiya's intervention, the three of you would probably be dead at Orochimaru's hands by now."
Given the dire situation in Amegakure, only Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation could save the day. Compared to Uchiha Obito's fighting strength, he needed the forbidden technique brought by Orochimaru from the Sannin even more.
"Hmm? It's him? It's not that I'm underestimating him, but with Orochimaru's current strength, I believe he can influence the outcome of a local battle. But to say he can bridge the gap between us and the Five Great Nations is giving Orochimaru too much credit?"
Black Zetsu actually knows what happened back then? It seems these guys have been monitoring me for a long time. But Black Zetsu wouldn't make such a claim without reason. Could there be some hidden secret behind this? If Orochimaru truly possessed such strength, how come Minato Namikaze, a junior, was the one who succeeded him as the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato Konoha?
"Orochimaru himself isn't that strong, but he has mastered the forbidden technique Impure World Reincarnation developed by Senju Tobirama Konoha Second. This technique has the power to summon the dead back to the mortal world from the underworld. Therefore, by controlling Orochimaru, we are essentially controlling most of the powerful figures who have died throughout history. This is a fighting force that is no less than the combined strength of the five nations!"
With a massive number of powerful individuals and 100,000 White Zetsu, even someone like Uchiha Gen wouldn't care about this. All I need to do is take advantage of the chaos to capture the Nine-Tails.