"Kid, wake up. An enemy's at the door."
Late that night, Feng was deep asleep when the Nine-Tails dragged him into the mental space, slapped him awake, then kicked him back out.
His anger instantly flared after having his rest disturbed and getting beaten up on top of it.
But he knew it was not the Nine-Tails' fault. It was saving his life.
The one to blame was the person about to come knocking, so...
He quickly tore off his loose pajamas, grabbed his weapons, and used several Body Flickers to reach the rooftop.
Feng had made up his mind. No matter who came tonight or what they wanted, he would fight them.
With Flying Thunder God as his safety net, he feared no one except Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who hid even deeper than Black Zetsu and possessed overwhelming strength.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique."
Several wooden spikes pierced toward Feng from multiple directions.
There was no warning. The battle began abruptly.
Already on guard, Feng dodged the attack and sped toward the outskirts of the city.
Waiting for the enemy on the roof did not mean he intended to fight there. He only did so to keep the enemy from seeking out Aiko if he left.
If they were really going to fight, of course they would go outside the city.
This was his home. In a manner of speaking, the capital was his home too.
Fighting here, regardless of the outcome, would mean tearing down his own house. He was not stupid enough to do that.
He used Body Flicker to lure the enemy away, then Flying Thunder God to flee far away.
Relying on the many Flying Thunder God Formulas he had left inside and outside the capital beforehand,
Feng soon arrived at an uninhabited stretch of coastline spanning ten li.
Not long after, a black-and-white pitcher plant rose from the ground nearby, following close behind him.
"Heh heh, Black Zetsu?
Madara didn't come, did he?"
Feng spoke first. It sounded like a question, but he had already confirmed it.
Otherwise, the first attack against him would not have been Wood Release, but a sneak attack from Kamui. That was much harder to guard against.
"Who exactly are you!?
Uchiha Feng could not possibly have learned Flying Thunder God, nor could he possibly know so much."
The Black-and-White Zetsu with a two-colored pitcher plant for a head asked in return.
But he was genuinely asking, because everything about Uchiha Feng made no sense.
"Heh heh, as you can see, I'm Uchiha Feng, genuine and authentic."
Feng said with a smile and a hint of mockery.
He was not lying. With no one else around, he had already released the Transformation Technique. His true appearance was indeed Uchiha Feng's.
At the same time, the Nine-Tails' voice, audible only to him, sounded in his mind.
"Hey, kid, now I believe the future you told me about.
From here on, I'll help you as much as I can.
Make sure this pitcher plant doesn't get its way."
Through what Feng saw, the Nine-Tails had now truly met the mastermind behind everything in the future Feng had shown it—the Six Paths old man's younger brother, Black Zetsu.
Not wanting to be fed to the Ten-Tails in the future, the Nine-Tails immediately decided to help Uchiha Feng kill Black Zetsu.
"Hmph. I'm not interested in whether you're Uchiha Feng.
Tell me, how did you learn my true goal?
Don't even think of hiding anything. Since you know my identity and my goal, you must know my abilities as well."
Black Zetsu snorted coldly and continued pressing him, his body radiating killing intent.
"Heh heh, you want to know? Fight me. If you win, you'll naturally learn everything.
If you lose, well, then there's nothing you can do."
With a bellyful of pent-up anger, Feng said only a few words before losing interest in talking.
He scattered more than a dozen kunai at Zetsu like flowers strewn from the heavens, each one engraved with a Flying Thunder God Formula.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
A semicircular wooden arch rose from beneath Black-and-White Zetsu, shielding him.
Knowing that Feng could use Flying Thunder God, he naturally would not give Feng a chance to get close.
Then a soft shout came from within the wooden arch: "Wood Release: Thorn Kill Technique."
Several wooden pillars rose around Feng, surrounding him and attacking him all at once.
He swiftly swung his blade. "Swordsmanship: Iaijutsu!"
He severed every wooden pillar attacking him.
Then he formed hand seals with both hands, preparing to unleash the Modified Great Fireball: Blazing Fireball Technique he had continually strengthened and altered.
But the Nine-Tails' voice suddenly sounded in his mind. "Watch the ground."
Feng hurriedly stopped forming seals and used Body Flicker to leave his spot.
But he was too slow. Black-and-White Zetsu activated a new ninjutsu beneath his feet.
"Wood Release: Tree Binding Eternal Burial!"
Vine-like saplings wrapped around Feng's feet, rapidly climbed over his entire body, and then grew into a giant tree.
Joy appeared on Black-and-White Zetsu's face.
But...
Whoosh!
A sound came from the tree formed by Wood Release.
It was followed by a voice from not far away.
"Modified Great Fireball: Blazing Fireball Technique;
Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame."
Feng had already flashed away with Flying Thunder God. While Black-and-White Zetsu maintained Tree Binding Eternal Burial, he consecutively unleashed two ninjutsu.
Using the Nine-Tails' malice sensing as a radar, both ninjutsu targeted Zetsu's detected position.
The Blazing Fireball Technique, which he had painstakingly developed, acted as the spearhead—fast and scorching.
The wide-range Majestic Destroyer Flame supplemented the damage.
As for the sound from the tree created by Tree Binding Eternal Burial, it was merely a lingering echo left behind because sound traveled slower than Feng's teleportation.
Zetsu swiftly moved, hiding behind the Wood Release tree to slightly block the two Fire Release techniques.
At the same time, "Wood Release: Tree World Wall!"
Countless wooden vines rapidly grew from the ground, forming a massive shield for defense.
Sizzle...
The blazing flames struck the vines, burning them and sending thick white smoke billowing out.
Knowing that it would most likely be a case of smoke without injury, Feng stopped continuing his Majestic Destroyer Flame and threw a kunai engraved with a Flying Thunder God Formula into the white smoke.
At the same time, he shouted softly, "Kurama, please replenish my chakra."
From the center of the capital, he had used Body Flicker and Flying Thunder God all the way to the coast, then entered battle. The chakra in his body was already nearly exhausted.
And this was precisely the best time to reap the rewards of all his previous efforts to become the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
"Hmph, no problem.
When dealing with this guy, you can have as much chakra as you want."
With a cold snort, the Nine-Tails separated a portion of energy sufficient to fill Feng's chakra and merged it into his body.
Feng frowned, forcibly suppressing the violent emotions that accompanied the Tailed Beast chakra entering his body as he rapidly recovered his own chakra.
But the Nine-Tails had clearly underestimated the amount of chakra it had given him. What it considered a small amount not only completely restored Feng's chakra,
but left a considerable surplus, forming a faint yellow Tailed Beast Cloak with traces of orange flame-like patterns around his body.
It temporarily enhanced Feng's chakra reserves and physical abilities, greatly raising his overall combat strength as well.
"Tailed Beast Cloak! You're a Jinchūriki too?
Impossible! I know the whereabouts of all nine Tailed Beasts. None are missing."
In the distance, the white smoke gradually dispersed, revealing Zetsu with slight burns across his body.
He ignored his injuries and allowed them to slowly heal.
His gaze remained fixed on Feng's Tailed Beast Cloak, filled with disbelief.
"Who said a Jinchūriki must have a Tailed Beast?"
Seeing Zetsu stop attacking, Feng temporarily withdrew his own offensive as well and answered casually.
Having exhausted his chakra once and used everything he had mastered except Impure World Reincarnation and Susanoo, much of the anger in his heart had dissipated.
If they kept fighting, they likely would not be able to determine a winner anytime soon. It would be better to stop and have a proper talk.
Of course, Feng would never tell him that the Yin Nine-Tails was sealed inside him.
Before you continue