Calamity at Mount Myōboku

Mount Myōboku, late at night.

Sasuke trained in senjutsu under Sage Fukasaku's guidance. Natural energy flowed into his body, mixing with his chakra and forming toad-eye markings at the corners of his eyes. He could already maintain Sage Mode for three minutes, but that was not enough.

"Take a break, young Sasuke," Fukasaku said. "You can't rush senjutsu. You have to take it step by step."

"There's no time." Sasuke wiped away his sweat. "My brother traded his eyes for just one year. I have to master this power as soon as possible and protect the people who matter to me."

"It's good that you feel that way, but..." Fukasaku suddenly tensed. "Killing intent! Young Sasuke, get back!"

But it was already too late.

The ground split open, and three puppets emerged. They were not ordinary puppets, but special ones infused with White Zetsu cells and Hashirama cells. Red crystals were embedded in their chests-Kāma resonance devices made using half of the Eight-Tails' chakra.

"Target confirmed: Sasuke Uchiha," the puppets announced in mechanical voices. "Initiating forced Kāma awakening procedure."

All three puppets activated their devices at once. Agonizing pain tore through Sasuke's heart as the Kāma inside him awakened. Black markings spread from his chest across his body.

"Aaargh!" Sasuke fell to his knees. His Mangekyo activated uncontrollably, and the black flames of Amaterasu ignited around him, but they could not burn the puppets-their bodies had fire-resistant coatings.

"Sage Art: Frog Song!" Fukasaku attacked with sound waves, but the puppets were immune to genjutsu. They lunged at Sasuke, intent on taking him by force.

"Not a chance!" Jiraiya suddenly appeared and bound the puppets with the Wild Lion's Mane Technique. "Fukasaku, get Sasuke out of here!"

"But..."

"Go!"

Fukasaku hoisted Sasuke onto his back and used Reverse Summoning to escape to Konoha. But one of the three puppets self-destructed, and the shock wave injured Jiraiya. The remaining two pursued Fukasaku.

Konoha, late at night.

Fukasaku appeared in the Hokage's office with Sasuke. The Third Hokage and Tsunade rushed over immediately, their expressions changing sharply at the sight of the black markings on Sasuke's chest.

"This is... a forced Kāma awakening!" Tsunade tried to suppress it with Medical Ninjutsu, but the markings kept spreading. "We need powerful Sealing Jutsu. Mine isn't enough!"

"Let me." A voice rang out. It was Karin-no, it was Karin's body, but the consciousness belonged to what remained of Mito. While teaching Lin Ye Sealing Jutsu, Mito had left a safeguard inside Karin. The presence of Kāma had now activated it, allowing her to take temporary control of the body.

"Lady Mito?" The Third Hokage was stunned.

"There's no time to explain. Prepare a Sealing Formation and restrain him with Adamantine Sealing Chains. I'll temporarily seal the Kāma with the Reverse Four Symbols Seal." Mito, in Karin's body, formed hand seals, and red chakra erupted.

But the markings were spreading too quickly and had already covered half of Sasuke's body. His right eye began to change-the Mangekyo's six-pointed star was transforming into the ripples of the Rinnegan. This was a sign of Kāma's encroachment. Once the transformation was complete, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki would replace Sasuke's consciousness.

"There's no time..." Mito gritted her teeth. "I'll have to use that. With my lingering soul as the catalyst, I call upon Uzumaki blood to forge chains of sealing-"

She bit the tip of her tongue and spat blood onto Sasuke's chest. The blood transformed into sealing symbols, temporarily halting the spread of the markings. But the price was the dissolution of Mito's lingering soul, and Karin's body collapsed.

"Lady Mito!"

"This is all I can do..." Mito's spectral figure floated out of Karin's body, growing ever fainter. "For the rest, wait until Ye returns... Tell him the last Uzumaki survivor is... at the... Three Bowls Pavilion... in the Land of Tea..."

The spectral figure vanished. Karin's body fell into slumber again, but the sealing crystal on her chest flashed once-in her final moments, Mito's lingering soul had used her remaining power to reinforce the seal, shortening Karin's slumber.

The markings on Sasuke's chest were suppressed, but they did not disappear. They lay beneath his skin like a black spiderweb. He remained unconscious, but his vital signs had stabilized.

"Notify Ye immediately and tell him to return!" the Third Hokage ordered.

But before the messenger hawk could leave Konoha, Lin Ye had already returned using Reverse Summoning through the contract scroll Fukasaku had given him. He saw Sasuke's condition, Karin's collapsed body, and Mito's fading spectral figure, and clenched his fists.

"Orochimaru... Obito..." His voice was icy.

"Ye, the Kāma inside Sasuke has been temporarily suppressed, but it could flare up again at any moment," Tsunade said. "Lady Mito said the last Uzumaki survivor is at the Three Bowls Pavilion in the Land of Tea. You need to go there immediately."

"I know. But before that, there are a few things I need to deal with." Lin Ye looked out the window. "They're here."

Through his Mind's Eye, he sensed countless chakra signatures appearing on Konoha's outskirts-White Zetsu, thousands of them, emerging from underground and surrounding Konoha. Behind the White Zetsu army stood two puppets, identical to those that had attacked Mount Myōboku, but larger, with more powerful resonance devices in their chests.

"Is this... an all-out assault?" Kakashi appeared on the rooftop.

"It's a diversion," Lin Ye said. "Their real targets are Sasuke and me. Obito wants the White Zetsu army to tie down Konoha's main forces, then seize the chance to capture us."

"Then we'll make sure none of them leave alive." Tsunade cracked her knuckles.

"No. You stay and defend Konoha. I'll go out and draw them away," Lin Ye said. "I'm their target. Once I leave, the White Zetsu will follow. Besides, I need to find the last survivor in the Land of Tea. This is my chance."

"It's too dangerous!" Sakura said.

"There's no time. Sasuke's Kāma could erupt at any moment. It's good that Karin's slumber has been shortened, but we have to gather all the Counter-Kāma as soon as possible." Lin Ye looked at the Third Hokage. "Lord Hokage, I'm leaving Konoha in your hands. I'll travel quickly with Kamui. They won't be able to catch me."

The Third Hokage fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "Be careful. Take this." He handed Lin Ye a scroll. "It's an improved version of the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Kunai. It allows a single one-way teleport back to Konoha. Use it in an emergency."

"Thank you."

Lin Ye entrusted Sasuke to Tsunade and Karin to Sakura, then leaped out the window. He teleported to Konoha's outskirts with Kamui and deliberately released his chakra.

"Uchiha Ye is right here! Come after me if you dare!"

The White Zetsu army immediately changed course and surged toward him like a tide. The two puppets locked onto him as well, activating the resonance devices in their chests to try to stimulate his Kāma again. But Lin Ye was prepared. He formed an insulating barrier around his body with Adamantine Sealing Chains, blocking the resonance.

"Kamui!"

He used Kamui to teleport repeatedly, covering five kilometers with each jump as he raced toward the Land of Tea. The White Zetsu army could not keep up, but the two puppets could fly and remained close behind.

For three days and three nights, he traveled from the Land of Snow to the border of the Land of Tea. Lin Ye barely rested, sustained only by Soldier Pills and sheer willpower. The puppets pursued him relentlessly, their energy seemingly inexhaustible.

On the morning of the fourth day, in a forest on the Land of Tea's border, Lin Ye finally stopped and turned to face the two pursuing puppets.

"Done running?" The puppet spoke in Obito's voice, controlled remotely. "A wise choice. Hand over Sasuke, and I can spare your life."

"Sasuke isn't with me," Lin Ye said. "And you won't be taking him, either."

"Then we'll take you. Orochimaru is very interested in your body, especially those eyes that are so close to becoming the Rinnegan."

"Then come and take them."

The battle erupted. The two puppets worked seamlessly together. One used Ice Release, incorporating technology from the Land of Snow, while the other used Lightning Release. Both were elements Lin Ye currently struggled to counter-Ice Release countered Kamui's intangibility by freezing space, while Lightning Release countered Adamantine Sealing Chains through electrical conduction.

But Lin Ye's three days of flight had not been wasted. He had figured out the puppets' attack patterns and discovered their weakness-the resonance devices in their chests were their cores, but also their power sources. Forcibly destroying them would trigger an explosion, but that explosion could destroy the puppets.

"I'll have to use that move." Lin Ye pressed his palms together and poured all his remaining eye power into his Mangekyo. The patterns in his eyes evolved toward the Rinnegan once again, but this time it was not temporary. They were on the verge of a permanent transformation-he felt that if he fulfilled another hundred unfulfilled wishes, he could truly create the Rinnegan.

"Forbidden Jutsu: Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei (Imitation)!"

Though it was an imitation, it still possessed a rudimentary form of Six Paths power. A massive attractive force field formed, pulling both puppets into the air. They tried to resist with Ice Release and Lightning Release, but the pull was too strong, interrupting their jutsu.

"Now!" Lin Ye unleashed his last Adamantine Sealing Chains. Eight chains pierced the resonance devices in the puppets' chests, and then-detonated them!

Boom! Boom!

The two puppets exploded in midair, their fragments raining down. The blast hurled Lin Ye backward, sending him crashing through several large trees. He spat blood, and his vision went completely black-not from blindness, but from losing consciousness.

Before he passed out, he saw an old woman in a tea-green kimono emerge from the forest, holding a bowl of hot tea.

"Young man, now that you're done fighting, take a rest. There's plenty of tea."