As Renya approached the courtyard, four rays of light instantly rose around it, forming a defensive barrier that enveloped the entire compound.
"Barrier, huh?"
Although Takigakure was not particularly powerful, it still possessed defensive barriers.
"Intruder, halt!"
Amid a sharp shout, several figures emerged from the shadows.
They were the guards responsible for protecting the Jinchūriki, and their strength was not weak.
Faced with this group of small fry, Renya dealt with them effortlessly.
This temporary guard unit composed of elite chūnin didn't even last a single exchange.
It could only be said that a small ninja village was still just a small ninja village.
Renya broke through the barrier and slowly walked into the courtyard.
At the center of the courtyard, a white-haired old woman lay reclining in a chair, as if she had already sensed the arrival of an uninvited guest.
Behind the mask, Renya showed a hint of surprise—he hadn't expected the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki to be an old woman.
The elderly woman raised her head. Her face was covered in wrinkles, yet her expression was calm, without the slightest hint of panic.
She looked at the white-masked man who had appeared in the courtyard and spoke softly.
"So… you've finally come. You're here for Chōmei, aren't you?"
Her relationship with the Seven-Tails was quite good, so she naturally knew the tailed beast's name.
And judging from the faint clues surrounding the deaths of the Four-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, she had vaguely guessed that someone in the ninja world was deliberately capturing tailed beasts.
It had only been a suspicion before, but now it seemed exactly as she had thought.
The mysterious man before her was the one capturing the tailed beasts.
"You're very smart, but that won't change anything."
Renya's voice passed through the mask, low and hoarse, devoid of emotion.
"For the sake of protecting Chōmei… at my age, I can only stake my life on this!"
The old woman's gaze hardened as she formed hand seals, mobilizing the tailed beast chakra within her body and attempting tailed beast transformation, trying to fight the mysterious man to the death.
However, Renya did not give her that chance.
"Give up struggling."
Renya decisively activated the Mangekyō Sharingan and directly used the dōjutsu of his left eye.
Inka.
A powerful ocular force instantly enveloped the old woman.
Countless negative emotions flooded the minds of both her and the Seven-Tails, and the tailed beast chakra she had just managed to gather dissipated in an instant.
The only sound left in the courtyard was the old woman's painful muffled groan.
Before the overwhelming dōjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan, neither the aged old woman nor the Seven-Tails within her had any possibility of resistance.
Renya stepped forward, struck her unconscious with a knife-hand, and lifted the unconscious old woman up.
He turned around and walked out of the courtyard.
Outside, Takigakure's elite ninja forces had already rushed over upon hearing the commotion, completely surrounding the area. They stared at the mysterious masked man emerging from the courtyard as if facing a mortal enemy.
"Put down the Jinchūriki!"
Takigakure's leader said coldly.
Because Takigakure's upper echelons had all been slaughtered by Kakuzu, and the secret technique Earth Grudge Fear had also been taken away, the village was now suffering from a severe lack of capable personnel.
The leader was merely an elite jōnin.
Looking at the Jinchūriki who had been knocked unconscious in such a short time, his heart was filled with panic.
He was afraid the masked man would launch an attack on them.
He could only force himself to remain calm.
Renya merely swept them with an indifferent glance, the three tomoe in his eyes slowly rotating.
"Get out of the way."
Powerful genjutsu, accompanied by icy killing intent, swept forward. The front-line ninja instantly lost focus, standing rigidly in place.
The ninja in the back rows were not caught in the genjutsu, but they were terrified by the chilling killing intent.
For a moment, no one dared to step forward to block him.
Renya paid no attention to these small fry—just a bunch of trash, nothing more.
The battle began abruptly and ended even faster.
By the time everyone reacted, Renya had already left, carrying the unconscious old woman.
Seeing the masked man leave, Takigakure's leader couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Although the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki was gone, at least they were still alive—wasn't that right?
...
Dozens of meters underground, inside a vast subterranean cavern.
The enormous Demonic Statue of the Outer Path stood silently, its seven eyes tightly shut, yet emitting a suffocating aura of oppression.
Uchiha Madara relied on tubes extending from the Demonic Statue to sustain his life. He sat cross-legged with eyes closed, as if merged with the statue itself.
"Madara-sama, good news!"
The White Zetsu responsible for monitoring Renya spoke respectfully.
"Renya has successfully captured the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki and is heading here now!"
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Madara slowly opened his eyes. His Rinnegan emitted a faint glow in the dim environment, yet his face remained expressionless.
"This kid really knows how to cut it close…"
Today happened to be the final day of the one-month deadline.
But he didn't care—as long as Renya completed the mission on time, that was enough.
Not long after, Renya arrived inside the underground cavern.
"Madara-sama, the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki has been brought."
He placed the unconscious old woman on the ground and spoke with a tone that seemed eager for praise.
"Well done, kid," Uchiha Madara said in a deep voice.
As his words fell, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path opened its mouth, extending several chakra-formed chains that pierced straight through the old woman's body, forcibly tearing the Seven-Tails out from within her.
The Demonic Statue greedily devoured the massive tailed beast chakra, and the pressure emanating from its enormous body grew even more terrifying.
Above the statue, another eye suddenly snapped open.
At the same time, the old woman's life on the ground also reached its end.
Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan swept over the corpse on the ground, as if looking at a piece of garbage.
His gaze then shifted to the newly opened eye on the Demonic Statue, and at last, a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"Seven-Tails, recovered."
In three months, three tailed beasts had been captured. Completing the collection of all tailed beasts was already within reach.
Renya quietly watched this scene, his expression beneath the mask impossible to discern.
"Kid, I hope you keep this up. I believe we'll soon achieve true peace."
Uchiha Madara looked at Renya with an expectant expression, describing his grand vision.
As long as all the tailed beasts were collected, the Ten-Tails could be revived, allowing true peace to be brought to the ninja world.
He had waited thirty long years for this day, firmly believing that his ideal would soon be realized.
He always believed that only Infinite Tsukuyomi could change the ninja world.
"There are still six tailed beasts left. Don't disappoint me…"
Uchiha Madara said meaningfully to Renya.
He did not want Renya to make any wrong decisions in the final half year.
Otherwise, he would truly be disappointed.
"Madara-sama, I will definitely do my utmost to collect all the tailed beasts in the shortest time possible!"
Renya removed his white mask and made a solemn vow.
First, give Madara a sweet promise—actual circumstances could be discussed later.
After all, plans often fail to keep up with changes.
Uchiha Madara silently observed Renya and finally nodded in satisfaction.
"Let's hope so."
As long as this kid obediently continued collecting tailed beasts, there would be no need for him to spend time searching for his offspring.
"Next month, I want to see one tailed beast."
"Understood!"