Chapter 276 – Controlling the Nine-Tails
The black mist carried Hatake Yusuke into a strange space. In that place, time did not exist—only endless chaos, silent and boundless.
"I can't even feel the flow of time," Yusuke thought. His body floated in midair, completely beyond his control. The chakra within him wouldn't respond at all, no matter how he tried to move it.
"Damn… this is seriously troublesome. I was too careless. I didn't expect the trigger condition for that seal to be this simple," Yusuke muttered to himself.
"System, are you there?" Hatake Yusuke asked.
[I am here, Host,] a cold, emotionless voice replied.
"Is there any way to get out of here?" Yusuke asked.
[There is. However, the Host must figure it out on his own. As compensation, the reward this time will be one opportunity to travel to another world,] the system answered.
Hatake Yusuke rubbed his chin and began to think.
"Looks like even the system thinks I've been too invincible," Yusuke said to himself. Still, in a situation like this, he could only rely on himself. With chakra completely sealed, breaking this space would be extremely difficult. Relying purely on physical strength was also impossible—he didn't even know where to start.
Archimedes once said, give me a place to stand, and I will move the world. But right now, he didn't even have something that could be called a foothold—not even the tiniest crack.
"Still… my ocular abilities can be used, and Infinity's passive effect is still active. Maybe I can try using Hollow," Yusuke thought, calmly analyzing his options.
On the other side, seeing Hatake Yusuke successfully sealed, Yakushi Kabuto's eyes finally showed a hint of relief.
"At last, you're sealed, Hatake Yusuke," Obito said, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes. As long as Hatake Yusuke was gone, no one would be able to stop him. Kakashi might be strong, but Kakashi could still be handled by others.
"Black Zetsu, can that seal really hold Hatake Yusuke?" Obito asked, turning his head.
"Of course. That is a ninja tool belonging to the Sage of Six Paths," Black Zetsu replied.
In truth, that ninja tool was an artifact stolen by Ōtsutsuki Kaguya from the Ōtsutsuki clan before she came to Earth. Even within the Ōtsutsuki clan, it was considered one of the highest-grade tools in existence.
Because it was a sealing tool, only a small number of Ōtsutsuki knew of its existence. Originally, Kaguya had prepared it to deal with her own clan.
"Good. In that case, it looks like the plan needs to be accelerated," Obito said with a cold smile.
"What about the Eight-Tails? How's the situation over there?" Obito asked.
"Kisame has successfully infiltrated. Uzumaki Naruto is already at the location," Black Zetsu replied.
"Good," Obito nodded slightly.
Meanwhile, Hyūga Neji and the others had returned to Konoha and delivered Hatake Yusuke's message to Tsunade.
"You may all go back," Tsunade said calmly.
"What's wrong, Tsunade-nee?" Konan asked, looking confused.
"It seems that in this war, we won't be able to rely on Yusuke," Tsunade said helplessly.
"Why? Is he refusing to participate in the war?" Konan asked. This was a massive conflict.
If Hatake Yusuke didn't take part, the casualties would definitely be enormous. On top of that, they had already received intelligence that the enemy could use Edo Tensei. That alone would drastically increase losses on the Allied Shinobi side.
"He must have sensed something. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said something like that. Besides, Yusuke once said that if the enemy dared to start a war, it meant they already had a way to deal with him," Tsunade said with a serious expression.
"Then, Tsunade-nee, should we go help him?" Konan asked anxiously.
"There's no need to worry about that. No one can kill him. Did you forget? He's invincible," Tsunade said, not showing the slightest hint of concern.
"For now, we should focus on ourselves," Tsunade continued, gently calming Konan. Seeing Tsunade's attitude, Konan finally felt at ease.
"Kakashi, the other side has finished their preparations. Konan, inform Shikaku and have him notify the Kage of each village. There are several things that need to be discussed," Tsunade ordered.
Konan nodded. A pair of wings sprouted from her back, and she flew out through the window.
At the same time, each shinobi village began making their own moves.
A few days later, beneath a long mountain range, rows of shinobi wearing forehead protectors engraved with the character "忍" stood neatly lined up. Above them stood the Kage of the Five Great Nations.
One by one, each Kage delivered a pre-war speech, igniting the fighting spirit of the shinobi below.
On the other side, Obito had gathered one hundred thousand enhanced White Zetsu, along with a massive force created through Impure World Reincarnation.
Behind him stood a new Six Paths of Pain—five of them Jinchūriki. In terms of overall strength, they clearly surpassed Nagato's former Six Paths of Pain.
"Begin. My right eye longs for war," Obito said as he stepped out of the cave, wearing a long blue cloak with a gunbai strapped to his back.
At that moment, the Fourth Great Ninja War officially began.
The war erupted in full force.
Elsewhere, Naruto was training in front of the Waterfall of Truth.
"Naruto, will it work this time?" Yamato asked as he looked at Naruto sitting before the waterfall.
"It will work. I don't know why, but I believe Naruto can definitely do it. This is the power of youth!" Might Guy said with a serious expression, giving Yamato a thumbs-up and flashing a wide grin.
Yamato responded with a stiff smile.
"Guy-senpai… are you feeling okay?" Yamato asked weakly.
"Don't worry! Seasickness can't defeat the invincible! I am the Blue Beast of Konoha!" Guy declared flamboyantly.
"No matter how I look at it, Guy-senpai and Yusuke-senpai are basically the same… both of them feel completely unreliable," Yamato complained inwardly.
"Kakashi-senpai is still the most reliable," Yamato thought. As a devoted Kakashi fan, his trust in him was absolute.
Not long after, Naruto stood up with a huge grin on his face.
"Hahaha! Uncle Killer Bee, Thick-Brow Sensei, Captain Yamato, I did it! I really did it!" Naruto shouted excitedly.
Everyone shared in his joy. They hadn't expected Naruto to complete the training in just one day—especially when Killer Bee himself had needed a very long time back then.
After that, Killer Bee led Naruto to the next training area. He instructed Naruto to put his hand into a certain zone. Naruto did as told, then immediately screamed in pain.
Yamato rushed forward to check on him, only for his head to suddenly disappear. Only then did Yamato realize it was just one of Naruto's pranks. Seeing the same scene he himself had once experienced, Killer Bee became even more confident in Naruto.
Soon after, Naruto entered another space.
"Naruto, release the Nine-Tails' seal. This is your final training," Killer Bee said.
Hearing that, Naruto's expression turned serious. The Kyūbi was different from the other Tailed Beasts—it was far too powerful. But for the sake of becoming stronger, Naruto didn't hesitate anymore. Chakra began gathering in his hands.
"Lord Killer Bee, is Naruto really going to be okay? That's the Kyūbi we're talking about," Yamato said worriedly.
"Yo yo, relax. Little Naruto will be just fine," Killer Bee replied with full confidence.
"Don't worry, Captain Yamato. I won't lose. I'm strong," Naruto said.
At that moment, the image of Hatake Yusuke flashed through Naruto's mind. Without realizing it, the same confident smile appeared on his face.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Full Novel Available!
All chapters are now complete and available in full on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —