Chapter 108: Could It Be Fate?
On Turtle Island, sunlight bathed the lush vegetation.
A cry of surprise broke the tranquility.
"That's great! I finally succeeded!"
Naruto's face was beaming with uncontrollable excitement. After a long period of training, he could now skillfully control the Nine-Tailed's chakra.
Killer Bee, standing nearby, looked at the steadily stacked stones and secretly marveled at Naruto's rapid progress. On the surface, he remained calm. "Hmm, not bad, fool. But the real main event is yet to come..."
With that, he led Naruto towards the familiar underground palace.
Along the way, Naruto appeared both proud and eager.
'Hehe, that stone-stacking game is a piece of cake for me now!'
At the same time, his heart was shrouded in anxiety. Renji's sudden departure had stirred a faint unease, as if something bad was about to happen. This drove him to eagerly complete his training so he could leave and find him.
"Hmph, doin' that is easy, ya see!" Killer Bee snorted. "However, the next test won't be so easy!"
As he finished speaking, Bee's figure flickered, instantly transforming into the Eight-Tails' form.
He stared intently at Naruto. "Now we enter the final stage of Tailed Beast training! Tailed Beast Mode! Only by successfully breaking through this stage can you truly master the power!"
The Eight-Tails' thick, suction-cup-covered tentacles waved slowly.
"Now it's your turn, hurry up!" Bee's excited voice boomed from within the massive body.
Naruto looked at the scene, a hint of worry rising. He had always been apprehensive about Tailed Beast transformation, but he could only brace himself and try.
He swallowed hard, then closed his eyes, trying to imagine what the mode should look like.
In an instant, golden chakra surged out of his body like a tide. White smoke billowed upwards.
When the smoke gradually dispersed, a miniature Nine-Tailed fox appeared.
Its size was so small, it wasn't even as big as one of the horns on the Eight-Tails' head.
For a moment, both the Eight-Tails and Killer Bee fell silent, staring blankly at the tiny fox.
After a while, the fox, smaller than Naruto himself, flickered and vanished with a 'poof'. Naruto returned to his original form.
"It's too difficult..." Naruto sighed, plopping heavily onto the ground.
His ears were burning; he was utterly mortified.
'Why can Bee transform so easily, but mine looks like that? I'm... I'm glad Renji isn't here to see this.'
"It's 'cause you haven't truly achieved a perfect synchronization with the Nine-Tailed. That's why this transformation ended in failure," Bee pointed out.
Hearing this, Naruto couldn't help but recall that night when Renji had said similar words. He fell into deep silence.
Seeing his expression, Bee shook his head. "Since this can't be changed for now, you can't use the Tailed Beast's most powerful technique—the Tailed Beast Ball. But don't be discouraged! You can still train your own ultimate technique in this Nine-Tails Chakra Mode!"
After speaking, Bee patted Naruto's shoulder. He knew that to truly reconcile with the Tailed Beast, Naruto had to rely on his own efforts.
...
While Naruto was engrossed in his training, the war had already begun.
"Assemble!"
Kankuro, as the captain of the Surprise Attack Unit, scanned each team member and shouted.
"Next, we build a small camp here as our base. Act quickly and stealthily. Once built, launch a surprise attack and set up time-delayed traps."
Kankuro pointed to an open space. "The camp range will be a ten-meter radius. Omoi, exits at 2 and 6 o'clock. All other directions must be covered with explosive traps. Do you understand?"
"Understood." Although Omoi was worried, he wouldn't make mistakes.
"Sai, you stay in the air and observe the enemy. Report their movements and numbers to me at all times," Kankuro turned to Sai.
Sai, with that faint, fake smile on his lips, replied, "Yes."
"Itsu, you're on trenches. Earth Release. Dig them as deep as possible."
"Understood."
"Kenta, activate the Chakra transmission seal. Maintain contact with HQ"
"Alright..."
Kankuro assigned each task. Just as the team was about to disperse, he shouted, "One more very important thing!"
"According to intel, that guy Kabuto is using Edo Tensei. The enemies summoned are walking corpses. No matter how fiercely we attack, they will not easily die."
"The only feasible way is to seal their souls or restrict their actions."
Kankuro paused. "Another point: even if we kill Kabuto, it still won't undo the jutsu. So, all units must remain highly vigilant. Once you find Kabuto, control him at the first opportunity. Then, cast a genjutsu, forcing him to voluntarily release the Edo Tensei."
"This is an order from above. No mistakes!"
The unit began their work.
However, at this moment, Sajji, the sensory ninja, suddenly changed his expression. "Someone..."
Kankuro turned instantly. "Enemy attack? What's the situation?"
Sajji swallowed, confused. "But... Captain, the strange thing is, there seems to be only one person..."
Kankuro frowned. "A ninja's strength is never judged by numbers! Don't you understand that?"
Sajji's face was pale. "The... the opponent's chakra... is terrifying! That power... it's even several times more terrifying than a Tailed Beast..."
The surroundings fell into a deathly silence.
"Haha, Sajji, what are you talking about?" someone laughed nervously. "More massive than a Tailed Beast? Don't joke around!"
"Are you hallucinating because you're too scared?"
As they spoke, Omoi's right hand had quietly rested on the hilt of his sword, cold sweat seeping from his palm.
Kankuro looked up. "What's going on? Why hasn't Sai reported yet?"
Under the clear blue sky, there was no trace of Sai.
Omoi's face became grim. "He... he couldn't have already...?"
Before he could finish, a figure, both strange and familiar, slowly appeared.
"Wow, you guys are really unlucky."
Hasumi Maki's lips curved into a playful smile, his gaze sweeping over them.
"I was merely walking along this path, and who would have thought I'd encounter you? Could it be fate?"
"Hasumi Maki!"
Kankuro's eyes widened, his pupils contracting. Raging, endless hatred burned within them. This was the man who had turned the Hidden Sand Village into ruins.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (290,042,000 / 400,000,000)]
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000]
[Chakra (290,047,000 / 400,000,000)]
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +8,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +8,000]
[Chakra (290,055,000 / 400,000,000)]
Not only Kankuro, but the other ninja, due to extreme fear, also developed a profound resentment.
Facing these negative emotions, Hasumi Maki remained indifferent, even enjoying them.
In the tense atmosphere, a sharp sound broke the silence.
Hasumi Maki waved his hands, and countless shuriken shot out, whistling in all directions.
"It's Flying Thun..." Kankuro's words were cut off.
In an instant, countless blue lights streaked across the sky.
When Hasumi Maki's feet touched the ground again, all the ninja present began to twist and deform, their bodies reconstructing in a bizarre manner.
Ultimately, they became modified humans, largely retaining their original features.
Hasumi Maki examined them with keen interest. 'Excellent tools for acquiring Malice Value.'
He unhesitatingly stored them in his ninja tool pouch.
A figure slowly emerged from behind him. It was Sai.
Hasumi Maki turned his head, his gaze locking onto Sai, a mocking smile on his lips. "So, you're the lapdog my dear brother keeps, aren't you?"
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (290,065,000 / 400,000,000)]
Facing the provocation, Sai seemed oblivious, remaining silent.
Hasumi Maki raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, quite obedient. What do you plan to do next? Follow me, or continue pretending here?"
Sai took a deep breath. "I'm going to find Renji."
Hearing this, Hasumi Maki was stunned, then burst into laughter. "Alright! Then go quickly! Remember to... tell everything that happened here to those so-called Ninja Allied Forces."
'This way, I'll be able to harvest another huge wave of Malice Value!'
Sai leaped onto an ink bird and soared high, speeding towards the Allied Forces camp.
Hasumi Maki continued forward.
...
Inside the Ninja Allied Forces' main command center, the atmosphere was heavy.
The ninja responsible for intelligence suddenly turned grim.
Tsunade, standing nearby, felt a surge of unease. "What happened?"
The intelligence ninja took a deep breath. "We just received news... our dispatched intelligence and surprise attack units... were completely wiped out. Not a single survivor..."
He paused. "No... currently, only Sai has miraculously survived."
Hearing this, Tsunade and the Raikage almost simultaneously exclaimed, "What?!"
Both had expressions of disbelief. They couldn't imagine what power could annihilate two elite units so quickly.
Ōnoki frowned deeply, staring at the map.
"Who did they encounter head-on?" he asked in a steady tone.
The intelligence ninja's lips trembled, as if the name brought him immense pressure. "Hasumi ."
The Raikage waited. After a long time, he frowned. "Was it just him?"
The ninja nodded with difficulty. "Yes."
Ōnoki slowly closed his eyes, his hands clenching into fists.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (290,075,000 / 400,000,000)]
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (290,085,000 / 400,000,000)]
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (290,095,000 / 400,000,000)]
Renji, leisurely walking along the road, suddenly heard a series of notifications.
A subtle smile played on his lips. 'It seems Sai has sent the intelligence back!'
Just then, Renji felt something strange. Ahead, a dense mist had risen, so thick it was impossible to see.
'Hmm?' Renji stopped. 'I've been walking in the forest. Why would such a thick mist, like that over the sea, suddenly emerge here?'
He realized ninja were likely battling ahead. A glint of excitement flashed in his eyes, and he lightly leaped onto a tree branch to investigate.
...
A thousand meters away, the tense atmosphere condensed the air.
A thick mist permeated the surroundings, blurring visibility.
Suddenly, the temperature plummeted.
Sakura felt a familiar, bone-deep chill. 'No... it can't be...'
As the mist parted, two figures stood before them. One was a towering man with a massive blade.
"Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist," Kakashi breathed, his eye wide.
And the figure beside him, in the familiar masked attire...
"Haku..." Sakura whispered, her blood running cold.
In Kakashi's unit, an Iwagakure ninja shouted, "Captain Kakashi, that's Gari, the Explosion Release user!"
Another voice, a Sand ninja, said, "The woman next to Zabuza is Pakura, our Scorch Release user! Everyone be careful!"
In an instant, shrill screams erupted, accompanied by the chilling, sizzling sound of flesh being seared, echoing through the mist.
The heavy mist was like a huge, invisible net, tightly enveloping everyone. This feeling of being deprived of sight spread fear.
One figure after another fell.
Just then, Pakura and Gari simultaneously pressed their hands onto the hard ground.
Black cursed talismans spread outwards. Several coffins rose from the ground.
With a dull thud, the coffin lids were violently flung open. A bone-chilling aura swept forth.
The figures in the coffins opened their hollow, lifeless eyes, revealing endless killing intent.
"This... this is..." someone muttered in horror.
"The previous generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist!"
Perched on a towering tree, Renji overlooked the smoke-filled battlefield.
Kakashi, Might Guy, Sakura, and Rock Lee were leading the unit, but at this moment, the team had already lost more than half its members.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, their coordination seamless, had become everyone's nightmare. Their immortal Edo Tensei bodies made them virtually invincible.
A sudden sizzling of electricity, and Ameyuri Ringo's sharp twin blades slashed through necks.
A crisp sound of metal breaking, and Jinin Akebino's Kabutowari, capable of severing all metal, snapped their weapons like fragile twigs. He swung his terrifying blade, mercilessly severing necks.
The sound of flesh being pierced, and Kuriarare Kushimaru impaled ninja like meatballs with his long sword, Nuibari.
Explosions erupted as Munashi Jinpachi, wielding the Explosion Sword: Shibuki, smiled, revealing his shark-like teeth.
The battlefield was a complete rout. Renji noted that Kakashi and Might Guy, who should have been the main force, were inadvertently slacking off.
The mist before them dissipated.
Renji raised an eyebrow in surprise, discovering that Zabuza had actually been sealed by Sakura.
'There are only two methods to deal with Edo Tensei: seal them, or have Kabuto release the jutsu. The second is unlikely.'
Before coming, ninja in various units had trained in sealing jutsu.
'Sakura's sealing jutsu... I remember. It was the one I personally taught her during the Chunin Exams.'
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