Chapter 448: Finally Meeting At Last
Rewinding time to two minutes ago, inside the residential district on the western side of Konoha Village.
A thick, dark-crimson shroud of chakra seethed and rolled around the Fat Cat, its pair of emerald feline eyes shifting back and forth as it surveyed the unconscious Tenten cradled in Neji's arms, as well as the dead and injured Konoha villagers and ninjas scattered all around.
"Meow~! How is Tenten?!"
Neji activated his Byakugan, conducting a meticulous examination of Tenten's body: "It seems the chakra inside Tenten's body was completely drained dry by some kind of highly peculiar ninjutsu. Although her life isn't in immediate danger, whether she can... fully recover... cannot be determined for sure either."
"Meow~!" The Fat Cat let out a ferocious howl, snapping its neck around, its emerald eyes turning even more terrifying. "To think you actually dared to use Genjutsu on this queen, forcing me to kill so many of my own people, and nearly causing me to harm Tenten—how exactly do you wish to die!"
The person standing opposite offered no response, merely whispering in a mechanical, low drone: "Susanoo!"
A green skeletal framework extended outward from around his body. The twenty-plus-meter-tall Susanoo giant stared blankly down at the Fat Cat for a brief moment before driving a ten-meter-long broadsword straight downward in a savage slash!
Boom!
Two dozens-of-meters-long crimson tails extended from behind the Fat Cat's backside, whipping through the air to slam directly against the broadsword. The broadsword instantly slipped from its grip and went flying away, the immense force even causing the Susanoo giant to stagger back a few paces.
"You bastard, you're Shisui Uchiha who went missing a few years ago! The old scoundrel is still looking for you... What on earth is he looking for a prick like you for? This queen is going to crush you to death!"
"Take Tenten and fall back! Neji!"
The ground beneath their feet fractured instantly. Neji hurriedly scooped Tenten up and leaped away to clear the area. Even at a distance of nearly a hundred meters, he was still left unable to steady his stance by the fierce wind whipping past—that was a gale generated by pure, raw chakra alone!
Shisui instantly activated the second phase of his Susanoo, the skeletal framework filling out with muscle and armor. The over fifty-meter-tall Susanoo caught the attention of all the surrounding ninjas and villagers, signaling that a major battle had broken out here. Some fled immediately, while other ninjas began rushing toward the area.
However, in the very next second, they all brought their footsteps to a thoroughly shocked halt.
"Is that... a cat?!"
The giant white cat—standing a full hundred meters tall with a body length exceeding three hundred meters—used its dual paws to shred the green Susanoo into complete pieces with just two swipes!
Right at this moment, Masahiko finally arrived, flickering to stand squarely on the crown of the Fat Cat's head: "Is that Shisui? Don't deal a lethal blow, he's being controlled by Genjutsu!"
"Meow~ This queen couldn't care less about whether it's Genjutsu or not, he nearly forced me to kill Tenten!"
Masahiko knit his brows slightly, looking down at the green Susanoo skeleton that was rising once more. Sensing the area for a brief moment, he failed to discover Tenten's chakra, causing his heart to sink: "Where is Tenten?"
"Over with Neji!"
Masahiko instantly disappeared via Body Flicker. An infuriated cat was not an easy thing to pacify. Fortunately, there was virtually no one near this residential district, as the vast majority of people were still unconscious over at the stadium. He might as well let the Fat Cat vent its frustrations on Shisui for a bit; Shisui wasn't going to die that easily...
Since Shisui is here, then... what about Chiyo? When his figure manifested once more, Masahiko had already arrived beside Neji, taking Tenten into his arms.
Her chakra has been drained dry, and even her vitality has sustained a fraction of damage? Exactly when did the power of the Rinnegan's Preta Path become this tyrannical? Activating his Medical Ninjutsu, Masahiko simultaneously focused his mind to expand his Kagura The Mind's Eye to its maximum radius.
"Senior!" Neji finally snapped out of his daze, hurriedly bowing to greet him.
Masahiko nodded in response. Right after, his body gave a subtle pause, his expression turning highly complex as he directed his gaze toward a direction a few miles behind the green Susanoo.
They've really come... Along with six others, is it the Six Paths of Pain? Are they waiting for me?
The Medical Ninjutsu slowly tapered off, and Masahiko handed Tenten back to Neji: "Tenten is fine, she just needs to recuperate for a period. Exactly how did she end up like this?"
Neji paused: "Earlier, the Queen..."
"Mmm? Queen?"
Neji seemed to roll his eyes, but hidden beneath his Kekkei Genkai, Masahiko couldn't confirm it for sure. "That cat forced me and Lee to address it as 'the Queen'."
Masahiko looked back at the giant cat that was currently toying with the green Susanoo as if it were a ball of yarn. If the occasion weren't entirely inappropriate, he would have burst out laughing. Exactly what had Neji gone through to be able to utter 'the Queen' with such natural ease?
"The Queen fell victim to Shisui Uchiha's Genjutsu," Neji continued his narrative. "It launched an attack against us. The villagers who rushed over to help and the companions who came along with us... sustained quite a few casualties."
Masahiko knit his brows slightly: "What about Tenten?"
"The situation was extremely chaotic at the time. I only saw a bizarre person suddenly rush out from the crowd, kiss... Tenten once, and she collapsed into a coma. Fortunately, the Queen also managed to break free from the Genjutsu because of that."
"Kiss?!" Masahiko's brow creased even tighter. "Is it some kind of exceptional Kekkei Genkai?"
"Right, it was a female ninja," Neji added quickly to supplement.
Masahiko nodded with a tight grin. Modifying a female ninja who possessed a chakra-absorbing Kekkei Genkai into the Preta Path to achieve this kind of effect? Tenten does carry a portion of the Two-Tails' chakra inside her, but compared to the real Two-Tails, it's barely a single percent. You truly aren't picky at all!
Logically speaking, even if they wanted to launch an attack, they should have targeted Naruto. But Naruto carried Minato's Flying Raijin marker on his body, so Masahiko didn't need to worry. As for attacking Tenten, they should have rightfully waited for her to grow a bit more, until she possessed roughly a tenth of the Two-Tails' chakra a few years down the line, before launching an assault... This sudden move had truly caught Masahiko completely off guard.
Sensing the chakra vibrations in the vicinity, Masahiko blinked: Rin is heading over? She's over five months pregnant already. And Naruto and those kids are also rushing toward this area... Let's resolve this first!
Flickering once more to stand on top of the Fat Cat's head: "Vented enough of your anger yet? Just look at the destruction you've caused around you. The Great Ancestor was going to sweep the entire board with the wagers this time, but because of you, I might have to pay out half of it!"
"Meow~! No way! This queen is going to slaughter this bastard!"
"Tenten is perfectly fine!" Masahiko shook his head helplessly: "How about this, I'll divide half of that remaining revenue and give it to you. It's several hundred million Ryo, so you can eat whatever you want, even eat until you grow to a height of two hundred meters!"
"Meow~ Deal!"
Bam!
A colossal cat paw slammed heavily down from above, shattering the green Susanoo tier by tier. When the paw lifted away, Shisui was already lying unconscious on the ground with his clothes in complete tatters.
Shisui has truly been held back over these past few years; his strength hasn't progressed in the slightest. Both Itachi and Kiba have already surpassed him. Masahiko let out a soft sigh. But it's enough as long as he's alive. Kagami will definitely be ecstatic!
The giant cat beneath his feet slowly began to shrink. Masahiko looked down and instructed: "You stay here to look after Tenten and keep watch over Shisui. That brat Naruto will be heading over in a bit, so take care of him along the way too. As for everything else... follow Rin's arrangements!"
"Meow~ This queen wants sixty percent!"
Masahiko curled his lip at this silly cat: "There are enemies waiting for me right ahead. They've likely prepared a massive gift for me. If I happen to die over there, I'll give all the revenue to you, how about that?"
"Meow~ An old monster who refuses to die like you would actually drop dead?"
Masahiko let out a chuckle, vanishing via teleportation.
Not long after clearing the perimeter of Konoha Village, Masahiko caught sight of the brand-new Six Paths of Pain.
"Masahiko Uzumaki, you arrived slower than I anticipated," the leading Deva Path spoke slowly.
Masahiko fell silent for a brief moment, decisively choosing to ignore the Deva Path as his gaze locked straight onto the dark-blue long-haired female ninja standing right behind the Six Paths of Pain.
"Chiyo Uchiha, it really has been a long time since we last met. It's been nearly... 117 years, hasn't it!"
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