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Yoichi put away the cameras, lamenting that despite the advancements in computing technology within the ninja world, there still weren't any video editing software. It might take a while before such tools are developed.
"But I guess these don't need editing; they're already highlights."
Over the course of several hours, three cameras had each used up four batteries, ensuring there was plenty of material for future use.
"It seems that Dark Kushina has disappeared, and the normal Kushina has returned. Could it be that doing something like this can suppress the darkness?"
"No, it's probably related to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
Yoichi glanced at the strategy guide, confirming that things were as he had suspected. Although there had been some prompts earlier, the instructions hadn't changed.
"Hmm? There's some intel from the Land of Water?"
Suddenly, Yoichi received a memory from one of his wood clones stationed in the Hokage's office.
The mission he had issued to gather information on the Akatsuki had yielded some leads. The Anbu had reported back to the Hokage's office and were now awaiting his response.
"Uchiha Obito… It seems fate has a way of aligning things. Let's see if you can make one last contribution to the Uchiha clan."
Shaking his head, Yoichi returned to the tent to administer a stamina-recovery pill to the unconscious Kushina, leaving behind a note before teleporting away with the Flying Thunder God technique.
Kushina would likely want some time to herself after waking up, so it was best to give her space for the next few days.
With his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan active, Yoichi summoned his Susanoo.
The Anbu had arranged to meet with the Mist ninja in the Land of Waves, which was close to this sea. He could fly there directly.
——————————————
In the Land of Waves, in a remote area of Zone C, the small nation was interlaced with rivers, connected by various floating bridges, earning it the nickname "the country born between rivers." The regions separated by rivers were named after letters.
"Hey, how much longer do we have to wait? Are the ninjas who can make decisions even coming?" Ao couldn't help but ask. They had been waiting for hours, hoping to exchange intel, but the other side kept stalling, saying they needed to wait for someone in charge.
"Are you kidding me? How long has it been? What if that person never comes? Are we supposed to wait forever?"
The Anbu squad leader replied coldly, "We're waiting for a message from our advisor. We can't make any decisions until it arrives."
"I think you have no intention of cooperating!"
Ao retorted angrily, "Even if your person isn't here, can't you at least share the intel?"
Despite his rudeness, the Anbu and Uchiha Shinji ignored him, though the Mist ninja were visibly agitated.
"Ao, be patient. This matter is important to us..."
Before Mei could finish her sentence, she suddenly sensed an overwhelming presence approaching. She looked up, spotting a colossal figure descending from the sky.
"Be careful!"
She barely had time to shout before the massive, deep blue armored warrior, taller than a mountain, crashed to the ground.
Boom!
The colossal figure's landing was like the earth itself shaking. The Konoha Anbu, Uchiha ninja, and Mist ninja alike were all thrown off balance; some even fell flat, landing painfully.
The entire Land of Waves trembled as if a natural disaster had struck, causing panic even in the distant.
"This… this is Susanoo?"
Mei's heart filled with fear. Susanoo had already made its mark on the battlefields against the Cloud and Stone ninja, where it had crushed even perfect jinchūriki.
The intel was no secret, and the name of Konoha's Lightning Fang was renowned across the ninja world. Who didn't know the name Uchiha Yoichi and his abilities?
As Susanoo dissipated, Yoichi leaped down from the sky.
His landing kicked up a cloud of dust and a slight tremor, from which he emerged.
"Advisor."
"Clan Leader!"
The Konoha Anbu and Uchiha ninja greeted Yoichi. The sight of Susanoo had already told them who had arrived.
Yoichi asked, "Are these the Mist ninja who want to cooperate with Konoha?"
The Anbu squad leader replied, "Yes, Advisor. The leader is Mei, a well-known ninja with two kekkei genkai from the Mist."
"Alright, if they want to cooperate, they should show some sincerity first."
Yoichi turned to the group of terrified Mist ninja and spoke calmly. Among them, only Mei barely managed to keep her composure. The others were visibly trembling, struggling to stand after witnessing the complete form of Susanoo.
"W-What kind of sincerity are you asking for?"
Mei took a deep breath, gathering the remnants of her courage, and said, "If there's something the Mist needs to provide, we're willing to do it."
"There is something—just return what belongs to Konoha."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mei noticed that Yoichi had vanished from her sight. The next moment, she heard his voice behind her.
"This Byakugan belongs to Konoha. It's time to return it."
"Ao!"
Mei instinctively brought her hands together to form a seal, but before she could turn, several incredibly tough trees sprouted from the ground, binding her wrists, ankles, and neck.
A sharp wooden spike grew out, pressing against her temple. A slight movement could easily result in the spike piercing her skull.
The other Mist ninja weren't spared either. More than thirty of them were restrained by wooden branches, each with a sharp spike poised at their temples. Some had no time to react, while others, like Mei Terumi, had been about to use ninjutsu.
But before they could execute any jutsu, their lives were no longer their own.
Standing beside Ao, Yoichi patted his shoulder and smiled, "So, what do you think? Will you return the Byakugan?"
The silence was palpable. Some of the weaker Mist ninja were pale, their legs trembling.
In an instant, they had all been subdued, their lives hanging by a thread. Was this the power of Konoha's nearly invincible Lightning Fang?
"We'll return the Byakugan to Konoha, Lord Lightning Fang."
Mei quickly spoke up. She could barely withstand the pressure, so how could her less powerful comrades fare any better? If she didn't agree, who knew how many of them would survive the day?
"That's more like it. Konoha appreciates your sincerity. Now, let's talk about the Fourth Mizukage."
Yoichi smiled, and with that smile, the oppressive, almost suffocating atmosphere dissipated.
The wood that had ensnared the Mist ninja withdrew back into the ground. A wooden table and chairs appeared beside Mei.
"Shinji, recover the Byakugan and store it properly."
Yoichi instructed, then walked over to the table and sat down, turning to Mei.
"According to Konoha's intel, the one controlling the Fourth Mizukage is likely an Akatsuki member who wears a mask. However, he possesses a space-time ninjutsu. If given even a moment, he can escape."
Even the other Kamui wouldn't work. The only way to deal with Obito was to strike him the moment he entered the Kamui dimension.
Few in the ninja world could do that. Right now, only Yoichi could. Even if Uchiha Obito was a kilometer away, Yoichi could easily prevent him from escaping into the Kamui dimension.
But they needed to confirm Obito's presence in the Mist Village first and lure him out.
"Akatsuki?"
Mei pondered for a moment. "I've heard of that organization. Is it the one from the Land of Rain?"
Hanzō's actions had made quite a stir. Although the Mist Village was isolated, they still gathered intel on the rest of the ninja world. Akatsuki had gained some notoriety, not just because Hanzō was hunting them, but because they were also a top target in underground bounty stations.
"A rogue ninja organization that managed to control our Fourth Mizukage..."
Mei found it hard to believe, but Yoichi's ability to kill them all so easily made it hard to doubt his words.
"The Akatsuki has some skilled members, and the one controlling the Fourth Mizukage is likely a rogue ninja from Konoha. We must capture him. Also, why didn't you elect the strongest person as Mizukage? Instead, you chose this..."
After Yoichi's mocking words, the Mist ninja present turned red with shame and anger but didn't dare say a word. They didn't have the courage to refute him.
Mei's expression also darkened, but she managed to stay composed, saying, "Lord Lightning Fang, do you have any suggestions for dealing with this Akatsuki member who uses space-time ninjutsu?"
"What has the Fourth Mizukage been focused on lately?"
"Aside from enforcing the Bloody Mist policy, he's been most concerned with finding the whereabouts of the Three-Tails. But if he's really under someone's control, it must be the Akatsuki that wants information on the Three-Tails."
Yoichi thought for a moment and said, "Take me inside and tell the Fourth Mizukage that you've found the Three-Tails. As long as I can confirm that he's nearby, I'll handle him."
His sensory abilities were strong. Even if Obito remained in his intangible state, he could only maintain it for five minutes.
Once those five minutes were up, or the moment Obito attempted to enter the Kamui dimension, he would be done for.
But Mei was surprised. "You plan to fight inside the village?"
"Do you think we can lure him out? Don't be naive. If we let that Akatsuki member use his space-time ninjutsu to escape, it will be difficult to track him down again."
After saying this, Yoichi stood up and said to Mei and the other Mist ninja, "Let's go."
Though Obito's power wasn't particularly strong, his space-time ninjutsu was troublesome. Besides Yoichi's incredible speed, no one else could easily handle him. If Obito managed to use Izanagi, it would be even more difficult.
"We're counting on you, Lord Lightning Fang."
Mei sighed inwardly. All she could do now was hope that Yoichi had no ulterior motives towards the Mist Village. If he did, they'd be powerless against him.
After witnessing the godlike power of Susanoo, Mei couldn't muster any thoughts of resistance.
——————————————————
When Kushina woke up, she opened her eyes in a daze.
As she blamed Yoichi for his lack of restraint, she realized that she was alone in the tent.
Kushina couldn't help but recall what had happened the day before, and her face flushed with a mix of shame and guilt.
"Minato, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
She quietly closed her eyes again, listening to the silence within the tent. Kushina no longer knew what she was feeling.
Last night, she had been trapped in the darkness, only able to passively endure. But after who knows how long, she suddenly found herself able to control her body again, with her dark self retreating.
After regaining control, Kushina had briefly considered resisting and changing her situation.
But none of that mattered now. Yoichi wasn't here, and she had seen the note he left behind, saying he wouldn't be back for a while, giving her time to calm down.
She deeply regretted making such a deal with Yoichi. Even though it was to revive Minato, what was the difference between that and betraying him?
Kushina felt she had lost sight of her priorities.
Was she angry?
Of course, but at whom?
Kushina found that she didn't even have a clear target for her anger. Dark Kushina had a point: she hadn't immediately refused Yoichi. Deep down, she had already agreed to this.
Humans are strange creatures. When two poor people are in the same situation, there's no negative comparison.
But humans, by nature, fear comparison.
When Minato died, Kushina was heartbroken, but she could accept it. After all, being a ninja was a dangerous profession.
Even someone as powerful as the Second Hokage, Tobirama, had been ambushed and killed by the Gold and Silver Brothers. Minato had faced the legendary Rinnegan.
But when Kushina saw Yoichi wielding the power to bring people back to life and successfully resurrecting Nawaki, she couldn't help but feel jealous.
If Nawaki could be revived, why not Minato?
Even though she knew the price of reversing life and death was high, Kushina still felt it was unfair. She saw Tsunade, who had once been despondent, find happiness again, so why was she the only one trapped in pain?
These negative emotions, amplified by the Nine-Tails' influence, had led to the current situation.
Now that it had happened, Kushina couldn't accept it, feeling nothing but guilt towards Minato.
"I'm sorry, Minato. I didn't mean for this to happen..."
"Stop your whining, you weakling."
Kushina was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice. She turned to see her dark self standing there, not yet gone.
"You... you're still here?"
"You think I'm just going to disappear? Hmph, why should I?"
Dark Kushina sneered, "I'm the one who revived Minato, who made the tough decisions. Why should I disappear when you're the weak one? I even gave you back control of your body."
Dark Kushina gritted her teeth at the thought. How had she let herself be intimidated by that man's Sharingan? What was that about? Had she been discovered?
And their situation was even stranger now. Without the True Waterfall's help, they could see each other face-to-face. How odd. Had she not fully taken over the body?
"I have to defeat you. How could you use my body to do such a thing..."
Kushina, ashamed and angry, tried to stand up and confront her dark self but found her body too weak. After a brief attempt, she collapsed again.
"Do your worst, weakling. If you can do it, go ahead and try."
With that, Dark Kushina laughed coldly and vanished before Kushina's eyes.
A moment later, Kushina suddenly opened her eyes and looked around, finding no trace of Dark Kushina. The blanket was still over her, as if it had all been a dream.
But what had happened was real. Kushina quietly stared at the tent ceiling. Once she had regained a bit of strength, she dragged her sore body to the waterfall to wash up.
She would stay here for a while, but what to do next... Kushina hadn't thought that far ahead.
——————————
"Mei, Funamushi, what brings you here?"
As soon as they entered the Mizukage's building, Mei and Yoichi, who had used a transformation jutsu, were stopped. The building was heavily guarded, with checkpoints from the entrance.
"We have intel on the Three-Tails to report to the Fourth Mizukage."
"The Three-Tails? Wait here."
One of the Mist Anbu replied before quickly heading upstairs to inform the Mizukage.
Seeing this, Mei was now completely certain that the Mizukage was being controlled. Otherwise, why would it be so difficult for a jonin like her to meet with him? The Mizukage was likely trying to avoid anyone who posed a threat.
She was also relieved that she hadn't taken on Ao's appearance. Facing the Byakugan, the Mizukage might have hidden himself.
After a while, the Mist Anbu returned and said to Mei and Yoichi, "You may go up. The Fourth Mizukage is waiting for you in the office."
"Understood."
Mei replied, and she and Yoichi began to ascend the stairs.
(End of Chapter)
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After arriving at the Mizukage's office, Mei and Yoichi walked in directly.
Inside, they saw a short man standing in the room. Upon seeing them, he spoke, "Mei, is it? Tell me about the Three-Tails."
"The Three-Tails is in the Land of Water…" Mei began, but before she could finish, she felt a sudden gust of wind pass by her. She didn't even have time to process what was happening before hearing a loud crash.
Instinctively turning her head, she saw Yoichi, who had already dispelled his transformation jutsu, breaking through the wall and grabbing a man dressed in a black cloak with red clouds, wearing a mask.
"This… This is the Akatsuki," Mei muttered in shock. The speed was so fast that she couldn't even react.
"You must be with the Akatsuki, right? It wasn't easy to catch you, but you finally slipped up," Yoichi said, pretending not to recognize Obito, his eyes transforming into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
The power of decay immediately began to take effect on Obito's body. His left arm, right arm, muscles, and bones all started to wither and decay in an instant, turning into something akin to a dead limb.
"Ahhh!!! The Lightning Fang of Konoha!?" Obito screamed in pain, feeling the intense agony in both of his arms. He didn't understand why Yoichi was here, but he knew he was in grave danger and needed to use Kamui to escape immediately.
The speed was impossible to react to. If Yoichi could grab his neck, he could easily pierce his heart. Yoichi's speed and presence made Obito recall the terror he felt on his first battlefield, the kind that made him want to cry.
He had to leave! He had to escape to the Kamui dimension as soon as possible.
"Kamui!"
At the very moment Obito tried to use Kamui, Yoichi activated his dojutsu. The Sharingan could see chakra, and although it couldn't precisely identify the pathways or nodes, it could see the flow and concentration of chakra.
Yoichi caused the chakra in the most concentrated part of Obito's body to decay, disrupting the flow of his chakra.
"Ah!"
A part of Obito's body suddenly decayed, as if it had been replaced with a piece of a corpse. The transformation made Obito scream in pain.
Then, Yoichi struck off Obito's mask. Upon seeing Obito's face, he feigned surprise and disbelief, saying, "Obito? It's you? You're a member of the Akatsuki?"
Obito, now maskless, was filled with despair. His arms were dead, his body was in pain, and he couldn't gather any chakra.
His dream of creating the perfect world through the Infinite Tsukuyomi was shattered.
"Nothing to say? Then you'll be coming back to Konoha with me to face trial.
Kinjutsu: Kinfū!
With a glance from the Sharingan, Yoichi placed Obito under a genjutsu, paralyzing him. At the same time, the genjutsu controlling the Fourth Mizukage was lifted.
As Yagura regained consciousness, he saw the state of the office and immediately shouted, "Mei? What are you doing here? Who are these two?"
"Lord Mizukage, you've been under control for some time. This man is the Assistant of Konoha, the Lightning Fang, Yoichi," Mei quickly explained, briefly summarizing recent events, especially how Yagura had been controlled by someone from the Akatsuki and was now being rescued by her and the Konoha ninja.
The more Yagura listened, the darker his expression became. As the leader of a village, he had been manipulated into doing foolish things, and now he was being saved by a ninja from Konoha.
Furious and humiliated, Yagura shouted, "This is a Konoha conspiracy! Mei, summon the Anbu and gather the Mist ninja immediately!"
Crack!
A flash of lightning struck, and Yagura felt a surge of danger. He quickly gathered chakra, raising his arms to defend himself.
But he was too close to Yoichi and had no time to use any jutsu.
All Yagura could do was watch as a powerful kick came crashing down on his arms, driving him deep into the floor.
With a loud bang, the floor shattered, and Yagura fell through, smashing into the level below.
"Your best chance was to resist Obito's genjutsu. Who gave you the courage to try and capture me? The most useless Mizukage," Yoichi said, lifting Obito with one hand and turning his gaze to the Mist ninja who had rushed into the room.
The Sharingan spun slowly, exerting immense pressure on Mei.
"Attack."
Boom!
As soon as the Mist Anbu leader gave the order, Yoichi activated Susanoo, in its perfect form.
The Mizukage's building was instantly destroyed in a violent explosion, and the structure collapsed, replaced by a towering figure of a deep blue tengu-armored deity that overlooked the entire Mist Village.
Mei was thrown by the impact, barely surviving. But as she struggled to get up, she saw the immense figure of the deep blue, tengu-armored god before her.
"No, don't attack! Lord Lightning Fang, we have an agreement!" Mei shouted in fear. If they fought this entity in the village, even if they managed a pyrrhic victory, the Mist Village would be destroyed. Facing something larger than a tailed beast and stronger than one, the Mist Village had no hope of winning.
But Yoichi had no intention of destroying the Mist Village. He wanted to bring them to heel, for ninja were much more valuable than civilians.
Susanoo flapped its wings, sending a powerful gust of wind that blew away the surrounding buildings before taking to the sky.
Seeing Susanoo fly away, Mei finally breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the battle didn't take place in the village.
"Mei!"
From a distance, Ao arrived, now with only one eye. Despite this, his strength remained, making him still one of the Mist's elite jonin. "What happened? Why is the Mizukage's building destroyed?"
"Find Elder Gen. Only he can take control of the situation now!"
Mei didn't bother to explain further. They needed someone of authority to explain things, or else, if Yoichi left, she might be accused of conspiring against the Mizukage.
Yagura's angry outburst still echoed in her mind, and she wasn't sure if he survived. If he did, he might try to shift the blame onto her to cover up the fact that he had been controlled.
"I understand."
Ao responded before setting off to find Gen. Luckily, the elder had been staying away from the Mizukage's building lately due to his age, or he might not have survived the earlier incident.
——————————————
Meanwhile, Yoichi returned to the Land of Waves. As Susanoo landed, the shockwave knocked the Konoha Anbu and Uchiha clan members off their feet again.
After dispelling Susanoo, Yoichi approached the group.
"Assistant."
"Clan Leader."
The Anbu and Shinji, along with the Uchiha clan members, gathered around. Seeing the man Yoichi was holding, Shinji couldn't help but ask, "Clan Leader, is this the Akatsuki member?"
"Take a look. This is the one who killed Minato."
Yoichi tossed the man over to Shinji, who caught him. Upon seeing Obito's face, Shinji was shocked. "O-Obito? Clan Leader, how can this be Obito? Wasn't he supposed to be dead?"
"It seems he was rescued. His injuries match what Kakashi reported. We'll have the interrogation team search his mind for information when we get back to the village."
After speaking, Yoichi turned to the Anbu and Uchiha ninja present. "Mission complete. Return to the village with me, and await further orders. You'll be notified of your next assignment."
With that, many chakra arms extended from Yoichi's body, using the chakra he had gathered from the tailed beasts. After grabbing all the ninja present, Yoichi used the Flying Thunder God Technique to transport them just outside the gates of Konoha.
As they arrived at the village gate, Yoichi said, "Anbu, return to your posts. Shinji, take Obito to the interrogation team and oversee the sealing process."
Shinji asked, "Clan Leader, are you worried someone might try to rescue him?"
"The Akatsuki still have members out there, so we should be cautious."
Though Yoichi said this, he had already marked Obito with the Flying Thunder God seal. If Black Zetsu or White Zetsu tried to rescue him, he'd take them all down in one fell swoop.
Returning to Konoha, Yoichi headed straight for the Hokage's office. Luckily, Sakumo was there in person and not just a shadow clone, so Yoichi entered the office.
"Sakumo-senpai, I captured an Akatsuki member and sent him to the interrogation team."
"So quickly? Well done, Yoichi-kun. About the matter of the Fifth Hokage…"
"Now's not the time for that, Sakumo-senpai. You should go check on the situation."
Yoichi glanced at Sakumo, thinking that when he became the Fifth Hokage, he'd definitely appoint Sakumo as an advisor.
After speaking, Sakumo moved with Yoichi to the interrogation team. On the way, he sent someone to inform the Third Hokage.
The matters he had discussed with the Third Hokage could now be concluded. Even if he publicly supported Yoichi for the role of Hokage, the Third would have no objections.
However, upon seeing the captured Akatsuki member, Sakumo was taken aback. "Yoichi-kun, if I'm not mistaken, isn't this your clan's Obito? I remember him visiting the Hatake residence with Rin to see Kakashi. I couldn't possibly mistake this face."
"It's him. His body was crushed under a massive boulder, but it seems someone rescued him. But his Sharingan is a Mangekyō Sharingan, with a space-time ninjutsu as its ability, which is quite troublesome, so I took it out."
"Let's see what information we can extract from his mind."
As Yoichi and Sakumo conversed, Hiruzen, Shikaku, and other high-ranking officials arrived. With no ongoing wars, Akatsuki and the Rinnegan were Konoha's top priorities.
When they saw that the captured Akatsuki member was Obito, both Hiruzen and Shikaku were stunned.
But they knew that there could be no deception here, as memories were the hardest thing to fake. Furthermore, no genjutsu could fool the Yamanaka clan's mind-reading techniques.
Hiruzen clenched his fists in frustration. He had just decided to make one last attempt, putting all the Sarutobi clan's resources into supporting Jiraiya as the Fifth Hokage. But now, Yoichi had captured an Akatsuki member.
Trying to smear the Uchiha clan by associating them with Obito?
Hiruzen briefly considered this but dismissed the idea. Yoichi's willingness to have the interrogation team probe Obito's mind meant the Uchiha clan had nothing to hide.
Trying to pin this on them would only backfire.
Soon, Inoichi extracted all the information from Obito's mind. Without the ability to resist, no seals in his mind, and while still alive, extracting information from him was a simple task.
But after receiving the information, Inoichi looked serious as he said, "Fourth, Assistant, it seems Obito was saved by someone significant."
Sakumo took the report and read it, his expression turning grim. After reading, he handed it to Yoichi.
Yoichi was already aware of Obito's full story and how he was saved by Madara. He only skimmed the report, focusing on the information regarding Nagato.
"Land of Earth."
"Anbu, send a team to this location in the Land of Earth to gather intelligence. They've likely moved on, but we might still find some clues. Sakumo-senpai, send a letter to Ōnoki, warning him not to shelter Akatsuki."
Yoichi ordered the Anbu, then turned to Sakumo.
Sakumo nodded. "Understood. But Ōnoki is likely aware of Akatsuki. He might not hand them over. What should we do then, Yoichi-kun?"
Obito had left Nagato shortly before Ōnoki extended an olive branch to Nagato. But with his focus on stirring up trouble in the Mist Village, Obito didn't know how far the relationship between the Akatsuki and Iwagakure had progressed.
"If we have Akatsuki's information, I'll go there myself and capture them. Iwagakure won't be able to stop me."
Yoichi replied confidently. The only real threat in Iwagakure was Ōnoki's Dust Release. But in the eyes of top-tier shinobi, it was relatively slow.
To Yoichi, it was even less of a concern. As long as he was careful, there was no real threat.
(End of Chapter)
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