Everything happened so fast.
Before Hotaru and Tonbei could even react as spectators, the battle was already over.
Watching the long plume of thick smoke rise and the motionless body of Utakata at the far end, Tonbei stood there, mouth agape in disbelief.
"Am I under a genjutsu??"
Tonbei, who had once witnessed the overwhelming power of a Jinchūriki firsthand, never expected that Utakata, also a Jinchūriki, would be defeated with a single punch.
His gaze, dazed and trembling, fell upon Gensou. His body involuntarily shivered.
The Tsuchigumo Clan was finished!
The man before him was far stronger than the two who had invaded a year ago.
Even at the height of their power, with the Traveler of War leading them, the Tsuchigumo Clan wouldn't have been a match for him.
Now, only two remained, an elder and a young woman.
Hotaru, too, felt the crushing pressure.
Prepared to die in battle, unwilling to disgrace the Tsuchigumo Clan's honor, she swiftly activated the Fury Hair Forbidden Jutsu.
But even then, she couldn't help but ask, "Do I know you?"
She expected no answer, or perhaps a mocking laugh.
To her surprise, the man before her nodded.
Gensou glanced around, watching the large amount of chakra and natural energy rapidly gathering behind Hotaru.
Compared to the past, Hotaru had become far more adept at using the forbidden technique, and her body's ability to withstand it had greatly improved.
He spoke, "Turn off the Fury Hair. I've seen it enough times already."
"Seen it enough times?"
Hotaru was confused at first.
Then, thinking back to the sense of familiarity she had felt earlier, combined with his statement that they knew each other...
Suddenly!
Hotaru's eyes lit up as she recalled a certain someone, and she asked eagerly:
"Are you the one who wore the white spiral mask back then?"
Gensou nodded casually, "How's the Water Style training scroll I gave you last time?"
It really was him!
Hotaru's face immediately broke into a radiant smile, and she obediently deactivated the Fury Hair.
Having spent time with Gensou, she knew well that he wasn't a villain. Though his methods and demands were unconventional, in the end, he was someone she could talk to.
So, in the following moments, Hotaru, still at heart a young girl, excitedly approached Gensou and began chatting with him joyfully.
Tonbei, standing there, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events, pinched his leg hard.
The events of the day had been full of twists and turns.
He had been prepared to die just moments ago, but now, everything seemed to be resolved.
It turned out that this man knew Lady Hotaru.
The man in the white spiral mask from a year ago was actually him.
And now, he had forced his way in again.
Wait...
If this man had always played the role of an intruder, why was Lady Hotaru on such good terms with him, showing no signs of worry at all?
Tonbei felt his brain getting tangled up.
But he wasn't foolish. He knew this outcome was the best they could hope for.
As for his confusion and doubts... he'd just keep those buried deep inside.
When Utakata woke up again, he found himself still lying on the same bed.
Feeling a sharp pain as if his bones had shattered, he quickly recalled the events before he had passed out.
One punch!
Just one punch!
As a Jinchūriki, he hadn't been able to withstand it and had been sent flying, knocked unconscious.
Was that man even human?
Even the Mizukage couldn't have defeated him so easily.
And what about the girl who saved him?
If that man wasn't targeting him, then she must be his objective.
With that thought, Utakata gritted his teeth against the pain and cautiously snuck out to investigate.
Surprisingly, it didn't take long before he found his target.
Hotaru, the blonde girl, was standing by a pool, demonstrating her Water Style jutsu.
Nearby, the man who had defeated him with a single punch was casually teaching her a few things while playing with something in his hand.
Utakata took a closer look.
It was a highly concentrated chakra ball.
The chakra in it was all too familiar—it was Six-Tails' chakra.
"Perfect timing."
Gensou waved over at Utakata, who thought he had been hiding well.
At the same time, Gensou flicked his fingers, sending the Six-Tails chakra ball flying.
With a swoosh, the chakra ball flew out of Mount Katsuragi and soared a great distance before exploding in mid-air, leaving behind traces of Six-Tails' chakra to be discovered.
Fishing required bait.
Now that Gensou had settled into his fishing spot, to attract the bigger fish, he had to dangle their favorite food right in front of them.
Seeing that Gensou had noticed him, Utakata hesitated for a moment but eventually walked over.
The difference in strength was too great.
He was nothing but a fish on the chopping block now.
"You are..."
As Utakata approached, he was about to ask Gensou's identity—something that had been plaguing his mind.
But before he could finish, Gensou placed a hand on his shoulder.
In an instant!
Utakata felt the chakra within him—specifically the chakra of the Six-Tails—begin to pour out wildly, flowing into the palm of the man in front of him.
Roar!!!
Inside the sealed space, the Six-Tails, a giant slug-like creature with six tails, raised its head and let out an enraged roar.
"Be quiet."
Gensou's phantom appeared within the seal, placing a hand on the massive creature's head, pinning it to the ground as he spoke calmly.
He wasn't like Naruto, who sought to become friends with the tailed beasts.
Especially since he still had to continue his plan to capture the tailed beasts. He had no interest in idle chit-chat with them.
After a lesson from Gensou, the Six-Tails quieted down.
Gensou increased the speed of his chakra absorption.
Before long, another highly concentrated chakra ball formed in his hand. After playing with it for a while, he flicked it again, sending it flying and detonating it not far from the previous one.
Seeing this, Utakata thought for a moment and decided to warn him:
"This will attract the Kiri Hunter-nin."
"Kiri? Hunter-nin?"
Without turning his head, Gensou replied,
"Too small a fish. Not worth the hook."
Utakata wanted to say more, but remembering the overwhelming power of the man before him, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
Later, after finishing her training and while resting, Hotaru informed Utakata that the man's name was Gensou.
Utakata's normally cold expression changed to one of shock.
No wonder he had been powerless to resist.
It was him.
At that moment, Utakata thought back to Gensou's earlier action of flicking away the Six-Tails' chakra ball.
If the Kiri Hunter-nin weren't even worth his attention, then who was this man, who was mentioned in the same breath as the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara, and had killed the First Mizukage with his own hands at the Battle of the Valley of the End—who was he really trying to lure in?
Utakata had a sinking feeling that he was now entangled in something far bigger than himself.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
As the Six-Tails Jinchūriki—a nightmare in the minds of countless shinobi, someone who had always held the fate of others in his hands—now, all he could do was wait quietly, like livestock, to be served up.
He couldn't help but think how ironic it all was.
(End of Chapter)
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Cough, cough, cough
A man's heavy coughing echoed from within a large tree, indistinguishable from its surroundings.
Following the coughing, a cold, female voice spoke:
"Nagato, take a break. You've come a long way, and your body is already exhausted."
Nagato, with his red hair and emaciated body, stifled a few more coughs before shaking his head.
"No. I've already detected the traces of the Six-Tails' chakra. It won't be long before we find the Jinchūriki."
While White Zetsu was excellent at gathering intelligence in fixed areas like the Five Great Shinobi Villages, tracking a constantly fleeing Jinchūriki was a different matter. At best, they could narrow down a general region, but continuous pursuit was difficult.
Pain was now in that region and had found a lead.
Knowing Nagato's stubbornness, Konan didn't press the issue any further. Instead, she asked:
"Do we need to move forward again?"
Nagato nodded.
"Half a kilometer ahead."
Konan nodded back and raised her hand.
The large tree that had concealed them, undetectable even to the Sharingan, instantly dissolved into countless sheets of paper, scattering into the air.
In no time, the tree vanished.
In its place, countless paper fragments floated gracefully, creating an unusual scene of beauty.
Konan controlled part of the paper to lift the bed Nagato was sitting on, while the rest scattered in all directions, acting as eyes and ears to monitor the surroundings.
In this manner, they swiftly covered the half-kilometer distance.
Once again, Konan used her Shikigami no Mai, transforming the sheets of paper back into a lifelike tree, concealing them both inside.
Nagato suddenly looked up, his voice cold and emotionless: "I've found him."
Simultaneously, far away, Pain lifted his head and gazed at the towering mountain ahead, his expression indifferent: "I've found him."
...
"They've arrived."
On Mount Katsuragi, where the bait had been laid, Gensou, reclining in a chair that Hotaru had thoughtfully brought out, was basking in the warm sunlight when he suddenly opened his eyes. He turned his gaze, looking down at a figure clad in black with red clouds who had just arrived outside the mountain.
As expected, the big fish had taken the bait.
Gensou slowly stood up and, without turning around, gave instructions to Hotaru and Utakata beside him: "Stay here. Don't go outside."
Before either of them could respond, Gensou vanished in an instant.
Hotaru and Utakata exchanged puzzled glances.
It wasn't until the sound of a tremendous explosion echoed from outside Mount Katsuragi that they, along with Tonbei, who had rushed out at the noise, instinctively looked toward the source.
Only then did they understand the true meaning behind Gensou's earlier words.
It was a nice day.
The fresh breeze, filled with the fragrance of grass, made the body feel at ease.
However, Pain, though human in appearance, was merely a corpse, long dead.
Unable to experience the beauty of the world, he sought solace in its opposite—bestowing suffering upon the world.
True peace could only be achieved through true understanding and pain.
This was the belief he had always held.
It was also his motivation for being here today, to capture the Six-Tails Jinchūriki.
However, before Pain could take action, a figure leaped down from Mount Katsuragi, exuding an aura so overwhelming that it stopped him in his tracks.
"Gensou?"
The moment Pain saw the man's face, a flicker of surprise crossed his usually emotionless expression.
The same look appeared on Nagato's face, miles away.
He couldn't comprehend why Gensou, who was engaged in tense skirmishes with the Five Great Nations, was now here.
Gensou had come from the direction where the Six-Tails Jinchūriki had been hiding.
When did Gensou start involving himself with the Six-Tails Jinchūriki?
Or... had he taken an interest in the tailed beasts?
Nagato's gaze grew cold.
Beside him, Konan's expression tensed as well when she heard Nagato mention the name of a man who had no business being here. She glanced at Nagato, then carefully scanned their surroundings.
A person's reputation cast a long shadow.
Both she and Nagato had witnessed the abilities of "Uchiha Madara" firsthand.
Now, with Gensou, who was equally famous as Uchiha Madara, suddenly appearing, they had no choice but to take this situation far more seriously than they would with any other shinobi.
"Pain? Leader of the Akatsuki?"
Hearing Pain call his name, Gensou nodded, unsurprised, and casually asked a question in return.
Pain, his expression having returned to its usual stoic state, didn't deny it.
His voice was flat, devoid of emotion: "You shouldn't be here right now."
"No."
Gensou smiled faintly.
"It's the right time, the right place, and... the right person."
"My target is you, Pain."
As his words fell, a cold wind howled.
If it were anyone else, being targeted by someone like Gensou would undoubtedly stir panic.
But Pain remained as calm as ever.
Confident in his Rinnegan, he listened to Gensou's declaration and asked calmly: "Why?"
Inside the disguised tree, Nagato's gaze seemed to pierce across miles to focus on Gensou.
He needed an explanation.
An explanation for why, after all his careful planning, designed to pit Gensou's forces against the Five Great Nations while Akatsuki remained hidden, this plan would have to be scrapped after he killed Gensou.
Gensou gave him an answer.
"The Rinnegan."
At this, Pain lowered his eyelids, disappointed:
"Another ignorant fool coveting the Rinnegan."
Was this really someone on the same level as Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara?
Compared to Uchiha Madara, who had found him and planned meticulously for years to achieve a great vision, Gensou's ambition seemed so small.
Gensou chuckled and shook his head.
"Ignorant? No. It's precisely because I know so much that I've taken an interest in the Rinnegan."
"Especially after learning the truth about the Rinnegan and the Eye of the Moon Plan involving the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Pain had been about to make a move.
In his mind, even a figure as strong as Gensou was no different from any other misguided individual. Strength alone wasn't enough to warrant further discussion.
But at that moment!
Upon hearing Gensou mention "the truth of the Rinnegan," "the Infinite Tsukuyomi," and "the Eye of the Moon Plan"—separate phrases he understood, but together forming a mystery—Pain's sharp instincts sensed something was amiss.
The Rinnegan has a truth?
How could there be something he, the wielder of the Rinnegan, didn't know?
Was Gensou bluffing?
But someone like him wouldn't need to lie.
Pain—no, Nagato—paused, as if something had clicked.
It was like small, insignificant questions he had ignored for years were suddenly connecting, forming a much larger problem that had always been lurking beneath the surface.
But it was still submerged, with only a faint outline visible, not the full picture.
And so...
Pain looked at Gensou, his tone, for the first time, wavering as he asked:
"What are the Infinite Tsukuyomi and the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
(End of Chapter)
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