February 4, Year 60 of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Near the city of Dune in the Land of Wind.
Shishou, now sporting a full beard and standing at 1.8 meters, was resting inside a desolate mining pit. Although purchasing a black market mining operation was his cover story for Uchiha Itachi, he genuinely intended to buy a copper mine in Dune City. He had spent the past few days inspecting several mining sites.
"When will Black Zetsu finally show up?" he wondered.
To limit Black Zetsu's Mayfly Technique, Shishou had chosen the sparsely vegetated Land of Wind. He had coated the surrounding plants and ground with a network of his Phosphor Beetles' nano-threads, creating a detection field. Now that his Phosphor Beetles had evolved into a legendary species, they could survive in the air indefinitely unless attacked by jutsu. If Black Zetsu appeared nearby, Shishou would detect him immediately and infiltrate him with the Phosphor Beetles.
This invisible Phosphor Beetle web was extremely convenient but very time-consuming to set up, making it suitable only for ambushes. However, the plant life in the Land of Wind was incredibly sparse, which frustrated Shishou as he had yet to detect any sign of Black Zetsu. He had already encountered several White Zetsus, but they were swiftly devoured by his Phosphor Beetles as soon as they emerged from the ground.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu was also growing impatient. The Mayfly Technique allowed him to merge with the earth and plants, moving swiftly through organic networks like roots and underground water. However, the desert environment of the Land of Wind, with its scarce water and plant roots, rendered this technique almost useless. Black Zetsu could still merge with the earth to move, but his efficiency in finding or escaping from targets was severely compromised.
"Why did that idiot come to a place like this?" grumbled White Zetsu as he emerged halfway from the sand.
"Stop complaining. Have any other White Zetsus found him?" Black Zetsu asked.
"No idea. Without plant roots and underground water, we can't contact the other White Zetsus," replied White Zetsu before submerging into the desert to search elsewhere.
Suddenly, Shishou, who had been meditating, opened his eyes. His Phosphor Beetle web had caught a prey.
"Found him!" Shishou exclaimed.
On a withered tree nearby, Black Zetsu emerged, elated to have located Shishou, and prepared to notify Pain.
"Ah!" A scream echoed as White Zetsu fully appeared on the tree, his body covered in dark purple spots. Recognizing the symptoms, he immediately realized he was poisoned by Shishou.
"Have I been discovered?" Black Zetsu detached himself from White Zetsu, transforming into a black liquid to separate from the poisoned parts.
In an instant, Shishou appeared before Black Zetsu, clapping his hands together.
"Wood Release: Wood Pillar Prison Technique!"
Seeing Shishou, Black Zetsu attempted to escape into the desert but found himself trapped. Surrounding him were wooden walls inscribed with black sealing runes, forming a sealed space that cut off his connection to the earth.
"Why can't I sense the earth? Why can't I merge with these wooden walls?" Black Zetsu was horrified, encountering such a situation for the first time.
Seeing Black Zetsu's expression, Shishou chuckled and discarded the now-ash sealing talisman in his hand. This talisman, the enhanced version of the one he had used to stroll through the Hidden Leaf Village with the Fourth Hokage's soul, was called the Sealing Isolation Talisman. Created with the accumulated power of the priestess shrine in the Land of Demons over generations, it was incredibly rare and expensive to produce. Even the priestess herself couldn't make it without Shishou's financial support.
This talisman could block Shishou's connection to his Flying Thunder God mark and sever the link between the dead and the Pure Land. Using it to isolate Black Zetsu from the earth was a piece of cake. However, its powerful effect consumed a significant amount of chakra, draining Shishou's reserves at a rapid rate. Even with his vast chakra pool, Shishou could only maintain the technique for a few minutes, which was more than enough to kill Black Zetsu ten times over.
"Your target is me!" Black Zetsu realized Shishou's true purpose, understanding that Shishou wouldn't have used such a perfect countermeasure otherwise.
Without wasting words, Shishou summoned countless Phosphor Beetles, now mimicking flying insects, to attack the black liquid form of Black Zetsu.
"Ahhhh!" Black Zetsu screamed in agony, unable to use Wood Release and severed from the earth.
"Damn it!!!" he cursed one last time before being completely devoured by the Phosphor Beetles.
"You think you can fool my eyes?" Shishou activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, detecting a tiny thread of Black Zetsu hiding in a crevice.
"Mangekyo Sharingan! You have the Mangekyo Sharingan!" Black Zetsu was terrified, recognizing Shishou's eyes.
Without responding to Black Zetsu's shock, Shishou snapped his fingers, annihilating the remaining fragment of Black Zetsu. The greatest manipulator in ninja history was now dead.
After meticulously scanning the area with his Phosphor Beetles to ensure no trace of Black Zetsu remained, Shishou released the Wood Release barrier and stepped out. On the ground, only fragments of White Zetsu's body parts were left.
"So, you've killed Black Zetsu," came a voice from a few meters away.
Obito Uchiha appeared, holding the severed head of White Zetsu. He felt no particular emotion at Black Zetsu's death. In fact, he was somewhat grateful to Shishou for eliminating Black Zetsu, who represented 'Madara's will.'
"He survived," Shishou remarked, surprised to see the half-head of White Zetsu still alive.
Obito casually tossed the head and said, "Yeah, plant it, and it can be reused."
"Plant it, and it can still be used."
Hearing Obito's words, Shishou was speechless and looked at the remaining half-head of White Zetsu as if it were a magical creature.
"Tsk tsk, this White Zetsu, created by Madara himself, can still survive with just a head. Is it because of Hashirama's cells, White Zetsu's unique traits, or both?" Shishou pondered.
"Hey, you bastard, stop tossing me around!" White Zetsu's half-head loudly protested from Obito's hand.
"Hahaha," a mocking laugh came from Uchiha Obito.
"It's you, Tobi! Just you wait!" White Zetsu's half-head was furious but helpless.
"Hahahaha..." Swirly Zetsu laughed even louder.
Ignoring the two White Zetsus, Shishou looked at Obito with some confusion, "You don't seem to be planning to make a move?"
Obito nodded and pointed behind Shishou, "Because they are your opponents."
As soon as he finished speaking, Obito entered the Kamui dimension and disappeared.
Shishou turned around and saw six figures with orange hair and Akatsuki cloaks standing on a giant bird.
The Six Paths of Pain had arrived!
...
A figure with an orange ponytail jumped off the giant bird; it was the Animal Path of the Six Paths of Pain.
Although Pain's intention was to recruit Shishou, Nagato believed that someone as powerful as Shishou would not willingly join Akatsuki without being subdued first.
"Summoning Jutsu: Rhino!"
With a puff of smoke, a giant rhino appeared beneath the Animal Path, charging towards Shishou.
"Hmph, testing me with the Animal Path?" Shishou quickly guessed Nagato's intention and waved his hand, sending hundreds of Phosphor Beetles disguised as insects towards the giant rhino.
To Shishou, these giant summoned beasts were mere snacks!
The beetles swarmed the rhino, rapidly multiplying and devouring it.
The Animal Path, with Rinnegan eyes, observed the beetles on the rhino and realized their nature. "So it's not a poison, but nano-sized venomous beetles!"
The Animal Path leaped into the air, performing another summoning.
"Summoning Jutsu: Hell Crab!"
With another puff of smoke, a giant crab appeared beneath the Animal Path.
"Water Release: Bubble Hell!"
The Hell Crab immediately sprayed bubbles at the beetle swarm, destroying all the nano beetles. However, the beetles inside the rhino continued to devour it from within.
"Summoning Jutsu: Flaming Elephant!"
The Animal Path summoned a massive elephant with a flaming trunk.
Seeing that the combat-oriented summons were ineffective against Shishou's nano beetles, the Animal Path switched to jutsu-using summons.
"Fire Release: Trunk Blaze!"
The elephant's trunk spewed flames towards Shishou.
Indeed, nano beetles were king within a living organism but vulnerable in the external environment, similar to cancer cells.
Shishou was not concerned about Nagato discovering the beetles' weakness; it was inevitable in front of the Rinnegan.
While Obito didn't have time to observe them due to the surprise attack, Nagato had enough time to figure it out.
However, Shishou was not afraid to face Nagato's summons head-on.
He put on a mask and performed hand seals.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
Wooden walls emerged from the ground, protecting Shishou from the elephant's flames.
"Summoning Jutsu: Hellhound!"
"Summoning Jutsu: Bull!"
"Summoning Jutsu: Centipede!"
The Animal Path summoned three more giant beasts.
The beasts charged at Shishou as soon as they appeared.
Then, the Animal Path summoned a chameleon and disappeared into its mouth.
"Tsk, this is getting annoying," Shishou muttered, disappearing and reappearing at a distance.
He placed his hands on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Nightmare Tapir!"
A gigantic tapir appeared at Shishou's feet, letting out a loud trumpet sound.
The Nightmare Tapir's body began to swell, growing larger and larger until it towered over the battlefield. Shishou's Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly, accelerating the transformation.
High-speed growth and transformation were one of Shishou's unique abilities with his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Soon, the Nightmare Tapir had transformed into a massive, armored beast, larger than any of Pain's summoned creatures. Its black armor gleamed menacingly in the harsh sunlight.
The Nightmare Tapir roared, its deep, resonant voice shaking the very ground beneath it. It charged forward, its enormous feet causing tremors with each step.
The summoned beasts from the Animal Path tried to intercept it, but the Nightmare Tapir's sheer size and power were overwhelming. It swatted them aside like flies, sending them crashing into the surrounding landscape.
...
In the Hidden Sand Village, inside the Kazekage's office.
"Kazekage-sama," a Sand ninja reported urgently, "we have received an emergency request for assistance from the town of Sakyu. They say there is a massive battle nearby and they need immediate help."
Fourth Kazekage Rasa didn't even look up from his documents. "Send Baki to handle it."
The Sand ninja hesitated, "Kazekage-sama, the town's leader specifically requested your presence."
Rasa finally looked up, surprised. "My presence?"
The ninja handed Rasa a photograph taken by a reconnaissance hawk. The image showed several gigantic summoned beasts, each impaled with black rods.
Rasa's eyes widened in shock. These were not ordinary summons. Given their size and the fact that they were controlled by someone, it was no wonder the town leader was desperate enough to call for him personally.
"Prepare a message hawk. Inform the town leader that I am on my way," Rasa ordered, standing up and preparing to mobilize his forces.
"Kazekage-sama, there is more information," another Sand ninja burst into the office, holding another photograph.
Rasa looked at the new image and froze in shock. The picture showed an enormous, fully armored beast - Shishou's Nightmare Tapir in its battle-ready form.
Seeing the massive, armored figure, Rasa knew this was no ordinary conflict. "This creature... It's even larger than the previous ones."
The other Sand ninjas gasped at the sight, realizing the gravity of the situation. The monstrous summon, clad in dark armor, looked more formidable than even a Tailed Beast.
Rasa knew this battle required his immediate attention. "Assemble a team. We leave for Sakyu immediately."
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