"Who brought Uchiha Obito back to life?" Tsunade asked, thinking it over. "And why does he have Wood Release?"
"Under normal circumstances, an Uchiha shinobi wouldn't awaken Wood Release," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, a thought stirring in his mind. "Could it have been Shimura Danzo?"
Aside from natural awakening, Wood Release could only be obtained by transplanting Wood Release cells. Obito's Wood Release was impressive, but it was nowhere near Kitazawa's—there was no way it had awakened naturally.
"It has nothing to do with Shimura Danzo," Kitazawa shook his head, clearing the "Pot Shadow" of suspicion.
"If it wasn't Danzo… then could it have been Uchiha Madara?" Jiraiya recalled how Obito had claimed to be Madara, and couldn't help asking.
"Impossible!" Hiruzen said without hesitation. "Uchiha Madara couldn't have escaped from the First Hokage's hands!"
"Izanagi," Kitazawa reminded them.
"What?" Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Tsunade all looked stunned.
Izanagi was the Uchiha clan's ultimate dōjutsu. Though it had long been forbidden, they had all heard of it.
"No wonder…" Tsunade's face brightened with realization. "If Madara orchestrated all of this, then it actually makes sense."
Jiraiya and the others nodded in agreement.
After all, that was Uchiha Madara—an absolute powerhouse who had helped Senju Hashirama pacify an age of chaos.
"Here's what really happened." Kitazawa began from the moment Madara faked his death, and explained all the way up to the Akatsuki's Eye of the Moon Plan.
He did not mention Black Zetsu or Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
It was too earth-shattering.
Besides, letting them know now would do nothing but increase their fear and anxiety.
"As expected of Uchiha Madara… to awaken the legendary Rinnegan," Jiraiya said in amazement.
"Even more terrifying is that he laid the groundwork for so many years, trying to live again and dominate the shinobi world," Hiruzen said, still shaken.
In his view, the Eye of the Moon Plan's purpose was to seize control of the shinobi world.
If everyone fell into Madara's genjutsu, then they would be nothing more than meat on his chopping block.
"Thank goodness we have Kitazawa," Tsunade exhaled, lingering dread still in her chest.
If Kitazawa hadn't been here, the Akatsuki would probably have collected all nine tailed beasts.
Then Madara would revive, become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki—and the shinobi world would have no strength left to resist.
"At this point, Kitazawa is basically the second 'God of Shinobi,'" Jiraiya said with a sigh, yet he still felt something was off.
Logically, a threat like Madara—something that endangered peace itself—should have been dealt with by the Child of the Prophecy.
So why was it Kitazawa instead?
"That's the whole story." Kitazawa put away Obito's corpse and said, "I suggest we keep this from spreading. Otherwise, it could destabilize Konoha."
Hiruzen and Tsunade immediately understood.
Kitazawa meant Kakashi—and the Uchiha clan.
If they announced publicly that the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails incident and the Akatsuki was Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito, it would put them in an incredibly awkward position.
Especially the Uchiha clan. The village's shinobi and civilians would no longer trust them.
There was no way around it—both Madara and Obito carried the name Uchiha.
Who could guarantee there wouldn't be a third Uchiha who would bring disaster to Konoha?
"I agree with your suggestion," Hiruzen nodded.
If he were still Hokage, he would definitely keep the Uchiha under watch.
But the Hokage now was Kitazawa. With his strength, he could suppress the Uchiha outright if he had to.
"Then we'll announce that the Akatsuki were defeated by Konoha and have all been captured," Kitazawa said with a light chuckle.
"Those seven tailed beasts—what are you going to do with them?" Jiraiya suddenly remembered and asked. "Return them to the other villages?"
"They'll have to pay a price in exchange," Hiruzen said with a genial smile.
The shinobi world had already fought three great wars. Every village carried blood-deep grudges that couldn't be reconciled.
He had no intention of simply handing the tailed beasts back.
"And if they refuse to pay?" Kitazawa asked.
"The tailed beasts are taboo to every village. They must pay," Hiruzen said firmly.
"But we can't go too far," Jiraiya said grimly. "If it triggers a Fourth Great Shinobi War, the world will drown in blood. It won't be worth it."
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue.
Because he knew words alone wouldn't change their minds.
If that was the case, then he'd simply let the other villages ignite the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
Tsunade glanced at him instinctively.
Knowing Kitazawa, he probably wasn't going to obediently return anything.
Was he planning to extort them hard… or go to war?
"Since we're done talking, I'm leaving. I'm retired now," Tsunade waved a hand.
Whatever Kitazawa planned to do had nothing to do with a retired Hokage like her.
"I'm retired too," Hiruzen said just as decisively. "I won't disturb you. I'm going back to the academy to teach. If anything comes up, handle it yourselves."
Like Tsunade, he turned and left.
"Looks like I'm no longer needed either," Jiraiya snapped back to himself. "See you next time."
He vanished on the spot.
He planned to return to Mount Myōboku and ask the Great Toad Sage.
"He really ran fast," Shizune muttered.
"Let's go," Kitazawa smiled. "We still have a lot of cleanup to handle."
He immediately used Flying Thunder God, returning with Shizune and Yūhi Kurenai to the Hokage Building.
"You two talk. I'll go back to my office," Kurenai said, knowing her place, and left.
After all, she was in charge of the film and media department.
The aftermath here had nothing to do with her.
"Shizune-senpai," Kitazawa instructed, "have the engineering division restore the battlefield immediately."
"Understood," Shizune replied at once.
"Keep the captured Akatsuki members locked up for now. Later, have Nagato persuade them to surrender," Kitazawa continued. "If they refuse to join Anbu, kill them."
Most of the Akatsuki's recruits were rogue ninjas with blood on their hands.
If they couldn't be used by Konoha, they had no reason to live.
"And what about Nagato?" Shizune nodded and asked.
"Put him in charge of Anbu," Kitazawa paused, then added, "With him in Anbu, I can keep an eye on him."
"I understand. I'll take care of it now." Shizune turned and left.
The door closed.
Kitazawa took a deep breath.
Only now did he finally have time to look at the system tasks he had completed.
[Current Mission: Capture Uchiha Obito.]
[Reward: Kamui.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa couldn't help but smile.
The reward this time was extremely generous—Double Kamui.
Though both were Kamui, their effects differed.
The left-eye Kamui—meaning the Mangekyō ability from Kakashi Hatake—could warp targets from long range into a separate dimension, and could also teleport the user in and out of that dimension.
In the original story, Kakashi used Kamui to warp off Deidara's arm and even the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's arm.
The right-eye Kamui—Obito's Mangekyō ability—was best known for "intangibility."
In essence, it sent parts of the user's body into the Kamui dimension, causing enemy attacks to pass through harmlessly.
It could also suck targets into the Kamui space, and store ninja tools there in advance for instant use later.
Its weakness was that it only lasted five minutes, and the user had to become tangible to attack.
But compared to its advantages, those weaknesses were hardly worth mentioning.
As long as the opponent didn't possess space-time ninjutsu, Kamui made coming and going effortless.
But Double Kamui had even more absurd effects.
First, the speed of self-teleportation and target-warping increased drastically.
Second, the user could continuously open spatial gates with Kamui to enter other dimensions.
Most shocking of all: Double Kamui could even work against Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Kitazawa suppressed the urge to test Double Kamui immediately.
Because there were two more system tasks.
[Current Mission: Merge the Akatsuki into Konoha.]
[Reward: 50% Ōtsutsuki bloodline.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
[Current Mission: Capture Black Zetsu.]
[Reward: 40% Ōtsutsuki bloodline.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
As the six lines of text appeared before his eyes, Kitazawa immediately felt an overwhelming surge of chakra inside his body.
This sudden increase in chakra could no longer be measured in ordinary units—it felt limitless.
He clenched his fist instinctively.
His chakra reserves now rivaled those of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
[Host's Ōtsutsuki bloodline has reached 100%. Byakugan has evolved into Tenseigan.]
Kitazawa's eyes widened. As expected.
In the original story, the Tenseigan was an evolved form born from Ōtsutsuki chakra combined with the Hyūga clan's Byakugan.
Now that he met both conditions, he naturally obtained the Tenseigan.
A massive flood of information poured into his mind.
The Tenseigan was essentially on the same tier as the Rinnegan.
It had many abilities—many of them terrifying.
For example: controlling attraction and repulsion, creating spiritual orbs that could dominate a target's mind, summoning Hamura's stone statue, and granting puppets life.
But the most powerful of all was Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
In that mode, one could control bead-like orbs similar to Truth-Seeking Balls and wield Yin–Yang Release.
Techniques like the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion and Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion—
with power great enough to shatter the moon.
Kitazawa immediately activated the Tenseigan.
He quickly sensed the Ōtsutsuki Hamura statue on the moon, as well as the massive Tenseigan itself.
There were two forms of the Tenseigan.
One was his—an individual evolution.
The other was created by gathering the dōjutsu power of countless Byakugan into a single gigantic Tenseigan.
On the moon, Hamura's descendants had split into a main branch and a side branch.
The side branch gathered the strength of the entire clan to build a giant Tenseigan and wiped out the main branch.
But it was a mutual destruction strategy.
In the end, only one person remained on the moon: Ōtsutsuki Toneri.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin.
Now that he had both the Rinnegan and the Tenseigan, dealing with Toneri would be effortless.
"In a couple of days, I can take a trip to the moon," Kitazawa murmured.
His plan was to have Hyūga Hinata awaken the Tenseigan before the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
That way, she could make her name in the war with the Tenseigan's power.
Kitazawa stood up and used Kamui.
In the next second, he appeared inside the Forest of Death.
He immediately switched to the Tenseigan.
He silently activated Tenseigan Mode, and his body floated into the air.
At the same time, green chakra enveloped him.
Kitazawa extended his hand, and a green spiritual orb formed in his palm.
In the original story, Toneri used this orb to control a target's body and will.
No exaggeration—if you were hit by it, you'd become a walking corpse.
Kitazawa thought about it, then dispersed the orb.
There was no target nearby to control.
He continued testing the Tenseigan's abilities.
Meanwhile, Konoha grew incredibly lively.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and the Thousand-Armed Kannon statue were simply too huge—so huge that every villager and shinobi in Konoha could see them.
At first, no one knew what had happened, and panic spread.
But once Anbu circulated the news that Kitazawa had defeated the Akatsuki—
the mood flipped instantly.
Konoha celebrated like it was New Year, cheering Kitazawa's victory.
But where some rejoiced, others worried.
Konoha had plenty of spies from the other great villages.
They witnessed the same shocking scene.
After a moment of stunned silence, they hurried to send urgent reports back home.
The afternoon arrived.
Kumogakure—Raikage's Office.
The Fourth Raikage, Mabui, Dodai, Samui, and other jōnin gathered.
Before them, an Anbu ninja described the battle between Kitazawa and Nagato.
It wasn't extremely detailed, but it was enough to make everyone's faces change—shock written all over them.
"He's a second Senju Hashirama," Mabui said gravely.
The Fourth Raikage sighed inwardly and nodded.
He had always been proud, unruly—bowing to nothing and no one.
But now he had to admit it.
Not long ago, he had suffered a crushing defeat at Nagato's hands. Both Killer B and Yugito Nii had been captured.
He'd lost the confidence he once had.
And from the intelligence reports, Nagato hadn't even gone all-out back then—
for example, that terrifying Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Now Kitazawa had beaten Nagato, which meant Kitazawa could also beat him.
In other words, there was no one in the entire Cloud Village who could match Kitazawa.
"So what do we do now?" Samui asked after a long silence.
"We've lost two jinchūriki. Our strength has dropped sharply—if we face Konoha head-on, we have no chance," Mabui said, grief flashing in her eyes.
Yugito was her childhood friend.
Killer B was also someone she knew well.
"Based on Konoha's usual style, we should be able to negotiate a deal with them," Mabui paused, then continued. "If that fails, we pressure them by uniting with the other villages."
"Do you have any better option?" the Fourth Raikage asked, looking at Dodai and the others.
"No," Dodai and the rest shook their heads helplessly.
"Mabui, contact Konoha immediately. See what their attitude is," the Fourth Raikage ordered.
"Yes, Raikage-sama," Mabui responded at once.
"And just in case… prepare for war," the Fourth Raikage said in a low voice.
Everyone looked heavy-hearted.
In past shinobi wars, Kumogakure had always been confident.
But this time… life and death were uncertain.
Iwagakure—Tsuchikage Building.
"If Grandpa hadn't ordered you back to Iwa, you'd already be a prisoner of Konoha," Kurotsuchi said, glancing at Deidara.
"Kitazawa is seriously terrifying," Deidara said, still shaken.
He had always feared nothing—but he knew exactly how strong Nagato was.
He never imagined Nagato would lose to Kitazawa, much less that the entire Akatsuki would be wiped out.
"From what we've seen, he's probably another Senju Hashirama," Ōnoki rubbed his temples, utterly troubled.
He didn't know Hashirama's exact strength—
but he knew Madara's.
Back then, Uchiha Madara alone had beaten him and his teacher, the Second Tsuchikage, to near-death.
"Make two preparations," Ōnoki said to Kitsuchi. "Send people to contact Konoha—and send people to contact the other villages."
Kirigakure—Mizukage's Office.
"You're sure this intel is true?" Mei Terumī asked instinctively after hearing the report.
"It's true," the Anbu ninja replied. "Many people saw it with their own eyes."
"How is that possible…?" Mei clenched her fist without thinking.
How had Kitazawa's strength grown so fast?
Now he had even defeated Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan.
Across the shinobi world, there might not be a second person capable of matching him.
"Good thing we're allied with Konoha," Ao said after a pause. "And we previously traded with them to get the Six-Tails back."
"All we can do now is send someone to contact Konoha," Mei shook her head. "This time, we'll have to pay a hefty price again."
Even though she had communicated with villages like Kumogakure, she still didn't want war with Konoha.
Kirigakure hadn't yet recovered from the era of the Bloody Mist.
"Yes, Mizukage-sama," Ao turned and left.
"Please… let this go smoothly," Mei said with a worried expression.
Ever since she became Mizukage, she hadn't had a single easy day.
Sunagakure—Kazekage's Office.
"That damned Kitazawa—he broke his promise!" Chiyo said irritably.
According to Suna's intelligence, Gaara had already recovered.
But every time they contacted Konoha to retrieve him, it was like shouting into the void.
"And the bigger problem is that Kitazawa defeated the Akatsuki," Rasa said absentmindedly.
If the intel was true, then with Kitazawa's strength, he could probably flatten Sunagakure single-handedly.
"How could Konoha produce a monster like that?" Ebizō felt it was absurd.
"This isn't just about Kitazawa anymore. It's also Hiruzen, Tsunade, Jiraiya—an entire lineup of powerhouses," Chiyo said, exhausted. "Even Kitazawa's students are strong… and they're only eleven or twelve."
The Kazekage's office fell into dead silence.
In the end, Rasa, Chiyo, and the others made essentially the same decision as Kumogakure and Iwagakure—
trade first, then watch the situation, and consider forming a united front with the other villages.
The sun dipped toward the horizon.
Kitazawa glanced at the sky and headed to Konoha Hospital.
After an afternoon of experiments, he had mastered Double Kamui and the Tenseigan.
He quickly arrived at Nagato's room.
He knocked twice and stepped inside.
"Kitazawa," Konan stood up instinctively when she saw him.
"Nagato, how's your body?" Kitazawa nodded to her, then looked at Nagato on the bed.
"Without the Demonic Statue, my body is slowly recovering," Nagato took a deep breath, then couldn't help asking, "Did you take control of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?"
Konan also looked at Kitazawa with curiosity.
She knew a bit about the Demonic Statue—only the Rinnegan could summon it.
Kitazawa thought for a moment, then activated the Rinnegan.
"It really is the Rinnegan?!" Nagato's eyes widened.
Konan's expression also turned to shock.
"You… how do you have the Rinnegan?" Nagato asked reflexively.
"I awakened it myself," Kitazawa paused, then changed the subject. "I plan to bring you into Anbu. What do you think?"
"I'm fine with it," Konan said, regaining herself.
"Anbu?" Nagato thought briefly. "What do you want us to do?"
"Monitor the shinobi world, and maintain peace," Kitazawa answered.
Nagato froze for a moment, then agreed.
"You can start work tomorrow," Kitazawa added. "Nagato, you can rest two more days."
"I'll learn Edo Tensei first," Nagato nodded.
What he wanted most right now was the truth behind his parents' deaths.
"That's fine," Kitazawa said, then asked, "Any requirements for housing?"
"None," Nagato said indifferently. "We can live anywhere."
"Then stay in the Anbu dorms," Kitazawa took out two keys and handed them over. "The room numbers are on the keys."
"Thank you," Konan accepted the keys and looked—only to find it was the same Anbu dorm she used to live in.
Warmth rose quietly in her chest.
"Kitazawa," Nagato suddenly remembered something. "I want you to protect Amegakure."
"I'll send Jiraiya-sama there," Kitazawa considered, then said.
"Thank you," Nagato immediately felt at ease hearing Jiraiya's name.
Kitazawa sensed something subtle.
In the original story, Jiraiya died in Amegakure.
Now it would be the other way around—he would go protect it.
Fate really was unpredictable.
"Then I'll go. See you tomorrow," Kitazawa turned and left the room.
As he walked, he considered the final spoils of the battle: the seven tailed beasts, and what to do with them.
He had no interest in becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, so there was no need to have the Demonic Statue devour all nine.
Besides, with the system, it was only a matter of time before his strength surpassed even that.
"Should I distribute them?" Kitazawa rubbed his chin.
To make full use of a tailed beast, you had to seal it inside a jinchūriki.
The first person that came to mind was Kakashi Hatake.
If Kakashi didn't become a jinchūriki, he couldn't maintain two Mangekyō Sharingan.
Next was Uchiha Sasuke.
Kitazawa had originally planned to give him the Yin Nine-Tails, but on second thought, it would be a waste.
Sasuke couldn't reconcile with the Yin Nine-Tails the way Naruto could.
Better to give him some other tailed beast—enough to solve his chakra shortage.
As for true growth in strength, that would ultimately depend on the Rinnegan.
And beyond them…
his students could also become jinchūriki.
~~~
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