When Shisui saw the Hidden Cloud ninja with a hole in his chest, he finally understood how Kakuzu had survived the loss of five hearts.
Yōzuki lifted Yugito onto her back, and she and Shisui swiftly departed from the scene.
Shisui and Itachi returned to the Hidden Cloud's outpost almost simultaneously. The entire camp was in chaos. Both Jinchuriki had been in perfect condition when they left, but now they had returned grievously injured. The twenty-some Cloud ninja Yugito had taken with her had been completely wiped out.
While Yugito's injuries weren't obvious from the outside, Killer B's condition was severe. His body was riddled with puncture wounds; if he weren't a Jinchuriki, he would already be dead.
Cee led a medical team to carry them away for emergency treatment.
Samui demanded to know what happened. "How could this be? What kind of enemies did the two of them encounter?"
"Yugito was attacked by two members of the Akatsuki," Shisui answered. "One was the famous bounty hunter, Kakuzu. Unfortunately, he escaped. We didn't recognize the other one, but we dealt with him. Yugito was already seriously wounded when we arrived. We'll have to wait for her to wake up to get the details."
Samui nodded anxiously and turned to Itachi.
"Killer B also ran into the Akatsuki," Itachi added. "There were five of them when I got there. They didn't engage me and retreated immediately. I didn't pursue them so I could bring Killer B back."
"We are in your debt," Samui said gratefully. "If it weren't for you, I fear both Jinchuriki would have been lost."
Shisui and Itachi responded with humility, but Yōzuki wore a smug expression. As expected, the Uchiha are the strongest. Fortunately, she kept the thought to herself.
Shisui pondered for a moment. "Given the current situation, the Hidden Cloud's best course of action is to fortify your defenses. If you venture out, you risk being picked off one by one."
Yōzuki chimed in, "As long as the Cloud ninja don't wander off, we Uchiha guarantee that no one from the Hidden Mist or the Akatsuki will threaten you before Yugito and Killer B recover."
Samui nodded in agreement. "Under the circumstances, we'll have to rely on you." Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for the Uchiha clan; otherwise, the situation would have been far more precarious.
At the Uchiha Compound.
After several days of travel, Kawasaki returned to the clan. He first handed Deidara over to Keimei to be placed under house arrest, then dispelled the Shadow Clone he had left in the compound. Fortunately, he had given instructions beforehand that he was not to be disturbed unless it was for an important matter, so the clone's disappearance caused no major disruption.
Kawasaki knew Ōnoki was growing impatient. He immediately sent a letter informing the Tsuchikage that they would meet at the border of the Land of Earth in seven days. He had already captured Deidara. The letter didn't specify what he wanted in return, only that they would discuss it in person.
He chose a seven-day timeframe because he had a prior arrangement with the Hidden Sand, who were scheduled to arrive then to retrieve Sasori of the Red Sand. Kawasaki was well aware of how important the Third Kazekage's remains and Sasori himself were to their village.
To his surprise, the Sand delegation was so eager that they arrived on the third day. The person who came was none other than Granny Chiyo.
Kawasaki led Chiyo into the meeting room, dispensing with pleasantries. He took out a storage scroll. "Granny Chiyo, this is the puppet made from your Third Kazekage."
With that, Kawasaki unsealed the scroll. With a puff of smoke, the puppet of the Third Kazekage appeared, still bearing the scorch marks from its last battle.
Chiyo's expression grew solemn. With a flick of her hands, invisible chakra strings shot out. The fallen Third Kazekage puppet twitched and rattled before standing up, releasing a large cloud of iron sand. The iron sand slowly levitated under the influence of the chakra converted by the puppet, forming various shapes before it.
Chiyo closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, her gaze was even more profound. "Indeed, Clan Head Kawasaki. This is without a doubt the body of the Third Kazekage."
She manipulated the puppet to retract all the iron sand before letting it fall to the ground. Taking out another storage scroll, she sealed the puppet inside. Chiyo then glanced around, as if searching for someone, but only she and Kawasaki were in the room.
Kawasaki shook his head. "Are you looking for Sasori, Granny Chiyo?" He then produced the cylindrical core component engraved with the character for "Scorpion."
A flash of astonishment crossed Chiyo's eyes. "Could this be...?"
"Yes," Kawasaki confirmed with a sigh. "This is your grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand."
Chiyo's expression shifted from surprise to sorrow. "So, this is what he has become. Has he truly gone this far?"
She took out a storage scroll from her robes, and upon unsealing it, two puppets appeared. They were modeled after a man and a woman. Kawasaki understood at once; these must be the "Father" and "Mother" puppets Sasori had created in his youth. Though the materials looked old, they were impeccably maintained, a clear sign of the care she had poured into them.
At the same time, Kawasaki released the seal on Sasori. A burst of chakra erupted from his core as it suddenly shot into the air, flying toward the "Father" and "Mother" puppets.
The head of the male puppet creaked and then spoke. "Old woman... why do you still have these puppets...?"
Sasori's words cast a deeper shadow over Chiyo's face. Instead of answering, she turned to Kawasaki. "Clan Head Kawasaki, please seal him again. I want to take him home."
Kawasaki had no intention of interfering with her decision. He placed a hand on Sasori's core.
The puppet controlled by Sasori stammered, "Uchiha... I will never... let this go..." Then, the puppet's head drooped, and its body went limp.
Chiyo silently packed away the two puppets and then carefully wrapped Sasori's core.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for significantly altering Chiyo's life trajectory.]
[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining: One's Own Life Reanimation Jutsu x1.]
Kawasaki's heart stirred. It seemed he would have a chance to use this jutsu even before learning it himself.
Just then, Chiyo produced a rather large scroll. "Clan Head Kawasaki, this is the secret scroll for the One's Own Life Reanimation Jutsu."
Her voice was tinged with exhaustion. Kawasaki accepted it and gave it a quick glance. Its complexity was immediately apparent, and he could tell it would be difficult to master. He wasn't worried about the Hidden Sand trying to deceive him; his ability to capture Sasori alive was proof of his strength. Still, he needed to confirm the conditions and principles of the jutsu with Chiyo herself. After all, no one knew it better than its creator.
By now, Chiyo had composed herself, her earlier grief no longer visible on her face. "Granny Chiyo, I only have a superficial understanding of this jutsu. Can it truly bring a puppet to life?"
Chiyo shook her head. "Although that was the original intention behind its development, even sacrificing one's life cannot grant life to a puppet. They have no soul. At most, it can grant them a certain level of intelligence, but it cannot be considered true life."
Kawasaki sighed. The jutsu was remarkable, but it couldn't bring Sasori's parents back from the dead. The ninja world was filled with countless tragedies, and Sasori's was just one of them. He and Chiyo both carried their own pain, their life paths diverging in different directions.
After a brief moment of reflection, Kawasaki began to question Chiyo in detail about the One's Own Life Reanimation Jutsu.
Kawasaki was incredibly efficient. He had promised to capture Sasori and had delivered, even bringing back the Third Kazekage puppet. In return, Chiyo explained every detail of her jutsu with complete transparency.
One's Own Life Reanimation was a forbidden technique that used all of the caster's chakra as a medium to transfer their life force to a target. If used on a dead person, the caster's chakra had to continuously sustain the target's soul until the caster themselves died. It was a jutsu that traded one life for another.
After Chiyo's explanation, Kawasaki realized his initial assumptions had been flawed. His idea of reviving someone with the Impure World Reanimation and then using this jutsu to bring them back to life was unfeasible. The One's Own Life Reanimation required the target's original body, whereas the Impure World Reanimation used a vessel with the original body only serving as a medium. Furthermore, if the body was incomplete, the success rate was extremely low, as it couldn't contain enough life force to complete the revival.
With that path closed, Kawasaki began to consider other uses for the jutsu.
Chiyo's explanation was thorough, and Kawasaki listened intently, as this knowledge was crucial for his future plans. He had to master it. With Orochimaru's gift for jutsu analysis and his own Sharingan working in tandem, he committed every intricacy of the technique to memory, which would surely accelerate his training later.
When Chiyo finished, she said, "Clan Head Kawasaki, you are young to be wanting to learn such a jutsu. I do not know your reasons, but life is precious. I hope you will use it with caution and never allow it to fall into the wrong hands."
Kawasaki knew the danger this jutsu posed if it were to leak. "Rest assured, Granny Chiyo. I will never reveal this technique to anyone."
Seeing his sincerity, Chiyo nodded without further questions. "In that case, I will take my leave." The relationship between the Sand and the Uchiha was decent, and Chiyo was a woman of her word.
Kawasaki offered a piece of friendly advice. "Granny Chiyo, it would be best for the Hidden Sand to stay out of the coming war between the Cloud and the Mist. Or at least observe for a while longer before making a decision."
"Oh?" Chiyo turned to look at him.
Kawasaki smiled. "Consider it a word of advice from an ally."
Chiyo understood he wasn't referring to the alliance between the Sand and the Leaf, but between the Sand and the Uchiha. She nodded. "I will remember that."
...
On the shipping routes between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, the sky was clear and the sea was calm.
A large fleet of Hidden Cloud ships sailed at full speed. The Cloud's advanced technology and superior naval expertise made them the fastest in the ninja world. A massive steam-electric hybrid vessel led the fleet, flanked by smaller escort ships. Behind them were transport ships of varying sizes, the smallest carrying fifty men, the largest up to two hundred, while the escort ships could hold around three hundred. The lead flagship alone could accommodate five hundred.
In total, the fleet carried approximately three thousand elite shinobi, all chunin-rank or higher. This was the Cloud's elite assault force, led by the Fourth Raikage, A, aboard the flagship. Following this vanguard was a second, weaker fleet composed mostly of genin, with their highest-ranking ninja being chunin. If the front line was successful, this second wave would quickly occupy civilian areas and systematically weaken the Hidden Mist's influence.
A messenger bird descended from the sky. A Cloud shinobi received the message and immediately delivered it to the Raikage in his temporary office on the flagship.
"Yugito and Killer B's assault teams broke through the Mist's vanguard on the first day and successfully made landfall. They then captured several outer islands before reaching their main target: the twin islands of Tsuzawa and Tsuren. The two split their forces, with Yugito attacking Tsuzawa and Killer B taking Tsuren.
Yugito was delayed by the Akatsuki. Her base was ambushed by the Akatsuki member Deidara, resulting in heavy casualties, but she ultimately defeated him. Killer B and his squad rushed back to provide support. After regrouping, the two forces rested for five days. During this time, members of the Uchiha clan eliminated Sasori of the Red Sand.
Afterward, Yugito led a team to scout Tsuzawa Island, while Killer B went to Tsuren Island alone. Yugito's team was ambushed, reportedly by Kakuzu of the Akatsuki. Meanwhile, Killer B was also ambushed by the Akatsuki, though the identity of his attackers is unknown.
Yugito was critically injured by an unknown force and is currently unconscious, but her life is no longer in danger after treatment. Killer B sustained multiple piercing wounds and was in critical condition, but he has now regained consciousness. Both were saved by members of the Uchiha clan. Our forces are now garrisoned at the base on Tsuzawa Island, awaiting your support."
Hearing that his brother had been seriously injured, the Raikage's fists clenched. He relaxed slightly upon learning that Killer B was awake. Sending two Jinchuriki as the vanguard had been a risky move, intended to seize the initiative. Though their landing had gone smoothly, they hadn't anticipated the sheer strength of the Akatsuki mercenaries hired by the Mist. If not for the Uchiha, the Hidden Cloud's losses would have been catastrophic.
As long as the Jinchuriki weren't dead, injuries were manageable. Their recovery rates were extraordinary; once conscious, they would heal quickly. With Killer B awake, a great weight was lifted from the Raikage's shoulders. Failing to capture the twin islands was a setback, but he wasn't willing to risk his brother's life any further.
The Raikage turned to Mabui. "Send a message to B. Tell them to hold their position and not to engage the enemy under any circumstances. Also, convey my gratitude to the Uchiha clan. We've been at sea for eight days, so news of our movements may have leaked. Order our spies to keep a close watch on the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Leaf. Report any unusual activity immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Just as the Raikage had predicted, after eight days at sea, news of the Hidden Cloud's massive fleet spread, shaking the entire ninja world. The smaller nations and villages were especially alarmed. The Cloud had mobilized at least five thousand shinobi, including both of their Jinchuriki and the Raikage himself, all heading for the Hidden Mist. This could only mean they intended to annihilate the Mist and conquer the Land of Water.
For now, the Cloud's two Jinchuriki were in a standoff on an outer island, seemingly waiting for the main army to arrive before launching their next offensive. By most estimates, the Cloud fleet was already halfway to its destination.
Ōnoki ordered his forces to prepare for war while sending an urgent hawk to contact Uchiha Kawasaki. In the Hidden Sand, Rasa had also intended to secretly mobilize his troops, but after receiving Kawasaki's message from Chiyo, he reconsidered and halted his plans, opting instead to dispatch a large number of spies. The Hidden Leaf also began recalling some of its elite jonin from missions abroad.
For a moment, the entire ninja world held its breath, waiting for the first major clash once the Cloud fleet reached the shores of the Hidden Mist.
...
Zetsu was still lurking two hundred meters beneath the sea. The immense water pressure limited his opportunities to venture out and gather intelligence. After several days of observation, however, he had gained some understanding of the massive jutsu formation the Mist had deployed on the seabed. This formation could disrupt the balance of water pressure, creating destructive waves on the surface—in other words, a tsunami.
It seems the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumī, is not to be underestimated, he thought. I wonder how much damage this will do to the Cloud's fleet.
The water pressure severely hampered sensory abilities, which allowed Zetsu to spy on Mei without being detected. However, for the past few days, Mei had been completely focused on the underwater formation, yielding little in the way of valuable intelligence.
Just as Zetsu was about to withdraw, Ao appeared. Fortunately, Ao didn't keep his Byakugan active at all times, or Zetsu would have been exposed.
"Lady Mizukage, Hibaku has managed to recall several talented ninja to our cause."
"Who are they?" Mei asked. She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, but the news of reinforcements seemed to invigorate her.
"Jūzō Biwa, Zabuza Momochi, and Mangetsu Hōzuki's younger brother, Suigetsu Hōzuki," Ao reported.
Mei's eyes lit up. "Excellent. Where did Hibaku find them?"
Ao's expression turned grim. "All three of them were members of the Akatsuki."
Mei was stunned. Zetsu, hidden beneath the seafloor, was equally surprised. What was happening? Hibaku was poaching members from the Akatsuki to bolster the Mist's ranks?
Ao's next words sent a shockwave through Zetsu.
"The Uchiha sent Itachi and Shisui to the front lines to assist the Hidden Cloud. In truth, both of them are Hibaku's spies."
Zetsu was so shaken that he inadvertently leaked a trace of his chakra. Ao instantly detected it.
"Who's there?!" Ao's Byakugan flared to life, spotting a humanoid chakra signature fleeing at an incredible speed, too fast to pursue. "Lady Mizukage, we were being monitored."
A chill went down Mei's spine. How long had she been watched? How much information had the enemy gathered? Which faction did they belong to?
Two hundred meters below the sea, Mei's face was grim. "I don't know who it was, but we have to activate the formation immediately."
Ao was reluctant. "Lady Mizukage, if we trigger the tsunami now, it won't be enough to completely wipe out the Cloud's fleet."
"We can't take that risk," Mei said, shaking her head. "If that was a Cloud spy, our preparations will be for nothing once they're alerted."