Chapter 362: A Deal and a Withdrawal

Chapter 362: Chapter 362: A Deal and a Withdrawal

Akatsuki’s retreat was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Hyuga Kagami was still considering what attitude he should adopt toward Akatsuki’s withdrawal when, in the blink of an eye, every last Akatsuki member had already vanished.

And so, the only ones left on the battlefield were Hyuga Kagami and the Allied Forces, staring at each other in awkward silence.

Facing the Third Hokage, the Fourth Raikage, and Jiraiya in Sage Mode, Kagami naturally felt more than a little uneasy.

The truth was, he had already lost his ability to fight.

The newly generated Tenseigan chakra that he had painstakingly squeezed out of his body was now being used entirely to resist the invasion of natural energy.

Therefore, if the Allied Forces discovered his current condition, then even if Shisui openly turned against them on the spot, he might still be unable to protect Kagami and break through the encirclement under the watchful eyes of the Hokage, the Raikage, and Jiraiya.

Moreover, Shisui had already severely overdrawn the ocular power of his Mangekyo Sharingan earlier when he rescued Jiraiya from Nagato’s Chibaku Tensei.

At this point, even Kagami couldn’t tell how much fighting strength Shisui still had left.

Seeing that the leader of Kamigami remained standing where he was, with neither any intention of pursuing Akatsuki nor any sign of withdrawing, the Allied Forces—who had only just breathed a sigh of relief after Akatsuki’s retreat—immediately grew tense once more.

Holding the Adamantine Staff in his hand, the Third Hokage furrowed his brows deeply, his gaze fixed firmly on Hyuga Kagami.

This joint surprise attack had ended in a crushing defeat.

While blaming himself for the failure, the Third Hokage was also considering how they should deal with Akatsuki in the future.

In his estimation, Akatsuki had already grown so powerful that one or two ninja villages alone could no longer handle them. Therefore, using Kamigami to keep Akatsuki in check—allowing these two mysterious organizations with dubious intentions to oppose and restrain each other—had become the Third Hokage’s only viable choice.

It was precisely because of this that, even though only the leader of Kamigami stood opposite them while the Allied Forces had the advantage in numbers, the Third Hokage had no intention of taking the initiative to attack.

If the Allied Forces fought Kamigami head-on at a time like this, Akatsuki would be the only one to benefit.

At that moment, the Fourth Raikage stepped forward and roared at Hyuga Kagami, "What? You still want to fight us? Fine! Then let me see just what you’re capable of!"

Unlike the Third Hokage, the Fourth Raikage clearly hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Akatsuki had already withdrawn, yet the Two-Tails’ jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, was still nowhere to be found. This left him extremely anxious. On top of that, he had just been tied down by Hiruko and left in a thoroughly miserable state, leaving him with a bellyful of pent-up anger that he was itching to vent.

Jiraiya hurriedly stopped the Fourth Raikage and said quietly, "Lord Raikage, please don’t act rashly. The natural energy surrounding him is extremely dense. There’s a good chance he’s already entered some form of Sage Mode. Based on my experience, ordinary ninjutsu and taijutsu probably won’t have much effect on him right now!"

Fukasaku, perched on Jiraiya’s shoulder, nodded lightly and said with a grave expression, "Mm. Little Jiraiya is right. That man can use senjutsu on his own, and he can even command natural energy on such an enormous scale. If I remember correctly, the last person capable of something like this was Konoha’s First Hokage, Hashirama Senju!"

Shisui, standing off to the side, sensed that something wasn’t right.

Knowing both Hyuga Kagami’s circumstances and his personality, Shisui understood that Kagami had no reason to remain on the battlefield any longer.

The fact that Kagami was still standing there could only mean one thing.

Something had probably gone wrong with his body.

Facing the Allied Forces opposite him, Kagami showed no sign of panic. He knew that the more dangerous the situation became, the more important it was to remain composed.

After pondering briefly, he spoke.

"Everyone, on behalf of Kamigami, I’d like to propose a deal."

He needed a reason to justify remaining on the battlefield, so after a quick turn of thought, he casually proposed a deal.

He hadn’t carefully considered whether this deal was actually feasible. All he needed was to stall for a little more time, because he had already sensed a familiar chakra signature approaching.

A trace of surprise flashed across the Third Hokage’s face when he heard this, though it disappeared almost instantly. He asked solemnly, "What kind of deal?"

Hyuga Kagami smiled. "It seems your surprise attack against Akatsuki has failed. That proves you don’t have the ability to wipe them out on your own. So the deal I’m proposing is very simple. As long as you’re willing to pay the right price, Kamigami can accept your commission and assist you in eliminating Akatsuki!"

The members of the Allied Forces exchanged doubtful looks. Clearly, none of them had expected the leader of Kamigami to make such a proposal.

The Third Hokage’s expression remained grave. He neither accepted nor rejected the offer.

A decision concerning Konoha’s very survival was not something that could be made on the spur of the moment, nor was it something he alone could decide.

At that moment, two figures descended from the sky, landing on either side of Hyuga Kagami.

The newcomers were none other than Uchiha Itachi, clad in a black cloak and wearing a mask patterned with flames, and the Third Kazekage human puppet, similarly dressed in a black cloak but wearing a mask patterned with raging winds.

"Kamigami’s ’Homura’... and that mysterious Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai user?"

The Third Hokage’s gaze sharpened as he secretly raised his guard.

The other members of the Allied Forces also grew solemn. Even the usually overbearing Fourth Raikage was no exception.

After all, the Fourth Raikage had fought this particular Kamigami duo before. Back then, he and Killer B had launched a surprise attack with a Tailed Beast Ball, yet they still hadn’t gained the slightest advantage.

So the Raikage knew very well just how formidable these two Kamigami members were.

Hyuga Kagami smiled calmly.

"You should give the deal I just proposed some serious consideration."

With that, Hyuga Kagami waved his hand.

At his signal, the Third Kazekage human puppet immediately manipulated his iron sand, forming an enormous pair of black iron sand wings behind him. Carrying Kagami and Itachi, he soared into the sky.

Everyone on the ground, including the Third Hokage, secretly breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the three members of Kamigami gradually disappear into the distance, shrinking into a tiny black speck before vanishing entirely.

"Search the battlefield and rescue any survivors!"

The Third Hokage quickly issued orders to the Konoha shinobi around him.

At his command, the Konoha shinobi immediately scattered. Some began searching the battlefield for any intelligence Akatsuki might have left behind, while others searched for survivors and tended to the wounded.

The Fourth Raikage also barked an order at the Kumogakure shinobi beside him. "Search! Search every inch of this place! Even if you have to tear Amegakure apart, find Yugito!"

Hearing the Fourth Raikage’s furious roar beside him, Jiraiya sighed softly.

Kumogakure, which had always been one of the most domineering forces in the shinobi world, had suffered a tremendous loss this time. If they ultimately failed to rescue Yugito, then what Kumogakure stood to lose would be far more than just a perfect jinchuriki.

In truth, losing a jinchuriki alone wouldn’t seriously cripple a Great Ninja Village.

After all, selecting someone who was at least barely qualified to become a jinchuriki wasn’t particularly difficult for a Great Ninja Village. Given ten years at most—or perhaps only five or six—they could restore that fighting strength.

But losing the Tailed Beast itself was an entirely different matter.

That would truly strike at the very foundation of a village. Even a ninja village as powerful as Kumogakure would struggle to bear such a loss.

And in Jiraiya’s estimation, since Akatsuki had learned of the Allied Forces’ surprise attack beforehand, there was an overwhelming chance that they had already moved the captured Yugito somewhere else.

Therefore, Kumogakure’s chances of finding Yugito anywhere in Amegakure were probably close to nonexistent.

Walking over to the Third Hokage, Jiraiya asked, "Sensei, where are the others?"

There had been at least ten ANBU squads following the Third Hokage earlier, numbering more than forty shinobi. Yet now, including the three members of ANBU Team 11, there were barely a dozen Konoha shinobi left on the battlefield.

That was why Jiraiya couldn’t help but ask.

The Third Hokage merely shook his head, his expression somber.

Jiraiya froze for a moment before asking in confusion, "With you here, how could the casualties possibly be this severe?"

At that moment, the Third Hokage’s face suddenly flushed red, and he broke into a violent coughing fit.

Seeing crimson blood seeping through the gaps between the fingers covering the Third Hokage’s mouth, Jiraiya hurriedly asked, "Sensei, you’re injured?"

"Keep your voice down!" After pausing to steady his breathing, the Third Hokage lowered his voice and said, "Do you remember that Akatsuki member from earlier—the one wearing the single-eyed spiral mask?"

Jiraiya nodded repeatedly.

Obito’s bizarre method of appearing on the battlefield had left a particularly deep impression on him.

With an exceedingly grim expression, the Third Hokage said, "Not only does he possess a strange Space-Time Ninjutsu, he also possesses the First Hokage’s Wood Release Kekkei Genkai!"

"What!?"

Jiraiya was genuinely stunned.

Having grown up hearing stories of the First Hokage’s heroic deeds, Wood Release held an almost sacred place in Jiraiya’s mind. It was a Kekkei Genkai that could practically be regarded as a symbol of Konoha itself.

He simply couldn’t imagine that a member of Akatsuki—an organization bent on overturning the order of the shinobi world—could possess such a Kekkei Genkai.

After recovering from his shock, Jiraiya asked the Third Hokage, "Just who is he?"

The Third Hokage shook his head. "During our fight, I tested him several times, but he clearly noticed what I was trying to do and deliberately used the Uchiha clan’s taijutsu and throwing techniques."

As the famed "Professor of Ninjutsu," the Third Hokage could glean a great deal of important information from an ordinary exchange of blows—details that most others would never even notice.

However, because Obito had previously abducted Naruto and framed Shisui in an attempt to provoke internal conflict between the village and the Uchiha, the Third Hokage had subconsciously ruled out the possibility that Obito himself was an Uchiha.

As a result, during his battle with Obito, every trace of the Uchiha style that Obito displayed was mistakenly interpreted by the Third Hokage as deliberate misdirection.

Jiraiya speculated, "Could he be a member of the Senju clan?"

The Third Hokage replied solemnly, "It’s also possible that he was transplanted with the First Hokage’s cells."

"But didn’t all of the village’s previous transplantation experiments end in failure?" Jiraiya paused, then muttered to himself, "If even Konoha couldn’t accomplish it, then how could they possibly..."

Halfway through his sentence, Jiraiya suddenly fell silent.

He had remembered Hiruko—the man he had just seen whose appearance had changed beyond recognition, and who hadn’t even bothered to greet him.

Hiruko had managed to develop a forbidden technique like the Chimera Technique, which could devour Kekkei Genkai. Compared to that, successfully transplanting the First Hokage’s cells no longer seemed particularly impossible.

"We have to inform Tsunade about this," Jiraiya said.

The Third Hokage nodded as well.

As a direct descendant of the First Hokage, Tsunade certainly had the right to know that Wood Release had reappeared in the shinobi world.

And perhaps they could even use this matter as an opportunity to persuade Tsunade to return to Konoha.

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

Kakashi pressed both hands against the ground and shouted, "Summoning Technique!"

Poof!

After a burst of white smoke, eight ninken of various sizes appeared before him.

Kakashi said to the group of ninken, "Sorry to trouble you, but help me search for Kagami. There’s a good chance he’s buried somewhere beneath these ruins!"

"Hyuga Kagami?" Pakkun stuck out his tongue and said with some difficulty, "That guy is always erasing his own scent. Even for us, finding him isn’t easy!"

Kakashi could only say, "Please, I’m counting on you!"

Pakkun looked around at the surrounding area. "There are ruins everywhere. Which pile was he buried under?"

Hearing this, Kakashi turned toward Shisui.

Left with no other choice, Shisui vaguely pointed toward the ruins of the tower where Hyuga Kagami had been earlier and said, "I think... somewhere around there!"

...

While the members of Team 11 were trying to dig Hyuga Kagami out of the ruins, high above them, Kagami weakly instructed Itachi beside him, "It’s not convenient for me to show myself right now. Disguise yourself as me, infiltrate Amegakure, and rendezvous with Shisui."

Itachi asked worriedly, "Senpai, is your body all right?"

Although the Sharingan didn’t possess the ability to see through such things, Itachi’s keen instincts alone were enough for him to sense that something was seriously wrong with Hyuga Kagami’s body.

Hyuga Kagami said calmly, "It’s nothing serious. I can handle it myself, but I’ll need you to impersonate me for a while!"

The Transformation Technique was indeed one of the most basic techniques taught to beginner shinobi, and the vast majority of ninja knew how to use it.

But using it to deceive experts like the Third Hokage and Jiraiya was something very few people could accomplish.

Within the village, there were probably only a handful of people capable of using the Transformation Technique to impersonate Hyuga Kagami well enough to fool the Third Hokage—people like Shisui and Itachi, who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan and could perceive every minute detail, allowing them to execute a flawless transformation.

Itachi said nothing more and immediately leaped from the Third Kazekage human puppet.

Flying through the sky was beyond Itachi’s capabilities, but descending safely from such a height was no difficult task for someone who had mastered the Crow Clone Technique. There was therefore no need for the Third Kazekage human puppet to risk descending to the ground.

After Itachi left, Hyuga Kagami pondered for a moment before instructing the Third Kazekage human puppet to alter course slightly.

Just like Jiraiya and the others, Kagami was curious about what exactly had happened to Sunagakure.

An entire battle had taken place, yet not a single Suna shinobi had been seen anywhere.

Following Kagami’s instructions, the Third Kazekage human puppet flew toward the sector Sunagakure had been responsible for attacking.

High in the sky, Kagami forced his Byakugan open and swept his gaze across the ground below.

The earth was riddled with craters, with corpses scattered everywhere in disarray.

Blood mingled with the falling rain, staining even the puddles across the battlefield a pale shade of red.

"Looks like Sunagakure’s group was intercepted too!"

No sooner had Hyuga Kagami finished remarking on it than he spotted a familiar figure.

It was none other than Sunagakure’s Fourth Kazekage.

But at this moment, the Fourth Kazekage was in a miserable state. His entire left arm was gone, and he lay motionless in a puddle, his condition unknown.

Not far from the Fourth Kazekage lay another large, heavyset man.

The man was dressed like a Kirigakure shinobi and was also covered in blood, sprawled on the ground. Beside him was a massive blade that looked very much like Samehada.

Expanding his field of vision, Hyuga Kagami then noticed another Kirigakure shinobi farther away.

The man was limping, seemingly badly injured, and was slowly making his way into the distance...