Chapter 87

Chapter 87

"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"

The fierce battle between Haruta and Kakuzu had escalated so much that the shockwaves were now affecting Shisui and Sasori’s fight as well.

Despite the sudden tremors, both shinobi quickly refocused, their long-standing grudge taking priority.

The black iron sand morphed into a rain of senbon, shooting toward Shisui like a deadly storm.

But instead of retreating, Shisui charged forward — a faint green chakra flickering around him.

Though he avoided fully summoning Susanoo due to the strain on his eyes, he still used a smaller version to protect his body.

The Mangekyo’s toll on my vision is too heavy… Shisui thought grimly, forming a series of hand seals.

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

A fiery dragon roared through the air, surging straight toward Sasori’s Third Kazekage puppet.

Clang, clang, clang!

At the same time, the iron sand senbon shot through the flames, clashing against Shisui’s protective chakra armor with sharp, metallic echoes.

Despite the numbing pain in his eyes, Shisui pressed on.

To fight a puppet master… the key is to get in close.

He knew that being caught in a puppet user’s long-range attacks could be deadly.

"You’re too naive."

Sasori scoffed, instantly controlling the Third Kazekage puppet to lift him into the air.

But just as he began to ascend, he noticed something strange — Shisui’s speed had suddenly doubled.

In the blink of an eye, Shisui was right beside him, his movement faster than even the flames he had just launched.

What the—?

Without hesitation, Sasori’s wrist compartment snapped open, revealing a hidden blade.

Buzz—

He swung at Shisui without a second thought.

But the moment the blade connected… something felt off.

Not the real body?

Two more Shisui figures suddenly appeared at Sasori’s sides, moving in perfect unison with the first.

Their chakra signatures felt completely real — indistinguishable from the original.

Genjutsu? Shadow clones? Or is this just pure speed…?

Sasori couldn’t tell.

To his shock, in mere moments, Shisui had surrounded him — flames ahead, illusions (or clones) flanking him on both sides.

Trapped.

"Magnet Release: Iron Wall!"

Without wasting time, Sasori encased himself in a rotating barrier of iron sand — a defensive maneuver honed through countless battles.

Damn turtle, Shisui cursed inwardly as his blade struck the sand, sending a jolt through his arms.

The Third Kazekage’s Magnet Release was indeed formidable.

But what irritated Shisui more was Sasori’s immunity to genjutsu.

Despite several attempts to catch Sasori’s gaze, the puppet master never faltered.

Even the Mangekyo’s illusions — powerful enough to bend the minds of most shinobi — seemed useless here.

Why won’t he fall for it?

Shisui withdrew, realizing this battle required a new approach.

"You’re running out of tricks, kid," Sasori sneered.

He emerged from his iron sand defense, readying the Third Kazekage puppet once more.

"You may be fast — but you’re not strong enough.

Now, it’s my turn."

Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!

In an instant, the iron sand expanded, forming a massive prison of sharp spikes, enclosing Shisui in every direction.

Blades of iron darted through the air, a deadly dance aimed straight at him.

"Die."

As the Third Kazekage puppet raced forward, Sasori prepared to finish the job — but Shisui didn’t even glance at the puppet.

Instead, his Mangekyo Sharingan focused solely on Sasori himself.

Now.

With a quiet whisper, the green chakra surrounding Shisui flared.

The skeletal form of Susanoo expanded, its ribcage splitting open.

Blood trickled from the corner of Shisui’s eye — but his gaze remained firm.

"Susanoo: Thousand Needles!"

From the open chest of Susanoo, countless chakra senbon erupted, a storm of deadly projectiles raining down on Sasori.

"What the hell is this jutsu…?"

Sasori’s calm demeanor cracked.

The sheer volume of attacks — combined with the unrelenting force of Susanoo — threatened to pierce even his hidden puppet core.

If even one needle hits my core…

With a swift motion, Sasori activated every defensive mechanism in his arsenal.

Hidden weapons clashed against the chakra senbon. His puppet armor shifted, layering itself over his chest.

The Third Kazekage puppet retreated, using its iron sand to form an additional shield.

BOOM—

Before the barrage could fully strike, a sudden explosion shook the battlefield.

A violent blast of fire and wind surged from Haruta and Kakuzu’s fight, the shockwave splitting Shisui and Sasori apart.

Both turned, momentarily stunned by the scene.

In the distance, flames shot skyward, casting a hellish glow across the battlefield.

Smoke churned, obscuring everything — except for the massive, flaming Wood Dragon slowly rising into the air, radiating pure, unrelenting power.

The ground, already cracked and broken, seemed to sink even further.

Shisui and Sasori exchanged a single thought:

"This… is a jutsu worthy of ending an era."

"So this is the Kamui dimension?"

Inside the distorted space, Obito launched a relentless assault on Kakashi, while Kakashi dodged swiftly, his gaze constantly scanning their surroundings.

Obito had no intention of fighting him in the real world — the moment their battle began, Kakashi was pulled into this warped dimension.

Strangely, Kakashi didn’t resist much. A closed-off space like this was actually better suited for their confrontation — both physical and verbal.

"Obito, calm down."

Kakashi's voice was steady as he evaded another strike.

"Stop this. There’s no meaning in what you’re doing. It won’t change anything. Come back."

"Shut up!"

Obito's voice was sharp with rage.

"I didn't come here to listen to your lectures. You have no right to talk down to me — you useless failure!"

His attacks grew faster and more aggressive.

Kakashi was forced back, barely keeping pace.

Seeing this, Obito sneered.

"So this is what you’ve become?

The so-called genius ninja of Konoha — reduced to this?"

Kakashi didn’t respond, a dull ache twisting inside him.

The sound of clashing metal filled the Kamui dimension — kunai striking against Obito’s black rods in rapid succession.

Their Mangekyo Sharingan eyes mirrored each other — both wielding only one, their visual prowess evenly matched.

But while Kakashi still clung to hope, Obito fought without hesitation, every strike aiming to kill.

"What are you really trying to do, Obito?"

With the addition of Uchiha Obito, this lineup was enough to put any hidden village on high alert.

"Is this organization only recruiting rogue ninja?"

After staying silent and playing a minor role in the fight, Tenzo suddenly spoke up, and Yugao nodded in agreement.

"Uchiha Obito is a rogue ninja from Konoha, Sasori of the Red Sand is a rogue ninja from Sunagakure, so that assumption isn't wrong. But what about the guy who fought Haruta—"

"Most likely, he's a rogue ninja from Takigakure."

Haruta smiled at Yugao and directly answered the question.

"When I fought him earlier, I noticed some black, tentacle-like appendages appearing on his body.

At first, I didn’t think much of it, but as the battle went on, I suddenly recalled—it seemed to be Earth Grudge Fear."

"Earth Grudge Fear?"

Tenzo blinked in confusion, looking curious. The newcomer, Uchiha Itachi, pondered for a moment before responding.

"I recall reading about it in a book before. It was once a treasured technique of Takigakure, but it was lost a long time ago."

"That's right. Since it was lost, it makes sense that it ended up in that guy's hands."

Haruta nodded and continued.

"Also, I believe you all know that Kakuzu has been a legendary bounty ninja for years, but very little concrete information exists about him.

That's because anyone who has ever fought him… has died. As a result, almost no intelligence on him has ever been passed around. Now that I think about it—"

"He's been keeping his identity as a rogue ninja secret while also hiding information about Earth Grudge Fear."

Shisui understood immediately, his gaze turning deep and contemplative.

"It really does seem like an organization composed entirely of rogue ninja… A truly dangerous one."

Being a rogue ninja in the shinobi world was not easy. They constantly had to evade pursuit from their former village, as well as bounty hunters and mercenary organizations looking to cash in on their heads.

Even if they sought refuge in another village, they had to remain constantly on guard.

And even if a rogue ninja wanted to join another village, there was no guarantee they would be accepted.

Possessing valuable intelligence might grant them consideration, and those with powerful abilities or Kekkei Genkai were more welcomed, but such cases also came with complications.

Even if a rogue ninja was accepted, how they were viewed and utilized was a serious issue.

They could be treated as bargaining chips in diplomatic negotiations, used for breeding purposes to pass on unique bloodlines, or even subjected to experimentation as research material.

For these reasons, very few rogue ninja sought employment in other villages. Most either went into hiding, avoiding the public eye entirely, or sought refuge in underground organizations capable of providing protection, allowing them to survive in the shadows.

This was precisely why Haruta, after dispelling Danzo’s curse seal, had chosen not to flee. Rather than living a life of constant fear and wandering, he preferred to stay put and enjoy his life as a Konoha government official.

Not to mention… Konoha had plenty of pretty girls.

"Alright, let's stop talking about Kakuzu."

Haruta seemed uninterested in spending too much time on him. He thought for a moment before decisively changing the topic.

"Do you have any other intelligence? Right now, I can confirm that this organization is likely operating within a small nation, but I still don't know exactly where."

"I did gather some information during my fight with Obito."

Kakashi pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.

"He seems deeply fixated on the past, constantly muttering things. I don’t fully understand his words, but—"

Kakashi then repeated what Obito had said—phrases like ‘This world is fake,’ ‘It’s all the world's fault,’ and ‘I will break this world.’

As soon as he finished, everyone present instinctively turned to look at Haruta.

Other than Uchiha Itachi, every member of this squad had been involved in the mission to track down Obito. Even Itachi had some general knowledge of the situation.

And these words… didn’t they completely align with Haruta’s prior speculation about Obito?

"He really is an extremist."

Haruta shook his head, sounding somewhat regretful.

"But this information alone is still too little. However, we can make some bold assumptions."

"Assumptions?"

Yugao blinked in curiosity and asked,

"Then, what do you think he intends to do?"

"I believe… his target is the Tailed Beasts."

"What?!"

Haruta’s words stunned everyone present.

But soon after, they began to cool down, realizing that this wasn’t an impossible scenario.

"Six or seven years ago, Uchiha Obito was able to control the Nine-Tails. Doesn't that imply he could control other Tailed Beasts as well?"

Haruta carefully chose his words before speaking again, his tone turning solemn.

"And he's been emphasizing ‘this world is fake’ and ‘he must break this world’. It’s likely that, in his mind, the shinobi village system and ninja themselves should not exist. So—"

"He wants to destroy everything… both the villages and the ninja?"

Kakashi's face paled, and Haruta nodded grimly.

"In order to accomplish that, he would need overwhelming power. His decision to join a rogue ninja organization was likely because he recognized the collective hatred these rogue ninja hold for their former villages.

Regardless of their reasons for defecting, they all harbor resentment toward their villages. If he can recruit them, they all become potential combat assets in the future.

And as for the Tailed Beasts… there’s no need to explain. They are the ultimate strategic weapons of every village. The reason he chose to attack Konoha six or seven years ago—"

"Was it because he held a grudge against Konoha?"

Yugao couldn’t help but interject.

"I remember you saying he blamed the Fourth Hokage for failing to save Rin in time. Coupled with his hatred for the village, and the fact that Konoha had the Nine-Tails…

He might have seized that opportunity to get revenge on the village and the Fourth Hokage while also capturing the Nine-Tails?"

"If we look at it that way… it makes perfect sense."

Shisui's gaze turned sharp and intense.

"If the Fourth Hokage hadn’t risked his life to protect the village and sealed the Nine-Tails with his own death, Uchiha Obito might have actually succeeded!

That bastard… Why didn’t that boulder just crush him back then?!"

"..."

Kakashi opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, no words came out.

Thinking about it carefully, if Obito really had died back then… perhaps none of this would have happened.

At the very least, he would still be Konoha’s hero.

"It seems our priorities have shifted."

Seeing that everyone had accepted this new perspective, Haruta nodded.

"Our mission has now expanded. In addition to investigating Kusagakure, we also need to gather intelligence on Uchiha Obito.

At the very least, we need to identify what this organization is and where it came from."

"That makes sense. But… how do we go about it?"

Tenzo looked at Haruta curiously, and Haruta responded with a confident smile.

"This organization was likely hired by Iwagakure. If you've read the reports, you’d know that Iwagakure frequently hires mercenary ninja groups to handle tasks they can’t do themselves.

Since our next target is Iwagakure… we just need to capture someone important from Iwa to extract more information."

"In that case, our target has to be Kitsuchi…"

"..."

Upon hearing Haruta’s words, everyone couldn't help but swallow nervously.

This guy had just captured the Fourth Raikage not long ago…

And now he was setting his sights on the Third Tsuchikage’s son?

Was he trying to start a war between the villages?!

But… they had no choice.

Kitsuchi was their best lead.

"Damn it!"

In a hidden cave within the Land of Grass, Obito’s figure staggered as he appeared, his expression beneath the mask particularly grim.

"That damn brat!"

"Calm down, Obito."

At that moment, a pitcher plant-like form emerged from the ground beside him. Seeing Obito in a fit of rage, Black Zetsu sighed and attempted to soothe him.

"At least you made it back. But you really should reconsider Kakashi’s eye."

"Hmph..."

Obito was already frustrated, but at the mention of Kakashi’s eye, his anger only grew.

At the last moment, Kakashi had tricked him using a Lightning Clone, which had cost Obito dearly.

Not only that, but the eye he had given Kakashi had been used against him—an act that had severely disrupted his space-time technique.

When he had tried to throw Kakashi out of Kamui’s dimension, Kakashi had used that very eye to counteract his ability, causing an unexpected spatial interference.

And at that crucial moment… that bastard Haruta had arrived.

"Don’t be too upset. That eye was yours to begin with."

Seeing Obito remain silent, Black Zetsu shook his head and sighed.

"You should now understand how much you’re at a disadvantage without that eye.

And there’s something strange about Haruta. Otherwise—"

"Yeah… there was a very peculiar energy. That white creature was forced out and killed by him."

Obito nodded. When Haruta had appeared, Obito had been paralyzed by Kakashi’s Lightning Clone’s residual electric current.

If not for the fact that half his body was infused with White Zetsu’s cells, allowing him to forcefully regain some control—

Haruta’s attack could have pierced straight through his heart.

More importantly, at the moment of impact, he had distinctly felt a foreign energy invading his body.

And then, a White Zetsu clone that had been attached to him was inexplicably forced out.

Fortunately, the sudden emergence of White Zetsu had momentarily distracted Haruta, giving Obito just enough time to retreat back into Kamui’s dimension.

However, that White Zetsu had been swiftly killed by Haruta.

"Will this cause any problems?"

Obito frowned, his voice lowering.

"I recall that Uchiha Madara mentioned those white creatures were cultivated from Hashirama Senju’s cells. If one of them is captured…"

Now you’re realizing the problem?

Black Zetsu looked at Obito, speechless for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Your use of Wood Release has already been exposed. At this point, the capture of a White Zetsu doesn’t make much difference. There are only two likely outcomes."

"What do you mean?"

Obito was confused, prompting Black Zetsu to patiently explain.

"One possibility is that Haruta turns it over to Konoha. Konoha would then worry about whether they could replicate it, which would make things even worse for you.

The other possibility is that Haruta keeps it for himself—which he has every reason to do. After all, he belongs to the Senju Clan, and keeping something derived from Hashirama’s cells would be logical for him.

Even if he doesn’t need to transplant anything, since he already possesses a similar ability, he could still study it to enhance his own power.

And if that happens, the next time you face him…"

Damn it… is there no good outcome?!

Hearing this, Obito fell into frustrated silence.

It seemed that anything involving Haruta only led to more misfortune and trouble.

And yet… why did it always seem like the one suffering the most misfortune was him?

Thinking back, even Uchiha Madara never had the upper hand against Senju Hashirama.

Was this some kind of damn destiny?!

"Forget it, let’s not dwell on this. No matter what that guy does, we’ll find a way to deal with it later."

Shaking his head hard, Obito tried to rid himself of the bad luck that seemed to be clinging to him.

"By the way, what about Sasori and Kakuzu? Are they still alive?"

"They’re alive. They managed to escape," Black Zetsu nodded. He hesitated for a moment, but after some thought, he decided to speak.

"By the way, there’s something you need to know."

"What is it?"

"Haruta has already linked you to the Akatsuki."

"That’s not surprising, but it doesn’t prove anything. Who’s to say I didn’t join for my own reasons?"

"But he’s already convinced of it. And he’s also roughly pinpointed the Akatsuki’s location."

"..."

"He completely ruled out the Five Great Nations and has narrowed it down to the smaller surrounding countries. Obito, this situation just got a lot more complicated."

A Forest in the Land of Grass

Sasori and Kakuzu, both in a miserable state, ran into each other.

Upon seeing their equally battered teammate, they fell into a moment of silent understanding.

Sasori looked particularly rough—his entire body was in tatters, and he was missing an arm.

However, it hadn’t been severed by an enemy. Rather, he had used it to defend against Shisui’s attack, but Haruta’s assault had hit him in the process.

At that moment, Sasori had already decided to retreat. He had retrieved the Third Kazekage puppet and abandoned everything else to flee immediately.

As for Kakuzu, he was just as badly off—his Akatsuki cloak was gone, his body was covered in severe burns, and parts of him showed eerie indentations.

The masks on his back were almost entirely shattered, leaving him with only one remaining!

They had never seen each other in such a pitiful state before.

Moreover, they had each fled without even thinking about the other, which made their reunion somewhat awkward.

"...Looks like you made it out too."

After a long silence, Sasori finally spoke in a quiet tone. Kakuzu, on the other hand, seemed relieved.

"Yeah. And it looks like you did too. This mission better come with extra pay!"

"Definitely," Sasori nodded. Seeing that Kakuzu didn’t want to talk about it any further, he also didn’t bother wasting words.

"I lost too many puppets. I’ll need a hefty sum to replace them."

"Hmm…"

Kakuzu nodded as well. Money was his greatest obsession—he’d risk his life for it.

"Did you gather any intel?"

"That brat’s Mangekyō Sharingan is terrifying. He’s far more powerful than expected… and his abilities are much stronger than we imagined."

Sasori trailed off, his mind replaying the image of Shisui’s towering chakra giant.

That kind of offense and defense combined into one… It was more effective than his puppets, which frustrated him greatly.

"What about you? Any intel on Haruta?"

"Haruta… or rather, Senju Haruta," Kakuzu muttered bitterly.

"He’s strong. Too strong. His combination of Flying Thunder God and Wood Release leaves me completely helpless. At least for now, I can’t think of a way to counter it."

Saying this, Kakuzu fell silent and subconsciously touched a pouch at his waist.

At that moment, a certain memory surfaced in his mind—

He had just barely escaped a blazing wooden dragon’s attack, but even though he had dodged, he was on the brink of collapse.

And then… Haruta had suddenly appeared right in front of him.

A kunai landed beside him, and Haruta spoke soundlessly.

Being an experienced ninja, Kakuzu easily read his lips:

"I hear you’re a bounty hunter. Working in an organization like this has no future. How much do you even make per month?"

"Is it really worth risking your life for just that much money?"

"And even if you want to make money, you have to take on jobs and work yourself to the bone. Is it really worth being a workhorse for this crappy organization?"

"Right now, I have an offer for you—300,000 ryo per month, guaranteed. All you have to do is feed us information."

"If you agree, pick up the kunai and walk away. If not, I’ll send you on your way myself."

"Make your choice."

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