Chapter 67: The Parasite (Patreon)

“Huff! Huff!”

Hatake Kakashi practically threw himself out of the tower. He collapsed into a puddle, gasping violently. Fear and the strain of pushing past his limits made sweat stream down his face like rivulets.

His legs were almost numb. From his feet to his thighs, they were covered in charred marks. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably; one could even see the dark red burns beneath the skin. Clearly, he had used Lightning Release chakra to stimulate his body to escape, not even given the chance to use Earth Style: Mud Wall.

So, the others...

Bang!!

A sickening, ear-ringing bone-cracking sound erupted. Two figures were instantly sent flying backward, crashing toward him. Kakashi instinctively reached out to catch them, sliding back several steps before stabilizing.

Frowning, he looked down at the two familiar faces, a mix of shock and relief washing over him. Hyūga Kumokawa and Yamato. The former was merely exhausted; the latter had a hole pierced through his abdomen, as if a chunk had been gouged out.

Right, Rotation doesn't require hand seals. Kumokawa even saved Yamato!

He now had a basic understanding of that guy's abilities. Though troublesome, with Kumokawa's help... maybe there was still a chance...

“Kakashi... senpai...”

The ‘Hyūga Kumokawa’ he caught spoke, his voice hoarse from exhaustion. “Run... Lord Hanzō and the Amegakure ninja are about to attack!”

Hearing this, Kakashi felt as if he had been doused with cold water, instantly sobering. Hanzō was swayed by that guy. Just me and Kumokawa can't handle so many enemies.

Kakashi staggered to his feet, looking back into the tower.

'Damn it! That sudden intruder... If not for him, the alliance between Konoha and Amegakure would be sealed! And now... the dozen or so men I brought... are probably all dead.'

The sounds inside the tower gradually faded. Kakashi realized any later would be too late. Gritting his teeth, he supported the two injured comrades and fled into the rain.

Meanwhile, inside the tower, Hanzō led the Amegakure ninja back in. They instinctively twitched their nostrils, smelling the overwhelming metallic stench. Many paled slightly.

What they saw was a scene of grotesque crimson. Like a fountain of blood from a slashed artery, thick, scarlet blood had flooded and swallowed the floor. Everyone instinctively looked up. Under the moonlight, the shadow-woven web hung silently in the air. Cruel, evil, bloody, savage... yet possessing a twisted, perverse beauty.

A few Konoha ninja, still clinging to a shred of life, hung in the air, bound by pitch-black shadows, struggling. They found they couldn't muster any chakra, couldn't break free, and could only curse weakly. But as the shadows slowly crept up from their feet, enveloping their bodies, their curses turned into muffled whimpers and pleas, finally becoming a chilling, dead silence.

Everyone could smell the predatory, vicious aura emanating from above. That terrifying, suffocating presence pressed clearly upon them, enough to make one tremble, clench their teeth in fear, and flee.

“……”

Hanzō took a deep breath, as if trying to exhale the chill in his chest along with the overwhelming scent of blood.

“Are your words to be trusted?” He looked up at the dark figure above, his voice low. “We can purchase supplies at a ten percent premium over black market prices. But what you said last...”

The Land of Rain and Amegakure never lacked money. Their steel industry was actually quite developed. Moreover, Amegakure's assassination skills were renowned. Many were accustomed to hiring Amegakure ninja for such work, so they naturally had no shortage of missions and bounties in peacetime.

However, the Land of Rain lacked grain. In peacetime, they could buy it. But during war, trade would be cut off, and they couldn't purchase grain at any price. Even if merchants dared take risks, Amegakure couldn't afford prices inflated several times over.

If this Hyūga Kumokawa—or rather, this "Kage"—truly could provide grain, they really would dare to fight the Five Great Nations to the end. But what Hanzō cared about most was the intruder's final words.

“You mentioned... a youthful body and greater power?”

Hyūga Kumokawa discreetly stored the flesh and blood taken from Yamato into a scroll, then stepped onto the intangible shadow. Under the wary, fearful gazes of the crowd, he descended step by step from the heights.

They finally got a clearer look at him—a long, flowing black robe covering his entire body, the face within the deep shadows still unseen.

Meeting Hanzō’s gaze, which was clouded yet still sharp, Kumokawa stopped before him and spoke softly, smiling. “Don't move.”

As his words fell, he reached out toward Hanzō. Beside him, Shinda’s expression changed, and he was about to step forward to stop it. But Hanzō’s calm voice halted him. “Do as he says.”

Shinda and the others froze. Simultaneously, Hyūga Kumokawa placed his hand on Hanzō’s shoulder.

The next moment, black, winding lines spread from his palm, crawling up Hanzō’s body. This was the reduced version of Kāma.

Like the complete Kāma, it possessed the ability to absorb and release ninjutsu, while also incorporating certain effects of the Strength of a Hundred Seal and the Cursed Seal of Heaven. In simple terms, it couldn't yet replicate a complete genetic file like Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki, but it could achieve a parasitic existence on the chakra and soul level.

Similar to how Minato and Kushina sealed part of their chakra within Naruto in the past, Hyūga Kumokawa could also directly communicate with the bearer of the Kāma through its chakra. With this technique, Kumokawa could accomplish many things and discreetly contact those he couldn't approach with his true face...

Buzz! Buzz!

Feeling the gentle yet domineering chakra flowing into his body, Hanzō frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but his words caught in his throat. Because in his stunned expression, something white began to writhe and grow from his shoulder...

“Ahhh!!”

Accompanied by a terrified, shrill scream, first a head, then a torso—a white, humanoid creature twisted and grew out.

“What the hell is this?!”

Both the white humanoid thing and Hanzō simultaneously voiced their shock and fear. Hanzō didn't know what it was, but Kumokawa knew perfectly well.

White Zetsu.

It had been parasitizing Hanzō’s body, monitoring him and transmitting intelligence, remaining dormant for years. Until... this sudden intruder...

“How is this possible?!”

White Zetsu twisted its form continuously, squeezed out like white liquid from Hanzō’s body, emitting human-like cries, its white face full of terror. “What the hell are you?!”

That black substance, though seemingly similar to chakra, had actually forced it out of Hanzō’s body! It was a creation born from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and Hashirama’s cells! Yet that chakra felt even more vicious and domineering than Hashirama’s cells!

It was as if the black energy saw Hanzō’s body as its own territory, allowing no foreign objects to remain.

“That’s my question to ask!”

Before White Zetsu could get a response, it was seized by the throat by a furious Hanzō, who brutally yanked it completely out of his own body.

“What the hell are you?”

Hanzō stared at it, his expression savage. “How were you inside me? Since when...?”