Uchiha Seiryu [169-174] (Patreon)

Chapter 169: The Rebellion Begins (Part 1)

Following Tobi's directions, Uchiha Seiryu found his subordinates and relayed to them the mission he had just received from Mei Terumi.

Under Masato Satake, there was a team of 15: besides him, there was one special jonin, four chunin, and the remaining ten were genin.

They had all been persecuted under the previous Bloody Mist policy. Two of the genin in the team had only graduated last year, and if Mei Terumi hadn't secretly rescued them during the graduation exam, they would have died on the exam floor.

"Is everyone clear about the mission?" After assigning tasks, Seiryu looked at his subordinates.

"Understood." Everyone nodded in unison, hope shining in their eyes. One of the genin, named Yanokawa, couldn't help but ask, "Captain, if we succeed, we can go home, right?"

"Yes," Seiryu smiled, "Once we overthrow the Bloody Mist regime, we can return to our villages."

After saying this, Seiryu stood up, locked the doors and windows, and returned to his team, his expression turning serious. "I've covered the general mission. Now, let's discuss our team arrangements."

At his words, the group appeared confused. Did they have special assignments?

"For this mission, we must preserve our strength as much as possible, even at the cost of the mission's progress. Understood?" Seiryu deliberately lowered his voice.

"Why?" asked the special Jonin.

"Because we need to ensure that Lady Mei Terumi can ascend to the position of Mizukage without issue," Seiryu said. "If our teams, directly under Lady Mei, suffer heavy losses in the attack on Kirigakure, wouldn't that let others take advantage? Momochi Zabuza and Hoshigaki Kisame have as much power as we do, and their tasks in this operation are easier."

"But didn't Lady Mei say the Mizukage position would only be decided by vote after victory?" the special jonin pressed.

"Yes, by vote. But if we die during the attack, who will support Lady Mei afterwards?" Seiryu patiently explained. "Aside from Lady Mei, can any of you guarantee that, if the other rebel leaders become Mizukage, they will truly end the Bloody Mist regime? Don't forget how Zabuza and Kisame obtained their swords."

As Seiryu finished, the room's atmosphere grew heavy. He was right: both Zabuza and Kisame became Seven Ninja Swordsmen by killing their predecessors. Zabuza even slaughtered his classmates during the graduation exam. Would people like that really bring a stable future if they became Mizukage?

"That's why we must ensure Lady Mei can ascend to Mizukage after this," Seiryu said.

"Is this Lady Mei's order or...?" the special Jonin hesitated.

"Of course, Lady Mei wouldn't give such a direct order. But as her subordinates, how can we forget her kindness? Remember how you survived in Kirigakure."

"I understand," everyone nodded.

"Go back and prepare," Seiryu said.

"Yes!"

After everyone dispersed, Black Zetsu appeared again. Seiryu smiled and said, "Ancestor, there must be other White Zetsu disguised as ninja among the rebels. Use the same lines I used—just tweak them a bit—and it's enough to throw them into chaos."

"What if these rumors are discovered by their leaders?" Tobi asked curiously.

"Does it matter if they realize?" Seiryu smiled. "Once the seed of doubt is planted, it doesn't matter what grows from it."

...

Soon, during the three days the rebels prepared to attack Kirigakure, rumors began circulating in every squad. When squads led by different leaders met, all previous trust was gone.

Although Mei Terumi noticed this strange phenomenon, she had no idea why it was happening.

Everything was developing exactly as Seiryu anticipated.

Meanwhile, on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire, Kakashi suddenly received a secret letter from a Kirigakure envoy.

The message, penned by Yagura Karatachi himself, was a plea for Konoha to send troops to help Kirigakure suppress the rebel uprising in the Land of Water.

"Is this the opportunity Seiryu spoke of?" Kakashi's eyes glinted as he read the letter.

"Pass the word: prepare the ships. In two days, leave only 400 at the border; everyone else will cross the sea to the Land of Water," Kakashi ordered after burning the letter.

After issuing his orders, Kakashi went alone to a quiet chamber, and retrieved a vial containing Uchiha Obito's other Mangekyo Sharingan from a sealing scroll.

"Obito, this time, I'll fight for both of us."

...

Three days later, at midnight, the rebel squads synchronized their watches and attacked Kirigakure from all directions. Thanks to the inside help from Genshi, all the village's defending ninja had been replaced with moles.

As the village gates opened, the rebels flooded in, immediately beginning to evacuate civilians.

Once most civilians were gone, the slow-to-react ANBU finally arrived and clashed with the rebels.

"You traitors—"

A ninja rushed up to confront Seiryu but was cut down with a single, effortless stroke.

Seiryu glanced disdainfully at his now-dulled, low-quality sword. He still had to keep his identity secret, so he couldn't use his trademark Lightning-Style jutsu, but his swordsmanship alone was enough to cut through the ANBU.

While fighting off ANBU, Seiryu kept an eye on the battlefield. It was clear that, under the influence of the rumors spread by the infiltrated White Zetsu, most of the rebel ninja were holding back, prioritizing survival over victory.

After the rebels stormed in, Yagura, under Black Zetsu's control, headed for the residence of Genshi, the rebel mole inside Kirigakure. In Seiryu's plans, Genshi's only purpose was to open the gates and sow chaos; once that was done, his usefulness was over.

This man, who had long served as Kirigakure's aide to the Mizukage, was the only one who might hinder Seiryu's plans for internal chaos.

First, Genshi was one of the few with a real brain in the ninja world. He was the first to notice Yagura's abnormal behavior. He had secretly trained Mei Terumi and was highly respected in the village, benefiting many people.

With that influence, Genshi could easily support Mei Terumi's rise to Fifth Mizukage after Yagura fell.

So, it was time to eliminate this threat.

Under Black Zetsu's control, Yagura entered Genshi’s house, which had already been secretly surrounded. Inside, he found Genshi sitting alone in his study.

After making preparations, Genshi intended to leave the village during the chaos to join the rebels. But as he tried to leave, he realized his home was surrounded by ANBU.

"With things outside in chaos, why have you come to this old man's house, Fourth Mizukage?" Genshi sighed.

"You should know why," Yagura said coldly. "I'm curious—Genshi, you were already a key figure in Kirigakure, so why start a rebellion? Bored of being an aide? Want to try being the Mizukage?"

"I have no desire for the Mizukage’s seat. If I had, I could have taken it after the Second Mizukage died," Genshi replied, "But I can't watch a tyrant like you drag Kirigakure into the abyss."

"The abyss?" Yagura sneered. "The Bloody Mist policy started with the Third Mizukage. If you opposed it, why not stop him then?"

"The Third wasn't so insane as to turn the graduation exam into a one-in-ten deathmatch," Genshi retorted. "No matter what, Yagura, your tyranny ends today! I'll be waiting for you in the Pure Land!"

With that, Genshi drew a hidden blade and attacked.

He knew he was no match for Yagura in his old age. But even with slim odds, he had to try, at least to help Mei Terumi and the others searching for Yagura.

In his youth, Genshi was one of Kirigakure's strongest, but now, he barely lasted a round before falling.

He collapsed, a kunai in his back, blood pooling beneath him.

Yagura wiped his hands impassively, dragged over a chair, and sat down.

The ANBU gathered outside would soon alert Mei Terumi and the others, so Yagura simply waited for them.

Sure enough, within five minutes, chaos erupted outside, and soon Mei Terumi, Zabuza, and Utakata burst in.

"Genshi!?" Mei's eyes widened in fury at the sight of Genshi's body.

To Mei, Genshi was a mentor and father figure, and now he lay dead at her feet, with his killer watching coldly from the side.

"Yagura!" Mei's eyes blazed with fury. "Why did you kill Genshi!?"

"Why?" Yagura sneered at the intruders. "Kirigakure has never shown mercy to traitors. Today, you will die here too."

"The only one dying today is you!" Zabuza drew his executioner’s blade, grinning coldly.

"He's not right—Saiken can't get any response from Three-Tails," Utakata warned.

"Who are you, really?" Mei asked grimly.

"Your killer," Yagura replied, his chakra flaring violently around him.

"He's going to transform!" Utakata shouted.

"Yagura, are you insane? Your own ANBU are still fighting outside!" Mei said incredulously.

"Do you think he cares?" Zabuza shouted. "Utakata!"

Utakata had no choice but to begin his own transformation.

Moments later, two colossal beasts appeared, destroying the aide's residence. The gigantic three-tailed turtle crushed many ninja with a single step.

Opposing it, the six-tailed slug spewed bubbles, wrapping up nearby ninja and sending them off the battlefield.

"Damn! This guy!" Mei, riding on Saiken, gritted her teeth at the sight of her companions dying under Isobu's feet.

"Saiken says Three-Tails has lost its mind," Utakata’s voice came from the six-tails.

"Right. If we don't defeat this monster, it won't end!" Mei took a deep breath and called to the rebel sealing squad: "Barrier squad! Prepare to seal!"

Chapter 170: Konoha Reinforcements

At Mei Terumi's command, the surviving sealing squad members acted at once. Several purple pillars shot up, trapping Yagura and the three together.

"Yagura! Surrender now!" Mei shouted.

In the center, the Three-Tails said nothing, just opened its jaws, gathering chakra into a massive, black, compressed sphere.

"A Tailed Beast Ball? Are you crazy?" Utakata yelled. "All barrier squad, stop and retreat! Get as far away as possible!"

No one knew the destructive power of a Tailed Beast Ball better than a jinchuriki. All tailed beasts' most devastating move was always the Tailed Beast Ball.

Compared to fancy ninjutsu, Tailed Beast Balls were pure, brutal destruction.

Their rebel barrier was at most special-jonin level; there was no way it could withstand the blast.

But after Utakata’s warning, the barrier squad looked up in confusion at Mei and Zabuza.

"Everyone, fall back!" Mei and Zabuza repeated the command.

Only then did the barrier squad withdraw. Utakata, with Saiken, began charging a Tailed Beast Ball too.

The next moment, both Tailed Beast Balls shot out, colliding mid-air.

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted, a mushroom cloud rising above Kirigakure. The buildings below were obliterated in an instant. Those slow to retreat were sent flying, some spitting blood as their insides were ruptured by the shockwave.

"This... This is the power of the tailed beasts?" Mei, unscathed under Utakata and Saiken's protection, was horrified at the devastation.

When Hashirama Senju distributed tailed beasts among the villages, it didn’t bring lasting peace, but it did limit the scale of wars. Still, tailed beasts were rarely used in the four ninja wars. Other than Konoha, few truly understood their destructive power.

Now, seeing two tailed beasts unleash their power, everyone remembered why ancient texts called them natural disasters.

"There’s nothing we can do in this kind of fight," Zabuza gulped.

Mei could still contribute with her large-scale bloodline techniques, but Zabuza, an assassin, was powerless in such a massive battle.

"Zabuza, go help the others. Leave this to me and Utakata," Mei said.

"Alright. Be careful," Zabuza nodded. Utakata sent him to the edge of the battlefield, and Zabuza hurried to reinforce the others.

...

"Looks like it's started over there," Seiryu calmly watched the explosions. Not far from the tailed beast battlefield, he could easily see both beasts.

A Kirigakure jonin, seeing Seiryu distracted, tried to seize the chance to kill him, but Seiryu dodged and beheaded him with a single strike.

He tossed his now-dull sword, kicked the dead man's weapon into the air, and caught it. In such a short time, Seiryu had already changed blades three times.

"Good moves, but you should focus more in battle," came a cold voice from behind.

Seiryu turned to see Zabuza, wielding the executioner's blade, saving one of Seiryu's subordinates and killing his opponent. Zabuza gave Seiryu an approving look.

"Lord Zabuza," Seiryu nodded respectfully.

"With your skills, if we succeed, you might become one of the new Seven Swordsmen," Zabuza said.

"Thank you for your kind words," Seiryu replied, but as Zabuza left, he frowned, "Why aren't they here yet?"

Though it was night, the intensifying battle turned the ever-present mist around Kirigakure pink with blood in the lamplight. The air reeked of blood; the village truly lived up to its name tonight.

Seiryu didn't know the situation elsewhere, but in his area, the rebels had a huge advantage.

Most of the Kirigakure defenders, especially the chunin and genin, offered only token resistance before surrendering. Only strong Jonin and ANBU, loyal beneficiaries of the Bloody Mist, fought desperately.

Boom!

Another tremor shook the ground as the tailed beasts' Tailed Beast Balls clashed again.

After the explosion, steam rose, and Isobu howled, clearly berserk.

"Yagura! Will you keep resisting?" Mei shouted. "You can't win. More resistance only means more needless deaths!"

Inside the Three-Tails, Yagura’s eyes showed the Mangekyo Sharingan illusion unraveling. As it faded, Isobu's chakra grew even more violent, and Yagura’s life force drained away.

Elsewhere, the rebels held the upper hand, especially at the south gate, where Kisame's squad had no intention of fighting the Three-Tails. Only a dozen loyalists remained, barely holding out under a barrage of Water Shark Bombs.

Just as they were about to fall, a figure wreathed in blue flames flew in, splitting the lake created by Water-Style ninjutsu, and shattered Kisame's giant shark bomb with a kick, turning it to mist.

The newcomer landed, standing on the water, the droplets evaporating into steam around him.

"Who are you?" Kisame narrowed his eyes. The man wore a green bodysuit, his bowl-cut head glowing in the dim light. He grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "Konoha, Might Guy!"

"It's him?" The rebel ninja nearby were shocked. Some had seen him at the Konoha border, training on a cliff and forcing their commander to retreat.

"Konoha ninja? Are you here to start a war?" Kisame asked, drawing Samehada, the bandages unwrapping to reveal its savage blade.

"We received the Mizukage’s request for help to suppress the rebels," Kakashi said, appearing from a distortion in space, his Sharingan eyes glowing. "So you're the rebels?"

"Appeal to Konoha? Has he forgotten how many of our people died at Konoha’s hands?" a rebel shouted. "Konoha ninja! Get out! This is our business!"

Kakashi looked coldly at the speaker. His Sharingan flashed, and the man felt a dizzying spin; when he came to, his body was split in two, blood spurting as his legs collapsed.

"Konoha lost plenty of ninja to Kirigakure too," Kakashi said coldly.

With that, his Mangekyo Sharingan spun, and a Kirigakure ANBU vanished, reappearing by Kakashi's side as he grabbed him.

"Where is your Mizukage? Not dead, I hope?"

"He... he is fighting the rebel leader," the ANBU stammered.

"No wonder you can't handle these rebels," Kakashi said, tossing him aside.

Soon, chaos erupted as Konoha's army reached Kirigakure's outskirts and clashed with the rebels.

Exhausted from earlier fighting, the rebels quickly fell to the fresh Konoha troops.

"Guy, I'll leave this to you. I need to help the Mizukage—if he dies, we don't get paid," Kakashi said.

"Leave it to me!" Guy replied, blue flames erupting as he faced Kisame. "You're their leader, right? What's your name?"

"Hoshigaki Kisame," Kisame licked his lips, "You're the legendary Konoha Beast, eh? All right, let's go."

They charged each other at once.

Samehada swung in a gust of fishy wind, Guy leaned back, the blade grazing his nose and gouging the water's surface.

Kisame grinned, sharklike teeth flashing. "But the water is my domain!"

He formed rapid hand seals. "Water Style: Super Exploding Water Wave!"

The lake rose into a hundred-meter-high wall.

Guy's eyes narrowed. This was no ordinary jutsu.

As the wave crashed down, he crossed his arms, opening the Sixth Gate.

Jade steam burst out, and the wild energy blasted open a path through the falling water. Guy dashed forward, each step sending out shockwaves. Kisame laughed, Samehada splitting into thousands of scales, each becoming a shark that lunged at Guy.

Chapter 171: Kakashi's New Battle Style

Guy faced the swarm of water sharks without fear.

"Morning Peacock!"

His fists moved faster than sound, creating fire from friction. The sharks howled and evaporated. But Kisame had vanished, the lake spinning into a massive whirlpool.

"Water Prison Shark Dance!"

Guy found his feet stuck in sticky water as transparent walls rose around him. Samehada exploded into countless shards that attacked from all sides. Though Guy broke free and dodged, the attacks were relentless, leaving wounds that began to drain his chakra.

"Chakra absorption?" Guy frowned, sensing the danger.

But Kisame wasn't having an easy time either. Samehada trembled violently as it absorbed Guy's wild chakra.

"This guy's chakra is... insane," Kisame thought. "Konoha's Beast, indeed."

Realizing close combat was a bad idea, Kisame shifted tactics. As the owner of Samehada—the tailless tailed beast—he was overflowing with chakra and decided to fight at a distance.

He fired off Water Style: Five Hungry Sharks, five massive shark missiles chasing Guy.

Guy, veins bulging, let out a shout. The air around him tinged red. With a booming sound, he smashed the sharks to rain, then charged at Kisame with a powerful kick.

But Kisame's body turned to water—a clone.

Kisame, hiding underwater, broke into a cold sweat. That kick would have killed him.

"Very dangerous..." Kisame thought but kept moving.

He cast another jutsu, flooding the area and trapping Guy underwater, where blue sharks swam toward him...

...

As Guy and Kisame fought fiercely, Kakashi raced toward the tailed beast battlefield, only for a blade to flash behind him.

Kakashi dodged, and a mechanism in his wrist spat out a steel ball. He charged it with lightning and threw it at his attacker.

The steel ball, accelerated by an electromagnetic field, shot toward the attacker's head with a sonic boom.

The attacker barely blocked in time. The collision cracked the Executioner's Blade.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan?" Zabuza recognized him, noticing both of Kakashi's eyes were Mangekyo Sharingan, not just one.

Zabuza retreated, hands flashing seals.

"Hidden Mist Technique."

The mist thickened, hiding everything.

Kakashi smiled.

A blade swung down from behind—but passed harmlessly through Kakashi, who had gone intangible.

Three steel balls began to spin around him. With a sharp sound, they shot through Zabuza’s right chest, leaving three bloody holes as he collapsed.

The mist cleared. Kakashi glanced at Zabuza, who was now unconscious but alive, as Seiryu’s letter had requested to leave the rebel leaders alive.

Turning to Zabuza's sword, Kakashi’s eyes flashed, and the Executioner's Blade vanished into a pocket dimension.

"Consider that interest for my trouble," Kakashi said, popping a chakra pill and looking toward the tailed beast battle. "Obito, do you see? Let’s get justice for Rin together."

Kakashi had developed this new fighting style after understanding electromagnetic theory, using his Mangekyo Sharingan and steel balls accelerated by magnetism to make up for his lack of Uchiha chakra.

Zabuza was the first to experience Kakashi's new tactics. How could anyone fight like this? was his last thought before passing out.

...

At the center of the tailed beast clash, repeated Tailed Beast Ball explosions had left a deep crater. The Three-Tails was weakening, its massive body burned and corroded by steam and acid.

"Looks like there's no calming it down," Mei panted atop Saiken. "Is there still no response from Three-Tails?"

"No," Saiken replied. "I've been calling out throughout the fight, but its mind is totally polluted."

"What do we do?" Utakata asked.

"Kill it," Saiken finally decided.

"Kill it?" Mei was shocked. Kirigakure only had two tailed beasts. Losing one would be a huge blow.

"It's fine. We tailed beasts don't truly die. Our chakra disperses and will eventually reform. Better to free Isobu than let it go on like this," Saiken said.

"I see," Mei said. "Guess there's no choice. It’ll be hard to recover it later, but we can't let it destroy the village."

"I can't break its shell, so I need you to weaken its defenses," Saiken said.

"Alright," Mei began weaving hand signs.

"Lava Release: Dissolving Monster Jutsu!" Mei spat a stream of orange acid at the Three-Tails’ back.

The acid corroded the shell, smoke rising.

"Now!" Saiken and Utakata charged a Tailed Beast Ball.

"Sorry, Isobu," Saiken said as he launched the attack.

But just as the sphere was about to hit, space twisted and the Tailed Beast Ball vanished.

Moments later, an explosion hit the Mizukage's office far away, demolishing it.

"Nice aim. Someone really hates Kirigakure," Seiryu thought, surrendering to a squad of Konoha ninja while watching the distant destruction.

...

"What just happened?" Mei stared at the explosion in disbelief.

At that moment, space twisted again near the Three-Tails. Kakashi stepped out.

"Hatake Kakashi?" Mei, atop Saiken, was stunned to see Kakashi appear like this.

Mei knew all about Kakashi, Uchiha Seiryu's staunchest supporter. But to see him appear in such a strange way was beyond her imagination.

Chapter 172: Armored Three-Tails, and the Sudden Appearance of Pain

"Are you the leader of the Kirigakure rebels?" Kakashi looked up at Mei Terumi standing atop the Six-Tails, his expression cold.

"Hatake Kakashi?" Mei bit her lip, staring at Kakashi floating in the air. "Why are you here?"

Kakashi glanced at the wounded Three-Tails behind him before replying to Mei, "To be able to push a tailed beast to this extent... No wonder your Fourth Mizukage swallowed his pride and asked us Konoha for help."

"What?" Mei looked at the Three-Tails behind Kakashi, now shaking off the acid and rallying itself, and couldn't believe it. In her eyes, Yagura Karatachi was already a man who'd lost most of his humanity, but she never imagined he would stoop so low.

Konoha and Kirigakure had a blood feud from the war. Nearly everyone in Kirigakure had lost loved ones to Uchiha Seiryu. Yet now, for the sake of his Mizukage position, to continue the brutal reign of the Bloody Mist, Yagura had asked their enemy for help?

"Since we're here, your rebellion ends now," Kakashi said.

As Kakashi finished speaking, the form of the Six-Tails Saiken slowly faded away, leaving Mei and Utakata back on the ground.

"Utakata?" Mei looked at him in confusion.

Utakata, having exited tailed beast mode, looked gravely at Kakashi. "Those eyes... They're Mangekyō Sharingan."

"What?" Mei was surprised. Now she understood why Utakata had exited tailed beast mode—against a Mangekyō wielder, a tailed beast's power is heavily restrained; better to rely on the jinchuriki's own strength. "Did Uchiha Seiryu grant you that power as well?"

"No, it's merely a gift from a friend," Kakashi replied.

"What do we do now?" Utakata said seriously. After the earlier battle, he still had some strength left thanks to the beast, but as a jinchuriki, he was little more than cannon fodder against a Mangekyō user. Mei, their main force against Kakashi, was nearly out of chakra after the fight with the Three-Tails.

If it was just Kakashi, that was one thing, but behind him still lurked the dangerous Three-Tails.

"For now, we can only retreat and plan our next move," Mei said through gritted teeth, looking around at the state of the battlefield.

"Everyone, listen up! Gather the wounded and retreat!" Mei and Utakata quickly fell back, calling out to the remaining rebels.

"Think you can run?" Kakashi sneered, glancing at the Three-Tails.

Three-Tails began charging another Tailed Beast Ball, this time aiming at the rebels gathering to retreat on the far side of the battlefield.

Seeing this, Utakata gritted his teeth, entered tailed beast mode again, and began charging his own Tailed Beast Ball. If the Three-Tails' attack landed among the remaining rebels, fewer than one in ten would survive.

The two Tailed Beast Balls collided midair, and the explosion sent a group of rebels flying—those who had only just regrouped after evading Konoha's elite. The next moment, the Three-Tails roared and charged at the Six-Tails.

"I'll hold him off! You get everyone out of here!" Utakata shouted as the Six-Tails blocked the Three-Tails.

The two tailed beasts began a brawl. The Three-Tails, injured, was soon suppressed by the Six-Tails. Mei took the chance to gather her subordinates and found the heavily wounded Zabuza as well.

"Lady Mei, at the south gate, Lord Kisame is locked in battle with a Konoha ninja, and we've taken heavy losses there," reported a ninja rushing over from the southern front.

Because Konoha's ninja had entered from the south, what was originally the least pressured position now suffered the heaviest losses. Even their captain was tied down by a strong Konoha foe and couldn't break away.

Mei glanced at the Six-Tails and Three-Tails fighting, took a deep breath, and ordered, "Break out through the south gate, and assist Kisame on the way!"

"Yes!"

Kakashi floated in the air, watching Mei lead the battered rebels toward the south. Then he pulled out his radio and issued an order.

"Let them leave from the south."

"Understood!"

Hearing the reply, Kakashi put away the radio, looked at the intensifying tailed beast battle, and sneered.

"Let the people go, but the tailed beast stays." With that, Kakashi floated behind the now-beaten Three-Tails. The two Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly, their power and chakra forming a ghostly blue skeletal frame. The frame attached itself to the Three-Tails, patching the cracks in its shell left by Mei's Lava Release, and then the rest of the skeleton formed armor over its head and forelegs.

The Three-Tails' power surged. With a vicious bite, it tore a massive chunk of chakra-flesh from the Six-Tails.

The Six-Tails cried out in pain, and Utakata inside suffered as well.

At that moment, Kakashi had already entered the tailed beast's inner world.

Kakashi frowned at the blank-eyed Yagura before him, noticing the same Mangekyō mark in his eyes as in his own. He sighed inwardly.

Now he understood why Kirigakure had fallen into such chaos in recent years.

"Obito, so all these years, you already avenged Rin against the Mist?" Kakashi said. "Then leave the rest to me."

Kakashi connected his Mangekyō to Yagura's mark.

For a moment, Yagura's consciousness returned. Seeing Kakashi before him, his eyes widened in rage, but before he could speak, the Mangekyō's power drowned his will again.

Blood tears streamed from Kakashi's eyes. As a non-Uchiha, using the Mangekyō took a heavier toll than he'd expected—but he still forced himself to control Yagura, burning his life to empower the Three-Tails.

Under Kakashi's control, the Three-Tails went berserk, using reckless, all-out attacks. Even as Mei and the others managed to escape, Utakata, who had planned to retreat, found himself in a desperate struggle.

The two tailed beasts' clash grew fiercer, flattening building after building. The surviving villagers of Kirigakure could only kneel in fear, overwhelmed by the terror and helplessness of facing a natural disaster.

The Konoha ninja, on the other hand, reacted calmly.

On the other side, as Mei led the survivors to the south gate, Might Guy and Kisame's battle was ending.

"Kisame! Retreat!" Mei called out, seeing Kisame still locked in ninjutsu combat with Guy.

"True youth never retreats!" Guy roared, red flames bursting from his feet as he broke through the waves and launched a flying kick at Kisame.

Now merged with Samehada, Kisame had no choice but to use his strongest ninjutsu. The water at his feet surged upward, forming a giant shark in midair, roaring toward Guy.

Mei, seeing this, squeezed out the last of her chakra and spat a ball of orange acid, hoping to slow Guy's attack.

But before her acid could even reach Guy, the high temperature around him, generated by air friction, had already evaporated it.

"Taijutsu can be this powerful?" Mei stared in shock as Guy, like a meteor, shot upward toward Kisame.

For Mei, tonight was more of a shock than the past twenty years combined. The last time she felt like this was during the Third Ninja War, when she heard that Uchiha Seiryu had wiped out nearly a hundred Mist ninja single-handedly.

Midair, Guy and the giant water shark collided.

The explosion was as loud as two Tailed Beast Balls clashing. The giant shark shattered into mist, and the falling droplets scalded those below.

Both Guy and Kisame, exhausted, fell from the sky. The ninja on both sides rushed to catch their respective leaders. Guy landed, gasped a few breaths, and then staggered to his feet, but Kisame, blood at his lips, had completely lost consciousness.

"Retreat!" Mei gritted her teeth.

Tonight, their operation had nearly succeeded, but the sudden arrival of Konoha ninja ruined everything. Their two strongest fighters were badly wounded, and it was unclear if Utakata, who was covering their retreat, could escape.

As Mei and company withdrew, the Konoha ninja did not pursue, allowing the battered rebels to escape Kirigakure.

Meanwhile, the tailed beast brawl was reaching its end.

The Three-Tails and Six-Tails each spat a final Tailed Beast Ball at point-blank range, the resulting explosion engulfing both.

When the dust cleared, both beasts were gone, leaving only Yagura and Utakata lying on the ground, their fate unknown.

Kakashi appeared from a swirl in space, walked over, and saw that both were barely alive.

"Well, I suppose this trip wasn't wasted."

But just as Kakashi was about to seal the two jinchuriki, a burst of wind cut through the night.

Kakashi frowned, entered his intangibility state, and countless summoned beasts' attacks passed through his body.

He turned to see six figures in red cloud cloaks speeding toward him.

"Akatsuki?"

"Leave the tailed beasts and take your people away, or die," said the orange-haired leader coldly.

"And if I refuse?" Kakashi touched the mechanism on his wrist, eyes narrowing.

"In the face of a god, your resistance is meaningless." Tendo Pain raised his hand, the Rinnegan flashing purple. "Bansho Ten'in."

A massive force appeared at Kakashi's side, and before he realized it, he was being pulled toward them, unable to resist.

Luckily, Kakashi reacted quickly, using Kamui to enter his intangibility state, breaking free from the pull and stopping midair.

"Hmm?" Tendo Pain noticed something was off and frowned. "A power that makes the body intangible? How long can you keep that up?"

As he finished, the five other Pains launched their attacks, a barrage of Jutsu, weapons, and explosive tags covering Kakashi's location.

"This is bad," Kakashi gritted his teeth. Kamui's intangibility could only last five minutes, and their attacks showed no sign of stopping.

Thinking quickly, he turned and ran toward the two fallen jinchuriki. If Akatsuki was here, they were obviously targeting these two. Getting close to them might make Akatsuki hesitate.

But just as Kakashi neared them, two giant eagles with black rods embedded in them swooped down, grabbed Yagura and Utakata, and soared into the sky.

"Damn!" Kakashi cursed. If Akatsuki took the jinchuriki, all their efforts tonight would be for nothing.

"Isn't pissing off Iwagakure enough for your Akatsuki? Now you want to go to war with Konoha too?" Kakashi shouted at Tendo Pain, seeing the eagles carrying Yagura and Utakata away.

"This is just a small warning. Sooner or later, Akatsuki and Konoha will clash," Tendo Pain said expressionlessly. "When the time comes, you great nations will taste the true pain of war."

At that moment, a bolt of lightning split the night. The two eagles carrying the jinchuriki were struck, exploding into a bloody mist. At the same time, a pitch-black power began to form around Kakashi.

Seeing a Susanoo manifesting beside him, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know how Uchiha Seiryu had come from so far away, but as long as he was here, things would be alright.

Chapter 173: Pain's Complete Defeat

A Susanoo nearly a hundred meters tall rose from the ground, blocking all of Pain's attacks and catching the falling jinchuriki.

Seiryu had originally planned to just watch the coup as a bystander, but Pain's appearance made that impossible.

"Konoha's Fifth Hokage... Uchiha Seiryu." Tendo Pain floated in the air, locking eyes with Seiryu inside the Susanoo's head.

"You terrorists targeting Kirigakure this time, huh?" Seiryu accused. "And it sounds like you're also after our Kyuubi?"

"Tailed beasts in the hands of the great nations only cause endless suffering. I collect them so you will finally understand the pain of war, so you will cherish peace," Tendo Pain said coldly.

"Nice words. But aren't you just planning terror attacks?" Seiryu retorted. "Konoha, as a responsible village, will never stand by and let your schemes succeed. Today, your plans end here."

"You great nations always say grand words, yet bring suffering to the small countries," Nagato thought in the shadows, angered by Seiryu's words as he controlled Tendo Pain to raise a hand.

"Shinra Tensei!"

A massive repulsive force slammed into Seiryu's Susanoo. Though the full-body Susanoo didn't budge, cracks appeared on its surface. Seiryu raised an eyebrow, drew the divine sword Futsunomitama at his waist, and swung in midair.

Thunder roared and blazed across the sky, turning night into day above Kirigakure.

The few surviving Mist ninja recalled the terror Seiryu had brought during the Third Ninja War. This lightning was even more terrifying than before.

Yet, facing this overwhelming thunder, Gakido Pain merely raised a hand and absorbed it with his chakra-absorbing ability.

The thunder was drawn into his palm and faded away. The sky quieted.

Tendo Pain was unharmed behind Gakido's protection.

Seiryu smiled faintly. "You can absorb chakra, but the energy in natural lightning doesn't just disappear."

The next moment, the Gakido Pain, who had absorbed almost all the lightning, exploded into pieces.

"So it was a puppet," Seiryu said coldly. "What about the others? Are they all puppets?"

Nagato, having suffered a setback and realizing Seiryu had guessed some of his abilities, controlled Tendo to say, "Very well. You dare offend a god; let's see if you can withstand a god's wrath!"

Jigokudo Pain summoned the King of Hell, who swallowed the Gakido's remains and soon restored the puppet to Tendo's side.

"So you even have a puppet that can repair others?" Seiryu looked around, using Sage Mode to search for Nagato's body. After a while, finding nothing, he smirked. "You're hiding well. Fine, I'll play with your toys. Even I don't know how strong I am now—just warming up earlier. Hope you, self-proclaimed god, can entertain me."

"After all, my blade hasn't tasted a god's blood yet!"

The hundred-meter Susanoo vanished, and Seiryu became a bolt of lightning charging at the Six Paths of Pain, his Hokage robes billowing, his sword drawn, its hum blending with the thunder above in a death symphony.

Thunder and Dragon fell as one, splitting the night. The Six Paths scattered to avoid the terrifying blow.

Fragments of earth and building flew as Seiryu landed on scorched ruins, his Mangekyō reflecting the six floating figures.

Lightning erupted from his right hand, a dragon's roar tearing the air—Lightning Release: Azure Dragon!

Six roaring dragons of lightning split off, each targeting a different Pain.

"Shinra Tensei!" Tendo Pain, facing this onslaught, could only try to repel Seiryu.

Before his repulsion fully formed, Seiryu appeared behind Shuradou Pain. His lightning-charged blade sliced through the machine body, and as Shuradou split in two, twelve preloaded tracking missiles shot from his back.

Seiryu's Mangekyō spun rapidly. Before the missiles locked on, he leaped to a wall, and the lightning dragon devoured the missiles.

Explosions rang out, the spent lightning dragon dissolving into arcs as Seiryu flashed through them, appearing before Chikushodo Pain.

He formed the Tiger seal with his left hand, weaving a blue lightning net across the ruins, trapping the summoned beasts. As soon as they touched the net, high voltage paralyzed them, and the incoming lightning dragon devoured them and their summoner together.

Meanwhile, Jigokudo's King of Hell rose from the ground, but Seiryu, as if expecting it, retreated seven steps, letting the jaws miss him by a hair.

Seiryu clasped his hands, and the dark sky brightened. In the storm clouds, the statue of Fudo Myo-o appeared.

"Lightning Release: Fudo Myo-o!" A descending vajra pinned the King of Hell, and the incoming lightning dragon smashed it to rubble.

"Bansho Ten'in!" Seeing this, Nagato tried to switch from repulsion to attraction, trying to pull Seiryu close so Ningendo and the just-repaired Gakido could attack together, buying time for Jigokudo to repair the others.

A powerful pull tugged at Seiryu's robes. Seiryu grinned at Tendo, using the attraction to accelerate, his Mangekyō clashing with Tendo's Rinnegan, his sword spinning in his hand.

Clang!

In just a few breaths, Seiryu clashed with Ningendo and Gakido, slicing their kunai in two with each strike. The standard kunai were like tofu to Raijin.

Yet Seiryu only broke their weapons, then switched tactics, dancing among their attacks, never touched, drawing ever closer to Tendo.

"You claim to be a god with the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan, but can a god's eyes see the future?" In an instant, Seiryu appeared behind Tendo, who didn't even have time to turn before being sliced in two.

As Tendo fell, a sealing jutsu enveloped Seiryu, and Gakido latched on, trying to drain his chakra.

Seiryu stood still, letting Gakido drain him, but soon Gakido began to petrify.

"You shouldn't absorb others' chakra carelessly," Seiryu flexed, and Gakido's petrified arms shattered.

Freed, Seiryu stretched, but at that moment, Ningendo crept up and stabbed at him. Seiryu seemed not to notice.

But as the kunai neared, three lightning dragons swooped in and devoured Ningendo.

Seiryu spun his wrist, sheathed his sword, and turned to Jigokudo, who was struggling to repair Shuradou.

"Pity, they're just puppets," Seiryu said, strolling toward the immobilized Jigokudo. "Otherwise, I could test a theory—does a god bleed?"

His footsteps echoed in the night. In the shadows, Nagato, peering through the Rinnegan, was trembling.

Seiryu smiled gently. The long-lasting blood mist over Kirigakure had been dispelled by the thunder, and the long-absent moonlight now shone down. In Sage Mode, Seiryu's silver markings glowed in the moonlight. To Nagato, Seiryu looked more like a god than any he imagined.

"Tell me, do you know Jiraiya?" Seiryu asked, standing before Jigokudo.

"Jiraiya..." Nagato wavered at the name.

After all his suffering, his happiest days had been learning ninjutsu from Jiraiya.

"According to what I've heard, Jiraiya once taught three kids in the Land of Rain, and one of them had the legendary Rinnegan. That Rinnegan belonged to a child from the Uzumaki clan, I believe—Uzumaki Nagato, right?"

Jigokudo said nothing, focusing on repairing the puppets. The remains of Tendo, Ningendo, and Gakido were gathered into the King of Hell.

Seiryu let him work, then laughed lightly, "Don't waste your time. If I can dismantle your puppets once, I can do it again."

"You always say we great nations bring war's pain to the small ones, but remember, in war, no one is unscathed. Even great nations suffer."

Seiryu was repeating what Tsunade had once said at Konoha's destruction—except back then, Tsunade was helpless against Pain, but Seiryu suppressed him with ease.

Nagato was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

"No one is happy in war. But as Hokage, my job is to make sure that pain never falls on Konoha," Seiryu said, staring at the Rinnegan. "So don't test my limits."

Jigokudo stayed silent. Seiryu wasn't bothered. He walked past Jigokudo to the King of Hell, knocking gently as it worked to repair the others.

His back was exposed to Jigokudo, the five golden words "Fifth Hokage of Konoha" prominent. Jigokudo could have attacked, but Nagato hesitated.

Everything Seiryu had shown—his complete control—made the self-styled god feel real fear.

"In honor of Jiraiya, after you finish your repairs, you may go," Seiryu said, turning to face Jigokudo.

Nagato was stunned.

"But remember, Jiraiya's favor only gets you this one chance. Understood?"

Chapter 174: Aftermath and Choosing a Puppet

After Jigokudo finished repairing the other Paths, Tendo Pain looked at Seiryu and, seeing the battle was over, at Kakashi, who had arrived. Then, using the Summoning Technique, he left.

"You just let them go?" Kakashi asked, confused.

"The battle in Takigakure still needs them. Without their help, Takigakure would collapse under Iwagakure's elites within days," Seiryu replied.

"Alright, as long as you know what you're doing." Kakashi nodded, then asked, "By the way, why are you here today?"

"I've been here all along," Seiryu said. "I've had a shadow clone in the Kirigakure rebels for a while. Once I got intel about the uprising, I came here myself."

"Alright," Kakashi nodded.

As the sun rose, Kakashi looked at the devastated Kirigakure after the battles, troubled. "What now?"

"Report, Hokage-sama. The Kirigakure rebels have retreated north. We found a large number of villagers evacuated by the rebels near the village," ANBU reported, "but about half the civilians left with the rebels."

"Understood. Gather the civilians and clear a place for them. As for rebuilding Kirigakure, we'll send help once the Mizukage wakes," Seiryu said.

"Yes!" The ANBU left.

Then came the time to count casualties and treat the wounded. Konoha's forces, having entered the exhausted battlefield, suffered no deaths and few injuries.

Among the remaining Kirigakure ninja, loss among chunin and below wasn't severe, as they hadn't resisted the rebels hard. But among special Jonin and above, casualties were heavy. After Konoha tallied the numbers, only 3 elite jonin, 19 jonin, and 27 special jonin remained—a total of 49 high-level fighters.

"Guy, how was the mission?" Seiryu greeted him with a smile.

"It was amazing!" Guy grinned, giving a thumbs-up. "It's been so long since I had such a satisfying fight! That Kan—"

Guy scratched his head, trying to recall Kisame's name.

"Hoshigaki Kisame," Seiryu prompted.

"Right! Hoshigaki Kisame! He was a great opponent!" Guy exclaimed.

Seiryu smiled. He'd promoted Guy to elite jonin after becoming Hokage, despite many thinking it was because of Kakashi. But even without Kakashi, Seiryu knew Guy's true potential.

"Guy, what's up?" Seiryu asked after some small talk.

"Uh, Hokage-sama, can I head back to the village early? I can't really help here, and if I'm gone too long, Lee's training will suffer."

"Of course." Seiryu nodded. "I heard you got seasick on the way here? I'll have Genma and the others bring Yamato and supplies via Flying Thunder God formation this afternoon. Go back with them."

"That's great!" Guy was moved. He'd been worried about asking to leave, but Seiryu was considerate about even his seasickness.

"This is youth, Hokage-sama!" Guy said emotionally, eyes full of tears.

Seiryu: ...

Respect is one thing, but Guy really is hard to handle sometimes.

"Okay, Guy, if there's nothing else, help me call Kakashi over," Seiryu said, wiping sweat from his brow.

...

After Kakashi arrived, Seiryu asked, "How are the two jinchuriki?"

"The Six-Tails' jinchuriki is awake, but with your seal, he can't even extract chakra or connect to the Six-Tails," Kakashi said.

Kakashi prided himself on his sealing skills, but Seiryu's seal was an artistic masterpiece—using double Four Symbols Seal to create an Eight Trigrams Seal, layered with a Three Treasures Seal and a Five Elements Seal. Only an Uzumaki sealing master could create such a thing, yet Seiryu was Uchiha.

If not for his Mangekyō, Kakashi would suspect Seiryu was Uzumaki.

"He doesn't matter—just have Guy take him back to Konoha. The main issue is Yagura. Has he woken up? I can't live in the Mizukage building forever."

"His situation isn't good," Kakashi sighed. "He was controlled by Mangekyō, and the imprint is eating away his life. We're keeping him alive, but it's unlikely he'll recover. The best plan is to extract the Three-Tails and choose a new jinchuriki."

"How long can he last?"

"At most a month," Kakashi said. "Shall I have Genma bring Karin? She's the only suitable jinchuriki."

"Have you ever thought about becoming one?" Seiryu asked. "That would solve your chakra problem."

"If it were any other beast, maybe, but the Three-Tails..." Kakashi lifted his headband, showing his Mangekyō. "I think the Three-Tails would go berserk at the sight of these eyes."

"Alright," Seiryu nodded. "As for Karin, let's ask her first. Becoming a jinchuriki isn't always a good thing."

"Understood," Kakashi said.

...

In the days following, Kirigakure's ninja and remaining villagers began rebuilding under Konoha's supervision.

But perhaps due to recent events, their morale was low.

During this time, Seiryu, living in the newly repaired Mizukage building, reviewed the files of the three surviving elite jonin, and summoned them.

All three were only minimally polite. Seiryu didn't mind—even finding someone in Kirigakure who didn't hate him would be hard.

After observing them, he finally chose a suitable candidate.

Takagi Shouban, an elite jonin, had survived the Third Ninja War and was one of the few to face Seiryu and live.

He survived not due to strength, but because his bottom line was even lower than Seiryu expected—on the battlefield, he once abandoned his entire squad to escape Seiryu.

Because of this, Takagi wasn't well-liked in Kirigakure. Only Obito, controlling Yagura, promoted him to disgust the Mist. The other higher-ups, especially Genshi, despised him.

"So, he's someone who puts his own interests first?" Seiryu smiled at Takagi's file. "But as a puppet, that's perfect."

Soon, Takagi was summoned to the Mizukage's office.

"Hello again, Mr. Takagi," Seiryu greeted.

"Why did you summon me, Hokage-sama?" Takagi said stiffly.

"After your Mizukage asked for help, we came as fast as possible, but unfortunately, we couldn't save him. The Fourth Mizukage won't last much longer."

Takagi showed no emotion—so long as he survived, the Mizukage's fate was irrelevant.

"But your village can't go on like this. So, I plan to help you become the Fifth Mizukage," Seiryu said.

Takagi's expression finally changed a little.

"So, Mr. Takagi, are you interested?" Seiryu smiled.

"Me, the Fifth Mizukage?" Takagi couldn't believe it.

"Of course," Seiryu said.