Bursting out of the thorny forest, Masashi first saw a group of Kiri ANBU agents frantically jumping around with their backsides in the air.

  "Huh?" he was stunned. "Oh, there are still some alive?"

  Genji and Ao immediately turo him.

  "Those are our own people! Don't step on them… Stop! Stop! You're about to step on them!"

  Susanoo's massive foot hovered in mid-air as someone scrambled out of the shadows, rolling and crawling, sprinting away without daring to look back.

  "e on, at this point, why are you even usih jutsu outside?" Masashi pined. "Is the ANBU recruitment process really this x?"

  "Um… Maybe to avoid falling debris…" Ao g the nearby "trash mountain," breaking into a cold sweat.

  How much did it cost to rebuild the Mizukage Building?

  The cost of political flict is way too high! This better not happen again!

  "Fet it… Where's the Mizukage?" Masashi trolled Susanoo's foot to nd, causing the nearby trash mountain to tremble and send debris tumbling down.

  "He may have lured the enemy out of the vilge."

  "That's impossible." Masashi shook his head, activated his Sharingan, and started .

  The building was now void of active chakra.

  With Obito's interferehe Kiri administrative department would probably o reselect its personnel.

  Hmm, they'd better start by seleg the leaders. Kiri's system should be simir to Konoha's, with all administrative work done in the Mizukage Building.

  Moving his gaze away from the half-ruined Mizukage Building, Masashi surveyed the area and activated his chakra sensing.

  The chakra was highly active—especially in the south, where it clustered densely. Even without sensing, the rising smoke and faint sounds of exploding tags could be seen and heard.

  Found them.

  The chakra signatures of Yagura and Obito were there as well.

  Surprisingly, their fight had already moved to that area.

  "Are you two ing with me, or do you want to get off here?" Masashi asked.

  "We'll get off here," Genji said.

  Though riding in Susanoo felt great and offered a perfect viewing angle, watg Masashi kill people—especially Kiri's own ninjas—wasn't appropriate for him.

  "Alright." Masashi nodded as the surrounding chakra "shifted," gently l Genji and Ao to the ground.

  Finally, they emerged from Susanoo's left leg.

  "Stay safe, you two," Masashi said before resuming trol of Susanoo and heading south.

  Susanoo was really far more flexible than Prometheus and could even jump.

  When fronted with dense areas unsuitable for stepping, he simply jumped over them.

  This was like a parkour.

  Of course, being such a huge entity, every nding caused a "boom-boom-boom."

  But this wasn't Konoha.

  Masashi couldn't do much more to avoid damage.

  Being a ninja meant that getting crushed by something ued was just part of the job—no one could be bmed.

  As he got closer, he saw a plex of houses—at least several thousand buildings.

  With surrounding white walls, interected pathways, and decorative rocks, the houses formed a rge, anized estate, which stood out against the surroundings.

  Clearly, it beloo the exploitative ndlord css.

  At that moment, the estate was utack.

  However, Susanoo's appearance brought the fighting to a halt. Everyoared up at Susanoo as it approached, expressions of sho their faces.

  Masashi's Sharingan allowed him to see quite far and iail, so he caught their expressions clearly.

  Small-minded.

  Hashirama's Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands – Top Transformed Buddha—that was truly big.

  Just one palm was over teers wide, and the entire Buddha stood three hundred meters tall.

  Susanoo? At most, it was as big as a tailed beast—not evey meters tall. In front of that Buddha, it'd just be something that could be grabbed with one hand.

  That was how Hashirama suppressed Madara—with that teique.

  Looking below, Masashi saw that the attackers were Kiri's forces, while the defenders were led by the Hōzuki d other ninja families.

  Among them, he spotted the Taketori .

  Wait, no—it was Kaguya.

  Taketori and Kaguya referred to the same during the Warring States Period. People used whichever hey preferred.

  After Kiri was fouhe split into two branches.

  They refused to aowledge each other. The simple se could be described as: I don't have such stupid or cowardly retives.

  The Taketori side refused to join Kiri.

  Although their outward demeanor seemed free-spirited, they were quite passive in strategy and preferred to live quietly.

  The Kaguya side joined Kiri. They were a bloodthirsty bunch.

  Masashi had fought against them before but hadn't seen any of them use the Shikotsumyaku.

  To be fair, the Shikotsumyaku was extremely strong but equally difficult to awaken.

  He had never seen a bloodline limit with a lower awakening rate.

  Suddenly, Masashi noticed someoag Susanoo's foot furiously.

  He looked down.

  Oh, it is a Kaguya.

  Typical.

  And then he squashed the man underfoot.

  Are you kiddirying to stab Susanoo with a kunai? Why don't you just seal a whole bridge while you're at it?

  Angry roars erupted from the crowd.

  A rge group of distinctly Kaguya-looking men charged at him, howling.

  Their as caused the previously calm fighting sides to stir again.

  He sed them to firm that none of them could sprout bones like Kimimaro.

  Relieved, he smiled.

  Kimimaro was far too easy to recruit. Missing out on him would be a shame.

  As for these middle-aged men…

  Susanoo raised its hand, and a massive chakra sword materialized in its palm.

  Masashi swung the sword down.

  With a thunderous boom, the chakra bde sshed through the Kaguya 's position. Rocks, dirt, and body fragments were sent flying into the air.

  Wiping out the reckless Kaguya in one blow, he spoke up, "Out of the lease. Once I pass through, you tinue."

  With chakra amplification, his voied like it had been broadcasted through loudspeakers.

  Everyone heard him.

  They all turned simultaneously, opening a clear path for Susanoo to walk through.

  Masashi was satisfied. The world of mutual uandiween people had been achieved.

  "Thanks," he said politely, taking long strides and quickly passing through.

  He prided himself on his manners.

  Even before crossing over, he'd always stepped aside when people were taking photos. If he had to cross, he'd do so quickly—just like now.

  As for the Kaguya members, they brought it upon themselves. No one could bme him.

  Passing through the area, Masashi ehe more remote ers of Kiri.

  He advanced, crossing a forest and startling tless birds into flight, until he finally saw another settlement.

  This was also a 's territory.

  From the style, it was the Kaguya 's. Kiri forces were here too.

  Many Kaguya members were gathered here, fag off against the Kiri forces. But the core of the standoff wasn't them.

  The real focus was Yagura and Obito.

  Yagura, his Tailed Beast Cloak, and Obito, using Wood Release, were fighting intensely.

  Obito seemed fident against Yagura, not even using Kamui.

  Masashi grinned and prepared to head over.

  Suddenly, he sensed something and turo look at a nearby cliff.

  With his Sharingan, he saw someoanding there.

  But he didn't dwell on it. He tinued moving Susanoo toward the Kaguya 's settlement.

  As Konoha's No.1 collector, I 't let aeal Kimimaro—he's a perfect talent!

  ---

  The current head of the Kaguya was a big fool.

  Literally.

  It might sound disrespectful to say so, but the truth was that the Kaguya 's leader was infamous in Kiri for not being very bright.

  Geics shouldn't be bmed solely on him.

  However, right now, the Kaguya was merely the situation.

  And not just them—the other Kiri ninjas were also watg the show.

  This was because the two powerhouses at the ter of it all were both men of presence.

  Yagura's every move was as if he was demolishing buildings, while his target was Obito's Wood Release.

  "Tobi, as a member of the Uchiha , you're quite skilled at the secrets of the God of Shinobi," said Yagura.

  His entire body was now enveloped iailed Beast Cloak, and the thorny woods attag him were blocked effortlessly. With just a wave of his hand, he could scatter the assault.

  But scattering it was the most he could do. Obito's chakra reserves shocked him.

  The White Ghost was like this, and now this man was the same. The Uchiha was truly terrifying.

  As someone capable of pletely trolling the power of a tailed beast, he didn't achieve this just because he became a jinchūriki. It was because, after Kiri lost the Three-Tails once, he personally sealed the resurrected beast into himself to ensure su i would never happen again.

  Being a perfect jinchūriki was an ued bonus.

  However, his specialties were Water Release and Wind Release, which were not very effective against Wood Release.

  This meant that most of his teiques were useless. He could only rely on brute ford the chakra of the tailed beast to tear through.

  Obito khis very well.

  "You should just obediently fall under my trol," he said coldly.

  "Your identity has already been revealed, Tobi," Yagura replied. "Even if you trol me again, it's meaningless."

  "Who says it's meaningless?" Obito sneered. "Didn't you say my genjutsu was weak? I'll show you how effective it really is!"

  Yagura couldn't help but feel like ret.

  Are you a child!?

  "Besides, what use is revealing my identity? You Kiri ninjas are ily weak. Once I deal with those who resist, you'll all be my pawns again," Obito tinued.

  "Tobi—no, Obito—don't uimate Kiri," Yagura said, his smile fading. "If I didn't think you had potential, I wouldn't be talking so much."

  "Potential?" Obito ughed loudly. "I'm the loser of the Uchiha ! You Kiri ninjas really are useless."

  "Useless or not, you'll soon find out," Yagura sighed, abandoning the idea of subduing Obito.

  Holy, such a good tool for processing paperwork was hard to give up.

  Plus, the Uchiha bloodline was entig.

  Obito always gave him the impression of being disillusioned with the world. Kiri had plenty of such people as well.

  Uhe Bloody Mist policy, many of their elite had psychological issues. The usual solution was te marriages. Kiri's women were experts at melting the angsty hearts of men.

  A few instances of staggering out the door holding their waist, and all their delusions of grandeur would disappear—only an i ih supplements would remain.

  The marriage market was one reason the Bloody Mist policy had mao endure for so many years without colpsing.

  What a shame—such good talent.

  Clearly, the White Ghost was still his best bet.

  As a decisive man who had earhe title of Mizukage, Yagura khat if he couldn't acquire something, he had to destroy it.

  His chakra surged explosively. The forest that Obito had just created was shredded yer by yer by the chakra storm. In the debris, a massive figure emerged.

  It was the full form of the Three-Tails, Isobu, as Yagura entered his plete Tailed Beast Mode.

  ---

  Yagura, why did you wake me up?

  In Yagura's mindscape, he was sitting on Isobu's head. The massive creature was still groggy—it had been sleeping.

  Sorry, Isobu. This Uchiha is strong.

  An Uchiha?

  Hearing that name, Isobu immediately woke up. Through Yagura's eyes, it saw Obito's Sharingan and instantly grew enraged.

  I'll kill him!

  Good. Let's do it together.

  ---

  Ending the versation with Isobu, Yagura—now in his plete beast form—swung his giant hand toward Obito.

  This was entirely different from before.

  A jinchūriki's use of a tailed beast's penerally had three stages. The first stage involved c the body with the tailed beast's chakra to form a shield and provide offensive power.

  The sed stage, Partial Transformation, bihe chakra with the jinchūriki's body. At this stage, the chakra caused physical harm to the user, which was why inplete jinchūriki often stopped there.

  The final stage—plete transformation—allowed the jinchūriki to fully harhe tailed beast's power without any injury. This was the mark of a perfect jinchūriki.

  Isobu's hand swept feing a violent gust of wind akin to a high-level Wind Release teique.

  The ground was instantly torn up.

  And due to the sheer size difference, Obito's entire position was engulfed in the shadow of the massive hand.

  Unfazed, Obito activated Kamui.

  ---

  Ihe Kamui dimension, Shisui—who had been keeping his Sharingan active while waiting—noticed an anomaly.

  In this seemingly infinite space, Obito's figure appeared momentarily, though his gaze was not directed toward the dimension.

  Then, as if erased by an eraser, Obito vanished.

  "Just as Masashi said," Shisui muttered, standing up. He estimated the distaween himself and where Obito had appeared.

  It was far.

  Shisui was niamed the Teleporter, and his mastery of the Body Flicker was unparalleled.

  He attempted to fsh to the previous spot, estimating Obito's speed as he reappeared and vanished.

  Having gathered some uanding, he sat down once again.

  ---

  Ba the real world, oblivious to this, Obito had reemerged from Isobu's massive palm, tinuing to mock Yagura.

  "Weren't you going to kill me? You're not doing so well," he taunted, smirking. "e on, try harder! Don't give up!"

  Suddenly, the ground began to tremble—but this time, Yagura hadn't moved.

  The vibrations came from another dire.

  Both Yagura and Obito turoward the source of the sound.

  What they saw was a massive white giant striding toward them.

  "Susanoo?" Obito was stunned.

  Shisui had already been sealed into the Kamui dimension, so there shouldn't be any Uchiha left capable of using Susanoo here.

  The distant Kiri ninjas and Kaguya members were also in turmoil, uo determine whether this Susanoo was friend or foe.

  "Mizukage-sama, I'm here to help!" the Susanoo spoke.

  "Masashi?" Yagura was surprised. "You possess this kind of teique?"

  Others might nnize Susanoo, which had vanished from the world for years, but as a Mizukage, he certainly did.

  Obito, oher hand, fell into self-doubt.

  Susanoo with only the three-tomoe Sharingan?

  Are you messing with me!?

  Kamui owerful, but he only had one eye. And the oh attack abilities wasn't with him.

  As for Wood Release, he did have Hashirama's cells, but he couldn't use Wood Release on Hashirama's level.

  Obito's face darkened.

  Masashi, you bastard! You really are here to mess with me!