The ninja world was in chaos. Even though Tushi rarely stirred trouble—aside from that one incident at the beginning—he had since chosen to remain hidden within the Land of Fire, focusing solely on alchemy. This time, his purpose wasn't to incite conflict, but rather to gather intelligence.
No matter how powerful one might be, it was unwise to be pulled into the vortex of war. This was the rule for surviving as a wandering ninja during turbulent times. Lone wolves were considered unpredictable threats. Once you joined the fray—even if a Great Ninja Village suffered losses because of you—they would prioritize eliminating your unpredictable existence first.
Tushi deliberately avoided participation in the ongoing strife among the villages and took great care to conceal his movements in the ninja world. Any exposure of his whereabouts would undoubtedly provoke suspicion and endanger his safety.
In particular, Tushi dreaded the possibility of Iwagakure discovering he had returned to the Land of Earth. Not because he feared powerful individuals like Onoki, but because of the threat posed by the sheer scale of the Iwagakure forces. Even if someone of his level could escape danger using instant movement techniques, he wasn't confident about facing an entire army determined to destroy him.
He still remembered the terrifying image of the Third Raikage being surrounded by tens of thousands of shinobi. It was a scene he'd witnessed with his own eyes. That sheer force of numbers wasn't something one could underestimate.
Although confident in his strength, Tushi knew that once Iwagakure realized he was within their territory, they might dispatch a full contingent to deal with him, even if they didn't view him as an immediate enemy. Such a scenario was unacceptable to him.
More importantly, should Iwagakure concentrate forces on him, their remaining strength to engage in their campaign against Konoha might wane. In that case, they might even abandon the war effort against Konoha altogether. Though he wouldn't mind that outcome, meddling with such an event would rewrite history in ways that would ripple unpredictably. Tushi wasn't eager to invite consequences that could disrupt the timeline's fragile balance.
Madara Uchiha, for example, might act unpredictably in response to such changes.
Unbeknownst to Tushi, Madara had already instructed Nagato to summon the Gedo Statue earlier than intended. With the Hashirama cells providing life force, Madara was accelerating his plans. If Tushi had known this, he would have exercised even greater caution—because the pressure Madara placed on Obito now included selecting his successor in walking the path through the ninja world after his death.
To avoid unnecessary attention, Tushi meticulously selected his route. With Konoha's large force stationed around the Land of Rivers, crossing that region would be highly risky, even post-war. Thus, he moved north, considering the Land of Rain his best option.
Though the Land of Grass was chaotic, it lacked the strict controls of the Land of Rain. It was a lawless zone overrun by rogue ninjas—a hotspot for anyone attempting to avoid detection. Unfortunately, such chaos made it more likely to be discovered. Wandering ninjas often congregated there to hide, making it a hive of unpredictability.
Conversely, the Land of Rain, despite its turmoil, had more centralized control under Hanzo and Akatsuki. Though not entirely stable, the absence of war allowed enough focus to maintain internal order. Scattered ninja activity was relatively minimal compared to other regions.
Traveling through the country, Tushi relied on his spiritual perception, using his sensory prowess to avoid detection.
"The weather in the Land of Rain really is something else… It rains every single day. Where does all this rain come from? Did someone gather all the clouds from across the ninja world here?"
Despite the fertile soil of the Land of Rain, constant downpours and storms had rendered most of it useless. Even the best soil couldn't sustain crops under such conditions. Otherwise, the country would have rivaled the Land of Wind in wealth and stability.
Tushi had never stepped into the Land of Rain before. His affinity for Fire and Earth Release made this climate incredibly inhospitable for him. But since mastering Water Release and forming a Bloodline Limit through fusion techniques, the rainy environment no longer posed a threat—in fact, it now offered tactical benefits. He no longer harbored resistance toward the rain-soaked terrain.
Suddenly, his spiritual sense picked up an anomaly.
"Hm? There's a transparent figure there?"
Ever since his previous encounter with Uchiha Kiyo, Tushi had taken great care to conceal himself thoroughly. Yet, even with his caution, this presence had slipped by—only noticed because the surrounding rain had created a visible void where the figure stood.
It was clever—ingeniously camouflaged. Under normal circumstances, such a presence wouldn't be detected unless they came within a 500-meter radius. But this trick wouldn't fool someone with Tushi's sensory skills.
There was only one being in the entire shinobi world known for this type of concealment.
Zetsu.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique."
Without hesitation, Tushi acted. The rain itself became his weapon, swirling together to form a water prison around the elusive figure.
Caught completely off guard, Zetsu had no time to react. One moment he was scouting, the next he was trapped in a solid sphere of water.
He hadn't even noticed Tushi approaching.
They had initially been two kilometers apart, but Tushi had silently closed the gap. With his Hidden Breath Technique suppressing his chakra completely, Zetsu hadn't felt a thing until the moment the jutsu activated. It wasn't until the Water Prison locked around him that he sensed chakra—and realized who his opponent was.
He peered into the distance and recognized the approaching figure.
"Soil…"
Tushi was no stranger. Zetsu had encountered him before and knew he was dangerous. He had also recovered the corpse of Gyuki—the Eight-Tails—which had once fallen into Tushi's hands. However, Tushi's movements were so secretive that even Zetsu could never trace him for long.
"Water Release: Water Explosion!"
Tushi executed a follow-up attack. A massive surge of water erupted from the sphere, targeting the prisoner inside.
What he learned next was even more important: Zetsu's body didn't contain water. Unlike White Zetsu, a biological entity, Black Zetsu was more of a will than a life form. It wasn't a normal body—it was something far more alien.
If you couldn't affect the physical vessel, then causing harm to Zetsu required something else—like spiritual attacks or sealing jutsu.
"Soul or spirit-based, then…" Tushi muttered.
He quickly performed another technique.
"Soul Seal!"
Even though Zetsu had the strength and elusiveness of a shadow-level ninja, it was not enough against Tushi. The barrage of techniques overwhelmed him, and he was suppressed in mere moments.
Black Zetsu, trapped and stunned, realized too late—this encounter wasn't in his favor.
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