"Sorry to have made you all witness such a disgrace. Thank you very much for your help—without you, Iwagakure might have ceased to exist."
"But I'm afraid I must deal with matters concerning the village now, so I won't be able to receive you properly."
"No problem, no problem. Just tell us if you need any help."
Jiraiya waved his hand repeatedly; he knew full well that Ōnoki was in no mood to talk right now, so no matter what he had to say, it wasn't the right time.
Ōnoki nodded, gave Kitagawa Gen another long, deep look, then led Deidara and the others toward the gathered crowd.
Seeing him like that made Jiraiya feel a bit heavyhearted. When they had gone some distance away, he pulled Kitagawa Gen aside.
"Honestly, what a troublesome mess to run into… good thing we came."
"Is it possible that the pervy sage leading the team just—"
Kitagawa Gen blinked and couldn't help laughing as he spoke, but before he could finish, Jiraiya cut him off.
"No such thing! We're not jinxes! Damn it, this has nothing to do with us!"
Jiraiya knew exactly what Kitagawa Gen was about to say, and he couldn't allow that "rumor" to become reality through this bastard's mouth.
"Enough about that. What you used just now—was it Yin–Yang Release?"
"That's right."
Kitagawa Gen nodded seriously.
"Yin–Yang Release is difficult to merge, but I was lucky. And its practical effect turned out to be beyond expectations."
"Lucky, huh…"
Jiraiya had a hard time keeping a straight face at that, but he found it difficult to argue.
After all, Kitagawa Gen seemed to be the only one who had actually succeeded with Yin–Yang Release—and he had to admit, the power of that technique was terrifying beyond imagination.
"If only I had your kind of luck."
Naruto pursed his lips and muttered softly, while Sasuke couldn't help but look on in admiration.
"Yin–Yang Release, huh… what incredible power."
"It really is. With that technique, it might actually be possible to take on Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
Jiraiya nodded in agreement, but Kitagawa Gen looked a bit embarrassed.
"Let's not talk about that. We've also made another discovery this time."
"Another discovery?"
The three of them were surprised, while Kitagawa Gen spoke in a low voice.
"When Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito fled, I suddenly sensed some movement around us, so I captured two figures."
"Akatsuki members?"
"No. They were a kind of humanoid creature. Haven't you noticed something? Uchiha Madara was a bit too strong, wasn't he?"
"Too strong?"
Jiraiya froze for a moment, but instantly realized what he meant.
That Uchiha Madara was truly absurd!
Not only did he perfectly display the power of the Uchiha, but he could even use Wood Release—and yet he was merely an Edo Tensei.
Then what kind of thing could possibly bear his power?
"You mean…"
Jiraiya's expression grew solemn, and Kitagawa Gen nodded.
"It's very possible. We can just take them back and test it. If it's true…"
"Then that would be an enormous and unexpected gain."
Jiraiya, of course, understood what Kitagawa Gen meant, and even he couldn't help murmuring it aloud.
For Iwagakure, this had undoubtedly been a disaster.
But for them, the situation was something else entirely.
Not only had helping out here smoothed the way for Naruto's matters, but if that thing they obtained truly proved effective, then the First and Second Hokage might finally have a real solution.
"Yeah… it truly is an 'unexpected' gain."
Kitagawa Gen also nodded, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward the ninja pouch at his waist.
Inside it lay a scroll that had "unexpectedly" sealed the chakra of the Five-Tails, resting quietly within.
...
Amid the mountains of the Land of Earth, the figures of Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito silently emerged.
They both staggered as they landed, their faces equally grim.
[Bang—]
Uchiha Obito suddenly slammed his fist hard against the ground. The force of his punch was immense, instantly gouging a deep pit into the earth.
"Why did it turn out like this?! Damn it—why did it have to end up this way?!"
He roared again and again, as if trying to vent all the gloom in his heart.
Blood was still flowing from his body—clearly, the short blade forged from Yin–Yang Release that had pierced through him was not something easy to recover from.
"Hmph."
Uchiha Madara only watched indifferently, saying nothing to console him.
After all, to him, this had been a bitterly humiliating defeat.
He truly could not comprehend how Kitagawa Gen had grown so strong—those Wood Release techniques had really made him feel as if the "old days had returned."
He had actually lost once again to "True Several Thousand Hands." That feeling was simply unbearable.
It was precisely because he had lost to "True Several Thousand Hands," and knew he had no real chance of victory against Kitagawa Gen, that he had decisively chosen to retreat.
Had he truly been struck by Yin–Yang Release, even his Edo Tensei body might not have withstood it.
'Could that brat really be a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother?'
Uchiha Madara couldn't help but wonder in secret—but at that moment, Uchiha Obito suddenly raised his head.
"Didn't you say we could create a peaceful world without war? Then why has it become like this?!"
"Hmph."
Uchiha Madara snorted coldly, just about to respond—when he suddenly sensed something wrong.
To his shock, he saw that black markings had appeared on Obito's face without his notice, and Obito's chakra was faintly beginning to grow stronger.
"What the hell is this thing?"
Uchiha Madara looked at Obito in disbelief. At this moment, Obito's mask had already shattered, and those black streaks on his face appeared particularly conspicuous.
But conspicuous as they were, the power erupting from that man's body was so astonishing that even Uchiha Madara found it hard to believe.
That faintly surging force seemed close to reaching his own "true peak" state!
Moreover, wisps of blue smoke were rising from Obito's body, and the injuries he had suffered from Yin–Yang Release were actually healing continuously.
'What's going on with this Uchiha Obito?'
Madara's gaze darkened slightly. He found that Obito was growing stronger and stronger—and that was not a good thing.
"Why is this happening?"
However, Uchiha Obito seemed not to realize it at all. He continued to roar hysterically.
"Why! Why did it turn into this monstrous mess!"
Madara fell silent. He seemed to understand why Obito had become like this.
The blow was too much; this guy couldn't hold it together.
Thinking back to the earlier battle—the once invincible Susanoo had been completely useless before Kitagawa Gen!
Its overly massive size had made it impossible to launch an effective attack, while Kitagawa Gen's display had been nothing short of absurd.
'He shattered Susanoo directly—and shattered Uchiha Obito's heart along with it?'
Madara sighed softly and kicked apart the remaining spirit of Susanoo. 'Obito is just an ordinary man, after all.'
'But this is better. That mindset of his doesn't match his power. It works to my advantage.'
The gloom on Madara's face vanished. He had initially worried that Obito's excessive strength might interfere with his plan.
But with a mentality like this, it didn't seem nearly as dangerous anymore.
"That's Yin–Yang Release."
Madara adjusted his mood, then spoke indifferently.
"The power of Yin–Yang Release is beyond imagination. Even I only came to grasp it after awakening the Rinnegan."
"Yin–Yang Release…"
Obito was not unfamiliar with that art; after all, Madara had taught him many things.
"He mastered Yin–Yang Release? He defeated me using the power of Yin–Yang Release?"
"What else could it be? Yin–Yang Release is the continuation of the 'power of all creation'—the power of the Sage of Six Paths."
Madara gave a slight nod, though his eyes continued to examine Obito's entire body.
Although Obito's mentality now put him at ease, that power still left him vaguely uneasy.
"I didn't expect that kid to have mastered such strength. No wonder you couldn't handle him."
"So it was Yin–Yang Release…"
Hearing Madara's explanation, the hysteria in Obito's eyes finally began to subside slightly.
"If it's Yin–Yang Release, then that makes sense—after all, that's the power of the Sage of Six Paths."
"And that technique isn't something an ordinary person can control, yet he can wield it so effortlessly."
"It seems he truly is a descendant of the Sage's younger brother. Otherwise, how could he do this? What right does he have to do this!"
"No wonder… no wonder…"
Obito murmured repeatedly, his gaze gradually returning to normal—faintly even turning resolute.
Even Uchiha Madara couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth at this scene.
He had heard from Black Zetsu that Nagato seemed to have gone through similar circumstances.
It was also by believing that Kitagawa Gen was the "descendant of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother" that Nagato had gradually recovered.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---