Drip.
Heiyan poured Fugaku's blood from the test tube into his palm, watching as it transformed into a complex formula of seals.
Puff.
A burst of white smoke erupted, and in an instant, he completely morphed into the image of Fugaku Uchiha—even perfectly replicating the latter's unique Mangekyo Sharingan eyes.
Heiyan fixed his gaze forward, focusing on a large tree not far away.
The next moment.
Hiss...hiss...hiss...
Suddenly, black flames appeared on the tree trunk. Burning fiercely, they spread rapidly, reducing the massive tree—so wide it would take several people to encircle it—to ashes in no time.
[Dojutsu Technique: Amaterasu]
Heiyan turned away his gaze, wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his eye, then swiftly formed several hand seals, ending with the Tiger Seal.
A surge of solidified chakra burst forth from his body, eventually taking shape as a half-body armored giant dozens of meters tall, wielding a massive sword forty meters long.
This was none other than Fugaku's Susanoo.
Such was the terrifying power of the Seventy-Two Transformations—it allowed Heiyan to replicate every last detail of his target. If he returned to Konoha like this, even someone like Hiashi or Tsunade wouldn't be able to tell the real Fugaku from the impostor.
After completing the test, Heiyan released the transformation and reverted to his original form.
This transformation wasn't one-time use only; it left behind memories within Heiyan's body. The next time he transformed into Fugaku, he wouldn't need the latter's blood again.
The only drawback was that this shapeshifting ability worked effectively only against targets below Six Paths Tier. Something like the Rinnegan could not yet be replicated through the Seventy-Two Transformations.
Overall,
The "Sage's Domain" and the "Seventy-Two Transformations"—the two pseudo-Kekkei Mora abilities—undoubtedly elevated Heiyan's strength to an entirely new level.
Moreover,
Over these past forty years, through rigorous cultivation, Heiyan had pushed the potential of his Sage Transformation to its absolute limit. The final tomoe inside him now showed signs of imminent rupture.
Only one final step remained—fusion with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
During his isolation training, Heiyan had not forgotten to keep monitoring Madara. He already knew about Madara's deployment of the Edo Army to capture the Tailed Beasts from various ninja villages.
According to his original plan, Heiyan had intended to let Madara capture Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Eight-Tails first, waiting until those beasts were sealed inside the Demonic Statue before making his move to seize it all at once.
But now, Heiyan would head toward Kirigakure earlier than planned.
Because of Three-Tails Isobu.
Back then, on the battlefield at Uzu Country, Heiyan personally killed Three-Tails and silently vowed that once it naturally revived in the wild, he would find it a suitable home.
The time had come.
...
One day later.
In the Land of Water.
Heiyan wore the One-Tail's Magnet Release-based armor, condensing iron sand into wings behind his back as he flew swiftly through the air.
Searching aimlessly for the revived Three-Tails in the vast wilderness would have been extremely time-consuming and exhausting. Fortunately, Heiyan had previously inscribed the [Flying Thunder God Technique] directly into Isobu's chakra.
Now, his sensor ability for the extreme range of the Flying Thunder God formula had expanded to over one hundred kilometers.
Therefore, after arriving in the Land of Water, Heiyan located the Three-Tails within most of a day.
Right now, he was heading there.
Half an hour later.
From afar, Heiyan saw a vast lake—and on its center, a giant turtle covered in gray spikes: Isobu.
However, Isobu roared furiously and lashed out with his three tails, locked in fierce battle against two uninvited guests.
Those two were Second Kazekage Shamon and Third Kazekage.
Under their combined assault, the Three-Tails fell back step by step, clearly nearing defeat.
"A perfect moment."
Heiyan murmured to himself. In a flash, he soared forward, hands forming hand seals rapidly, summoning a sky filled with swirling iron sand.
[Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle]
"Swish swish swish!"
Wave upon wave of iron sand needles rained down like storm, forcing the two Kage backward while relieving Isobu's pressure, giving it a moment to catch its breath.
"Who are you?!"
The two Kage looked at Heiyan with shock and suspicion, obviously stunned by the magnetic nature technique he had used.
Heiyan had no intention of explaining. Without speaking, he dashed forward again, summoning countless iron sand spears to strike violently at both opponents.
"Damn it!"
Furious, the two Kage released their own Magnet Releases in response, engaging Heiyan in intense combat.
Their battle raged from the lake's surface all the way onto the shore, leaving Isobu completely out of their focus.
The battle soon reached a fever pitch.
On land, endless waves of sand and iron clashed violently. The three figures danced among them, soaring and weaving through the battlefield with life-threatening intensity.
The longer the Sand duo fought against Heiyan, the more unnerved they became.
Shamon, as Second Kazekage, developed both the Puppet Technique and Magnet Release into formidable arts, becoming a ruthless and powerful leader.
As for the Third Kazekage, he was hailed as the strongest Wind Shadow in history.
Even so, together they still couldn't match Heiyan's Magnet Release.
That was because Heiyan's Magnet Release originated from half of Shukaku's chakra, enhanced further by his Sage Transformation, reaching unimaginable levels of power.
[Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method]
At that moment, Heiyan unleashed the move. Countless iron sand spikes surged from all directions, instantly piercing through both Kage bodies, shredding them apart completely.
After defeating both enemies, he turned around only to find that Isobu had already slipped away into the lake depths amid the chaos—completely vanished.
Unfazed, Heiyan skimmed low over the water's surface, continuing the pursuit.
Shortly after he left,
thanks to the effects of Impure World Reincarnation, the slain Sand duo slowly regenerated until their bodies were whole again.
"Pursue him!"
After exchanging glances, they too ran off in pursuit of Heiyan.
Half a day later.
The Sand duo returned empty-handed.
Not only did they fail to catch up with Heiyan, but despite searching thoroughly throughout these waters, they found no trace of Isobu. A massive beast like the Three-Tails had simply vanished into thin air.
Over a hundred miles away, inside a cave on a desolate island.
Heiyan used a gourd-shaped container to seal the Three-Tails, and was now extending the Celestial Binding Chain into the mouth of the gourd, drawing out the latter's chakra.
He would let the Three-Tails escape from Madara's grasp, allowing it to live freely in the future. But this big turtle still had to pay Heiyan an appropriate price.
Not long after.
Following his usual routine, Heiyan extracted half of the Three-Tails' chakra and shaped it into a new living armor.
Well, time for a new look.
As he put on the living armor, Heiyan gained access to the Three-Tails' Ice Release kekkei genkai.
Under the influence of Isobu's chakra, his appearance had transformed into that of an old man leaning on a cane with a hunched back. Behind him was a gray turtle shell covered in spiky protrusions.
This appearance reminded Heiyan of a classic anime character—Turtle Sage [a classic immortal martial arts master in anime].
So he slipped on a pair of sunglasses, leaned on his cane, and stepped out of the cave.
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