"Damn it!" A dark-skinned ninja wearing white armor muttered under his breath before stepping back a few paces.
He held a long telescope that he had just used to watch Yugito's fight.
As the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, there was no way she could leave the village alone without supervision.
Although saying they were at ease, Raikage A still assigned a ninja skilled in stealth to tail Yugito, who would report everything back to the village accordingly, ensuring Kumogakure kept track of her whereabouts.
The ninja stepped back a few steps, retreating behind a rock. Just now, the enemy seemed to have noticed him, glancing in this direction and making his scalp tingle with sweat pouring down his neck.
Hiding behind cover, he exhaled sharply and narrowed his eyes.
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki Yugito had been captured by those mysterious individuals. The situation looked urgent!
Thinking that, he formed a series of hand seals and slammed them onto the ground.
With a puff of white smoke, a small dog-sized lizard appeared beneath his palm.
Rustle! He unrolled a scroll, grabbed a brush, and started writing. Earlier, the distance had been too far, and due to his limited abilities, he couldn't clearly see the details of the battle.
Therefore, he could only note the most obvious features.
"Black robes with red clouds, six figures total, incredibly powerful fighters—several of them haven't even fought yet, exact details unknown! Yugito has also fallen into enemy hands!"
His brush moved swiftly across the parchment, jotting down every detail about the enemies.
"Deliver this to the Raikage right away!" He handed the scroll to the lizard, watching it swallow the document whole before nodding toward him and disappearing, finally relieving some tension from his heart.
That was all he could do—he could only hope for the best now.
Sigh, hasn't the Shinobi World just settled into peace these past few years? Now is it about to descend into chaos again?
Leaning against the rock, the sweat on his back soaked through his clothes, sticking tightly to his skin.
Though it might only concern Kumogakure, he already sensed something unusual.
This organization targeting Yugito would surely bring great upheaval to the entire ninja world!
This wasn't an ordinary village conflict. If they're targeting the Tailed Beasts, this might truly lead to another Great Ninja World War!
Looking up at the sky, he saw gray clouds gradually spreading in from afar, slowly swallowing the sun until not even sunlight could penetrate through.
The winds of chaos begin to rise!
...
Kiri—the village base of operations for the Takehaya Clan! Flames roared throughout the compound, and utter chaos reigned supreme.
The members of the Takehaya never imagined they—the ones attempting rebellion—should have had the upper hand, yet surprisingly, Kirigakure's forces found them first.
They had still been preparing rituals in anticipation of tonight's celebration when their enemies showed up right at their doorstep.
Well then, since they're here, they've saved us the trouble of having to go after them!
These fanatical warriors—whose brains were full of rocks and nonsense—didn't think twice and charged headfirst into battle against Kirigakure's elite shinobi forces.
This was a mission where nobody would truly win. Even if Kiri emerged victorious, they'd suffer losses from eliminating such a powerful Bloodline Family.
As for the Takehaya actually winning? No chance whatsoever!
Meanwhile, as an intense battle was underway elsewhere, a different kind of struggle was happening in a forbidden area behind the Mist village — a place meant for harmonizing between Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki, as well as sealing operations.
According to available intelligence, Ephemeral, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, originally came from Mist but later betrayed the village and left. However, the exact timing of this betrayal remained unclear.
Recently, White Zetsu had obtained intelligence regarding Ephemeral.
The report stated: Ephemeral, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, is currently still loyal to the Mist village.
As part of their plans, Akatsuki decided to postpone capturing the Six-Tails, waiting for a more suitable opportunity.
Inside the forbidden area deep within the Mountains, the atmosphere was far from peaceful, with corrosive chakra surging through the very air.
In a cave, there sat an old man and a young apprentice. The younger one lay on the ground, completely naked; while the elder placed both hands upon his apprentice's abdomen, gently rubbing.
Suddenly, the chakra in the air froze, and the world itself seemed to stop moving.
The old man's expression hardened, his brows furrowing deeply. He straightened his arms, and blue chakra flames began flickering at the tips of his fingers.
On the ground beneath the youth, countless swirling talismans emerged, twisting wildly like tadpoles as the elder increased his pressure. Then they crawled up the young body.
"Ahhh! Ahhh!"
The black runes turned crimson red, climbing across the apprentice's skin, which grew scalding hot. Steam rose where the marks touched, and thin wisps of pale-yellow chakra began bubbling out like foam from Ephemeral's body.
"Ephemeral, hold on! It'll be over soon!"
Seeing his student flinch slightly in pain, the old man paused briefly to offer some reassurance.
His student was the Jinchuriki of the Six-Tails Saiken, but due to the harsh treatment he'd endured in the village, he hadn't been happy.
As a mentor, the master had decided to do something for his pupil — such as removing the beast sealed inside him.
Based on past experience, once a Tailed Beast is extracted, its host usually dies. Yet the old man refused to accept that outcome and was determined to find a balance — a way to remove the beast without costing his student his life.
Ephemeral didn't ask what was happening. His teacher had never explained.
But years of trust told him everything would be fine.
Even though it hurt beyond words, he kept enduring, suppressing the Six-Tails' rebellion within, preventing the chakra leaking out from harming his teacher.
"Almost there, Ephemeral! Keep holding on!" The elder shouted, eyes wide. With added power from the surrounding cursed seals, his hands were now enveloped in a barrier-like glow.
With a hiss, his ten fingers plunged into Ephemeral's abdomen as if piercing through water.
"Ahhh!" Ephemeral opened his eyes wide, lifting his head to look at his teacher.
"I've got it, Ephemeral!" Focused entirely on his task, the old man failed to notice the change in his student's gaze.
Ephemeral stared at his mentor, heart tightening.
At that moment, the Tailed Beast sealed within him was being pulled outward by an external chakra force. And with each tug, his own life force drained away alongside it.
"Teacher... stop!" Ephemeral sensed the change within his body and called out, trying to halt his teacher's actions, but his teacher showed no sign of wanting to stop at all.
Was he determined to extract his Tailed Beast and kill him?
A strange chill crept into Ephemeral's heart. Seeing the somewhat "obsessed" expression on the Old Man's face, he suddenly felt no more attachments binding him.
"Roar!" He growled from deep in his throat. Chakra like bubbles rose from his stomach, forming tails that lashed out at his teacher.
"Ephemeral! What are you—Ah!"
Inside the cave, the dim light reflected a horrifying scene: a monstrous creature with six tails had entangled a man with its tails, then tore him apart!
The Old Man didn't even have time to scream before he was torn apart.
All was calm once again.
...
Orochimaru stood on top of a high peak, gazing at the chaos below as a slow smile spread across his face.
He saw a tiny figure escape from the battlefield. Unnoticed by anyone, it staggered toward the forest.
"My little one… could this be fate?"
Crossing his arms, Orochimaru turned and strode deeper into the forest.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>