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Zetsu completely ignored the shocked Aki. He raised his right hand and shot out several wooden spikes, while his left hand touched the surface of the lake as he coldly muttered,"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu."
A massive water dragon surged out from the lake, charging straight at Aki.
Aki quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge the wooden spikes and the incoming dragon. He barely landed on the lake surface before Zetsu suddenly appeared beside him, thrusting a wooden spear straight at Aki, who couldn't dodge in time.
Acting fast, Aki cast,"Fire Style: Flame Shield!"
Flames erupted from his mouth, wrapping around him like a fiery shield that blocked the spear. Then, from the fire shield, a humanoid flame creature lunged straight at Zetsu.
Zetsu backed off immediately and countered with,"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"The wall of water blocked the incoming fire creature.
Zetsu stopped about ten meters away from Aki, standing on the lake's surface. He said calmly,"My chakra level is at elite jonin—top tier. I mainly use Wood, Earth, and Water Style. It's not like I have some unfair advantage. If you manage to beat me, I'll give you a reward. How about it?"
Aki stared him down and replied seriously,"The best reward would be you coming back to Konoha with me. So it is Wood Style you're using..."
Zetsu looked down at him smugly, almost like he was mocking him."Then beat me. If you can do that, I'll do whatever you say."
Aki shot forward at full speed."Gladly!"
Zetsu extended both arms, forming two wooden spears and swung them at Aki in rapid succession. Aki met him head-on with a kunai in one hand and a short sword in the other—close-quarters combat erupted between the two.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the battlefield…
The Mizukage was watching as the Iwagakure and Takigakure allied forces marched forward. She turned to the surrounding Mist shinobi and ordered,"We're going to cut straight into their center. We hit hard and split them down the middle. The Cloud shinobi will handle their front and rear lines. Our target is the Tsuchikage in the central column. Got that?"
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen and other elite Mist jonin shouted in unison,"Understood!"
The Mizukage grinned."Then everyone—charge with me!"She summoned a giant mirage beast and rushed straight toward the Iwa-Taki alliance.
Elsewhere:
"Lord Kinkaku and Lord Ginkaku have already begun attacking the frontlines!" a Cloud ANBU reported to a burly white-haired man.
He checked the time and then shouted,"This is our moment of glory! All of you, follow me and make history!"He leapt into the air and unleashed a Lightning Style jutsu straight at the rear of the Iwa-Taki army.
Back to the battlefield:
"Hah! That little mustache of yours is still as hideous as ever," the Second Tsuchikage mocked the Second Mizukage.
"You arrogant bandaged freak! You've got no right to talk—you're so ugly you can't even show your real face! People like you could never understand the majestic aura of us elite leaders. Today, I'm sending you straight to hell!"The Second Mizukage attacked with "Water Style: Water Gun Technique."
Not to be outdone, the Second Tsuchikage fired back with "Dust Style: Detachment of the Primitive World." Both retreated slightly after the clash.
Just then, the Tsuchikage's student rushed over and said,"Lord Tsuchikage! The Takikage's been stopped by the Kinkaku and Ginkaku monsters up ahead. Looks like this ambush was something the Cloud and Mist planned long in advance. We should retreat now!"
The Second Tsuchikage shook his head."It's fine. Let me finish off the Second Mizukage. You go secure the rear and make sure we don't get surrounded. This is the perfect chance to take out one of their top commanders. Understand, Daigen?"
Daigen bowed."Yes, Master. I'll head to the rear immediately."
The Tsuchikage looked at his rival and muttered to Daigen,"I'll end this quickly. Then we'll strike back against the Mist and Cloud forces."
Aki was kneeling on the ground, panting, while Zetsu stood across from him with arms crossed.
"Close combat... I'm no match," Aki thought. He glanced down at his broken short sword."I really need a better weapon..."
Zetsu, still looking smug, said,"Your hand-to-hand skills are garbage. Your fire jutsu's alright, but still way too weak. Looks like this is the end of the line for you."
Aki stood up slowly and smirked."We'll see about that."He formed a hand sign."Eight Gates Release: Gate of Opening—Open!"
A massive surge of chakra burst out from him. He dashed at Zetsu and kicked with full power. Zetsu tried to block with one hand, but the force was on a whole new level—Aki's kick snapped his arm and launched him into the air.
Aki didn't let up. He appeared beside the airborne Zetsu, shouting,"Gate of Rest! Gate of Life—Open!"
He grabbed Zetsu by the leg and hurled him into the sky. As Zetsu plummeted down, Aki slammed a kick under his chin and followed it up with a whirlwind combo, finishing with"Leaf Lotus!"
They spun violently and crashed into the lake with a huge explosion. Zetsu's body was left mangled and floating on the surface.
Aki's Sharingan spun rapidly as he watched him. Seeing Zetsu still alive, he quickly unleashed,"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Zetsu countered again with"Water Style: Water Formation Wall,"blocking the fireball.
He stood up slowly as his deformed body gradually healed. Grinning, he said,"Not bad, kid. Those combos—must be the Eight Gates technique. Tobirama's student, right? The legendary taijutsu of the Senju."
Aki frowned as he watched Zetsu recover.
"He knew about Lord Second's techniques. Not many people do. This guy—Zetsu—clearly knew the Second Hokage. And he uses Wood Style... Good thing he doesn't have a Sharingan, or I'd be thinking my grandpa had been reincarnated..."
But what Aki didn't realize was that this guess would shape his entire future—every battle from now on would revolve around this mysterious enemy.
Aki charged again, unleashing three shadow clones. One used"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire,"another"Wind Style: Thousand-Faced Wind,"and the third"Manipulated Shuriken Technique."The wind fanned the fire, creating a barrage of flaming shuriken aimed at Zetsu. Meanwhile, Aki himself opened another gate—"Gate of Pain—Open!"—and dashed toward him.
Zetsu responded quickly. In just three seconds, he sped through hand signs:Tiger – Ox – Monkey – Rabbit – Rat – Boar – Rooster – Ox – Horse – Dog – Tiger – Dog – Tiger – Snake – Ox – Monkey – Rabbit…Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!
A massive waterfall came crashing down, flooding the area and extinguishing all of Aki's wind-fire attacks and his clones.
Seeing the incoming torrent, Aki unleashed Wind Style: Wind Cutter to split the wave, then leapt into the air and blasted"Fire Style: Great Blazing Flower!"Flames burst from his mouth like meteors raining down toward Zetsu.
Zetsu quickly summoned"Wood Style: Wood Pillar Wall."Wood sprouted into curved columns forming a dome that blocked the attack. Then he fired off hundreds of wooden spikes straight at Aki in midair.
Aki countered with a shadow clone, tossing his real body toward the lake surface to dodge the barrage.
They faced off again.
Suddenly, Zetsu chuckled."Didn't think you'd grow this strong. Not even ten years old, and you're already a genius. Alright, time's up. You win today. Here—your prize."
He summoned a scroll and tossed it to Aki before turning and walking away.
Aki didn't chase. He knew this enemy was way out of his league. And once the Eight Gates wore off… the pain would be hell. He picked up the scroll, sealed it in the storage scroll given to him by Lady Mito Uzumaki, and left the lake.
"Hehehe, the old man didn't win after all!" Zetsu's voice echoed from underground.
A man sat under a massive stone flower, his face expressionless."Still can't fully handle Senju-style jutsu. Your body just isn't enough to carry my full will. Guess the design still needs work."
Black Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground and said hoarsely,"After he undid the Eight Gates, that kid was rolling on the ground from the pain. Want me to finish him off now?"
The man shook his head."He's got pure blood. Maybe someday, he'll be useful."
Black Zetsu rasped,"Or maybe he'll just be a pain in the ass."
The man chuckled."With enough power, any obstacle can be crushed. Have you found a suitable Uzumaki host yet?"
White Zetsu answered,"Nope! The Konoha shinobi are protecting them way too well. We can't even get close. Mist's forces are just too weak."
The man sighed."Looks like it's time to mess with Konoha a little. Keep an eye on the Mist Village—especially the Mizukage. If needed, I'll take control of her myself and make the Mist shinobi serve my will."
After unlocking the Eight Gates, the pain was so intense that Aki passed out. When he woke up, he was lying in a room, resting. A huge Buddhist character on the wall told him—he was in a temple.
A young monk entered and bowed."You're awake, honored guest! I'll go prepare you a vegetarian meal."
He ran off. Soon after, an elderly monk entered, followed by the boy carrying food.
Aki thanked them and started eating.
Once he finished, the elder monk asked,"You're a Konoha shinobi. Why were you found unconscious outside our temple? Do you need us to send for help?"
Aki shook his head."No, I'm not in danger. May I ask, where am I exactly?"
"This is the Temple of Fire," the old monk replied.
Aki paused, a little surprised."So this is the most sacred temple in the Land of Fire… the Temple of Fire itself. I have no idea how I even got here..."
The old monk noticed Aki's troubled expression."You seem burdened, child. Is there anything this humble monk can help you with?"
Aki shook his head, deep in thought."Five years of training… and I still lost. Feels like I've never once beaten a real powerhouse. I'm just not strong enough. I want more power!"His eyes burned with frustration, and unconsciously, his Sharingan activated—three tomoe spinning rapidly. His fists clenched tight.
The monk sighed."You've been consumed by darkness."
"Darkness?" The words hit Aki like a bucket of cold water. He instantly calmed down, the Sharingan fading.
He looked at the old monk and asked in confusion,"What do you mean, darkness?"
The monk murmured, "Amitābha," and replied,"Obsession is the root of darkness. You are far too obsessed. Judging by those eyes… you must be from the Uchiha clan of Konoha's noble families. Three-tomoe Sharingan at such a young age—truly, a gifted child."
Aki was stunned. The monk clearly knew a lot about the Uchiha. He bowed deeply."Master, please allow me to stay here for a while."
The old monk smiled kindly."This place is for peace and rest. You're welcome to stay as long as you need."
"....."