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CODE - FA23B!!
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"That power…!"
Naruto stared, stunned.
If he'd gotten any closer—He didn't finish the thought.
"Naruto!"
Sasuke shouted sharply.
The moment the words left his mouth, he drew the Sword of the Thunder God and lunged forward, slashing at Gengetsu without hesitation.
After the explosion, the clone was still present—but Sasuke knew the main body would be severely weakened.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto surged forward immediately.
Hinata did not follow.
Instead, she calmly drew her bow and locked onto Gengetsu's clone.
The moment it attempted to move in support of the main body, Hinata released.
Explosive Arrow!
The Yin Release arrow streaked forward.
Gengetsu's clone instinctively swung its great sword—
BOOM!
The arrow detonated, releasing an invisible mental shockwave.
The clone froze mid-motion, its consciousness thrown into chaos, temporarily unable to assist the main body.
At the same time, Gengetsu himself was caught in a pincer.
Sasuke in front. Naruto behind.
Yet Gengetsu was still the Second Mizukage.
In an instant, he countered.
Water Release: Great Water Arm!
He clenched his fist and slammed it into the Sword of the Thunder God.
Sasuke barely had time to channel lightning before a terrifying force surged through the blade.
He was thrown backward, his arm numb and aching.
The Great Water Armconcentrated all moisture in the body into a single strike—raw, overwhelming power unique to the Hōzuki Clan.
Naruto accelerated, driving the Rasengan toward Gengetsu's back.
Gengetsu flashed left, narrowly evading—And the Rasengan shot straight toward Sasuke.
"Sasuke, move!"
Naruto's face drained of color.
Sasuke's pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he released the sword.
Body Flicker!!
He vanished just in time.
Naruto hadn't even finished exhaling when Gengetsu pointed a finger at him.
Water Release: Water Gun!
A liquid bullet screamed forward.
"Naruto!"
Sasuke moved instinctively—but he was too far.
Whoosh!
A Yin Release arrow intercepted the attack midair.
"Konoha Gale!"
Naruto leapt, spinning toward Gengetsu.
Sasuke followed instantly.
Two kicks struck from opposite sides—perfectly synchronized.
Behind them, Gengetsu's clone shook off the lingering effects of the Explosive Arrow and began to move—Only for another arrow to fly.
Hinata's expression hardened.
Through her Byakugan, she saw it clearly.
The clone was at its limit.
One more hit would trigger detonation.
She made her decision instantly.
If it exploded now, the backlash would leave the main body critically weakened.
Bang!
Gengetsu crossed his arms, blocking both kicks—But Naruto and Sasuke twisted midair, chaining a second strike.
The impact forced Gengetsu back two full steps.
Before a third kick could land—Gengetsu retreated using body flicker and clapped his hands.
Water Release: Water Hail!
A storm of water bullets erupted.
Naruto and Sasuke aborted their attacks and split apart.
"Naruto! Sasuke!"
Hinata's fingers tightened on the bowstring. "The clone is about to explode!"
Sasuke reacted instantly.
He lowered his stance, lightning roaring in his palm.
Chidori!
The shrill cry of a thousand birds tore through the forest.
He vanished.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto split into hundreds of clones, ordering them to surround both Sasuke and Gengetsu.
Gengetsu began forming seals—
Water Release: Water Sphere—
His movement faltered.
A wave of weakness surged through him.
The technique collapsed.
His clone had detonated.
Sasuke seized the opening and drove Chidori straight into Gengetsu's chest.
The strike pierced cleanly through.
But—
No blood.
Sasuke froze.
What…?
Gengetsu counterpunched instantly.
Sharingan: Genjutsu!
Though confused, Sasuke followed the plan without hesitation.
Three tomoe spun.
"Naruto!"
He retreated.
Gengetsu shook off the illusion almost immediately. But it was enough.
Wind Release: Shuriken!
Naruto hurled his weapon. So did every clone. A black storm descended.
Gengetsu hastily formed seals, releasing bubbles to intercept—
Explosive Arrow!
Hinata fired.
The bubbles detonated violently, colliding with the shuriken—Then the Yin Release arrow exploded as well.
Gengetsu's emotions spiraled out of control.
For a brief moment—
He froze.
"Wind Release: Shuriken!"
Naruto attacked again.
This time, there were no bubbles left.
Countless shuriken tore into Gengetsu.
"We did it!" Naruto shouted, exhilarated.
"Don't relax!"
Sasuke rushed forward, stabbing with the Sword of the Thunder God.
Clang!
A massive blade blocked him.
The clone.
Sasuke instantly flooded the sword with lightning.
Electricity erupted, engulfing the clone.
"Sasuke—retreat!"
Hinata sensed the surge.
Too late—
BOOM!
The clone detonated.
Sasuke escaped just in time.
"He's… weird," Naruto muttered, staring.
Sasuke nodded grimly.
Gengetsu had taken Chidori and razor-sharp vacuum blades head-on—
And yet he wasn't dead.
Worse—
His body was slowly regenerating.
And it wasn't flesh.
Not human at all.
At that moment, Kitazawa descended and landed before them.
"Sensei, watch out!" Naruto shouted.
Hinata raised her bow instantly.
"He can't fight anymore," Kitazawa said calmly. "Your mission ends here."
"Huh?"
Naruto blinked.
Sasuke and Hinata exchanged uneasy glances.
What was this thing?
"This is a type of forbidden jutsu," Kitazawa explained, stepping forward as he formed hand seals.
Gengetsu Hōzuki—ravaged by lightning and wind—stood motionless, unable to recover anytime soon.
The battle was over.
Although Edo Tensei grants an immortal body, its regeneration is painfully slow.
In other words, Sasuke and the others had truly defeated Hōzuki Gengetsu.
Under normal circumstances, an Edo Tensei resurrectee should be dealt with using a Sealing Technique.
If the revived individual retains consciousness, it is also possible to disrupt the technique through persuasion—commonly referred to as talking them down.
These are the two orthodox ways to counter Edo Tensei.
There are, of course, more extreme measures—such as Kotoamatsukami or Yin–Yang Release.
As the caster, however, Kitazawa didn't need any of that.
He simply released the jutsu.
The moment Edo Tensei was dispelled, Gengetsu's body collapsed.
His form rapidly reverted, transforming back into the young spy taken from the Konoha Severe Detention Center.
Only—
He was already dead.
"Wait for me outside."
Kitazawa waved his hand dismissively.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata exchanged glances, then quietly withdrew from the forest.
Kitazawa lifted his hand again.
Fire Release chakra surged forth.
Flames consumed the corpse.
Only after it had burned completely did he turn and leave.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Hinata noticed him first and stepped forward.
"What exactly was that Hidden Mist jonin?" Naruto asked impatiently.
"It's like this," Kitazawa said, improvising smoothly.
The explanation was neither entirely false nor fully true.
He told them that someone had used a forbidden secret technique to resurrect the Hidden Mist ninja, intending to launch a surprise attack on Konoha—and that he had discovered it in advance.
The Shadow Clone, he explained, had been left behind to locate the enemy.
"A technique like that really exists?" Naruto asked, eyes wide.
"It sounds… twisted," Sasuke said quietly.
"Disturbing the souls of the dead violates the most fundamental principles of a shinobi," Kitazawa said gravely.
"Was the person who used it caught?" Hinata asked.
"Yes," Kitazawa nodded. "Anbu has already taken him into custody."
"Good!" Naruto gave a firm thumbs-up. "People like that should be punished!"
"..."
Kitazawa's eye twitched.
"Sensei," Sasuke asked suddenly, "what score did we get for this mission?"
"Full marks," Kitazawa replied without hesitation.
"You performed flawlessly—both individually and as a team."
"That's awesome!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear.
Sasuke exhaled quietly, tension leaving his shoulders.
If his written score held up, first place was still within reach.
Hinata didn't think about rankings at all.
As long as she hadn't disappointed him, that was enough.
"Next," Kitazawa said, clapping his hands, "we're going to the Land of Whirlpools."
They soon arrived at the ruins of the Uzumaki Clan.
"So… empty," Naruto murmured.
Weeds choked the stone paths. Vines crawled over collapsed walls. Not a trace of its former vitality remained.
"No one has lived here for years," Sasuke said quietly.
"There's an intact structure over there," Hinata said in surprise, Byakugan active.
"Where?!" Naruto spun around.
"Hinata, lead the way," Kitazawa said.
He already knew what it was.
After pushing through a stretch of forest, they arrived before a shrine-like building.
Three rows of masks hung at the entrance.
"This place gives me the creeps," Naruto muttered.
"This is the Hall of Stored Masks," Kitazawa explained.
"The Uzumaki Clan's shrine."
Sasuke immediately thought of the Naka Shrine.
If he knew the truth, he'd realize the Naka Shrine—housing the Sage of Six Paths' stone tablet—was far more dangerous than it looked.
"Since we're here," Kitazawa added, "go inside and take a look."
Naruto rushed in instantly.
Sasuke followed.
Only Hinata remained outside.
Kitazawa smiled faintly at her, then turned his attention to the masks.
These were Shinigami Masks.
The Shinigami, as far as the records showed, was a local deity—unrelated to the Ōtsutsuki—and definitely not part of the Pure Land.
Its existence was tied to the Uzumaki Clan's most infamous forbidden technique:
The Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
A jutsu that demanded the caster's life.
In exchange, it devoured the target's soul, sealing it eternally within the Shinigami's stomach—forever barred from the afterlife.
Hiruzen had used it during the Konoha Crush.
Minato had used it to split the Nine-Tails.
Kitazawa considered this for a moment—then carefully stored the masks away.
Leaving them here was far too risky.
Especially since he intended to release the Yin Nine-Tails someday.
Half a Nine-Tails was powerful—but it would never compare to the complete beast.
Better safe than sorry.
Naruto and Sasuke eventually returned, empty-handed.
There was nothing else here.
"Alright," Kitazawa said, patting Naruto's shoulder.
"Let's head back."
Naruto nodded, subdued.
His only regret was not finding anything connected to his mother.
Kitazawa watched him quietly, wondering whether the time would come to let him meet Minato and Kushina—
Not through Edo Tensei.
But through the spiritual remnants they had left behind within the seal.
That thought, however, was for another day.
For now, they turned toward home.
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