In the hideout behind the enormous waterfall, the middle-aged man who served as the leader of the Takigakure shinobi was anxiously pacing back and forth. The squad he had dispatched had been gone for quite some time, and still, no news had come back. A sense of unease churned in his gut.
"Leader! Leader! They've returned!"
Just as he was pacing, a shout came from outside. Excited, he rushed to the door and flung it open, eager to see who this mysterious intruder really was.
However, the sight before him completely stunned him.
The elite shinobi he had been so proud of were now each lying battered on stretchers, bruised and swollen beyond recognition. Their bodies were covered in bandages, and they looked more like swollen pigs than trained warriors.
"Ow... ow..."
The pained moans snapped the leader back to reality. He scanned the group and quickly located the squad captain he had personally chosen.
He stormed over in three large strides, his eyes filled with concern as he looked at the poor fellow, now swollen beyond what even his own mother would recognize. He smacked the man on the thigh and urgently asked:
"Gulp! Yudai, how many people did the enemy bring?!"
The man named Yudai was known as one of his most capable subordinates. A few years ago, after drinking the Hero Water, he had risen to elite status. In this entire base, only the leader himself and the odd Kakuzu could surpass him.
Yet now he looked like this? Battered but alive—clearly, the enemy had shown mercy, which only made their overwhelming strength more apparent.
"Waaah! Leader, I'm not Yudai! I'm Oto! The captain is over there!"
The man whimpered as tears streamed down his face. His leg had been fine before, but now it was definitely broken. Still, he endured the pain and raised a trembling finger toward a fully bandaged figure nearby—one that looked more like a mummy than a man.
"Ah, so it's Oto..."
The leader muttered awkwardly, clearly embarrassed at the mix-up. Oto wasn't exactly the strongest shinobi around—good at flashy tricks, but lacking in real power. That slap probably crippled him.
He turned to the medics and gave a firm order:
"Get him a fine wheelchair, got it?"
"Yes, yes, of course."
Finally approaching the real Yudai, the leader spoke again:
"Yudai, what happened out there? Was it an ambush?"
Only Yudai's nose and mouth were exposed from beneath the bandages. When he heard the question, his entire body began to tremble as if recalling a nightmare. Then, with great effort, he rasped out:
"One man... it was only one person..."
"What?! What kind of ninjutsu did he use?"
"One punch. Just one punch."
"There were so many of you! How did one punch do this to you?!"
The leader was skeptical. Was Yudai under a genjutsu?
"That punch... it blocked out the sky..."
As Yudai recalled the moment Senju Hashirama had thrown a single punch through the air toward him, his voice was filled with genuine terror. He'd seen big fists before, but one larger than a mountain? That was a first.
"Did you get any intel on him?"
The leader sighed, suspecting that Yudai's brain had been rattled. Still, he asked out of formality.
"Senju Hashirama. He said his name was Senju Hashirama."
That was the only real information the team had managed to acquire. As for his goal—some seven-tailed green caterpillar? If they mentioned that, the leader would probably laugh them out of the room.
"Senju... Hashirama..."
The leader's eyes narrowed. He was educated enough to know the Senju name. Though only vaguely familiar with Hashirama's full name, he definitely knew the Senju clan.
"What's someone from the Land of Fire doing here?"
Their nations had no direct conflict and were separated by massive gorges. There had never been any issues before.
But now, someone from there was knocking on their door.
It had to be because of the Hero Water.
"He comes now of all times? There must be a traitor!"
The spring that produced the Hero Water only did so once every few decades. Based on the timing, the water was due soon. Hashirama showing up now? Too convenient.
"Investigate. See who's been leaving the village lately."
He gave the order with a calm voice, but deep suspicion had already taken root.
"Leader, only Kakuzu has been making frequent trips outside lately."
The report came swiftly. Based on records, only the young shinobi Kakuzu had been regularly leaving the base.
"Anything suspicious?"
The leader's heart skipped a beat. Kakuzu was someone he'd personally groomed—gifted and powerful. He had even intended to reward him with Hero Water soon. But could he have betrayed them?
"According to the guards, he always leaves empty-handed and returns with a big sack."
Just as he feared! The betrayal wasn't even subtle!
The leader was furious but kept calm. With internal and external threats, he couldn't afford a direct confrontation—not yet.
Why fight when you can use manipulation?
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the base...
A young Kakuzu was smiling in satisfaction as he laid out a neatly organized array of freshly polished kunai on a table.
"Perfect. This is gonna earn me a fortune!"
His eyes gleamed with gold. Every single one of these weapons was money.
All his tireless efforts—scavenging battlefields, rifling through corpses, retrieving damaged weapons—had finally paid off.
"Though... the Land of Fire's been kinda quiet lately. Might need to head to the Land of Earth next."
He rubbed a gleaming kunai thoughtfully. The Land of Fire used to be his goldmine, but now? Barely any fighting.
"Unless I get a mission, I'm not going back there."
Back under the massive waterfall of Takigakure...
"Could the intel really be wrong? Everything was accurate before..."
Hashirama stood atop a large, pale-white cocoon, visibly frustrated.
It hadn't been easy to make it to Takigakure. His plan had been to capture the western Bijū first before heading east. Yet here? Nothing.
"Damn it!"
THUD!
Fuming, Hashirama stomped on the cocoon, his immense strength shaking it.
Chōmei: Activate Harden!
Inside the cocoon, Chōmei gritted its teeth and didn't dare make a sound. It silently messaged Kurama:
"Don't come over! There's a monster here!"
"What? That fast already?"
Kurama, already in Takigakure territory, was shocked.
"Is it one of Indra's red-eyed types?"
"No... doesn't feel like Indra's chakra... just..."
Chōmei cautiously examined Hashirama's chakra. Without Indra's sinister presence, it relaxed a bit.
"Well, what is it?"
Kurama sounded more casual now. As long as it wasn't Indra or his scary sons, it wasn't worried.
BEEP... BEEP...
Chōmei's call was suddenly cut off.
Kurama froze. Its fur bristled with dread.
"Tch... like I'd be scared!"
Kurama shook it off. Surely Chōmei was just weak from molting.
It charged forward again.
Moments earlier...
Thump~
Hashirama frowned. He hadn't used that much force—so how did he step through the stone?
"Huh? This rock is hollow?"
He shook off some sticky fluid from his foot and realized the rock he'd been standing on was a hollow cocoon.
Pant... pant...
Suddenly, faint breathing came from inside. Intrigued, Hashirama leaned down and peeked in.
"Whoa! A giant beetle!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
"So cool!"
Men and bugs—an eternal fascination. Even the usually calm Hashirama couldn't resist.
"If I bring this back, Madara's gonna be so jealous!"
In that moment, Hashirama completely forgot about the Bijū mission. He was determined to capture this majestic bug.
"..."
Chōmei, feeling utterly disrespected, dared not make a sound. It had already sensed Hashirama's terrifying chakra.
Feigning death was the best plan.
"Shame it's not a Bijū. Still, not bad~"
Hashirama muttered, briefly disappointed when he saw the "tail" was just a wing.
But then—
Rip!
He effortlessly tore open the cocoon.
Chōmei, panicking, released blinding powder in defense.
"Good, still got some fight left. Should last the trip to Konoha!"
Hashirama clapped his hands and summoned his signature jutsu. Massive wooden dragons surged forward, coiling around Chōmei.
Bad news: Not Indra.
Worse news: It was his monster of a brother.
Chōmei practically cried. Getting squeezed by that wood-style massage technique again? No thanks.
"Kurama..."
It tried to call out again, but the dragons had already ensnared it. The chakra drain kicked in.
Sigh... this monster's too strong. Better to play dead and escape later...
And just like that, Chōmei was captured—without resistance.
"This sticky fluid..."
Hashirama clapped his hands with delight, ready to boast to Madara for life.
But then he noticed the strange liquid seeping from the cocoon.
It was charged with energy.
Looking down, he saw an old man-made water channel nearby—carrying the fluid away.
"Someone's collecting this?"
Hashirama frowned thoughtfully.
"Leader! The Hero Water is flowing early!"
Just as he sat down, an urgent report came in.
"What?! That early?"
Years of records had shown the Hero Water's cycle to be precise. It was supposed to flow at year's end—why now?
"Take me there!"
At the sacred chamber, he observed the liquid.
"Why is it so thick?"
It was slimy and biologically unsettling.
"Yet... it's even stronger than before."
Tasting it, he felt an explosive surge of chakra.
Takigakure... was about to rise!
"Eh? Why are you drinking that?"
A lazy voice interrupted him.
The leader turned sharply—on guard.
"Who are you?! How did you get in?!"
"Uh... I'm Senju Hashirama. I came from above."
Trying to be polite, Hashirama gave a goofy smile.
"YOU'RE the one who beat up Yudai?!"
The leader was livid.
"Yudai? Oh, you mean the loudmouths. I just gave them a little lesson. No serious injuries."
"You... what's your real goal? After our treasure?"
"Treasure? No no no, I'm just looking for a seven-tailed green caterpillar."
"Seven... seven tails? Green caterpillar?!"
The leader's pupils shrank.
"You know it?! Please tell me—I'll reward you handsomely!"
Hashirama lit up with excitement.
"We have no such creature. As for Yudai... let's drop it. Please leave now."
Clearly shaken, the leader dismissed him coldly.
"Then why the hell were you so shocked earlier?!"
"Haha... shocked by such a weird bug. Right, guys?"
"Totally shocked for a hundred years!"
"...Well, sorry for the trouble. I'll head out."
Hashirama scratched his head and walked off, not wanting to escalate tensions between nations.
The leader sighed with relief—then looked back at the Hero Water.
He knew exactly what Hashirama was looking for.
Takigakure's sacred beast had three forms: First, the seven-tailed caterpillar. After years, it became a cocoon, and then a six-winged beetle. After decades of flight, it returned and molted into a caterpillar again.
The Hero Water flowed when it became the beetle.
"As long as the water flows, it still lives... and Takigakure shall rise."
"Leader! That guy—he jumped off the cliff!"
"Let him. We can't stop a suicidal man."
But when he looked...
He saw Hashirama leap off the cliff—then a massive wooden avatar stood up from below.
Each step shook the ground.
Behind it... a giant beetle.
His jaw dropped.
"He wasn't after the Hero Water...
He took our sacred beast!!"
(End of Chapter)
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