Yako returned to the night of the previous full moon.
[Arc of the Waning Moon activated!
The host may revive only once per month. Upon death, revival will occur on the night of the previous full moon.
Reward granted: one draw opportunity...]
After being pushed hard enough, Might Dai's latent potential had finally been forced out.
He had opened the Eighth Gate.
Now, paired with the Jashin's immortal body, the Eight Gates—a technique built around training to the brink of death—had finally patched up Hidan's greatest weakness.
At this moment, Hidan had just woken up beside the hot spring.
He was kneeling by the bank, devouring bread and cured meat while shouting:
"A miracle! It's all a miracle!"
His expression was devout, fanatical, and twisted all at once—
Then suddenly, his face changed.
The great Jashin had answered him!
The great Jashin had heard his prayer!
Hidan immediately dropped to his knees and began praying with utmost sincerity.
His consciousness left his body and entered the divine temple.
The statue of the Jashin towered upward as though it touched heaven itself, its entire form bathed in blood.
The blood flowed down from the top of its head, coating every inch of it until the god looked like some exquisite crimson porcelain sculpture.
Standing opposite the Jashin—
Was an even larger crimson Wrathful King Dharma Form.
Three heads.
Six arms.
And somehow...
It looked even more powerful than Lord Jashin himself.
"You foolish Hidan. Your pathetic strength has disgraced the immortal body."
"That is not how immortality is meant to be used."
"If you allow yourself to be captured and tortured in every possible way, then even if you cannot die, you will still be worn down until you are weak, near death, and completely drained of all nourishment."
"At that point, even I would not be able to save you."
Hidan knelt within the blood pool, pressing his forehead deep into the crimson liquid.
"O great Jashin! Please grant me wisdom, so that I may know how to make proper use of the immortal body you have bestowed upon me!"
Yako thought to himself:
Wisdom?
You were never destined to have anything to do with that word in this lifetime.
"Listen carefully."
"The first divine power of the Jashin cult is called the Immortal Body. That has already been granted to you."
"The second divine power of the Jashin cult is called the Eight Gates."
"It will allow you to grow stronger and stronger through the process of actively courting death."
"From this point onward, do not use your pitiful strength to keep carrying out assassinations and blood sacrifices."
"Train the Eight Gates for several years."
"Only once you have mastered the second divine power of the Jashin cult will you be qualified to continue making sacrifices in my name."
"What I want are useful believers."
"Not fools who could die at any moment."
Hidan's consciousness snapped back into his body.
Lord Jashin—
And the even more mysterious Lord Wrathful King—
Had both vanished.
But now, a new body of knowledge had appeared inside his mind.
He now understood how to train the Eight Gates.
He understood the critical principles behind it.
"'Excessive chakra will destroy the body. The chakra points exist to restrict chakra and protect the user.'"
"'If the chakra points are opened, one may temporarily gain tremendous power.'"
"'Opening the Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death, creates the Eight Gates Formation, unleashing dozens of times more power at the cost of the user's life.'"
"As expected of Lord Jashin's divine power..."
"So this is the kind of monstrous strength it possesses."
He grew more and more excited as he thought about it.
"O great Lord Jashin... I already possess an immortal body."
"Doesn't that mean I can open the Eighth Gate without fear and gain tenfold power with no consequences?"
That was a question Yako had absolutely no intention of answering.
How the hell was he supposed to know?
Let Hidan serve as the guinea pig.
Maybe it would work exactly as Yako suspected.
Maybe the Eight Gates and immortality really were a perfect match.
The final month of Year 42 in Konoha.
Yako was inside the ANBU base, handling mission scrolls from various ANBU squads, when Purple Cat knocked and entered.
"My lord, B from Root is here."
Yako thought to himself:
Danzo's already getting impatient, huh?
"Send him in."
B—
In other words, Uchiha Suigiku—
Stepped into the office of the ANBU Commander.
"Lord Fox, Root has obtained information on surviving Uzumaki remnants!"
Yako's eyes paused over the mission scroll in his hand.
The storm in the Land of Rain was stirring again.
Ever since learning the Flying Thunder God, he had secretly left one of his Flying Thunder God kunai at the hidden refuge of Yuka and the surviving Uzumaki.
Since Yuka hadn't summoned him, it meant the place was still safe for now.
B continued:
"Nagato Uzumaki, the one who was once seen following Uchiha Madara, has appeared again."
"He has established an organization in the Land of Rain known as the Akatsuki."
Yako immediately understood.
So Obito had already become one of Uchiha Madara's subordinates.
After evaluating the situation, Madara had clearly concluded that Obito—with both Kamui eyes—was fully capable of acting as Nagato's guardian.
If they ran into danger, the right eye's Kamui could allow Nagato to escape.
If they encountered a powerful enemy, the left eye's Kamui could unleash terrifying space-time ninjutsu that ignored all defenses and killed anyone outright.
Even if Kaguya Ōtsutsuki herself showed up, she'd still be forced to suffer against double Kamui.
What Uchiha Obito lacked was not talent.
It was age.
Experience.
And overall combat maturity.
So Madara had released Nagato into the world again, allowing Nagato and Obito to experience life, sharpen themselves, and continue growing.
Yako thought for a moment, then said:
"B. Pass a message to Lord Danzo."
"After the New Year, we'll sit down together and formulate a plan to seize what he wants."
After B left, Yako silently calculated the situation.
Danzo still didn't know that Uchiha Obito had also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—
And not just any Mangekyō.
The most terrifying spatial ocular technique imaginable.
Since Danzo wanted a Mangekyō so badly...
Then Yako would help him go and take one.
Whether Danzo lived long enough to enjoy it was another matter entirely.
Danzo was too cautious.
Whenever the situation became tense, he retreated deeper into the heart of Konoha and buried himself there.
If Yako didn't kill him soon, there might not be another opportunity.
Using Flying Thunder God, Yako left for the Land of Rain.
In the southwest of the Land of Rain, deep in the rainforest beneath the Yoshigane Mountains, was the hidden refuge of the Uzumaki survivors.
Towering trees supported clusters of wooden houses high above the damp forest floor.
Yako appeared inside one of the cabins.
Yuka lay on a bed, holding a baby in her arms.
Uzumaki Yoru.
Yako's youngest daughter.
He walked over and gently took the baby into his arms, looking down at her soft little face.
His youngest daughter had inherited the Senju bloodline.
When she grew up, she might very well become a kunoichi like Tsunade.
After kissing Yuka, Yako said softly:
"Yuka, just wait a little over one more month."
"I'll be carrying out a mission together with Danzo."
"When that time comes, I'll set up Shimura Danzo and make sure he dies."
"Once Danzo is dead, you won't have to keep hiding in this dark, damp rainforest anymore."
"I'll arrange for you to meet Princess Tsunade."
Yuka quickly asked:
"Danzo is incredibly dangerous."
"Working with him is like bargaining with a tiger."
"You absolutely can't let him outplay you."
Yako reassured her.
"It's fine."
"Danzo's underhanded, sure..."
"But he's not more underhanded than me."
"What about the Third Hokage?" she asked. "Won't he interfere?"
Yako gave a quiet, almost amused smile.
"The Third Hokage?"
"He'll simply pin the Uzumaki tragedy on dead Danzo's head."
"He'll remain the spotless Hokage."
"He's always been good at compromise."
"When Danzo dies, his black glove disappears."
"And without us saying a word, he'll naturally find the perfect excuse for himself."
Leaving the Land of Rain, Yako quickly returned to Konoha.
It really was absurdly convenient.
Yako's combat style leaned heavily toward Wood Release and defensive techniques.
The Flying Thunder God had perfectly compensated for his lack of mobility.
In battle, his reflexes weren't as fast as Namikaze Minato's—
But he could strike from impossible angles and land surprise attacks.
And outside battle, the Flying Thunder God let him travel instantly and appear at any marked location whenever he wished.
Now that Uchiha Madara had gained Obito, the strategic significance of the Flying Thunder God had become even greater.
At last, Year 42—the darkest low point Konoha had faced after the Second Shinobi World War—had passed.
That year, Konoha had lost four high-ranking figures.
The losses were devastating.
The only village that could really be called their fellow sufferer was the Hidden Cloud, which had also lost three of its upper ranks.
Compared to those two villages, the others had it easy.
Year 43 of Konoha began.
Yako stepped into the Hokage's office and set down a scroll.
"Hokage-sama."
"I have mastered the First Hokage's secret technique..."
"Top Transformed Buddha."
"I believe the time has come for me to challenge Uchiha Madara."
"To kill this cancer gnawing at Konoha's heart."
"And to eliminate this rogue shinobi for the sake of the village."