Rei Kaguya had not expected that Orochimaru would be able to reverse-deduce the existence of the true progenitor of chakra, Kaguya Otsutsuki, from the information he revealed about Hagoromo Otsutsuki and Hamura Otsutsuki.
But even if he knew, he probably would not care too much.
Kaguya Otsutsuki was no harmless figure.
If one wanted to come into contact with this Rabbit Goddess who had already fallen and only wished to reclaim all chakra in the world, then at the very least—at the very least—one needed the strength to become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki while possessing both the Mangekyo Sharingan and Wood Release.
Otherwise, in just one encounter, one would become dried meat hung on the God Tree by Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Did Orochimaru have that ability?
Most likely not.
Unless he had the ability to fuse the cells of the Hyuga, Kaguya, Uchiha, and Senju clans together, create an artificial human whose bloodline was infinitely close to the Otsutsuki clan, seize that body through the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, and then, like Akatsuki in the normal timeline, snatch the Nine Tailed Beasts from the Five Great Shinobi Villages and become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki himself.
Was that something that could be done silently and without anyone noticing?
Impossible.
So, after using a bone clone and the Cursed Seal of Heaven on Shisui Uchiha to monitor the laboratory for a period of time and confirming that Orochimaru was truly advancing the experiment properly, Rei Kaguya temporarily stopped focusing all his attention on that experiment.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward another matter of great importance to Kirigakure.
The Three-Tails had revived.
…
The essence of Tailed Beasts was that they were massive chakra aggregates split from the God Tree, the Ten-Tails. They were special lifeforms that existed alongside chakra and could neither truly die nor be destroyed.
Even if they were defeated and killed for a time, they would reassemble and revive after some period, carrying even more intense and heightened malice toward humanity, once again bringing disaster to the world.
Naturally, the Three-Tails, Isobu, was no exception.
The unwillingness of being controlled by Madara Uchiha.
The hatred of being forcibly stuffed into a weak host by Kirigakure shinobi.
The anger of dying together with that weak host because she deliberately sought death.
All of it filled the Three-Tails Isobu's heart and mind with endless hatred toward humanity.
The moment it revived in the giant lake where it had once lived, it could not wait to fire several Tailed Beast Balls in every direction, announcing its return to the world through earth-shaking, all-destroying explosions.
"Heh. Causing such a huge commotion right after reviving. Looks like that previous death left the Three-Tails with quite a heavy wound."
Standing on a small island untouched by the Three-Tails' Tailed Beast Balls, Rei Kaguya, wearing the Mizukage's haori, spoke with such emotion.
Behind him were three of the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, all carrying the Cursed Seal of Heaven—Zabuza Momochi, Mangetsu Hozuki, and Kisame Hoshigaki.
There was also Yagura Karatachi, who was about to become the Three-Tails' new Jinchuriki, along with a group of Kirigakure jonin who had come as insurance.
"If I remember correctly, Fourth, the first mission that made your name known throughout the shinobi world was the escort mission that led to the Three-Tails' death, right?"
Yagura Karatachi gripped the staff in his hand tightly and spoke with somewhat tense and complicated feelings.
"True. But the Three-Tails probably has no real impression of me from back then."
Rei Kaguya shrugged.
Then he turned his head toward the three people who already looked eager to try and asked with a chuckle, "Oh? Are you already impatient to use the Three-Tails to prove your bravery, Zabuza, Mangetsu, and Kisame?"
"Of course, Fourth."
Kisame Hoshigaki adjusted the Samehada on his back, which was already growing restless, and grinned.
"You gave us the ninja swords we wanted in advance so that we could prove, under the eyes of so many seniors, that we have the qualifications to become the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen in this battle against the Three-Tails, did you not?"
"Hmph. The Three-Tails, huh? It is indeed a strong enemy qualified to become my blade's whetstone."
Zabuza Momochi gripped the huge Kubikiribocho in his hands.
While activating the Cursed Seal of Heaven on his body, he looked toward the Three-Tails, which was creating huge waves, with a bloodthirsty expression.
"The environment is very suitable for the Hydrification Technique. This time, I cannot think of any reason we would lose."
Mangetsu Hozuki freely absorbed the abundant water in the surrounding environment, swelling his body into the form of a small water giant.
He was already prepared to directly clash with the rampaging Three-Tails head-on.
"Then go."
Rei Kaguya nodded and spoke with a calm expression.
"The Three-Tails has only just revived, so its mind should not yet contain information about you or the powers you use. Use your actions to tell it that the era when Kirigakure had no one available is already over."
"Yes."
The three figures swiftly scattered and charged toward the Three-Tails' habitat in a rather loose formation.
"Do I really not need to act together with them, Fourth?"
Yagura Karatachi looked at the rapidly shrinking distance between the three of them and the Three-Tails, unable to stop himself from asking Rei Kaguya beside him.
"I am the one who is going to become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki. Whether emotionally or logically, I should be taking part in the battle to subjugate the Three-Tails, right?"
"It is good that you have that thought. However, subjugating the Three-Tails and weakening it until it can be sealed into a human body is only the first step in creating a Jinchuriki. This step is not worth wasting your stamina on."
Rei Kaguya shook his head and said calmly, "Save your resolve and chakra for after the sealing ritual ends, Yagura…
"Since you proposed to me that you wanted to become Kirigakure's hero as the Three-Tails Jinchuriki and change people's prejudice toward Jinchuriki, then work hard and show me you can become a perfect Jinchuriki like Kumogakure's Killer B…
"Do you have confidence?"
"Before putting it into practice, any confidence is just boasting."
Yagura Karatachi took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "But I will work hard to do it… As the successor chosen by the Third Mizukage, I will prove to the people of the village that even if we were people chosen by the one behind the Third Mizukage, we still possess the same resolve as you, Fourth, to protect everything in Kirigakure."
"I look forward to it."
While Rei Kaguya and Yagura Karatachi were talking, Zabuza Momochi and the other two had already approached close enough to see the anger on Isobu's face.
And when Isobu saw that the first wave of Kirigakure shinobi who came to subdue it consisted of only three people, a hint of displeasure flashed through its eyes, as if its plan had fallen through.
Fortunately, it was a Tailed Beast with infinite chakra.
Even if one Tailed Beast Ball only killed three people, that was not completely unacceptable to it.
The giant turtle suddenly opened its mouth.
The already-condensed Tailed Beast Ball blasted out from its mouth with a roar, carrying unavoidable, world-destroying force as it howled toward the three of them.
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