"It seems my tactics worked quite well, Yayoi-sama."
Kakuzu looked at the destruction he had caused with great satisfaction. Even the Seven-Tails had been pushed into breaking point by him.
Then he quietly moved behind Yayoi.
Things like Tailed Beast Balls were still far too terrifying.
He would leave this part to Yayoi-sama.
"They were indeed effective."
Yayoi was equally satisfied with the result. A Seven-Tails that had lost its reason, combined with its poor condition, would be much easier to deal with.
"Die, humans!"
The Seven-Tails finished condensing the chakra sphere in its mouth.
A Tailed Beast Ball.
Its head tilted back slightly, assuming a posture as if it were about to fire.
Yayoi tilted his head a fraction and hooked his fingers.
Irori's figure flashed in front of him. The hem of her blue kimono fluttered, revealing a section of snow-white, jade-like calf. Her hands pressed together, and her purple eyes glowed.
Ice Style: Ice Banquet Corridor!
Crack, crack.
The sound of cold air freezing rang out.
A pale cold wind swept across the area.
The earth, the air, the trees, the rivers, the sky, all of them froze in an instant into a gigantic block of ice as large as a mountain.
The Seven-Tails and the Tailed Beast Ball were also sealed inside the frozen mass.
The violent aura of the Tailed Beast Ball did not disperse. Instead, it faintly reached its critical point.
Then, with a thunderous boom, the Tailed Beast Ball exploded at point-blank range in front of the Seven-Tails.
The mountain-sized block of ice burst apart and scattered in every direction, shooting deep into the distant forest, knocking down row after row of trees and smashing countless massive craters into the ground.
The Seven-Tails' aura had become somewhat weak and dispirited, but there were no obvious injuries on its body.
Yayoi also breathed out slightly.
Controlling a puppet and releasing such a powerful ninjutsu in one breath was a little taxing even for him.
Although the Seven-Tails ranked third among the tailed beasts in terms of strength, second only to the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails, it was not currently in its prime.
Thinking back to the battle a few months ago, when Uchiha Madara had crushed the Seven-Tails, Yayoi knew he still had a very long road ahead of him.
Because it was not at full strength, the Seven-Tails could not currently fire Tailed Beast Balls in rapid succession.
Yayoi had taken aim at precisely this weakness. He quickly hooked his fingers and controlled Irori, making her rush toward the Seven-Tails.
The Seven-Tails was wary.
It could tell that this human controlling the puppet was definitely no ordinary ninja.
Although he was far from the red-eyed Uchiha man who had nearly beaten it to death several months ago, he was absolutely no weakling.
So it shook the six cicada-like wings on its body, intending to fly into the sky and seize control of the air.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The Seven-Tails felt the ground beneath it soften.
Before it could react, its body sank into a muddy swamp.
After releasing the ninjutsu, Kakuzu did not hesitate for even a moment. He immediately retreated, water splashing beneath his feet as he used Water Body Flicker to flee the Seven-Tails' attack range.
Kakuzu's Earth Style was not enough to truly restrict the Seven-Tails.
But it could delay it for a moment.
Irori's figure flashed above the Seven-Tails' head.
Like a fairy, Irori spun in the air. The hem of her blue kimono danced around her, while astonishing cold air gathered around her foot, releasing a silver-white light as she swept it down at the Seven-Tails.
Ice Style: Single-Blade Ice Burial!
Boom!
A blade-shaped mass of ice came crashing down from the sky, heavily striking the Seven-Tails' hard shell.
The Seven-Tails howled in pain, as if bitter bile had been forced from its stomach. Its mind went dizzy from the impact, and pain twisted its expression.
Thin, paper-like sheets of ice appeared beneath Irori's black wooden sandals.
Using them as footholds, she moved nimbly through the air.
Every time she stepped, another sheet of ice as thin as paper yet tough enough to support her would appear in the air, allowing her to tread across it.
Yayoi also began moving with Irori, shifting his position.
The Seven-Tails roared in anger, opened its huge mouth, and fired a black sphere filled with destructive aura straight at Yayoi's location.
This was a Tailed Beast Bullet.
It could be considered an infinitely weakened version of the Tailed Beast Ball. Its weakness was that its power was far inferior to a proper Tailed Beast Ball. Its advantage was that it could be fired instantly without needing to charge.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
Yayoi formed a hand sign with his free right hand and responded calmly.
One thick, towering earth wall after another rose from the ground.
Because he supplied a large amount of chakra, the many earth walls created this time far surpassed the ordinary scale in both hardness and size.
Boom!
The Tailed Beast Bullet's bombardment was directly blocked by the earth walls. Broken stones and dust scattered everywhere, revealing Yayoi standing unharmed behind them.
Yayoi was not surprised.
Although the strength his main body could display was inferior to Irori's, he was no weakling either.
He could not block a Tailed Beast Ball.
But a Tailed Beast Bullet, whose power was only comparable to a high-level Fire Style jutsu, was not a problem.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Besides, not only ninjutsu, he was also deeply proficient in taijutsu.
It was just that if he rushed up and compared taijutsu with a tailed beast, he would definitely be beaten to death.
Otherwise, if he coordinated with Irori and launched a joint assault, he could end this battle even faster.
Soon, cold stars once again lit up the sky.
Countless ice spears once more rushed toward the earth like meteors.
The Seven-Tails fought back with all its strength, raising its head and roaring toward the sky as it endured the meteor-like impacts of the ice spears with its body.
At the same time, Irori opened both hands. Pale cold air formed a torrent, surging toward the ground like a tsunami.
Ice Style: Maiden Snow Frost Kill!
Thick white frost quickly formed over the Seven-Tails' body.
The cold current ran wild.
The forest was dyed a deathly pale.
The earth and trees seemed to have their vitality stripped away in an instant.
The Seven-Tails' aura grew weaker and weaker, but its struggles became more and more violent. The cold air did not last long before the thick frost began to crack.
Yayoi's expression remained calm.
Naturally, he knew the Seven-Tails would not be so easily brought down.
Fortunately, Irori's performance was most suited to capturing and restricting large creatures like this.
Blades and spears made of ice continued to consume chakra as they shot toward the Seven-Tails like white meteors tearing across the sky.
The cold air like a frozen current continued reinforcing the frost on the Seven-Tails' body.
Kakuzu would also step in from time to time, using his Earth Style to add another layer of restraint over the Seven-Tails, or using long-range Water Style to wear away its strength.
He even threw in some shuriken and kunai along the way.
The damage was low.
The insult was enormous.
It continuously enraged the Seven-Tails, making it lose its reason even further.
Only when the Seven-Tails' aura had completely weakened did Yayoi control Irori and stop the assault.
Looking at the Seven-Tails, now transformed into a gigantic ice sculpture, Yayoi recalled Irori and let out a heavy breath, followed by a sigh.
As expected of a tailed beast.
Even when it was not at its peak, it was not easy to subdue.
Although he had not been injured and could be said to have taken down the Seven-Tails without suffering damage, it had been exhausting.
And this was only because Irori had countered the Seven-Tails' flying ability. She had frozen its ability to take flight right away.
If the Seven-Tails had flown into the sky, he could only have stared at it helplessly.
Irori did possess aerial combat ability, but in the end, she was not as nimble as the Seven-Tails.
The Seven-Tails' raw power was not particularly strong among the tailed beasts, but its special mobility and air superiority allowed it to remain undefeated in many situations.
Yayoi took two soldier pills from his ninja tool pouch and tossed them into his mouth.
Kakuzu also walked over with a tired expression. Assisting in suppressing the Seven-Tails just now had consumed a serious amount of his chakra as well.
"Next..."
Just as Yayoi was about to walk toward the Seven-Tails, a black shadow suddenly flashed past.
A ninja blade entered Yayoi's field of vision.
Kakuzu's expression changed.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
Kakuzu met the attacker with the Body Flicker. His darkened arm blocked the ninja blade swinging toward him.
Clang!
The ninja blade struck Kakuzu's arm with force, sending out fierce sparks.
It did not even cut through his skin.
The attacker looked stunned, then her expression shifted as she retreated.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Irori's figure flashed like a ghost to the attacker's side. Her pale, jade-like fingers gently touched the girl.
A layer of white frost instantly formed over the attacker's body.
From head to toe, only her head could still move.
Yayoi looked at the attacker.
It was a girl.
She was not very old, probably around twelve or thirteen, with the childishness not yet fully gone from her face.
She had long, straight black hair, snow-white skin, and a neat appearance.
Most striking of all were her scarlet eyes, each bearing two tomoe.
"The Sharingan... Are you from the Uchiha clan?"
She wore a black, tight-fitting ninja outfit, with layered armor unique to the Warring States era draped over it, making her look like a young female samurai.
Judging from her practiced way of fighting, she had probably grown numb to cutting people down.
This was also the common sickness of Warring States ninja.
Even children of four or five had to get used to cutting people down.
Otherwise, they would be cut down by others.
Yayoi looked directly into the girl's two-tomoe Sharingan and did not fear her genjutsu.
His chakra was far more active than that of ordinary ninja. That meant genjutsu's control over him would be greatly weakened.
Even with the Sharingan, it would be very difficult to hypnotize him with genjutsu, even at the three-tomoe level.
The only thing he truly feared was the Mangekyō Sharingan beyond the three tomoe.
The girl realized that even after she used her Sharingan, the other party had not been confused by her genjutsu. She immediately understood that her genjutsu could not control him, and she could not help gritting her teeth.
"Yayoi-sama, should we kill her?"
Kakuzu walked over. Killing intent appeared in his eerie green eyes.
"You are thieves! The Seven-Tails was subdued by Madara-sama. It belongs to us, the Uchiha clan!"
The girl shouted loudly. Although she was now a prisoner, there was not the slightest fear of death in her red Sharingan eyes.
"..."
The girl's answer made Yayoi recall unpleasant things, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Every time he heard that name, he instinctively remembered his own useless self from that night, like some insignificant underling.
"The Madara-sama you speak of would not care about a mere Seven-Tails."
Yayoi softly breathed out and had Irori release the girl's restraint.
Judging from the girl's answer, the Uchiha clan should know about the Seven-Tails.
This girl had most likely come here carrying a mission from the Uchiha clan.
That meant the Uchiha clan was keeping track of her movements at all times. If she died here, it would become troublesome.
Especially now that the Senju clan and Uchiha clan had formed an alliance. It was best not to provoke them.
The girl frowned, apparently not understanding what Yayoi meant.
Yayoi had no need to explain.
Most likely, after Uchiha Madara returned several months ago, he had casually mentioned the Seven-Tails' location. That alone had made the other Uchiha ninja develop ideas about it.
But the truth was that Uchiha Madara had no interest in the Seven-Tails.
He had beaten it once, then left.
The so-called idea that the Seven-Tails belonged to the Uchiha clan was merely wishful thinking from the other Uchiha ninja.
If Madara had left even the slightest mark on the Seven-Tails before, Yayoi would not have dared to target it. He would have gone searching for another tailed beast instead.
No longer paying attention to the Uchiha girl, Yayoi came before the Seven-Tails and controlled Irori to remove the ice from its body.
Cold air spread in all directions.
Kakuzu and the Uchiha girl, who had followed over, could not help shivering. Their teeth even chattered a few times beyond their control.
The Seven-Tails was barely alive, lying weakly on the ground without moving.
"You may leave, little Uchiha girl."
Yayoi's gaze swept toward the Uchiha girl, signaling for her to leave.
What came next could not be seen by outsiders.
"This belongs to the Uchiha clan. Why should I not be allowed to stay?"
The Uchiha girl's Sharingan faded back into ordinary black-and-white eyes, but her tone was still extremely rude.
Kakuzu raised an eyebrow, seemingly wanting to teach her a lesson and show her how to respect her elders.
Yayoi reached out to stop him, his gaze falling on the girl.
"Right now, the Senju clan and your Uchiha clan are at the critical moment of their alliance. As a ninja of the Uchiha clan, is it really fine for you not to return?"
"What did you say? An alliance with the Senju clan?"
The girl's eyes widened, as if she had heard something impossible to believe.
"In that case, it seems you have been out of touch with outside news for some time. Half a month ago, the Senju clan and Uchiha clan ceased hostilities and officially formed an alliance."
Yayoi looked at the girl strangely. It seemed she truly knew nothing about this.
The girl's face turned ashen, and anger filled her eyes.
"Hey, even if you are going to make something up, at least make it believable! How could our Uchiha clan possibly sign an alliance with the Senju clan?"
Her parents, her younger brother, her older sister, her older brother, and countless members of her clan had all died at the hands of Senju ninja.
If they allied with the Senju clan, then what was she supposed to do with the sea of blood and hatred she carried?
The grudge between the two clans could only end when one side was completely destroyed.
"This is already common knowledge."
Yayoi did not care about the girl's doubt and replied calmly.
Seeing how certain Yayoi looked, the girl could not help suppressing the impulse in her heart and forcing herself to calm down.
Then she immediately turned around, preparing to return to her clan and verify whether Yayoi's words were true.
"Hey, little girl. What is your name?"
Yayoi's voice came from behind her.
The girl's figure paused for a moment.
Then she ran off without looking back, though her voice still came from far away.
"Izayoi. Uchiha Izayoi."
Watching the girl's departing figure, Yayoi turned his gaze back to the Seven-Tails.
"Yayoi-sama, are you interested in that Uchiha brat?"
Kakuzu was somewhat curious.
"She awakened the Sharingan at this age. As long as nothing unexpected happens, she will at least become one of the Uchiha clan's higher-ups in the future. It does not hurt to get acquainted first."
Yayoi answered the question.
Whether this connection would be useful in the future, he did not know.
But one more friend meant one more path forward.
Especially because, in the coming years, Konoha, established by the Senju and Uchiha, would become the center of the entire ninja world.
If the Land of Night wanted to develop further in the future, contact with Konoha would be inevitable.
The tide brought about by the forward movement of the era would not shift according to anyone's individual will.
Kakuzu nodded.
This was indeed Yayoi's style.
As long as there was no irreconcilable blood feud, he would make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible.
Kakuzu had followed Yayoi for more than ten years.
He had personally watched how Yayoi had climbed step by step from a low-level mercenary, ultimately seizing the sovereignty of two countries and becoming the final victor.
Aside from necessary military force, uniting every external power that could be united was also an indispensable form of support.
Otherwise, no matter what, they would always remain mere mercenaries who could never amount to anything.
"We can begin now."
Yayoi hooked his fingers.
Irori, dressed in her blue kimono, moved closer to Yayoi like a faithful servant.