On a high mountain outside Konoha, Kai rested one hand against a tree trunk as he looked down over the village.
A few minutes later—
Whoosh!
His hand passed straight through the tree.
Kai pondered this.
“So that’s how it is.”
“The limit of my intangibility is five minutes.”
“If I push it all the way to the limit and deactivate it, I need another five minutes before I can reset the ability…”
Gurgle…
Spiral Zetsu, Spiral Zetsu, suddenly emerged from the ground beside him.
“So this is where you ran off to.”
“Konoha seems to be in quite a mess. The Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, and a large number of elite jōnin have all gathered.”
“Did you cause this?”
“Yeah.”
“I went out for a meal and gave Danzō a little warning while I was at it.”
Spiral Zetsu walked over and stood beside Kai, looking down at Konoha.
“Just a warning, though. You didn’t kill him outright.”
“Guess the circumstances weren’t favorable enough for that…”
Kai nodded.
“That’s right.”
“If I could, I’d rather eliminate Danzō, that cancer, immediately.”
“But after tonight, I doubt he’ll dare make a move against the Nine-Tails anytime soon.”
“Sounds like you’re still a little dissatisfied.”
“Can’t be helped.”
“An organization like Konoha, which cooperates with a great nation and has an established command structure, isn’t something one person can easily fight against.”
“Unless you reach the level of the Six Paths…”
“The Six Paths level?”
“Why not start collecting the Tailed Beasts now and become a Jinchūriki?”
Spiral Zetsu turned to look at Kai.
Kai shook his head.
“Madara turned Rin into the Three-Tails’ Jinchūriki.”
“Now that Rin is dead, the Three-Tails won’t revive for another ten years.”
“Even if I captured every other Tailed Beast right now, without the Three-Tails, I couldn’t form the Ten-Tails.”
“And without becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, there’s no point.”
He paused before continuing.
“So I’ve decided to establish a shinobi village.”
“Nagato’s Akatsuki will operate in the shadows.”
“And my shinobi village will operate openly.”
Kai’s idea was surprisingly similar to Orochimaru’s.
Back then, Orochimaru had established the Hidden Sound Village in order to destroy Konoha.
Years later, he used the Chūnin Exams as an opportunity to join forces with Sunagakure and launch an attack that severely damaged Konoha.
But he ultimately failed.
Orochimaru’s failure wasn’t merely because Hiruzen sacrificed his life to use the Reaper Death Seal.
The fundamental problem was that the Hidden Sound Village he had established was simply too weak to accomplish much.
And the supposed alliance with Sunagakure was unreliable as well.
The village Kai intended to establish would be nothing like the weak Hidden Sound.
He wanted a shinobi village capable of standing alongside the Five Great Nations and Five Great Shinobi Villages.
No.
He wanted a colossal power that stood above them all.
“Hmm.”
“You’ve got quite a plan there!”
“When do we start?”
For once, Spiral Zetsu showed genuine interest in something other than poop.
“As soon as I obtain the true power of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.”
“Then we’ll start immediately.”
Kai’s eyes burned with ambition.
“In other words…”
“In about half a month?” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“Let’s go.”
“We have some preparations to make.”
“Before Orochimaru finishes his work, there’s another place I need to visit.”
“And something I need to accomplish.”
Kai activated Kamui and disappeared together with Spiral Zetsu.
Back at the underground base, Kai changed into a completely different outfit.
It was the armor Uchiha Madara had worn during the Warring States period.
He strapped Madara’s iconic gunbai to his back.
Combined with his long hair, Kai looked almost exactly like Madara reborn.
It wasn’t because he deliberately wanted to imitate Madara.
It was simply that the outfit would be more useful for where he was going next.
“Don’t you want me to wrap myself around you?”
Spiral Zetsu asked.
“No.”
“I’d rather experience the pleasure of battle with my own body.”
Although having Spiral Zetsu wrapped around him would increase Kai’s defense and strengthen his Wood Release, it always left him feeling as though he were scratching an itch through a layer of clothing.
The battles often ended before he could truly enjoy himself.
As the power of his eyes continued to grow, Kai had also become increasingly warlike.
He longed to experience battle personally.
That was the instinct of an Uchiha.
“Well, that’s fine~”
Spiral Zetsu picked up a black cloak and put it on, preparing to leave with Kai.
“Where are you two going?”
At that moment, Yūhi Yūyū approached them.
“What?”
“You want to come with us?”
Kai stopped and turned to her.
“…”
Yūyū lowered her head.
That was essentially an admission.
The killing intent Orochimaru had released the previous night had left a considerable shadow over her.
She would rather follow Kai than remain alone in the same underground lair as Orochimaru.
Besides, Yūyū had never abandoned the idea of killing Kai and escaping his control.
Staying by his side would allow her to better understand his secrets…
And discover his weaknesses.
After thinking for a moment, Kai nodded.
“Sure.”
“But the journey will be a long one.”
“Go make your preparations.”
“Can’t we just use your ocular technique to go directly there?”
Yūyū cautiously tested him.
“I haven’t marked that location with my ocular technique.”
Kai answered casually.
“Oh.”
Yūyū pondered his words before turning back toward her room to prepare.
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
Spiral Zetsu asked.
“You just told a woman who wants to kill you the details of your ocular technique.”
Kai had his own perspective on the matter.
“A true powerhouse doesn’t fear others knowing his weaknesses.”
“What matters is that even after knowing them, they still can’t defeat you.”
“That is the kind of strength I want to possess.”
“And I don’t believe this girl will become my enemy in the future.”
“I really don’t understand all these complicated thoughts of you humans.”
“Poop still makes the most sense to me.”
Spiral Zetsu shrugged.
Then his expression became serious.
“But speaking of which…”
Kai’s gaze became deep.
“Bring back a pet.”
“Oh?”
“A Summoning Beast?”
“Not an ordinary Summoning Beast.”
“Kushina is pregnant right now, so the Nine-Tails is temporarily off the table.”
“That makes the Eight-Tails—the strongest Tailed Beast after the Nine-Tails—the best option.”
So that was Kai’s plan.
He intended to travel to Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning and capture the Eight-Tails.
“Oh!”
“Not as a Jinchūriki, but as a Summoning Beast you can command?”
“Like Madara controlled the Nine-Tails back then.”
“Since you’re going to the Land of Lightning anyway, wouldn’t it be better to capture the Two-Tails while you’re there?”
“With your ocular power, controlling two Tailed Beasts besides the Nine-Tails shouldn’t be difficult.”
Spiral Zetsu asked this as though it were obvious.
“No.”
“That would upset the balance between the Tailed Beasts.”
“And war would break out.”
Kai had thought this through carefully.
For a long time, the Five Great Shinobi Villages had maintained a fragile balance of power through the distribution of the Tailed Beasts.
The Land of Lightning possessed two Tailed Beasts.
If it lost one, the overall balance wouldn’t necessarily be destroyed.
But if it lost both, the balance of power would shift dramatically.
There was a chance that the Fourth Shinobi World War could erupt decades ahead of schedule.
“Oh?”
“So you’re someone who loves peace?”
Spiral Zetsu looked genuinely surprised.
“No.”
Kai shook his head.
“I’m just worried about another Jinchūriki dying if war breaks out.”
“When a Jinchūriki dies, the Tailed Beast within them dies as well.”
“And the larger the Tailed Beast’s chakra reserves, the longer it takes for it to revive.”
“If something unexpected happens, I don’t know how long my plans would be delayed.”
Indeed, the Three-Tails had one of the smallest chakra reserves among the Tailed Beasts, yet even it required ten years to revive.
The other Tailed Beasts required anywhere from more than ten years to several decades.
As for the Nine-Tails, which possessed the greatest amount of chakra, its revival could take more than a century.
Kai’s eyes grew deeper.
“This false peace needs to remain intact…”
“At least until the moment my Rinnegan officially awakens.”
Just one wall away, Yūhi Yūyū had her ear pressed tightly against the door.
By the time she heard those words, cold sweat had already covered her back.
The three of them then embarked on their journey toward the Land of Lightning.
The Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning did not share a border.
Without taking a major detour, they would have to pass through the Land of Water.
And at this time, the Land of Water was ruled by the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.
Kirigakure was under a dark period of isolation and closed borders.
It was the infamous Bloody Mist Village.
Any foreign shinobi who entered the Land of Water would face the terrifying pursuit of Kirigakure’s ninja.
Survival was nearly impossible.
This journey was destined to be filled with killing intent.
But that was precisely what Kai desired.
The following night, at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, Kai stared at the ominous mist shrouding everything ahead.
Beneath the eyeholes of his mask, his Sharingan gleamed with barely contained anticipation.
His eyes…
They were eager for the coming battle.
“The legendary Bloody Mist Village.”
“Don’t disappoint me…”