Chapter 97

"Urgh, a place where it always rains sucks." I let out as I was using my chakra to prevent the raindrops from reaching us since I despised wearing wet clothes

"The Land of Wind's Daimyo would probably think otherwise..." Pakura replied as she remembered how much her previous village, and the Land of Wind in general, was lacking in water sources and precipitation

"It's surprising for two lands bordering each other to have such radically opposite weather. Even more when they are just west and east of each other." I let out as the desert of the Land of Wind was bordering the lush forest of the Land of Storms

"Mh, my body can withstand all climates, it doesn't matter if we are in a snowstorm or a tempest, I will be at full capacity either way." Sasori exclaimed as his true body was within the human puppet of a huge and bulky-looking man of two and a half meters tall (~8'2 feet), hiding most of his facial features behind a lower mask and a Kasa as a hat though some strands of hair could be seen

[Here, similar to him]

Seriously, the man he used as his main human puppet, the one he could fill with the most weapons as well as hide his 'real' body, was by far the tallest man I ever saw in my life, even surpassing Fuguki Suikazan, one of the deceased Seven Swordsman of the Mist with shark-like features, by a few centimeters.

This man was capable of using Mud Release, which, as a human puppet, meant that Sasori could also use this Kekkei Genkai.

He was one of the 'Core Four' puppets of Sasori, four human puppets with impressive abilities thanks to their abilities when they were still alive.

Number four was Toju, this giant with Mud Release, number three was Ena, a wicked woman I kidnapped from the Clan using Sound Release back at the Land of Rice Fields, number two was Seno, the Third Kazekage with Magnet Release, and number one was Hiruko, Konoha's missing-nin with Storm, Steel, Swift, and Dark Release.

And of course, Sasori himself was number 0 or the real core of his puppet arsenal.

Nevertheless, both of them followed me to my meeting with Madara for a simple reason: they were going to join him instead of staying at Konoha, allowing them to use their normal identity without seemingly having any relationship whatsoever with Konoha and myself, avoiding any potential conflicts during the Five Kage Summit, mostly with Sunagakure.

The place Madara choose for our meeting was in the Land of Storms and more particularly Amegakure which was no longer ruled by Hanzō who... Died as a tyrant, leaving the role of Amegakure's leader to a certain someone.

It was a plot Madara made before we allied with each other, and since Hanzō wasn't someone I wanted to be associated with, I told him to finish his plan as intended.

Stealthily moving towards the main building of the village where Madara and his 'associates' were secretly waiting for us, we passed by the guards at the bottom of the stairs leading to the building who were quite average Jōnin from Amegakure by hiding ourselves using both Light and Sound Releases, thus making us completely unnoticeable and noiseless even while being close enough to touch them.

"I already knew about Soun Release's usefulness but that Light Release is also interesting..." Sasori said as he was looking down on one of the guards because of his current human puppet's size which would cast a shadow above the guard if I wasn't careful with my use of Light Release

"If we find another user then you can take him, it would be a pretty good combination with your number 3 as dual puppets." I said as Sasori nodded in agreement while Pakura sighed, surely glad that she was an ally of both of us or she might have ended up as a human puppet as well

"Alright, let's keep going, they're waiting for us on the last floor." I said before we moved on, though we didn't get in since it was too slow to use the stairs so I used Magnet Release and my Platinum Dust to carry us directly to the top from the outside of the building

Madara told me to come from outside because I would be surprised so I honestly wondered what he prepared.

Once we were in front of the large windows of the last floor, I saw them slowly move as the solid glass became viscous, a liquid-like state that created an opening for us to go through.

'It couldn't be..?' I thought before moving inside as I heard a nonchalant voice exclaim "And here comes the main character."

"Aww, you will make me blush in front of our friends." I jokingly replied to the man standing in front of me who still looked the same as when I left him

"Seriously, you're still wearing that armor?" I then added as I knew that he asked for the very same armor he loved to wear to be made in multiple copies

"And you always keep your trashcoat?" Madara replied which made me mumble 'touché' before a cough interrupted our bickering

"Is that how the two the greatest shinobi truly are? I'm... Disillusioned." the man who previously coughed declared as I recognized him from his spiky orange hair while he looked at us with a small disdain in his gaze

"You're the supposed leader of Amegakure, Yahiko, I'm guessing? Quite weak to develop a God complex." I replied which didn't faze him so I added "Mh, at least you have the composure of a leader."

[Here]

"I didn't group all of us simply to bicker with each other, we have the same goal and the deadline is approaching." Madara exclaimed before moving in between us and was quite impatient to speed things up

"How about introducing both sides to each other?" Madara then added as I noticed six individuals behind Yahiko, some I recognized and some I didn't know at all

"Fine, I'm Yuichi Senju, genius, billionaire, and philanthropist as well as the previous Hokage." I declared as I quoted a certain someone minus the playboy part since I wasn't like that... Or was I with three women?

"Philanthropist? The Five Great Shinobi Countries only brought destruction upon their neighbors because of their stupid conflicts." Yahiko retorted as he seemed to not think of these countries as friendly, mine included which was somewhat understandable

"Yeah, sure, just for your information though, who finished these wars? Me. Who directly went to their countries to engage in a battle? Me. Who gave money to the Land of Storms' Daimyō, as well as other bordering countries, so that they could support the civilians in the post-war? Me. Who is planning a Five Kage Summit to unite all of us to face a common enemy and finally bring peace between us? Me. Who allowed you and your two friends to learn how to fight and overthrow Hanzō thanks to that? Not me, but my friend Jiraiya." I declared which made him look at me with a dumbfounded expression

"What? You thought that it was your Daimyō who used his own money? These guys are greedy folks, and they're not rich enough to do what I did, and yes, I did my best to avoid populated areas during the last war, unlike my predecessor." I added as I shrugged my shoulders

"I... I am Yahiko, the current leader of Amegakure as well as the group known as the Akatsuki, and I apologize for my previous statements towards you, Yuichi... Senju-san." the orange-haired boy exclaimed which made me shortly reply "Apology accepted." before adding "Now, can your friends behind you present themselves? I would like to know about your abilities if you are to help us, Madara and myself."

Yahiko nodded and turned his head towards a red-haired boy with peculiar eyes who walked a bit closer and said "I'm Nagato... Uzumaki, wielder of the Rinnegan, just like the two of you."

[Here]

"Mh, you told him about the Rinnegan, Madara?" I asked the Uchiha standing not far from me who answered "I told him that whatever your friend Jiraiya told him before was bullshit."

"I see." I let out before facing Nagato again as I suggested "Your eyes are putting a strain on your body since it has some... Difficulty being acclimated to it because you are frail despite your chakra capacity, thankfully for you, I can help you out with that. If you want, and for free, of course."

Nagato then looked at his friend and leader Yahiko who ended up nodding, prompting Nagato to agree with my proposal as he said "If it allows me to get stronger and protect my friend more efficiently, then yes, I agree."

"Good. Once our little meeting is over, you will come with me somewhere we won't be disturbed." I said before looking at the next person to introduce herself which was a girl of small stature with short hair split into two colors, the left half being white while the right half was black

She also had heterochromia since her right eye was black while her left eye was violet.

[Here]

"I'm Tomoko, Nagato's and Yahiko's childhood friend, and... Do we really have to show you what we can do?" the girl said and before I could answer, Yahiko told her "If we want to prove our strength to be able to join him for peace, then yes, show him what you can do Tomo." as the look he had in his eyes when he looked at her was pretty obvious along with the surname he gave

"Urgh, fine." Tomoko replied before writing a Kanji with her fingers now covered in ink in the middle of the air which described the words 'Ice Spear', thus manifesting an ice spear just like she wrote, but not one made of ink, one truly made of ice that she used and swung around to show that it was real

"... Amazing, you can create anything then?" I let out as I felt the cold emanating from the spear she wielded

"While I can create almost anything and also living beasts, I can make humans but they are only useful as baits since they can only perform simple orders, and for everything I make, the chakra consumption varies and it doesn't last forever." she replied which was still good to know and didn't make her ability much weaker since she had a decent amount of chakra

"So that's a Kekkei Genkai? What are your chakra affinities?" I then asked as I continued to scrutinize the spear which was still looking fine

"Water and Earth primarily, and Yin as well, I guess." Tomoko honestly replied which seemed to fit for what might be called Ink Release, a combination of Water, Earth, and Yin Release

"Good, you pass." I said as she wouldn't be a hindrance as an ally with such an ability

"Next, your turn big guy." I said as I pointed at a bald man that was taller than me by around twenty centimeters (~7'8 Inches) and from whom I felt a peculiar chakra signature, different from anyone else I met

"Amitabha. My name is Daibutsu, an exiled ninja monk from the Fire Temple. And as your heavenly eyes surely perceived, I am using the Gift of the Hermit Group." the big bald guy politely replied as he put his hands together and slightly bowed to greet me

[Here]

"I see, so that's why your chakra is different... But if you're exiled, shouldn't you have been stripped of the Gift of the Hermit Group? I don't recall the Fire Temple being gracious enough to let someone go with their secret chakra." I let out before Madara replied "He's been considered a missing-nin because of that, they say that he stole their treasure and must be either brought back alive or killed on spot."

While Daibutsu looked to be calm, I noticed that he was still slightly worried that I would sell him off since the Fire Temple being part of the Land of Fire was by extension an 'ally' of Konoha.

"Don't worry, I'm not one to care about your past, and I never liked the way the Fire Temple acts all high and mighty anyway, so you pass." I said as I felt that the man in front of me was powerful in Taijutsu, and Bōjutsu since he had a Bō as a weapon attached to his back, even more if he used his peculiar chakra

This chakra basically gifted humans with the ability to 'summon' Buddhism deities, granting the wielder some of the abilities of these deities which made one who perfected the use of this chakra a deadly opponent, of course, it was extremely difficult to do so as a mortal.

"Your turn, kitty guy." I then said as I pointed toward a man with long black hair and cat-like pupils who had black, purple-ish markings on his face

"Kitty?" the man said as he then touched his head and back as if to see if he had cat ears and a tail being visible

"What? Your pupils just reminded me of one, you're not a cat are you?" I asked but he didn't answer directly, instead, Tomoko explained "Kyūsuke's not a cat but he comes from a Clan that uses cat-like Ninjutsu, he's the most nimble, quick, and evasive shinobi among all of us."

[Here]

"I see... Is that why your eyes are like that then? A side-effect maybe?" I then asked the man I now knew the name but he replied "No, my eyes are like that since I was born. They allow me to see from extremely far and are helping me react quicker in a battle, unfortunately, they aren't fond of sunlight..."

"Useful for Taijutsu then. Any chakra affinities?" I then asked since it wasn't enough in my book to be a pass yet, I needed to test them myself later

"I have affinities with Earth and Fire, and I can use Lava Release." he shortly replied, making me understand that he wasn't a talkative guy, so I pushed further by asking "Which type?" since it was one of the rare Kekkei Genkai to have different forms, some unique to certain people like molten rock and real lava from Son Gokū or the acidic mud used by Terumi Mei

"I can use corrosive quicklime and volcanic ash." Kyūsuke revealed which made me exclaim "Alright, you pass too."

I then looked at the black-haired girl with yellow-orange eyes who seemed to be a few years older than the orphan trio from Amegakure, maybe even around Kushina's age, a girl I knew was recruited by Madara.

"Nice to meet you, Yuichi Senju-dono, I am Malice, the last survivor of the Rinha Clan." the girl politely presented herself while bowing down

[Here]

"The famous Clan of medical-nin that lived in the Land of Forests? I heard rumors saying that a sickness decimated your village, was it true?" I asked as it was a Clan so talented in Medical Ninjutsu that most of the medical-nin of our era based their techniques on theirs

"This isn't what truly happened." Malice replied with a tone containing both grief and hatred before adding "Our Clan was attacked by both the Third Raikage and the Second Mizukage around two weeks before they targetted the Uzumaki Clan... They... They used a powerful paralyzing gas made by our Clan to kill us effortlessly, and we didn't have enough antidotes prepared because the resource we needed was in the possession of the Land of Water."

"I was the only one able to withstand the gas back then, my body has an inherent resistance to many kinds of poison, so, after watching my parents die in front of me I... Fled, and I swore to take revenge on them, but since I was just a child back then, I didn't have a way to receive the information that they were already taken care of, that's why I want to thank you for avenging my Clan, Yuichi Senju-dono." Malice revealed as I saw her smile in gratefulness which seemed to be a rare occurrence for her

"I am glad to know that my action back then helped you in your grief, still, I apologize for not being more helpful back then, I wasn't the Hokage and the Third surely got the news but didn't care about it." I revealed as I knew that Hiruzen took part in the attack on Uzushiogakure, which by extension might mean the Rinha Clan as well

In his eyes, Konoha no longer needed them because Tsunade made medical Jutsu progress by a large margin back then, so he surely thought that they were only going to be used by other villages and therefore become a threat to Konoha.

"It no longer matters, all involved individuals are long gone." Malice replied before coughing in her hand to add "I should finish my introduction. As you know, some members of my Clan could use a Kekkei Genkai that allows me to do this." before looking at Daibutsu and aiming at him with her hand, absorbing a tiny portion of his chakra which she then transformed into a perfect copy of him

"Oh? What can he do?" I asked as I saw the 'clone' or 'puppet' that looked perfectly like Daibutsu, the amount of chakra included and it even copied his special chakra

"When I absorb someone's chakra, I can create a puppet that will copy their appearance, memories, weapons, techniques, and even bloodline techniques. Their amount of chakra isn't based on mine but on the target I copied, and while they are puppets they can be controlled like clones, which means without chakra threads and even from far away. This is called Spirit Reflection Technique." she explained as I saw Daibutsu's clone take out his Bō before six arms made of chakra appeared behind him

"The only downsides are that I am limited in the number of puppets I can control at once, and I can't create multiple copies of the same individual... They also break if they used up all their chakra, are killed, or if I am knocked out or dead." Malice finished explaining which surprised me when she even told us the weaknesses of her ability which demonstrated that she trusted us already, as surprising as it may be

Maybe the effect of my wonderful charisma.

"I see... What's the name of your Kekkei Genkai? And preferably what are the type of chakra it combined, for research purpose, of course, you passed already." I then asked since I would like to get my hand on this, it would be better than the Jofuku Flower's pollen

"We call it Spirit Release, a combination of Yin and Yang Release but what I showed you is not really the original ability of our bloodline, this is a variant that rarely appears in our Clan. Usually, our Clan's Kekkei Genkai allows our spirit to leave our body which was used by our Clan to provide healing more efficiently, moving around quicker, being intangible, transferring chakra, and information, but also capable of taking possession of a target, killing them in the process if we wanted to." she explained which reminded me of a certain someone I cuck- I mean, I didn't know very well

"Perhaps the name Dan Katō reminds you of someone? Konoha has a man who can do what you just said, he should be around forty like me." I said as she began to be lost in her thoughts

"I... Don't recall the name Katō from someone in my Clan, but it might be a family that left us to live somewhere else during the Warring States, a few members did that back then... Yuichi Senju-dono, could you let me meet him? I will know if he's from our Clan since my ability doesn't work on them." Malice replied as she looked at me with the expectation to meet another potential survivor of her Clan

"Sure, I don't know when since he's currently not at Konoha, but sure." I said with a smile which was reciprocated as I felt her eagerness to possibly meet someone 'like her'

I then looked at the last person present in the room that I didn't know, a woman who was definitely around my age yet she barely had any wrinkle or white strand of hair, her eyes were bluish green and her hair golden, she also had a violet bindi on her forehead, her skin was tanned but yet different than the people living in the Land of Lightning.

While she wasn't wearing much clothing, she was wearing many kinds of ornaments, be it earrings, bangles, anklets, a necklace, and even some around her waist and arms.

What was peculiar however was that everything seemed to be made in glass and yet they all looked to be made with different components and colors, surpassing by far the most beautiful jewels that could be worn usually.

"Nice to meet you, Yuichi Senju, I'm Osha, a Glassmaker from the Land of Woods." the beautiful woman told me as her ornaments made a lot of clear noises even when she barely moved

[Here]

"So there really was a Glassmaker! I wasn't sure since they are known not to be fighters and neither take part in any kind of conflicts. How did you end up here?" I asked since it was a title given to a group of individuals that learned how to create and control glass with their chakra

The Land of Woods bordered the country where I found Shiromari, just west of the Land of Demons too, quite a peaceful place, and the Glassmakers were known for making... Glass, of all kinds and all uses.

Their ability was Glass Release and it worked just like Dust Release in a way because it didn't require a specific bloodline to be learned, of course, it couldn't be taught to just anyone either.

"We do tend to avoid contact with the shinobi world, but the story your 'friend' over there told me along with the fact that the Moon Pearl disappeared is what drove me here." Osha declared as she pointed at Madara who raised an eyebrow

"We're not friends." Madara exclaimed which made me sad as I teasingly replied "Aww, I thought we were, with benefits though." which made him roll his eyes and sigh

Nevertheless, after coughing in my hand, I decided to ask "The Moon Pearl? You're talking about the Land of the Moon's royal family heirloom?" to which she replied "That's the real name of their heirloom, and it was made by the first Glassmaker thousands of years ago... The one that stole it was you isn't it?"

"*cough* Technically, yes... But I need it to face our future common threat." I said as I was slightly embarrassed to have been caught by someone

"I know, and I'm not here to retrieve it. It was made to be used anyway and the fated day happens to be close." she declared which made me release a sigh of relief before asking "Do you perhaps know where it can be used? My friend is looking around the Land of Fire right now, it would be good to know if he's looking for nothing."

"Then he must continue. While we weren't told the exact place it could be used, it stands where the Land of Fire currently exists... I think it was accessible through a valley..? I apologize, we did not keep any writing about it, it was only passed down orally and the few millennia that passed didn't make it better." Osha revealed which made me lost in thoughts

'A valley uh..? It's not the Valley of the End since it was carved out by Hashirama's technique against Madara a few decades ago... Wait, it might be?!' I thought before taking out a vial from Shiromari's belly pocket and making me bleed by biting my finger to fill it

I then poked my bracer to awaken Shiromari and said "Can you give it to Chizu, please? I think I just saved Jiraiya's family jewels." making his tongue wrap the vial before the bracer completely vanished as I gave something to Chizu that allowed Shiromari to summon himself to her

A technique that could only be used between two people with the Ketsuryūgan, or with the Blood Release it gave me after absorbing someone with this Dōjutsu, was to use the user's blood to write a message to another user by dropping it on either a scroll or the ground if you had nothing else.

The words I wanted to convey would write themselves with the blood I gave, but this technique could only be activated by her and not Jiraiya since she can also control blood.

"Excuse me, Yuichi-san, but could you maybe give us an explication as to what just happened?" Yahiko exclaimed which brought me back as I replied "Oh, sorry, it was something urgent, I will explain later, at least after my two companions here present themselves."

"Do I pass then?" Osha asked with a playful smile since my focus completely changed after what she told me

"Of course you do, and thank you for the hint, truly." I said as I reciprocated with a smile of my own before looking at Pakura who nodded and took a step forward

"'Sup, I'm Pakura. I was a Jōnin from Sunagakure until they betrayed me and sold me to Konoha to perish but this man kept me around instead." Pakura presented herself with her usual grace before adding "My bloodline allows me to use Scorch Release so tell me if you need to be dried."

[Here]

"Betrayed? How lame from them." Tomoko let out which made Madara exclaim "It runs in their blood, how do you think the first three Kazekage died? It was all internal conflicts." before sneering as he may be remembering some interaction he had with them

"Anyway, it's the Fourth Kazekage who betrayed her and he's still keeping that seat... I'm eager to see his face when he finds out that Pakura is alive and well." I let out with a small chuckle before looking at Sasori who stayed silent the whole time

"I'm Sasori, a puppeteer, and missing-nin from Sunagakure." Sasori said with a deep damn voice because of the human puppet he was currently 'wearing'

"Sasori? I saw your face on the Bingo Book, aren't you supposed to be a red-haired boy?" Kyūsuke exclaimed as he doubted Sasori's identity to which I replied "You know how teens are, one day they are small, frail, and can break glasses just by talking, and the next day they become tall, bulky, and their voice makes your whole body tremble."

"Not everyone is like that." Kyūsuke replied as he looked toward Tomoko who looked like she never grew up from being a girl, and when she noticed his gaze she mumbled 'Ah?' as a tick mark was showing on her forehead before punching him in the face, sending him away and hitting the wall behind him

"Wasn't he supposed to be evasive?" I let out but Nagato replied "Not against her." which made me mumble 'Simp' as I looked at his defigured face which reminded me of Jiraiya's whenever he got roughly rejected by a girl

"Well folks, I think you are all strong enough to not get killed by one of their minions too quickly, probably, but don't worry for I will be here and if you happen to die I will soon be able to bring you back, again and again... Even if you beg me not to." I explained as it was the reason why I needed to go to the Moon while what I said sent shivers down everyone's spine

"The Five Kage Summit will take place in three months at the Land of Iron, and while none of them knows about your 'participation', I would like to talk about the plan we established with Madara and me to unite them all and, in a way, create peace between us." I said which made Yahiko look at me seriously since he was himself seeking to create a utopia where no conflicts would exist

I don't want to be negative but there will always be conflicts, our plan will just prevent full-fledged wars that end up killing thousands and thousands of people for maybe a few centuries.

I tried to find Isshiki for the last three years but that guy sure knows how to hide... Even more annoying, I knew that he was able to 'possess' someone so he could literally be anyone in the world, all I knew was that black marking would be present around his entire body, indicating the presence of his Kāma.

As such, we would need to fake an attack from him during the Five Kage Summit to give a sense of urgency to the shinobi world.

Then this group 'led' by Yahiko will arrive and help us against 'Isshiki' and the Ōtsutsuki, while Madara will make his return to the world of shinobi.

Playing both the role of hero and villain was strangely exciting.