Konoha: Offer your heart to the Hokage!

The newcomer was none other than Kaguya Kagami, the Third Mizukage and Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast.

Shen Er frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.

This is the outermost island of Kirigakure, without even a garrison ninja. It's pitch black at night, and even if the Third Mizukage received news of the attack on Nabu Island, he shouldn't have been able to get here in such a short time.

Unless, he was already here!

Considering the precedent of the Mizukage being controlled by Madara Uchiha, it's not hard to guess why he's here.

Madara Uchiha is very likely hiding on this island of Les. From the moment he landed using the Heavenly Delivery Technique, Madara had already sensed the unusual activity. However, he summoned the Kaguya Mirror to avoid revealing himself.

The fact that Kaguya Kagami had no ANBU members accompanying her suggests that Madara might not want to escalate the situation and planned to quietly eliminate himself and Uchiha Yan here.

Shen Er narrowed his eyes slightly and sighed, "So, we've been targeted by the undead..."

...

The other end of Les Island.

Deep within the dimly lit cave, Madara Uchiha sat on a throne-like stone chair, his hands resting on the armrests.

Approaching sixty, his hair was a mix of black and white, his muscles had atrophied, and he had become even thinner and weaker than in his prime.

Only his pair of straight Mangekyou Sharingan eyes shone brightly with crimson light, their power undiminished.

"Uchiha Yan, that brat from back then has grown up to this extent," Uchiha Madara murmured. "I wonder who the ninjas around her are..."

Two forces repel each other, yet unite as one, thus giving rise to the myriad phenomena of the universe.

Hashirama cells granted Madara the ability to access all things in the universe, but the "mutual repulsion" he had to endure before obtaining them tormented him day and night. He had to constantly be on high alert, diverting his energy to suppress the corrosive effects of the Hashirama cells, making it impossible for him to fight with his full strength.

Therefore, Madara has been hiding in Kirigakure all these years, quietly waiting for the day he can awaken the Rinnegan.

When he received the news that Tobirama Senju had died far from home, he would hold the intelligence scroll and sigh with regret; when he learned that an outsider who was neither a Senju nor an Uchiha, and who was not originally a Konoha ninja, had become the Third Hokage, he would burst into laughter.

The Thousand Hands Brothers would rather trust a stranger than their buddy who fought alongside them.

it is ridiculous.

Madara was furious! Besides, he was inherently restless and couldn't bear the loneliness of being excluded from the mainstream stage of the ninja world and unable to perform.

So, three years ago, he went out and used illusion magic to control the Third Mizukage, who had become a Jinchūriki at the time.

He made them his eyes, ears, and mouthpiece. He slowly amassed power in the shadows, wreaking havoc within the Hidden Mist Village, intending to wreak havoc on the seemingly peaceful ninja world, plunging it into chaos once more, and paving the way for his ultimate plan.

Even though Hashirama was already dead, he still wanted to prove that the other party's ideology was wrong from beginning to end, and to prove how foolish it was to hand Konoha over to an outsider.

This is also one of the reasons why he chose to control the water shadow: water and fire are incompatible.

Tonight.

His peaceful life was shattered by two unexpected intruders. One of them was Uchiha Yan, a follower from his time in Konoha.

Madara recognized her; she was one of his followers before he defected from Konoha.

"That day I left Konoha through the main gate, and you refused to leave with me. Why did you choose to defect only after I was gone? Too bad, it's too late..."

Uchiha Yan's defection came too late; he could not become a loyal subject of the new emperor.

But she eventually left Konoha. In Madara's eyes, she was still a pawn that could be used and cultivated.

However, after so many years, it's impossible to be sure whether this former clansman is still loyal. Rather than actively showing himself to test him, it's better to subdue him directly, then bring him back to his side and slowly train him.

Having made the decision, Madara Uchiha immediately controlled the Kaguya Mirror, sending it to the scene as quickly as possible to take action on his behalf.

His strength is definitely much weaker than his own, but subduing an Uchiha ninja with the Mangekyou Sharingan shouldn't be a problem. The Mangekyou Sharingan alone is equivalent to a near-Kage level, but still a notch below a true Kage of a village.

As for the man beside her, Madara Uchiha naturally ignored him...

Anyone would think that, in a two-person operation, the one with the kaleidoscope is the real opponent.

Especially these underground organizations that wear uniforms.

The underground ninja world isn't very big; how many rogue ninjas, even those at the Kage level, could there be?

...

"Mere insects from the underground ninja world." Kaguya Kagami's expression was indifferent: "Since you've trespassed into Kirigakure, don't even think about leaving."

He slowly raised his hand, and the first key of his finger bones, the chilling white bone pierced through, with an invisible flow of air swirling around his fingertips like a breeze.

"Corpse Bone Vein Ten Fingers Sand Scattered Piercing Bullet!"

The bone bullet appeared in front of the two in the blink of an eye.

Uchiha Yan controlled Satoru to fold his wings and hold them in front of him. The next instant, Shukaku's Wind Release-enhanced Bone Bullet slammed into his wings, the powerful impact knocking Satoru off balance and causing him to fall to the ground.

The two figures flashed and landed on the ground.

"The reinforcements from Kirigakure will arrive in about five minutes."

"A swift and decisive victory."

Upon realizing that the enemy was a Jinchuriki, Uchiha Yan habitually put two fingers to his lips, his Mangekyou Sharingan swirling in his eyes, and unleashed his invincible genjutsu against Jinchuriki.

But this time, her plan backfired; the illusion had no effect on Kaguya Mirror at all.

"Huh?"

While she was still in a daze, a new wave of bone bullets had already arrived in front of her.

"The mist rises, the wind breaks, the iron locks, the harsh elements!"

Shen Er clasped his hands together, and the Storm Release chakra, formed by the fusion of lightning and water, surged from his palms, transforming into a nimble blue laser beam.

sizzle

He manipulated the beams of light to crisscross, the crackling of electricity tearing through the night sky, intercepting and shattering all ten incoming bone bullets.

"Storm Release?"

Kaguya Kagami frowned slightly.

This kind of bloodline limit is rare in the ninja world.

The aftershocks of the battle, carrying a gust of wind, swept over Uchiha Yan, causing a sweet taste in her throat and blood to seep from between her teeth. The long-awaited intense battle had ignited her ferocity, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of her lips.

"It's been a long time since I've encountered such a worthy opponent."

"Then, I'll use this move to kill you!"

A surge of silvery-white chakra erupted from the depths of his pupils, and Susanoo instantly took shape, radiating a dazzling light that illuminated the dim island.

Susanoo raised his arm and hurled a Yasaka Magatama at Kaguya Mirror.

"The second form of Susanoo... not bad."

Kaguya Mirror muttered to herself, then shouted in a deep voice: "Corpse Bone Pulse - Dance of the Tang Pine!"

Dense bone spurs burst forth from his body, covering vital parts of his body.

Immediately afterwards, his body spun around as if turning the tide, deflecting and detonating the incoming magatama, sending white smoke billowing up.

The aftershocks of the explosion hit him, but he withstood them thanks to his superhuman physique.

Amidst the white smoke, the deep, bone-revealing wounds on his body were healing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Such damage would be fatal to an ordinary ninja, but it was nothing to the Mizukage who possessed the Corpse Bone Pulse.

The Kaguya clan not only possesses the Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit, but also has monstrous innate physical constitution. Their bone density far exceeds that of the steel used to forge kunai, and their torn flesh can heal itself at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Even the formidable physique and regenerative abilities gained through ruthless plundering and cunning using the Earth Grudge Fear technique are innate talents of the Otsutsuki descendants. Although not every descendant possesses them, once awakened, they become the most loyal warriors of the bloodline theory…

Damn it!

With Uchiha Yan holding the line, Shen Er didn't rush to attack. He was using his full sensory abilities to search for traces of Uchiha Madara.

Even after reaching the limit of his perception range, he still couldn't find Ban. So he didn't give up and simply activated his Spirit Transformation Technique, traversing the island like a ghost, ignoring the obstacles of physical terrain.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pinpoint the exact location of the spot.

The biggest gain from this trip will be finding out where he is hiding!

After the bombing failed, Uchiha Yan immediately changed his strategy.

Chakra condensed in his palm, taking shape and transforming into a long, giant bow.

Susanoo draws his bow and nocks an arrow.

The bowstring is taut, poised to be released.

If the Yasaka Magatama isn't enough to break through defenses, then let's try the Susanoo Bow.

Kaguya dared not be careless. He, or rather, the Demon Slayer Mark, knew the power of Susanoo weapons. He immediately dodged in a flash, while quickly completing hand seals and unleashing more than half of his chakra: "Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Early Fern!"

The Dance of Early Ferns is a type of field-based ninjutsu.

Just like the barriers and domains that many powerful Japanese characters possess.

The Dance of the Early Fern is the ultimate ninjutsu of the Kaguya clan, descendants of the Otsutsuki.

The entire ground trembled violently, sand crumbled and collapsed, the stable terrain collapsed, causing Susanoo standing on it to lose its balance and its arrows to miss their mark.

Then, centered on Kaguya Mirror, countless pale white bones pierced through the sand, spreading wildly towards Uchiha Yanagi, transforming into a hideous forest of white bones. The sheer size of the area made Susanoo feel as if he were in a jungle.

Each bone spur is far sharper than a kunai.

The kunai could not pierce Susanoo's armor.

However, since both originate from the Otsutsuki clan, the destructive power of Shikotsumyaku is enough to directly shake Susanoo's defense.

sulfuric acid!

With a sharp, cracking sound, the bone spike pierced through Uchiha Yan's proud Susanoo.

Uchiha Yan's pupils constricted sharply, his face filled with astonishment. He knew the opponent's bone spikes were sharp, but he hadn't expected them to be this sharp, to the point that even Susanoo couldn't block them.

In an instant, Uchiha Yan made a judgment and cut off the output of his eye power.

Susanoo, pierced by bone spikes and bound by sand, drifted away in the wind, and she transformed back into a light human form.

Susanoo is not afraid of binding field ninjutsu; it can be released and then summoned again, it just consumes more ocular power.

Uchiha Yan's feet were imbued with chakra, and his ninja boots stepped on the sharp bone spikes.

She subconsciously turned her head to look at Shen Er not far away.

The moment she sensed the danger underground, Shen'er's body spun and leaped, as if dancing on the wind, landing on the treetops nearby.