Mount Myōboku, one of the Three Great Sage Lands, was nestled among mountains and bordered by tranquil lakes.
For millennia, it had been visited not only by Jiraiya, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Naruto, but also by others who had stumbled upon it through fate.
Those who passed the trials were taught senjutsu and forged contracts with the toads of Mount Myōboku.
However, successful senjutsu practitioners were exceedingly rare. Most who tried ended up as stone toads within the mountain.
Hagoromo Gensou did not come to learn Mount Myōboku's senjutsu, nor did he expect a warm welcome.
Without ceremony, he stepped into the thick mist that marked the mountain's outer perimeter, ignoring the illusions meant to test intruders, and walked straight ahead until he reached a cave within the mountain. Here, the mist dispersed.
Drip! Drip!
Droplets of water fell from the cave ceiling as Gensou surveyed his surroundings. He paid little attention and pressed forward.
The cave was deep.
Gensou walked for a while without seeing its end.
Moreover, his sharp perception revealed that the path beneath him seemed to stretch endlessly.
Stopping in his tracks, a deafening voice echoed through the cave:
"Who are you?"
"Hagoromo Gensou," he replied politely, unperturbed.
"Hagoromo Gensou? I know of you." The voice, tinged with surprise, continued. "This is Mount Myōboku. Why have you come?"
"I seek the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, Uzumaki Naruto," Gensou stated plainly. "Hand him over, and Mount Myōboku will remain undisturbed."
"Uzumaki Naruto... absolutely not!" the voice boomed with conviction. "Leave now, Hagoromo Gensou! Or remain here forever!"
"Though I anticipated your answer, I'm still somewhat surprised by your resolve."
Gensou shook his head.
"What a pity."
"Pity for what?"
"Pity that a sanctuary as ancient as Mount Myōboku may soon cease to exist."
"Arrogant fool!!"
With an enraged roar, the entire cave transformed.
Deep red, fleshy walls rapidly grew from the surrounding walls, ceiling, and floor.
In the blink of an eye, Gensou found himself inside what appeared to be a massive stomach. The walls pulsed and contracted, shrinking his space until they threatened to crush and digest him completely.
"This scene feels familiar."
Gensou casually drew a kunai and hurled it at one of the walls.
The blade sliced through easily, creating a gash.
Yet, as the kunai penetrated further, the wall writhed and healed itself rapidly, continuing to press inward. The kunai vanished without a trace.
Gensou recalled something from the original story.
Itachi Uchiha and Kisame had once been caught in this very technique while pursuing Naruto. They had only escaped thanks to Itachi's Amaterasu.
If he wasn't mistaken, he was now inside the stomach of the great toad Iwajuku.
"In that case…"
Gensou brought his hands together.
"Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!"
As the walls closed in, a translucent cubic barrier expanded from Gensou's hands.
With a blinding flash of light, everything within a hundred-meter radius of him vanished into nothingness.
After a moment of upheaval, Gensou found himself standing inside Mount Myōboku.
Behind him, agonized cries echoed.
Turning, he saw an enormous toad, larger than the nearby mountains, its stone-gray skin trembling as it glared at him with fury in its eyes.
"Such a massive toad. Impressive," Gensou remarked with mild surprise.
This was by far the largest toad he had ever encountered—comparable in size to a fully manifested Susano'o.
Boom!
A nearby mountain was uprooted by the furious Iwajuku and hurled at Gensou with tremendous force.
As the guardian of Mount Myōboku, Iwajuku was second in strength only to the Great Toad Sage.
Though it had just endured the Jinton attack, its stomach, enhanced by centuries of senjutsu and barrier techniques, had evolved into an alternate dimension. This was why Jiraiya could summon portions of its stomach and why the toad had survived the assault without exploding.
Now, with its wounds healing rapidly from the abundant senjutsu chakra, Iwajuku launched another attack.
Dodging the flying mountain with ease, Gensou watched as dust filled the air.
"Its size makes Shinra Tensei ineffective."
"But since you're offering yourself, I'll send you off properly."
Unhurried, Gensou spared a glance toward the depths of Mount Myōboku, where the commotion had alerted the other toads, who croaked noisily.
"Also, it's time to fully initiate the tailed beast capture operation."
Gensou's finger moved over his Zero Ring, transmitting his orders to all teams involved in the mission.
With his command issued, he looked up calmly at Iwajuku, whose massive body now filled his entire vision, ready to crash down.
Meanwhile
At the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, Sasuke and Kisame exchanged glances as they swiftly eliminated the Cloud Village guards and entered the valley.
There, they found Killer B, the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, humming a tune while scribbling lyrics.
"Yo~ Yeah~ Who are you guys?" Killer B asked, gesturing flamboyantly.
Elsewhere, Kakuzu and Hidan increased their pace, spotting the unconscious Two-Tails jinchūriki in the distance.
"Be cautious. There may be traps," Kakuzu warned.
"No problem. I'll take the lead!" Hidan replied confidently.
The duo quickly formulated a plan and advanced.
Above Sunagakure, Deidara grinned with excitement as he soared on his clay bird alongside Seimei.
"Finally, the moment has come."
Holding a handful of clay bombs, Deidara hurled them toward the Kazekage's office with glee.
"Art is an explosion! Katsu!"
Boom!!
The battle had officially begun.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For Only $5!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]