IMPORTANT: For every 30 POWER STONES there will be an extra chapter!
There will be 6 chapters today (including the extra chapter earnt for reaching 60 power stones)!!
-----------------
In the following days, Ye Zi focused on familiarizing himself with Wood Release and the two long swords. Once he fully grasped Wood Release, he realized just how terrifying its power was. For it to have been the First Hokage's primary technique, it had to be incredibly strong. According to Madara, the First Hokage's Wood Release was capable of suppressing the Nine-Tails, making it an essential tool for capturing and controlling tailed beasts. However, the strength of Ye Zi's current Wood Release was still far from sufficient.
The same jutsu used by different individuals could yield vastly different results.
"Ye Zi, Nagato and Hanzō are likely going to clash. Do you want to go?" White Zetsu asked as he emerged from the ground.
Hearing this, Ye Zi withdrew his hand from the artificial body infused with Hashirama's cells. Seven or eight branch-like spikes had sprouted from the body, one of Wood Release's attack techniques.
"Yes, it's time."
Ye Zi spoke as he moved to the corner of the room, grabbing Blood and Blade to cross them on his back before throwing on a black robe.
White Zetsu followed suit, picking up a black robe and draping it over himself. "How do you plan to convince Nagato?" he asked.
Ye Zi sealed the remaining weapons into a scroll. As he listened to White Zetsu's question, he furrowed his brow and replied, "I'll figure it out when we get there. Madara told me to recruit Nagato, but he's not a child who's easy to manipulate..."
White Zetsu grinned silently, refraining from further comment.
After preparing himself, Ye Zi used Wood Release to create a smooth wooden mask with two simple eye holes, leaving the rest of the features blank. After placing the mask on his face, he glanced at the massive Gedo Statue one last time before sealing the area with Wood Release and heading toward the exit.
Sunlight pierced through the canopy, creating small patches of light on the ground.
Having been underground for so long, Ye Zi squinted as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight.
Once his eyes had adapted, he said, "Lead the way."
"Follow me."
White Zetsu took the lead, and together they headed toward the Land of Rain.
"Are you wearing the mask because you can't let go of the people from Konoha?" White Zetsu asked curiously as they traveled.
Ye Zi remained silent, ignoring him.
White Zetsu persisted. "What will you do when it comes to collecting the tailed beasts? The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is among the people you can't let go of, right? When the time comes, will you be able to bring yourself to harm her? Is that why you're wearing the mask—to hide the fact that you're the supposedly dead Ye Zi?"
Ye Zi had no intention of answering White Zetsu, nor did he want to engage in conversation with him.
Used to being ignored by Ye Zi, White Zetsu didn't mind and continued to chatter throughout the journey, much to Ye Zi's annoyance.
Finally, they reached the Land of Rain, and either because White Zetsu was tired or had grown bored, he fell silent and pulled up his hood.
Rain poured heavily, creating thick mist on the ground.
Returning to this familiar land, Ye Zi couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. From the moment he had opened his eyes in this world, it seemed that fate had tied him to this place.
If all went according to plan, and if he could convince Nagato, the Land of Rain would become their future base. As for the leader of Amegakure, Hanzō… his days were numbered.
The two figures in black moved swiftly through the rain, heading toward a specific location.
That day, Hanzō had conspired with Danzō, resulting in the death of Nagato's comrade Yahiko, which caused Nagato's worldview to shift drastically. He realized that peace could only be born from pain—that only through suffering could humanity understand the importance of peace.
With that in mind, Nagato became the new leader of the Akatsuki, and the organization that once aimed for peace began to crumble.
Seeking revenge for Yahiko's death, Nagato led the remaining Akatsuki members in a war against Amegakure.
Now, after much bloodshed, Nagato had finally cornered Hanzō.
When Ye Zi arrived at the scene, Nagato and Hanzō were locked in their final confrontation in the pouring rain.
The valley was littered with corpses—some from Amegakure, others from the Akatsuki. Blood pooled on the ground, too thick for the heavy rain to wash away quickly.
Hanzō, having summoned his giant salamander, was kneeling atop its head, clutching his bleeding chest. Blood dripped from beneath the gas mask-like device on his face.
Standing before the salamander were three figures clad in black cloaks adorned with red clouds: Yahiko, who should have been dead, Nagato, and Konan.
It was the same confrontation with the same people, but now, their positions had drastically changed.
The three stood side by side, looking small in comparison to the giant salamander. Yet to Ye Zi, the situation gave him the distinct impression that the salamander would die in the next moment. It was a gut feeling—an instinct.
"So this is the power of the Rinnegan," Ye Zi muttered as he gazed at the resurrected Yahiko, whose eyes now bore the Rinnegan. He wasn't sure how Nagato had accomplished it, but Yahiko now wielded the legendary eyes.
These eyes… They could be the key to his return. The desire to take the Rinnegan for himself surged within him, but Ye Zi quickly suppressed the greed that was bubbling to the surface.
Not yet… It's not time. At least not now.
Silently watching the battle unfold, Ye Zi's expression, hidden beneath his mask, grew calm once more.
"I have lost."
Hanzō's voice was weak as he looked down at the remaining Akatsuki members. His half-closed eyes were filled with despair.
Hanzō the Salamander, once considered a demigod and the supreme ruler of the Land of Rain, had finally fallen at the hands of the very youths he once underestimated. If only he had taken the Akatsuki more seriously earlier, perhaps things wouldn't have come to this.
"…"
Nagato coldly watched Hanzō. He raised his arm, pointing it toward the defeated leader. With five more corpses needed to complete the Six Paths of Pain, Hanzō's body would serve as one of them.
Perhaps driven by the instincts of a warrior, or maybe because of Yahiko's presence, Hanzō, knowing he had been defeated, had no intention of allowing his body to be used by the enemy.
Explosive tags began to appear beneath the giant salamander, crawling upward until they covered both the salamander and Hanzō's body.
As the tags climbed toward his face, Hanzō flashed a cold, grim smile at Nagato and his companions.
Nagato lowered his arm and quickly retreated with Konan, leaving the scene in an instant.
Boom!
The explosion erupted with terrifying force, sending a wave of destruction far and wide. Even the rain was blasted away, scattering in all directions. A cloud of smoke and debris slowly spread across the area.
"Tsk tsk, what a grand exit," White Zetsu remarked, grinning at the aftermath of the explosion. "With that, any survivors still lying around are done for."
"Let's go meet them," Ye Zi said, shifting his gaze from the explosion to where Nagato and the others had retreated.
They had noticed his presence too…
Check out the patreon and get 49 chapters in advance -> SaintXI
Currently on Chapter 218 - Movements on a Chessboard