"How did you find me?"
Kawaki glared coldly at Koji Kashin as he asked.
Koji answered honestly, "You've got a tracking device on you."
Kawaki's face immediately darkened. He growled,
"So you all knew I was chosen as Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's vessel, didn't you?"
"That's right," Koji nodded without a hint of concealment. "Which means Isshiki will be coming for you soon. We need to get to Konoha first."
Kawaki let out a harsh snort, his face twisted with anger.
So the entire Kara organization had been in on it—except him.
Those bastards. Absolutely despicable.
But after realizing how easily Koji had managed to find him, Kawaki gave up on the idea of hiding alone.
If Koji could tag him with a tracking device without him even noticing, then Isshiki definitely had a way of locating him too.
No matter where he ran, there would be no escape.
With that in mind, Kawaki pushed his speed to the limit. He had to make it back to Konoha before Isshiki caught up.
Only one man—strong, confident, and fearless—could give him even a sliver of hope.
...
The two raced through the forest and soon arrived in the dense woods outside the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Halt! Who goes there?!"
Two shinobi guarding the village gate blocked their path with sharp cries.
Both had distinctive appearances—one had hair covering one eye, and the other wore a long bandage slashed across his face.
They were none other than Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki.
Kawaki stepped forward. "I'm Kawaki. I left Konoha not long ago."
Kotetsu replied coolly, "If you left, why are you back? Got a pass?"
Kawaki blinked, confused.
You need a pass to enter Konoha?
Seeing the look on his face, Kotetsu's tone turned stern.
"No pass, no entry. Those are the rules."
"Turn around and leave. Otherwise, don't blame us for getting rough."
Kawaki was caught off guard, unsure of what to do.
At that moment, Koji stepped forward and removed his mask.
When his face was revealed, both Kotetsu and Izumo froze.
"Jiraiya-sama?!"
Koji's tone was calm and disinterested.
"I need to return to the village to report to the Emperor. Step aside."
Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged wary glances.
They'd met Jiraiya many times before.
The man had always been bold, brash, and a bit of a pervert—not at all like the cold and composed man standing before them now.
Still, they silently activated their sensory techniques to scan both Koji and Kawaki. Nothing seemed out of place.
In the end, they chose to open the gate.
"Jiraiya-sama, please report to the Hokage as soon as you enter the village."
Koji gave a slight nod. "Understood."
He grabbed Kawaki by the arm and started toward the village.
...
But suddenly, a dark spatial portal shimmered into existence in front of them, blocking the way.
Jigen stepped through, eyes narrowed as he let out a cold snort.
"So... you're the traitors inside Kara."
From Kawaki's crashed airship to Koji trying to sneak him back into Konoha, it wasn't hard for Jigen to deduce the identity of the moles.
"Koji Kashin. Amado Sanzu…"
Kotetsu and Izumo, already suspicious, immediately moved to block the gate again.
"Who the hell are you people?! Trying to force your way into Konoha?!"
Jigen glanced at the two, then said politely,
"Don't misunderstand. I've no interest in infiltrating Konoha. I'm just here to take back what's mine."
Koji, without a word, shoved Kawaki toward Kotetsu and Izumo, then stepped forward to confront Jigen.
The gatekeepers restrained Kawaki and fired a signal flare into the sky.
Jigen didn't seem to care, his eyes fixed on Koji with an amused glint.
"You really think you can stop me?"
Koji's expression didn't change. "Try me and find out."
"Hmph."
With a grunt, black markings—like tattoos—spread across Jigen's body.
In the next instant, he charged at Koji.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
A massive fireball surged forward, engulfing Jigen.
But he didn't dodge—instead, he casually absorbed the flames as if they were nothing.
Koji immediately formed another set of seals.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet!"
Jigen's eyes sharpened. His body shrank in an instant, and he reappeared right in front of Koji.
"Die."
A black rod pierced through Koji's body.
With a puff of smoke, the body vanished—it had been a shadow clone.
"Earth Style!"
The solid ground turned into a muddy swamp beneath Jigen's feet. He was quickly being dragged under.
"Pointless."
Jigen activated his ability again, shrinking himself and creating gaps between his body and the mud, easily escaping.
But then—several tiny toads crawled out from under his clothes.
"Boom."
They exploded all at once, splattering his body with oily toad secretion.
Jigen scowled. "Ugh… disgusting…"
Just then, Koji finished forming hand seals.
An inferno roared to life, instantly swallowing Jigen. The searing heat incinerated everything within dozens of meters.
Jigen instinctively tried to absorb the fire—but it had no effect.
From beyond the flames, Koji's voice rang out.
"This isn't chakra fire—it's true fire from Mount Flame, summoned through a contract. Your power can't touch it."
Cracks began to form across Jigen's body as the temperature rose.
"Well, this body's just about done anyway," he muttered.
Then a tremendous energy surged from within him.
His appearance began to shift—his body transforming, his features changing.
In a flash, the man known as Jigen was gone, replaced by a pale-skinned figure wearing a flowing robe, horns protruding from his head.
Isshiki Ōtsutsuki had resurrected.
This vessel couldn't contain all of his power—at most, it would last three days.
But that was enough.
Kawaki was right there.
All he had to do was eliminate Koji and those two guards, and Kawaki's body would be his.
"Scatter."
With a single word, the blazing fire dispersed into nothing.
Then, Isshiki's right eye gleamed with a golden light.
Shlkt!
Several black rods shot out and pinned Koji's body in place.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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