On a nameless snowy mountain in the Land of Frost, crimson chakra filled the air.
A voice rang out, brimming with excitement, laughing wildly.
"Hahaha! Kazuyama, you're a genius!"
"I never thought I'd be able to emerge like this. Even if it's just a chakra body, it feels amazing to be out here!"
In the midst of the white snow, Kazuyama Gekkō stood, cloaked in Tailed Beast chakra, staring at the massive red insect formed from chakra in front of him—Seven-Tails Chōmei.
But Chōmei didn't have a physical form at the moment—he was purely chakra.
This was the reward Kazuyama had received a few days ago: Tailed Beast Synchronization.
"I only released you from within me."
"While I can't give you a physical body, forming one from chakra is enough to let you move freely."
"But you can't stray too far from me. If you do, you'll be forcibly pulled back inside."
"After all, we're one and the same."
Kazuyama felt completely at ease. Being able to appear alongside the Tailed Beast—this ability was incredible!
"Hahaha, this feels great too!"
"Next time we're in a fight, we'll go together. I'll drop the smoke, and you smack 'em down!"
"Perfect combo, easy wins!"
Chōmei circled above Kazuyama Gekkō without a care in the world. There was no fear of being discovered—this was the far northern mountain range of the Land of Frost, a place no one would normally visit.
So, man and beast simply had their fun.
"Kazuyama, what's the plan now?"
"If we show up on the battlefield again, won't they come after us?"
Chōmei had already returned to Kazuyama's body and was reflecting on everything that had happened.
If their enemy was targeting him, one encounter wouldn't be the end of it. Things would be far from peaceful in the days to come.
"Not anytime soon. Even the Third Mizukage got taken out."
"He's definitely reevaluating our strength."
"And considering his condition, he's in no shape to make any reckless moves."
Kazuyama Gekkō said this calmly, but he was also calculating in his mind.
Madara Uchiha had planned to cultivate a puppet to carry out the next phase of his plan.
But thanks to Kazuyama's appearance, Obito Uchiha had already veered off the original track. It was unlikely he would be chosen again.
Then who would be the next target…?
No matter how much he thought about it, Kazuyama couldn't come up with an answer, so he gave up.
"Forget it, Chōmei. Let's not go anywhere for now. We could use a break."
"Huh? You're not going back to the village?"
"Nope. I teleported out with Shukaku—going back this soon would be suspicious."
"Whatever you say. I'm sticking with you anyway. Where you go, I go."
Since things had come to this, they'd just deal with whatever came next.
Kazuyama Gekkō stopped worrying. Rather than stress himself out, he decided to just enjoy the moment.
...
Konohagakure.
Orochimaru had returned to the village. The battlefield in the Land of Rivers was now fully under the command of Fugaku Uchiha.
After all, as the current head of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku Uchiha was a formidable ninja.
"Orochimaru, this war wouldn't have gone well without you."
"Good work."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his prized pupil with satisfaction. After all, he had trained Orochimaru himself.
But Orochimaru couldn't bring himself to smile—his heart was heavy with gloom.
"I've read the war report. It was excellent. As for Kazuyama Gekkō…"
"Sigh… Orochimaru, war is always unpredictable."
"Besides, I don't think that kid's dead. You know his abilities."
But that only darkened Orochimaru's mood further.
He had been the commander-in-chief, yet he'd had no answer when the Tailed Beast attacked.
If Kazuyama hadn't stepped in and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport away the One-Tail, there was no telling how the battle in the Land of Rivers would have ended.
And yet the hero behind it all was still missing.
"If there's nothing else…"
"I'll get back to work…"
Orochimaru left abruptly, and Hiruzen's face turned grave.
This was the second time. Nawaki's death had already left a deep scar on Orochimaru.
Now, if Kazuyama Gekkō had really died, the impact on him… would be unimaginable.
"Sigh…"
"Looks like we'll have to send someone out to find him."
Hiruzen finally made up his mind. Kazuyama was not only his grand-disciple, but also one of the few ninjas in the village with a Kekkei Genkai. His strength was exceptional.
But choosing the right person was a headache.
Even though the fighting in the Land of Rivers had stabilized, the pressure on the other battlefronts was still intense.
Iwa and Kumo's dual assault wasn't something they could hold off for long.
Little did he know, both Iwa and Kumo had already paused their attacks and were dealing with internal matters.
...
In the Land of Earth, Ōnoki had finished surveying the traces left from the battle between his son, Kitsuchi, and Kazuyama Gekkō.
Looking at the scorched earth and shattered stone soldiers, Ōnoki's face grew darker and darker.
Upon returning to the village, he immediately ordered a suspension of operations on the front lines.
"Lord Tsuchikage, are you really sure it was Madara Uchiha?"
In his office, Kitsuchi stared at his father in disbelief. Ōnoki had just told him the truth.
Yes, judging from the battle marks, Ōnoki concluded that the attacker had been none other than Madara Uchiha—who was supposed to be dead.
They didn't know why he was still alive, or why he was in the Land of Earth, but the fearsome Fire Release jutsu and the massive blue skeletal giant all pointed to Madara Uchiha.
After all, his trademarks were Fire Release and the Sharingan.
And the pinnacle of the Sharingan, the Mangekyō Sharingan, granted the power of Susanoo.
"There's no mistake. I've fought him before."
"That level of Fire Release—only he could pull it off."
"Not to mention the blue skeleton you saw. That's the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan—Susanoo."
Veins bulged on Ōnoki's hands, clearly showing his frustration.
"Starting now, pull some of our troops back from the front lines. Begin searching for Madara Uchiha's whereabouts across the Land of Earth."
"Report immediately if he's found!"
"Recall Han and Rōshi. If we're going up against him, we might need the entire village just to survive."
Kitsuchi was stunned. He never expected Iwagakure would grind to a halt over one man.
"Lord Tsuchikage, this…"
"Do as I say! If he really shows up, it won't matter how well things are going at the front."