The Third Raikage raised his hand to wipe away the blood leaking from the wound on his side and pressed his thumb to the summoning scroll, inscribing his name with a decisive motion.
"Let's begin."
After signing the scroll, the Third Raikage smeared his blood onto Enma's furred hand, which the monkey king scowled at but could not resist under the Sharingan genjutsu's influence. The Raikage then nodded at the twin Uchiha brothers standing behind him.
They didn't waste a second. Their Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly as they forced Enma to cancel the summoning contract, forcibly ejecting him from the battlefield. Immediately after, they performed the Reverse Summoning Technique, anchoring their chakra to the spiritual coordinates of the Monkey King's realm and dragging the Third Raikage into that world.
"These are all top-tier resources," the Third Raikage sneered with bloodlust.
As he stepped into the Monkey King's summoning realm, he saw countless simian figures screeching in panic across the forested plateaus. Without hesitation, the Raikage charged forward like a bolt of black lightning, carving a path through the tribe with brute force. Lightning crackled around his fists as he felled one monkey after another.
The Sarutobi clan's summoning beast lineage had never been tamed by outsiders; their loyalty was bound tightly through generations of chakra resonance. But now, the Raikage didn't need loyalty—he needed results. A spiritual beast realm like this was a rare treasure. It could be converted into a breeding and training ground for spiritual beasts loyal to Kumo.
Reverse Summoning from such a realm could be used to escape death, assuming the user was fast enough and knew the unique hand claw signs. Few summoning creatures came with their own realms. Besides the three great holy lands—Mount Myōboku for toads, Ryūchi Cave for snakes, and Shikkotsu Forest for slugs—only the Sarutobi clan's monkey realm had such a complete and self-sustaining ecology.
"A pity these monkeys are impossible to contract... but we'll find something suitable soon."
While the Third Raikage was butchering his way through a forest of primates, Tamura Hao had already arrived with the vanguard at the outskirts of Uzushiogakure. But what greeted them was nothing more than burning debris and smoking ruins.
"Grandfather!"
"Father!"
"Mother!"
Uzumaki Kushina, who had insisted on joining the expedition, fell to her knees in horror as she saw her homeland in ashes. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to run forward, but Tamura Hao stopped her firmly.
"Don't be reckless. There might still be traps inside."
His tone was calm but resolute. Around them, four elite ANBU of the Hidden Cloud were reporting to Dodai. With them was a severely injured young shinobi who had clearly seen battle.
The boy was in critical condition. His legs were mangled beyond recognition, and his entire body was covered in burns and lesions. Despite being unconscious, the remnants of his Konoha flak jacket confirmed his identity—he had accompanied Sarutobi Shinnosuke into the village that very morning.
"So it was him…"
Tamura Hao narrowed his eyes. This crippled shinobi was undoubtedly the secret weapon Shimura Danzo had prepared—one that unleashed an infestation of nano-sized poison insects into the village. Insects so minute they bypassed ordinary defenses, and so virulent they consumed flesh from within.
Dodai understood the situation swiftly. He called over a genjutsu specialist to forcibly hijack the boy's nervous system, compelling his body to form hand seals. Under chakra suppression, the insects entered a hibernation state, ceasing their assault for now.
"All right, begin rescue operations. Anyone experiencing numbness or unusual chakra flow must report immediately. He'll extract the infected bugs before they become lethal."
Dodai's orders snapped the shinobi into motion. Search teams fanned out into the crumbling village.
Tamura Hao released Samehada, which had been vibrating impatiently on his back, and pressed forward alongside Kushina toward the innermost ruins.
At the heart of the village, beneath layers of scorched stone and shattered barrier seals, they found a sealed plaza protected by a chakra dome. Within lay two slumped figures—Uzumaki Masahiko and Uzumaki Aloe.
The old patriarch and his sister were barely alive, their red hair dulled and their bodies emaciated. The protective barrier had spared them from the worst of the explosion, but the poison insects had already begun consuming their internal organs.
"Grandfather!"
Kushina broke down in tears and ran forward.
"Kushina…"
Masahiko smiled faintly. With great effort, he dispelled the barrier, allowing his granddaughter to kneel beside him.
His hand trembled as he wiped her tears away. "Don't cry. Your grandfather… is just going to reunite with your grandmother."
He was genuinely relieved to see her. But then, his face twisted into rage.
"You little bastard!"
Masahiko's eyes locked onto Tamura Hao, who stood cautiously a hundred meters away. Though Hao's face and presence had changed, his chakra signature was unmistakable. Masahiko snarled.
"Come here, you damned brat!"
"I'd rather not!" Tamura Hao shouted back, stepping even further away. "Come here and die if you dare!"
Masahiko seethed. Even in his dying state, his hatred burned bright. The boy had deceived them.
"Brat!"
"I'm not coming any closer!"
But the old man didn't need proximity. He formed a quick hand seal, and instantly, a Four-Corner Sealing Formation erupted beneath Hao's feet. Adamantine Sealing Chains rose from the earth and bound him like a spider trapping prey, dragging him forward.
Bound and dragged to the old patriarch, Tamura Hao didn't flinch. "Old man, if you hurt me, I'll ruin your granddaughter's future. Remember that."
Bond-based manipulation was foundational to the ninja world. Exploiting emotion was the most effective form of control.
Masahiko glared but hesitated. He knew this cunning little devil wouldn't hesitate to act. His granddaughter's safety took priority.
"Disgraceful…" muttered Uzumaki Aloe as she glanced at her brother with disdain. Then she turned to examine Tamura Hao, curiosity flashing in her exhausted eyes.
Her nephew had told her about this boy—how he'd tricked him, extracted secrets, and even taken Kushina and their sealing scrolls. Still, she found herself oddly approving.
"From today, Kushina is your fiancée. Once you're of age, marry her."
Uzumaki Aloe declared it with finality. Their clan's absorption into Kumo was inevitable now. Kushina needed someone rooted in Kumo to protect her. Tamura Hao was young but cunning, influential, and clearly trusted by the Raikage.
Masahiko's face darkened but he said nothing.
"I refuse to marry this villain!"
Kushina's tear-streaked face twisted in fury.
"She's way too stupid. It'll affect the next generation's IQ," Tamura Hao retorted bluntly, prompting a death glare from the red-haired girl.
"The two sealing scrolls you tricked my nephew into giving you—only we can unlock them," Aloe added, grinning.
The scrolls were sealed with a Compound Uzumaki Locking Array. Any attempt to force them open would incinerate the contents via embedded explosive tags.
"Of course he left a failsafe."
Tamura Hao muttered, unsurprised.
"I suppose I'll reluctantly accept this dumb girl then," he added, shrugging. "Age comes with wisdom."
"You bastard!"
Masahiko's eye twitched with fury.
"You're the idiot! I'll never marry you!"
Kushina's anger flared again.
Masahiko growled and finally released the seal on the scrolls, raising his hand for the necessary sequence. Tamura Hao didn't trust memory alone—he grabbed a broken tile and used a kunai to carve the numerical steps, one-to-one with the seal sequence.
"A good pen beats a good memory," he muttered.
"Don't forget, the seals require Uzumaki chakra as a key. Without it, they'll detonate. Keep that in mind."
Masahiko's final warning carried a note of resignation. He had prepared to die guarding his clan's secrets. Instead, here he was—transferring knowledge to a manipulative brat.
He stared hard at Tamura Hao.
Damn little devil.