Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 119
🕑 Added 2025-01-05 20:37:44 +0000 UTCBursting out of the thorny forest, Masashi first saw a group of Kiri ANBU agents frantically jumping around with their backsides in the air.
"Huh?" he was stunned. "Oh, there are still some alive?"
Genji and Ao immediately turned to him.
"Those are our own people! Don't step on them… Stop! Stop! You're about to step on them!"
Susanoo's massive foot hovered in mid-air as someone scrambled out of the shadows, rolling and crawling, sprinting away without daring to look back.
"Come on, at this point, why are you even using earth jutsu outside?" Masashi complained. "Is the ANBU recruitment process really this lax?"
"Um… Maybe to avoid falling debris…" Ao glanced at the nearby "trash mountain," breaking into a cold sweat.
How much did it cost to rebuild the Mizukage Building?
The cost of political conflict is way too high! This better not happen again!
"Forget it… Where's the Mizukage?" Masashi controlled Susanoo's foot to land, causing the nearby trash mountain to tremble and send debris tumbling down.
"He may have lured the enemy out of the village."
"That's impossible." Masashi shook his head, activated his Sharingan, and started observing.
The building was now void of active chakra.
With Obito's interference, the Kiri administrative department would probably need to reselect its personnel.
Hmm, they'd better start by selecting the leaders. Kiri's system should be similar to Konoha's, with all administrative work done in the Mizukage Building.
Moving his gaze away from the half-ruined Mizukage Building, Masashi surveyed the area and activated his chakra sensing.
The chakra was highly active—especially in the south, where it clustered densely. Even without sensing, the rising smoke and faint sounds of exploding tags could be seen and heard.
Found them.
The chakra signatures of Yagura and Obito were there as well.
Surprisingly, their fight had already moved to that area.
"Are you two coming with me, or do you want to get off here?" Masashi asked.
"We'll get off here," Genji said.
Though riding in Susanoo felt great and offered a perfect viewing angle, watching Masashi kill people—especially Kiri's own ninjas—wasn't appropriate for him.
"Alright." Masashi nodded as the surrounding chakra "shifted," gently lowering Genji and Ao to the ground.
Finally, they emerged from Susanoo's left leg.
"Stay safe, you two," Masashi said before resuming control of Susanoo and heading south.
Susanoo was really far more flexible than Prometheus and could even jump.
When confronted with dense areas unsuitable for stepping, he simply jumped over them.
This was like a parkour.
Of course, being such a huge entity, every landing caused a "boom-boom-boom."
But this wasn't Konoha.
Masashi couldn't do much more to avoid damage.
Being a ninja meant that getting crushed by something unexpected was just part of the job—no one could be blamed.
As he got closer, he saw a complex of houses—at least several thousand buildings.
With surrounding white walls, interconnected pathways, and decorative rocks, the houses formed a large, organized estate, which stood out against the surroundings.
Clearly, it belonged to the exploitative landlord class.
At that moment, the estate was under attack.
However, Susanoo's appearance brought the fighting to a halt. Everyone stared up at Susanoo as it approached, expressions of shock on their faces.
Masashi's Sharingan allowed him to see quite far and in detail, so he caught their expressions clearly.
Small-minded.
Hashirama's Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands – Top Transformed Buddha—that was truly big.
Just one palm was over ten meters wide, and the entire Buddha stood three hundred meters tall.
Susanoo? At most, it was as big as a tailed beast—not even twenty meters tall. In front of that Buddha, it'd just be something that could be grabbed with one hand.
That was how Hashirama suppressed Madara—with that technique.
Looking below, Masashi saw that the attackers were Kiri's forces, while the defenders were led by the Hōzuki clan and other ninja families.
Among them, he spotted the Taketori clan.
Wait, no—it was Kaguya.
Taketori and Kaguya referred to the same clan during the Warring States Period. People used whichever name they preferred.
After Kiri was founded, the clan split into two branches.
They refused to acknowledge each other. The simple sentiment could be described as: I don't have such stupid or cowardly relatives.
The Taketori side refused to join Kiri.
Although their outward demeanor seemed free-spirited, they were quite passive in strategy and preferred to live quietly.
The Kaguya side joined Kiri. They were a bloodthirsty bunch.
Masashi had fought against them before but hadn't seen any of them use the Shikotsumyaku.
To be fair, the Shikotsumyaku was extremely strong but equally difficult to awaken.
He had never seen a bloodline limit with a lower awakening rate.
Suddenly, Masashi noticed someone attacking Susanoo's foot furiously.
He looked down.
Oh, it is a Kaguya.
Typical.
And then he squashed the man underfoot.
Are you kidding me? Trying to stab Susanoo with a kunai? Why don't you just seal a whole bridge while you're at it?
Angry roars erupted from the crowd.
A large group of distinctly Kaguya-looking men charged at him, howling.
Their actions caused the previously calm fighting sides to stir again.
He scanned them to confirm that none of them could sprout bones like Kimimaro.
Relieved, he smiled.
Kimimaro was far too easy to recruit. Missing out on him would be a shame.
As for these middle-aged men…
Susanoo raised its hand, and a massive chakra sword materialized in its palm.
Masashi swung the sword down.
With a thunderous boom, the chakra blade slashed through the Kaguya clan's position. Rocks, dirt, and body fragments were sent flying into the air.
Wiping out the reckless Kaguya in one blow, he spoke up, "Out of the way, please. Once I pass through, you can continue."
With chakra amplification, his voice boomed like it had been broadcasted through loudspeakers.
Everyone heard him.
They all turned simultaneously, opening a clear path for Susanoo to walk through.
Masashi was satisfied. The world of mutual understanding between people had been achieved.
"Thanks," he said politely, taking long strides and quickly passing through.
He prided himself on his manners.
Even before crossing over, he'd always stepped aside when people were taking photos. If he had to cross, he'd do so quickly—just like now.
As for the Kaguya clan members, they brought it upon themselves. No one could blame him.
Passing through the area, Masashi entered the more remote corners of Kiri.
He advanced, crossing a forest and startling countless birds into flight, until he finally saw another settlement.
This was also a clan's territory.
From the style, it was the Kaguya clan's. Kiri forces were here too.
Many Kaguya clan members were gathered here, facing off against the Kiri forces. But the core of the standoff wasn't them.
The real focus was Yagura and Obito.
Yagura, clad in his Tailed Beast Cloak, and Obito, using Wood Release, were fighting intensely.
Obito seemed confident against Yagura, not even using Kamui.
Masashi grinned and prepared to head over.
Suddenly, he sensed something and turned to look at a nearby cliff.
With his Sharingan, he saw someone standing there.
But he didn't dwell on it. He continued moving Susanoo toward the Kaguya clan's settlement.
As Konoha's No.1 collector, I can't let anyone steal Kimimaro—he's a perfect talent!
---
The current head of the Kaguya clan was a big fool.
Literally.
It might sound disrespectful to say so, but the truth was that the Kaguya clan's leader was infamous in Kiri for not being very bright.
Genetics shouldn't be blamed solely on him.
However, right now, the Kaguya clan was merely observing the situation.
And not just them—the other Kiri ninjas were also watching the show.
This was because the two powerhouses at the center of it all were both men of presence.
Yagura's every move was as if he was demolishing buildings, while his target was Obito's Wood Release.
"Tobi, as a member of the Uchiha clan, you're quite skilled at the secrets of the God of Shinobi," said Yagura.
His entire body was now enveloped in the Tailed Beast Cloak, and the thorny woods attacking him were blocked effortlessly. With just a wave of his hand, he could scatter the assault.
But scattering it was the most he could do. Obito's chakra reserves shocked him.
The White Ghost was like this, and now this man was the same. The Uchiha clan was truly terrifying.
As someone capable of completely controlling the power of a tailed beast, he didn't achieve this just because he became a jinchūriki. It was because, after Kiri lost the Three-Tails once, he personally sealed the resurrected beast into himself to ensure such an incident would never happen again.
Becoming a perfect jinchūriki was an unexpected bonus.
However, his specialties were Water Release and Wind Release, which were not very effective against Wood Release.
This meant that most of his techniques were useless. He could only rely on brute force and the chakra of the tailed beast to tear through.
Obito knew this very well.
"You should just obediently fall under my control," he said coldly.
"Your identity has already been revealed, Tobi," Yagura replied. "Even if you can control me again, it's meaningless."
"Who says it's meaningless?" Obito sneered. "Didn't you say my genjutsu was weak? I'll show you how effective it really is!"
Yagura couldn't help but feel like retorting.
Are you a child!?
"Besides, what use is revealing my identity? You Kiri ninjas are inherently weak. Once I deal with those who resist, you'll all be my pawns again," Obito continued.
"Tobi—no, Obito—don't underestimate Kiri," Yagura said, his smile fading. "If I didn't think you had potential, I wouldn't be talking so much."
"Potential?" Obito laughed loudly. "I'm the loser of the Uchiha clan! You Kiri ninjas really are useless."
"Useless or not, you'll soon find out," Yagura sighed, abandoning the idea of subduing Obito.
Honestly, such a good tool for processing paperwork was hard to give up.
Plus, the Uchiha bloodline was enticing.
Obito always gave him the impression of being disillusioned with the world. Kiri had plenty of such people as well.
Under the Bloody Mist policy, many of their elite had psychological issues. The usual solution was to arrange marriages. Kiri's women were experts at melting the angsty hearts of men.
A few instances of staggering out the door holding their waist, and all their delusions of grandeur would disappear—only an interest in health supplements would remain.
The marriage market was one reason the Bloody Mist policy had managed to endure for so many years without collapsing.
What a shame—such good talent.
Clearly, the White Ghost was still his best bet.
As a decisive man who had earned the title of Mizukage, Yagura knew that if he couldn't acquire something, he had to destroy it.
His chakra surged explosively. The forest that Obito had just created was shredded layer by layer by the chakra storm. In the debris, a massive figure emerged.
It was the full form of the Three-Tails, Isobu, as Yagura entered his complete Tailed Beast Mode.
---
Yagura, why did you wake me up?
In Yagura's mindscape, he was sitting on Isobu's head. The massive creature was still groggy—it had been sleeping.
Sorry, Isobu. This Uchiha is strong.
An Uchiha?
Hearing that name, Isobu immediately woke up. Through Yagura's eyes, it saw Obito's Sharingan and instantly grew enraged.
I'll kill him!
Good. Let's do it together.
---
Ending the conversation with Isobu, Yagura—now in his complete beast form—swung his giant hand toward Obito.
This was entirely different from before.
A jinchūriki's use of a tailed beast's power generally had three stages. The first stage involved covering the body with the tailed beast's chakra to form a shield and provide offensive power.
The second stage, Partial Transformation, combined the chakra with the jinchūriki's body. At this stage, the chakra caused physical harm to the user, which was why incomplete jinchūriki often stopped there.
The final stage—complete transformation—allowed the jinchūriki to fully harness the tailed beast's power without any injury. This was the mark of a perfect jinchūriki.
Isobu's hand swept forward, generating a violent gust of wind akin to a high-level Wind Release technique.
The ground was instantly torn up.
And due to the sheer size difference, Obito's entire position was engulfed in the shadow of the massive hand.
Unfazed, Obito activated Kamui.
---
Inside the Kamui dimension, Shisui—who had been keeping his Sharingan active while waiting—noticed an anomaly.
In this seemingly infinite space, Obito's figure appeared momentarily, though his gaze was not directed toward the dimension.
Then, as if erased by an eraser, Obito vanished.
"Just as Masashi said," Shisui muttered, standing up. He estimated the distance between himself and where Obito had appeared.
It was far.
Shisui was nicknamed the Teleporter, and his mastery of the Body Flicker was unparalleled.
He attempted to flash to the previous spot, estimating Obito's speed as he reappeared and vanished.
Having gathered some understanding, he sat down once again.
---
Back in the real world, oblivious to this, Obito had reemerged from Isobu's massive palm, continuing to mock Yagura.
"Weren't you going to kill me? You're not doing so well," he taunted, smirking. "Come on, try harder! Don't give up!"
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble—but this time, Yagura hadn't moved.
The vibrations came from another direction.
Both Yagura and Obito turned toward the source of the sound.
What they saw was a massive white giant striding toward them.
"Susanoo?" Obito was stunned.
Shisui had already been sealed into the Kamui dimension, so there shouldn't be any Uchiha left capable of using Susanoo here.
The distant Kiri ninjas and Kaguya clan members were also in turmoil, unable to determine whether this Susanoo was friend or foe.
"Mizukage-sama, I'm here to help!" the Susanoo spoke.
"Masashi?" Yagura was surprised. "You possess this kind of technique?"
Others might not recognize Susanoo, which had vanished from the world for years, but as a Mizukage, he certainly did.
Obito, on the other hand, fell into self-doubt.
Susanoo with only the three-tomoe Sharingan?
Are you messing with me!?
Kamui was powerful, but he only had one eye. And the one with attack abilities wasn't with him.
As for Wood Release, he did have Hashirama's cells, but he couldn't use Wood Release on Hashirama's level.
Obito's face darkened.
Masashi, you bastard! You really are here to mess with me!
