Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 67
🕑 Added 2024-12-12 21:04:32 +0000 UTCThe first time Kai encountered Muzo was during a raid on the Senju clan. At that time, Muzo was an insignificant figure among the Senju.
Following the customs of the Warring States, he and his clansmen attacked a young Senju child.
Muzo's younger brother was hacked to death by them. Considering that both the Senju and Uzumaki clans were known for their robust vitality, they made sure the body was unrecognizable before stopping.
Unfortunately, they missed the chance to kill Muzo himself. Through the chaos and blood, the older brother slipped away. The Senju ninja returned to retaliate.
This was the greatest regret of Kai's life.
Years later, Muzo reappeared, but he was no longer the same person. The trauma had hollowed him out completely.
He became known for his swift, ruthless attacks, and even his own clan stopped using his birth name, referring to him simply as Muzo—the name itself meaning empty, formless, like the shell of a man he'd become.
Yes, he was no longer human.
People often labeled the Uchiha as evil, but Muzo was far worse.
Kai had never minded being called evil. Insults from enemies, after all, just proved how strong he was. Within his clan, only the patriarch and Izuna were stronger than him.
But to be outdone in evilness by a Senju? That was unacceptable.
Especially when this judgment came from the clan leader he admired most.
Kai had always hoped to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, but he never succeeded. The clan leader bluntly told him to give up, claiming he lacked the ruthlessness to harm his own friends.
Eventually, he did harm others—not just friends but even close kin—but by then, he was no longer alive.
Kai understood Muzo all too well, just as Muzo understood him. They knew how to make each other wish for death again.
Watching Killer B transform in the distance, he made no effort to stop him, quietly waiting for B to complete his transformation.
As B transformed, the violent chakra began affecting the surrounding air, drawing the attention of other people.
"Kai, are you toying with him?"
"Looks interesting. A 'vessel,' huh." Another Edo Tensei ninja landed beside Kai, dark flakes falling from his regenerating form.
"Fighting with his own will? How satisfying!" A third joined them.
Several Edo Tensei ninjas gathered around, forming a loose circle around their prey.
Most of them had already spread throughout the fortress, leaving no survivors in the southern district.
Everywhere they went, they ravaged like locusts, their destruction the only way to alleviate their torment.
By coincidence, none of the current victims were connected to the clans that formed Kumo. So, killing Kumo ninjas posed no ethical dilemma for the resurrected dead, who saw this as their final chance to indulge.
---
Meanwhile, in Killer B's spiritual world...
"B! Calm down! Fighting them is pointless. You don't know sealing techniques!" the Eight-Tails warned.
"Yo, I know what's at stake, but the caster we gotta locate, before it's too late."
"No, that's not it. You need to leave immediately!"
The Eight-Tails realized B hadn't grasped the urgency.
"Listen carefully. These individuals surrounding you were terrifying when alive. While weaker now, their abilities remain the same in other ways!"
"Are you speaking to your vessel, tailed beast?" one of the Edo Tensei shinobi interrupted, his hands already forming seals.
B and the Eight-Tails abruptly ceased their internal dialogue, not by choice.
The Eight-Tails was the first to notice something wrong. The air had grown thick with an ancient, malevolent chakra.
B, attack that person now!
Halfway through his transformation, enveloped in dark red tailed beast chakra, B charged at his enemy without hesitation.
The movement alone caused the earth to quake. Deep fissures spread outward like spider webs.
B's black-and-red form, surrounded by destructive chakra, unleashed shockwaves that carved deep gashes into the ground.
The enemy smirked coldly.
The next instant, they were torn apart, their bodies scattering like paper in the wind.
This is bad... Eight-Tails groaned. It recognized the technique.
There once was a clan renowned for sacrificial sealing jutsu.
Sure enough, strange, tadpole-like curse marks appeared on B's body as his chakra plummeted. The marks burned black against his skin, spreading like poison.
Simultaneously, the air began to coalesce with dust-like particles.
For the Edo Tensei ninja, a sacrificial technique was just another jutsu.
Above B, Kai emerged, pressing his clasped hands downward.
A gust of wind slammed B into the fractured ground. The impact crater spread for meters in every direction.
Sharp wind blades pierced through B's tailed beast cloak, slicing deep into his body, turning him into a bloodied mess.
A bone spear followed, aiming straight for his head.
Roar!
A guttural, inhuman cry erupted as B vanished, replaced by a fully manifested tailed beast. The Eight-Tails' massive form rose like a mountain of flesh and chakra.
To save his partner, it forcibly took over B's body and fought at full power.
The massive beast shattered the enemy's sealing technique, flinging several Edo Tensei ninjas far away with brute force.
But another surge of chakra-infused energy met the Eight-Tails head-on.
It looked up to see a colossal sand sphere above, blocking out the sky.
The sphere burst open, drenching the Eight-Tails in cascading sand.
Shukaku, you idiot. Why did you let them learn this? the Eight-Tails cursed internally. B's current strength was far from enough to utilize its true power.
Before it could react further, a massive rock pillar shot up beneath it, sending it airborne.
The pillar was backed by seven or eight Edo Tensei ninjas, their hands pressed against the earth.
More enemies emerged, their bloodthirsty eyes fixed on the Eight-Tails.
Knowing it had no time left, it prepared to flee.
The fortress had already fallen silent. There was no need to guess—the inhabitants had all been slaughtered.
Before it could stabilize, dozens of Edo Tensei ninjas piled onto its massive form.
Flames obscured its vision.
A series of explosions rippled across its chakra-cloaked body, pushing it to its limits.
---
After throwing a group of Edo Tensei ninjas in the southern fortress, Masashi paid no further attention.
Regardless of their relationships during their lives, this first round had made their coordination incredibly adept. Wiping out the fortress was only a matter of time.
However, the combat zone had to remain confined to the city itself, preventing any spillover.
In the shinobi world, killing opposing ninjas in war was justified.
But when it came to ordinary civilians, ninjas avoided harming them if there was any choice, even during national conflicts.
For the fortress, he had no qualms about deploying all Edo Tensei ninjas because the village contained only ninjas.
The three fortresses, though located in the Land of Frost, were managed and garrisoned by Kumo.
Similarly, Konoha maintained garrisons in key military points of its allied nations.
This was standard practice.
However, outside these three fortresses, the majority of the coastal corridor's population was made up of ordinary citizens of the Land of Frost. These people couldn't be considered enemies.
The culture of hiring ninjas originated in the Warring States Period. Under this system, ninjas didn't harbor notions of patriotism.
They had no nationality, only clan affiliations or village allegiances. Their aspirations weren't global unity but achieving higher social status and income through their strength. Fighting for their country was just part of their job.
Naturally, he didn't see the Land of Frost's citizens as enemies.
He earned money from Konoha, which earned money from the Land of Fire—nothing to do with the Land of Frost.
Even in his first life, where he was just a working stiff, he found this ninja mindset—"I'm here to make money, just pay me"—very appealing and easy to accept.
Ninja villages embodied this ethos to the extreme, both internally and externally. If these ninja villages were thrown into a world like Earth, they'd probably be ridiculed by corporate moguls.
Such a fine organization—why wouldn't he protect and contribute to it?
Standing outside the fortress' northern gate, Masashi dispelled the ice barrier he had previously erected.
No one had escaped. They must have all been wiped out efficiently.
The road outside the gate was now a mess, with craters dotting the ground. Kumo ninjas remains lay scattered everywhere, with few intact bodies.
During his past life, he had designed a specific technique to maximize the advantages of Edo Tensei, avoiding the need for excessive preparation.
Using this technique, he could seal Edo Tensei bodies for repeated use. A single Edo Tensei body only needed to be created once.
During combat, he could share their vision, control their movements, and even use techniques that were beyond reach in his previous life.
Techniques like Tandem Paper Bombs was part of this system.
Although he sometimes felt a fleeting urge to revisit unfinished plans from before, it was just that—a fleeting thought.
This wasn't the environment of the First Great Ninja War. The objectives and demands of the current combat were entirely different.
Moreover, he was no longer Muzo. Many conditions no longer applied. The current deployment of Edo Tensei was already pushing the limits.
One fortress was enough to earn the 50 million ryō. Losing these Edo Tensei bodies didn't bother him.
The biggest lesson he learned in his past life was that external power was temporary, but one's own strength was reliable.
Had his original self possessed the power he had now, he wouldn't have died.
Nor would Tobirama have fallen, as the Gold and Silver Brothers would've been slain on the spot.
With this thought, Masashi prepared to end the technique.
Right as he lifted his hand, a huge explosion shook the whole village, making the ground rumble under their feet
"Is there still someone in the village?" Pakura asked, surprised. Her stance shifted instinctively to combat-ready.
She had seen the Edo Tensei ninjas in action and found it hard to believe someone could hold their ground for so long against them. And the power of this ninjutsu—wasn't it excessive?
"It's not enemy ninjutsu—it's from the Edo Tensei ninjas," Masashi clarified.
Through their connection, he realized that the Edo Tensei ninjas had triggered the Tandem Paper Bombs.
Each Edo Tensei ninja had been imbued with numerous explosive tags, making them walking scrolls of destruction. Using the technique, they could self-activate the explosive tags—a far more convenient approach than having to step in himself.
With Edo Tensei ninjas, keeping a distance was always better than making an appearance.
But... they weren't all used up yet? Judging by the intensity, they should be depleted this time.
Beyond the northern wall, the continuous explosions painted the sky a fiery red.
Masashi activated his shared vision.
What he saw stunned him.
A massive figure was surrounded by the Edo Tensei ninjas, relentlessly bombarded.
The Eight-Tails is here?
He had completely missed this while circling around to cut off their retreat and neglecting chakra sensing.
Nearly missing this opportunity was almost a blunder.
Instead of rushing in, he continued observing through one Edo Tensei ninja.
He was alive, not a reanimated body. Getting caught in Tandem Paper Bombs could genuinely result in death.
One by one, the Edo Tensei ninjas exhausted their stockpile of explosive tags.
The Eight-Tails was being gradually reduced in size by the repeated explosions. While it still retained its form, its condition was pitiful. Its massive body bore countless burns and wounds.
Having stopped moving, all Edo Tensei ninjas encircled the Eight-Tails, their chakra fluctuating.
Though far weaker than in life, none of them feared the tailed beast. Their confidence stemmed not from their reanimated state but their past prowess.
For figures like Kai, taking down a jinchuriki in life had been routine.
Though their strength had diminished, their mastery of power and combat experience remained unscathed.
The Eight-Tails, now much smaller and gasping for breath, lay sprawled in the center of the Edo Tensei ninjas.
None of them showed derision; for the Eight-Tails to lose to them was only natural.
A jinchuriki limited both the beast and its host—a lose-lose situation. Especially in the case of this young and inexperienced jinchuriki.
Kai stepped forward, flames forming a long sword in his hand.
This was Kagutsuchi, the most powerful ninjutsu he had mastered in life.
Though he lacked the Mangekyō Sharingan, his exceptional spiritual talent allowed him to use this mighty ocular technique through his three-tomoe Sharingan. With it, he had accomplished great feats for the Uchiha clan, though ultimately slain by Masashi.
Still, during that fateful battle, he had simply been unlucky.
Who could've predicted that in their duel, a stray log would fly into his jaw at just the right moment...
It was a twist of fate that even Madara and Izuna couldn't have foreseen while handling Hashirama and Tobirama nearby.
Looking at the young Yotsuki boy, Kai felt a rare twinge of pity. The boy must be furious about losing like this.
"Rest in peace, young one. My sword is swift." The flames of Kagutsuchi blazed brighter as he raised the blade.
Swinging the flame blade, he decapitated Killer B.
But before the head hit the ground, Masashi appeared.
"Are you here to fulfill your promise?" Kai asked coldly.
"Yes, but…" Masashi glanced at the flame blade. "You went all out with Kagutsuchi, huh?"
"Any objections?"
"Not really. Just letting you know you hit a clone."
With a swift kick, Masashi struck the severed head, shattering it into an octopus tentacle.
Killer B's body disintegrated before them, leaving only a severed tentacle behind.
Kai spun around, hurling his flame sword, which morphed into a fiery dragon in mid-air and surged toward the northern ruins—where Killer B was fleeing at full speed.
