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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 423
🕑 Added 2025-06-28 16:00:04 +0000 UTCChapter 423: Byakuya vs. the Jinchūriki
Madara Uchiha’s performance was meant for the Allied Shinobi Forces to see, but he truly did feel threatened. Though his current Reanimation body possessed immortality, in front of shinobi who had mastered powerful sealing techniques, it was nothing more than an illusion.
And Byakuya just happened to wield exceptionally powerful sealing techniques.
Noticing Madara’s expression, the morale of the Allied Shinobi Forces rose significantly. Since other powerful Reanimation shinobi could be sealed away, Madara Uchiha could be as well.
It had to be said, Madara’s decision to send Reanimation shinobi into the fray prematurely revealed the technique’s weaknesses and allowed the Allied Shinobi Forces to realize that he was not invincible.
Seemingly sensing the thoughts of the crowd, Madara slowly stood up and spoke to them, “I underestimated the Allied Shinobi Forces. Your performance this time is not bad... but do you really think stalling and sealing techniques can stop the arrival of Infinite Tsukuyomi?”
At those words, the faces of the Allied shinobi changed drastically, their expressions growing grim once more.
They had just been basking in the joy of defeating their predecessors, nearly forgetting that the Reanimation shinobi had been holding back during the battle.
If the enemy hadn’t deliberately exposed their weaknesses, victory wouldn’t have come so easily.
“They were just the appetizers of this war. It’s time to turn up the intensity.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Madara signaled to Obito, who then released Kinkaku and Ginkaku, sending them onto the stage as the new opponents for the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku were rogue-nin from Kumogakure and the culprits responsible for the deaths of the Second Hokage and the Second Raikage. Their rebellion was an attempt to seize power, but it also drastically altered the future of the ninja world.
Madara didn’t deploy them because they possessed the Sage of Six Paths’ treasured tools, nor because they had once consumed the Nine Tails’ chakra and could enter Tailed Beast Mode. It was simply because they were true enemies of the Allied Shinobi Forces, there would be no holding back.
As soon as the brothers took the stage, they entered Tailed Beast Mode. Crimson chakra cloaked their bodies, emanating a violent aura that could disrupt the mind.
In their hands were the fabled tools of the Sage of Six Paths.
With such treasures supporting them, the Allied Forces could perhaps still achieve victory through numbers in large-scale battles. But in the format of this arena, one-on-one or small group battles, winning became nearly impossible.
Soon, some shinobi from Kumogakure stepped forward to challenge Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
They were familiar with the brothers’ tools, but due to a lack of strength, they were defeated. The losers were swallowed by the Crimson Gourd and vanished from the world.
Seeing this, many Allied shinobi hesitated. They could accept dying in battle, but being sealed into the Treasured Tools of the Sage, where not even a corpse would remain, was something they found hard to accept.
Their hesitation brought a satisfied smile to Madara’s face.
The Kinkaku-Ginkaku brothers truly lived up to their reputation as the ones who killed the Second Hokage. That innately twisted Senju brat never would have imagined they held the Sage’s treasures.
After a tense silence, someone gulped and stepped onto the stage.
But, unsurprisingly, these challengers had their word souls severed and were sealed into the Crimson Gourd. Those who narrowly avoided the trap were then forced off the stage by Kinkaku’s Bashōsen.
The Bashōsen allowed its user to freely unleash all five nature transformations, equivalent to fighting five high-level jōnin simultaneously. Its power was terrifying.
As more and more shinobi were driven from the stage, the morale of the Allied Forces sank lower and lower.
The leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages wanted to step up and challenge the brothers, but Kakashi and Might Guy stopped them. The two of them wanted to take on the legendary Kinkaku and Ginkaku themselves.
Seeing Kakashi take the stage, Obito frowned. He didn’t understand why Kakashi was throwing his life away.
But when Kakashi removed his forehead protector and revealed his Sharingan, Obito’s expression changed. Could it be… Kakashi had also mastered Kamui?
If that was the case, would this idiot figure out his true identity?
Pushing those thoughts aside, Obito turned and gave new orders to Itachi Uchiha and Kisame.
The orders were simple: go to the location of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Though confused, Itachi and Kisame accepted the order and disappeared across the wilderness in a few flickers of the Body Flicker Technique.
Only after giving these orders did Obito return his attention to the match.
He wanted to see if Kakashi had truly mastered Kamui, and whether he might seize this chance to reclaim the Kamui Sharingan.
He hadn’t originally intended to take back the “gift.” But the situation had gone far beyond his expectations.
Even though he was the successor carefully groomed by Madara Uchiha, the bond between Madara and Byakuya seemed stronger than the one he had with his mentor. To change that, he had no choice but to reclaim the Kamui Sharingan.
Once he had dual Kamui, he could completely control the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
In this hellish, brutal ninja world, no one could be trusted. The only person he could rely on was himself, because only he would never betray himself.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ninja world, outside the cavern where the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was hidden.
After traveling for most of the day, Byakuya finally arrived with Naruto, Killer Bee, and Gaara. All that remained was to enter the underground cavern, and they would come face-to-face with the Ten Tails’ true body, the Demonic Statue.
Before they stepped inside, Naruto and Killer Bee suddenly stopped, as if responding to some unspoken warning. They sensed a terrifying presence within the cavern.
Even through layers of stone, they could feel its fearsome chakra, and repeated warnings from their Tailed Beasts.
That’s right, upon nearing the Demonic Statue, Shukaku, Gyūki, and Kurama all reacted with intense suppression and fear, unwilling for their Jinchūriki to proceed further.
Noticing their reaction, Byakuya also stopped and asked in confusion, “Naruto-kun, Killer Bee, why aren’t you following?”
Killer Bee was the first to respond, “Gyūki’s warning, something’s wrong inside, something’s wrong inside! If you wanna keep your life, better back off, better back off!”
After listening to his usual rap, Byakuya turned to Naruto and Gaara. “Did your Tailed Beasts warn you too?”
Both nodded and said, “Kurama (Shukaku) said it’s dangerous inside.”
Byakuya seemed to remember something and chuckled softly.
“It’s normal for your Tailed Beasts to warn you. This underground space houses a special lifeform. Only by staying near it can you avoid being sensed by Madara Uchiha. So, you don’t need to be overly cautious, just follow me.”
After a pause, Byakuya put on a harmless smile and said, “Are you worried I, the leader of the Allied Forces, would harm you? Don’t forget, I’m the one who saved you back then.”
Hearing this, Naruto and Gaara exchanged glances, then chose to follow him.
Left behind for a moment, Killer Bee gritted his teeth before steeling himself and catching up. As the senior among the Jinchūriki, he felt responsible for protecting the two younger ones.
They walked through the dark tunnel and, minutes later, arrived at a massive underground chamber spanning several square kilometers.
In the center of this space sat a wooden statue shaped like a withered husk,
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
This statue was taller than any tailed beast, even surpassing the legendary Susanoo. Just a single glance at it gave the illusion that one’s soul was being devoured. Surrounding the statue were several motionless figures with vacant eyes.
Upon seeing their faces clearly, Naruto and Gaara didn’t immediately react, but Killer Bee’s instincts screamed danger, and he suddenly jumped back more than ten meters.
“That’s Yugito Nii! Why is she here?!”
Killer Bee locked eyes with Byakuya, clearly seeking an answer. Although he already had a gut feeling, the reality was still too hard to believe.
He couldn’t wrap his head around it. The leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces was secretly collecting jinchūriki?
Killer Bee’s reaction drew Naruto and Gaara’s attention. They looked at Byakuya and Killer Bee, confused.
“Killer Bee-ossan, what’s going on?”
“Did you recognize what that statue is… and those people around it?”
Before Killer Bee could reply, the tailed beasts within Naruto and Gaara spoke up in unison. “Be careful. That statue is the body of the Ten Tails, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Byakuya is working with Madara Uchiha.”
Naruto and Gaara’s pupils shrank in shock. They couldn’t believe it.
Byakuya was the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. He had helped them escape suffering. How could he be a helper of Madara Uchiha? That was absurd.
Byakuya glanced at Killer Bee calmly, then smiled.
“I didn’t expect you to recognize her after all this time. I thought you’d already forgotten about Yugito Nii, the first jinchūriki to be hunted down.”
“What do you mean by that?” Gaara and Naruto both stepped back.
Byakuya didn’t respond to their question. Instead, he began introducing the figures around the statue like he was showing off a collection.
“That’s Yugito Nii. My first and only hunt for a jinchūriki. This one is the Three Tails’ jinchūriki, the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure. Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki carried out that hunt.”
Byakuya then turned to the other side, “Here are the Four Tails, Five Tails, and Six Tails, they’re all trophies of the masked man. That’s the Seven Tails’ host, the only one who voluntarily joined Akatsuki. Too bad she never realized Akatsuki was hunting jinchūriki all along.”
He then looked at the alive jinchūriki before him, “And you three will be the final pieces needed to resurrect the Ten Tails.”
“What happened to them?” Gaara’s voice trembled slightly, as if fearing what would happen to him.
“After their tailed beasts were extracted, they fell into comas. They’ll probably die soon.”
Byakuya said nonchalantly, “When a jinchūriki loses their tailed beast, they lose a massive amount of life force. If it’s not replenished in time, they’ll die for sure.”
“They’re really going to die…”
Killer Bee looked devastated. Naruto and Gaara, surprisingly, were more composed, perhaps because both had once been so desperate they had thought of dying themselves.
Byakuya saw what was on their minds and asked, “So, have you chosen to give up struggling?”
“But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You’ll never defeat me anyway. Instead of struggling in vain, why not drift into a peaceful sleep? I can promise you a beautiful dream. In that dream, your families will be whole. You’ll never have experienced pain.”
Naruto and Gaara exchanged glances, then shook their heads.
“Byakuya-sama, we’re sorry, but we’re not ready to die yet. After seeing how beautiful this world can be, how could we possibly give up so easily? We still want to fight.”
“Killer Bee-ossan, you’re gonna fight too, right?”
Killer Bee, who had been planning to sneak away, sighed and stepped beside Naruto and Gaara, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.
“You two brats have guts. As the Eight Tails’ jinchūriki, how could I run away now?”
Before he finished speaking, the three of them stood side by side. With the full support of their tailed beasts, they entered Tailed Beast Mode, instantly shrouded in glowing chakra cloaks.
“Why do you insist on resisting?”
Byakuya let out a faint sigh as he slowly walked toward them, seemingly intending to talk them down.
But Naruto and the others had no intention of getting into a debate. They immediately launched their best jutsu, aiming to take Byakuya down right here and now.
Naruto excelled in close-quarters combat.
He started with Shadow Clone Jutsu. Countless Narutos lunged toward Byakuya, each with a Wind Style: Rasenshuriken charged and ready in hand.
The Rasenshuriken was incredibly powerful, like a compact Tailed Beast Bomb.
Faced with this level of attack, Byakuya didn’t hold back either. Activating his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he charged forward wielding a black rod.
In the blink of an eye, bolts of lightning flashed, Naruto’s shadow clones all vanished, leaving only the real Naruto who had finished forming his Rasenshuriken.
With a thunderous boom, the Rasenshuriken struck Byakuya.
Byakuya’s body was blasted back dozens of meters, slamming hard into the cavern wall and vanishing into the resulting cloud of dust.
However, when the dust cleared, Naruto froze.
The spot where Byakuya had been hit by the Rasenshuriken was completely unscathed. Even his clothes showed only a few wrinkled creases.
Naruto had thought that, while he wasn’t in full Nine-Tails Mode, this was still the peak of what he could do in his normal state. Yet it didn’t even break through Byakuya’s defense?
This man, who always smiled gently at him, was his strength truly this terrifying?
No... Byakuya had never actually hidden his power. Naruto had simply chosen to overlook it.
Seizing the moment, Naruto was stunned. Byakuya appeared beside him in an instant, raising his hand to launch wooden spikes, intending to use the Cutting Sprouts Technique to immobilize him.
Just then, Gaara used his sand to drag Naruto out of the way, narrowly dodging the attack.
“Naruto, don’t just stand there! Use your full strength! Otherwise, we’ll never be able to defeat Byakuya-sama, or learn the truth.”
“Truth? What truth?” Naruto asked, confused.
Gaara answered firmly, “The truth of our pasts. I don’t believe Byakuya-sama doesn’t know everything about us, our parents, and what we went through.”
At those words, Naruto’s eyes blazed with determination.
He had seen his mother, Kushina, but she hadn’t told him everything about their past. Some truths, he had to dig up himself.
