Naruto: Hidden Cloud Chronicles

Naruto: Hidden Cloud Chronicles
Book Data

The Hot Springs Petition

Hidden Cloud Village

The Raikage’s office.

The scene opened in the Raikage’s office, where a messenger from the Village Hidden in Hot Springs appeared before the Raikage and his esteemed elders. The envoy offered a desperate plea for help, explaining that Orochimaru had targeted their people, conducting cruel experiments and corrupting their shinobi with forbidden jutsu. Admitting they were powerless to stop the Sannin on their own, the messenger begged for the Cloud’s intervention. The Raikage remained pragmatic, making it clear that the Cloud does not act without a clear purpose or a fair trade. In response, the messenger laid out a significant offering: access to the village’s geothermal resources, exclusive trade rights to their rare minerals, and all intelligence regarding Orochimaru’s movements and experiments.

When Dodai questioned what would happen if the village fell or if the mission was anticipated, the messenger doubled the stakes. He pledged that the Hot Springs Council and their forces would cooperate fully as guides and informants, eventually swearing loyalty to the Hidden Cloud for ten years if necessary. The Raikage accepted the deal but issued a stern warning: the Cloud would not hesitate to reclaim what was owed if the Hot Springs Village failed to uphold their end. He noted that their loyalty would be tested long before they felt any gratitude. Following the messenger's departure, the Raikage decided to deploy Team Sakaya. Despite Mabui's surprise at the choice, Dodai expressed confidence, noting that the team had grown beyond their youth and shared a specific history of fighting Orochimaru. The Raikage then ordered a ninja to summon the team immediately.

Team M.

In the quiet of his home, M received a knock at the door from Jay, delivering a direct summons from the Raikage. After a brief word with Kori, the team prepared themselves for duty. Shortly after, the full unit—M, N, Kori, and Shiro—assembled in the Raikage’s office, standing at attention to receive their orders. The Raikage briefed them on their high-stakes objective: Orochimaru had established a base in the Land of Hot Springs, where he was subjecting local ninjas to horrific experiments that twisted their bodies and corrupted their chakra. The team was tasked with infiltrating the village, locating the laboratory, and destroying it. While the primary goal was to eliminate Orochimaru, the Raikage emphasized that, at the very least, his research must be dismantled to save the village. M accepted the mission scroll, and with a final word of caution from Mabui, the team departed.

As they moved toward the village gates, M took command, ordering Kinta and Rinta to form a protective barrier around the group the moment they exited. Kori voiced concerns regarding the potential for bounty hunter interference, keeping the team on high alert as they crossed the border. Once in the open field, the group discussed their strategy for dealing with the Sannin. M reminded them to maintain their distance, a sentiment echoed by N, who noted Orochimaru’s notorious reputation for being impossible to kill. Shiro proposed a contingency plan: if cornered, the group would split into two specialized units, with M and Kori serving as the vanguard while N and Shiro focused on demolishing the hideout. Though M questioned Shiro’s sudden tactical input, the plan was set. Their first objective was to reach the Land of Frost to rest before making the final push into the Hot Springs.

Land of Frost

Upon arriving at their hideout in the Land of Frost, the team maintained a high level of caution. M verified that no foreign chakra signatures were present before directing Kori to use a shadow clone to sweep the interior of the building. Once the clone confirmed the area was secure, the team settled in, and N began preparing a meal while the group discussed the current geopolitical landscape of the shinobi world. Their conversation turned toward the shifting balance of power among the Great Nations. They noted the weakened state of the Hidden Stone, whose Five-Tails jinchuriki was dead and whose Four-Tails had reportedly abandoned the village. The Hidden Sand was dismissed for its lack of military depth and over-reliance on the One-Tail, while the Hidden Mist was viewed as unstable due to the internal conflicts plaguing the Mizukage’s reign.

The discussion then shifted to the Hidden Leaf. Despite its internal turmoil, the team acknowledged the Leaf's resilience, though M questioned who remained truly formidable beyond the two Sannin and Kakashi. Shiro warned against underestimating the Leaf, while N pointed out that their young jinchuriki, now around eleven or twelve years old, remained a volatile threat who lacked the control exhibited by Killer B. Ultimately, M concluded that the Hidden Cloud currently held the military advantage, boasting two controlled Tailed Beasts and a superior roster of shinobi. Kori emphasized the importance of maintaining this peace, leading Shiro to joke about the Raikage’s famously unsubtle temper. However, the mood shifted when M expressed his true concern: Danzo Shimura. M warned Shiro—who had not been in the village long enough to witness Danzo's methods—that while the Raikage could be managed, the man who operated from the shadows of the Leaf was a far more dangerous variable.

Clash with the Immortal Duo

Kakuzu X Hidan.

After freshening up the following morning, Team Sakaya resumed their journey, only to be intercepted by a looming threat. M’s sensory abilities immediately identified two approaching chakra signatures belonging to the Akatsuki: one was an individual with skin-hardening abilities whom M and Shiro had encountered previously, and the other was an unknown partner. The pursuers were revealed to be the immortal duo, Kakuzu and Hidan. While Hidan expressed annoyance at their detour, Kakuzu was focused solely on a long-sought bounty he had placed on M. Despite Hidan’s initial dismissal of the team as mere children, the confrontation quickly escalated into a high-speed battle. The team demonstrated immediate coordination; N used a wind-style breakthrough to create distance, and Kori and N followed up with a series of coordinated strikes and explosive tags.

The battle turned perilous when Kakuzu snared Kori by the neck. She managed to escape by using an Ice Style: Winter Veil Seal to freeze his arm, forcing him to break the ice and release her. M attempted a sneak attack, but his kunai shattered against Kakuzu’s hardened skin, and he was sent flying by a powerful counter-punch. Meanwhile, Hidan engaged M in a relentless taijutsu brawl, forcing M to rely on his reflexes to dodge the lethal swings of the triple-bladed scythe. The tide seemed to turn when Kori manifested an ice bear that impaled Kakuzu with spikes, but the victory was short-lived. Shiro realized too late that Kakuzu was still alive; a lightning release blast from the Akatsuki member struck N, grounding her. As Kakuzu attempted to finish her off, Kori protected her teammate with an ice barrier while Shiro coordinated the team through a mind link.

In a decisive moment of teamwork, Shiro briefly possessed Hidan’s mind, freezing him in place long enough for M to deliver a calculated strike to Hidan’s neck. With Hidan momentarily incapacitated, M used a lightning-flicker to reach his teammates. He used a shadow clone trap to distract Kakuzu—detonating it in the bounty hunter's face—which allowed the team to seize a window of escape while carrying the injured N. As the smoke cleared, a frustrated Kakuzu stood with his cloak shredded and two of his heart masks destroyed, acknowledging that the "brats" were far more dangerous than he had anticipated.

After putting distance between themselves and their pursuers, the team halted so Kori could begin healing N. The realization that both Akatsuki members had survived fatal injuries—including a strike to the neck—led the group to suspect they were facing immortals. Despite the danger, M decided to study the duo up close to understand their abilities. Using a bug-based summoning jutsu to mask his presence, he vanished, with Kori following shortly after to provide backup while Shiro remained to guard the injured N. M confronted the duo again, openly acknowledging his status as a Hidden Cloud assassin while questioning their unnatural resilience. Kakuzu, having already lost two hearts in the previous exchange, unleashed his remaining masks. Through a mental link with Kinta and Rita, M identified the elemental natures of the masks—lightning, wind, and fire—and prioritized the destruction of the fire mask.

The battlefield became an inferno as Kakuzu combined fire and wind releases to create a massive blaze, while Hidan circled the perimeter with his scythe. M used Kori as a tactical distraction; after she deployed an ice shield to absorb the initial heat, M grabbed her and body-flickered behind the elemental masks. Kori unleashed a barrage of ice needles against the fire mask while M targeted the wind mask with explosive kunai, successfully damaging both. In a high-risk final gambit, M used a "Glacial Blitz Bomb" to cloud the enemies' vision before he and Kori trapped themselves, Kakuzu, Hidan, and the lightning mask inside a condensed ice barrier. As Hidan prepared to strike, M detonated a shadow clone within the confined space. The resulting explosion destroyed the lightning mask and shattered the barrier, allowing Kori to follow up by impaling the reeling Akatsuki duo with ice spikes.

M and Kori retreated to Shiro and N’s position, with M nearly depleted of chakra. While Hidan and a severely weakened Kakuzu—now down to a single heart—decided to retreat to replace their losses, M’s scouts confirmed the enemies had withdrawn. Though the mission to the Land of Hot Springs had to be postponed so the team could recover from the grueling encounter, M noted that the blow they dealt to Kakuzu would likely keep the bounty hunters at bay for years to come.

Land of Hotspring

The following day, after N confirmed her recovery, Team Sakaya resumed their mission and moved toward the eastern region of the Land of Hot Water. Upon reaching the vicinity of the hideout, M noted that while Orochimaru’s specific chakra was absent, the facility was heavily guarded. He ordered a tactical shift: the rest of the team would engage the defenders head-on while he focused on planting explosive kunai around the massive structure. The team initially sent shadow clones into the facility to scout. Shiro’s sensory abilities soon picked up multiple entities with massive chakra signatures. Six experimental subjects, possessing a physical resemblance to Jugo, intercepted the clones. Despite the clones utilizing a coordinated defense of ice shields, wind breakthroughs, and explosive tags, the monsters proved resilient. One managed to destroy N’s clone with a claw attack before Shiro and Kori’s clones brought the ceiling down on the group to trap them under debris.

As an army of similar experimental subjects began to swarm the facility, the team engaged in a high-level elemental combo. Utilizing a "Flame Tempest Barrage," Shiro provided the initial explosive fire while N magnified the inferno with her Wind Style: Breakthrough. Kori punctuated the assault by manifesting massive ice spikes from the walls to crush the remaining enemies in the center of the hall. With the facility's forces overwhelmed, Shiro contacted M telepathically. M confirmed that the laboratory was almost fully rigged with explosives and advised the team to retreat. Before exiting, Shiro captured one of the unconscious experiments for further study—a move N noted was becoming increasingly typical of M’s influence. Once the team was safely outside, M arrived and triggered the final detonation. Two explosive clones and the rigged kunai leveled the entire hideout in a massive blast. Exhausted from the effort, M received a chakra transfer from Kori before turning his attention to the captured specimen, eager to begin his own investigation into Orochimaru’s research as the team prepared to return home.

Knowledge off a third Chakra source.

Orochimaru’s experiments.

Near the ruins of the laboratory, the team established a temporary camp to conduct a grim medical examination of the captured experiment. N and Kori performed an invasive autopsy, discovering that the subject’s skin was mutated and covered in mysterious black markings. Their analysis revealed that the body’s chakra coils had been unnaturally expanded, forced open to accommodate a volatile energy. Shiro attempted to gain further insight by performing a mind-reading jutsu. He emerged from the subject's consciousness pale and visibly shaken, having witnessed fragmented memories of agonizing screams, syringes, and a pervasive sense of rage. Most concerning was the lingering chakra signature of Orochimaru, which Shiro described as feeling like a traumatic extension of the Sannin’s own essence.

M’s attempt to investigate using his insects took a dangerous turn. As one of his bugs began to feed on the subject's lingering energy, it underwent a rapid, violent mutation before exploding. This led the team to realize the chakra was incredibly unstable. Further study by the group suggested the presence of a "third" type of energy—one that did not fit the standard definitions of physical or spiritual energy. Recognizing the need for expert guidance, they decided to consult their sensei upon their return to Kumogakure. After N incinerated the remains to prevent any further corruption, the team prepared to depart. During a quiet moment, M checked on Shiro’s well-being, noting how long it had been since Shiro had left the Hidden Leaf. Shiro admitted that despite his roots, he felt a deeper sense of belonging and happiness in the Cloud, having moved past the bullying he faced in the Leaf's academy. With their findings secured and their resolve strengthened, Team Sakaya began the long journey back to the Hidden Cloud.

Hidden Cloud Village

Upon their return to the Hidden Cloud Village, Team Sakaya went directly to the Raikage’s office to deliver their mission report. Mabui greeted the group and, at M's request, sent for their mentor, Sakaya. The team briefed the Raikage on the raid, explaining that while Orochimaru was absent, the facility was filled with active, highly dangerous test subjects. N detailed the horrific nature of the experiments, describing subjects with unnaturally expanded chakra coils and bodies that suffered from simultaneous overgrowth and decay. The Raikage questioned if any specimens had been captured, but M explained that the instability of the subjects made them impossible to contain, as even his insects could not drain their volatile energy. Consequently, the team had opted to destroy both the subjects and the laboratory. However, the report took a more serious turn when M revealed their discovery of a "new chakra source" that appeared to be neither physical nor spiritual in nature.

When Sensei Sakaya arrived and joined the discussion, she admitted that an "extended" chakra source was unheard of in their records. With Orochimaru being the only direct source of information, the team humorously considered questioning him before turning to more realistic options. Shiro suggested seeking out the other Sannin, Jiraiya or Tsunade, for their vast medical and sage knowledge. After weighing their options—and with Kori firmly vetoing a trip to the Land of Water where Jiraiya was located—the team decided to travel to the Land of Fire to find Lady Tsunade. The Raikage granted his approval for the follow-up investigation, sternly advising the team to watch their backs as they set off on their new mission to uncover the truth behind the mysterious energy.

Land of Hotspring

Kisame X Itachi.

En route to the Land of Fire, Team Sakaya’s progress through the Land of Hot Water was halted when M sensed a familiar, potent chakra signature ahead. The group soon came face-to-face with two more high-level Akatsuki members: Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. While Kori identified Kisame as the infamous rogue from the Hidden Mist, Shiro immediately confronted Itachi with a provocative question regarding the Uchiha clan massacre and the potential involvement of the village leadership. The tension escalated instantly. Itachi’s chakra spiked as he trapped Shiro in a genjutsu, though M quickly neutralized the technique while simultaneously deploying a swarm of insects. Itachi, using his Sharingan to track the hidden movement, incinerated the initial swarm with a Fire Ball Jutsu. Undeterred, M assigned roles for the confrontation: he and Kori would engage Kisame, while N and Shiro targeted Itachi.

N, fueled by a desire to avenge Izumi, launched a wide-radius Wind Cutter Technique that forced the Akatsuki duo back despite Kisame’s attempt to block with a water release. The skirmish turned dangerous when M engaged Kisame directly. Upon clashing with the sentient sword Samehada, M immediately felt his chakra being siphoned away, prompting him to warn the team of the blade’s draining capabilities. However, M had already outmaneuvered the duo; a secondary swarm of bugs had successfully latched onto Itachi and Kisame during the chaos, draining their energy and transferring it back to M and Kori.

Recognizing the shift in the battle, Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Seeing the change in Itachi’s eyes, Shiro urged an immediate retreat. Under the cover of an explosive tag, Team Sakaya vanished from the battlefield. Once they were at a safe distance, Shiro revealed the true reason for his urgency: while trapped in the genjutsu, Itachi had delivered a silent, stern warning never to speak of the village higher-ups' involvement in the Uchiha massacre again. This confirmed the team’s suspicions that the tragedy involved a dark conspiracy reaching the highest levels of government.

The legendary Sucker

Shizune X Tsunade.

Land of Fire

Upon reaching the Land of Fire, Team Sakaya tracked the legendary Tsunade to a local gambling hall. After Shiro used his mind-possession abilities to bypass the guards at the entrance, the team moved through the smoke-filled room to find Tsunade deep in a losing streak. While Shizune looked on in distress, the team watched as Tsunade stubbornly doubled down on her dwindling pile of coins. Seeing an opportunity to gain her favor, Shiro initiated a telepathic link, reading the thoughts and cards of the other players. He began whispering the opponents' secrets directly to Tsunade, revealing bluffs and hidden kings. With this inside information, Tsunade’s luck underwent a miraculous transformation. She began winning round after round, causing the table to erupt in accusations of cheating, though she laughed them off with her trademark confidence.

As the winning streak continued, Shizune realized the boy behind them was a Yamanaka, but Tsunade didn't seem to mind the help. Fueled by Shiro’s tactical whispers, she grew bolder, eventually tripling the stakes. Despite Shizune's frantic protests, Tsunade followed Shiro’s advice to go "all in" against a panicking dealer. When the final cards were flipped, Tsunade’s victory was absolute. Amidst a flurry of curses and thrown chairs from the defeated gamblers, she leaned back and collected a massive haul of winnings, finally in a good enough mood to hear why a team from the Hidden Cloud had sought her out.

Tsunade strutted away from the gambling hall, a heavy sack of winnings slung over her shoulder and a rare, triumphant grin on her face. Despite Shizune’s protests that they had pushed their luck far enough, Tsunade was in high spirits, loudly declaring that the drinks were on her. When Shizune pointed out that their young companions were far too young for a tavern, the celebration was briefly interrupted by three vengeful gamblers who had cornered them in a dark alley, convinced they had been cheated. Tsunade didn't even bother to raise a hand. Instead, she lazily challenged Team Sakaya to defend her honor. The team moved with practiced efficiency: Kori leveled the first thug with a single strike, N sent the second spiraling into a wall with a gust of wind, and Shiro subdued the third before Kori sealed them all behind an ice barrier. By the time the dust settled, however, Tsunade and Shizune had vanished, leaving only the distant sound of laughter and clinking bottles behind.

The team eventually tracked the legendary medic to a nearby pub. When M confronted her about ditching them, Tsunade simply offered them a seat and a round of drinks. Shiro wasted no time, pivoting to the purpose of their journey. He described their encounter with Orochimaru’s experiments and the discovery of a "third" chakra source that defied the laws of physical and spiritual energy. The reaction was immediate but silent. Shizune’s chakra spiked in alarm, and Tsunade’s pulse quickened, though her face remained a mask of indifference. She flatly denied any knowledge of the energy, dismissing it as just another of Orochimaru’s many twisted projects. M didn't push further, and the team politely excused themselves.

Once outside, Shiro revealed what his sensory abilities had caught: Tsunade had lied. In the moment of her denial, her mind had flickered toward "Sage Chakra" and "Nature Energy." Realizing that this power was likely a guarded secret of the Hidden Leaf, M proposed a daring new plan. To uncover the truth, they would covertly infiltrate the Leaf’s archives that very night using shadow clones, seeking the information their "allies" refused to share.

Hidden Leaf Village

Under the cover of night, Team Sakaya gathered at the perimeter of the Hidden Leaf. M noted the village’s sensory barrier, which was designed to detect foreign chakra signatures. To bypass this, Kori applied a specialized ice barrier to each member, effectively masking both their chakra and their scents. With their presence hidden, the team deployed shadow clones into the village, successfully infiltrating the streets undetected. As they navigated the village, they sensed the presence of foreign shinobi, including Gaara of the Sand, noting that the Chunin Exams had brought dangerous competitors to the Leaf. The clones made their way to the Hokage Building, the most likely repository for sensitive information. Shiro used his mind-possession jutsu to silently neutralize the ANBU guards at the entrance, allowing the team to slip inside and begin an exhaustive search for records concerning "Sage Chakra" or "Nature Energy."

For over an hour, they scoured the archives without finding any mention of the mysterious third energy. During the search, M stumbled upon the scroll for the Fourth Hokage’s legendary Flying Thunder God Technique. Though tempted, he did not steal it, merely observing the formula. Just as a voice called out, discovering the intrusion, the team simultaneously released their shadow clone jutsu to avoid capture. Safely regrouped outside the village, Shiro confirmed that the archives held no data on the energy they sought. M then shared a mental image of the Flying Thunder God scroll with Shiro, explaining his ambition to integrate the teleportation technique with his insect-based summoning. Despite Shiro’s warnings that the jutsu was notoriously chakra-taxing and nearly impossible to master, M remained undeterred, confident in his unique capabilities. Having exhausted their leads in the Leaf, the team began their journey back toward the Cloud.

Hidden Cloud Village

Back in Kumogakure, Team Sakaya reported their lack of findings to the Fourth Raikage. M informed him that their only remaining lead was to intercept Jiraiya once he emerged from the Land of Water. While the Raikage allowed the pursuit of information to continue, he sternly reminded the team that they were still subject to village protocol and could not simply treat the village as they pleased. With the meeting nearing an end, N and Kori were dismissed to assist at the hospital, while M and Shiro remained to discuss a more immediate concern.

Relics of the past: Sage tools targeted.

Sage’s ninja tools.

M presented the Raikage with a map, pointing out two unknown shinobi squads that had been lurking near a specific, remote location in the Cloud’s territory. The Raikage’s expression shifted instantly to one of grave concern as he identified the site: The Vault of Kinkaku and Ginkaku. He explained that although the infamous Gold and Silver Brothers had been dead for decades, the vault housed the legendary Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths. Mabui clarified that the Sage was the progenitor of all shinobi and that the brothers’ lineage allowed them to wield these immensely powerful artifacts—tools that would be catastrophic in the wrong hands. Recognizing the gravity of a potential theft, M prepared to move out with Shiro, but the Raikage intervened. Because the secrets of the Sage’s lineage and the vault's location were among the Cloud's most sensitive classified information, he decreed that Shiro—as a former Leaf shinobi—was not authorized for the mission. He ordered M and N to proceed alone to the perimeter of the vault with strict instructions: identify the intruders and their affiliation, but do not engage unless absolutely necessary.

M complied, directing Shiro to rejoin the others while he prepared for the solo scouting mission. To ensure a line of communication remained open with the Raikage’s office, M left his summon, Rita, behind to act as a messenger. With the weight of the Sage’s legacy on his shoulders, M departed the village alone to secure the Cloud’s most dangerous treasures. While M headed toward the vault, N and Kori arrived at the hospital to assist N's mother, Himari. On a relatively quiet day, their primary patient was a young genin named Omoi, who was nursing a broken leg. Kori demonstrated her growing proficiency in medical ninjutsu, combining standard chakra healing with a specialized ice application to accelerate the recovery process. Though the treatment was painful, Kori reassured the anxious Omoi, who was already spiraling into deep overthinking about his future as a shinobi. Their work caught the attention of Nurui, who commended Kori on her impressive progress in the medical field.

Meanwhile, Shiro visited Sensei Sakaya’s home to update her on the team's status. During their conversation, Shiro revealed the true nature of the mysterious energy they had been tracking: Sage Chakra, or Nature Energy. Sakaya explained that this was a power drawn directly from the natural world rather than the body or mind. This confirmed that Jiraiya—the famed "Toad Sage"—was indeed the most logical source of information. The discussion turned toward the difficulty of the task ahead. Jinta expressed doubt that a legendary ninja like Jiraiya would simply hand over sensitive information to a squad from the Hidden Cloud. Shiro, however, remained confident in his tactical advantage, suggesting that he could use his Yamanaka abilities to extract the data directly from Jiraiya's mind. Sakaya offered a final, sobering warning: regardless of Shiro's mental prowess, Jiraiya was a legendary Sannin and a formidable opponent who would not be easily manipulated.

High atop the mountain peak, the Vault of the Sage’s Tools stood silent, protected by a specialized Chakra Sensory Barrier designed to detect any unauthorized presence. M, operating through a shadow clone, initially found the guards unaware of any intrusion. However, his heightened senses detected faint chakra signatures that the barrier had somehow failed to trigger, leading him to conclude that the infiltrators were masters of stealth. To flush them out, M coordinated with one of the guards. A concentrated Water Style: Water Spear was fired into the empty air, revealing a hidden barrier. M immediately followed up with a barrage of explosive kunai, shattering the cloaking technique and forcing four ninjas out into the open.

The intruders were identified as shinobi from the Hidden Stone Village. M immediately began psychological warfare, taunting them with the threat of a full-scale invasion of the Stone Village and the personal destruction of their families. The tactic worked perfectly: a ninja named Bado lost his composure, falling into a blind rage. The squad leader, Koza, attempted to stabilize his team, noting that M appeared to be alone and could be taken as a trophy. From the shadows, the real M watched with a calculating eye, identifying Bado as the weak link in their formation. He prepared to use the Stone ninja's anger as a diversion to dismantle the squad before they could even lay a hand on the Sage's legendary tools.

The battle erupted with a coordinated assault from the Hidden Stone squad. Retsu opened with a Stone Punch, forcing M to jump back directly into Bando’s Earth Style: Sealed Coffin Formation. Trapped in a stone barrier, M was immediately targeted by Saya’s flute-based genjutsu. Inside the illusion, Saya taunted him with their plan to use the Sage’s Tools to destroy the Cloud before a stone spear pierced his heart. However, the Stone ninjas had only killed a shadow clone. The real M, crackling with lightning, materialized behind Saya, ending her life instantly with a kunai. He followed up with lightning-charged kunai that detonated near Koza and Retsu, and as they landed, he triggered explosive tags at their feet. M capitalized on the chaos, plunging a kunai into Koza’s stomach. Retsu and Bando managed to raise a mud wall and flee, but M wasn't finished. After his insects replenished his chakra, he surged into a lightning-flicker to hunt down the survivors.

Retsu and Bando soon found themselves collapsing as M’s microscopic insects drained their chakra. Recognizing they couldn't escape, Retsu began weaving signs for a self-destruction seal to protect their intel, but M intervened mid-sign, severing Retsu’s hand with cold precision. After incapacitating Bando with a kunai to the thigh, M issued a chilling ultimatum: total cooperation or a slow, limbless journey back to the Cloud. Leaving the broken duo for his bugs to drain further, M returned to the vault to retrieve the captive Koza. Under the horrified gaze of the vault guards, M secured the survivors with ninja wire. With a ruthless display of strength, he began the long trek back to the village gates, dragging the defeated Stone ninjas behind him like trophies of war.

M arrived at the village gates hours later, exhausted and physically spent. Though he collapsed to his knees, his focus remained on the mission. He requested the assistance of Killer B and Dodai to transport the unconscious prisoners, admitting he had been forced to funnel his own chakra into them to keep them from dying during the journey. While B made light of the situation with his signature rhymes, Dodai saw the toll the mission had taken and ordered M to the infirmary—a command M stubbornly ignored to report to the Raikage. In the office, the Raikage’s approval was tempered by a stern lecture. He reprimanded M for engaging the Stone squad alone, emphasizing that even a solid plan does not justify bypassing the safety of a full team. M defended his tactical choice but fell silent as they moved to the interrogation room. There, the medical team—Himari, N, and Kori—arrived to stabilize the prisoners. N and Kori immediately recognized M’s "handiwork" in the brutal state of the Stone ninjas, with Kori scolding him for his recklessness. Once the prisoners were stable enough, Shiro performed a mind-dive on Koza. He uncovered the mastermind behind the plot: a Stone Jonin named Yugami, who had ordered the theft of the Sage's Tools as an act of revenge against M and the Cloud.

Shiro also confirmed M’s initial suspicion—there was indeed a second team still at large. The room grew tense as M’s reaction shifted from tactical to predatory. He proposed a chilling ultimatum: the Stone must hand over Yugami’s head, or Team Sakaya would infiltrate the Stone Village to assassinate Onoki themselves. The Raikage immediately shut down the suggestion, reminding M of the need for diplomacy and the catastrophic cost of a full-scale war. He ordered M to return to the field only to capture the remaining squad members, specifically forbidding their execution. M’s cold fury was palpable, radiating through his mind-link with Shiro. Without a word, he charged out of the office, his anger driving him back toward the mission. The Raikage turned to N, placing the heavy responsibility of keeping M’s darker impulses in check on her shoulders. As the rest of Team Sakaya followed their leader, the weight of the impending conflict with the Stone hung heavy in the air.

Team Sakaya moved in silence, a heavy tension hanging over them as M’s bugs tracked the faint, cloaked chakra of the second Stone squad. Eventually, they pinpointed the location of the enemy unit—led by Nema, Renga, Daigo, and Kiroru—who were using advanced camouflage techniques. Following M's tactical orders, Kori and Shiro used a combination of Water and Fire Style to shatter the enemy’s cloaking barrier. The Stone squad retaliated with an earthquake-inducing strike and a flurry of stone discs, but Team Sakaya’s coordination was superior. When Nema attempted to ensnare N and Kori in a genjutsu, M’s insects intervened instantly to break the illusion. N then leveled the battlefield with a massive Wind Style: Pressure Damage, blowing the stone ninjas back and leaving them vulnerable.

The battle nearly took a dark turn when M, fueled by killing intent, charged Daigo. Shiro’s voice broke his focus just in time to prevent a lethal strike, but the momentary hesitation allowed Daigo to counter, punching M away and trapping him in a crushing Stone Suffocation jutsu. For a terrifying second, M’s chakra vanished, and a vengeful Kori nearly executed Daigo in retaliation. However, M revealed he had swapped with a shadow clone at the last moment. He reappeared to restrain Kori, reminding her of the Raikage’s orders to keep the prisoners alive. After subduing the four ninjas by siphoning their chakra with his insects, M collapsed, drained from the heavy use of his transportation techniques. Kori provided a necessary chakra transfer, and to avoid M’s grueling "dragging" method, she created a mobile ice platform to transport the captives back to Kumogakure.

Grounding of Team Sakaya: Konoha Crush

Team Sakaya chilling.

Upon their return, the Raikage praised their success but dropped a bombshell: because of the heightened tensions with the Stone Village, the team was grounded. He strictly forbade them from leaving to find Jiraiya, ordering them instead to assist the Interrogation Corps. M accepted the order with a quiet "Yes, sir," but as they left the office, even Mabui questioned if M’s restless spirit would truly allow him to stay behind while the answers he sought were within reach in the Land of Fire.

In the Interrogation Center, Team Sakaya proved their value to the "system" they often found restrictive. While Lady Koji and the official interrogators sought strategic depth, M and Shiro executed a high-level synchronized mental probe. Shiro navigated the complex mental defenses of the Stone shinobi while M’s insects acted as a biological failsafe, suppressing the prisoners' chakra to prevent a group suicide seal from triggering. The results of the interrogation were definitive: the mission to steal the Sage's Tools was a rogue operation. Yugami, desperate to restore the Hidden Stone’s shattered prestige following M’s previous attacks and Deidara’s defection, had acted without Ōnoki’s blessing. The plan was to use the Kōkinjō and Bashōsen—two of the Sage's most powerful artifacts—to systematically dismantle the Cloud's defenses. Back in the Raikage’s office, the atmosphere shifted from defensive to diplomatic. With evidence that the Tsuchikage had not sanctioned the hit, Mabui noted that Kumogakure now held immense leverage over the Stone Village. To avoid the scandal of a rogue Jonin starting a global war, Ōnoki would be forced to denounce Yugami and surrender him for execution.

Recognizing that the immediate threat was neutralized, the Raikage finally lifted the team's grounding. He authorized their mission to find Jiraiya in the Land of Fire, though he issued a final warning to avoid any diplomatic incidents. Surprisingly, M—usually the first to rush into action—chose to stay behind for a few days of rest and village oversight. Hidden away in his home, M began a deep study of the Flying Thunder God Technique. His analytical mind quickly discerned that the jutsu wasn't a standard speed technique but a highly advanced form of Space-Time Ninjutsu rooted in summoning mechanics. He realized that if he could adapt these principles to the reverse-summoning habits of his insects, he wouldn't just be an assassin—he would be everywhere at once.

Konoha Crush

Hiruzen’s death.

Land of Frost

After a brief rest in the Land of Frost, the mission to find Jiraiya took a backseat to a sudden, catastrophic emergency. Through M’s sensory bugs, the team received word that the Hidden Leaf was under siege. The description of massive snakes tearing through the village’s walls confirmed only one culprit: Orochimaru. Shiro’s composure fractured as he realized his former home—and his uncle, Inoichi Yamanaka—were in the direct path of the invasion. As the team sprinted toward the Land of Fire, Shiro’s anxiety flooded the mind-link, sharing fragmented memories of his childhood. M provided a grounding presence, but even he realized their current pace was too slow. Their path was briefly blocked by Sound ninjas, but Shiro’s desperation manifested in a lethal efficiency that shocked even his teammates. He bypassed their defenses and triggered explosive traps that killed the intruders instantly, not even slowing down to check the bodies. Recognizing that every second counted, Shiro asked M to do the unthinkable: use his bug-based reverse summoning to leap-frog ahead of the team and reach the village immediately. Shiro’s request was specific—he needed M to protect Inoichi and, more importantly, to keep a close eye on Danzo Shimura, knowing the Root leader would likely use the chaos to his advantage. M agreed, leaving the flie summon Rita behind as a lifeline for the rest of the team. With a final nod to Shiro to stay focused as the team's "eyes," M vanished in a burst of smoke, reverse-summoned by Kinta directly into the heart of the burning Hidden Leaf.

Land of Fire

M arrived at the Aburame sanctuary on the outskirts in the land of fire, his chakra instantly replenished by the local swarms. Cloaked in lightning, he surged toward the leaf village, his sensors locking onto the chakra signatures of his fellow Cloud shinobi, Mikage and Sekiei. He arrived at a tense scene: the two Cloud ninjas lay unconscious on the ground, surrounded by a defensive line of Hyuga—Hiashi, Neji, Hinata—along with Kiba and Tenten. M landed with a heavy thud, his eyes cold as he surveyed the situation. He immediately aimed a verbal barb at Hiashi, bringing up the dark history of the Hyuga Affair and the "sacrifice" of Hizashi to the Hidden Cloud. The air grew thick with killing intent. Neji’s Byakugan flared in outrage at the mention of his father, but Hiashi stepped forward, his own veins bulging with the power of his ocular jutsu. He warned M that his restraint had limits, but M remained unfazed.

When Kiba attempted to justify the attack by claiming the Cloud ninjas tried to kidnap Hinata, M shut him down with a look, his focus solely on the survival of his comrades. He issued a chilling ultimatum: if Mikage or Sekiei died, Hiashi would pay the price. As M turned to leave, Hiashi unleashed a Vacuum Palm, the compressed air blast shrieking across the clearing. M, having already anticipated the retaliation, didn't even break his stride; he manifested a shadow clone to absorb the impact of the long-range strike while his true self vanished into the smoke and debris of the burning village, continuing his mission to find Shiro’s uncle and monitor Danzo’s movements.

While the chaos of the invasion intensified, Hiashi Hyuga, recognizing the threat M posed to the village's internal security, ordered Neji, Kiba, and Tenten to pursue and neutralize the Cloud shinobi. Neji immediately noted the technical difficulty of the chase; M’s lightning-enhanced speed made him a difficult target to pin down. Kiba relied on Akamaru’s tracking to maintain the trail, while Neji launched a flurry of kunai to slow him down. However, M—relying on Kinta’s sensory feedback—evaded every projectile with a fluid, back-turned grace that left the Konoha genin both frustrated and impressed. Refusing to be sidetracked by "toying" with the kids, M successfully infiltrated the village interior.

Hidden Leaf Village

He immediately established a telepathic link with Inoichi Yamanaka, who was currently engaged in the defense of the village alongside his teammates. The sudden mental intrusion startled Inoichi, but M’s urgent warning about Danzo Shimura shifted his priorities. M instructed the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio to secure the Hokage Building to prevent a power vacuum or a Root-led coup, while M himself moved to confront Danzo directly. Recognizing the weight of Shiro’s trust, Inoichi didn't hesitate. He signaled Shikaku and Choza, and the veteran trio redirected their forces toward the administrative heart of the Leaf. Meanwhile, M sensed the colossal chakra signatures of the Nine-Tails and the One-Tails clashing in the distance. He ignored the titanic struggle, focusing instead on the shadows where Danzo’s Root agents were likely lurking.

M arrived at the Root HQ, summoning his bugs and recharging his chakra before jumping into the base. Fu quickly sensed him, alerting Danzo as M landed in front of a gang of Root operatives who immediately formed a protective formation. Danzo expressed surprise at M finding the base, but M stood his ground, warning Danzo that he would not allow him to use the current chaos to become Hokage. He threatened that even if he failed, he would let Inoichi Yamanaka probe his mind to expose Danzo’s secrets. A barrage of kunai was unleashed at M, who ducked and deflected them as the Root operatives charged. While Danzo kept Fu and Torune by his side, M managed to evade punches and kicks, using explosive kunai to thin the crowd. Danzo observed that M was low on chakra and expected him to tire, but M used a detonation as a distraction to vanish. He suddenly dropped behind Danzo, pressing a kunai to his neck and ordering the operatives to stand down.

Danzo activated Shisui’s Mangekyo Sharingan, trapping M in the Kotoamatsukami genjutsu. M’s demeanor shifted instantly; he bowed and apologized, agreeing to help Danzo execute his enemies. However, M’s bugs quickly swarmed him, breaking the illusion. Kinta warned him of the genjutsu, prompting M to charge a lightning-infused hand toward Danzo’s chest. Before he could strike, a Curse Seal of Paralysis spread across his body, freezing him in place. Danzo admitted he was impressed that M broke the genjutsu but raised a kunai to execute him. Just before the blade struck, Kinta reverse-summoned M back to the Aburame sanctuary. Safe but shaken, M realized how refined the genjutsu was, noting that it only disturbed a fraction of his chakra, making it undetectable. After a few hours of rest, M sent a message to the Cloud to arrange an official escort for Shiro, providing a diplomatic cover for their return to the village.

Search for Tsunade: Team Sakaya to the Leaf

Inoichi Yamanaka.

Following the solemn funeral of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Leaf Council convened to discuss the unexpected diplomatic message from the Hidden Cloud. The proposal—centered on Shiro Yamanaka’s return to check on his family—immediately sparked a divide. While the village elders, Homura and Koharu, remained deeply suspicious of the Cloud's true motives, Shikaku and Inoichi defended the move, reminding the council of Shiro’s dual role as a spy and the shinobi who previously prevented a full-scale war. The tension escalated when Danzo Shimura appeared, flatly rejecting the presence of Cloud shinobi within the village walls. Inoichi, however, stood firm, putting his own reputation on the line to vouch for his nephew’s return, especially given the death of the Third Hokage who had commissioned Shiro's original mission. Despite Danzo’s warnings of a potential Trojan horse attack, Homura and Koharu eventually overruled him, deciding that the need for aid outweighed the risk, provided the Cloud "escorts" were kept under constant ANBU surveillance.

Waiting outside the village gates, M discarded his white robes for his official Kumogakure attire, standing in sharp contrast to the familiar scenery of the Leaf. When N and Shiro arrived, he instructed them to ditch their cloaks, emphasizing that they were entering as an official diplomatic escort. As they walked toward the entrance, M quietly revealed his brush with death at the hands of Danzo, crediting Kinta’s reverse-summoning for his survival. He noted that their status as official Cloud representatives was now his only shield against another Root assassination attempt. At the gates, Genma recognized the group with a mix of surprise and weary professionalism. Inoichi was already there to meet them, his relief at seeing Shiro hidden behind a mask of stern duty. After M formally announced their orders from the Raikage and their offer of assistance, Inoichi led them through the scorched streets. The villagers' reactions were a cold mixture of whispers and glares, the Cloud headbands serving as a polarizing sight amidst the rubble.

While the group maintained a facade of stoic silence for the benefit of the tailing ANBU and Genma, their conversation continued internally through a mind-link. Inoichi updated them on the political fallout, noting that Danzo had already attempted to block the Cloud’s involvement. He issued a telepathic warning: the village was a tinderbox, and even a single misstep from Team Sakaya could trigger a diplomatic catastrophe. M promised restraint, but the underlying tension between the Cloud shinobi and the wary Leaf remained palpable.

The group walked past shattered buildings and wary villagers to reach the Hokage Tower, where the council and Shikaku awaited them. Shiro opened the meeting with an apology and a defense of his long-term reconnaissance mission, but the atmosphere soured as Homura and Danzo questioned whether the Cloud's presence was a pretext for interference. The tension peaked when Hiashi Hyuga entered the chamber, his presence a reminder of the historical "Hyuga Affair" and the recent neutralization of Cloud scouts. The diplomatic meeting nearly dissolved into a battlefield as M and Hiashi traded vitriolic accusations. M openly labeled the Hyuga leader a coward for hiding behind his brother’s past sacrifice while currently attacking Cloud shinobi, prompting Hiashi to activate his Byakugan in a display of lethal intent.

As Danzo watched the friction with a smirk and the elders struggled to maintain order, Shiro was forced to physically step between the two men to prevent a direct confrontation. Following a stern reprimand from Homura, M offered a calculated apology and requested to see the captured Cloud scouts. The Council granted access on the condition of strict supervision, with Hiashi himself volunteering to oversee the visit to ensure no further "schemes" were enacted. As they left the chamber under the watchful eye of the Hyuga head, Shiro questioned the wisdom of M’s aggression. M remained unapologetic, quietly reminding Shiro that bending to the Leaf’s pressure would only invite them to be trampled upon—a lesson in power that M refused to abandon, even in the heart of enemy territory.

The group arrived at the interrogation chamber, a cold space filled with the heavy scent of incense and damp stone. Mikage and Sekiei sat bound in reinforced chairs, their expressions a mix of wariness and silent defiance. Ibiki Morino stepped forward, bluntly accusing the pair of attempting to kidnap a Hyūga, but M immediately challenged the lack of physical proof. Ibiki, ever the master of psychological pressure, countered that intent often spoke louder than action, a sentiment M dismissed by insisting the scouts were only authorized to oversee the exams. The atmosphere grew sharp as M addressed his own comrades. While Sekiei tried to dismiss the act as a "misunderstanding," M’s teammates were less than sympathetic; Kori and N openly voiced their disgust at the scouts' sloppy performance. In a calculated move to de-escalate with the Leaf while asserting dominance, M promised Hiashi that the Cloud would handle the punishment internally, disavowing the mission as a rogue act.

However, the peace was short-lived. M taunted Hiashi, claiming that if the Raikage truly wanted Hinata, he would have sent a shinobi of M's caliber—someone who wouldn't have failed. The insult caused Hiashi’s Byakugan to flare in a rage, but as he peered into M’s body, his anger was momentarily eclipsed by confusion at the highly unusual chakra or biological structures he saw within. Shiro quickly stepped in to smooth over the lethal tension, allowing M to walk away with a final command to Ibiki to release the prisoners once the interrogation was complete. As the team exited, the fragile truce remained intact, though M's brazen disregard for Leaf authority left a lingering chill in the room.

Team Yugami trying their luck

After the fight with Itachi.

After walking out of the interrogation chamber, the group was immediately intercepted by Shikaku, who delivered the grim news of Itachi Uchiha’s return and the collapse of Kakashi Hatake. The urgency shifted the team's focus as they rushed to the medical bay. There, among the worried faces of Asuma, Kurenai, and Aoba, M provided a chilling diagnosis: Kakashi had been struck by the Mangekyo Sharingan, a second-stage evolution of the Uchiha prowess that rendered standard genjutsu release techniques useless. Inoichi took point on the mental surgery, enlisting N and Kori to stabilize Kakashi’s spiraling chakra network. As Inoichi dove into the fractured psyche of the Copy Ninja, he encountered a landscape of looping horrors left behind by Itachi’s Tsukuyomi. Despite N’s efforts to anchor Kakashi’s core and Kori’s attempt to realign his cooling chakra channels, the trauma proved too deep. The medical intervention suffered a violent backlash; Itachi’s lingering chakra acted like a predatory virus, feeding on the very energy N and Kori tried to provide and shattering their stabilization attempts.

Sweating and visibly strained, Inoichi was forced to call off the treatment to prevent Kakashi’s mind from collapsing entirely. The veteran interrogator admitted a rare, grim defeat: the damage was so precise and the imprint so deep that even the Leaf's top mind-specialist couldn't break the seal. The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence as the realization set in that Kakashi’s only hope for survival lay with the legendary Tsunade Senju, whose whereabouts remained unknown.

In the aftermath of the failed healing attempt on Kakashi, M exposed the fragility of Konoha’s current state. When Inoichi admitted that the village's defenses were stretched thin, M dropped a bombshell: he had sensed a scouting unit on the western border—led by the rogue Stone shinobi Yugami—that the Leaf’s barrier corps had completely missed. The revelation sparked an immediate, jagged friction between the young Cloud ninja and the Leaf veterans. Asuma and Kurenai were quick to bristle, not only at the potential security breach but at M's dismissive arrogance. The tension reached a boiling point when M issued a lethal threat to Kurenai for calling him an "outsider," nearly drawing blades with Asuma right in the medical bay. Despite Shikaku’s attempts to play peacemaker, M led Team Sakaya toward the border, leaving the Leaf Jōnin with no choice but to follow in a state of high-alert resentment.

Upon reaching the western border, the two groups converged in the shadows. Asuma confronted M, accusing him of trying to make fools of the Leaf shinobi. M, far from backing down, systematically dismantled Asuma’s confidence. He openly listed Asuma’s elemental affinities and his lineage as the late Hokage’s son, before chillingly asserting that his sensory prowess allowed him to predict Asuma's every move. M made it clear: he didn't care about diplomatic status or the Sarutobi name; to him, Asuma was simply a target that would be dead before he could even register the strike.

The standoff at the western border disintegrated into a high-stakes battlefield as the rogue Stone shinobi launched a coordinated ambush. Kori’s barrier held against a barrage of stone spikes, but the situation escalated as Tesho, Kenzou, and Ito revealed themselves. The clash forced a wary alliance between Team Sakaya and the Leaf Jōnin, pitting their diverse skill sets against the Stone’s brutal elemental mastery. Shikaku and Inoichi demonstrated the precision of Konoha’s veteran duo against Yugami. Despite Yugami’s attempt to overwhelm them with earth spears and a dark swamp, Shikaku’s strategic genius turned the terrain into a trap. By using his shadow to form a defensive wall, Shikaku lured Yugami into a false sense of security before snaring him in a Shadow Paralysis Jutsu, allowing Inoichi to deliver the finishing blow.

Meanwhile, Asuma and N found a surprising rhythm against the heavily armored Tesho. Asuma’s Burning Ash provided the initial breach, while N’s wind-style precision targeted the joints of Tesho's stone skin. When Tesho attempted to impale N with earth spears, Asuma intervened with wind-enhanced trench knives, demonstrating the "will of fire" in action. Together, they began systematically dismantling Tesho's stone armor, trading blows in a blur of dust and fire. Away from the main group, M engaged Ito in a lethal game of projectile mastery. The air was filled with the constant roar of detonating kunai as the two specialists neutralized each other’s explosive traps in mid-air. M, utilizing his superior speed, managed to ghost behind Ito and plant a detonating kunai at his neck—a move that forced Ito into a desperate retreat as a massive explosion ripped through the clearing.

The battle concluded in a brutal display of efficiency that left the alliance between the Leaf and the Cloud fractured by a clash of ideologies. Against Kenzou’s suffocating Lava Style, Kori and Kurenai coordinated a dangerous gambit. Kori manifested an ice bridge, using a clone as a stepping stool for Kurenai to bypass the molten rock. With M providing a split-second opening via a Mind Transfer Jutsu, Kurenai successfully applied a Curse Seal that stripped Kenzou of his Kekkei Genkai. However, the victory turned grim when M bypassed the capture, cold-bloodedly executing the neutralized Stone shinobi. The violence escalated as M turned his focus to the remaining Stone units. Ignoring Shikaku’s orders and Asuma’s growing fury, M moved with lightning speed to dismantle Tesho. The tension reached its breaking point when Shinsako, the final scout, attempted to surrender. Despite Shikaku catching the primary M in a Shadow Paralysis, a hidden shadow clone bypassed the restraint and executed the pleading shinobi.

Standing amidst the carnage, M’s clone dismissed the Leaf’s shinobi code as the very weakness that led to their recent invasion. Asuma, barely restrained by Shikaku, branded M a killer hiding behind a headband, but M remained unfazed. He pointed out that the Stone's intent to test Konoha’s vulnerability was obvious, rendering further interrogation of the foot soldiers redundant. Inoichi finally intervened to end the bickering, hoisting the unconscious Yugami—the sole survivor—onto his shoulder to begin the trek back to the village.

As the group approached a small guard post near the western perimeter, the atmosphere remained heavy with the scent of iron. Shikaku handed M a robe to mask the blood-soaked evidence of the border execution, a silent gesture to prevent further panic within the village. Inoichi directed Shiro and the team toward the watch tower, issuing a stern warning that any further incidents would fall directly on his own reputation—a burden M acknowledged with a rare, quiet apology.

Tokuma Hyuga’s rematch.

Tokuma X M.

The arrival of the Cloud team at the watch tower was met with immediate hostility. Izumo and Kotetsu watched with visible unease, while Tokuma Hyūga reacted with clenched fists and open resentment. When M dismissively noted that the Leaf shinobi were "still salty" over their past encounters, the tension nearly reached a breaking point. Shiro attempted to de-escalate by explaining they were there on Inoichi’s orders after neutralizing a threat at the border, but the explanation did little to soothe the local guards. Tokuma issued a final, sharp threat, promising to put M down if he incited any more trouble. The warning was met only with a low, mocking chuckle from M, N, and Kori, further stoking the fire of the Leaf's resentment. Despite the official "assistance" the Cloud provided, the predatory confidence of Team Sakaya continued to clash with the defensive pride of the Leaf guards, leaving the watch tower in a state of precarious, armed silence.

Inside the watch tower, the atmosphere was a mix of professional vigilance and personal friction. While Izumo and Kotetsu kept a casual watch, Tokuma Hyūga and Muta Aburame maintained a high-alert perimeter scan using the Byakugan and kikaichū. M, shrouded in the robe that masked his bloody gear, remained cynical, reminding the Leaf shinobi that silence was often the precursor to a bounty hunter’s strike. The conversation turned toward a shared past when Shiro realized M and Tokuma had a history. M openly taunted Tokuma about their Chunin Exam preliminary match, dismissing the difficulty of defeating a Hyūga. This prompted Tokuma to challenge M to a rematch once their shift ended, fueled by a desire to settle the score.

Despite Shiro’s attempts to maintain diplomatic order, the tension was broken by Kori and N's laughter. They jokingly acknowledged that M had a unique talent for making enemies in every village, noting that even his own teammates found him annoying. The moment of levity briefly masked the deep-seated grudges between the Cloud and Leaf shinobi as they continued their vigil over the recovering village.

In the quiet of the watch tower, M engaged in a tense but curious interaction with Muta Aburame. To Muta’s surprise, the rogue Cloud shinobi was able to handle his kikaichū without being drained, prompting Muta to keep a wary eye on him. M attempted to probe for technical details about the Aburame’s symbiotic relationship with their hives, but he was met with a wall of silence. Muta flatly refused to share clan secrets, citing a total lack of trust. M’s internal attempts to communicate with the insects were further rebuffed by Kinta, who reminded him that these particular swarms were strictly bound to Muta’s consciousness.

Simultaneously, a far more ominous discussion occurred deep within the Hokage Tower. Hiashi Hyūga met privately with Shikaku and Inoichi to reveal a chilling discovery: his Byakugan had spotted a Seal Tag grafted directly onto M’s heart. The trio analyzed the dire possibilities—either a "forbidden puppet" seal to ensure the Raikage's control, or a "suicide failsafe" meant to incinerate M and his secrets upon death. The weight of this revelation shifted their perspective on the Cloud's "assistance." Shikaku and Hiashi viewed M as a walking containment risk, a living bomb that threatened the entire village during its recovery. Inoichi’s concern focused on the psychic fallout his nephew Shiro would endure if the seal ever triggered through their mental link. Realizing the danger of this information falling into Danzo’s hands, the three leaders formed a pact of secrecy, marking M as a high-level threat that required constant, invisible surveillance.

As the watch shift ended and the relief squad arrived, Tokuma Hyūga refused to let his challenge go, leading M and the gathered shinobi to a secluded training ground. Despite Shiro and Kori’s warnings to avoid further diplomatic friction, the air crackled with hostility as both combatants formed the seal of confrontation. Tokuma initiated the bout with his Byakugan flared, engaging in a flurry of Gentle Fist exchanges. He managed to strike M’s hand early on, but the Cloud shinobi quickly adapted, using a smoke-screen detonation to mask his movements. Though the Byakugan pierced the haze, M’s tactical deception proved superior; he utilized a transformation jutsu on a thrown kunai to catch Tokuma off-guard.

A well-timed detonation behind the Hyūga propelled him into a physical strike from M, forcing Tokuma to deploy the Eight Trigrams Rotation to regain his footing. The battle appeared to shift when Tokuma successfully substituted out of a trap and landed a series of Eight Trigrams strikes on M's torso. Muta called for an end to the match as Tokuma reached the eleventh palm, believing the Cloud ninja’s chakra points had been sealed. However, the victory was another illusion; M’s body dissipated into a swarm of flies. Before Tokuma could process the deception, the real M materialized behind him, a kunai pressed firmly against his throat. M’s cold reminder that Tokuma was "still blind" left the Leaf witnesses in stunned silence, realizing that even the legendary vision of the Hyūga had failed to track M’s actual position.

The tension on the training ground shattered as Tokuma countered M’s threat with a sudden, precise strike to M's hand and chest. Despite the detonation of M’s dropped kunai, Tokuma pressed the advantage, using his Gentle Fist to strike M’s leg and disrupt his chakra flow. M, visibly weakened and coughing blood, refused to forfeit even as his breathing became ragged and his internal organs strained under the pressure of the Hyūga’s strikes. As the situation turned critical, Kinta alerted M to incoming ANBU. In a desperate move, Kinta summoned a swarm of bugs beneath M’s robe to feed him emergency chakra. Tokuma, watching with his Byakugan, caught a glimpse of the swarm, but his focus was quickly diverted by a more chilling sight: the Seal Tag grafted directly onto M’s heart. Before he could process the discovery, M utilized a rapid deception—transforming into a fly while Kori created a clone to act as a decoy.

When the ANBU arrived to investigate the sounds of combat, Shiro and Tokuma successfully covered for the group, claiming the destruction was merely leftover damage from the previous day's invasion. Once the scouts departed, the facade crumbled. M, admitting his body felt like it was collapsing, stubbornly refused to let Kori carry him, choosing instead to remain in his fly form on her shoulder as Team Sakaya retreated toward the Yamanaka estate for emergency recovery.

Yamanaka household: Meeting Ino.

Ino Yamanaka.

Team Sakaya split off from the Leaf shinobi and made their way to the Yamanaka district, eventually arriving at the family home. They were greeted by Ino, who was immediately taken aback by the presence of Cloud headbands in her living room. Shiro quickly smoothed over the introduction, though the tension remained until M—having shed his fly transformation and changed into some of Shiro’s clothes—rejoined the group. As Kori began her medical ninjutsu to repair the damage M had sustained, the conversation turned to the Chunin Exams. M admitted that the Gentle Fist was formidable, leading Ino to assume he had been fighting Neji Hyūga. She described the brutal preliminary match between Neji and Hinata, expressing shock at how far Neji had gone to harm a member of the Main House. M was genuinely surprised by the lack of traditional Hyūga protocol, questioning why Neji hadn't simply bowed to Hinata. The mood lightened as Ino shared her own frustrations about her match with Sakura, blaming "Big Forehead" for her failure to reach the finals. The group shared a rare moment of laughter, the domestic setting of the Yamanaka household providing a brief, fragile sanctuary from the political and physical scars of the previous days.

In the warm safety of the Yamanaka home, the conversation flowed from the horrors of the Forest of Death to the surprising revelations about M’s rank. Ino was shocked to learn that despite his overwhelming power, M remained a Genin—mostly because he had been suspended from active duty back in the Cloud. While Shiro found the news perfectly in character for his friend, N and Kori teased M for his lack of promotion. The lighthearted atmosphere was briefly interrupted by Ino’s mother, who welcomed Shiro home with a kind word before heading to the kitchen, unaware of the international political weight sitting on her sofa. However, the tone at the Hyūga compound was far darker. Tokuma’s report confirmed Hiashi’s worst fears: the Seal Tag on M’s heart was active and visible during combat. Hiashi realized that M was a walking liability; any high-stress battle could potentially trigger a catastrophic failure or a programmed detonation. With a second witness now aware of the "living bomb," Hiashi’s resolve hardened—the Cloud’s "assistance" was starting to look more like a countdown to disaster.

The atmosphere at the Yamanaka dinner table shifted from lighthearted banter to a hidden, high-stakes mental chess match. While Ino and Shiro laughed over village gossip, Inoichi arrived home, weary from a day of political fires. He immediately questioned M on his sensory abilities, and M revealed a layered detection system—a combination of scouting insects and a hyper-sensitivity to environmental chakra disturbances. To prove his point, M casually called out two Root operatives monitoring the house from the shadows of the roof, forcing the spies to retreat. Under the cover of a peaceful family meal, Inoichi initiated a private telepathic link with M. The conversation was sharp and grim; Inoichi warned that without a Hokage to restrain him, Danzo Shimura had the power to turn the entire village against M if even a single drop of Root blood was spilled.

M remained defiant, asserting that he would never "bend" to threats, though he offered a rare gesture of respect by promising not to bring the violence into the Yamanaka home. Despite the mental conflict, the facade of a normal dinner remained intact for Ino and her mother. However, the tension didn't go entirely unnoticed; N, ever observant of her teammate, caught the subtle hardening of M’s features as he navigated the telepathic warning. The Yamanaka household, once a sanctuary, had officially become a frontline in the invisible war between Team Sakaya and Danzo’s Root.

The fragile domestic peace of the Yamanaka home was interrupted by a knock from Tokuma Hyūga. Stepping outside, the dynamic between the two rivals shifted from combat to a disturbing revelation. Tokuma, setting aside his pride, informed M of the Seal Tag anchored to his heart—a discovery that visibly caught M off guard. For the first time, M realized he was carrying a mechanism he hadn't known existed. To understand the threat, M used a mental projection technique to "see" Tokuma's memory of the seal. The description—a dense cluster of dark chakra with needle-like lines wrapping around his primary Tenketsu—immediately struck a chord with M, reminding him of a specialized sealing style used by his mother.

The conversation briefly turned human as M offered a rare apology for their Chunin Exam match, admitting he had relied on "cheating" and tactical deception rather than pure strength to protect Tokuma’s pride. This moment of vulnerability earned a rare smile from the Hyūga before M retreated back inside, his mind racing. While M told Shiro and Kori they would discuss it later, the heavy atmosphere didn't escape Inoichi. Having already discussed this exact seal with Shikaku and Hiashi, Inoichi realized that the secret was leaking out—and that M was now aware he was a walking "Caged Bird" of the Cloud.

While the village slept, a suffocating silence hung over the Yamanaka estate, broken only by the soft rustle of paper as Sai unrolled his scroll. Beside him, Fu Yamanaka formed a hand seal, his consciousness diving through the window to seize the mind of their target. The void he entered proved to be a calculated trap; the figure in the bed erupted into smoke, and the violent mental backlash of the dispelled shadow clone hammered into his skull, leaving his balance shattered and his vision spinning in the dark. A second clone materialized behind the operatives, pressing cold steel against Fu’s neck as he and Sai stood exposed in their Root attire. Sai reacted with clinical precision, sending ink snakes slithering from the shadows to sink their fangs into the clone’s ankle. The venom took hold instantly, causing the figure to stagger and dissolve into yet another cloud of white smoke. Before the agents could regroup, their knees buckled as the very ground beneath them teemed with invisible hunger, larvae draining their chakra into the earth.

M’s voice echoed directly into their minds, sharp and uncompromising, delivering a chilling ultimatum to be carried back to Danzo. He threatened a full-scale Cloud intervention if they ever crossed his path again, a prospect the fractured Leaf could not survive. As the weakened agents retreated into the treeline, a small fly on the windowpane shifted, expanding into M’s true form. He stood on the ledge, his breathing steady as the stolen chakra flowed back into his body through the hive. Reaching up to his chest, he acknowledged the tireless vigilance of his insects before the shadows of the night swallowed the lingering scent of ink and battle.

Team Sakaya and Team Kurenai

Team Kurenai.

The following morning, the household gathered for breakfast under a thin veil of normalcy. Beneath the casual clinking of utensils, a silent telepathic network hummed as M informed the others of the previous night’s Root incursion. The revelation sparked immediate concern within the mental link; Inoichi processed the violation of his home's sanctity while Shiro questioned why the team had not been alerted. Kori silently defended the decision, noting that avoiding a public commotion had been the priority. Ino, oblivious to the secret conversation, rushed through her meal and bolted out the door, leaving her mother to sigh at the restlessness of youth. Once the door closed, the atmosphere turned strictly professional. Inoichi questioned the extent of M's surveillance, learning that the insects provided a comprehensive sensory perimeter around the entirety of Konoha. Recognizing the strategic value of this intelligence, Inoichi ordered Team Sakaya to stand by and oversee the village's outer boundaries.

When Kori raised the possibility of another Root ambush, M remained uncharacteristically certain of their safety, claiming an understanding of Danzo’s calculated nature. Inoichi accepted the assessment with a wary nod, officially dismissing the team to their posts. As Team Sakaya walked through the recovering streets, the air remained thick with the friction of their presence. Shiro quietly thanked M for sparing the Root agents, acknowledging the restraint it took to maintain the peace of the Yamanaka household. Their stroll led them past Team 10, where M scrutinized Shikamaru, noting the striking resemblance to his father and teasing Shiro about his own lack of a three-man squad. The lightheartedness, however, evaporated the moment they encountered Team 8.

The reunion between Shiro and Ko, a veteran Hyūga guard, was instantly soured by the sight of Cloud headbands. The protective instincts of the Leaf shinobi flared; Kiba Inuzuka immediately confronted M for his previous disrespect toward Hiashi, while Ko moved to shield Hinata. M’s appraisal of Hinata was characteristically blunt, labeling her "useless" in comparison to the prideful Hyūga he had encountered before. This insult nearly triggered a lethal confrontation with Ko, but M quickly shifted his focus to Kiba’s fiery ambition to become Hokage. With a mocking challenge, M goaded Kiba into a lopsided wager: if the Inuzuka could land a single strike, M would acknowledge his title. As Kiba and Akamaru prepared for combat, the depth of the distrust was laid bare. Ko reminded Shiro of the recent Cloud-led kidnapping attempt on Hinata, a bitter historical wound that made Shiro’s easy alliance with the Cloud ninjas look like a betrayal to those who had guarded the "Princess" for years.

In a blur of motion, Kiba and Akamaru initiated the Four Legs Technique, tearing through the landscape with a feral Fang Over Fang. M navigated the assault with a minimalist grace, evading each drill-like rotation by a single hair's breadth. To the cheers of Hinata and Team 8, Kiba finally connected a punch that sent M sprawling—only for the body to erupt into a log. Though M had switched via Substitution, the Leaf shinobi held him to his word, forcing a begrudging "Hokage" out of him as the training ground filled with laughter. The atmosphere shifted from play to intense curiosity as M turned his attention to Shino Aburame. Unlike his loud challenge to Kiba, M approached Shino with the reverence of a fellow specialist. He revealed his own flies, Kinta and Rita, and allowed them to land on Shino’s hand. Shino’s assessment was clinical and profound: while the Aburame bugs acted as an extension of their host's will, M’s insects possessed a terrifying autonomy, their chakra sharpened by a bond based on physical contact and raw intent rather than mental command.

The peaceful exchange was shattered when Shino felt a ripple of distress from M’s flies. Interpreting the insects' silent warning, M announced that Mist shinobi were lurking at the eastern border. Ignoring Kurenai’s instinct to report to the elders, M goaded the young "Hokage" and the rest of the Genin to handle the threat themselves. Leading the charge, M surged toward the perimeter with Team 8 and Team Sakaya in tow, turning a training exercise into a live-fire interception of foreign scouts.

The pursuit ended at the edge of the dense foliage where the Mist shinobi finally revealed themselves. Recognizing M from past encounters, the scouts initially hesitated before attempting a tactical retreat. However, the situation spiraled when Kiba, fueled by adrenaline, broke formation to give chase. The Mist ninjas pivoted with lethal coordination, surrounding the young Inuzuka and drawing their blades for a synchronized execution.

Before Kiba or Kurenai could react, M intervened with a calculated brutality. A shadow clone surged into the center of the trap, physically hurling Kiba and Akamaru into the air just as the Mist swords pierced the clone's torso. As M and Shiro caught the falling Genin and retreated, Kori instantly erected a thick ice barrier to contain the impending blast. The detonating clone pulverized the Mist squad in a single, blinding flash of fire and shrapnel. As the dust settled and the ice wall dissolved, the young Leaf shinobi stood in stunned silence at the sheer speed of the massacre. Shino noted the cold efficiency of the maneuver—M had used the Mist’s own ambush against them to ensure total annihilation. Kurenai's quiet disapproval of his "no prisoners" policy was met with a blunt indifference; for M, the threat was neutralized, and the mission was over.

The aftermath of the border skirmish drew a crowd of Konoha’s elite, with Asuma, Guy, and a squad of ANBU arriving to find the charred remains of the Mist infiltrators. While the village veterans looked on with suspicion, Inoichi’s arrival provided the necessary diplomatic cover; he validated Shiro’s report of neutralizing a threat to the Genin and redirected the focus to rebuilding efforts. Though Kurenai offered a parting warning about the value of prisoners, M’s mind was already elsewhere, fixated on the rare sealing technique he had witnessed her use during the battle with Kenzou.

Utilizing a mental link, M entered Kori's mind to observe the intricate hand seals of the Curse Seal: Sensei's Binding, a technique designed to strip a shinobi of their Kekkei Genkai. Because the sequence was exceptionally long and complex, M collaborated with Shiro to act as a living archive. Through a repetitive, rhythmic exchange of commands—spanning nearly twenty seals from Hare to Rat—M committed the sequence to muscle memory.

As the gravity of M’s goal became clear, a heavy silence fell over the group. M revealed his true target: Itachi Uchiha. By mastering a jutsu that could theoretically "turn off" the Sharingan, M aimed to neutralize the catastrophic threat of the Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi without ever having to engage the rogue Uchiha in a traditional battle of power. While his teammates were shocked by his ambition, M remained pragmatically cold—he had no intention of fighting a god when he could simply seal the godhood away.

The Raikage’s orders: Capture the useless hyuga

Hinata Hyuga.

While the team stood near the border, a messenger bird descended, carrying a scroll that shifted the tone of their stay in Konoha from "assistance" to "espionage." M read the orders aloud: the Cloud wanted a detailed assessment of the Leaf’s military strength and the capture of a Hyūga. The irony of the request wasn't lost on the group, especially after M’s recent interactions with Hinata. Shiro lamented the Raikage’s "dirty" tactics, but the team played along for the sake of the report, laughing at the idea of snatching the "useless" heiress as an easy prize.

Hidden Cloud Village

Miles away in the Hidden Cloud Village, Mabui unrolled the response from Team Sakaya. M’s report was chillingly thorough, detailing a village in a state of administrative collapse. With the Third Hokage dead, Kakashi incapacitated, and Jiraiya absent with the Jinchūriki, M had even calculated the exact response time of the ANBU—identifying a sixty-second window of vulnerability. The Raikage and Dodai nodded in approval; M was proving to be a perfect infiltrator, providing the exact data needed to exploit the Leaf's current weakness.

Hidden Leaf Village

Back in the Leaf, Team Sakaya continued their patrol, though their internal loyalty remained clear. Despite the Raikage's orders, they had no intention of kidnapping Hinata, planning instead to report a "failure" to avoid the wrath of the "Big Man." As they re-entered the village, their path crossed with Tenten, who was practicing her weaponry drills in solitude. M’s dark humor resurfaced as he labeled the lone kunai-specialist another "vulnerable target," and the group approached her with the casual ease of friends, hiding the predatory nature of their official mission.

In a secluded training area, Team Sakaya encountered Tenten, who immediately recognized M as the ninja who had insulted the Hyūga Clan Head. When M challenged her with a smirk, Tenten responded with a calculated flurry of weaponry. She unrolled her scrolls, unleashing a barrage of shuriken that M skillfully parried before being snared by a hidden capture net. Her triumph was short-lived, however, as the trapped M dissolved into smoke, and the true M appeared behind her. In a rare moment of genuine mentorship, M praised her summoning speed but warned her against overcommitting to offense at the expense of defensive awareness.

The lesson was interrupted by Neji Hyūga’s arrival. His Byakugan flared with instant hostility, and he launched into a Gentle Fist assault. M met the initial strike with a lightning-enhanced counter, mocking the Hyūga's reliance on close-range precision. Neji, demonstrating a tactical maturity superior to Tokuma, attempted to goad M into a direct confrontation while secretly closing the distance. Once within range, Neji unleashed the Eight Trigrams Two Palms, but M’s reflexes—further sharpened by his lightning cloak—allowed him to block the strikes and deploy a clone that momentarily pinned Neji with an electrical discharge.

Impressed by the branch house prodigy's resolve, M offered a sincere compliment, suggesting Neji could surpass Hiashi one day. Neji responded by breaking the lightning bind with a Palm Rotation, rising with a small, competitive smile. Despite the tension, M declined further combat, asserting that a match between a ninja of his caliber and a Genin was premature. He left Neji with a promise of a future rematch, acknowledging the boy as a true challenge once he reached the rank of Chūnin.

The arrival of the ANBU interrupted the tension between M and Neji, but M redirected the moment with a sharp warning about intruders on the eastern border. As the group surged toward the perimeter, M and Shiro shared a quiet moment over their telepathic link, acknowledging the weight Neji carried—a drive for validation that mirrored M’s own sense of being an "inferior" outlier forced to prove his worth. Upon reaching the designated location, three Mist infiltrators were spotted attempting a tactical retreat. While M stood back with the ANBU lead, Shiro, Kori, and N moved with clinical coordination. Shiro’s detonating kunai forced the targets into a bottleneck, allowing Kori to finalize their containment within a massive ice barrier. Within the frozen arena, Shiro utilized a specialized earth-based trap, erupting exploding tags from beneath the snow to bind and neutralize the invaders in a single, devastating sequence.

As the smoke cleared within the ice dome, the ANBU stood witness to the total suppression of the threat. Shiro confirmed the neutralization of all three targets, his voice devoid of emotion. M turned to the remaining ANBU officer, his tone laced with a cold reminder of Team Sakaya's value to the village. Having eliminated three distinct threats in less than twenty-four hours, M walked away, leaving the Leaf’s shadows to clean up the wreckage of another failed infiltration.

As Team Sakaya walked away from the perimeter, the tense atmosphere of combat dissolved back into their usual playful, if sharp-tongued, camaraderie. M’s focus shifted immediately back to the "useless" Hyūga, leading the team through the trees until they intercepted Team 8 on their patrol. Despite Kurenai’s recognition of their recent victory over the Mist, M immediately reignited his provocation of Hinata, questioning her resolve and her fit as a shinobi. Hinata’s visible nervousness only fueled M’s critique. He challenged her to a fight, prompting Kiba to leap to her defense while Shiro and N remarked on the startling contrast between her timid nature and the prestigious reputation of the Hyūga Main House.

When Hinata realized her family's internal politics were known even to these outsiders, M offered a blunt piece of advice: a ninja cannot survive without a backbone. Kurenai, however, stood her ground, warning M that pushing her student would eventually reveal a strength he didn't expect. The conversation lightened as Team Sakaya moved on, turning the mockery inward. N and M drew parallels between Hinata and their own teammates' pasts, teasing Kori and Shiro about their lackluster performances back in the academy. Shiro’s mock indignation at being called a "useless Yamanaka" ended in a burst of laughter, with M jokingly betting that even the timid Hinata could have taken Shiro down back in the day.

During a quiet evening at the Yamanaka household, Inoichi expressed his gratitude to Team Sakaya for their assistance, leading to a somber discussion about the deaths of Shiro’s parents during the Nine-Tails attack. While Inoichi and Shiro referred to the event as a natural disaster, M systematically dismantled the official narrative. He argued that the combined sealing expertise of Minato Namikaze and the Uzumaki lineage of Kushina made a spontaneous seal failure impossible.

Leveraging classified intelligence he had accessed since childhood as the ‘Raikage’s son’, M theorized that the disaster was an orchestrated act. He pointed to the Sharingan’s historical ability to control the Tailed Beast, suggesting that either Fugaku Uchiha or Danzo Shimura—whose subtle, powerful genjutsu was capable of manipulating even elite ninja—was the true architect of the massacre. Inoichi watched in silent apprehension as M revealed that even his mother, the Cloud's top sealing expert, had been unable to crack Danzo’s intricate work. The revelation left Shiro and his teammates reeling at the possibility that a Leaf official was responsible for the tragedy that defined their lives.

The fifth Hokage finally arrive: The tracking continues, Sage chakra

The new Hokage.

The following morning, Inoichi brought Hiashi Hyūga to the Yamanaka residence to conduct a formal analysis of the seal M had discovered. Despite M’s immediate hostility and sharp jabs at the Leaf’s own failures, he allowed Hiashi to examine Kori. Using the Byakugan, Hiashi confirmed that Kori also carried a "Cognitive Suppression Seal"—a cluster of chakra needles embedded in her heart’s primary Tenketsu. Hiashi explained the seal’s sophisticated nature: it monitors the "scent" of killing intent (Satsu). If the host attempts to attack a target identified as a "Cloud Ally," the seal triggers a total chakra shutdown and physical paralysis. When Hiashi proposed moving Kori to the Intelligence Division for mapping and removal, M flatly refused. He accused Hiashi of wanting to study the girl as a "project" rather than a person and reiterated his profound distrust of the Leaf.

The tension peaked when M insulted Hiashi’s honor, calling him a coward for the death of his brother, Hizashi. Though Hiashi was visibly shaken by the disrespect and the depth of M's knowledge, he withdrew to avoid a diplomatic catastrophe. Left alone with his team, M promised Kori that he—not the Leaf—would find a way to remove the "needle" from her heart, even as the weight of his mother’s cold pragmatism settled over them.

Later that night, Inoichi contacted Shiro telepathically to voice his concerns. He questioned if M was a loyal comrade or a "handler" manipulating Kori’s dependency. Shiro defended M fiercely, pointing out that the team had already defied direct orders from the Raikage to protect the Leaf. Shiro’s absolute faith—betting his own life on M’s loyalty—eventually forced Inoichi to concede, acknowledging that while M’s methods are abrasive, his actions have consistently favored his team’s bonds over village politics.

A few days later, the atmosphere in Konoha shifted from reconstruction to rebirth as Tsunade made her formal entry alongside Jiraiya and Naruto. Team Sakaya, positioned on the western perimeter, sensed the change immediately. While Shiro focused on the need for stability, M’s attention was already drifting toward the village's Jinchūriki, noting the surprising lack of guards around Naruto. The inauguration was a display of Konoha’s resilience. From their distant vantage point, the team watched as Tsunade stood before the gathered villagers and shinobi, flanked by Shikaku and Inoichi. Her declaration was short and fierce: she would protect the village with her life, assuming the mantle of the Fifth Hokage. M, usually cynical, acknowledged the crushing weight of the responsibility she had just accepted.

The brief moment of observation ended when Inoichi arrived with a formal summons. The Fifth Hokage requested an audience with the Cloud's "diplomats." As they walked toward the Hokage building, M’s teammates voiced their collective anxiety; Shiro pleaded for restraint, while Kori and N remained skeptical that M could survive a meeting with the legendary Sannin without causing an international incident.

The atmosphere in the Hokage’s office was thick with a tension that only a Sannin could command. Tsunade, draped in the formal robes of the Fifth, scrutinized M with a gaze that seemed to weigh his very soul. Despite his teammates' amusement at his uncharacteristic awkwardness, M managed a humble bow, attempting to navigate the political minefield Tsunade had laid out. Tsunade’s interrogation was blunt, questioning why the opportunistic Raikage would allow such an elite team to aid a rival. M’s response was a calculated mix of honesty and diplomacy; he admitted his insubordination, framing it as a personal repayment of the debt the Raikage owed Tsunade for saving his life, while underscoring his loyalty to Shiro. While Tsunade remained skeptical of M's "honesty," she deferred to Inoichi’s firsthand assessment of their reliability.

With a swift executive decision, the Fifth Hokage declared their debt settled and their unofficial mission at an end. She ordered Team Sakaya to vacate the village by nightfall, marking a clear boundary between the Leaf’s reconstruction and foreign interference. As they left the office, the reality set in: their time in Konoha had reached its limit.

Having sensed the Jinchūriki’s immense chakra signature, M led his team to the training grounds to test the strength of the boy who had reportedly defeated Neji Hyūga. The meeting immediately devolved into a clash of styles: M’s cold, refined tactical speed versus Naruto’s raw, unpredictable endurance.

The skirmish initially highlighted the gap in technical skill, as M effortlessly neutralized Naruto’s Rasengan by targeting his chakra points. However, the tide shifted when Naruto unleashed the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, flooding the field with a thousand identical copies. The sheer scale of the technique shocked the Cloud shinobi; while elite Cloud Genin like Kori could produce only a handful of clones, Naruto’s Uzumaki lineage and the influence of the Nine-Tails provided him with a reservoir of chakra that defied traditional logic. Rather than meeting the horde with brute force, M utilized a series of smoke bombs and the Transformation Jutsu to infiltrate the ranks of the clones. By mimicking Naruto’s appearance and charging his borrowed form with lightning, M sowed psychological confusion among the Narutos, leading to a comedic standoff where the Jinchūriki began to doubt his own identity. Watching from the shadows, the Sannin Jiraiya recognized M’s tactical brilliance, noting how the boy transformed a potential slaughter into a game of wits.

The interaction concluded with M and his team laughing from the sidelines as the remaining Narutos finally realized they were fighting among themselves. This final sparring match served as a profound assessment for M; despite Naruto's lack of discipline, his near-infinite chakra made him a variable that no strategic model could fully predict. With this final piece of intelligence, Team Sakaya gathered their gear and prepared to leave Konoha, carrying with them a newfound respect for the Leaf’s next generation of monsters.

After a quiet departure from the Yamanaka residence, Shiro took a final moment to secure the village’s future. Using his telepathic link, he bypassed the formality of the office to deliver a direct warning to Tsunade: Danzo Shimura was the true shadow over Konoha and the primary reason Team Sakaya had remained so long. Tsunade acknowledged the warning with a grim smile before turning her attention to the immediate crisis of Kakashi Hatake’s recovery. Once clear of the village gates and safely into the forest, the team pivoted to their next objective: locating the legendary Sage regions. Using a complex string of hand signs, M performed a high-level Summoning Jutsu, releasing a massive swarm of his specialized flies. He issued a "commander’s order," instructing the insects to scan for the unique frequency of Nature Energy—the heavy, potent chakra they had first encountered in Orochimaru’s laboratory.

The moment revealed a deep rift in perspective between M and N. While N viewed the insects as expendable tools, M reacted with genuine offense, defending the lives of his "babies" with a passion usually reserved for his teammates. To M, the flies weren't just a jutsu; they were living extensions of himself. Despite the bickering, the swarm successfully fanned out in all directions, beginning a global search for Mount Myōboku and the source of the Snake Sage's power.

M’s rematch: Naruto’s lesson.

M and Darui training.

Hidden Cloud Village

Upon returning to the Hidden Cloud Village, Team Sakaya reported to the Raikage’s office, where M immediately defied his leader’s expectations by refusing to kidnap a Hyuga. He met the Raikage’s lethal lightning-charged fury with biting mockery, throwing the Raikage’s own past rhetoric back at him to justify his insubordination as a debt of gratitude to Tsunade. Despite the tension, M provided a detailed intelligence report, identifying Neji Hyuga as the Leaf’s most formidable rising talent while dismissing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki as a reckless, albeit high-chakra, asset. He further detailed the Leaf's current military vulnerabilities and his hostile encounter with Danzo Shimura, ultimately declaring the Hidden Leaf to be under his personal protection—a claim the Raikage met with a cynical warning about the Leaf's true lack of loyalty.

The meeting ended with M’s sharp reminder of his own survival against previous kill orders, after which he and Kori retreated to his home to rest. In the quiet of their return, M addressed Kori’s lingering sense of betrayal regarding the heart seal placed by his mother, Lady Nagai. He offered a defensive explanation, suggesting the seal was a safeguard against external threats like mind manipulation rather than a sign of distrust. Closing the chapter on their mission, he reaffirmed his promise to her, vowing to find a way to remove the device and free them both from the mechanisms of control.

While Kori slept, M initiated a delicate and clandestine procedure, utilizing his larvae to swim through her chakra pathways and establish a direct link to the seal anchored in her heart. Assisted by Kinta, M deduced that the key to deactivating the device lay within Lady Nagai’s own archives. By cross-referencing his biological findings with a recovered scroll, M discovered the grim reality of the mechanism: it was a primary-level traitor seal designed not just for suppression, but for execution.

The following morning, a lighthearted debate over M’s reckless combat style and their relative strength served as a brief distraction from the tension of the previous weeks. When M asked if Kori would truly kill him should he ever betray the village, her affirmative response was met with a knowing laughter that underscored their complex bond. Transitioning back to the mission at hand, M revealed he had already cracked the seal's formula. Using a strand of Kori’s hair to facilitate a confrontation seal, he announced the successful removal of the blackened needles, leaving Kori to marvel at the suddenness of her liberation. With the invisible tether to Lady Nagai’s authority finally severed, the two regained a sense of autonomy they hadn't felt since before their journey to the Leaf. M, ever the strategist, did not allow the moment of relief to linger, immediately asserting his leadership to announce their next objective. Despite Kori’s playful jab at his self-appointed authority, she followed him out of the house, ready to embark on a new mission of their own making.

In a formal briefing at the Raikage’s office, M proposed a strategic pivot toward the Hidden Sand Village, arguing that Suna’s current lack of a Kazekage and broken alliance with the Leaf made it a "blank slate" ripe for exploitation. The Raikage approved the mission, tasking Team Sakaya with a comprehensive reconnaissance objective: evaluating the stability of the One-Tails Jinchūriki, Gaara, assessing Suna’s depleted military strength, and identifying potential leadership candidates. Amidst these high-stakes orders, the conversation shifted to a personal revelation as M confronted the room about the seals his mother had placed on him and Kori. While Mabui confirmed the seal was a safeguard against rogue aggression, M shocked the room by casually admitting he was "cool" with keeping his own seal active—despite having already liberated Kori—claiming it served as a necessary check on his own volatility.

The atmosphere shifted from political to personal when M, emboldened by his recent successes in the Leaf, challenged his mentor Darui to a duel. Dismissing Darui’s skepticism, M cited his ability to outpower a Hyūga’s Gentle Fist as proof of his growth. Despite Darui’s initial dismissal, M’s relentless taunting forced the elite shinobi to agree to a match to "put the kid in his place." As they marched toward the training grounds, the rest of Team Sakaya joined the banter, playfully undermining M’s confidence by reminding him of the severe injuries he sustained in his fight with Tokuma. M, however, remained undeterred, fueled by a competitive drive that had matured during his time away. To him, the upcoming fight wasn't just about rank; it was about proving that the technical and physical breakthroughs he achieved in the Leaf could stand against the Hidden Cloud’s finest. The walk to the arena served as a rare moment of camaraderie and levity, masking the underlying tension of a young ninja eager to finally step out of the shadows of his elders and test the true limits of his power.

They reached the training ground with M and Darui taking their positions in the center, surrounded by a growing crowd of villagers, shinobi, and the Raikage himself. The atmosphere was charged with a history of one-sided rivalry, as M’s teammates noted he had never secured a victory against his older cousin. M opened the duel with a lethal warning, but his initial anger was met by Darui’s calm demand for composure and a true challenge. The engagement began with a high-speed barrage of kunai and Body Flicker movements, where Darui’s superior experience allowed him to dominate the physical exchanges, effortlessly countering M’s strikes and evading a hidden explosive trap. As the fight intensified, M attempted to use a shadow clone and a tactical feint to trap Darui with chakra-syphoning bugs. However, Darui’s mastery of the Water Clone technique proved disastrous for M, as the insects drowned in the liquid medium, leaving M grounded and humiliated. Despite the sting of defeat in front of his peers, M managed to suppress his rage and center himself. Rising from the dirt, he fully committed to his Lightning Release, shrouding his body in a high-voltage electrical aura.

The training ground became a blur of high-voltage motion as M vanished from sight, reappearing instantly to land a punch that sent Darui reeling. Coordinating a tactical explosion behind his opponent, M used the shockwave to force Darui forward, following up with a brutal maneuver: the Liger Bomb. Witnessed by high-ranking shinobi like Dodai, M managed to execute the Raikage's signature power move, slamming Darui into the earth. Though the impact was significant, Darui rose with a grin, acknowledging M’s technical mastery while noting he still lacked the raw physical power to make the technique truly perfect.

The battle shifted into a desperate exchange of speed and reaction. M relentlessly pursued Darui with lightning-charged strikes and repetitive use of explosive traps, nearly overwhelming his cousin’s defenses. However, the gap in their experience closed the window of opportunity; Darui drew his sword to block a direct assault and deployed his own water clones to dismantle M’s flanking maneuvers. Just as M leapt to avoid a sword swing, Darui and his clones unleashed a devastating surge of Black Lightning, catching M mid-air and flooding his system with high-intensity electrical discharge.

Crashing to the ground with current still radiating from his skin, M struggled to his feet through sheer force of will. Despite being physically spent and breathing heavily, he refused to concede, driven by a stubborn refusal to accept anything less than Darui’s defeat. Recognizing that his younger cousin had reached his breaking point, Darui prepared for one final strike to end the engagement, calling for Kori and N to be ready to transport the exhausted M directly to the hospital.

The training ground erupted in a final, complex display of strategy as M unleashed a "bug haze" barrier, using his larvae to both replenish his chakra and mask his movements. Initially, Darui managed to dismantle M’s dual shadow clones with a high-voltage discharge of Black Lightning, but he was caught completely off guard when the haze cleared. Taking a leaf from Naruto Uzumaki’s book, M performed a high-level feat of chakra control, manifesting a thousand clones that flooded the arena and stunned the gathered crowd. The assault was not mere brute force; it was a psychological masterstroke.

M utilized a combination of Afterimage Clones and a single, physical shadow clone to dismantle Darui’s defense. While the vast majority of the "army" consisted of intangible illusions that phased through Darui’s sword and disrupted his focus, the lone physical clone struck with precision, targeting Darui’s chakra points. Caught in the confusion and propelled by a tactical explosion, Darui was finally swept to the ground, forced to concede the match to his younger cousin.

As the clones vanished to the cheers of the spectators, M finally savored the victory he had chased his entire life, proudly declaring his superiority. Despite the physical toll of the battle, the tension between the two broke into laughter as they helped one another up. The Raikage, having seen enough to confirm M’s exponential growth, departed with a satisfied smirk. The duel concluded with the two combatants being escorted to the hospital by N and Kori, M finally carrying the weight of a winner.

Sage chakra: Not everyone can attain it

Orochimar’s vessel.

In the hospital recovery room, Himari examined Darui’s disrupted chakra points, marveling at the fact that M had finally secured a victory over his mentor. M, basking in the success of his strategy, explained that he had used the precise strikes to force a forfeit from a stubborn Darui. The conversation turned toward M’s tactical evolution, with Darui praising the way he transformed a basic technique like the Shadow Clone into a lethal, high-level maneuver. Despite Darui’s suspicion that the Raikage had shared secret scrolls, M revealed that his mastery of the Liger Bomb and the massive clone swarm came from his own exhaustive studies and biological adaptations, though he admitted he still lacked the raw physical strength to reach his commander's peak.

The arrival of Team Sakaya turned the room into a celebration of M’s hard-earned victory. In a rare moment of genuine pride and levity, M joked about his next target being the village's strongest shinobi, Killer B. The suggestion was met with a chorus of laughter from his teammates and a supportive, if skeptical, grin from Darui, who expressed his genuine desire to see such a match. This moment of camaraderie served as a final breath of peace before the team pivoted back to their professional duties.

Hidden Sand Village

After sneaking into the Hidden Sand Village using Kori’s barrier seals and insect-based transformation, Team Sakaya quickly assessed that the village was in a state of administrative limbo. With the One-Tails' chakra notably absent and the Council struggling to maintain military order, the mission took a backseat when Kinta identified a chakra signature identical to the "Sage" samples found in Orochimaru’s lab. Prioritizing this breakthrough, the team sent their findings back to the Raikage and pivoted toward the Land of Hot Springs, only to be diverted again by a massive flare of power coming from the Land of Fire.

Land of Fire

At the Valley of the End, the team bore witness to the climactic battle between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. They observed the terrifying transformation of Sasuke’s Level 2 Cursed Mark—which Shiro confirmed felt identical to the "monsters" in the Orochimaru hideout—enabling him to match the raw power of the Nine-Tails' cloak. Though M briefly considered taking advantage of Naruto’s defeat to kidnap the Jinchūriki, Shiro’s sensing of Kakashi’s rapid approach forced a retreat. The team’s departure was marked by a chilling encounter with Zetsu, whose sudden emergence from the ground prompted M to order an immediate withdrawal to avoid detection by the mysterious entity.

Sage Forest

After weeks of travel, the team reached the coordinates provided by M’s scouts. The atmosphere was immediately oppressive; as they delved deeper into the strange territory, the forest itself began to drain their chakra, forcing them to pause as physical exhaustion set in. Shiro realized the area was a test, but the true danger was psychological. As they continued, the environment began to amplify their deepest insecurities: M was consumed by his fear of weakness, N by her doubt as a medic, Kori by her isolation as a Yuki, and Shiro by the paranoia of being an outsider.

The forest’s influence soon turned the team against each other. Sensing their emotional collapse, M attempted to lead them away, but the heightened fear caused the others to perceive his leadership as a threat. Shiro, convinced he was about to be betrayed, prepared to strike, while Kori retreated into a defensive mindset, viewing her teammates as enemies from a rival village. The tension broke when M performed a Summoning Jutsu to replenish his chakra, an act Shiro misinterpreted as a preparation for murder. The resulting skirmish was brief but violent. M utilized explosive kunai and a shadow clone to distract the group, successfully maneuvering behind Shiro to disable his chakra points. Though Shiro managed to destroy the clone with explosive tags, M managed to secure him.

Meanwhile, Kori attempted to hide behind an ice barrier, only to find that M’s larvae had already infiltrated her defenses to drain her strength. Before she could launch a desperate counter-attack, M used his telepathic link to forcibly knock her unconscious. Breathing heavily and nearly drained of his own energy, M ordered N to carry Kori as he limped toward the forest's exit, desperate to lead his fractured team to safety before the woods could claim them.

After the intense psychological collapse within the forest, the team found themselves regrouping in the safety of a clearing. While N worked feverishly to heal Shiro’s disrupted chakra points and M’s insects stabilized Kori, the group finally confronted the dark reflections they had seen in the woods. Shiro and Kori awoke filled with remorse, acknowledging that the forest had weaponized their deepest insecurities—their feelings of isolation and their fear of betrayal. M, though physically and spiritually drained, accepted their apologies with his typical dry humor, reminding them that the rarity of Sage power is exactly what makes its pursuit so dangerous.

The failure to penetrate the forest's defenses sparked a shift in M’s strategy. Recognizing that they couldn't simply "walk" into forest, he proposed a daring and dangerous alternative: finding Orochimaru himself. Despite his teammates' disbelief, M outlined a cold, calculated plan to leverage Sasuke Uchiha. Knowing the Sannin viewed the young Uchiha as his ultimate vessel, M intended to use Sasuke as a bargaining chip to force Orochimaru into revealing the secrets of Sage Chakra.

Orochimaru: An ordeal of total self-control

The team training with the slugs.

Hidden Sound Village

Weeks later, Team Sakaya arrived at the Sound Village's outskirts, where M deployed his specialized flies to pinpoint Sasuke Uchiha’s location. Based on reconnaissance from Rita and Kinta, the team opted for a high-risk vertical infiltration, bypassing the hideout's trapped corridors by cutting through the rooftop. Protected by Kori’s barrier seals, they dropped into the training hall just as M completed an exhaustive sequence of nineteen hand signs designed to suppress the young Uchiha's specialized powers.

The ambush was executed with clinical precision. While Kori neutralized Sasuke's mobility with a "Winter Veil" ice prism, the swarm of insects immediately began syphoning his remaining chakra. Before Sasuke could fully harness the power of his Curse Mark, M struck his forehead with a sealing jutsu, successfully locking away his Sharingan and cutting off access to his Kekkei Genkai. Drained of his energy and unable to tap into his visual prowess, Sasuke collapsed into unconsciousness. With their high-value hostage secured by N, the team began a tense exit through the hideout’s main corridors. When confronted by a contingent of Sound ninja, Shiro effectively neutralized the threat by threatening the life of Orochimaru’s future vessel, forcing the guards to lower their weapons in a standoff of mutual restraint. Team Sakaya continued their march toward the heart of the lair, with M and Shiro guarding the flanks while the Sound ninja followed at a distance, paralyzed by the risk of losing their master's most precious asset.

Team Sakaya infiltrated Orochimaru’s inner sanctum, coming face-to-face with the Sannin and his assistant, Kabuto. Despite being surrounded by Sound ninja, M maintained a position of strength, leveraging the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi had rendered Orochimaru’s arms—and thus his primary jutsu—useless. A brief skirmish in the shadows between the team's shadow clones and Kabuto ended at Orochimaru's command, as the Sannin acknowledged the group’s persistence, likening them to "cockroaches" he had failed to eliminate in the past. M presented his ultimatum: information on how to bypass the psychological traps of the Sage regions in exchange for Sasuke Uchiha’s life, whose body lay on the floor rigged with Shiro's explosive tags.

The negotiations took a personal turn when Orochimaru demanded one of M’s primary scout bugs, specifically Rita or Kinta, as payment. Through a quick telepathic conference with his insect companions, M orchestrated a deception, summoning a decoy filled with his own chakra to pass off as the high-level scout. Despite Orochimaru’s initial games of moving the goalposts, he eventually accepted the decoy stored in Kabuto’s jar. In return, he revealed the true nature of the Sage’s test: it was an ordeal of total self-control where every thought and emotion was weighed. He warned that the forest they had encountered was a crucible of focus and discipline, rather than a mere physical gauntlet.

With the intelligence secured, the team executed a calculated retreat, leaving behind shadow clones to maintain a standoff while the real members escaped the hideout. Once they were safely beyond the perimeter, the clones vanished, leaving Kabuto frustrated and eager for pursuit. However, Orochimaru reigned him in, expressing a dark admiration for the team’s audacity and efficiency. He revealed to a stunned Kabuto that he had known all along the bug was a decoy, but his fascination with M’s growth—and the impressive seals M had placed on Sasuke’s Sharingan and Cursed Mark—outweighed his desire for immediate retribution.

Sage Forest

Returning to the forest days later, the team approached the psychological barrier with a new tactical edge. M realized that his insects, Kinta and Rita, were immune to the forest’s emotional manipulation, prompting a strategy where the bugs served as anchors for the team’s sanity. By placing a specialized insect on each member and linking everyone through Shiro’s mental network, they established a system of constant chakra stabilization. As they ventured into the woods, the familiar voices of self-doubt and isolation began to scream in their minds, but the insects countered the genjutsu with steady pulses of chakra and verbal reassurances, allowing the team to maintain their forward momentum despite the intensifying mental pressure.

Deep within the woods, the forest shifted its tactics, manifesting shadowy doppelgängers and reactive plant life that responded to spikes in chakra. N nearly faltered when the illusions mimicked the team, but the collective mental link allowed her teammates to pull her focus back, reinforcing a synchronized chakra pulse that effectively dampened the forest's influence. By relying on Kinta’s scouting and Rita’s stabilization, the team moved as a single unit, their shared connection acting as a shield against the traps that had previously broken them.

Shikkotsu Forest

Finally, the oppressive atmosphere of the forest cleared as they reached its heart, revealing a hazardous acid swamp. Standing as a final barrier were two enormous, imposing slugs, guarding the path forward. The sight left the team in a state of confusion; having expected the legendary toads of Mount Myōboku or the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, they were instead confronted by the massive gastropods. M and his team stood their ground, realizing that these creatures were either the Sages they sought or the final gatekeepers standing between them and the ancient power of Nature Energy.

At the threshold of the Heart of the Shikkotsu Forest, Team Sakaya was confronted by two massive gatekeepers, Shimesu and Kotsu. The slugs recognized the team’s external steadiness but noted the lingering spiritual scars left by the forest’s psychological gauntlet. To proceed, the team was commanded to cross the Pool of Inner Balance—a vast swamp of corrosive acid designed to dissolve anything unpure or unstable. Shiro facilitated a deep mental link, shifting from mere communication to active purification, acting as a central anchor of stillness. By filtering out their residual insecurities and focusing on "zero-point variance," the team stepped onto the corrosive liquid, learning that survival depended not on defensive force, but on the purity of their chakra flow. The team’s successful crossing earned them passage to the presence of the Great Slug Sage, an entity of unfathomable size and ancient power. The Sage revealed that the path of the Slugs was the Way of Adaptation, offering Endless Restoration through the assimilation of natural energy. This power promised a body that could not be broken and a healing capacity that could not be stopped, yet it came with a daunting price: the ultimate loss of ego and self. M, speaking for the group, accepted the terms, committing the team to become conduits of restoration. With their resolve noted, the Great Slug Sage entrusted their training to Shimesu and Kotsu. The instructors made it clear that the upcoming Assimilation Trial was a lethal certainty for the unprepared. To survive the transition into Slug Sage Mode, the team would first have to master "Zero-Point Flow" and the art of "Stillness." Under the watchful eyes of their new mentors, Team Sakaya moved toward the training grounds, ready to dissolve the boundaries of their former selves to obtain the power of the Sages.

Sage mode acquired

The team followed the sages into a training area saturated with thick, translucent slime. Kotsu explained that this substance acted as a sentient chakra sensor; any internal mental fluctuation, from a flicker of doubt to a surge of adrenaline, would cause the slime to hiss and bubble, delivering a painful chemical burn. This served as a brutal, immediate feedback loop to teach the team Stillness—a state of perfectly neutral chakra output where the internal energy matches the frequency of the natural world.

The trial began with the team submerged in the slime, tasked with maintaining this void-like state for days. M’s focus quickly shattered at the mention of the timeline, causing his chakra to spike and the slime to violently burn his skin. As he recoiled in agony, Shiro and Kori utilized their mental link to anchor him, projecting their own tranquility into his mind to help him reset his baseline. By focusing on Kori’s calm chakra signature, M managed to suppress his physical pain and regain his composure, eventually achieving the required neutrality alongside his teammates.

After hours of maintaining this empty state, Shimesu and Kotsu acknowledged that the "vessel" was finally ready. The sages transitioned the training to the Assimilation Stage, which required the team to draw raw natural energy from the forest into their bodies. Unlike their own chakra, this energy was described as purely assimilative. The instructors issued a final, lethal warning: if they drew too much energy too quickly, or if their internal flow attempted to fight the natural influx instead of harmonizing with it, their bodies would simply dissolve into the forest.

The transition from individual stillness to the active absorption of natural energy proved nearly fatal. As the liquid fire of the forest's power entered M, his internal defensive instincts—manifested by his bugs—triggered a chakra spike that began to dissolve his physical form into raw nutrients. Only the immediate intervention of a stabilizing fragment from Kotsu saved him. M realized that his ambition and desire for control were his greatest impurities; by commanding his insects to sever their links and surrendering to the "dissolution of the self," he successfully anchored the baseline energy. The "Healer’s Paradox" nearly claimed N next. Her ingrained medical instinct to "fix" the perceived damage of the natural energy caused an even faster liquefaction than M's. Shimesu intervened, teaching her that her instinct to mend was itself an impurity—a refusal to accept the purification of the forest.

By adopting M’s grim advice to "accept the fate of death," N finally relaxed her defenses and stabilized the flow. In contrast, Kori displayed a flawless internal zero-point flow from the start, her history of enduring hardship having already prepared her for the "scrubbing" sensation. She even bypassed the Great Slug Sage’s subtle psychological lure to ascend alone, proving her loyalty to the team was stronger than the pride of isolation. Shiro, having carried the mental burden of anchoring the entire team, faced a final physical trial. Though his mind immediately calculated escape routes from the "liquid fire" invading his bones, he used his discipline to suppress the flight response and successfully absorbed the energy. With the baseline established for all four members, the Sages shifted the training to the Collective Stage. They revealed that the true power of the Shikkotsu Forest lies not in individual strength, but in a shared network of life. The next phase would demand they function as a single organism; any individual flicker of instability would now risk the dissolution of the entire team.

The sages watched as Team Sakaya prepared for the ultimate integration. Shimesu and Kotsu explained that to access the full Sage Mode, the team had to abandon their individual identities and merge their chakra within the slime pool to form a single, unified energy structure. The stakes were absolute: a single emotional spike or a defensive reflex from any member would lead to the immediate assimilation and death of the entire group. Drawing on their years of coordination, the team synchronized their heartbeats and chakra frequencies through Shiro’s mental link. As the four distinct chakra systems met in the central pool, they snapped together into a brilliant, cohesive white signature. When the high-velocity streams of raw natural energy finally hit, the "liquid fire" sensation returned with a vengeance. However, because their consciousness was linked, the agonizing pressure was distributed evenly across the four of them. The burden that would have dissolved a single person was easily managed by the collective strength of the group.

As the pain subsided, it was replaced by a profound, quiet vitality. Their eyes ignited with a luminous cyan-green glow, and intricate green markings—resembling the veins of a leaf or the flow lines of a slug’s skin—began to spread across their temples and limbs. They had successfully transitioned into Slug Sage Mode, achieving a state the sages called Senpō: Collective Restoration. Shimesu and Kotsu bowed their massive heads in respect. The team was no longer a group of struggling Genin and Chunin from the Cloud; they had become the official conduits of the Shikkotsu Forest. With this power, their bodies were now capable of instant regeneration, and their combined chakra reserves had expanded to a level that rivaled the Jinchūriki they had once observed.

Three years of intense training in the Shikkotsu Forest have transformed the team into masters of Senjutsu. Now 19 and 20 years old, they have fully integrated the Great Slug Sage’s power into their individual fighting styles. As Shimesu pointed out, the Sage Mode effectively solved M’s chronic chakra deficiency by allowing him to draw on the infinite natural energy of the forest itself. To test their progress, the team engaged in a high-speed sparring session. The brawl showcased their incredible sensory awareness and reaction times. M’s shadow clones acted with lethal efficiency, while N’s Wind Style reached new levels of destructive force. Kori, utilizing her Ice Style, demonstrated a mastery of crystalline structures that could both protect and entrap with a single touch. The fight was a blur of tactical exchanges. Shiro attempted to catch M in a chain of explosions, but M’s Sage sensing allowed him to navigate the shockwaves and pin Shiro with a kunai before he could even land. Meanwhile, the duel between the two women ended in a tactical victory for Kori; despite N’s physical prowess, Kori’s clone successfully applied the "Winter Veil" seal, encasing N in an ice prism and ending the spar.

Pain Assault

The Leaf village rebuild.

Team Sakaya return

As the team emerged from the timeless atmosphere of the Shikkotsu Forest, the reality of the outside world hit them with a series of devastating reports. Through Kinta and Rita, M learned that the Akatsuki had systematically hunted down the Jinchūriki, including their own village’s legends, Killer B and Yugito Nii. The news of Yugito’s capture struck Kori particularly hard, given their history together. Most shocking, however, was the report that the Hidden Leaf Village had been reduced to rubble. Utilizing his newfound Sage-enhanced chakra, M performed a high-level Space-Time Ninjutsu, locking onto a distant scout bug near the ruins of Konoha and transporting the entire team instantly across the continent.

Hidden Cloud Village

Meanwhile, the Raikage received M’s message via insect ink. His reaction was not one of relief, but of immediate tactical mobilization. Still reeling from the loss of his brother, Killer B, the Raikage issued a command through Mabui: Team Sakaya was to ignore the village for now and focus entirely on hunting down Sasuke Uchiha, who had recently been linked to the Akatsuki's assault on the Cloud. The Raikage's Decree

Hidden Leaf Village

Team Sakaya moved like ghosts through the smoking wreckage of the Hidden Leaf. The devastation was absolute, far exceeding the scale of Orochimaru’s previous invasion. In the Intel Division, they found Inoichi Yamanaka, who revealed the dire state of the village: Lady Tsunade lay in a life-threatening coma, and the opportunistic Danzo Shimura had finally seized the mantle of the Sixth Hokage. Shiro, moved by the sight of his ancestral home in ruins and his uncle’s exhaustion, made a sudden, definitive choice to stay and protect the Leaf during its recovery. Despite the danger posed by Danzo’s ROOT agents, Shiro’s loyalty to his roots outweighed his current mission.

Before parting ways, the team moved toward the medical pavilion to check on Tsunade. Her chakra was indeed faint, a flickering candle compared to the sun-like presence she usually projected. Inside the medical pavilion, the air crackled with tension as Shizune and Kakashi reacted to the intruders. Kakashi, his gaze sharp and his Chidori humming with electrical discharge, only stood down when Shiro reaffirmed his loyalty to the Leaf. Despite their status as Cloud shinobi, N and Kori immediately began an advanced medical procedure. They observed that Tsunade’s Sōzō Saisei (Mitotic Regeneration) had likely been pushed to its absolute limit, leaving her cellular integrity fragile and her chakra reserves non-existent.

As N and Kori funneled stabilized medical chakra into the Fifth Hokage, M received a signal from Kinta—the scouts had finally pinpointed Sasuke Uchiha’s location. Before departing, M left Rita as a permanent link to Shiro, ensuring that even while separated, the team’s mental connection would remain partially intact. Shiro, now acting as a rogue guardian within the ruins, vanished into the shadows of Konoha to begin his vigil against Danzo’s regime and any lingering threats. N and Kori finally pulled back, having successfully stabilized Tsunade’s vitals. While the Hokage remained in a coma, the "Healer’s Paradox" lessons from the Shikkotsu Forest allowed N to mend the deep-seated spiritual fatigue that ordinary medical ninjutsu could not touch. Shizune’s relief was palpable as the three Cloud shinobi exited the tent, shifting their focus from life-saving to the hunt.

As Danzo Shimura traveled toward the Five Kage Summit, he received intelligence from his ROOT subordinates confirming the presence of Shiro Yamanaka within the ruins of the Hidden Leaf. Recognizing the strategic value of the intel Shiro possessed regarding the Hidden Cloud’s internal workings and M's recent activities, Danzo issued a strict order for his capture rather than his assassination. This set the stage for a targeted extraction mission by the village’s shadow operatives. Shortly thereafter, a four-man ROOT squad cornered Shiro, officially declaring his detainment under the authority of the Sixth Hokage. Shiro, warned the agents against interference, asserting his role as a protector of the village rather than a defector. When the operatives initiated the conflict with binding water whips, Shiro utilized a tactical smoke screen to mask his movement. He transformed into a larvae and vanished into the environment. Unable to track his suppressed chakra signature or locate his physical body among the grass, the ROOT agents were forced to abandon the immediate search, leaving Shiro to continue his silent vigil over the village from the shadows.

Team Sakaya vs Team Taka

Team Taka.

While Team Taka recovered in their hideout, the group discussed Sasuke’s ultimate goal of destroying the Hidden Leaf Village. This conversation was interrupted by Karin, who detected three powerful chakra signatures approaching their location. Sasuke immediately activated his Mangekyō Sharingan in anticipation of a threat, but the group was initially met only with the sound of approaching footsteps. Moments later, M, N, and Kori revealed themselves, prompting Sasuke to recognize them from their past encounter.

The arrival of the Cloud shinobi shifted the atmosphere into a tense standoff. N and Kori took note of Sasuke's visual prowess and the fact that he had successfully avoided becoming a vessel for Orochimaru. Acting on behalf of the Hidden Cloud, M issued a stern ultimatum: Sasuke was to surrender and accompany them back to their village or be taken by force. Despite the defensive maneuvers of Suigetsu and Jugo, M and his team remained composed, with N lightheartedly recalling M’s habit of dragging his targets to their destination.

As the situation escalated into inevitable combat, M systematically assigned tactical matchups for his team. He directed N to engage Sasuke, tasked Kori with neutralizing Suigetsu, and decided to personally confront Karin in a battle between sensors. Sasuke, however, remained wary of the team’s typical four-man formation. Suspecting a hidden ambush, he ordered Karin to search for the fourth member, as he was unaware of Shiro’s current location.

Karin closed her eyes and suddenly detected the threat, alerting Sasuke to an attack from behind. The real M materialized and delivered a powerful kick to Sasuke’s back before launching four explosive kunai at Suigetsu. As Suigetsu attempted to liquify his body to evade the damage, M landed on him and funneled lightning chakra through his feet, disrupting the hydrification process. Kori immediately capitalized on this opening by placing her palm on Suigetsu’s unstable form, using her Ice Style to execute the Winter Veil Seal and trapping him entirely within an ice prism.

Simultaneously, the rest of Team Taka was systematically dismantled. N utilized a massive blast of wind to repel Jugo, pushing him back and leaving him vulnerable to a coordinated strike. One of Kori’s clones intercepted the displaced Jugo and successfully encased him in a second ice prism. As Sasuke regained his footing and witnessed Jugo’s capture, Kori moved with blinding speed to tap his back, trapping him in a third ice prism before he could mount a counterattack. With Team Taka neutralized, M’s clone landed in front of a terrified Karin, who ducked and screamed in response to his presence. M expressed his blatant disappointment in their performance, mocking the group's reputation. He questioned how a team that appeared so easily defeated could have been the same ones responsible for the capture of Killer B.

The battle shifted rapidly as Jugo activated his cursed mark, reaching a level of strength that allowed him to shatter the ice prism. Driven by a homicidal rage, he launched a violent charge at Kori, only to be intercepted by a mid-air kick from M. Simultaneously, Sasuke tapped into the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan to manifest a partial Susanoo, utilizing the ethereal armor to burst out of his own icy confinement. This display of power momentarily surprised N, who watched as Sasuke immediately pressed the offensive by charging at M with his lightning-infused blade.

A high-speed skirmish ensued as Kori and M coordinated their movements to pressure Sasuke. While Sasuke successfully evaded a kick from Kori, M followed up with a strike that Sasuke was able to block thanks to his enhanced ocular perception. Recognizing the danger, M dropped an explosive kunai to create distance, forcing a tactical reset. On the other side of the battlefield, Jugo emerged from the debris with incredible speed, nearly catching N off guard. In response, N activated her Sage Mode, allowing her to duck under his punch and use a Wind Style palm strike to blast him into a nearby wall with concussive force. Sasuke utilized a Body Flicker technique to reappear instantly in front of M, swinging his sword with lethal intent. Though M attempted to parry with a kunai, Sasuke’s lightning chakra allowed the blade to phase through and pierce M's shoulder. However, the advantage was short-lived as M’s clone launched a surprise attack from behind, sending Sasuke crashing into a wall. M and his clone then executed a relentless aerial combo, kicking Sasuke between them until he was forced to reactivate his Susanoo to shield himself. The two Cloud ninja leaped back, creating distance as Sasuke stood guarded by his skeletal defense.

Standing amidst the ruins of the hideout, Sasuke focused his gaze on M, and tears of blood began to stream from his left eye as he ignited the black flames of Amaterasu. Reacting with instinctive speed, M’s clone utilized a Body Flicker to jump in front of the original, acting as a shield while the inextinguishable flames consumed it. N and Kori watched in shock, recognizing the legendary visual prowess that was previously associated only with Itachi Uchiha. M immediately activated his Sage Mode, sensing the immense physical toll the technique had taken on Sasuke’s body. Seizing the opening, M utilized a specialized Ninja Art: Mind Destruction Jutsu to bypass Sasuke’s remaining defenses, successfully possessing his mind and knocking him unconscious. As Sasuke collapsed, M’s insects swarmed the Uchiha, rapidly draining his residual chakra to ensure he could not mount a sudden counter-recovery. When Jugo attempted a desperate final charge to protect his leader, M evaded the strike, allowing Kori to kick the warrior away before M used the same mind-possession technique to neutralize him.

With the primary threats handled, M turned his attention to the rest of Team Taka. He ignored the still-frozen Suigetsu and used a Body Flicker to reappear instantly in front of a panicked Karin, striking her chakra points to render her unconscious. After deactivating his Sage Mode, M prepared for their departure by binding Sasuke’s feet with a wire kunai. Despite N’s skepticism regarding the long journey ahead, M began to drag Sasuke out of the hideout by his feet. He justified the harsh treatment as a measured response to the capture of Killer B, asserting that the Uchiha deserved to be dragged across the world for his crimes against the Cloud.

Mysterious Masked man

Tobi.

As the team continued their journey, M sensed a distortion in the air and ordered an immediate retreat just as a masked Akatsuki member materialized before them. Recognizing the spatial-temporal nature of the technique, M activated his Sage Mode and declared his intent to kill the intruder rather than capture him. M's clone initiated the assault with a strike to the neck, which Tobi evaded using his intangibility. N followed up with a wind-style blast that forced Tobi back toward Kori, but her attempt to freeze him failed as her hand phased directly through his body.

The skirmish intensified as M attempted a kunai strike to Tobi’s neck, only to have his weapon pass through the masked man. Tobi successfully seized M by the throat, intending to warp him away with Kamui. However, M’s clone intervened with a strike that passed through both of them, creating a momentary opening that allowed the real M to kick Tobi in the face and leap back. Despite a follow-up explosion from a hidden kunai, Tobi emerged from the smoke entirely unscathed. Through their mental link, the team began to systematically analyze Tobi's ability. M deduced that while Tobi could phase through any attack, there was a specific window of vulnerability during his own offensive movements or when he attempted to grab a target. He also noted that Tobi could extend this intangibility to objects or people he was touching. To exploit this weakness, M established a high-stakes tactical plan: Kori would act as the bait to draw Tobi's physical contact, while N would provide the counter-attack following M's initial distraction. Observing their coordinated silence, Tobi recognized that he was facing highly disciplined opponents and resolved to maintain absolute focus.

Kori and M launched a synchronized front-line assault, with Kori’s physical strikes passing harmlessly through Tobi’s body. Tobi feinted a grab toward Kori, a move that baited M into committing to a Body Flicker and a kunai strike to Tobi’s chest. However, M realized too late that the chakra pulse he had sensed was a diversion, as his weapon passed through the target without resistance. Taking advantage of the opening, Tobi successfully seized Kori’s wrist to initiate his Kamui warp. Kori immediately countered by gripping his arm and activating her Winter Veil Seal, causing ice to spread rapidly across Tobi’s limb. While Tobi dismissed the attempt as futile against his intangibility, M’s explosive clone suddenly appeared and clamped its hands over Tobi's iced-over arm. Kori delivered a forceful kick to Tobi’s chest to propel herself backward just as the clone triggered a massive detonation at point-blank range.

The forest was instantly engulfed in a localized inferno of smoke and flames. Kori, standing at a safe distance with N and M, watched the smoldering crater and questioned if their coordinated trap had finally bypassed the masked man's defenses.

Tobi materialized behind N and attempted to bind her with chains, but her sensory abilities allowed her to duck the initial strike. As she and Kori launched a series of counter-attacks with kunai, Tobi manipulated his intangibility to let the weapons pass through him while simultaneously allowing his chains to phase through N's defensive posture. The moment the weapons cleared, he solidified the chains, successfully binding her. In response, M and Kori flooded the area with forty Sage-enhanced shadow clones, surrounding the masked man. Recognizing that the sheer volume of high-level clones would eventually expose the window of his vulnerability, Tobi released N and retreated into his dimension.

However, he immediately reappeared in front of the real M mid-air. Before M could react, Tobi ensnared him in a powerful Sharingan genjutsu, causing his clones to vanish as he hit the ground. Tobi quickly turned his gaze toward N and Kori, trapping them in the same ocular illusion and neutralizing the entire team. As the three shinobi lay incapacitated, M’s insects launched an autonomous defense, swarming from his clothing to attack Tobi. To counter the hive, Tobi unleashed a Fire Style: Bomb Blast Dance, creating a massive vortex of flames to incinerate the incoming swarm. Despite the insects successfully flooding his position and beginning to drain his chakra, Tobi maintained focus long enough to seize Sasuke and transport him away into his dimension, leaving the defeated team behind in the smoldering clearing.

At the Mountain Graveyard hideout, White Zetsu noted that Team Sakaya had proven more formidable than anticipated. Tobi admitted that their mastery of the Slug Sage Mode from the Shikkotsu Forest made them significant threats. He then instructed Zetsu to return Sasuke to Team Taka once the Cloud shinobi vacated the area, as he still required the Uchiha for the upcoming Five Kage Summit. Back at the battle site, M’s insects successfully disrupted the flow of chakra in each teammate, releasing them from the genjutsu. As the group regained consciousness, they realized Sasuke was gone. M revealed that he had seen a Sharingan behind the mask just before the illusion hit, noting that the man's transportation ability seemed to originate directly from his eye.

While N questioned if the intruder could be Itachi, M dismissed the idea, citing that both the chakra signature and the specific abilities did not match. Despite the frustration of losing their prisoner to a superior spatial-temporal power, M ordered the team to move out, recognizing that their mission had just become far more complicated.

Shiro of the Leaf

Shiro Yamanak.

Hidden Leaf village

Shiro stood on a forest branch, sensing three rogue ninjas attempting to breach the village perimeter. He intercepted them directly, landing in their path and offering a final warning to retreat. Dismissing him because he appeared to be alone, the rogues prepared to attack. Shiro quickly performed a sequence of hand signs and struck the ground, triggering the Exploding Flame Formation. Massive quantities of explosive tags erupted from the earth, binding the intruders' bodies before detonating in a series of fatal blasts. The sound of the explosions alerted the Hidden Leaf’s defense force, drawing Guy, Shikamaru, and Neji to the scene. They found only the scorched remains of the rogue ninjas scattered across the clearing. Despite activating his Byakugan, Neji was unable to detect any lingering chakra signatures or hidden individuals in the vicinity.

Recognizing the efficiency of the strike, Shikaku ordered the shinobi back to their posts, while ROOT operatives watching from the shadows correctly attributed the clinical elimination to Shiro’s covert protection. Shiro intercepted Kakashi, Yamato, and Naruto as they departed the village. Deploying a shadow clone to run alongside them, he questioned their exit during such a critical period of reconstruction. Kakashi explained that Naruto intended to intercept the Raikage to plead for Sasuke’s life. After a brief exchange, Kakashi instructed Shiro to maintain his vigil over the village, and the clone dissipated after nodding in agreement.

Returning his focus to the eastern front, the real Shiro confronted a three-man team of intruders. While ROOT agents observed from the shadows, Shiro issued a final warning. When the ninjas ignored him and charged, Shiro utilized the Fire Style: Hiding in Ash Jutsu, flooding the area with a burning cloud that blinded his opponents. Under the cover of the scorching heat, he lethally slit their throats. Immediately after the kill, Shiro sensed a coordinated ambush from the observing ROOT operatives. He successfully evaded an attack from behind while Rita summoned a massive swarm of flies to provide cover against the flanking agents. Using this distraction, Shiro transformed into a fly and retreated.

The ROOT agents, mistaking his unique abilities for Aburame techniques, attempted to incinerate the swarm with Fire Style: Misty Flames Dance. However, Shiro and the flies vanished before the gas could ignite, once again leaving the operatives with no trace of their target. Inoichi Yamanaka established a telepathic link with Shiro to express his growing concern over the ROOT agents hunting him. Shiro reassured his uncle, insisting that Inoichi remain uninvolved to avoid political arrest. He noted that his experience as a rogue ninja had prepared him for much more dangerous pursuers and revealed that Rita was continuously replenishing his chakra reserves. Despite these assurances, Inoichi remained anxious, ultimately urging his nephew not to push his limits.

Land Of Frost

Meanwhile, Team Sakaya traveled toward the Land of Lightning, discussing the ongoing Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron. N questioned whether they should divert their path to protect the Raikage, but Kori and M remained confident in his strength, noting he was already accompanied by Darui and C. Their primary concern shifted to the impending report of their mission; M acknowledged the Raikage’s inevitable disappointment upon learning that Sasuke Uchiha had been taken from their custody by the masked Akatsuki member.

Hidden Leaf Village

Sensing Ino’s spiraling emotions, Shiro located her alongside Shikamaru and Choji. Recognizing her distress over Danzo's recent execution order for Sasuke, Shiro invited his cousin for a walk to discuss the situation privately. He explained the harsh political reality: by joining the Akatsuki and attacking the Hidden Cloud, Sasuke had endangered the safety of the Hidden Leaf. Shiro reminded Ino that while her feelings were valid, her primary responsibility as a ninja was to protect the village and maintain a clear judgment. To ease her pain, Shiro promised Ino that he would facilitate a meeting between her and Sasuke if his team crossed paths with him again. Although Ino pleaded for Shiro’s friends to spare Sasuke, Shiro could only offer a sympathetic smile, knowing the Cloud was relentless in their pursuit. After ensuring Ino had regained her composure and returned to her friends, Shiro’s demeanor shifted back to that of a tactician.

Shiro remained acutely aware of the three ROOT agents tracking his movements. As he walked away with his hands in his pockets, he sensed the trio calling for reinforcements. While most of the operatives retreated into the shadows to prepare a larger ambush, the original three continued to follow him visibly, attempting to draw him into a confrontation. Shiro maintained his focus, carefully monitoring the area to ensure that his conversation with Ino had not placed her in the crosshairs of Danzo's men. Shiro continued his walk until he reached a vantage point on a tree branch, where he activated Sage Mode and whispered a specialized Body Replacement technique.

Eleven ROOT agents—three visible and eight hidden in the shadows—closed in to surround him. The lead operative declared Shiro an asset of the state and issued a final ultimatum, demanding he surrender to the Foundation for re-education or face the consequences of harboring international secrets. Shiro, sensing the perimeter they had formed, simply asked if they were prepared to die. The ROOT squad initiated a coordinated capture, using Water Style: Syrup Capture Field to bind Shiro to the branches while peppering him with senbon. To ensure he could not escape or use sensory skills, they erected a Four-Corner Fog Barrier and placed a suppression seal directly on his body. Confident in their success, the operatives mocked his attempts at psychological manipulation, believing they had successfully neutralized the "mind thief" through superior focus and teamwork.

However, the captured Shiro remained unfazed, questioning their certainty. Suddenly, every ROOT agent felt a presence manifest behind them; a Shiro clone had materialized behind each operative with a kunai held to their throat. Before they could react, the clones executed the entire twelve-man squad simultaneously. The "captured" Shiro in the center of the barrier dissolved into a slug and vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing it was a decoy. Having eliminated the threat, the real Shiro deactivated his Sage Mode and stepped away from the massacre.

Mystery of the Masked Uchiha

Naruto plead for Sasuke.

Land of Iron

After tracking Team Samui to the Land of Iron, Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato successfully intercepted the Raikage. However, the meeting proved futile; the Raikage sternly rejected Naruto’s plea for Sasuke’s life, reprimanding the young ninja for his perceived weakness and for defending a known criminal. Shortly after, the Raikage received a written update delivered by M’s insects, detailing Team Sakaya’s failure to secure Sasuke due to the intervention of the masked Akatsuki member. Enraged by the news of this "intangible" threat, the Raikage destroyed the letter in a display of mounting frustration.

Hidden Clouds Village

Simultaneously, Team Sakaya crossed the threshold of the Hidden Cloud Village for the first time in three years. During their return, Kinta informed the team that Killer B had been spotted alive and was currently using the chaos as a cover to roam freely. While the team found humor in B’s antics, they recognized the severity of the situation as they entered the Raikage’s office to face their superiors.

The team was met with a mixture of shock from Mabui and professional caution from Dodai. When questioned about their three-year absence, the trio provided a visual answer by simultaneously activating their Sage Mode. The display of such refined chakra control impressed Dodai, who immediately requested a comprehensive report on their training and the tactical advantages of their new abilities. After concluding their debriefing on the mechanics of their Sage Mode, the team was dismissed, officially marking their return to the Hidden Cloud’s active duty roster.

After their official debriefing, Kori suggested that the team visit their mentor, Sakaya. When they arrived at her home and knocked, Sakaya was visibly stunned to find her former students standing on her doorstep after three years. The reunion was filled with warmth as Kori rushed to hug her, and Sakaya invited them inside, though she playfully warned them to keep their voices down so as not to wake her sleeping baby. As they settled in, Sakaya eagerly questioned where they had been for the past three years. N explained that they had discovered a connection to sage chakra and had spent the duration of their absence following its trail. Kori confirmed that they had spent that time in deep study and practice, leading Sakaya to ask if they had successfully learned to channel natural energy. M proudly confirmed their success, and N noted a significant personal victory: because of his mastery over nature energy, M no longer suffered from his previous chakra exhaustion weakness. Sakaya beamed with pride, marveling at how powerful her "babies" had become during their time away. Kori smiled back, remarking that deep down, she believed their sensei had always known they were capable of reaching such heights.

The following morning, M visited the Raikage’s office to find Mabui managing the headquarters alone, as the Raikage was still attending the summit in the Land of Iron. M requested a blank scroll, explaining that he needed to document the specifics of their encounter with the Akatsuki member. As he began to write, he shared his theory that the masked man possessed a Mangekyō Sharingan, rather than a standard one. Mabui was skeptical, noting that with Itachi Uchiha confirmed dead, Sasuke was supposed to be the last living member of the clan. M countered this by detailing the intruder’s specialized abilities, specifically the spatial-temporal transportation and the intangibility that allowed him to phase through Sage-level attacks. He argued that a base Sharingan would have been unable to track their movements or facilitate such high-level techniques.

Although the battle had moved at a blistering pace, M recalled sensing a distinct surge of chakra emanating from the man’s right eye every time he utilized his phasing ability. He concluded that the culprit was likely an Uchiha who had defected from the Hidden Leaf long before the clan’s massacre. Mabui listened intently, recognizing that the existence of another powerful Uchiha shifted the geopolitical landscape and added a dangerous new variable to their hunt for the Akatsuki.

With Sasuke temporarily out of his reach, M shifted his focus to a long-standing personal objective: the assassination of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. Now empowered by Sage Mode, M spread a detailed map of the Hidden Stone Village across his desk. He began cross-referencing years of gathered intelligence regarding their patrol routes, sensory perimeters, and overall military strength. Unlike his previous life as a rogue ninja, M recognized the tactical advantage of his current status. He meticulously planned his entry points, aiming to bypass the Stone’s specialized earth-style defenses using his enhanced Sage sensory abilities.

M poured over his scrolls, calculating the risk of engaging the Stone’s elite forces. His goal was surgical—to eliminate the Tsuchikage and anyone foolish enough to stand in his way, then vanish before the village could mobilize a full counter-response.

The Five Kage summit

The Five Kage Summit.

Land of Iron

The Five Kage Summit began under a cloud of deep-seated suspicion, with Mifune presiding over a table of leaders who were more interested in trading insults than forming an alliance. The fragile peace shattered when Danzō brought up the capture of Killer B, sending the Raikage into a blind fury. As A smashed the table, the bodyguards for every Kage—including Darui, C, Temari, and Kankurō—leaped into defensive stances, their hands on their weapons as the room crackled with killing intent.

The Raikage launched into a scathing indictment of his peers, accusing them of enabling the Akatsuki’s rise. He pointed to the Hidden Sand’s past collusion during the Konoha Crush, the Tsuchikage’s frequent use of Akatsuki mercenaries to supplement the Stone’s military, and the dark history of the Hidden Mist, where the Fourth Mizukage was believed to have been a puppet for the organization. The atmosphere grew even grimmer when Danzō dropped a bombshell: the mastermind behind the Akatsuki was almost certainly the legendary Madara Uchiha.

In an attempt to stabilize the situation, Mifune proposed a historic unification of the five great nations, suggesting that Danzō should lead the new Shinobi Alliance. However, the proposal was quickly exposed as a sham. Ao, a bodyguard for the Mizukage, used his transplanted Byakugan to detect a sinister chakra flow coming from Danzō’s eye. He revealed that Danzō was using the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan of Shisui Uchiha to manipulate Mifune’s mind. Before the Kage could demand an explanation for this treachery, White Zetsu manifested in the center of the hall, mockingly announcing that Sasuke Uchiha had arrived and was lurking nearby.

Driven by an uncontrollable rage, the Raikage seized White Zetsu by the throat, snapping his neck when the creature refused to divulge Sasuke’s exact location. Accompanied by Darui and C, A stormed out of the summit hall, leaving a path of destruction in his wake. Outside, Sasuke and Team Taka had already cut through the Land of Iron’s samurai guards, but they soon found that the Kage were opponents of an entirely different caliber. The confrontation between the Uchiha and the Raikage was a brutal display of power. A utilized his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to achieve blinding speed and strength, effortlessly snapping Suigetsu’s Kubikiribōchō in half and overwhelming a fully transformed Jugo. When Sasuke’s Chidori failed to pierce the Raikage’s lightning-clad flesh, he was forced to activate his Mangekyō Sharingan.

In a desperate bid for defense, Sasuke manifested an incomplete Susanoo and coated its ribs in the black flames of Amaterasu. Undeterred by the risk of self-injury, the Raikage smashed through the skeletal defense with a devastating leg drop, sacrificing his own arm to the eternal flames in the process. Before the Raikage could land a potentially fatal follow-up strike, Gaara intervened with his sand, hoping to persuade Sasuke to abandon his path of vengeance. When Sasuke refused to yield, the Kazekage was forced to join the fray. Sasuke stood defiant within the shell of his Susanoo, withstanding a combined assault from Gaara, Kankurō, Temari, and Darui. Realizing he was being pinned down, Sasuke collapsed the ceiling to create a diversion, allowing him and Karin to abandon Suigetsu and Jugo as he pursued Danzō.

The chase was cut short when Sasuke arrived back at the meeting hall. Danzō fled immediately, pursued by Ao, while the Fifth Mizukage, Terumī Mei, blocked Sasuke’s path with her lethal Lava Release. Though a Spore Technique from Zetsu provided Sasuke with a sudden surge of stolen chakra, he found himself trapped between Mei’s corrosive acidic mist and the overwhelming power of the Tsuchikage. As Ōnoki prepared to disintegrate the weakened Uchiha with his Particle Style, Tobi materialized in the center of the room, warping Sasuke into his safety just as the light of the technique faded.

After warping Sasuke and Karin to the safety of his pocket dimension, Tobi addressed the remaining Kage with chilling clarity. He admitted that Sasuke’s assault was a calculated move to "blood" the young Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan and test the strength of the world's leaders. He then revealed the true history of the Sage of the Six Paths, explaining that the legendary figure had saved the world by sealing the Ten-Tails within himself. To prevent its rebirth after his death, the Sage split the beast's chakra into the nine Tailed Beasts and cast the physical husk into the sky, creating the moon. Tobi’s ultimate goal, the Project Tsuki no Me (Eye of the Moon Plan), was to reunite the nine beasts, become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, and use the moon to cast a permanent, global genjutsu—the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

The summit reached a breaking point when Tobi demanded the surrender of the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails. The Kage, led by the Raikage’s refusal to sacrifice his brother and Gaara’s refusal to hand over Naruto, stood united. In response, Tobi made history by declaring the Fourth Shinobi World War before vanishing into thin air. With a global conflict now inevitable, the Kage moved with uncharacteristic unity: The Shinobi Alliance: For the first time, the five great nations and the Land of Iron formed a singular military force.

Leadership: A, the Fourth Raikage, was elected the Supreme Commander of the Alliance due to his strength and the fact that the Cloud had never produced a member of the Akatsuki. Containment: It was decided that Naruto and Killer B would be hidden on a remote island to prevent Tobi from completing his collection of beasts. Diplomacy: Since Danzō had fled and lost all credibility, the Kage bypassed him, choosing to communicate with the Hidden Leaf via Kakashi Hatake.

Killer B vs Kisame

A and B.

While the Kage were deliberating in the Land of Iron, a brutal clash unfolded between the "Monster without a Tail," Kisame Hoshigaki, and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. Killer B, attempting to enjoy his newfound freedom, found himself trapped in a battle of attrition. Kisame’s sentient blade, Samehada, proved to be the ultimate counter to a Jinchūriki, gorging itself on B’s massive chakra reserves to grow into a monstrous, spiked form. The battle reached a terrifying peak when Kisame initiated his Water Prison Shark Dance Jutsu. He transformed the battlefield into a massive, moving sphere of water and fused with Samehada to become a shark-human hybrid, capable of breathing underwater and sensing chakra through his skin. B was forced to prioritize the lives of his new friends, Sabu and Ponta, which left him vulnerable. By the time the water dome dissipated, B lay unconscious and drained of his strength.

In a bizarre turn of events, Samehada—developed a "taste" for B’s octopus-flavored chakra—rebelled against Kisame, attempting to protect and heal the fallen ninja. Disgusted by the betrayal, Kisame moved to finish the job with one of B's own swords. The execution was interrupted by a thunderous arrival. The Raikage, having tracked his brother's chakra signature, appeared alongside Darui and C. Driven by relief and lingering fury from the summit, A joined his brother for their signature move. Together, they executed the Lightning Release: Double Lariat, their combined speed and power decapitating Kisame before the Akatsuki member could even process their movements.

Hidden Cloud Village

In the quiet solitude of the Hidden Cloud, M’s meditation was a cold, calculated rehearsal of assassination. He realized that an official strike against the Tsuchikage would likely branding him a rogue once more. But for M, the blood debt outweighed the political cost. He visualized the infiltration: slipping past the Stone’s sensory nets, weaving through the jagged canyons, and cornering the aged Master of Particle Style. With his Sage-enhanced reserves, M calculated the devastating potential of his Exploding Sage Clones. By staggering twenty clones to detonate in a synchronized chain, he could effectively erase everything within a 400-meter radius—a blast zone so absolute that not even the swiftest Earth Style defense could save Ōnoki. To M, the Tsuchikage was already a dead man; he just hadn't felt the heat of the blast yet.

Hidden Leal Village

Meanwhile, in the Hidden Leaf, the atmosphere was slightly lighter. Shiro materialized silently within the medical tent where Lady Tsunade was recovering. Seeing her awake and regaining her strength, he offered a respectful greeting. Tsunade, between bites of her meal, questioned his long absence, only for Shiro to reveal his successful mastery of Sage Mode. Shizune stood stunned, knowing the immense difficulty and danger involved in seeking the power of the Sages. Shiro didn't linger for praise; he reassured them that he would continue to act as the village’s invisible shield against Danzō’s ROOT and external threats alike. With a final word of encouragement for Tsunade's recovery, he vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of his presence behind.

Hidden Cloud Village

Few days later, the gates of the Hidden Cloud Village were crowded with shinobi waiting in restless anticipation. When the Fourth Raikage finally appeared alongside Killer B, Darui, and C, the air was briefly filled with the cheers of Karui and Omoi, relieved to see the Eight-Tails host returned. However, the warmth of the homecoming was quickly stifled by Mabui’s grim expression. She welcomed the Raikage back but insisted on an immediate council, noting that there was no time for rest. When Omoi questioned the urgency, C dropped a bombshell that silenced the crowd: the Fourth Great Ninja War was upon them, and for the first time in history, an Allied Shinobi Force had been formed.

As they moved toward the headquarters, M’s eyes lingered on the massive, bandage-wrapped blade slung across Killer B’s back. While the others celebrated the "prize" won from Kisame Hoshigaki, M felt a prickle of unease. Darui fell into step beside him, slinging an arm over his shoulder to ask where he had been, but M was distracted by the sight of the Raikage’s missing arm. When Darui whispered that the leader had charged headlong into Sasuke’s Amaterasu, M couldn't help a dark chuckle. He had always warned that the Raikage’s temper would be his undoing one day. Once inside the office, the atmosphere turned clinical and cold. M immediately voiced his concerns about Samehada, warning that the Akatsuki utilized strange techniques and could be using the sword to spy on them. Killer B dismissed the idea, claiming the blade was just his new "side man," and the Raikage insisted the owner was dead. Deep within the scales of the sword, Kisame held his breath, realizing that M’s sharp sensory skills made him the most dangerous person in the room.

M handed over his investigative report on the masked man, and the name "Madara Uchiha" began to circulate through the room like a ghost. The council struggled to reconcile the legend with the present, but M pushed past the mystery to the tactical reality. He questioned why Madara would declare war now and argued that seven Tailed Beasts without hosts wouldn't be enough to win a war against a unified world. He reasoned that a man of Madara’s experience must have a hidden military force—something more significant than just the beasts themselves. The Raikage took M’s analysis seriously, appointing him to the Intelligence Division with a specific task: reconnaissance. He ordered M’s team to find the true extent of Madara's military power without engaging the enemy.

As M, Kori, and N walked back toward the village gates, the weight of the war finally began to settle. M remained cynical about an alliance with the Hidden Stone, knowing old grudges died hard, and he suggested they operate as a specialized strike unit rather than being stuck in a command center. Seeing the nerves on his friends' faces, M offered a quiet, firm reassurance that they would make it through the storm together.

Preparation for war

The Five Kage meeting in the Hidden cloud village.

Land Of Fire

As the team traversed the lush, sprawling forests of the Land of Fire, M remained silent, his mind anchored by the bitter history between the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Cloud. He knew that an alliance built on paper often crumbled on the battlefield when old blood was involved. Kori, catching the shadowed look in his eyes, quietly asked if he was alright, sensing the weight of the leadership role he was beginning to carry.

Hidden Leaf Village

Team Sakaya arrived at the gates of the Hidden Leaf, identifying themselves as diplomats from the Cloud. Once granted entry, they made their way through the busy streets toward the Hokage’s office. Reaching out with his mental link, M sent a silent command: Shiro, meet us at the hokage’s office.

Inside the office, the air smelled of medicinal herbs and ink. M greeted Lady Tsunade, noting her recovery, while N teased that the group still identified as Team Sakaya, jokingly claiming M wasn't worthy of the lead. The banter was cut short when Shiro stepped into the room, bowing respectfully to the Hokage. N immediately wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace, bridging the gap of their long absence. Turning to business, M asked Tsunade if the Leaf had uncovered anything regarding Madara’s military numbers. Tsunade admitted that while they had units out, the data was still coming in. M didn't hesitate; he informed her that they would be taking Shiro with them to bolster their reconnaissance unit. Tsunade gave her blessing with a stern warning to be ready for the carnage to come. As they walked out of the building and back into the sunlight of the village, the four of them fell into a familiar formation.

As the team moved through the outskirts of the Leaf, Kinta and Rita broke the silence. They revealed that the "babies" had discovered a dangerous new player. Madara had gained an ally whose chakra felt like a refined version of the energy found in Orochimaru’s hideouts, only far more potent. Kinta confirmed it was indeed a Snake Sage, and Rita added a chilling detail: this ally was using the Reanimation Jutsu to raise the dead, including fallen Akatsuki members, to serve as an undying army. Kori recoiled at the thought of the dead being used as puppets, but Shiro remained focused, ordering the bugs to maintain the lead as they set their sights on the Mountains' Graveyard. Days later, they crossed the Land of Fire's border and stumbled upon a grisly scene. The path was littered with the bodies of fallen shinobi, a trail so blatant it seemed like a trap. Kori questioned the obviousness of the carnage, but Shiro noted that the alliance between Madara and this new Sage was likely built on mutual distrust rather than loyalty; they weren't hiding their tracks because they didn't care for one another's secrecy.

Suddenly, Kinta’s voice sharpened in M’s mind: "Ōnoki is on his way to the Cloud Village for the Five Kage meeting." The mention of the Tsuchikage snapped something inside M. His long-simmering vendetta overrode the mission parameters instantly. "Change of plans," he barked, his body erupting in a violent shroud of Lightning Release. He tore across the landscape like a bolt of blue light, leaving the others in the dust. N called out for him to slow down, her voice fading as he pulled away, but M was beyond listening. He drew deep into his reserves, manifesting three Sage Shadow Clones while at full sprint. Without losing a step, the clones scooped up Shiro, N, and Kori, and with the added strength of Sage Mode, M’s speed doubled. He wasn't just moving toward the Cloud; he was racing toward a collision with the man who had destroyed his past.

Hidden Cloud Village

In the council room of the Hidden Cloud, an unexpected spirit of cooperation had begun to take root. The Fourth Raikage had finally conceded to a monumental request, agreeing to let Killer B mentor Naruto Uzumaki in mastering the Nine-Tails' chakra. Yet, just as the foundations of the Alliance seemed to solidify, the diplomatic calm was shattered by a sudden, violent shift in the room's energy. Despite the advancing years that weighed on his frame, Ōnoki’s sensory instincts remained razor-sharp. He felt the disturbance long before the other Kage—a familiar, surging chakra signature screaming toward the village, saturated with murderous intent. Without offering a single word of explanation to the stunned leaders surrounding him, the Tsuchikage channeled his power. With a series of rapid, rhythmic cracks, jagged plates of dense rock erupted from the floor and fused to his skin, manifesting as the formidable Earth Release: Golem Armor. Sharpened stone projectiles rose into a telekinetic orbit around him, vibrating with the lethal intensity of his focused will.

The transformation served as an explicit declaration of war within the sanctuary of the summit. Tsunade and the Raikage instinctively spun away from the window, while Gaara’s sand began to leak from his gourd in a slow, protective wave. but Ōnoki did not blink. His gaze was fixed on the horizon beyond the village walls, where the peace of the summit had already ceased to exist. In that moment, he no longer saw the gathered Kage; he saw only the face of the man who had infiltrated the Hidden Stone and murdered his daughter in cold blood. He stood ready to turn the council room into a graveyard if it meant finally burying M. From the sidelines, Shikaku Nara narrowed his eyes, his mind racing through the tactical fallout of the unfolding disaster.

M vs Onoki.

Onoki.

M appeared at the doorway, a vision of lethal intent. Wreathed in the flickering arc of Lightning Release and bolstered by the heavy, natural energy of Sage Mode, he radiated a killing intent that physically weighed on the room. The Raikage stiffened, fully aware of the depth of the grudge M held against the Tsuchikage. He stepped forward, his voice a low, urgent command: “M… don’t…!” Around the table, the other world leaders braced for the collision. Tsunade gripped the window frame so hard the wood groaned, while Gaara and the Mizukage rose slightly, their own defenses stirring. Only Ōnoki remained seated, his eyes narrowing into slits as he calculated the speed of the approaching threat.

M blurred into motion, charging with a speed that defied the human eye. The Raikage reacted instantly, utilizing his signature lightning-speed teleportation to intercept the boy with a crushing punch. However, M’s Sage-enhanced senses allowed him to evade the strike with fluid ease. Without breaking his stride, M launched a volley of kunai toward the Tsuchikage. Ōnoki, still refusing to stand, raised a wall of mud and began the tell-tale glow of his Particle Style. The air above them suddenly fractured as another M plummeted from the ceiling, wreathed in lightning. Before Gaara’s sand could even rise to intercept, a Particle Style cube bloomed in the center of the room, incinerating the falling clone. But the distraction served its purpose. The first M pierced through the mud wall with a lightning-clad hand, while a third clone landed directly beside Ōnoki, surging electricity into the old man’s body to nullify his stone armor. With a lethal arc, M swung a lightning-charged kunai toward the Tsuchikage’s throat.

The veteran Tsuchikage narrowly avoided the blade by employing the Weighted Boulder Jutsu, instantly increasing M’s body mass until he was forced to the floor, where he vanished into a cloud of smoke. The room fell into a terrifying stalemate as two more M clones landed directly behind the Tsuchikage, standing over him like grim bodyguards. M then issued a cold ultimatum, warning the assembly that any further movement would trigger a massive detonation. With the council effectively held hostage, M demanded that the Hidden Mist’s sensory specialist, Ao, verify the level of the threat. Despite the Mizukage’s correction regarding her village’s title, M remained focused on the tactical reality, which Ao confirmed through his Byakugan: every version of M in the room was primed with a massive, disruptive chakra, ready to explode at a moment’s notice. The tension in the council room reached a critical point as the true nature of M’s threat was revealed.

Shikaku Nara and Tsunade immediately recognized the severity of the situation; while Shikaku reeled at the presence of three distinct, high-capacity clones, Tsunade identified the use of Sage Mode, realizing the advanced level of power M had attained. The Raikage and Tsunade attempted to appeal to M’s reason, citing the impending war with Madara as the ultimate priority, but M remained unmoved. He revealed that each clone was specially engineered to target the Tsuchikage with a twenty-meter blast radius enhanced by lightning chakra, cold-bloodedly advising the other world leaders to evacuate and leave Ōnoki to his fate. The diplomatic standoff turned increasingly hostile as the Mizukage, Mei, warned M that he was placing himself at odds with every major global power. M’s clones responded with a blunt ultimatum, threatening death to anyone who failed to move. Even Gaara’s attempt to secretly intervene with his sand was immediately detected and neutralized by M’s heightened senses.

Despite the Raikage’s insistence that Ōnoki was vital to the war effort, M dismissed the necessity of the Hidden Stone, expressing a deep-seated contempt for the village and its leader. Shikaku, analyzing the tactical landscape, realized that an interception was nearly impossible due to the clones' proximity to Ōnoki, concluding that the only solution was to locate and defeat the real M. The situation shifted when the actual M and a clone of Kori appeared at the doorway. Leaning against the frame, M voiced his profound disappointment in the Raikage’s decision to protect a man responsible for his parents' suffering.

The threat escalated as M highlighted the impossible choice facing the Kage: they could neither react fast enough to save Ōnoki nor attack without triggering a catastrophic detonation. Kori’s clone advanced and utilized Ice Style to create a Crystal Dome, trapping herself, the Tsuchikage, and the three explosive clones within a singular, isolated barrier. As the room erupted in pleas from Mabui and Tsunade to end the madness, M remained cold and detached. He ignored the Mizukage’s warnings of future consequences, suggesting that the Allied Forces would be too preoccupied with Madara to pursue him. In a final, stinging rebuke to his village, he implied that if his own people had chosen to side with his enemy, he might find a more suitable alliance with the Akatsuki, framing the Raikage's diplomatic choices as a personal betrayal.

The entrance of Sakaya, M’s mentor, shifted the atmosphere from a tactical stalemate to an emotional confrontation. Despite the lethal formation maintained by the clones inside the ice barrier, Sakaya’s plea was deeply personal; she offered her own life in exchange for the Tsuchikage’s, warning M that his actions would result in a global "rogue ninja" designation. The weight of this betrayal—seeing his own teacher side with the man who had ruined his life—caused M’s resolve to fracture. Overcome by grief and feeling abandoned by everyone he trusted, he shed a final tear before his lightning chakra spiraled, and he body-flickered away from the summit. With M’s departure, the immediate threat dissolved, revealing the terrifying nature of the technique the Kage had just witnessed. As the ice barrier melted and the clones vanished into smoke, Gaara and Shikaku realized the full extent of the danger. Sakaya confirmed that the "Glacial Blitz Bomb" was never intended for defense; the ice was an execution mechanism designed to trap a target so they would bear the full force of a lightning-charged explosion.

The revelation left the Mizukage stunned by M’s audacity, while Mabui offered her gratitude to Sakaya for intervening before the council was permanently stained by a political assassination. The aftermath left the Alliance in a state of fragile, bitter tension. While Ōnoki survived, he was far from humbled, issuing a death threat against M that drew a sharp, final rebuke from Sakaya before she exited the room. The incident cast a shadow over the Raikage’s leadership, prompting Mifune to question his appointment as the head of the Allied Forces. Although the Raikage promised to handle his subordinate, a new fear took root among the strategists. Shikaku and Tsunade both acknowledged the catastrophic risk: if M’s tactical brilliance and Sage-level power were turned toward the Akatsuki, the Allied Shinobi Forces would face a far more dangerous and unpredictable war.

Team Sakaya sever ties

Team Sakaya.

Returning to his home, M found his team waiting in a state of high tension. The failed assassination attempt was immediately apparent; when N asked for the outcome, M revealed that his resolve had faltered upon the arrival of Sakaya. The physical evidence of his emotional turmoil—the tear streaks on his face—prompted a moment of rare vulnerability. Kori offered a comforting embrace, acknowledging the pain of his choice. Despite the unfinished business with the Tsuchikage, M made the executive decision to depart, offering his comrades the freedom to remain and assist in the war effort. However, loyalty proved stronger than duty; both Kori and Shiro refused to let him go alone. While N maintained her allegiance to the Hidden Cloud, she agreed to join them on the condition that they kept a protective watch over her parents, Himari and Raihaku. With a final command to the bugs Kinta and Rita to track her parents’ safety, the entire team vanished from the village.

In the council room, the atmosphere remained thick with paranoia. Mabui reported that M’s entire squad had disappeared, evading the pursuit of the jonin. The Raikage immediately deduced that M intended to ambush the Tsuchikage during his return journey to the Land of Earth. Recognizing the gravity of the threat, Gaara offered to consolidate their forces, suggesting that he and Ōnoki travel together under a shared guard. Although the Tsuchikage attempted to dismiss the concern, the memory of his near-death experience forced a silent concession. The Raikage finalized the security measures, assigning a dedicated squad of Cloud jonin to ensure the leaders reached their borders safely.

Land Of Frost

Now stationed in the Land of Frost, M’s team monitored the movements of their targets. M noted that the escort squad included not only Gaara but also N’s father and Sakaya, creating a significant tactical and emotional barrier. N’s immediate refusal to attack her own family forced M into a brooding silence. Kori took the opportunity to challenge M’s motivations, urging him to abandon his pursuit of vengeance. She argued that the weight of hatred was incompatible with his true nature, suggesting that his talents were better spent as a protector than an assassin. M responded with a detached offer for her to join the war effort instead, but Kori remained steadfast, calling out his avoidance and forcing him to confront the toll his vendetta was taking on his soul.

Land Of Fire

Weeks later, as Team Sakaya moved through the Land of Fire, the shadow of the Fourth Great Shinobi War finally stretched across the continent. M monitored the opening movements of the conflict, noting that the enemy forces consisted of a massive legion of White Zetsu clones bolstered by Kabuto’s army of reanimated shinobi. When N expressed concern over whether any of their fallen Cloud comrades had been desecrated by this jutsu, M reassured her, reminding the group of the precautions they had previously taken to secure their dead. While N maintained a sense of confidence in the combined strength of the Five Great Nations, M remained pragmatic, affirming that their team would only intervene if the situation for the Allied Shinobi Forces became critical.

The lightheartedness of the group was briefly interrupted when Kinta revealed a high-level reanimation: the Third Raikage had been summoned to the battlefield. The news sparked a moment of genuine excitement for N, who was eager to witness the legendary power of her village's former leader in action. This levity continued as Shiro jokingly suggested that M should be the one to challenge the resurrected Kage, a proposal M flatly rejected. Acknowledging that the Third Raikage possessed a level of power that likely surpassed even the current Fourth, M made it clear he had no desire to face a warrior of that caliber in a lethal confrontation. Despite the tension of the global conflict, the group shared a rare moment of laughter before transitioning back into motion. With the reality of the war now fully manifest, the team broke into a run, heading toward the shifting front lines where the legendary figures of the past had begun to clash with the soldiers of the present.

Mountain Graveyard

In the depths of the Mountains' Graveyard, Kabuto Yakushi orchestrated a surgical strike against the Allied Shinobi Forces. Recognizing that the medical and logistic support divisions were the backbone of the opposition’s endurance, he resolved to dismantle them from within. To execute this, he summonsed six coffins containing the Ishi no Me, an elite unit capable of bypassing sensory barriers undetected. By inserting his control tags, Kabuto forced the legendary team back into a world of the living they no longer recognized.

As the resurrected shinobi regained consciousness, a bitter realization took hold of the group. Amidst the confusion of their forced movement, the unit grappled with the memory of their final moments. While Rekka and Koma initially blamed their leader’s son, Sorai, for their demise, Nare revealed the harrowing truth: they had been deceived by a ten-year-old boy. She explained that M had meticulously mimicked Sorai’s appearance and chakra to infiltrate their ranks. Although Gennosuke was incredulous that a mere child could possess such lethal efficiency, Nare acknowledged the boy’s inherited talent from his mother, even as she bore the shame of being outmaneuvered by a kid.

The Ishi no me vs Team Sakaya

Team Sakaya.

The weight of this resurrection is felt instantly by Team Sakaya as they transit toward the Land of Frost. Rita delivers a chilling report: the Ishi no Me have been mobilized and are currently en route to the very division where N’s mother, Himari, is stationed. The news sends a shockwave through the group, particularly for Kori and N, who recognize the names of Sorai’s father and Nare. The team immediately abandons their previous course. Driven by a newfound urgency to protect the medical unit from an elite assassination squad, they surge forward at maximum speed, heading directly into a confrontation with the ghosts.

Shiro initially hopes the Allied sensory unit can handle the approaching assassins, but M immediately dismisses the possibility. He points out that Nare’s mastery of chakra erasure an ability that once baffled even his mother, makes the Ishi no Me virtually invisible to standard sensory ninja. Recognizing that the medical division will be defenseless against such a specialized strike, N urges M to use his space-time transportation to bridge the gap. M skids to a stop, his team halting in unison as he prepares for the transition. By utilizing the spiritual connection of Kinta and Rita to focus on a larvae he had previously placed on Himari, M is able to lock onto her location. Activating his Sage Mode to stabilize the massive chakra requirement, he allows his teammates to anchor themselves to him. In an instant, the group vanishes, reappearing directly in the heart of the medical camp.

Land of Lightning: Medical Camp

The sudden arrival sends a shockwave through the camp. Himari is left in disbelief, while Sakura Haruno and the other medical ninja instinctively move into combat stances, suspecting a reanimated ambush. N quickly attempts to de-escalate, warning her mother of the imminent danger. Without pausing for pleasantries, M leads a sprint toward the camp’s outer perimeter. When the guard units attempt to block their path, Kori efficiently neutralizes them with a barrier, keeping the team’s momentum forward. The tension spikes as Sakura pursues them, her fist clenched for a strike. Shiro attempts to reason with her, explaining their protective intent and the nature of the approaching Edo Tensei threat. However, it is M’s blunt logic that halts the confrontation; he reminds Sakura that if their goal had been assassination, the camp would have already fallen the moment they appeared in its center. The warning serves its purpose, shifting the focus from internal suspicion to the invisible enemies currently closing in on the medical division’s walls.

Allied Shinobi Forces’ Command Headquarters

In the Allied Shinobi Forces’ Command Headquarters, the atmosphere shifts from strategic coordination to sudden alarm as Ao detects M’s team materializing in the heart of the Logistical Support and Medical Division. The Raikage’s reaction is immediate and explosive, his suspicion of his subordinate’s motives mirrored by Shikaku Nara’s confusion. Under the Raikage's command, Inoichi Yamanaka establishes a telepathic link to demand an explanation for the unauthorized deployment. The telepathic exchange reveals a significant sensory gap within the Allied Forces. When M asks if the headquarters can detect the incoming threat, Inoichi’s confusion confirms M’s suspicion: the enemy is invisible to the Alliance's standard detection methods. Shiro clarifies the situation, announcing that the Ishi no Me—a legendary infiltration unit—is currently closing in on the medical camp. This revelation sends a ripple of concern through the command tent, especially as Ao and the other sensors admit they still cannot detect any hostile presence.

The gravity of the situation is explained by the Tsuchikage, who identifies Nare as a descendant of the Second Tsuchikage, Lord Mū. He notes that she possesses the rare ability to completely erase her chakra signature and extend that concealment to her entire squad, making the Ishi no Me the premier infiltration experts of the Hidden Stone. The Raikage recalls that during the Third Great War, only Lady Nagai—M’s mother—possessed the sensory talent to barely track them. Shikaku realizes that M has inherited this extraordinary ability, effectively acting as the only early-warning system the Alliance has against this specific threat. Despite the recent assassination attempt on Ōnoki, the leadership is forced to make a rapid decision regarding M’s reliability. While Ao questions the wisdom of trusting a boy who recently threatened a Kage, Tsunade intervenes before the Raikage can speak. With a firm vote of confidence, she insists that the Alliance must rely on M’s team to handle the elite assassins, recognizing that without M’s intervention, the medical division would be decimated before the first strike was even felt.

Medical camp

In front of the compound, Team Sakaya stood as a final line of defense. Kori had already raised a massive ice shield behind them, effectively fortifying the path to the medical tents and the compound. Even as they prepared for their own confrontation, the air vibrated with the overwhelming, demonic chakra of the Gedo Mazo being unleashed by Tobi against the First Division. N and Kori were visibly shaken by the sheer scale of the energy, but their focus was pulled back to the perimeter as the Ishi no Me arrived. The six resurrected legends of the Hidden Stone stepped out of the shadows, initially confused by the presence of a squad that appeared to be waiting for them. Gennosuke initially mistook M for his father, but Nare quickly corrected him, identifying the young man as the "Little M" who had once outmaneuvered them. As Haijiro heaved his axe with a grim remark on the boy's growth, Shiro urgently asked for a sealing team. Sakura, watching from behind the safety of the ice shield, warned that it would take a while for the sealers to arrive—precious time the team did not have.

The battle erupted as the ground beneath Team Sakaya shifted violently. They leapt into the air to avoid the earth jutsu, narrowly dodging a projectile strike from Haijiro and an explosive clay bird from Rekka. Kori’s barrier shattered under the force of the blast. The Ishi no Me moved with practiced, high-speed coordination, body-flickering behind M’s team to launch a multi-pronged assault. M and Shiro countered with shadow clones to absorb the initial impact, but the team suddenly found themselves immobilized by a rising dark swamp. Just as a secondary explosive clay bird closed in for the kill, M grabbed his teammates and utilized his space-time transportation to flicker out of existence.

They landed momentarily in the Aburame sanctuary before M quickly transported them back into the fray. The retaliation was surgical. Reappearing in the heart of the enemy formation, M drove a kunai into Gennosuke’s neck, while Kori trapped Rekka and Nare within an ice prism. Simultaneously, Shiro struck Haijiro as N’s wind blades dismantled the bodies of Oda and Kamo. Despite these lethal blows, the victory was short-lived; the team watched in frustration as the wounds of the reanimated shinobi began to knit back together. Gennosuke and Nare observed their own regeneration with a mix of horror and fascination, realizing that their immortal forms could not be defeated by physical force alone.

Rekka seized the opening, forming a series of hand seals to manifest a swarm of explosive clay birds, while Nare supported the assault with a sweeping wave of fire. Breathing heavily, M commanded his team to return to their fundamental tactics as the two elemental jutsus collided with Kori’s counter-offensive, a massive water wave. Amidst the steam and chaos, M and Shiro threw detonating kunai to intercept the clay birds, filling the air with a rhythmic series of explosions. The tactical situation grew increasingly complex as four of Shiro’s clones attempted to strike Nare, only for their attacks to phase through her form. She reappeared instantly behind the primary team, launching a barrage of earth spikes. While Kori raised a defensive ice barrier, a lightning-charged clone of M materialized behind Nare to deliver a counter-strike.

The threat escalated further when Rekka summoned a massive clay golem above the battlefield; the resulting blast radius threatened to level the entire medical compound. Realizing the stakes, M called for an immediate chakra transfer from Kori and his nearby swarms. As the sealing team finally arrived on the scene, M leaped into the air, grabbed the descending golem, and utilized his space-time transportation to relocate the imminent explosion to a deserted area identified by Kinta. In the same moment, the rest of the team lunged toward the remaining reanimations, but Rekka detonated his smaller clay birds in their midst. The force of the blast decimated the resurrected shinobi and left Team Sakaya reeling from the impact.

Himari seized the moment of the enemy's slow regeneration, ordering the sealing team to secure the Ishi no Me permanently. Once the threat was neutralized, Himari and Sakura rushed to the perimeter, where they found the members of Team Sakaya barely clinging to consciousness. Shizune and the medical corps quickly took over, their hands glowing with healing chakra as they stabilized Kori, N, Shiro, and Sakaya. After mending their burns and internal injuries, the medics carefully carried the exhausted shinobi back into the safety of the compound for further recovery.

Team Sakaya join the allied shinobi

White zetsu clones.

Allied Shinobi Forces’ Command Headquarters

In the Allied Shinobi Forces’ Command Headquarters, the heavy silence was broken by Ao’s report that Team Sakaya had successfully sealed the entirety of the Ishi no Me. While the victory was significant, the cost became immediately apparent. Ao informed the leadership that the team members were in critical condition, though expected to survive under medical care. However, a much more unsettling detail emerged: M had vanished from the sensory maps. The Raikage demanded an immediate explanation for the disappearance. Ao recounted the final moments of the skirmish, describing how Rekka had manifested a massive clay golem designed to level the medical compound. To prevent a catastrophe, M had been forced to transport the construct to a remote location. The sensory data suggested that M had not been able to clear the area in time, likely placing him directly within the epicenter of the resulting explosion. The news struck a heavy cord in the room, prompting the Raikage to punch the table in a fit of frustration and grief at the possibility of losing his subordinate to such a sacrifice.

Medical camp

By the following morning, the Great War had reached a precarious standstill. The momentum of the conflict was hampered by the emergence of White Zetsu clones, who had successfully infiltrated the Allied Shinobi Forces by transforming into perfect replicas of allied soldiers. Inside the medical tent, the members of Team Sakaya regained consciousness, their first thoughts turning immediately to their missing leader. When Kori frantically asked for M’s whereabouts, Himari urged her to remain calm, gently pressing her back into her cot. Shiro attempted to connect his senses to locate a trace of M’s chakra but found nothing. Despite the growing concern, N reminded the group of M’s own words: that a shinobi of his caliber would not be easily killed.

Hours later, as the war resumed, a massive tremor shook the earth, signaling a terrifying shift in the tide of battle. A messenger informed the group that the true Madara Uchiha had been resurrected and was currently decastating the Fourth Division. This revelation brought a chilling clarity to the conflict, as the team realized the man in the mask had been an impostor. With casualties mounting, Himari called for N and Kori’s assistance. Kori immediately activated her Sage Mode, manifesting a massive "Ice Crystal Sanctuary" that functioned as a specialized healing dome. As Sakura and the other medics placed the wounded inside, they watched in awe as the barrier’s unique properties began to mend injuries automatically.

While the medical camp stabilized under Kori's jutsu, Shiro pondered the identity of the masked man and the threat of a reanimated Madara. At Shizune's request, he mobilized to aid the Fifth Division, where he soon encountered Naruto Uzumaki on the front lines. Bypassing formal introductions, Shiro stepped forward to relieve the exhausted shinobi, declaring that he and Naruto would take over the defense. Shiro launched himself into the Zetsu army with lethal precision, carving through their ranks with a blend of high-speed taijutsu and explosive kunai. After a series of coordinated strikes with a shadow clone, he propelled himself into the air and unleashed the "Mind Destruction Jutsu." The technique allowed him to seize control of six White Zetsu simultaneously, forcing them to turn on their own kind. As the hijacked clones began to tear through the enemy lines, the surrounding allied forces, including Kiba and Hinata, watched in stunned silence at the raw efficiency of his combat style.

Land of Frost

In a remote area, one of Naruto’s shadow clones finally tracked down M, who was found seated and attempting to recover. As M observed Naruto’s glowing form, he recognized the unique energy he had been sensing across the battlefield, noting the successful fusion of Naruto’s spirit with that of the Nine-Tails. Naruto, narrowing his eyes in recognition, bluntly referred to M as the "chakra-thief" from their past encounter. M ignored the jab, instead focusing on the tactical reality of his own exhaustion. M requested a chakra transfer, and though Naruto admitted he lacked the specific ability to give it, M assured him that his insects could facilitate the process. As M’s swarm erupted from beneath his cloak, Naruto momentarily panicked before M explained that the insects were merely siphoning the overflow of the Nine-Tails' power. The bugs swarmed the clone, draining its immense reserves until Naruto's construct finally vanished in a puff of smoke.

As the insects returned to M to feed him the harvested energy, Kinta delivered a grim update: the five Kages were currently losing their battle against Madara Uchiha. M stood up, troubled by the realization that even with the combined might of the Raikage and Tsunade, they were being outmatched by a man who was reportedly still holding back. Meanwhile, at the medical division, the strain of maintaining the massive Ice Crystal Sanctuary began to show on Kori. She began to breathe heavily, her skin glistening with sweat as the constant healing of hundreds of shinobi drained her reserves. Sakura immediately moved to support her, recognizing the immense toll the high-level Sage art was taking on Kori’s body. N joined the effort, channeling her own chakra into Kori to stabilize her friend. Despite her obvious fatigue, Kori remained determined, insisting she could still hold the barrier for those who remained in critical condition.

Fifth Division front

In the heat of the Fifth Division's frontline, Shiro leapt back, his breath coming in ragged gasps after he had single-handedly decimated half of the White Zetsu army. Naruto, impressed by the tactical display, complimented the "Mind Guy," but Shiro remained focused on the waves of enemies still approaching. As the resting shinobi, including Kiba, Hinata, and Neji, rose to rejoin the fray, Shiro immediately took command. He coordinated a multi-layered assault: Kiba and Akamaru led with a piercing Fang Over Fang, followed by the precise strikes of the Hyūga duo, while Shino and Naruto picked off the stragglers. The plan executed perfectly, creating a devastating chain reaction that pushed the Zetsu forces back.

Land of Frost

Meanwhile, M continued his trek across the battlefield. Inoichi Yamanaka successfully re-established a telepathic link, expressing relief at M’s survival before relaying an order to assist Naruto and Bee against the masked man. M flatly refused, stating his intention to aid the five Kages against the true Madara Uchiha. When Inoichi warned him that the Kages had issued strict orders for no one to interfere, M dismissed the chain of command entirely. He insisted that the power gap was too immense for the Kages to survive alone and demanded that his team be messaged to rendezvous with him. Despite Inoichi’s desperate pleas to maintain order, M cut the connection and maintained his pace toward the Fourth Division’s front.

Fifth Division front

Following M’s instructions, Inoichi contacted Shiro. The news of M’s survival brought a grin to Shiro’s face, and he immediately prepared to depart. Before leaving the Fifth Division, however, he decided to leave a parting blow. He asked for the assistance of a Wind Style user, to which Naruto responded by manifesting a massive Rasenshuriken. Shiro charged into the thick of the Zetsu army and unleashed a "Hiding in Ash Jutsu," blanketing the field in a thick, flammable haze. As Naruto launched his Rasenshuriken into the cloud, the collision of wind and ash sparked a colossal fire explosion. The resulting blast wave incinerated the remaining Zetsu forces and provided the cover Shiro needed to withdraw.

Fighting Madara Uchiha

Edo Madara Uchiha.

Medical Camp

Shiro arrived at the medical compound, finding N and Kori just as the echoes of the massive explosion faded. When N questioned the source of the blast, Shiro explained it was the result of Naruto’s wind shuriken and delivered the news that M was alive and moving toward Madara. Despite her exhaustion, Kori insisted they mobilize immediately. After N handed over the medical duties to Himari and Sakura, Kori released her healing jutsu and collapsed, gasping for breath. When Kaeda questioned if she could fight in such a state, Kori confidently noted that M’s insects would refuel her. Shiro hoisted her onto his back, and the group sprinted toward the horizon.

Land of Lightning

As M ran, he sensed the Nine-Tails' chakra surging across the land, marveling at how much more refined it had become since his encounter with the clone. Meanwhile, from their vantage point, Shiro, N, and Kori caught their first glimpse of the Perfect Susanoo towering over the battlefield like a mountain of blue chakra. The sight left them stunned by the sheer scale of Madara’s power. M, seeing the fraction of the deity from a distance, realized the Kages were in dire peril until Kinta reported that Itachi Uchiha had successfully forced Kabuto to release the Reanimation Jutsu.

M skidded to a stop, processing the news that Itachi had overridden his own reanimation to save the world. He briefly considered changing course to join Naruto and Killer B, but Rita quickly interrupted with a terrifying update: Madara Uchiha had rescinded the summoning contract, successfully remaining in the world even as the other reanimations dissolved. Realizing the Kages were now facing an immortal, untethered monster, M asked for his team's location. Learning they were low on chakra, he utilized his space-time transportation to appear directly beside them.

The team came to a sudden halt, and a relieved Kori rushed to embrace him. M smiled but quickly shifted back to the mission, noticing her depleted reserves. He unleashed his swarms of insects, which began to flood the group with the massive amounts of Kurama’s chakra he had siphoned from Naruto earlier. As they resumed their run toward the Fourth Division, Shiro asked for the strategy. M revealed his plan to have the team create an opening so he could utilize a sealing technique to neutralize Madara’s eyes. While N compared the plan to their past encounter with Sasuke, Shiro warned that they were facing a far more dangerous opponent this time, requiring absolute caution.

Fourth Division front

Team Sakaya arrived at the battlefield to find a scene of utter devastation. The five Kages lay scattered across the broken earth, their life forces fading rapidly as Madara Uchiha prepared to deliver a final, decisive blow. Before he could strike, N and Kori unleashed a combined gust of wind that slammed into the legendary Uchiha, forcing him back several meters. M surveyed the fallen leaders with a cold, detached gaze. He commanded N and Kori to stabilize the other Kages but issued a chilling directive to let the Tsuchikage succumb to his wounds, stating that the old man had already served his purpose. The two kunoichi exchanged disturbed looks at M's lingering ruthlessness, but they moved quickly to honor their duties as healers.

Madara narrowed his eyes at the newcomers, noting the arrival of reinforcements with a calm, predatory interest. As N and Kori rushed toward the dying Kages, the air around the team thickened as they simultaneously activated their Sage Mode. M and Shiro did not wait for a formal challenge; they moved with blinding speed, body-flickering toward Madara to launch a dual-pronged taijutsu assault. The battle began in a blur of motion. Madara fluidly ducked M’s lead kick and caught Shiro by the throat, blocking M’s follow-up strike with his free hand. However, the Uchiha was momentarily caught off guard as two hidden clones of M and Shiro materialized, landing a coordinated strike that sent him skidding back. A pre-planted kunai detonated behind him, propelling him back toward the two boys.

Seizing the opening, M and Shiro drove their blades into Madara before leaping away as the weapons' explosive tags ignited in a twin blast. As the dust settled, Madara’s reanimated body began to knit itself back together with terrifying speed. He stood tall, his expression shifting from mild curiosity to a dark, amused grin. Acknowledging the natural energy radiating from the pair, he remarked on their use of Sage Mode and welcomed the challenge, eager to see what the younger generation of shinobi could truly achieve against a god.

Realizing the sheer scale of the threat, M urgently recalled N and Kori to the front lines. The scene behind them was grim; while they had managed to stabilize the Raikage, Tsunade remained in a critical, severed state, her life hanging by a thread. There was no more time for medical intervention as Madara lunged forward with a crushing punch. M ducked the blow while Shiro launched a retaliatory kick, but the Uchiha's reflexes remained god-like. He caught Shiro’s leg mid-air, only for M to sever Madara’s arm with a lightning-charged kunai. Seizing the opening, Shiro unleashed a "Focused Detonation Sphere" directly into Madara’s face, the resulting blast forcing the team to leap back.

Madara’s body knitted itself back together, his grin widening with a dark sense of nostalgia. He complimented the team on their effortless coordination, admitting that their performance was enough to delay his pursuit of the Nine-Tails. Activating his Mangekyō Sharingan, he warned them not to die too quickly before unleashing a "Majestic Destroyer Flame." Kori reacted instantly, manifesting four clones that countered with a "Destructive Tsunami." The collision of elements created a blinding shroud of steam and mist, masking the battlefield. Using the cover, the team body-flickered toward Madara's chakra signature. In a display of flawless teamwork, Madara was forced into a defensive position; he blocked M and ducked Shiro, but N’s wind pressure sent him reeling into a barrage of explosive kunai. As he attempted to flicker away from the flames, Kori intercepted him with a heavy ice-enhanced kick, and Shiro swept his legs out from under him. For the first time in the war, Madara’s back hit the dirt.

The four ninjas pinned him instantly, with Kori’s ice prism anchoring his limbs to the earth. Madara was genuinely phased, recognizing that no shinobi since Hashirama Senju had managed to physically pin him down. As M’s clone descended to tap his forehead, he realized the intent: the "Evil Sealing Method." Madara felt his dōjutsu begin to dim under the weight of the curse seal, marveling that a modern shinobi would even attempt to seal away his legendary eyes. However, the momentary shock was replaced by a surge of overwhelming chakra. With a violent roar of power, Madara overrode the seal by sheer force, the resulting shockwave shattering the ice prism and hurling the four ninjas across the cratered landscape.

Madara moved with a speed that defied his massive frame, body-flickering in a blur of strikes. He delivered a crushing punch to M, a heavy kick to Shiro, and a strike to N, before finally seizing Kori by the throat. He admitted his intent to punish them for their coordination, but Kori, refusing to yield, gripped his wrist. Her ice began to crawl up his arm, and she unleashed a torrent of corrosive acid directly at his face. The Uchiha’s Susano’o ribcage manifested instantly, hissing as it absorbed the acid. With a cold efficiency, he manifested a chakra sword and drove it through Kori’s torso before kicking her aside. When M followed up with a kick to the Susano’o, Madara realized too late it was a deceptive clone. The resulting point-blank detonation staggered him, but he immediately surged toward the real M. Shiro attempted to bind him with a flurry of explosive tags, but Madara finally revealed the true power of his eyes: the Rinnegan. He stood amidst the combined fire and wind assault of N and Shiro, simply absorbing the massive elemental energy until it vanished.

M attempted a desperate strike at Madara’s eye, using a detonating kunai to create a smoke screen as Shiro moved in to re-attempt the sealing jutsu. However, Madara’s Susano’o swung its blade, forcing them into the air. Before they could find their footing, the Uchiha body-flickered into their path, plunging black chakra rods into their chests. The impact grounded them, and as N rushed in to sever his hands, the Susano’o's massive arm swatted her away like an insect. M and Shiro struggled to their feet, their breath hitching as the black rods began to disrupt their chakra flow. Madara, his hands fully regenerated, performed a familiar set of seals. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!" Madara commanded. M’s eyes widened in horror as he realized the legendary Wood Style was about to be unleashed. A tide of massive, ancient trees erupted from the ground, surging forward to crush the exhausted team. Realizing they were seconds from being buried, M called upon Kinta to flood his system with siphoned chakra. He manifested two shadow clones that scooped up the injured Kori and N, while the real M grabbed Shiro. In a final, desperate flash of space-time movement, they vanished just as the forest consumed the crater.