Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 246 Tricking Jigen

"Still not giving up, huh? Don't think that just because you defeated Hyuga Neji, you're qualified to fight me. If it weren't for this unexpected situation, I could have finished you off in three rounds."

Sasuke sneered, "Our Uchiha clan is the strongest clan in the ninja world, possessing the noblest bloodline. You're not someone who can fool us without a bloodline limit. Or do you think you can rival me just because you have a strong life force?"

"As expected, you've become even more arrogant... The Hyuga clan's bloodline is in no way inferior to your Uchiha clan's. He can even use the Byakugan, yet he still lost to me. You don't even have the Sharingan, yet you're talking about bloodlines."

"Hmph, it's precisely because I don't have the Sharingan yet that you have the opportunity to stand in front of me and compete with me."

Sasuke naturally felt that once he had the Sharingan, even if it was just one tomoe, he could easily defeat someone like Naruto.

At least Naruto has a clear advantage in terms of physical strength. The Senju clan's physique is not something to be trifled with, but so what?

Sasuke aspires to become the strongest Uchiha, and he is determined to obtain the Rinnegan in the future, ultimately surpassing Madara and Nagato! As for the Sage of Six Paths... he's just an Otsutsuki, so it's not like he has no chance.

With youthful vigor, Sasuke's confidence and fighting spirit were clearly visible. One Uchiha-related "myth" after another laid an extraordinary foundation for his confidence.

Naruto was itching to see this. He didn't know why, but whenever he saw Sasuke, he subconsciously felt a little awkward and always wanted to go to him. It wasn't that he wanted to cause trouble, but he just wanted to keep an eye on Sasuke, as if some unseen instinct told him that doing so had a crucial significance.

"You should try to get the Sharingan first. I've heard that even in your Uchiha clan, only a very small number of people can awaken that eye. What if you happen to be one of the vast majority?"

"You fart!"

Sasuke, who had been calm and composed, suddenly flew into a rage. In the instant he was distracted, Mizuki suddenly emerged from the collapsed door, which immediately drew the ire of Naruto and Sasuke.

Iruka immediately threw out the kunai in his hand.

But when Mizuki stretched out his hand, that normal human arm suddenly began to writhe, its skin swelled, and its flesh multiplied, transforming into a giant, skinless claw like that of a wild beast. With a fierce swing, it created a small storm that sent the three of them, along with the kunai in the air, flying away.

"Hmph, no one else came, it really was just you two brats getting in the way, making me worry for a while."

Mizuki leaped out of the claw marks and landed steadily on the ground, staring at the three with a ferocious expression. His gaze lingered on the clan crest on Sasuke's clothes for a moment.

Sasuke smirked: "You've recognized that I'm from the Uchiha clan? If you don't want to die, get lost. Even if you can use strange ninjutsu that alters your body, you're still doomed."

"You bluffing brat, you really take the Uchiha clan too seriously. Even if your entire clan attacked together, the result would be the same; you would all die by my hand."

Mizuki immediately realized that Sasuke wanted him to escape: "Even if Madara Uchiha in his prime came, plus that Uchiha Harumono, he would still die!"

"Ha, this is the first time in my life I've ever seen such an arrogant person."

Sasuke said this, but his expression immediately turned serious. The person in front of him was either brainless or had extraordinary power—or both.

Iruka stepped in front of Naruto and Sasuke and said in a deep voice, "His target is me. I'll try to stop him, and you two can escape. This guy seems to have gained special power from Orochimaru after he defected from the village with him."

"Hmph, Orochimaru? You overestimate him and underestimate me. Iruka... This is the power of an Otsutsuki, and the power of the strongest Otsutsuki at that. Even if an Otsutsuki attacks me now, they will die! Let alone you?" Mizuki sneered.

Naruto scoffed, "Since you're so strong, why are you afraid of our support? The Hokage has been fighting the Otsutsuki all this time; he must be very interested in you right now, right?"

“He won’t know. If you all are killed, he won’t know. Even if you are resurrected and then tell him, it will be too late.”

"Idiot, which deep mountain forest did you come from, you fool? Don't you know that within the Tsukuyomi of No Form, everything is within the Hokage's perception range?"

Naruto felt relieved and pointed to the ceiling: "You see that red artificial moon in the sky? That's the Hokage's technique. He can pull anyone who sees the moon into a genjutsu. Do you think you fell into his sight after you entered the Land of Fire?"

what?
Mizuki was shocked. He really didn't know! He had been staying in the lab all this time, doing his best to match Shibayo's genes and undergoing Orochimaru's repeated adjustments to awaken the Claw Mark Divine Art. He had no mind to pay attention to the changes in the outside world.
Iruka said in a deep voice, "I have already sent out a request for help in the Musou Tsukuyomi. All your information has been uploaded into the illusion. Mizuki, you can't escape."

"I'll kill you all first!"

Mizuki's expression was ferocious. If he didn't kill Iruka this time, it would only be harder to kill him in the future!

Swish!
Shui Mu stood still and waved his hand, and immediately several claw marks appeared, binding the three people like ropes, and tightening them more and more. It would only take less than a second to kill all three of them.

But at this critical moment, Sasuke's eyes turned blood red, transforming into a Sharingan with a single tomoe.

Mizuki glanced at Sasuke in surprise. Awakening the Sharingan at such a young age? But such so-called geniuses are meaningless in front of him, and will eventually become the corpses that support him.

"Sasuke..." Naruto naturally saw it too, but unfortunately, Sasuke could only use his Sharingan when he activated his powers. What could he do with his powers? He couldn't do anything. He could only watch helplessly as Mizuki's raised hands transformed into two giant, writhing hands that were about to come down and smash them into mincemeat.

Kaede Tsukasa observed everything. Sasuke's performance was quite outstanding, which surprised him slightly. In this timeline where the level of combat power was rising sharply, it seemed that Sasuke's emotions had also been subjected to a much greater spurring than in the normal timeline, to the point that he obtained the Sharingan at such a young age.

However, considering that Sasuke in the original timeline had never faced a life-or-death crisis before Itachi slaughtered his entire clan, it seems reasonable that he awakened his Sharingan later than this Sasuke.

But Naruto is in trouble; his powerful physique alone isn't enough to put him to the test.

"Oh? He actually tried to use the Spirit Transformation Technique to break the deadlock... Unfortunately, he failed. An S-rank forbidden technique of consciousness is not something he can learn at his age. In that case, it's time to use the little gadget I casually set up back then."

Kaedeji freed one hand to form a hand seal.

On Naruto's neck, the seemingly simple necklace suddenly developed a crack, which spread rapidly until the necklace shattered completely.

This is a necklace left behind by the First Hokage, but it's not the original; it's a replica made by Kaede Tsukasa. Back then, during the Battle of Hot Springs in the Second World War, Kato Dan's chest cavity was blasted away by the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, and the necklace Tsunade gave him was naturally destroyed as well.

Later, after Kaede Tsukasa mastered Wood Release, he specially made a replica and gave it to Tsunade and Kato Dan as a wedding gift.

Originally just a casual arrangement, it's now time to put it to use. This necklace clearly contains Wood Release cells and viruses. Even after so many years, it doesn't mean that all the cells and viruses sealed inside the necklace have died out.

"Mizuki's arrival is just in time. Maybe I can take this opportunity to trick Jigen and perhaps even take him down in one fell swoop." Kaedeji thought to himself as he cast his spell.

call!
A strange power surged into Naruto's body, extremely domineering, and immediately began to frantically erode and spread. Cells and viruses alike began to multiply exponentially. The terrifying outburst made Naruto's body burn, and he let out a scream.

"Hmph, beautiful voice, that's more like it, Iruka. How does it feel to watch the village children succumb and die a horrible death before your eyes?"

Mizuki looked sickly and was about to kill him with a ferocious expression, but in the next instant, a large number of trees suddenly sprouted from Naruto's body, spreading rapidly and forming a barrier on his body to support the original outline of his body, while he himself struggled to emerge.

"It's Wood Release?!" Mizuki was utterly astonished; he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of surprises he received from these two brats.

Naruto roared furiously, his eyes bloodshot. The erosion and battle between his cells and the virus were causing him immense pain. Anyone who didn't know what was going on would think he was a Jinchuriki about to go berserk due to his emotional state.

Even without knowing any Wood Release hand seals, Naruto relied solely on his body's instincts, slamming his hands into the ground, causing tree roots to sprout and reach out towards Mizuki.

The floor tiles were lifted off, Mizuki snorted coldly, his figure disappeared instantly, and the next second he emerged from the claw marks on Sasuke's body and grabbed at Naruto.

If that giant hand grabs him, no matter how strong Naruto's physical abilities are, it's useless; he can be crushed to death on the spot.

Naruto spread his arms and shot out a sharp spike from his palm, aiming straight for Mizuki's face at close range. Mizuki hurriedly turned his head, and his skin was torn open, with blood flowing freely.

"You actually managed to hurt me..." Mizuki's face darkened completely. Even if it was due to carelessness, it was still a disgrace to him.

Sasuke, standing nearby, took in everything with his Sharingan, his expression complex. Naruto, whom he had previously looked down upon, had unexpectedly unleashed this power in a moment of crisis, allowing them to live a little longer—though it seemed to be of little use.

"Naruto, get out of here! Don't waste your time!" Sasuke shouted. "If you stay here, I'll never respect you, even if it kills me!"

"Shut up, you jerk! How could I possibly watch you die? Wouldn't that make me even worse than a jerk?" Naruto felt his physical condition improving.

Sasuke angrily yelled, "Are you an idiot from another village? Are you stupid? I can be resurrected even if I die. What's so great about that? Does the Uchiha clan not even have 100 points? The most worthwhile thing for you to do is to take this opportunity to escape!"

Naruto's face darkened. He hadn't really thought that much about it just now; he was only focused on sacrificing himself here. After all, he had only recently returned to Konoha and was still a little unaccustomed to the atmosphere of the village.

At this moment, Iruka was no longer in a hurry. He suddenly smiled and said, "Don't worry, none of you will die. Someone sent me a private message. The reinforcements have arrived."

"Who?"

"I don't know. The other party has higher authority in the Mugen Tsukuyomi than I do, so I can't investigate. But the other party did say that they have already arrived."

Iruka was overjoyed and was wondering which powerful figure from the village it was when, as soon as he finished speaking, a black hole appeared out of thin air in front of him.

A figure emerged from the black hole.

"Huh?! Lord Hidan, it's you?! And your eyes..." Iruka could hardly believe his eyes.

There are many powerful people in the village. Knowing that Mizuki has obtained the power of the Otsutsuki, they still rushed over to support him. Moreover, they have higher authority in the genjutsu world. There are probably only a limited number of people like them.

But he never expected it to be Hidan.

Hidan, carrying his scythe, impatiently picked at his ear: "Of course it's me! How could it be Sasori and Kakuzu, those idiots? You two rushed off as soon as you heard that old woman Chiyo was still alive. I wonder if you're going to extort Sunagakure or go to Amegakure to kill Chiyo directly."

Seeing Naruto and Sasuke's confused expressions, Iruka excitedly said, "This is Lord Hidan, the Hokage's disciple, who also masters the Corpse Release technique!"

Even for highly anticipated new generation figures like Naruto and Sasuke, it's not worth Kaede Tsukasa personally going to great lengths. The fact that Hidan was willing to participate already surprised and delighted Iruka.

but……

"Why are his eyes the Mangekyou Sharingan... and this kind of eye technique that creates black holes is clearly the Great Sun Spirit eye technique. Aren't those the same eyes that Obito had back then?"

Sasuke felt surprised and uncertain.

"Hidan, the Immortal Ninja... You're quite the infamous one too. I've heard many are afraid to face you on the battlefield, but even you can't fight me?"

Mizuki's expression changed slightly, but in this village, as long as Kaede Tsukasa personally intervened, he was fearless: "Even if I obtained a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan, it would be meaningless. My space-time abilities are superior to any other eye technique!"

"Idiot, you really don't know anything!"

Sasuke scoffed, "The Hokage recently defeated Toneri Otsutsuki, who had escaped from the moon, using the power of the Rinnegan. The red moon in the sky was created by him using Chibaku Tensei, so his eyes are essentially the Rinnegan! The Hokage retrieved Obito's eyes and enhanced them!"

Shui Mu was silent for a moment. He really didn't know that even though not much time had passed, it seemed as if he had become disconnected from the changes in the outside world.

Hidan shook his head, the patterns in his eyes slowly turning: "Wrong, these are the eyes he temporarily lent me, but they have nothing to do with the Rinnegan. I'm also very curious about where he got those Rinnegan... Never mind, let's not talk about that now. Hey you over there, I came here specifically to see you off. Kaede Tsukasa is waiting for you. It seems there's something very special about you that has attracted him."

(End of this chapter)