Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

A dark red figure swept across the earth like lightning. Behind him, a terrifying shockwave ripped open a deep trench, clearly showing Yagura's movement trajectory. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of Sogen and slammed his raised right palm down towards Sogen's chest.

This is--

Coral Palm

His beast-like appearance was just that—an appearance. As a Jinchuriki who perfectly controlled the power of the Tailed Beasts, Yagura Karatachi did not lose his mind. Even when he was being manipulated by Obito Uchiha's genjutsu, his intelligence remained. Otherwise, he would not have been able to continue to hold the position of Mizukage.

"boom!!!"

A ring of deep crimson, translucent ribs appeared on Zongxian's side.

The coral palm attack failed.

Susanoo is a materialized product of chakra, not flesh and blood, so the attack that could make the coral grow out of the human body did not play its due role.

However, the powerful impact did indeed cause Zongxian to stagger and retreat rapidly like a drunkard.

"This is the power of the Tailed Beasts?"

This was the first time in Sogen's life that he had fought against a Jinchuriki and witnessed the power of a Tailed Beast. During the Third Shinobi World War, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki of Kirigakure was old and preparing to replace him with a new one. As for the Three-Tails... it was used by Madara Uchiha as a tool to train his substitute, so Kirigakure did not find an opportunity to put the Jinchuriki into the battlefield before the Third Shinobi World War ended.

On the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage, he only watched the scene of the Nine-Tails' havoc from afar in the clan's territory, and did not have the opportunity to leave the clan's territory to see the tailed beast's magnificence up close.

This time,

Sensing the violent and chaotic chakra aura emanating from Yagura, Sogen didn't rush to retaliate. Instead, he opened his eyes wide and observed carefully.

There's no need to rush to end the battle.

Since the border defense command center has been completely destroyed and the rescue plan has failed, he has plenty of time. With Samehada in hand, he doesn't need to worry about chakra consumption. So, wouldn't it be a waste not to take this excellent opportunity to study the secrets of Jinchuriki and Tailed Beasts?

Furthermore,

Since Obito Uchiha wants to see him use up his eye power, then let him see it!

[Chapter 93. A Slip of the Hand? (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)]

The fighting style of Jinchuriki is extremely wild and brutal.

This has nothing to do with whether or not one retains rationality.

However, this wild and brutal fighting style can better unleash this destructive power.

Leaving aside Naruto, whose future success in mastering the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode after understanding the Nine-Tails is uncertain, many Jinchuriki, including Killer Bee, the perfect Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, have a fighting style that can be summed up in one word after borrowing the power of the Tailed Beasts: 'reckless'.

The Tailed Beast Cloak's defensive power is enough to weaken all kinds of attacks they receive, reducing the damage they suffer to a very small degree. The Tailed Beast Chakra also has the ability to heal injuries. As long as it is not a fatal injury, ordinary minor injuries will heal themselves before they even notice them.

Amazing defensive capabilities, self-healing vitality, and destructive power capable of reshaping terrain!

This is the Jinchūriki.

A monster regarded as a weapon of war by various villages!

"Snap!!!"

Yagura's outstretched, dark red arms moved like a saw, chasing after Sogen's footsteps and easily snapping more than ten cedar trees, each requiring five or six people to encircle, in half. The fallen cedars then broke nearby trees, creating a chain reaction that turned the tranquil forest into a noisy mess.

"The arm's outstretched length exceeds twenty meters, and even after being slashed, the blade remains unstained by blood. Is it a simulated limb constructed from the chakra of a tailed beast?" Just like the rib-shaped Susanoo that is currently protecting Zongxian!

Both are materialized constructs of chakra.

but,

The two are not the same in essence.

Zongxian narrowed his eyes, lightly touched the treetops with his toes, and moved through the forest like a ghost.

"Bang!!"

At the moment Zongxian leaped backward,

A dark red arm burst forth from the ground.

The outstretched claws, unlike human hands, tried to grab Zongxian's ankles. The protection of Susanoo, which was in its initial form and only resembled ribs, was not all-encompassing. Above his head, below his feet... were all undefended voids.

"Hmph, do you think I'm blind to such tricks?"

The Sharingan's perception is not as strong as Nami's Byakugan.

However, it wasn't so bad that the powerful, undisguised chakra fluctuations emanating from the shallow soil below were not unseen. Just as he jumped, an arm in skeletal form, wreathed in chakra light that flickered and leaped like flames, quietly appeared beside him and slammed down with the force of a mountain crashing down.

The enormous, skeletal hand collided with Yagura's hand, which resembled the claws of a wild beast.

The Susanoo's palm was cracked in several places, and the shockwave from the collision overturned the surrounding trees, leaving a deep crater in the ground directly below.

The power of the tailed beasts is indeed extraordinary.

However, as long as Susanoo has an inexhaustible source of eye power, it can recover instantly even if it is shattered into pieces. Such damage is meaningless to Sogen, or rather, Sogen, who was passive and reluctant to fight, never intended to target Yagura Karatachi from the beginning.

He turned his gaze into the distance.

My thoughts raced.

I don't know what the situation is now, but the fact that the shadow clones haven't been eliminated is good news in itself. As long as Obito and Zetsu don't discover his tricks, he needs to continue to stall as much as possible.

They firmly pinned Obito and Zetsu's attention to this place.

in the forest,

Because of the terrifying aura leaked from the tailed beast's chakra.

Birds, insects, and snakes, sensing the immense danger through their instincts, scattered and fled as if their nests had been disturbed. The once peaceful and tranquil forest was now in complete turmoil. However, even White Zetsu did not notice that among these running small animals, there were some tiny creatures that were so black they looked as if they had fallen into a pool of ink and taken a bath.

Black rats, long, thin black snakes, low-flying black crows, and many other dark animals roamed every corner of the forest.

They appear to be fleeing in panic, but in reality, they are gathering all the intelligence they have observed.

Deep in the forest,

Three shadow clones of Zongxian, hiding in different places, held brushes and blank scrolls. From time to time, snakes, rats, and crows that had gathered intelligence would return and swarm onto the blank scrolls, returning to the essence of ink to present the intelligence they had gathered in special characters.

Meanwhile, the shadow clones continued to draw, sending out new spies to gather clues.

White Zetsu's Ephemeral Technique is very powerful. If I remember correctly, it seems to allow him to merge with the vegetation and earth, enabling him to move at high speed underground and also isolate himself from all traces of his presence. No one can detect Zetsu's aura... However, this only applies when the technique is activated.

They cannot remain one with the grass and earth forever!

When they are hidden underground or in trees, their presence cannot be detected. However, as soon as they peek out, they can be seen by people or animals nearby. This is why the White Zetsu do not like to operate in Konoha. The Byakugan's super-long-range vision of one kilometer away really makes the White Zetsu curse.

When active in Konoha, they often need to maintain the Mayfly Technique for an extremely long time. They dare not easily appear on the ground unless they are 100% sure of their safety.

On the contrary,

The mountain clan's mental perception technique, based on sensing chakra aura, is the most fearless form of perception for the White Zetsu.

After all, their aura is completely isolated when they activate the Mayfly Technique.

Long before ascending Mount Kuroshio, Sogen had already sent out multiple shadow clones to hide in different places nearby. After he and Yagura Karatachi started fighting, he deliberately lured Yagura Karatachi into this forest.

He's hunting bigger prey.

While Obito Uchiha was scheming against him, he was also scheming against Obito Uchiha.

The relationship between hunter and prey is never fixed. At different times, in different environments, and under different circumstances, the roles of hunter and prey can change. The most important skill in hunting is learning to track prey.

Zongxian didn't have any outstanding methods in tracking and investigating in the past.

However, the secret technique [Super Beast Imitation Painting] made up for this weakness, giving him the ability to hunt down Uchiha Obito in return.

"Ok?"

The shadow clone, sitting cross-legged on a square, hand-cut rock, 'looked' at the latest intelligence displayed on the scroll. His fingers swept over the words one by one, and the collected information flashed through his mind like a movie.

His moving finger stopped abruptly when he saw a one-eyed man wearing an orange mask and a two-faced creature resembling an oversized pitcher plant emerging from a cedar tree.

"caught you!"

The shadow clone's lips curled slightly into a smile.

After putting in so much effort, at least it wasn't all for nothing!

He formed hand seals and deliberately dispelled the Shadow Clone Technique. With a loud "bang," the chakra released as the Shadow Clone Technique dissipated formed white smoke. When a cool breeze blew by, the square rock was empty, with not a single person in sight.

Even the ink and brush scroll disappeared along with the shadow clone.

At the same time, a group of the ink creatures under his control in the forest suddenly died en masse, turning into smudges of ink on the ground, leaves, and tree trunks. This unusual change finally attracted the attention of the White Zetsu lurking there.

However, just as they were preparing to search for Obito Uchiha and Zetsu,

Sogen, who was fighting Yagura, had received all the information gathered by his shadow clone. He lowered his eyes and gazed to the side, where Obito Uchiha and Zetsu were hiding among the old cedar trees behind the dense canopy.

It's practically within arm's reach!

"To think it could hide right under my nose... Such stealth ability is truly terrifying!" Zongxian sighed softly, a fierce killing intent appearing in his eyes. The skeletal arm that had disappeared reappeared, the crack in the palm had vanished without a trace, and chakra radiance like flames was dancing and swirling around the arm like burning flames.

then,

An even greater amount of pupil power flowed into his palm.

Three deep scarlet ones,

The magatama, like the essence of congealed blood, floated on the skeletal palm.

On the trunk of the cedar tree,

Obito and Zetsu poked their heads out, their gazes piercing through the gaps in the branches and leaves, fixed on the deep crimson magatama floating in the palm of Susanoo.

"That is?"

Upon seeing that unfamiliar object, a look of doubt flashed in Obito Uchiha's eyes.

"The Yasaka Magatama, Uchiha Mugen is finally getting serious!"

Black Zetsu explained to Obito Uchiha in a hoarse voice, "That's a Susanoo technique. Every Uchiha who has awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan can use it. It's a pity that you were missing your other eye when you awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, so you couldn't activate Susanoo. However, if you can find your other eye, you can also use this power."

"Humph!"

Obito Uchiha's attitude suddenly turned hostile, and he said coldly, "Even without that thing, I will create a new world."

Black Zetsu has a bit of a headache.

Even for someone as old as him who had lived for a thousand years, there were times when he couldn't understand some of Obito Uchiha's thoughts.

For example, why was Obito Uchiha so resistant to taking back his other eye? Wouldn't it be a good thing to have more complete and powerful abilities? Why was he so resistant? But... well, Obito Uchiha's mastery of 'Kamui' was enough to advance the plan, so there was no need to demand perfection.

As he pondered, he saw the enormous, skeletal arm swing and forcefully hurl out the three magatama, each containing astonishing destructive power.