Naruto The Red Spiral Rebirth

The next day, Kakashi gathered Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to share a few of his suspicions.

However, to help the three Genin grow independently, he deliberately chose not to tell them that Tom had arrived to assist. Instead, he continued to pretend that he was seriously injured, giving the illusion of weakness to place a heavier sense of responsibility on the team.

Kakashi stood beside a tall tree and spoke calmly, "The chakra required for tree climbing is very delicate. Controlling it at the soles of your feet is one of the most difficult techniques. You need to draw out the right amount of chakra and concentrate it precisely where it's needed."

He paused, allowing the words to sink in.

"If you can master this kind of chakra control, learning high-level ninjutsu becomes significantly easier. During combat, chakra moves constantly throughout your body. Being able to hold a steady flow of chakra in a specific spot, like your feet, is critical."

To demonstrate, Kakashi calmly walked up the trunk of a tree as if defying gravity, chakra clinging him to the bark.

"This is why I want you all to practice climbing trees using only your chakra," he explained as he leapt down. "But just listening to me won't help you. Go try it for yourselves."

He tossed three kunai to the ground in front of them.

"Use these to mark your current limit. Try to surpass it each time. Now, start climbing."

Excited and determined, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura launched themselves at the trees, beginning their chakra control training.

---

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Cardo stepped into a remote hideout.

Zabuza lay silently on a mat, body bandaged and still recovering.

"I'm giving you one last chance," Cardo hissed. "If you fail again, you'll have nowhere to hide!"

He turned, visibly annoyed, and muttered to himself as he left. "How did I, a world-class tycoon, end up threatened by a failed ninja? Tch. The Mist Village shinobi aren't as terrifying as they used to be."

His expression twisted with resentment as he sneered, "But in two days... Stone God Zeji will arrive. You'll all pay dearly. Especially that little brat—I'll make sure she doesn't die quickly."

A wicked grin stretched across Cardo's face.

---

Stone God Zeji was a rogue puppet master who had once belonged to the Hidden Sand Village. He was an ardent admirer of the legendary puppet master, Sasori of the Red Sand.

Before Sasori's defection, Zeji worshipped his ideals, firmly believing that puppets were the pinnacle of ninja warfare. One puppet might be easily defeated—but what about ten? Or a hundred?

If one had strong enough soul power, they could manipulate an entire army of puppets simultaneously.

Puppets had no fear, no hesitation, and no fatigue. They executed commands perfectly, without flinching. As long as they were maintained and improved over time, a single puppet could rival even a jōnin. Zeji believed that by continuing his research and traveling the world to collect high-quality materials, he could one day create puppets powerful enough to defeat even Kage-level opponents.

With this dream, Zeji submitted a proposal to the Sand Village council—but his vision was crushed. After Sasori's betrayal, the elders of the village heavily censored and rejected all similar ideologies.

Outraged, Zeji infiltrated the home of Chiyo, Sasori's grandmother and caretaker of his research archives. Though the elderly kunoichi was a formidable figure from the Third Great Ninja War, she allowed Zeji to steal the materials—perhaps out of guilt or sympathy for Sasori's forgotten ambitions.

Since then, Zeji had vanished.

---

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

The tree-climbing training yielded promising results. Sasuke and Sakura had begun mastering chakra control, while Naruto—though slower—was improving rapidly through sheer determination.

Thanks to Tom's continuous use of medical ninjutsu, Kakashi had also fully recovered by the third day.

Elsewhere, Zabuza had also returned to form. His injuries had finally healed.

"Are you ready?" Bai asked, noticing the change in Zabuza's expression.

Without answering, Zabuza calmly stepped on the communicator card given by Cardo, crushing it beneath his foot.

"Let's go, Bai."

The two vanished, leaping from tree to tree toward the great bridge.

---

Back in his lair, Cardo slammed down the receiver.

"Damn it! That fool's going to betray me again!"

He picked up another line. "Add 20% to the reward," he ordered coldly. "I want Zabuza taken out. I don't care how."

A gruff, raspy voice replied. "Understood."

Cardo tossed the phone aside in rage. "These shinobi—always so arrogant. I'll gather my men and send them all to hell!"

His bodyguard nodded. "Yes, boss!"

---

Meanwhile, deep in the woods, a man cloaked in black stood motionless beneath a tree. Stone God Zeji.

He tilted his head slightly. "Come out. Your stealth is quite impressive, but my soul-sensing abilities exceed the average shinobi."

There was a brief silence.

Then—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A volley of kunai cut through the air, targeting Zeji from multiple angles.

Zeji didn't move. Instead, the large bag on his back shifted suddenly, and with a series of clangs, hidden mechanical arms deployed, deflecting every kunai midair.

"Hmph. Konoha's ninja really haven't improved."

A flicker of movement—Tom appeared behind Zeji in an instant, thrusting a kunai straight toward his heart.

"Swish!"

The blade struck true—but no blood came out.

Instead, thick bandages wrapped around Tom's arm like snakes, tightening. Zeji's skin cracked open, revealing grains of sand. Then it fell apart.

Crack.

What stood before Tom was a large puppet disguised as Zeji.

The puppet's right arm deformed into a massive blade and slashed downward, cleaving Tom in half.

"Boom!"

Tom exploded into a puff of smoke. It was a substitution jutsu.

A log took the fatal hit.

From the shadows, Tom reappeared, eyes narrowed.

"So that's your trick."

Zeji stepped forward with a twisted grin. "Feel familiar, boy?"

He gestured toward the towering puppet at his side.

"This one used to be a member of your Konoha's Akimichi clan — Choji's cousin, if I recall. His name was Akimichi Retsu. Quite the formidable jōnin."

Tom froze.

The puppet's massive frame, its armor, its unmistakable facial marks—even in this desecrated form, he recognized him.

Retsu had once served in ANBU. More importantly, he had been a friend.

It was Retsu who introduced Tom to the Akimichi clan when they opened that secret hotpot shop. The man who laughed with him, trained with him—now reduced to a mindless weapon.

"You monster," Tom muttered, voice trembling with fury. "You dare turn my comrade into this… thing?!"

Zeji laughed maniacally. "Don't be so dramatic! He lives on in this perfect form. No fear. No hesitation. A flawless puppet. Just like I'll make you after I kill you!"

Tom's chakra flared.

Coming to this blood-stained world, Tom had trained himself to be calm, detached. But now?

Now his rage boiled over.

"You desecrated the dead," he said coldly. "I'll make sure you never create another puppet again."

Zeji grinned, eyes gleaming behind his mask. "Oh, you're welcome to try! But you'll soon join my collection. Remember my name—Stone God Zeji, the greatest puppet master of the modern era!"

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