Naruto: The Sage Body of Konoha

Bang!

The Third Raikage shoved aside the rubble pinning him down and rose to his feet, supporting his head as he stood. He seemed unharmed, but to him, what had just happened was an unprecedented humiliation.

Zzzt!

Furious, he glared at Heiyan, his body crackling with intense lightning as he further activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode. This time, the Raikage clearly meant to go all out—he was ready to unleash his full power and fight Heiyan to the bitter end.

However, Heiyan had no intention of prolonging this battle any longer.

From their earlier clash, he had already realized that although he could suppress the Third Raikage, completely defeating or even killing him would still be extremely difficult.

After all, this Third Raikage was the strongest figure in Yotsuki Clan history—a Transcendent Kage in the late stage, and a ninja of the same type as Heiyan himself.

They shared similar physical traits and abilities.

If they continued fighting, it would most likely turn into a prolonged stalemate—an all-day-and-night battle ending only when one collapsed from exhaustion.

Though Heiyan was confident he could outlast the Third Raikage and emerge victorious, there was no doubt he would expend large amounts of cells and lose significant lifespan in the process.

This kind of "killing the enemy at the cost of heavy losses" victory simply wasn't worth it.

Heiyan hadn't forgotten that his purpose here was to contain Akagakure's forces and delay their planned attack on Uzugakure.

Therefore, after easily repelling the Third Raikage and showing off his dominance, he loudly taunted:

"Listen well, old Raikage scoundrel! I, Lord Takemikazuchi, shall avenge my seniors Kinkaku and Ginkaku by wiping out every last ninja in Akagakure. Just wait and see how you'll collect the corpses of your clansmen and subordinates, hahahaha!"

As soon as those words rang out, amid the Third Raikage's shocked fury, Heiyan shot forward like a red bolt of lightning, racing straight toward Akagakure.

"No good!"

Seeing this, the Third Raikage's expression drastically changed. Without hesitation, he became a blue streak of lightning chasing after Heiyan. Other Akagakure ninjas also quickly gave chase after the two figures.

Across the mountain ranges of the Land of Lightning.

Using Heavenly Release: Chidori Shunshin, Heiyan darted continuously through the forested mountains, leaving the Akagakure pursuers far behind before finally stopping in a wooded area.

Then, with a puff, this Heiyan figure vanished in a cloud of white smoke.

It turned out to be merely a Shadow Clone.

Meanwhile, near the coastline of Kasuga Shrine.

"With that done," Heiyan mused to himself while stepping out from behind a large boulder after absorbing the memories of his clone, "it should throw Akagakure into chaos, keeping them too busy to launch any warfare for the time being."

Next target—Kirigakure.

Without wasting a moment, Heiyan immediately entered Sage Mode to save time. He summoned a Heavenly Release thundercloud and leapt high, riding atop the lightning-charged cloud. Traveling at tremendous speed, he headed directly toward the Land of Water.

One day later.

Land of Water, Kirigakure.

Near the village's harbor, shadows crowded together—it had already gathered more than a thousand ninjas. On the sea surface, more than ten warships were docked, each capable of carrying hundreds of ninja.

Kirigakure, having recovered from years of rebuilding and cultivating a large number of ninjas, finally activated its war machine.

No one noticed that far out at sea, a crimson thundercloud hovered silently above the water.

Heiyan emerged from the thundercloud, then squatted down, briefly closed his eyes, and gently brushed his fingertip across the water's surface.

According to his perception, among the thousands of ninjas near the harbor, there were at least dozens whose chakra signatures were as powerful as elite jonin. Moreover, three familiar old acquaintances—Madara Uchiha, Black Zetsu, and Kakuzu—were also among them.

Heiyan immediately resolved to initiate a covert strike. His primary goal was to destroy the warships anchored at sea while killing enough Kiri nins to create sufficient chaos before withdrawing.

However, he couldn't use the identity of Lord Takemikazuchi or the Heavenly Release (Qian) technique anymore. After all, logically speaking, Takemikazuchi should currently be harassing Akagakure, with no reason to appear here.

If he attacked Kirigakure under the guise of Takemikazuchi, once word reached Kumogakure, the Third Raikage would immediately realize they had fallen for a delaying tactic.

In that case, all Heiyan's previous efforts would have been in vain.

Therefore, after frowning in thought for a moment, he retrieved the [Two-Tails Catgirl Armor] from a storage scroll.

Out at sea,

A lithe and statuesque blue catgirl crouched low, swiftly approaching Kiri's harbor...

Meanwhile, inside the temporary command post on land.

The Third Mizukage, the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist, and elite ninja from various prominent clans in Kiri had already assembled. In addition, Madara Uchiha and his companions were also present, attending this strategy meeting under the pretense of being high-ranking elders from the Golden Exchange and friends of the Third Mizukage.

"Mizukage-sama, we just received intelligence from Akagakure—a surprise attack was launched against the Third Raikage by Takemikazuchi. Currently, Kumogakure has declared total lockdown, recalling nearly all their ninjas back into the village."

The Mizukage's secretary rushed in and reported urgently.

"Is the situation really that serious?"

Upon hearing this, the Third Mizukage slightly furrowed his brow.

Just days ago at Kasuga Shrine, when Takemikazuchi appeared and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki was captured, the Third Raikage refused aid from Kirigakure. He claimed it was an internal matter of Kumogakure and required no interference from Kiri, even declaring he would personally deal with Takemikazuchi without disrupting the planned invasion of Uzu Country.

Now, it seemed like this Third Raikage had egg on his face.

"What if we hold off on this operation, then?"

Fuguki Suikazan looked around at everyone and asked.

"Isn't that even better? Once Uzu Country falls, we won't have to split the spoils with those worthless Cloud dogs."

Biwa Juzo scoffed contemptuously at Kumogakure first, then swung his massive Cleaver Sword through the air, ambitiously suggesting:

"Broadly speaking, in my opinion, there's no need to make things complicated. At the Mizukage's order, the Seven Swords could easily annihilate Uzu Country in a single night!"

His words quickly gained agreement from fellow swordsmen.

After all, the Seven Swordsmen of the Bloody Mist were nothing but cruel, bloodthirsty men filled with ambition.

For them, the battle at Uzu Country was the moment they rose to fame across the entire world of shinobi.

"What are your thoughts, the three from the Golden Exchange?"

The Third Mizukage turned his head toward Madara Uchiha and his two companions, seeking their opinions.

Black Zetsu was about to speak when—

Boom!

A deafening explosion suddenly rang out from outside, accompanied by intense chakra fluctuations.

"What's going on?!"

Startled, everyone rushed out of the command tent one after another. As they stepped outside, they saw one of the warships at the harbor engulfed in raging flames, sinking at an alarming speed.

And the culprit behind this incident was—

Whoosh!

Like a ghostly shadow, a figure leapt from the burning deck of the ship, soaring through the air in an elegant arc.

It was a tall woman with striking blue skin and a tail.

As she hung mid-air, she swiftly formed several [Hand Seals]. Her mouth puffed up, and from it shot dozens of blue fireballs. These balls of flame seemed almost alive, homing in precisely on the weak spots of the various warships.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant, several more ships caught fire, and the flames spread rapidly.

"Enemy attack!" "Quick, capture that woman!"

After the initial chaos, numerous ninja poured onto the ships from all directions inside Kirigakure's camp, launching a manhunt against the blue-skinned catgirl—Heiyan.

Shshshsh!

An uncountable number of kunai and shuriken rained down like hail upon Heiyan.

However, his movements were incredibly swift and nimble. Dodging left and right, twisting and turning like a graceful cat, he effortlessly evaded most attacks before counterattacking directly into the crowd.

His speed was astonishing—so fast that people could barely see anything but his afterimages. His weapon was a pair of razor-sharp talon-like claws, capable of easily destroying most ninja tools and even tearing through enemy bodies.

This was a one-sided massacre—a wolf among lambs.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Within the encirclement, one after another, Kiri ninja were sent flying backward, bleeding heavily. The catgirl darted through the crowd freely, graceful in posture, each movement fluid and effortless—as though he weren't locked in deadly combat, but performing a breathtaking dance.

This woman... dancing amid the battlefield.

Many Kirigakure ninja watching this scene were overcome by both fear and awe. One after another, they lost the will to fight and fled. Very soon, what began as a siege turned into a full-scale rout.

Outside the command tent.

At this moment, Madara Uchiha—who sat silently in his wheelchair—had already activated his [Sharingan] beneath the hood covering his face. His gaze remained fixed firmly on the catgirl, observing every single move she made during the battle.

This woman...

To his surprise, even Madara, a living legend in the ninja world, couldn't identify her origins. Her unusual appearance and strange taijutsu technique were completely foreign to him.

In fact, Kakuzu and Black Zetsu were similarly shocked—they'd never seen such a bizarre ninja before either.

Just then.

The high-ranking elders of Kiri finally could no longer remain passive. Under the Third Mizukage's command, the Seven Swordsmen of the Bloody Mist were simultaneously dispatched to enter the battlefield.

Whoosh!

After mopping up the enemies on the ship, Heiyan shot into the air, twisting with a flawless 720-degree flip before landing lightly on the ground.

That earlier skirmish was just a warm-up. Now it's time for the main event.

Standing alone against hundreds of Kiri ninja and the Seven Swordsmen charging forward fiercely, Heiyan immediately brought his hands together, waiting until he had absorbed sufficient natural energy before making the Tiger seal.

Whoosh!

With a single exhale, Heiyan unleashed a vast sea of blue flames surging forward, just like a massive, merciless, and ferocious tsunami.

The demonic flame of Two-Tails Matatabi was already one of the strongest Fire Releases in the ninja world.

Based upon this, Heiyan further enhanced it using his Eternal Mangekyou-level Sage Transformation. Combined with injected Sage Chakra, its power increased once again, reaching an extremely terrifying level.

Even Madara Uchiha couldn't help but be visibly shaken upon witnessing this scene—in his prime, he might not necessarily have been able to execute a Fire Release technique of such magnitude.

As for the Seven Swordsmen facing this jutsu head-on, the impact within their hearts was beyond imagination.

"Join forces to resist it!"

Among the seven, Fuguki Suikazan shouted loudly. Then, in the next instant—

[Water Release: Water Formation Wall!]

The Seven Swordsmen quickly gathered together, instinctively employing the same ninjutsu simultaneously.

In an instant, seven towering walls of water instantly rose upon the battlefield, merging into one continuous formation—a colossal water wall dozens of meters high.

Not only the Seven Swordsmen, others quickly cast Water Formation Walls to reinforce the defense.

Boom!

From above, the raging inferno slammed into the towering water wall, fire and water devouring and blending with each other, instantly generating massive quantities of steam resembling thick white fog that spread throughout the entire battlefield.

Ultimately, Heiyan's Sage Art Fire Technique was barely blocked by the combined Water Formation Wall of the Seven Swordsmen.

Eventually, after a long while, as the white mist dissipated across the battlefield—

"Where's the enemy?"

The Seven Swordsmen stood back-to-back, forming a defensive circle, treating the situation with utmost seriousness.

Up in the sky.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

From above, countless blue fireballs rained down—each over three meters in diameter—like a meteor shower falling from the heavens, enveloping the Kiri forces below.

"Can this really be a ninjutsu created by a human?"

As the endless fireballs screamed downward, the Kiri ninja's faces twisted in terror—many dropped their weapons entirely and just stood there, paralyzed in fear.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fire rain descended, triggering chain-reaction explosions across the battlefield. Except for the Seven Swordsmen, most Kiri ninja lacked the ability to withstand such attacks. Within moments, hundreds suffered casualties, shrieks of agony ringing out continuously.

And at this very moment,

Heiyan had already bypassed the Seven Swordsmen, storming from the flank of the battlefield and charging directly toward the temporary command post.

He made a series of rapid Hand Seals, then opened his mouth and spat out a blazing blue fireball over thirty meters in diameter. The fiery sphere surged forward with scorching heat, flying low toward the Third Mizukage, Madara Uchiha, and others.

"Protect the Lord!" Black Zetsu shrieked, quickly hiding behind Kakuzu.

But it was Madara Uchiha who reacted first.

A sharp hissing sound rang out.

Solidified chakra erupted from the Mizukage's body, forming gray spiked plates on his shoulders, chest, arms, and more visibly, three long spiked tails floated behind him.

Clearly, this was Tailed Beast Cloak.

At some point, this Mizukage had become Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails Isobu.

The next second, the Third Mizukage rapidly formed a series of hand seals. When finished, he slammed his palm hard onto the ground beneath his feet.

[Rise!]

With his fierce shout, something spectacular occurred.

BOOM! BOOM!

The ground shook violently as a semi-transparent ice wall emerged from beneath the earth. Half a meter thick, towering fifty meters high, it resembled an insurmountable icy Great Wall, blocking the path of the Third Mizukage, Madara Uchiha, and their allies.

A familiar sight played out again—the same clash they'd seen before.

The giant blue fireball smashed head-on into the magnificent ice wall. But this time, it was the fireball that got swallowed—the ice wall, though melted into a large gaping hole, still stood firm.

[Ice Release?]

Heiyan immediately recognized the Kekkei Genkai the Third Mizukage used—it was the result of fusing Wind Release and Water Release.

More importantly, what concerned him even further was the revelation that the Third Mizukage was now host to the Three-Tails Isobu.

In Heiyan's memory, Isobu had already been controlled through the Sharingan by Madara Uchiha. During the battle at the Valley of the End, Heiyan himself had subdued the summoned Isobu with Adamantine Sealing Chains, nearly becoming its Jinchuriki.

So clearly, this Third Mizukage must have been installed as leader by Madara himself—a Puppet for Uchiha control over Kiri village.

After reaching this conclusion, Heiyan began preparing his retreat.

His attack today had already destroyed over ten warships of Kirigakure and killed hundreds of Ninja, achieving his goal of stalling Mist's plans for war.

Moreover, he'd uncovered the connection between Madara Uchiha and the Third Mizukage—critical intelligence indeed.

If he continued fighting, surrounded by Kiri's high-ranking elders plus Madara Uchiha and others, the situation would become extremely unfavorable for him.

"That woman wants to run."

On the other side, Kakuzu sharply sensed Heiyan's intent and whispered a warning.

As Madara Uchiha heard this and prepared to rush forward to stop Heiyan, a deep, hoarse voice suddenly sounded:

[Let me handle it.]

It was Madara Uchiha. Finally, he was stepping in personally.

Under his hood, the triple-tomoe pattern in the single eye of Madara transformed instantly into the unique Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan as he activated his ocular powers.

Then, his gaze locked onto Heiyan.

Suddenly, Heiyan felt an unexplainable sense of danger. Instinctively, he turned his head—and met Madara Uchiha's eyes directly.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

A surge of intense mental energy instantly surged into Heiyan's mind, causing his memories to rapidly blur as he teetered on the brink of becoming a mindless puppet.

But the next moment,

Heiyan simply shook his head and quickly regained clarity.

"How is this possible?!"

Madara Uchiha wore an expression of shock, rising directly from his wheelchair. His Genjutsu, activated through his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, had actually... failed.

Who exactly is this catgirl warrior?

What frustrated Madara Uchiha even more was that in the distance, he could clearly see the catgirl curving her lips into an indifferent smile—one that radiated mockery and contempt.

For someone as arrogant as Madara Uchiha, who always looks down on others, how could he possibly endure such humiliation?

Unless Madara were to discover the catgirl's true identity—his lifelong rival, Heiyan Uzumaki—only then might his mind find balance.

After all, Heiyan possesses the Sage Transformation, which naturally enables him to resist Genjutsu from the Sharingan.

Moreover, inside Heiyan's body resides not only his personal chakra but also Sage Chakra and the Two-Tails' chakra as well. These three types of chakra can interfere with one another, making it even easier for him to break through Madara's Genjutsu.

Therefore, the Genjutsu technique which Madara prides himself on completely backfired against Heiyan, having no effect whatsoever.

And just as Madara stood there, both surprised and furious,

Opposite him, Heiyan suddenly raised his voice, projecting a sentence across the entire battlefield.

"The great Third Mizukage, reduced to a mere puppet (a forced subordinate) of the Uchiha clan — that's truly laughable."

Amplified by Heiyan's own chakra, those words boomed across the battlefield like thunder.

What?!

All the Mist ninja, including the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist, were stunned as if struck by lightning. As one, their gazes turned toward the Third Mizukage—and the figure of Madara Uchiha standing beside him.

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