Naruto: The Sage Body of Konoha

Kiri, hidden among the mountain ranges of the Land of Water, has always been shrouded in thick fog and completely isolated from other nations.

Because it is far removed from the mainland, separated by ocean waters, the Land of Water rarely involves itself in the affairs of the world of shinobi, giving people the impression of serene neutrality.

But now things are different.

Because Madara Uchiha has taken control of Kiri, becoming its actual ruler.

In the past half month, a bloody purge had rocked Kiri.

Initially, although Madara displayed overwhelming power, he hadn't made a public appearance since returning to the village. Many Mist ninja sensed something was wrong, believing that Madara was merely a fading force—a bow drawn too tight. Thus, quite a few of them joined forces, mounting several assaults on the Mizukage's Tower, attempting to eliminate Madara and his faction to reclaim control.

However, facing these rebellious ninja, Madara Uchiha didn't even lift a finger himself. He dispatched two Transcendent Kage-level warriors—Third Mizukage and Kakuzu—to swiftly crush the rebellions, ruthlessly executing numerous ninja as warnings.

In addition, Black Zetsu hired an elite force composed of hundreds of bounty hunters, who were stationed within the Mizukage's Tower, turning it into what was now an almost impenetrable fortress.

At this point, experts like the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist, who had so far remained on the sidelines out of caution for Madara Uchiha's strength, finally recognized the situation and chose to submit.

From then on, under Madara Uchiha's harsh rule, Kiri became a unified ironclad force, with resistance no longer able to raise any significant waves.

At the center of Hidden Mist stood the Mizukage's Tower.

Inside a secret chamber beneath it,

Madara Uchiha, his hair snow-white, lay motionless in bed, covered in oxygen tubes, unable to move even slightly.

Clearly, his days were numbered; he couldn't take much more pressure. Now, only activating the Rinnegan could give this dying old man one last shot at survival.

Black Zetsu entered the hidden room and stood beside the bed, waiting for Madara Uchiha's orders.

"Is everything ready?" After a while, Madara Uchiha asked slowly, eyes still closed.

"Everything is prepared. At your command, we can destroy Uzu Country."

Black Zetsu answered respectfully, pulling out a crystal ball and setting it on the nightstand. Within it appeared a real-time image of Uzugakure.

Clearly, this crystal ball functioned similarly to the Telescope Technique, allowing Madara Uchiha to remotely observe all events about to unfold within Uzugakure.

"Then go."

Madara Uchiha waved his hand dismissively. As Black Zetsu turned and walked away, Madara Uchiha opened his single eye and watched him disappear into the shadows of the hidden chamber.

Regarding Black Zetsu—the loyal servant—he felt less and less assured about him lately.

He had long ordered Black Zetsu to kill Fugaku Uchiha, but the latter had pretended obedience while avoiding action. Furthermore, Madara Uchiha had detected how Black Zetsu secretly stole Hashirama cells from him.

Still, he couldn't do without this fellow just yet. He needed to use him, hence could not kill him.

Thus, Madara Uchiha could only endure patiently, waiting for the awakening of the Rinnegan.

He sensed it would be soon.

After exiting the hidden room, Black Zetsu arrived at the Mizukage's office where Kakuzu and the Third Mizukage were already waiting.

"Immediately mobilize your forces and launch an attack on Uzu Country."

Black Zetsu cast a glance at the Third Mizukage before issuing the order. The latter hurried off to prepare right away.

Then, Black Zetsu turned to Kakuzu with a half-smile and spoke,

"Mr. Kakuzu, according to the latest intelligence from Konoha, Uzumaki Heiyan has left the village and is heading straight for Uzu Country. Are you ready to seek revenge?"

"I've been waiting for this day for a whole year."

Kakuzu said coldly while taking out a gourd-shaped glass bottle. Inside it held a small amount of clear, colorless liquid.

"What's this?" Black Zetsu asked curiously.

"Hero Water."

Kakuzu raised the glass bottle, gazing into its contents as memories surfaced on his face.

"My hometown, the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, lies hidden behind a massive waterfall. There stands an ancient colossal tree there. Once every century, sacred water secreted from beneath this tree becomes what we call Hero Water — a sacred elixir said to empower heroic warriors. It makes your chakra ten times stronger!"

"That powerful? Then why didn't you use it earlier?"

Black Zetsu asked in astonishment and confusion. In his opinion, Kakuzu should have brought this out during the Mist Island battle last year.

"Hmph."

At hearing this, Kakuzu let out a cold snort but still explained,

"Although Hero Water grants ten times the chakra, it comes at the cost of consuming the user's life. Therefore, it cannot be used lightly."

What he didn't bother explaining to Black Zetsu was that—

The [Earth Grudge Fear] technique developed by the Village Hidden in the Waterfall had been created specifically to eliminate the side effects of Hero Water.

When Kakuzu previously fought against Heiyan's team, due to underestimating his opponent, he hadn't even managed to drink the Hero Water before being beaten down to his final heart.

Moreover, Hero Water was extremely precious—one portion only became available every century—so naturally people would be reluctant to use it.

Considering the timing, however, the next century's cycle was drawing near, when the colossal tree in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall would once again secrete this sacred water.

Therefore, Kakuzu resolved to use up this current vial of Hero Water in Uzu Country to kill his enemy Heiyan. After the war ended, he'd return to his hometown to collect fresh sacred water.

"In any case, I'll leave Uzumaki Heiyan to you, Mr. Kakuzu. Besides the bounty of one hundred and fifty million ryō already on him, I'll add another one hundred and fifty million, making it a total reward of three hundred million ryō."

Black Zetsu told Kakuzu such words, offering conditions impossible to refuse.

"Fine."

With gleaming eyes, Kakuzu tightened his grip on the Hero Water bottle before eagerly leaving the Mizukage's office to make preparations.

"Hero Water, huh..."

After Kakuzu departed, Black Zetsu muttered to himself while stroking his chin.

He personally held no significant interest in this item because, based on his speculation, even The Village Hidden in the Waterfall's colossal tree was merely a branch of the God Tree—and therefore unworthy of his attention.

Ultimately...

All the chakra existing within the world of shinobi rightfully belonged to his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki.

There would come a day when Black Zetsu would resurrect his mother and reclaim everything.

...

Land of Lightning, Cloud Village.

More than half a month had passed. Though the entire Cloud Village remained on high alert, Lord Takemikazuchi never appeared.

At this point, the Third Raikage finally realized something was wrong—he had been deceived.

Coming back to his senses, he did not want to miss the opportunity to seize Uzu Country. Thus, he gathered his trusted men and troops, swiftly assembling an army of 5,000 ninja and launched a southward march.

...

Within the walls of a certain town in Uzu Country.

In a corner of an izakaya, a man wearing a hooded cloak leisurely drank sake while eavesdropping on conversations from other customers.

Many among these patrons were in fact ninja from small, neighboring states. Having caught wind of recent events, they had sneaked into Uzu Country disguised as ordinary travelers, plotting secret actions.

Before long, this group noticed the man in the corner and deemed him suspicious.

So, two ninja from Hoshigakure stood up, walking over to confront the man condescendingly.

"Who are you? Why have you secretly listened in on our conversation? Speak up!"

Shouting as they reached out, they yanked the man's hood off. But instead of seeing his face clearly, they only saw an anti-poison mask covering it.

The true identity of this man was none other than Sanshouo Hanzo—the leader of Amegakure, known in the world of shinobi as the semi-god-like figure.

A cold glint flashed through Hanzo's eyes.

After a brief pause.

BOOM!

A massive water dragon erupted through the izakaya's roof, completely demolishing the building.

Hanzo alone emerged from the ruins before walking away nonchalantly.

Why would the semi-god-like figure in the ninja world appear here in Uzu Country at this particular moment?

Because Hanzo sensed that the Fire, Wind, and Earth nations could erupt into large-scale warfare any time. When that happened, Ame Country—sandwiched between three powerful nations—would become the battlefield for great powers' struggle, engulfing its people in chaos and suffering.

That was a fate he refused to allow.

Therefore, once Hanzo received intelligence about impending war in Uzu Country, he traveled thousands of miles to arrive here, planning to stir up trouble in Uzu Country and draw Konoha's attention eastward.

Doing so would greatly relieve the pressure on Amegakure from the west.

Even if Hanzo's plan failed and Uzugakure fell, should Konoha decide against offering support, he still had a backup strategy prepared.

That was: sneak into Uzugakure's treasure vault amidst the chaos and steal the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques along with their treasures.

After all, he had come this far—leaving with nothing was never an option.

This time, Hanzo came without any subordinates, operating alone on a secret mission. With nothing but himself, he aimed to shake things up across the battlefield of Uzu Country.

This was the very essence of a Semi-God's confidence and audacity.

...

Frog Kingdom, Mount Myoboku.

This sacred land lay thousands of miles from the world of shinobi—a peaceful paradise belonging to the Frog Clan, forever untouched by war, existing solely in tranquility and harmony.

Under the open sky, deep within the woods, three giant frogs—one red, one purple, and one green—were engaged in fierce sparring matches, causing quite a commotion.

This trio was none other than the legendary Toad Triad.

Compared to a year ago, these three toads had doubled in size, now standing over ten meters tall, with much stronger chakra flowing within their bodies.

Especially Gamabunta. He could easily hold his own against both Gamaken and Gamahiro together without being at a disadvantage.

Gamabunta trained so desperately for only one purpose.

That was to personally visit the shinobi world one day, confront that annoying guy named Heiyan again, defeat him soundly, and completely erase his previous humiliation!

With such belief, Gamabunta underwent hellish training and persevered until today.

Just then, a tiny frog suddenly came running over, panting heavily while delivering a message to the Toad Trio.

"Boss, the Great Toad Sage wants you all to come to the temple to meet him. He says the death prophecy concerning Uzumaki Heiyan is about to come true."

"What?!" 

Gamabunta growled, shock and anger flashing across his face. "I haven't even taken revenge on that brat yet!"

Without finishing his sentence, he rushed deeper into Mount Myoboku—toward Gamamaru's temple—followed closely by Gamaken and Gamahiro.

When the Toad Trio arrived, they found their parents—the Sage Fukasaku and the Sage Shima—who had come earlier and were already standing on either side of Gamamaru.

As usual, Gamamaru was still lazily sitting on his throne wearing his doctor's hat, eyes closed in meditation.

"Great Elder, what exactly is going on? Has that brat Heiyan already died?"

Gamabunta puffed loudly on his pipe as soon as he entered the temple, shouting impatiently.

However, right after his words fell, he unsurprisingly received a reprimand from both Fukasaku and Shima, reminding him to behave himself in front of the Great Elder.

"Oh, are we all here now?"

At this point, Gamamaru finally spoke up slowly, opening his pair of hazy old eyes.

Looking at the Toad Trio, he gave them instructions: "You three should stay quietly here and not go anywhere else."

Gamabunta snorted with dissatisfaction but dared not defy the Great Toad Sage's order openly.

Then, under the gaze of all the toads, Gamamaru injected chakra into the giant crystal ball before him. An image of Uzugakure immediately appeared inside it.

Whoosh!

The Toad Trio quickly surrounded the crystal ball, staring intently at the image within.

Fukasaku and Shima exchanged glances. As they simultaneously thought of Heiyan, mixed emotions filled their hearts.

Inside the crystal ball at this moment, Uzugakure still looked peaceful and serene. But according to Gamamaru's earlier prophecy, a great disaster was about to fall upon it...

One day later.

On the eastern sea of the Land of Fire, aboard a large ship heading toward Uzu Country.

Inside the cabin, many bounty hunters, ronin, and exiled warriors gathered together, speaking loudly while secretly plotting.

Having heard rumors about an impending multinational military alliance invasion of Uzu Country, these men flocked there like sharks smelling blood in the water, preparing to make some easy pickings.

"I've heard Uzumaki ninja fetch a high price in the black market. Whether used as healing tools or test subjects for human experimentation, they produce excellent results."

Even highly talented members of the Uzumaki clan could serve as excellent Tailed Beast vessels, possessing the potential to become [Perfect Jinchuriki]."

"Uzugakure's Sealing Techniques are also among the most coveted in the world, unmatched in strength and complexity."

"..."

The men spoke with excitement, each imagining how, once they set foot on the shores of Uzu Country, they would rampage, killing and burning as they looted and committed atrocities.

Bang!

Suddenly, the cabin door was kicked open.

"Who's there?!"

Dozens of eyes turned in unison toward the entrance, where three figures stood silently, staring at them like they were already corpses.

It was Heiyan's team.

After reaching the Fire Country's border dock at full speed, they had boarded a passenger ship bound for Uzu Country. They hadn't expected to encounter enemies the moment they stepped onboard.

"Attack," Heiyan said coldly.

Instantly, Fugaku and Hiashi activated their dōjutsu—Sharingan and Byakugan blazing with chakra-infused power inside the cabin.

Five minutes later.

The three stepped out of the cabin onto the deck. Behind them lay a cabin full of corpses.

"Go!" Heiyan barked.

Without hesitation, the trio abandoned the ship and dove into the sea, racing across the ocean surface at incredible speeds.

From above, the waves created by Heiyan and his team's rapid movement formed three straight white trails across the sea, stretching swiftly toward Uzu Country.

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