Naruto: From Extra to Savior

Chapter 140: Chapter 140: The Theory of World Annihilation



"It looks like Susanoo's holding up no longer. Now what?" Zetsu asked, seeing that Itachi Uchiha was clearly losing ground.

They were still outmatched by Jiraiya's strength—and on top of that, they were intentionally holding back. In such a restricted situation, it would be surprising if they could handle someone as powerful as Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin.

"You still look pretty fresh," Obito Uchiha said to Kisame Hoshigaki. "Can you hold out a little longer?"

"Holding out isn't a problem, but is there really any point in keeping this fight with Jiraiya going?" As one of the few Akatsuki members who knew the 'true' identity of the organization's leader—Madara Uchiha—Kisame was deeply unhappy about being used as bait alongside Itachi. Though he had a rough and brutal personality, Kisame wasn't known for deception or scheming; he was strict and meticulous when carrying out missions. Before capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he wouldn't betray the organization.

"We haven't caught the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki yet—we can't call it quits halfway. There's still time. Just hold on a bit longer."

Each present member might have had different opinions about Obito Uchiha's true identity, but one thing was certain—they all officially recognized his leadership. Once Obito gave an order, there was no choice but to obey. Although Kisame didn't understand why 'Madara' insisted on proceeding so cautiously without revealing his full power, considering the vast complexities and goals of the organization, he chose not to question further.

Kisame avoided using large-scale water techniques that could alter the battlefield—like the Great Exploding Waterfall. Using Water Release against a massive frog summon while increasing the amount of water around might just benefit the enemy more than himself.

But against Jiraiya, Kisame's key strategy was teaming up with Itachi Uchiha, using Samehada in sync with his attacks. In drawn-out battles where direct power couldn't surpass the opponent, absorbing their chakra became an effective way to gain an edge over time.

Seeing Kisame step forward, swinging Samehada to barely block Gamahiro and Jiraiya's combined assault under the cover of Itachi's Susanoo, Zetsu seemed to relax slightly. He then turned to Obito Uchiha with a confused look and asked, "Why did you send Kisame Hoshigaki to fight Jiraiya? His fighting style doesn't seem ideal for this situation."

Kisame's combat style was best suited for clearing groups with large-scale ninjutsu, especially when facing multiple enemies at once, allowing him to fully utilize his massive chakra reserves. But going head-to-head with Jiraiya in Sage Mode through ninjutsu alone—even using his full power, including the Water Release Artillery Platform—Kisame still found it overwhelming.

The other thing that could come in handy is Samehada. Still, as per Obito Uchiha's orders, charging forward to engage Jiraiya and Gamahiro in close combat—even with the cover of Itachi Uchiha's Susanoo—was a very dangerous move.

"So what should we do then? Expose my Wood Release?" You know they all believe I'm really Madara Uchiha...

For Madara Uchiha who created Zetsu—someone capable of using the Wood Release—possessing this technique himself wasn't completely unthinkable. However, this particular secret was something even Leader Pain didn't fully understand. Although everyone suspected a strong link between White Zetsu and the Madara impersonated by Obito, connecting both to the Wood Release would expose far too much sensitive information. Revealing too many inconsistencies wouldn't be beneficial for Obito's plan to manipulate Akatsuki leader Pain under Madara's name.

"You've stayed in the shadows too long, Tobi," Zetsu remarked to Obito. "You've gotten too used to sneaky plans and tricks, but you're not good at just fighting head-on. That's why Pain makes a better leader than you ever would."

"Aren't you just the same?" Obito replied, uncharacteristically revealing some sincerity. "To those who live in the light, we're just pathetic outcasts cowering in the shadows, forgotten by the world. From that day onward, I died. If the world has turned its back on me, I see no reason to hold any affection for it anymore."

"Alright, we've strayed too far. Don't keep your dreams on your lips too often, or they might slip away..." Fully aware of Obito's stubbornness, Zetsu changed the subject. "Let's focus on discussing when to retreat."

"What's wrong?" Tobi asked, surprised.

"Isn't it because you're being too cautious? If we really went all-out, is there a tailed beast we couldn't capture? You care too much about your clan members. Even though Itachi is strong, he isn't irreplaceable."

"You're mistaken, Zetsu. If Kyubi were the last tailed beast we needed to capture, I wouldn't hesitate over anyone." One step away from fulfilling his dream, nothing else mattered anymore. "But this isn't the time yet. We're only taking advantage of Konoha's current chaos caused by Orochimaru. Actually, the tailed beasts in the Land of Water would be easier targets..."

Yagura, already under Obito Uchiha's control, indeed had little chance of resistance unless something unexpected occurred.

Upon hearing such cold words from Obito Uchiha, Zetsu casually asked, "Does that mean I'm also expendable?"

"Of course." For Zetsu, who once helped him through the difficult period immediately following the transplantation of the First's cells, Obito saw no need for deception and admitted without hesitation.

"I knew you'd say that, but hearing it still stings."

"Cut the nonsense. Did you really want to discuss life and dreams at a moment like this?"

"Fine, let's get serious." Glancing at the ongoing battle where Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki were barely managing to hold their ground, Zetsu continued, "We've heard back from Tobi."

"Now we've hit a serious snag. Looks like sneaking this through without anyone noticing ain't gonna work."

"Oh?" Tobi asked with mild surprise. "Shouldn't there be almost no one over there? Could the Jinchuriki have had an unexpected outburst?"

"A Jinchuriki's outburst wouldn't be this quiet—use your brain," White Zetsu shook his head. "I told you this kind of childish scheming was a bad idea—it's way too risky. One small change and everything falls apart. Not only did the plan fail, but we've needlessly earned the hostility of Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki."

Because of their unique restrictions or personal traits, these two were actually rare capable members within Akatsuki. Compared to Kakuzu, who was crafty and cruel, Hidan, whose personality was strange and unpredictable, and Red Sand of the Desert, whose thoughts were completely unfathomable, they were much more reliable. Losing them due to antagonism would be a huge loss indeed, just like what happened with Orochimaru leaving the organization.

Although Obito had fallen into darkness, his natural disposition couldn't easily be erased. His occasional bursts of creativity and mischievousness sometimes left his partner feeling quite helpless.

"My fault then? Why didn't you stop me back then? Don't we have an understanding with Itachi and Konoha? As long as we don't cross the line, everything should be fine, right?"

"Understanding?" White Zetsu still wore that expressionless face and spoke in a monotone voice. "That was just your one-sided assumption."

That so-called mutual understanding was really just one side being arrogant and working off bad intel.

From Konoha's upper echelons' point of view, based on limited information about Akatsuki, they judged the organization was powerful, but never imagined it to be strong beyond their wildest imaginations. Otherwise, they wouldn't have made many seemingly ridiculous moves. Overestimating oneself and underestimating enemies always leads to problems. Meanwhile, the issue with Akatsuki lay in their inability to determine how far Konoha could tolerate them. They wanted to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki quickly before crossing Konoha's bottom line when they hadn't yet responded fully.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Itachi Uchiha actually hadn't performed particularly well in his role as a double agent. Although he restricted Akatsuki's actions through the conditions of joining, he hadn't passed much useful intelligence back to Konoha either. The specifics were complicated, but in any case, everyone cautiously tested each other's strength and boundaries while filled with suspicion and caution. Like this attack on Konoha, even though Itachi wasn't happy about it, he didn't confront anyone directly, indicating there was still room for maneuvering.

But at this point, calling it quits halfway would be just as bad.

"If we can confirm the Jinchuriki can be taken alive, don't hesitate—move in now." Obito Uchiha made his final decision. There wasn't much point fighting Jiraiya seriously, but if it meant bagging the Nine-Tails, he was ready to tear everything apart to get it.

"Should we go check things out ourselves?" Zetsu suggested. "With your Kamui ability, it'd be very convenient for Tobi to jump in and help."

"Let's see how it goes. If Tobi starts using Wood Release, tell Itachi and Kisame to pull back..."

Their job of stalling for time was done, so there was no point sticking around Konoha anymore. Whether they captured the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki or not didn't matter now. By the time Jiraiya arrived, everything would already be decided.

...

For Mizuki, who had plenty of chakra to spare, using such a low-end tactic—overwhelming through sheer numbers—on his home turf meant he could easily ignore the battle strength of White Zetsu duplicates.

"Teacher Mizuki, watch out!"

"Hmm?" After enduring a long stretch of frustration, Mizuki finally felt relieved and was completely absorbed in his sense of superiority while crushing the White Zetsu clones. He finally let out all that frustration he'd been holding in. Zetsu wasn't just some random extra—he was one of the key players pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Suddenly hearing Sasuke Uchiha's warning, Mizuki couldn't help but startle. Instinctively dodging aside, he watched as a wooden spike whizzed past his face.

An ambush? Was that the Piercing Palm Jutsu? That was dangerously close. Could it be Tobi had lost patience? Or maybe he intended to change up his fighting style?

Whenever Wood Release showed up, it always meant something big. If Konoha's Yamato made Wood Release feel like a miracle of life itself, then today's White Zetsu and Tobi's clone using Wood Release only brought this miracle crashing down to earth. The fact that an unknown person was using techniques unique to the First Hokage over and over again raised way too many questions.

Now that he had cast away his reservations and started using Wood Release openly, the final confrontation couldn't be far off.

[Wood Style Humanoid Giant Jutsu] Would it have the same power level as during the Fourth Great Ninja War?

Tobi definitely knew how to use [Wood Style Humanoid Giant Jutsu]. But in the original storyline, the version Tobi used seemed more like a technique similar to [True Thousand Hands: Buddha's Blessing – Thousand Hands Binding Ensnarement], although its power was somewhat inferior. Yet it could still utilize five different chakra natures' techniques. Its destructive force even forced the Impure World Reincarnation Third Hokage to counter with [Five Elements Release – Great Gluttony Bullet Jutsu]. One could imagine just how terrifying its power was. But at that time, the [Wood Style Humanoid Giant Jutsu] was created by wrapping White Zetsu around Yamato. Honestly speaking, for a simple White Zetsu duplicate—even if it was extremely powerful—without going through the enhancement process after capturing Yamato with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Mizuki wasn't entirely sure whether this Tobi clone could truly unleash such a mighty technique comparable to Perfect Susanoo. In Mizuki's opinion, it would likely be a weakened imitation—one that fell far short of Hashirama Senju's original [Wood Style Humanoid Giant Jutsu]. Even compared to the ones made using Yamato's abilities, it would pale in strength.

Even so, it would definitely still be a rare and formidable jutsu. The very characteristics of Wood Release guaranteed that practically every jutsu you could make from it had real combat value. After all, it was a Kekkei Genkai formed by mixing Water Release and Earth Release chakra natures together.

"Naruto, we're ready," Mizuki began instructing Naruto. "How much chakra have you consumed? Can you keep going?"

"I'm fine. I've been ready for combat for quite a while now." Naruto replied while flexing his arm to demonstrate his readiness. "But Teacher Mizuki, what exactly is this thing you're doing? Why does it consume so much chakra?"

"Huh? You don't know this?" He knew Naruto's basics were shaky before Jiraiya trained him for three years, but honestly? He didn't think they were *this* bad.

"Baka! Didn't you learn this at the Ninja Academy?" Sasuke was totally embarrassed by Naruto's antics—how could someone be *that* clueless and still call himself a ninja?

"Alright," he cut in before Naruto could reply. "Now's not the time for arguments. Hurry up and summon Gamabunta..."

"Yes sir! Teacher Mizuki, watch me!" Saying that, Naruto bit his thumb and activated [Kuchiyose no Jutsu]. Then, a tiny, toad-like creature with a tail popped into view on the ground.

Mizuki was about to tell Naruto to wait and move somewhere else so he wouldn't bring the hospital crashing down—until he saw the little tailed toad hopping energetically around, and his mouth dropped open in shock.

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