Naruto: Tsunade’s Reincarnated Older Brother

In the tatami room, Katsu was refining his chakra with utmost concentration.

"Katsu. You can't catch a tiger's cub without entering the tiger's den. I'm counting on you for healing, I'm putting everything on the line."

"Tatami-sama... I understand. I'll support you with all my strength."

The split forms of Katsu that had been covering Tatami separated, and Tatami stood up. Only one Katsu, no larger than a fist, remained perched on Tatami's shoulder.

Two shadow clones materialized from Tatami's chakra and leaped out from behind Katsu. Standing back-to-back, they quickly surveyed their surroundings before dissolving their technique to avoid enemy detection. Everything they observed was transmitted to the real Tatami.

"Kakuzu is in front, two behind... Take out the rear guards first."

Tatami launched himself into the air and activated the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Hundreds of shadow clones materialized above Katsu. Those facing Kakuzu unleashed Water Cutting Wave techniques, deflecting his tentacle attacks before colliding with him and vanishing in bursts of smoke. Meanwhile, Katsu confused Kakuzu with powerful acid secreted from his body, the Tongue Tooth Acid Technique. Kakuzu's released tentacles countered with their own elemental techniques against the countless clones of Katsu and Tatami.

Just a little longer. Just a little more time...

The majority of shadow clones rushed toward the two rear ninjas. They descended from above with overwhelming force, resembling an avalanche bearing down on their targets. However, the two ninjas seemed to anticipate this, countering with Water Release techniques that caused the shadow clones to vanish instantly. But this was merely a diversion. Katsu's split forms had already closed in on the Takigakure ninjas. In the brief moment when the enemy's attention was diverted, Tatami unleashed his original technique.

"Earth Release: Landslide Technique!"

A massive landslide suddenly erupted above the two ninjas, blotting out the sunlight. Tatami channeled the avalanche from his position, intending to bury his enemies alive.

"The scale is enormous!"

"Goooooooooo!"

Tatami roared. However, these enemy ninjas were no amateurs, one activated an Earth Release technique, raising the ground around them into a dome-shaped barrier to shield against Tatami's assault. The other ninja, apparently unable to use Earth Release, met Tatami's desperate attack with equal determination.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

A massive water technique, summoning a tsunami that engulfed the entire area. The tsunami's power was so immense it tore the surrounding earth from its very roots. As it swallowed the small Katsu at ground level, it collided with the descending layers of earth and sand from above. The two techniques clashed violently, repelling each other.

I'm sorry, Katsu!

Apologizing to the engulfed Katsu, Tatami formed hand seals.

"Ruuuuuuuuu!!"

The enemy ninja let out a battle cry as he slowly moved his arm in sync with the tsunami, dragging away the sand Tatami had created and diverting it from the Water Release user's head.

The technique had been completely absorbed. Just as the Water Release user thought he had won—

"——"

The Water Release user gasped at Tatami's sudden appearance before him. A shadow clone, hidden within a small water dragon bullet, had crossed through the layers of sand and water to reach him.

The shadow clone gripped its kunai with a fierce expression, shouting as it aimed for the enemy's eye—but just as it was about to strike, it vanished in a puff of smoke.

The ninja, who had been drenched in cold sweat, relaxed his shoulders as the tension broke. That moment of relief became his opening.

"Gaaaaaah!!"

In an instant, the Water Release user was impaled through the abdomen by Tatami, who had burst up from beneath his feet, letting out an agonized scream.

When the shadow clone had used the Earth Release: Landslide technique, the real Tatami had employed Earth Release: Underground Swimming to burrow into the sand and earth. The moment the debris hit the ground, he had tunneled through it to strike from below.

"You damn brat!!"

The Water Release user roared, gripping Tatami with both hands despite the kunai still piercing his abdomen. Ignoring the pain, he displayed incredible strength. Unable to move, Tatami took the enemy's knee strikes head-on. His nose broke, his teeth shattered, and his ribs creaked ominously—

"Tatami!"

Katsu screamed as he desperately tried to heal him, but Tatami continued to sustain more injuries. However, he wasn't merely taking punishment. Refusing to yield to the enemy's fierce assault, Tatami twisted the kunai embedded in his opponent's abdomen, tearing at the wound.

Unable to endure the pain, the Water Release user groaned, and his grip on Tatami weakened. Tatami stepped back to create distance, but he didn't rest. Forcing his battered body to move, he gathered strength in his legs, readied another kunai at his waist, and charged forward to strike the Water Release user's abdomen once more—

"Not on my watch!"

"Gah!"

The Earth Release user, who had been hiding behind his earthen barrier, leaped out to aid his comrade, kicking Tatami mid-charge. Tatami spun wildly through the air, rolling across the ground before slamming into a tree root.

"Are you okay?!"

"Do I look okay?"

The Earth Release user called out to his partner, helping him to his feet. The Water Release user managed a weak smile, while the Earth Release user looked at him with concern.

"Gah..."

Meanwhile, Tatami coughed up blood, broken teeth falling from his mouth as he struggled to stand on trembling legs.

"You brat... just die already."

Still supporting the Water Release user, the Earth Release user hurled a kunai. It pierced Tatami's abdomen—he collapsed backward without strength, his head striking the tree trunk. Without even trying to break his fall, Tatami slid down the trunk and crumpled at its base. Katsu's desperate cries for Tatami echoed painfully through the forest.

"Sorry I'm late."

At that moment, the final ninja, the one Katsu had sensed approaching, finally arrived.

Through the haze of intense pain, Tatami gritted his teeth. His will to fight hadn't faded, but his body refused to obey. Katsu was desperately trying to heal him, but the wounds were too severe. Treatment would take time. Still, Tatami couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was still alive despite his grievous injuries.

Get up, get up!! I can still fight, I have to protect the village and Grandpa!

However, his weakened legs could only tremble helplessly.

"Please treat him."

The newcomer appeared to be a medical ninja. The Earth Release user carefully lowered his injured comrade to the ground and urged the medical ninja to treat him.

"I understand. Leave it to me."

"Alright."

The Earth Release user watched his partner with a worried expression. This meant turning his back on the medical ninja, and in the next instant, his consciousness was sealed in eternal darkness.

"What... why... you..."

The Water Release user was stunned by the unthinkable sight of an ally severing another's neck. Breathing irregularly, he repeated "Why? Why?" in disbelief. He wondered if it might be an illusion, but despite checking his disrupted chakra with his weakened body, he found no signs of genjutsu.

Thud, the Water Release user collapsed motionless, and beside him, the Earth Release user fell, kicking up a cloud of dust. The ground turned crimson.

"Why, you ask? You'll find out in the afterlife."

The medical ninja raised his kunai to deliver the final blow to the dying Water Release user—

"You were careless, Ina."

"I'm sorry. Thank you, Sakumo."

From behind the medical ninja, Ina's consciousness had taken control of his body, while a white shadow, Sakumo, deflected the approaching tentacles with his kunai.

"I see... So that's why the Water Release mask isn't returning."

Writhing his tentacles, Kakuzu stepped forward, closing the distance.

Ina and Sakumo moved instantly, positioning themselves between Kakuzu and Tatami.

Behind Kakuzu, Katsu, who had repeatedly split and diminished in size, was being held by tentacles from two masks. The sight of the slug-like creature caught in the tentacle assault made Ina, possessing the medical ninja, grimace in disgust.

"Saku... Ina..."

"Don't speak, Tatami. It's worsening your wounds."

"A talking slug? I've never seen one before."

Katsu stopped Tatami from speaking with such difficulty. Sakumo kept his eyes on Kakuzu while teasing over his shoulder.

"I told you to run..."

"I did run. But I got caught up in a fight during my escape."

"Call for reinforcements..."

"If we do that, you'll die. Abandoning comrades and fleeing is unthinkable."

"I'm sorry, Tatami. If I had arrived sooner, your injuries wouldn't be this severe..."

"That tentacle-masked bastard was incredibly strong. Even with the three of us, your shadow clone, Ina, and me, it took considerable time to deal with him. I didn't expect so many to still be left."

Opening his blood-stained eyes slightly, Tatami could see that Sakumo and Ina, whose bodies had possessed the ninjas, were also badly injured. They had been fighting as well. Despite telling them to escape, he was deeply grateful that they had come to help. A single ray of light shone in the corner of Tatami's eye.

"Hmm... This isn't an illusion... Betrayal? No... it must be genjutsu after all."

Kakuzu moved his tentacles cautiously, maintaining distance while increasing their number.

"But that one-armed monk is on his last legs. What do you plan to accomplish?"

"I intend to kill you. You put Tatami through this..."

Sakumo's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"Hmph... You underestimate me..."

Kakuzu dodged the kunai aimed at him by twisting his neck. The weapon was swallowed by his tentacles.

"Shut up, you freak."

"Die, boy."

"You're the one who should die."

Sakumo hurled his kunai at Kakuzu, who deflected it with his tentacles. Sakumo knocked the deflected weapon aside with a direct strike, then dodged the tentacle attacks and raced toward Kakuzu. Ina followed behind, throwing kunai to intercept the tentacles closing in on Sakumo, providing cover.

As expected of two who trained together regularly, their timing was perfect. Sakumo dodged the tentacle attacks, closed the distance to Kakuzu, and swung his kunai to strike. But—

Whoosh, A massive fireball materialized beside Sakumo. It was Kakuzu's Fire Release technique. Sakumo was helplessly engulfed by the flames.

Sakumo was reduced to ash before their eyes, Tatami's vision went black.

"Sa... Sakumo..."

Leaning against the tree, Tatami strained to speak. Unwilling to accept reality, he shook his head weakly.

"Hmph... You got too cocky."

Tatami glared at the smirking Kakuzu with fierce hatred.

"Fire Release, is it? Those slugs are weak to Wind Release and Lightning Release, right?"

"...What?"

Sakumo emerged from the shadows, completely unharmed. Tatami was stunned with surprise. "It was a shadow clone to observe the situation," Sakumo explained. He had learned this technique from Tatami's own shadow clone.

"Ina, are you certain?"

"Yes, according to this ninja's memories, it should be correct. Those tentacles are a secret technique of Takigakure called Jiongu. By absorbing another's heart along with their chakra pathway system, it allows for the accumulation of life force and multiple elemental transformations. The mask containing the water-natured heart was the one we destroyed. Since Kakuzu's natural affinity is earth, and that mask uses Fire Release, the remaining ones must be Wind and Lightning—"

"How did you... No, I see. You're from the Yamanaka clan, aren't you?"

"Sharp observation. But it's too late now."

Ina, controlling the middle-aged medical ninja, smiled. Kakuzu grimaced but quickly regained his composure and laughed mockingly.

"Hmph... Now that the cat's out of the bag... there's nothing you can do!!"

With a shout, tentacles writhed and attacked all three.

"Ina, take Tatami and get out of here!"

"I'm staying to fight."

"You're just a liability right now. Focus on healing. Trust Sakumo and hold on, I'll provide support soon."

With those words, Ina embraced Tatami, the ninja whose body she controlled was trembling. Tatami yielded to Ina's guidance.

★

Still, to defeat this thing, Tatami's strength is essential. Ina and I alone can't deliver the finishing blow...

Sakumo, hiding in the shadows and observing, listened to the small slug Katsu. He learned about his role as Tatami's summoned creature and his healing abilities—

While Sakumo was superior to Ina and Tatami in close combat, he still couldn't match Kakuzu's overall skill. At long range, he couldn't land a decisive blow and would be slowly worn down by Kakuzu's tentacle-based attacks. Even if he got close, he risked being killed by the techniques fired from Kakuzu's masks, just as the shadow clones had been.

Then—

"Buy time until Tatami recovers."

Sakumo's strategy was set.

He would distract Kakuzu with feints while Ina used her Mind Transfer Technique to divert his attention. In that opening, they would strike with Tatami's full-power technique. That should be enough to defeat Kakuzu—or so Sakumo calculated.

But Kakuzu moved first, shifting his tentacles to target Sakumo.

"I'm getting tired of those tentacles."

Sweat beaded on Sakumo's forehead as he ran, crouched, and leaped onto the tentacles as footholds, dashing across them to avoid attacks. Whenever he spotted an opening, he tried to close in with his blade, but the Fire Release mask unleashed techniques to deter him.

Katsu, Tatami's summoned creature, was being held by two masks, but that also meant Katsu was restraining those two masks. All he could do was pray that Tatami would return before the summoning wore off.

Sakumo swung his kunai, severing the tip of an approaching tentacle. However, new tentacles emerged from the cut end and attacked. Sakumo dodged by twisting his neck.

"Cutting them is useless..."

"Completely useless."

As Sakumo landed while sliding backward, Kakuzu sneered.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sakumo."

"What? I just got here."

Ina returned after moving Tatami to safety, and Sakumo greeted her with casual words. His sweat-glistened forehead told a different story than his relaxed expression.

"What about Tatami?"

"He needs more time."

Ina glanced toward the bushes, and Sakumo nodded in understanding. Indeed, without careful observation, it was difficult to detect Tatami's weakened chakra signature. He was far from fully recovered, not even close to minor recovery.

"But that form, even if it's twisted, it's still my comrade. I can't let the enemy control it."

"Ina, step back."

Understanding the meaning, Sakumo restrained the medical ninja Ina had possessed and hid her behind his smaller frame.

"No, Tatami was fighting two others besides this one. I can fight too. And besides—"

"One after another, these annoying pests."

"—I understand. If we stay here, we'll be slowly defeated. Let's take a gamble."

"As that thousand-armed monk said, we should have just fled. Time to kill them."

"Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

Body Flicker Technique, kicking off hard from the ground, Ina and Sakumo dashed forward. Unlike when they were using shadow clones for reconnaissance or conserving strength to buy time, this was serious combat. With Ina's coordination, Sakumo's movements were as swift as a wild beast.

They sliced, chopped, and cut down tentacles closing in from all directions. Sakumo covered Ina's blind spots while she handled areas beyond his reach.

Ina and Sakumo kicked off the ground, climbed trees, slipped between branches, and dodged tentacles while flying through the air, slowly closing the distance to Kakuzu.

Sakumo used Body Flicker to leap sideways, dodging a massive tentacle attack, then hurled a kunai at Kakuzu's main body. Kakuzu defended with his tentacles, but Ina seized the opening, stomping the ground and quickly dodging tentacle attacks to slip one step closer. With Sakumo engaged, the inner perimeter was now vulnerable.

Ina gripped her blade tightly and advanced toward Kakuzu.

"Same old trick."

The Fire Release mask blocked Ina's path. However, Ina ignored it and shouted as the mask's mouth opened—

"Earth Release: Heart Beheading Technique!"

Sakumo, emerging from beneath Ina's feet, dragged the Fire Release mask underground. With only its head remaining above ground, the mask couldn't move, and even Kakuzu couldn't hide his astonishment.

"What the hell? When did you do that?"

"Who said there was only one shadow clone?"

—Though honestly, my chakra can only handle two at once.

He kept that thought to himself. Sakumo wasn't foolish enough to give the enemy intelligence.

But Kakuzu wasn't stupid either. He quickly retracted some tentacles and attacked Ina, who was forming seals—not the shadow clone, but the real one.

"Ina!"

Sakumo shouted.

A hole opened in the shoulder of the ninja Ina had possessed. The medical ninja's body went limp, as if life had been drained from it.

"Lost consciousness from the pain?"

Sakumo called out to Ina, but the medical ninja's body, ensnared by tentacles, hung limply in the air, being spun in circles.

"There you go—fly away!"

The medical ninja's body was hurled through the air and disappeared from view.

"Ina!"

"You fool!"

Sakumo turned toward where the medical ninja had been thrown, screaming in horror. Exploiting the opening, Kakuzu wrapped his tentacles around trees and swept Sakumo away along with his shadow clones.

"Guh!"

Despite defending with his arms, the shadow clones vanished and Sakumo was blown away, breaking branches as he fell. Though he eventually landed, he couldn't stop his momentum, his feet sinking into the soggy soil as he slid several meters.

"I'll praise you for getting close—"

"—I won't."

A woman's voice emerged from Kakuzu's mouth.

—Mind Transfer Technique.

Before the medical ninja's body Ina had possessed was impaled by Kakuzu, the seal she had formed was the counter-seal for the Mind Transfer Technique. Anticipating that Ina would use an unfamiliar technique, Kakuzu had been wary of Yamanaka clan secret arts and planned to counter immediately.

Sakumo was fully aware of this and had deliberately acted poorly.

It worked perfectly. Just as Kakuzu's tentacles were about to pierce Ina, she performed the counter-seal, returning her consciousness to her original body. Using her signature stealth technique, she approached Kakuzu while using Sakumo as bait and activated the Mind Transfer Technique.

"Sakumo, it worked! Finish him quickly!"

"Right!"

Ina shouted, and Sakumo charged forward. The Mind Transfer Technique was difficult to maintain, and against an opponent with strong mental fortitude and vast chakra reserves, resistance would build, making full control increasingly difficult. Kakuzu was overwhelmingly stronger than Ina with far greater chakra. Even now, his mind was struggling to break free from Ina's binding.

"First one!"

Sakumo, gripping a kunai wrapped in lightning chakra, leaped down from the tree. He let gravity carry him, aiming to pierce the Fire Release mask.

"Uooooooooo!!"

Screaming in fury, Sakumo closed in on the Fire Release mask—

"No... I'm the first one."

"Gahh—"

Kakuzu, narrowly breaking free from Ina's technique, impaled Sakumo's abdomen with his blade.

***

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