Jixo

181 Naruto: Stealing Attributes

Sarutobi Hiruzen found himself engulfed in utter darkness.

He attempted to disrupt his chakra flow to dispel the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, but it was futile.

With no other options, Hiruzen gripped his adamantine staff tightly, holding it defensively in front of him.

Suddenly, searing pain shot through his back, forcing him to stumble forward.

Reacting instinctively, Hiruzen jabbed backward with his staff, but it struck nothing but empty air.

Before he could ...

169 Naruto: Transmigrated as Obito

Outside Uchiha Madara's dilapidated base.

"Bone from pork hocks, simmered to perfection… yet again, you forgot to wash the eggs~."

"But I boiled a pack of instant noodles for myself anyway~."

Humming a jaunty tune, Obito strolled off, clearly pleased with himself.

"This move? I'm giving myself a solid 94 out of 100—because I'm just too awesome."

First, he had managed to establish a fairly good relationship with Madara.

Second, he had se...

168 Naruto: Transmigrated as Obito

As Obito stared at Madara with a wary expression, Madara couldn't help but feel a bit unsettled.

"This kid… Why is he looking at me like that? As if I have some ulterior motive or something."

After thinking it over for a while, Obito dismissed his suspicions.

Impossible!

How could Uchiha Madara possibly like women?!

Black-haired Hashirama wasn't enough for him?!

"Hmm…"

After shaking off such absurd thoughts, Obito began weighing the pros and cons....

167 Naruto: Transmigrated as Obito

[Kakashi and Obito's chakras fused, summoning a light blue Susanoo. Now that Obito has activated his own, the author chose to depict it as "azure" to distinguish the two. Reason: Writing "light blue" and "dark blue" could cause confusion, and azure is close enough to light blue.]

The Uchihas really don't have many colors left…]

Madara's Susanoo, just like its owner, preferred taking the initiative in battle!

From the massive wings that blocked out the sky, two long swords ...

166 Naruto: Transmigrated as Obito

"I'm starting to lose interest," Madara said with a cold snort.

Obito staggered to his feet again, flashing a cheeky grin.

"Oh, come on. I'm just getting warmed up."

Crack.

Obito stepped forward forcefully, causing the ground beneath him to fissure.

"Sage Art: Serious Punch!"

He launched himself forward, appearing abruptly in front of Madara. Raising his fist, shrouded in molten energy, he slammed it down with tremendous force.

Boom!...

49 Volume II The Strongest Artist in Naruto

Konoha Village.

Smack!

A rotten egg splattered against Kakashi's shoulder. A furious middle-aged woman glared at him with venom in her eyes.

"Die, you bastard!"

Next came wilted vegetables, and even small stones, hurled mercilessly by the angry mob. By the time Kakashi arrived at a nearby restaurant, his once-pristine appearance was a disheveled mess.

"Sorry, we're closed," the owner said flatly, his tone void of sincerity.

48 Volume II The Strongest Artist in Naruto

"Stop yelling. This is the leader of the Akatsuki," Deidara said with a smirk.

"Nagato."

Deidara gestured to the woman standing beside him. "This is my junior, Kurotsuchi. She's decided to join us."

Pain nodded, and after exchanging a few brief words, Deidara got straight to the point.

"Can we still contact Uchiha Madara?"

His plan was simple: if Obito wasn't too cautious yet, they'd set a trap—invite him to a 'banquet' and then gang up on him. With enough manp...

47 Volume II The Strongest Artist in Naruto

Deidara was about to head back to meet up with Kisame when, out of nowhere, a pair of long legs burst out of the nearby bushes. No, wait—a little girl with long legs burst out instead.

"Kurotsuchi, what are you doing here?" Deidara asked, puzzled.

"Deidara, take me with you to join the Akatsuki!" Kurotsuchi demanded, hands on her hips.

"What for? Giving up on being the Tsuchikage already?"

"After hearing you talk about the Akatsuki just now, I realized it's way coole...

46 Volume II The Strongest Artist in Naruto

Boom!

With a single punch, Kitsuchi was sent flying. After all, not everyone could match Tsunade's strength.

[Kitsuchi's shock value +500]

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

A dragon made of stone surged forward, snapping at the Giant Ant Warrior.

Boom!

The Giant Ant Warrior smashed the stone dragon to pieces with a casual punch. However, the brief delay was enough for Kitsuchi to regroup. He rolled to his...

183 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Meanwhile, in the Land of Waterfalls, within Takigakure.

The Takikage, an elderly man with a beard and hair as white as snow, sat in silence, staring at the private letter in his hand.

"This Fifth Hokage from the Uchiha clan is nothing like the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. It's as if Uchiha Madara himself has risen to power again," the Takikage muttered, his mind flashing back to memories of Madara's dominance.

He shook his head, his tone tinged with dissa...

182 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Tsunade stayed for a while before leaving. In her absence, Akira, Shikaku, and Inoichi continued their discussion in the office.

The three deliberated until the afternoon, finally deciding on the key personnel for each department.

As Shikaku and Inoichi were about to leave, Uchiha Akira spoke up:

"Shikaku, when you have time, draft a notice to Sunagakure and Takigakure. The gist of it should be that the Akatsuki's existence and motives are too dangerous. We ask them to send ...

180 Naruto: Stealing Attributes

Looking at Hiruzen twisting the truth to push the blame onto Mirai, a glint of coldness flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

Though Hiruzen's retort had no tangible impact, it infuriated Orochimaru nonetheless.

Mirai-kun is the one I've pledged my eternal loyalty to, Orochimaru thought. I won't tolerate anyone disrespecting him.

With this thought, Orochimaru formed a hand seal.

The reanimated bodies of Hashirama and Tobirama stirred into motion.

"...

179 Naruto: Stealing Attributes

The resounding accusation brought a dead silence over the arena packed with thousands.

It took a long moment before anyone reacted.

"What Orochimaru said… it actually makes sense. I don't think I've ever heard of the Third Hokage going to the battlefield," someone muttered.

"As the Hokage's guards, they didn't give their lives to protect him. And as the Hokage, he stayed in the safest part of the village…. Yet every day, he preached about the Will of Fire. Now that I thi...

178 Naruto: Stealing Attributes

"Sigh..."

Even though Senju Hashirama had long transcended clan boundaries in his outlook, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of melancholy upon hearing the fate of the Senju clan.

He glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, the former disciple who used to trail after them like an eager little monkey. It was hard to believe that boy had grown up to commit such acts.

Senju Tobirama, however, was far less restrained. He glared at Hiruzen with visible fury.

"Monkey, you've done w...

177 Naruto: Stealing Attributes

"Is this… the real truth behind Sakumo's suicide all those years ago?"

"I never thought the Third Hokage could be such a two-faced monster!"

"Come to think of it, Sakumo-sama's death did seem suspicious. I mean, villagers hurling rotten eggs and vegetables at his door, and the whole village acting like it wasn't happening? That was bizarre."

"Back then, I always wondered why someone as strong as Sakumo would take his own life. Honestly, if it were me, I wouldn't have been ...

176 Naruto: Stealing Attributes

"Ten Sins?"

Tobirama Senju frowned, casting a sidelong glance at Hiruzen Sarutobi. Numerous thoughts flickered through his mind in an instant.

Hashirama, however, plopped down cross-legged onto the ground with his usual carefree demeanor.

"Tobirama, overthinking won't help. Let's hear what this is about."

Seeing the group settle down, Orochimaru resumed speaking. His voice remained hoarse, yet it was clear and carried to everyone present.

"I was once a member of ...

125 Naruto: Tobirama Reborn

"Damn it, these monsters just keep coming!"

With a swift strike, A split a White Zetsu cleanly in two from head to toe. Yet, his expression grew darker by the moment.

From the ground, countless pale creatures continued to crawl out, their numbers seemingly endless—at least in the thousands.

The vitality of these White Zetsu clones was astonishing. Unless they were utterly destroyed, killing them was no easy task. To make matters worse, some emitted poisonous mists, causing...

124 Naruto: Tobirama Reborn

Kumogakure was bustling with activity.

The arrival of the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning to meet with the Fourth Raikage had bolstered the spirits of every shinobi in the village.

After an extensive and private discussion, news began to spread.

The entire village, from the highest-ranking officials to the youngest genin, strongly condemned the vile actions of the Land of Fire and Konohagakure. Kumogakure was now fully prepared for war.

The Daimyō hi...

123 Naruto: Tobirama Reborn

At the gates of Konohagakure, several ANBU surrounded a figure flying mid-air—Konan.

Although the figure was female, the crimson cloak adorned with black clouds unmistakably marked her identity.

Civilians near the village entrance had already been evacuated.

"Konan, is it really you?"

The moment Jiraiya heard about a blue-haired kunoichi at the gates, he rushed to the scene. He had to confirm his suspicion.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, seeing K...

122 Naruto: Tobirama Reborn

Hokage Office.

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, confusion evident as he stood before the Hokage.

Why had he been summoned? And, more importantly, why was Uchiha Madara standing there of all people?

"Kakashi, your left eye… it's a Sharingan, isn't it?"

Tobirama's sharp gaze locked onto him, his tone deliberate despite knowing the answer.

"…Yes. It was a gift from a comrade… before he passed."

Kakashi's expression faltered,...

181 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

"Fifth Hokage~" Tsunade exhaled deeply, looking at Uchiha Akira with a serious expression. "You're not telling us all this for no reason. Just get to the point—what's the situation?"

"From what I know, the Akatsuki is collecting Tailed Beasts to revive the Ten-Tails. Their ultimate goal is to create a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki and plunge the entire world into the Infinite Tsukuyomi," Akira explained.

"Reviving the Ten-Tails? Katsuyu, do you know anything about the relationship betwe...

180 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

"Tsunade-sama, you've misunderstood," Akira said with a shake of his head. "It's not me, it's the Akatsuki. If we lose, the ninja world will inevitably fall into ruin at their hands."

"What do you mean?" Tsunade frowned. "I know the Akatsuki are collecting Tailed Beasts, but to claim they could destroy the entire ninja world sounds a bit far-fetched!"

Her skeptical gaze bore into him. "You're not just trying to scare us, are you?"

"Tsunade-sama, have you heard of the Ten-Tai...

45 Volume II The Strongest Artist in Naruto

"Let's hear it—what exactly is your Akatsuki organization trying to accomplish?" Onoki demanded, stepping onto an open clearing, his tone sharp as his gaze bore into Deidara.

The only others present were Akatsuchi, Kurotsuchi, and Kitsuchi—Iwagakure's core leadership gathered in one place.

"For peace," Deidara answered, utterly nonchalant.

Onoki: "…"
Everyone: "…"

"Deidara, can we get a little honesty here? Your organization is made up of nothing but S-rank ...

44 Volume II The Strongest Artist in Naruto

Obito used Kamui to disappear again, and Deidara didn't even attempt to attack him. For one, Kamui's activation lasts up to five minutes, for another, Obito could always use Izanagi as a backup. Deidara had no effective way to deal with him.

Instead of rescuing Kakuzu and Hidan immediately, Deidara contacted Nagato through his ring.

"Leader, it was Uchiha Madara who intervened this time," Deidara summarized the situation succinctly and shared his speculation.

He concluded wi...

43 Volume II The Strongest Artist in Naruto

Boom!

A powerful punch slammed down, sending up a massive spray of water.

Kisame leapt to dodge, but as soon as he landed, several stone spears shot toward him—an attack from Kurotsuchi on the other side.

"What a hassle!" Kisame growled, swinging Samehada to shatter the stone spears. Before he could catch his breath, a massive yellow rock dragon surged through the water, coiling like a predator. As it reached Kisame, it lunged out of the water, snapping at his leg...

42 Volume II The Strongest Artist in Naruto

"Deidara!"

Before Deidara could even step off his clay bird, a cheerful voice called out from the direction of Iwagakure. Standing beside Ōnoki, Kurotsuchi, who had grown taller and leggier since he last saw her, waved enthusiastically.

Ōnoki, however, stood there with a cold expression, saying nothing.

"Old man, why'd you call me back?" Deidara asked, exuding his usual mix of arrogance and irritation. That was just how their relationship worked—mutual disdain at its fin...

165 Naruto: Transmigrated as Obito

Obito's eyes burned with battle spirit, and his blood felt like it was boiling in his veins.

"Do you know something, Madara?"

"From the moment I learned of your resurrection, I've wanted to fight you."

Madara raised the flame-patterned gunbai in his hand, smirking disdainfully.

"It's commendable to have the guts to challenge me, but I'm afraid that's the only thing about you worth praising."

Obito unsheathed the blade on his back.

His swordsmanship wasn't p...

164 Naruto: Transmigrated as Obito

Inside Uchiha Madara's base.

Black Zetsu silently watched the two men laugh like maniacs.

…How long are they going to keep this up?

(Madara and Obito: Laughing to death here—literally can't stop!)

Ten minutes later.

The laughter gradually subsided, as if they had exchanged some sort of unspoken code.

Madara's gaze toward Obito softened.

This kid really reminds me of myself…

Noticing Madara's increasingly p...

163 Naruto: Transmigrated as Obito

Otogakure.

Obito strolled out of the lab with a sour expression plastered on his face.

He was deeply dissatisfied with the progress of his subordinate, Orochimaru.

'Orochimaru's such a letdown. Still hasn't finished refining the Impure World Reincarnation technique,' Obito grumbled, his voice dripping with contempt.

'Damn it... dragging things out like this. He's just like those lazy authors in my past life. Always needing a push to g...