Chapter 241: Repaired and sold to my colleague

"Six-Tails!"

"Doo~ doo~ doo~"

The chat room, which had been filled with a cheerful atmosphere just a short while ago, was now terrifyingly silent. Gyuki, with a solemn expression, cut off the connection with Six-Tails and shook his head at Kurama, whose face was so gloomy it seemed to be dripping water.

"Six-Tails has also lost contact."

"Gyuki, we'll be fine, right? Our main bodies are in the deep sea; they definitely won't be in any trouble, right?"

Isobu, the Three-Tails, retracted his head into his shell, opened his single eye, and asked cautiously.

"Don't worry, little brother. The ocean is our territory; it's absolutely safe!"

Gyuki, whose complexion wasn't great, forced himself to perk up upon hearing his neighbor's voice, patting his own sturdy chest muscles to reassure him.

"Chomei, are you still in that little mountain ravine?"

On the other side, as the only pair left on land, Kurama narrowed his eyes, his slightly panting breath carrying wisps of flame, and asked the large, snow-white cocoon.

"Yes."

The Seven-Tails' voice came from within the cocoon. Ever since it entered its metamorphosis phase and formed the cocoon, it had stayed in this ravine filled with many waterfalls. The last time it had shown its head was several decades ago.

After confirming Chomei's location, a faint shimmer passed through Kurama's narrow eyes. He then turned his gaze toward the "seafood duo" and issued an arrangement.

"You two had better rendezvous. If you encounter anything, you'll at least have a chance to tell us."

"Hmph! Mere rats, do you think I, Lord Gyuki, would be afraid?"

Upon hearing this, Gyuki was so angry he nearly exploded. Kurama actually looked down on him. He immediately let out a cold snort and struck a philosophical pose.

"Isobu, let's go. See you at the old spot~"

Kurama, who had wanted to offer a word of warning, hadn't even opened his mouth before he saw Gyuki finish his pose in a huff and haughtily log off. However, the words Gyuki said to the Three-Tails before leaving were clearly audible throughout the entire chat room.

"."

"Kurama, I'm leaving too. You take care~"

Dragging his heavy shell, Isobu disappeared from the spot with surprising agility.

"I'm going to see exactly who is playing these tricks!"

Once the seafood duo logged off, Kurama bit down on his sharp teeth, which were emitting a cold glint. He was determined to investigate the mystery of the missing group members thoroughly.

"I'm going to continue lying low~"

Chomei said weakly before logging off as well.

"Hmm."

Seeing that all the group members had logged off, Kurama reached out and turned off the chat room's light, preparing to return offline to search for clues.

"Hey, hey, hey, you stinky fox, why are you turning off the damn light? I'm still here!"

As the tanuki locked in the "jail," Shukaku's situation was, ironically, the safest one right now.

In a forest not far from the Hidden Leaf Village—a forest that had not yet been named the "Forest of Death"—the dense, rarely visited woods happened to be the perfect place to imprison Tailed Beasts.

"Boom!"

With a dull, thunderous roar, even the residents far away in the Hidden Leaf Village felt the ground tremble beneath their feet.

"Was that an earthquake?"

The villagers, poking their heads out from their homes, had a hint of curiosity in their eyes. One had to know that the Land of Fire was located in a plains region and rarely experienced earthquakes.

Deep in the dense forest, where these villagers could not see, a mind-boggling scene was unfolding. Senju Tobirama, acting as the support, stood atop a towering tree dozens of meters high.

"This is..."

Even Senju Tobirama, known for his calmness, couldn't help but widen his scarlet eyes after seeing this scene. His mouth hung slightly open, his brain directly gave up on thinking, and he couldn't even speak clearly.

"Haha, Tobirama, this is the second one~"

The long-haired man with a beaming smile sat cross-legged atop the head of a sturdy Wood Human. Behind him, he dragged a hundred-foot-long, unconscious gray slug. Its plump body was oozing an unknown slime that corroded the trees and rocks along the path, emitting a pungent, highly acidic odor.

The Wood Human, acting as if nothing were amiss, flicked the Six-Tails in its hand into a pre-made Wood Style cage. After standing up, Senju Hashirama laughed and shouted to his bewildered younger brother.

The sleeping Six-Tails was tossed like trash into a cage generated by Wood Style: Four-Pillar Prison. As the Tailed Beast entered, these cages began to emit a blue light, greedily absorbing the Tailed Beast's chakra to reinforce themselves.

"This one is simply a different species from the five-tailed one before. It's truly miraculous. How exactly were they born?"

Senju Tobirama, having regained his senses, felt his curiosity surge. He jumped a few times to stand before the cage holding Six-Tails, examined it for a moment, and clicked his tongue in wonder.

"Tobirama, there will be plenty of time for research later. Do you have any news about Madara?"

Standing up from the Wood Human's head, Senju Hashirama, having already captured two Tailed Beasts, had deep confidence in his eyes. He wondered how Uchiha Madara's progress was going—had he caught even one?

"Hmph~ Not a single message has been sent back. He's probably scurrying around like a headless fly right now~"

With his arms crossed, Senju Tobirama wore a look of satisfaction. His older brother had already caught two; victory was basically secured. That Uchiha Madara was probably crying in some corner right now~

"To be this smooth, it seems the intelligence fee wasn't spent in vain~"

Looking contentedly at the two unconscious Tailed Beasts, a flash of pain crossed Senju Tobirama's face. To ensure his brother could capture the Tailed Beasts, he had scraped together all his private savings, exhausting every resource to purchase intelligence on several Tailed Beasts from a mysterious information broker. Otherwise, how could Senju Hashirama have found the Five-Tails and Six-Tails so precisely?

"Since Madara hasn't come, I'll be heading off. The next target... let's choose the Seven-Tails~"

Shaking his head with some disappointment, Senju Hashirama didn't see the figure he had hoped to see. He clapped his hands and hurried toward the next target. According to the intelligence provided by Tobirama, the Seven-Tails was hiding in a valley in the Land of Waterfalls, and there was a very large waterfall nearby, making it quite easy to find.

"Rumble~ Rumble~"

At one end of the Land of Fire's long coastline, two massive figures slowly approached. With their hundred-foot-tall frames, every step they took produced a violent tremor, shaking the coastal cliffs until they trembled incessantly. Occasionally, giant boulders were shaken off into the sea, kicking up sprays of water that filled the sky.

"Is this as far as it goes~"

Uchiha Madara, wearing a high-collared robe, sniffed the salty, fishy scent unique to the ocean and slowly opened his eyes. In his scarlet pupils, six tomoe were rotating rhythmically.

At this moment, Uchiha Madara was riding on the back of a giant, deep-blue cat. The blue chakra flames burning on its body didn't cause him any harm at all.

Beside the giant cat followed a massive red ape, dragging four thick tails behind it. It was dripping with scorching hot magma, and after cooling, it left four crystalline gullies on the beach.

Gazing at the boundless ocean, Uchiha Madara naturally knew that the two Tailed Beasts he had captured wouldn't be of any use in the water. He jumped down, turned his head to look at the two Tailed Beasts' vacant expressions, and shook his head with some dissatisfaction.

"You two, just wait here for me!"

In the giant pupils of the two Tailed Beasts, two pairs of scarlet Sharingan were clearly reflected. Upon hearing Uchiha Madara's command, the two Tailed Beasts actually nodded in a human-like fashion, sitting obediently on the ground like well-trained circus animals, waiting for their master's next command.

"Susanoo!"

Uchiha Madara stood on the cliff by the sea, his eyes narrowing. A layer of heavy blue armor began to condense around his body. In no time at all, a towering blue Tengu Gundam was fully assembled.

"Heh heh~ I've won for sure!"

Standing in the cockpit on Susanoo's forehead, Uchiha Madara wore a look of disdain. With confidence flashing in his scarlet Sharingan, he was certain that having already secured two Tailed Beasts, he would be the final winner of this competition.

The Tengu's wings flapped, turning into a stream of light as it probed toward the depths of the ocean horizon. According to the intelligence from the Realm of Shadows, that turtle-like Tailed Beast was in the shallow waters not far from land, often swimming against the current to enter lakes on the mainland.

On the other side, deep in the ocean, Gyuki was exerting all his strength to propel his eight tentacles, rushing toward the shallow waters where Isobu lived.

Let it be stated: I, Lord Gyuki, am only going to protect that coward Isobu~

"Isobu, I'm almost there. Where are you hiding?"

Seeing that he had entered the Three-Tails' territory, he switched to the Tailed Beast-only channel and called out to Isobu loudly.

"I'm right beneath you~"

"Huh? What's the point of just burying your head in the sand?"

Gyuki, with black lines all over his forehead, looked at Isobu, who was lying on the shallow seabed with his head hidden, and couldn't help but roll his eyes, offering a reminder.

"You can't see me~ You can't see me~"

Isobu was acting suspiciously.

"Don't be afraid, Lord Gyuki is here!"

Gyuki landed beside Isobu, patted his shell with his powerful tentacles, and guaranteed with certainty.

"That's great, we can definitely..."

"BOOM!!!"

Just as Isobu was rejoicing, a massive slash cut through the surface of the sea. Blue chakra, carrying world-destroying power, swept toward the two Tailed Beasts who were in the middle of exchanging pleasantries.

"Look out!"

There was no need for Gyuki to warn him; the moment Isobu realized the situation was wrong, he had already retracted into his shell, transforming into an iron turtle.

"Damn it!"

As one of the targets, Gyuki looked at the incoming blue slash, let out a roar, extended his strong arms, and caught the slash that appeared ethereal but was actually solid. His eight tentacles gripped the ground tightly, his muscles bulging, and a light sphere began to condense in his mouth, attempting to counterattack.

"Oh? There are two of them? What a pleasant surprise!"

Just as Gyuki's Tailed Beast Bomb was about to take shape, a cold voice rang out in the ears of the two Tailed Beasts. Both beasts looked toward the direction of the voice simultaneously, attempting to identify the culprit.

"Those eyes... that's Indra's aura!"

In his shock, Gyuki caught a whiff of a familiar scent. His bull eyes were filled with disbelief. Looking at the blue Tengu standing on the seabed, wielding a long blade, he was stunned for a full ten seconds.

At the same time, Gyuki's grip loosened, and the slash struck his sturdy chest muscles directly, exploding in a spray of water and leaving a hideous scar. However, under the Tailed Beast's formidable healing power, the scar was already rapidly recovering.

"No, it's blue~"

Isobu, poking his head out, was equally bewildered, but he quickly discovered the blind spot. The old man's eldest son manipulated a purple giant, while the one before them was blue, and the size was significantly smaller.

"Phew~ As long as it's not that guy, it's fine."

After Isobu's reminder, Gyuki finally came to his senses. He shook his bull head, looked at the expressionless Uchiha Madara, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"A turtle and an octopus, huh? A strange combination. Forget it, become slaves to the Sharingan!"

Uchiha Madara, standing inside Susanoo, was unaffected by water pressure. Even though he was currently on the seabed, it caused him no trouble at all. After examining Isobu and Gyuki for a moment, he withdrew his curious gaze, a flash of light passed through his scarlet eyes, and he spoke slowly.

"Bad news, Isobu, run!"

A thousand years ago, Gyuki had suffered at the hands of the Sharingan. Sensing the cold, obscure ocular power in Uchiha Madara's eyes, he instantly guessed the reason for the group members' disappearance.

He had guessed correctly—it must be this guy with Indra's aura who had used ocular techniques to control the other Tailed Beasts. They, the few remaining survivors, were about to fall victim to his poison as well.

"Ha, what are you saying? He's just one person. If we fight side-by-side, isn't it..."

Isobu, who was always cautious, was uncharacteristically tough this time. Relying on the Eight-Tails Gyuki being by his side, he immediately clamored to show the human before them what was what. In his view, Uchiha Madara's "miniature" Susanoo definitely wasn't as powerful as Indra's.

This time, he didn't need to shrink into his shell.

Isobu stood up~

"Boom~"

Just as Isobu's voice came to an abrupt halt, Gyuki turned his head in confusion, only to see the Three-Tails' single eye already reflected in a scarlet Sharingan. The entire turtle body then shot toward him like an arrow from a bow.

Isobu, use Rocket Headbutt!

Gyuki saw his teammate defect, yet he did not feel particularly surprised; his bull eyes were not grown in vain, and he could still see such a large Sharingan.

Facing the aggressively approaching Isobu, Gyuki immediately manipulated his eight tentacles and curled them toward it, attempting to control the Three-Tails.

However, things went contrary to his wishes; Uchiha Madara behind him did not give him any chance at all. The blue Tengu brandished its long sword and slashed straight toward Gyuki.

"Hmph~ Eat my giant ink blast!"

Seeing he was being attacked from both front and rear, Gyuki gathered his Qi into his dantian. From a hidden position between his tentacles, he suddenly sprayed pitch-black ink, instantly blackening the entire sea area, while he prepared to take the opportunity to run away and, by the way, inform Kurama, who was far away on land, of the culprit's information.

"Kurama, Kurama! The culprit capturing the Tailed Beasts is a descendant of Indra!"

Having just transmitted this message to Kurama, Gyuki, who was about to slip away in the darkness, had his just-taken step stepped on by a large blue foot.

"Cough, cough... Are you being polite?"

No matter how hard Gyuki tried, the large foot stepping on his tentacle remained motionless. Helpless, he could only voice his condemnation.

"Did I agree to let you leave?"

How could he let the cooked duck fly away? Firmly stepping on the Eight-Tails' tentacle, Uchiha Madara looked at him indifferently and said coldly.

"Tailed Beast Bomb!"

Seeing Uchiha Madara so close to him, if he didn't use it now, when would he? Gyuki opened his blood-basin mouth without hesitation. A black ball of light condensed instantly, containing power that could destroy the world. The Tailed Beast Bomb shot toward Susanoo's head.

"Heh heh, that'll teach you to show off~"

"Boom!"

The huge Tailed Beast Bomb hit Susanoo's face directly, stirring up a violent explosion in the seawater. The powerful impact generated by the explosion made Uchiha Madara take half a step back, and Gyuki was able to regain his freedom.

"Isobu, I'm sorry, I will come back to save you."

Glancing at the dumbfounded Three-Tails Isobu, Gyuki felt a chill in his heart, but at this moment he was weak and alone, and definitely no match for this descendant of Indra. Immediately, all eight legs exerted force at the same time, and he fled toward the depths of the ocean.

"Thud~"

However, as he fled headlong, he suddenly felt himself bump into a hard object. While seeing stars, he touched his sore bull horns and raised his head to see what was going on.

"Did I let you go?"

Uchiha Madara's cold voice rang in his ears. Gyuki looked at another blue Tengu Gundam in front of him, and his originally chilly heart instantly felt like it had fallen into an ice cellar.

He swallowed hard. He glanced at the blue Susanoo behind him with his peripheral vision, only to feel a sense of sorrow welling up in his heart. So Susanoo can also use shadow clones? He must learn this in the future!

"I'm being obedient, please let me go~"

The next moment, a flash of scarlet emerged in his desperate bull eyes.

Eight-Tails, out!

"Hey, hey, hey, Gyuki!"

On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfalls, a fiery red figure was anxiously calling out to Gyuki, who had just been in contact with him. However, all messages were like stones sinking into the sea, receiving no response at all, and Kurama couldn't help but feel a tightening in his heart.

"The culprit is a descendant of Indra? How is that possible? Just by those weak humans?"

Kurama, who subconsciously stopped his pace, had deep disbelief in his long, narrow fox eyes.

You know, he could be considered a famous wanderer in the Land of Fire, and he had seen people from the Uchiha clan; that kind of weak ocular power could not affect them at all.

Well... except for that stinky raccoon.

"It's still a distance from the seaside here, and the culprit won't be able to rush over for a while. I'll take Chomei and run away first~"

Shaking his huge fox head, Kurama decided to find Chomei, who couldn't move, and take him along to run away.

Thinking of this, Kurama moved his four limbs and rushed toward the Land of Waterfalls.

The Land of Waterfalls, a capital city famous for its waterfalls. Between the valleys, waterfalls of all sizes were scattered. A black figure looked at the largest and widest waterfall among the towering mountains, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"The biggest waterfall is right there, hehe~"

According to the intelligence provided by Tobirama, the Seven-Tails lived near the largest waterfall in the Land of Waterfalls. Senju Hashirama, who had followed the trail, immediately expanded his perception to search for the traces of the Tailed Beast.

"Leader, there is a strange man outside, I don't know what he is looking for."

The Land of Waterfalls was not without ninjas. Just as Senju Hashirama was searching, several figures who had long discovered his tracks reported the intelligence of an intruder to the leader of the Land of Waterfalls' ninjas.

"Who is the other party?"

The leader of the ninja clan in the Land of Waterfalls was a middle-aged man with a gloomy face. Their ninja settlement in the Land of Waterfalls was very hidden, and outsiders generally found it hard to know. The suddenly appearing intruder was clearly looking for their settlement.

"I don't know, but looking at the other party's attire, he shouldn't be from the Land of Waterfalls."

The ninja of the Land of Waterfalls recalled Senju Hashirama's outfit, then shook his head and stated his analysis.

"The other party's purpose is unknown. Send someone to contact him first. If the other party's strength is weak, just kill him."

The leader of the Land of Waterfalls touched his chin, his eyes flashing with a terrifying light, and he slowly gave the order.

"Yes."

Is the other party's goal the Hero's Water?

The news was blocked so tightly, is there a mole?

Facing the mysterious Senju Hashirama, the leader of the Land of Waterfalls couldn't help but start letting his imagination run wild.

Near their settlement, there was a magical spring called the Hero's Water. After drinking it, one's chakra volume could increase several times or even more than ten times. It was a secret treasure that helped them gain a foothold in the Warring States Period and survive.

This intruder was likely here for it.

"Kakuzu, there is an intruder, are you going?"

After receiving the order from the leader of the Land of Waterfalls, his subordinate approached one of the top experts in the settlement and extended an invitation.

"Boring, I'm not interested."

The black-haired young man who was called lowered his head to wipe the kunai in his hand. Even though this kunai was already rusted and mottled, he still did not choose to discard it.

"Can you not be so stingy? The kunai is already broken like this, why don't you hurry up and throw it away~"

Seeing Kakuzu being so thrifty, the person who came to invite him couldn't help but complain.

"No, after I wipe it clean, I still have to sell it to my colleagues~"

Seriously wiping the scrapped kunai, the man named Kakuzu said very seriously.

"."

If he couldn't beat Kakuzu, he would definitely have snapped that kunai in half.

"Forget it if you don't go this time, but next time there is a mission, you must go!"

Seeing Kakuzu refuse to team up, the inviter had no choice but to give up and turn to look for someone else.

Before long, a team of fully armed ninjas from the Land of Waterfalls rushed toward Senju Hashirama's direction.

"Who are you, and what is your purpose for coming here!"

Senju Hashirama scratched his head a little embarrassedly. Looking at the team of ninjas in front of him wearing attire with distinct Land of Waterfalls characteristics, he answered.

"I am Senju Hashirama... I came to the Land of Waterfalls to catch a disaster beast."

"Senju Hashirama? Never heard of him. We don't have any disaster beast here, leave quickly!"

The captain of the Land of Waterfalls ninja squad looked at the honest and simple Senju Hashirama in front of him. For a moment, he couldn't gauge the other party's strength, so he had to use words to drive him away first.

"Uh... could the intelligence be wrong? That shouldn't be. May I ask, do you really not have a seven-tailed green caterpillar here?"

Even though the locals said they hadn't seen one, Senju Hashirama still asked unwillingly and described the image of the Seven-Tails Chomei to the other party.

"Seven tails? Green caterpillar? What nonsense are you talking about? There is no such insect. Is this guy a fool?"

Upon hearing this bizarre question, the captain of the Land of Waterfalls ninja squad couldn't help but hold his stomach and laugh out loud. Senju Hashirama's initial sense of mystery vanished, and he was no longer cautious, immediately starting to mock him.

"Are the local ninjas so impolite?"

He was a village leader, after all. Although he didn't seem to be famous here, he wasn't someone that this kind of small fry could mock. It wasn't like he was in his own village.

And so, Senju Hashirama decided to give these guys a small lesson.

"Haha, look, this fool is actually gesturing at us~"

Without the slightest realization that disaster was imminent, the captain of the Land of Waterfalls ninja squad looked at Senju Hashirama, who was punching the air at him, and laughed even louder.

"I'll just throw one punch, I guarantee I won't kill you~"

(End of chapter)