Chapter 295: 295. Chapter 293: Celebrate! The Birth of the First Tailed Beast Rider!

295. Chapter 293: Celebrate! The Birth of the First Tailed Beast Rider!

The Waterfall Village leader, whose heart and lungs had already been gouged out, naturally could not answer his question. After slaughtering all the high-level officials present, Kakuzu found the secret chamber where the Waterfall Village hid its treasures.

However, he was disappointed to find that the treasury was already nine-tenths empty; the family business accumulated by the village over many years had vanished, leaving only an ancient scroll and a shimmering golden card.

"Despicable guy, where did you hide my money!"

Kakuzu didn't know that the village really had no surplus grain. Previously, in order to purchase the Seven-Tails from the First Tsuchikage, they had already exploded all the wealth accumulated by the Waterfall Village over many years, as well as his private money.

"Quick! Kakuzu is over there!"

Kakuzu, covered in blood, heard the rustling footsteps around him and knew he couldn't fly away. So, he hardened his heart, tied the only remaining scroll in the secret chamber to his waist, and his gaze lingered for a moment on that shimmering golden card.

At this moment, Kakuzu, whose consciousness was already a bit blurred, seemed to be summoned by something. He reached out tremblingly and pinched the card in his hand.

The card felt cold to the touch. Before he had time to check the contents of the card, over a hundred Waterfall ninjas had already surrounded him. Kakuzu, having experienced the previous battle, was already at the end of his rope. Facing the encirclement and annihilation of his former colleagues, he shook his head bitterly.

Just as he was preparing to close his eyes and wait for death, the mysterious card in his hand suddenly erupted with a scorching energy, instantly pouring into Kakuzu's parched body. He, who had been weak all over, was actually resurrected at full health under the nourishment of this chakra.

"Kill him and avenge the leader!"

"Hmph! It was he who sold me the broken kunai; it couldn't even pierce a rabbit!"

"Whoever catches Kakuzu will be the next leader!"

I don't know who shouted, but the Waterfall ninjas stared at Kakuzu, who was standing blankly in place, with red eyes. Dirty desires swelled in their hearts.

"Rogue ninja Kakuzu, surrender now!"

"Hehe, no one loves the Waterfall Village more than I do. You are the real rogue ninjas!"

Kakuzu, whose chakra had been restored by an unknown force, didn't have time to think about the reason. His cold eyes swept over his former colleagues, who were all red-faced. His disdainful voice seemed like a spark igniting a powder keg.

In the blink of an eye, countless ninjutsu had already rushed toward him.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Slapping the ground with both hands, Kakuzu released an earth wall several meters thick. While resisting the first wave of attacks, he analyzed where to escape. However, in despair, he found that he had been completely surrounded; except for the waterfall behind him, there was nowhere else to escape.

"Fight it out! At worst, I'll die!"

Knowing that death was inevitable, Kakuzu laughed loudly and jumped down from the waterfall behind him.

"What should we do? He jumped into the forbidden area."

"Chase! We can't let him go!"

"But the leader said that the forbidden area must not be trespassed."

"The leader is already dead. Whoever catches Kakuzu now is the new leader."

Several Waterfall ninjas with strength at the elite captain level ultimately could not resist the temptation of power and jumped down one after another, following Kakuzu's footsteps.

Listening to the noisy clamor in his ears, Chomei, who was dozing, slowly opened its eyes. The insect face wrapped in armor could not show any expression, but it had clearly sensed an unusual emotion earlier—it was very familiar.

The emotion produced by Kakuzu being betrayed by everyone in the village happened to make the Seven-Tails, which had had similar encounters, resonate with him.

"So, you were betrayed too..."

The Waterfall ninjas behind were still chasing. Kakuzu, who had fallen into the forbidden area of the Waterfall Village, felt even more despair in his heart.

"Give up resistance, Kakuzu. The leader is dead; perhaps we will spare your life~"

The following Waterfall ninjas tried to use a verbal offensive to force Kakuzu to surrender.

"Hmph!"

Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe such words. Kakuzu directly raised his hand and threw several kunai, making his final resistance.

"Fire Style: Fire..."

"Stop! Idiot, this is a forbidden area!"

An irritable Waterfall ninja was preparing to use Fire Style to destroy Kakuzu, but he was stopped by his companion who had quick eyes and fast hands.

"So what if it's a forbidden area? The leader is already dead, so the rules are void."

"Idiot, the Divine Beast is still in the forbidden area!"

Reminded by his companion, the Waterfall ninja, who had just been blinded by desire, immediately broke into a cold sweat. As a member who had once transported the Seven-Tails, he knew the terror of the Divine Beast.

"Then what should we do? If we go any further, we'll reach the Divine Beast's territory."

"No matter. There is only one exit here. Unless he wants to be food for the Divine Beast, he can only obediently surrender to us."

The forbidden area had only one exit, and all four sides were smooth cliffs. The surrounding Waterfall ninjas felt relieved and watched Kakuzu from afar as he put up a desperate fight.

"Whoo~ They aren't chasing anymore?"

Seeing the Waterfall ninjas stop, Kakuzu breathed a sigh of relief for the time being. As a high-level combatant of the Waterfall Village, he also knew about the existence of the Divine Beast in the forbidden area. It seemed those guys who wanted to catch him were afraid of damaging the "rat" and didn't dare to step forward.

"Gurgle~"

Relaxing, Kakuzu's body went limp, and he slumped to the ground. His stomach also made a gurgling sound. He felt around, only to find that apart from the scroll at his waist, he had no supplies at all.

If he kept dragging it out like this, he would only have a dead end.

"Kakuzu, surrender quickly! We've decided not to kill you!"

After half a day, the Waterfall ninjas were getting impatient, so they loudly persuaded him to surrender.

"Do you think I would still believe you traitors?"

"Damn it, forget about the Divine Beast; catch him first!"

The attitude of desperate resistance finally annoyed the waiting Waterfall ninjas. Everyone tacitly took out cold weapons, wanting to take Kakuzu down with the least amount of movement.

"Hehe, even if I die, I won't let you get your wish!"

Due to excessive blood loss and mental fatigue, Kakuzu no longer had the strength to resist. Watching the Waterfall ninjas slowly approaching him, he smiled miserably and dragged his broken body toward the depths of the forbidden area.

"Quick, chase!"

This action terrified the Waterfall ninjas, but they couldn't watch the cooked duck fly away. As long as they caught Kakuzu, they would be qualified to serve as the new leader. So, everyone gritted their teeth and flashed in pursuit.

"Whoo~ Whoo~ Whoo~"

The weak Kakuzu's speed was not fast, and he was caught up by the Waterfall ninjas before long.

"Swish!"

"Puchi~"

In the dark night, a rapidly shot kunai hit Kakuzu squarely in the back. The powerful impact sent him flying several meters, and he lay on the ground without moving.

"It was me who threw it!"

A Waterfall ninja exclaimed. If Kakuzu were captured because of this, he would have a chance to become the leader.

"Cough, cough... Good luck."

However, before this Waterfall ninja could be proud for long, Kakuzu, who should have been pierced through the heart by the kunai, actually climbed up slowly. He reached back and pulled the kunai out from his back. Looking at the carefully polished marks on it, a smile actually spread across the corner of his mouth.

That's right, this kunai was the refurbished goods he had sold; it couldn't even pierce a rabbit, let alone a grown man.

"Damn! Profiteer, give me a refund!"

The Waterfall ninja who also discovered this scene shouted at Kakuzu in anger.

"Hmph~ Kakuzu Boutique, once sold, no returns or exchanges!"

Kakuzu snorted coldly. Even at the brink of death, he didn't forget to carefully put away the kunai and continued to run toward the depths.

"Swish!!!"

Taking advantage of this gap, several Waterfall ninjas with good movement techniques had already caught up to Kakuzu and surrounded him. The hideous-looking Waterfall ninjas brandished the sharp blades in their hands, pressing step by step.

"Kakuzu, surrender or die on the spot—choose one!"

"Hmph! I choose... you die!"

Even at the last moment, Kakuzu did not choose to compromise. He pulled out the kunai he had just seized and met them head-on.

"Ding!"

The kunai and the long sword collided in the dark night, sparking tiny flames.

"Bang!!!"

At first, Kakuzu, whose strength had broken through the bottleneck, was still trading blows with the few people surrounding him. However, his previous injuries had not fully healed, and the opponent found a flaw. The kunai in his hand was knocked away, and his whole body was sent flying far away.

"Am I going to die?"

Lying on his back on the ground, the memories of Kakuzu's first half of his life played like a revolving lantern. In his childhood, because of poverty at home, his parents both died of illness without money for treatment, which made him realize that all worldly things are empty, and only money is long-lasting.

"Go to hell!"

Seeing Kakuzu give up resistance, the Waterfall ninjas who had just cooperated looked at each other subtly. The speed under their feet suddenly became faster, and the swords in their hands slashed toward Kakuzu on the ground together.

"Roar!!!"

Suddenly, a heaven-shaking roar rang out from thin air. The bodies of the Waterfall ninjas who had attacked stiffened at the same time, and the swords in their hands stopped just before they could slash Kakuzu.

"It's the Divine Beast!"

The moonlight overhead was obscured by a huge shadow. The few people, covered in cold sweat, looked up, their voices trembling as they spoke.

"Run!"

Facing the Seven-Tails, the few of them couldn't muster any desire to resist. At this moment, they only hated their parents for not giving them two more legs, and they fled outward without looking back.

As for Kakuzu, how could he be more important than their own lives?

"Why did you come back? Where is Kakuzu?"

The many Waterfall ninjas waiting outside the forbidden area saw the few elite captain-level people looking miserable and curiously asked.

"Run! The Divine Beast is out!"

"Then Kakuzu..."

"Kakuzu? He's probably already been eaten by the Divine Beast!"

The few who had escaped death looked at the waterfall under their feet, panting, the horror in their eyes unable to fade for a long time.

"Boom!!!"

Just when they thought the storm had passed, a huge figure rushed out from the waterfall, stirring up water all over the sky.

"Run quickly!!"

I don't know who shouted, but over a hundred Waterfall ninjas scattered and fled like wild donkeys off the leash, afraid that if they were a step slow, they would become food for the Divine Beast.

"Look! It's Kakuzu!"

Some bold Waterfall ninjas looked back while running, and their sharp eyes discovered that on the back of the Seven-Tails, a black-haired young man was lying unconscious—it was exactly the rogue ninja Kakuzu they had been chasing for so long.

"How is that possible?"

Hearing this, the Waterfall ninjas turned their heads to confirm, but the Seven-Tails had already spread its wings and flown high, disappearing into the vast night sky.

"Divine Beast-sama, why are you in this card?"

On the top of the mountain, Kakuzu, who had regained his spirit, carefully held the card in his hand and asked.

"Human, you have too many questions."

Actually, the Seven-Tails was also a bit bewildered. It just felt that the encounter of the human in front of it was somewhat similar to its own before—both were betrayed by brothers—so it saved his life.

But who would have thought that just when the Seven-Tails was about to drop the unconscious Kakuzu and go out for a good stroll, it was suddenly attracted by the aura transmitted from that shimmering golden card.

In doubt, the Seven-Tails tried to contact that aura. Unexpectedly, it was better not to contact it; once it contacted that strange aura, it was firmly clamped by the huge suction force transmitted from the card.

Before it could struggle, the next second, the Seven-Tails' huge body turned into a golden light and was sucked into the card.

"Damn, is it that human's means?"

The Seven-Tails, unable to break free from the card, looked at the empty environment around it, its brows furrowed. In its view, the only one who could do such a thing was that descendant of Indra who could use the Sage of Six Paths' pickled vegetable jar at will.

"Divine Beast-sama, how are we going to get down now?"

After calling a few times and seeing that the Seven-Tails didn't answer his previous question, Kakuzu didn't dare to ask more. Standing on the cliff looking down, all he saw were sheer cliffs. In despair, he tentatively asked.

"Fly down."

The Seven-Tails, which had suddenly lost its freedom, heard Kakuzu's question and replied angrily.

"But... I'm not like you, Divine Beast-sama, possessing wings."

Scratching his head, Kakuzu sat dejectedly on the edge of the cliff, feeling extremely sad in his heart.

"I didn't expect the first successful one to be you~"

Suddenly, a slightly lazy voice rang out behind Kakuzu, scaring him into a shudder, almost jumping off the cliff.

"Who is it?!"

Kakuzu vigilantly leaned against a huge rock, his eyes searching for the speaker. Being able to touch behind him without a sound, the opponent's strength was definitely not to be underestimated.

"Seven-Tails, is this the person you chose?"

That voice rang out again. Kakuzu, who discovered the source of the voice, lifted his head in surprise. On the rock he was leaning against, a figure wearing strange armor was leisurely crossing his legs, his tone filled with deep mockery.

"Who are you?"

Taking a few steps back to open the distance, Kakuzu subconsciously hid the Seven-Tails card behind his back, staring fixedly at the stranger who had suddenly appeared, guessing the other party's intentions.

*Hi~ Doesn't this trigger the keyword! *

"I'm just a passing Kamen Rider~"

Uchiha Gin, who had transformed again using Wangliang, said the classic line with great satisfaction. The look in his eyes when he looked at Kakuzu also added a bit of appreciation.

*This kid is very knowledgeable! *

"Kamen Rider?"

Kakuzu, who aimed to become a bounty hunter, quickly searched for this title in his mind, but found nothing. For unknown enemies, his vigilance was even heavier. Between his eyes, he looked for an opportunity to strike.

"Your eyes are dangerous."

Uchiha Gin shrugged, waved one hand, and the next moment, a shimmering golden card appeared in his hand.

"Ah! When did you take it?"

Kakuzu, who was on full alert, saw the card suddenly appear in the hand of the mysterious person who called himself Kamen Rider. He subconsciously squeezed the hand he had hidden, only to realize belatedly that the card sealing the Divine Beast-sama had vanished.

"Don't worry, I'm just helping you check."

Uchiha Gin, smiling, infiltrated his chakra into the card and began to communicate with the furious Seven-Tails inside.

"It's you! This is your trick, right?"

In the card space, the Seven-Tails roared angrily, while Uchiha Gin, standing in front of it, picked his ear with a breezy face.

"Isn't it quite nice here? It's spacious and comfortable. You should love being here, shouldn't you?"

The Tailed Beast cards Uchiha Gin sent out were not just simple cards used to introduce Tailed Beast information.

The card itself was made of fragments of the Amber Purifying Bottle mixed with the Tailed Beast's original chakra. After completion, Uchiha Gin added several Four-Symbols Seals specifically for sealing Tailed Beasts.

As long as the Tailed Beast was defeated by the card holder, the Tailed Beast would be sealed by the sealing technique triggered by the card, and the card holder could forcibly use the Tailed Beast's power.

But that's not all. Uchiha Gin had also secretly added some ingredients to the Tailed Beast's subconscious while Uchiha Hikari was planting suggestions.

Once the Tailed Beast recognized the card holder and the emotions of both sides reached a certain degree of resonance, the Tailed Beast would subconsciously trigger the sealing technique and enter the card. However, in this case, the card holder could not use the Tailed Beast's power unless the Tailed Beast was willing.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

The Seven-Tails knew Uchiha Gin's unfathomable strength, and its tone was a bit better than just now.

"Nothing, just a bit bored, want to play a game~"

Seeing the Seven-Tails' attitude improve, Uchiha Gin waved his hand, and a chair appeared out of thin air on the ground. After sitting on it, he rubbed his chin and thought for a while, then said:

"A game?"

"That's right, a competition battle launched by nine Tailed Beast Riders. You lost before, don't you want to win it back?"

Uchiha Gin crossed his hands, and the eyes hidden under the mask were filled with deep mockery that the Seven-Tails could perceive.

"I don't want to participate."

*Want me to get beaten again? I'm just a caterpillar! *

"That's not up to you."

*It's eat, or be eaten. *

*Those who become knights will bear the fate of being unable to escape battle. *

"You can now lend power to that kid outside. Since you were able to choose him, it shows that the compatibility between you is not bad. Train him well, and don't get killed by other Tailed Beast knights~"

*Already turned into a card, and still want to escape before the battle? Go explain to Odin~*

"I can accept it, but before that, I have a question I want to ask you."

After listening to Uchiha Gin's words, the Seven-Tails pondered for a long time before answering slowly.

"Oh? Ask away~"

"Who exactly are you? Why do you have not only the old man's aura, but also that lecherous brother's?"

"Hehe, if you win the game, I'll answer you. Remember to keep it a secret~"

Although Uchiha Gin talked a lot with the Seven-Tails in the card space, in reality, it was just a fleeting moment.

"Release Divine Beast-sama!"

Kakuzu, furious, seized the moment of Uchiha Gin's distraction and swung his fist, trying to take the Seven-Tails back.

"Slap!"

For the new knight, Uchiha Gin lovingly gave the other party a "slap descent," sending Kakuzu flying several meters away.

"Damn!"

Holding his red and swollen cheek, Kakuzu was burning with anger. His hands quickly formed seals, and scorching chakra accumulated in his mouth. Uchiha Gin was not panicked at all, flicked his finger, and flew the Seven-Tails card over.

"Cough, cough..."

Seeing the card flying toward him, Kakuzu was so scared that he hurriedly swallowed the fire in his mouth, coughed violently a few times, and reached out to catch the Seven-Tails card.

"And this!"

Uchiha Gin, not far away, threw something else over. After subconsciously catching it, Kakuzu looked suspiciously at the gray box in his hand, not knowing what it was for.

"Kid, don't die easily. I'm looking forward to you~"

Uchiha Gin's voice came again. Kakuzu, who had come to his senses, hurriedly looked up, only to find that the mountaintop was empty. If it weren't for the strange gray box that had appeared in his hand, he would have almost thought he had hallucinated.

"Divine Beast-sama!"

Kakuzu, excited, shouted at the Tailed Beast card he had regained.

"Keep it down. If you want to communicate with me, you don't have to speak."

Floating in the card space, the Seven-Tails savored the words Uchiha Gin had just said. In its cold eyes, a raging fighting spirit slowly ignited.

*It is the Seven-Tails; it actually lost to that turtle, the Three-Tails, before. This game just gave it a chance for revenge! *

*And that Nine-Tails, which backstabbed it and finally betrayed everyone—this time, it must trample the other party under its feet! *

"Human, what is your name?"

"Reporting to Divine Beast-sama, the small one is called Kakuzu."

Not expecting Divine Beast-sama to ask his name, Kakuzu, feeling honored, immediately replied truthfully.

"Kakuzu, what is your dream?"

"Huh?"

"The temporary dream is to survive, and then take revenge on those who betrayed me!"

*And money, I want to get the money back! *

"If you want to survive, then transform!"

"Transform?"

Kakuzu was confused.

"The box that person gave you before is the transformation device. Tie it to your waist..."

According to the transformation guide left by Uchiha Gin, the Seven-Tails patiently taught him step by step.

"Then, insert me."

"Do I really have to insert it?"

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up!"

Deciding to listen to the words of Divine Beast-sama, his savior, Kakuzu placed one hand on the transformation device at his waist, and his right hand slowly inserted the Seven-Tails card into the card slot on the side of the box.

"Chomei! Seven-Tails Chomei! The invincible beetle!"

With the insertion of the card, the transformation device at his waist actually emitted bursts of electronic synthesized sound effects. Listening to the transformation device chanting its real name, the Seven-Tails in the card wished it could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

*Too shameful. Can this thing be muted? *

But Kakuzu, as the transformer, didn't feel awkward at all. Not only that, he felt a surge of hot blood. He looked straight ahead, his eyes narrowed, and the hand holding the transformation device pushed forward, subconsciously shouting:

"Henshin!"

"Turn Up!"

Realm of Shadows

"Clap, clap, clap~"

Uchiha Gin, who was applauding and celebrating, hadn't left just now, but had slipped into the Realm of Shadows to watch the birth of the first Tailed Beast Rider.

"Not bad! Is this the knight transformed by the person chosen by the Tailed Beast?"

Looking at the knight wrapped in silver-white armor with a short blade at his waist, his mouth almost split to his ears. He couldn't stop marveling.

"I thought it would turn into a red, finger-pointing-at-the-sky king-of-pretending pose. I didn't expect it to be a hard-working laborer~" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 296 =====