118. Driving the Tiger to Devour the Wolf

Kisame had been back in Kirigakure for quite some time. After successfully overcoming the challenge posed by the pufferfish ninja, he had been lying low as a member of the Anbu, quietly gathering intelligence on the current state of the village.

His former teammates—Mei Terumi and Yurì Ringo—had both risen to the rank of Chunin by now. Yet Kisame only observed them from the shadows, refraining from revealing his identity. After all, the mission ahead was perilous, and there was no need to involve them.

More than Mei Terumi and Yurì Ringo, Kisame’s true concern was someone else: Mangetsu Hōzuki.

Since returning to the village, he had found no trace of Mangetsu, nor any resonance of the strange cells within him. It was as though Mangetsu had vanished into thin air.

Kisame found this suspicious.

Thus, he began a search in the forests and mountains surrounding Kirigakure.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

The Third Great Ninja War had reached a fever pitch.

At the war’s outset, the ambitious Kumogakure launched a massive southern offensive, attacking Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Konohagakure simultaneously, threatening to flatten the entire ninja world.

But reality proved Kumogakure had overestimated itself.

Its forces were first repelled on the Sunagakure front by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, who used Magnet Release to drive back the invasion, marking the failure of their campaign.

Then, on the Iwagakure front, the Third Raikage single-handedly fought off an army of ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi to allow his comrades to escape. After three days and nights of relentless combat, he died, utterly exhausted.

Soon after, in the battle against Konohagakure, the formidable Abi duo from Kumogakure was overwhelmed by Konohagakure’s “Yellow Flash,” Minato Namikaze, forcing their retreat.

With that, Kumogakure—initiator of the war—suffered a complete defeat and had no choice but to withdraw in disgrace.

Yet, with Kumogakure’s fall, the war was far from over.

In the months that followed, the flames of conflict quietly spread to every corner of the ninja world.

Iwagakure, having just defeated Kumogakure and killed the Third Raikage, saw morale soar and soon amassed forces to launch a massive incursion into the Land of Fire.

Kirigakure, which had been watching from the sidelines, finally could no longer remain passive and sent troops across the sea to wage war against Konohagakure.

During these months, while the world was ablaze with battles and many young geniuses rose to fame, Kisame continued to play the role of an ordinary Kirigakure Anbu.

After a long search, he finally found a clue to Mangetsu’s whereabouts.

In a great mountain about a hundred kilometers southwest of Kirigakure.

Kisame moved cautiously through the forest, sensing the presence of those mysterious cells nearby—proof that Mangetsu was close.

Soon after, he discovered a concealed cave and slipped inside.

Passing through a long, dark corridor, he reached a spacious underground chamber.

“Ah! It hurts, it hurts… please have mercy, ah…” agonized screams mixed with pleas for mercy echoed within.

That familiar voice was indeed Mangetsu Hōzuki’s.

Kisame hid in the shadows, suppressing his chakra, peering into the chamber.

Inside, a mass of white slime was confined within a transparent glass container taller than a person. The exterior was inscribed with mysterious sealing jutsu, emitting an eerie red glow.

Bathed in this light, the slime seemed scorched by intense sunlight, melting like snow and unable to solidify its form.

Only a mouth remained unmelted, continuously wailing in despair.

The one receiving Mangetsu’s pleas was a strange creature, entirely white, particularly its face—devoid of features, replaced by a swirling pattern.

It was a White Zetsu, known as “A,” one of the most peculiar White Zetsu clones, possessing tremendous power.

A was a subordinate of Uchiha Madara.

“Ah, begging me won’t help. You were just too curious to find this place and ended up caught by Lord Madara. But honestly, your body’s incredible—even Lord Madara couldn’t kill you. Truly astonishing,” A said, cocking its rear as it examined the container, eyes full of wonder.

So that was how things stood.

From A’s incessant chatter, Kisame quickly pieced together the situation.

Mangetsu had never given up investigating the death of the Third Mizukage and eventually uncovered clues leading to the mastermind, Uchiha Madara’s hideout.

He was captured in the process.

But here lay the puzzle.

In this cave, Kisame saw only A; Madara himself was nowhere to be found.

How could that be?

He furrowed his brow, recalling the original story.

After the Valley of the End battle, Madara faked his death and fled Konoha, hiding underground.

Kisame reasoned that Madara’s hiding place could not possibly be near Kirigakure.

There were two reasons.

First, Madara had transplanted the Rinnegan into the young Nagato, requiring long-term surveillance, so his hideout must be close to the Land of Rain.

Second, during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Madara had saved Uchiha Obito, who had fallen into an underground passage. The bridge was a crucial supply route during Iwagakure’s assault on Konoha.

From the map, Madara’s hideout was most likely in the tri-border area between the Land of Fire, Land of Rain, and Land of Grass, northwest of Konoha.

But another question arose.

In his old age, Madara’s life was like a flickering candle in the wind—frail and heavily reliant on forbidden puppets and tubes just to survive.

How, then, did he manage to control Kirigakure’s Anbu from thousands of miles away, ordering them to capture Rin Nohara, implant the Three-Tails, and place a curse seal on her heart?

Madara must have used some method.

Kisame’s prime theory was… the use of clones.

After all, during his underground seclusion, under Black Zetsu’s guidance, Madara had discovered numerous White Zetsu clones.

By leveraging these White Zetsu and the Sharingan’s power, creating a clone or puppet to act in the outside world was no difficult feat.

Regardless, until he saw Madara or one of his clones personally, Kisame would not act rashly, wary of alerting the enemy.

Having found the cave, his next step was to wait patiently.

Once the Battle of Kannabi Bridge erupted, Madara would surely make a move.

With this thought, Kisame glanced once more at A and Mangetsu in the chamber before silently withdrawing from the cave.

...

Some time passed.

News arrived that during the decisive battle between Konoha and Iwa, Kannabi Bridge had been blown up. “Yellow Flash” Minato Namikaze had once again demonstrated his might, instantly dispatching dozens of Iwa ninja.

Under Minato’s name alone, the Iwa army was filled with dread and soon retreated from the Land of Fire.

Konoha had achieved a sweeping victory.

With this, Konoha had defeated two major enemies in the Third Great Ninja War: Kumogakure and Iwagakure.

Such a dominant performance deterred Sunagakure from further aggression. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, even changed course, personally visiting Sarutobi Hiruzen to propose an alliance for peace in the ninja world.

Now, only Kirigakure remained as Konoha’s final enemy.

Kisame lay in wait near the cave.

He suspected Madara had already rescued Obito, and the plan to abduct Rin Nohara would soon unfold.

Sure enough.

A figure appeared in the forest.

To Kisame’s surprise, it was a short man with green hair and purple eyes, carrying a stick-like weapon adorned with green flowers on his back.

This doll-faced, seemingly youthful man was none other than the Fourth Mizukage—Yagura Karatachi.

Yagura’s eyes now bore the pattern of the Sharingan.

It seemed the Fourth Mizukage had not escaped his predecessor’s fate—he had been enthralled by Madara’s genjutsu.

Like a walking corpse, Yagura passed through the forest with a vacant expression and arrived at the cave entrance.

A man dressed in a black robe slowly emerged from the cave.

As he pulled back his hood, a proud face revealed itself, along with a pair of crimson Sharingan.

Could this be a clone of Uchiha Madara?

Kisame, watching from the shadows, felt a surge of energy.

He was certain this black-robed figure was Madara’s clone—not merely because of his Sharingan, but because of the fan on his back.

Yes, the war fan.

At last, Kisame saw the legendary weapon he had long yearned for.

Composing himself, he resumed his patient vigil.

Before the cave, Madara’s clone gave Yagura a few orders, then activated his Sharingan again to reinforce his genjutsu control.

Then Madara’s clone disappeared into the cave.

Yagura turned away, his Sharingan vanishing, and silently headed back toward Kirigakure.

“Tch, this Yagura Karatachi has to be the most pitiful Mizukage,” Kisame mused quietly.

During his tenure, Yagura had been manipulated by Madara’s Sharingan, briefly freed after Madara’s death, only to be controlled again years later by Obito’s genjutsu, becoming a puppet twice over.

After weighing everything, Kisame followed Yagura back to Kirigakure.

That very day, upon returning, Yagura dispatched a large number of Anbu on a secret mission.

There was no doubt—they were going to Konoha to capture Rin Nohara.

Though ostensibly acting under the Fourth Mizukage’s orders, in truth, they were all pawns of Madara.

Kisame immediately sought out his superior, Chōfuki, exaggerating the situation in his report, claiming the Fourth Mizukage was conspiring with outsiders, betraying the village.

“Lord Chōfuki, for Kirigakure’s future, you must stop the Fourth Mizukage!” Kisame bowed deeply, pleading with urgency.

“The Fourth Mizukage would do such a thing?” Chōfuki frowned, initially skeptical of Kisame’s claims.

At that moment, an Anbu entered hastily, reporting anomalous activity among Kirigakure’s Anbu—matching Kisame’s account exactly.

Chōfuki’s expression hardened.

After a moment’s thought, he ordered Kisame:

“Kisame Hoshigaki, follow those Anbu immediately. Find out where they’re headed and what they intend. Report back at once with any new developments!”

“Yes, sir! I will complete the mission,” Kisame replied solemnly, standing tall and swiftly departing.

A gleam flashed in Chōfuki’s eyes as he gathered his trusted subordinates, preparing to act.

If Yagura was caught red-handed colluding with outsiders, his position as Fourth Mizukage would be over.

Then Chōfuki, Kirigakure’s Chōfuki, could take his place.

Gripping his great sword tightly, Chōfuki’s heart stirred with anticipation.

Kisame glanced back at the Anbu base after leaving.

He smirked inwardly.

They’d taken the bait.

He had known Chōfuki couldn’t contain himself.

The plan was unfolding exactly as Kisame had envisioned.

He did not follow the Anbu team sent by Yagura as ordered.

Instead, he returned to the mountain, lying in wait outside the cave.

Three days later.

Sure enough, a group of Kirigakure Anbu brought Rin Nohara back, escorting her into the cave.

Soon Yagura arrived, carrying a large jar covered in complex sealing jutsu.

Inside, the Three-Tails, Isobu, was surely contained.

Kisame immediately used Anbu communication to notify Chōfuki, awaiting the arrival of his reinforcements.

Meanwhile, inside the cave, a violent chakra surge was felt, accompanied by earth-shaking roars—undoubtedly Madara implanting the Three-Tails into Rin.

Not long after, an unconscious Rin was brought out again by Kirigakure Anbu.

“Begin the operation.”

Nearly a hundred Kirigakure Anbu, under Yagura’s orders, once again led Rin toward a designated location in Konoha, preparing for the next phase.

“Boom!”

Kisame created a shadow clone and followed silently, leaving his original behind.

He wondered if Chōfuki had suddenly grown suspicious and wouldn’t come after them.

Just as Kisame grew impatient, preparing to storm the cave alone, he turned to see Chōfuki arriving with a trusted squad, charging fiercely toward the site.

Kisame was overjoyed and hurried to report:

“My lord, I personally witnessed the Fourth Mizukage bring the Three-Tails and implant it into a Konoha ninja. The Mizukage is trafficking tailed beasts—an act of betrayal against the village!”

“Hmph. I’ve already suspected as much. This time, let’s see how Yagura Karatachi defends himself!” Chōfuki sneered and led his men into the cave.

Kisame deliberately stayed at the rear.

The group stormed through the corridor and entered the underground chamber, where Yagura and Madara’s clone stood before the tall glass container, about to deal with Mangetsu.

“Lord Chōfuki! Save me!” Mangetsu cried out in joy upon seeing them.

Hmm?

Madara and Yagura both turned around.