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JST Chapter 252: Fake It Till You Save the World
🕑 Added 2025-04-20 05:05:31 +0000 UTCOnce Madara finished reading Danzō's memories, he shared them with Uchiha Izuna and Uchiha Obito.
The three of them stood there in silence.
Using his title as the Hokage’s advisor, he would demand gifted shinobi from prominent clans or forcibly take talented children from civilian backgrounds—he even controlled Konoha’s orphanage to raise them as Root’s reserves...
In Shimura Danzō’s memories, just before Kazuki had crippled him, he was preparing to send the young Kabuto out as a spy, and then have him and Yakushi Nonō kill each other.
That way, he could eliminate Nonō—who had developed a will of her own and was no longer just a tool—while turning Kabuto into a useful asset.
As for the shinobi in Root, Danzō had crushed their wills and raised them into sacrificial pawns through a brutal trinity of physical, mental, and cursed seal conditioning…
Where was the so-called Will of Fire in any of this? There was only abuse, brainwashing, and severe methods like the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Obsessed with the power of Wood Release, Danzō and Orochimaru had even set their sights on Konoha’s own children…
In pursuit of the Hokage seat, Danzō viewed Sakumo as a potential threat and willingly sacrificed Root operatives to wage a smear campaign against him.
Then there was the twisted obsession buried deep in his heart—a mix of fear and yearning for the Sharingan.
He even envisioned crafting an arm filled with Hashirama cells and implanted Sharingan, just to enable repeated resurrections.
And that was only the beginning.
It wasn’t until the memory of Kazuki kicking open the Hokage’s office doors, ripping out Danzō’s Sharingan with satisfying fury, hacking off his shoulder, and shattering his spine with a stomp—
That Uchiha Izuna and the others finally felt at ease.
Now that’s how an Uchiha handles things!
And yet, even so, each of Danzō’s repulsive schemes—one after another—left the Uchiha dumbfounded.
“Horrible… absolutely horrible…” Uchiha Izuna muttered.
“Tobirama actually trained this kind of disciple? What the hell was he thinking...?”
To be fair—
Though Izuna was Tobirama’s number one hater, he truly didn’t believe that bastard would stoop to such vile and despicable methods.
Taking in Uchiha Kagami as a student, founding the Konoha Police Force—those were the kind of overt political plays that fit Tobirama’s level and sense of style.
What was even more tragic—
Danzō’s memories showed that before Kazuki appeared, this so-called Hokage advisor had indeed been capable of suppressing the Uchiha clan completely…
Izuna couldn’t even imagine what would’ve happened to the Uchiha if Kazuki hadn’t shown up.
It might’ve ended in total annihilation!
As someone who felt deeply for his clan—so much so that even in his dying moments, he had urged Madara to look after their people—
Izuna couldn’t help but develop a favorable impression of Kazuki.
This kid… he’s really something.
As his emotions surged, Izuna practically exploded with gold coins from sheer admiration.
“In that case, it’s clear that Tobirama’s consciousness doesn’t exist inside Kazuki…”
Izuna furrowed his brows and said slowly, “Kazuki saved the Uchiha and helped them rise. That’s not something that bastard would ever do!”
“This was likely a strategic front Kazuki put up when he first emerged—he probably feared his overwhelming talent would provoke suspicion.”
“So he used the pretense of Tobirama’s influence to mislead and confuse Konoha’s higher-ups. It was a clever way to insert himself into the Hokage faction and buy time to grow stronger in a hostile environment.”
“As for the instances when Kazuki unleashed chakra that resembled Tobirama’s—or mine—I think it was just genjutsu-based mimicry.”
“He imitated me to win the hearts of the Uchiha, and mimicked Tobirama to gain favor with the upper ranks of the Hokage circle.”
Madara and Obito nodded in sudden understanding.
So that’s it!
This tactic of imitating the enemy just to survive and grow left them deeply impressed.
Kazuki had truly sacrificed everything for the sake of the clan.
Even they had been fooled…
Hearing Izuna’s surprisingly thorough and well-structured analysis—
Orochimaru suddenly let out a relieved laugh.
If he hadn’t personally witnessed Tobirama’s presence inside Kazuki’s body, he’d have fully believed every word Izuna said.
Apparently, even the masterminds pulling the strings… didn’t always know what the others were up to.
Just as Uchiha Izuna had deduced that Tobirama’s consciousness wasn’t inside Kazuki…
Tobirama likely didn’t know that Uchiha Izuna and Uchiha Madara were still alive either!
How fascinating—truly fascinating!
For a moment, Orochimaru even forgot about his obsession with immortality. Right now, all he wanted was to witness who would emerge as the final victor in this dark and turbulent Shinobi World.
Orochimaru had no intention of telling Izuna the truth.
After all, he had just been subjected to Izuna’s genjutsu, and the sensation of having golden nails pierce through his soul was… far from pleasant.
He wanted entertainment—he wanted to see rivers of blood!
Immortality could wait. This chaotic Shinobi World, teeming with demons and monsters—he couldn’t resist getting involved.
He wanted to see Uchiha Izuna, who dismissed him so casually, and Tobirama, who had once struck him down with the Sword of Totsuka, clash with each other in utter confusion—caught in a desperate, brutal fight!
And in that moment—
A sudden thought surfaced in Orochimaru’s mind—delivered remotely by Kazuki through sensory control.
“Izuna-sama, perhaps you could recover Shimura Danzō’s use of the Impure World Reincarnation technique…”
Orochimaru lowered his head and said softly,
“You could even summon Senju Tobirama, and have Danzō stand before him and confess all the things he’s done…”
“Let him proclaim just how filthy Konoha became under his governance!”
Uchiha Izuna shot a glance at Orochimaru, and his eyes lit up.
The mere image of Tobirama standing there, listening to Danzō recite: “I was Senju Tobirama’s student. I did this and that…”
It nearly gave Izuna a euphoric rush.
Yes, Orochimaru—what a sharp observer and skilled flatterer!
“What an interesting little guy…”
Though Izuna was in a great mood, he still remained cautious. Only after Madara placed a sealing charm on Orochimaru did he speak seriously: “I promise you—so long as you honestly carry out the technique development I require, I will spare your life.”
Orochimaru nodded gratefully, though inwardly he was laughing hysterically.
Who do you think you are?
Uchiha Izuna… all I want is to see the panic and shock on your face when you look into Senju Tobirama’s eyes and see the Sharingan staring back at you!
Don’t think your plans are flawless.
This Shinobi World is far more complicated than you imagine!
And after hearing Izuna’s analysis—
Black Zetsu grew increasingly anxious.
What is with this guy? He’s way too sharp!
He had actually deduced that Kazuki was pretending!
But despite being so clever, Izuna had still fallen into Kazuki’s trap and was now dancing to his rhythm…
Black Zetsu had sensed it clearly—Izuna’s attitude toward the Eye of the Moon Plan was ambiguous.
Izuna wanted to use Kazuki as a pawn—letting him take the lead while he waited in the shadows to strike at the perfect moment.
But Black Zetsu knew the truth—Kazuki was the deepest-hidden mastermind of them all!
How could the Tailed Beast inside him possibly show signs of disorder or instability?
Fake. All of it’s fake.
Everything about Uchiha Kazuki was an act. And yet, no one in the entire Shinobi World had noticed!!
Only Black Zetsu bore this crushing pressure alone.
As it watched Uchiha Obito nodding in agreement with Izuna’s words, it made a firm decision in its heart—
It had to come up with a convincing explanation and come clean to Obito.
With Izuna involved, Obito had completely lost the initiative—this couldn’t continue!
Black Zetsu had to realign Obito with its own will.
Only then could it sabotage Kazuki’s plan and attempt to bypass him in order to resurrect Kaguya…
And if bypassing him proved impossible—
then at least, when the time came, Obito would be ready to act.
For the sake of the Shinobi World,
for the defeat of Kazuki,
for Kaguya,
and for Obito—
Black Zetsu was truly exhausting itself.
...
While Black Zetsu was anxiously scheming—
Kazuki, whom Uchiha Izuna had confidently concluded did not have Tobirama inside him…
Was currently having a casual chat with the Second Hokage himself.
“Anything else you want to say to me?”
Faced with Kazuki’s question, Tobirama, unaware of anything strange, waved his hand boldly.
“The two of us are going to be fighting alongside the Sage of Six Paths for the next ten thousand years! We can chat more down there…”
Kazuki nodded.
“Very well.”
Standing atop the ocean’s surface—
Kazuki slowly brought his hands together in a seal, and at that moment, unleashed his full power.
Instantly, the sea began to boil—
as if a volcano was erupting from the ocean floor!
Ocean currents twisted into watery prisons, and water dragons began swirling around him in cyclones, growing larger and larger.
Drawing on his chakra and the ocean itself, he formed nine colossal water dragons, each as massive and terrifying as a Tailed Beast!
The spectacle was overwhelming. The crashing waves surged into towering tsunamis—an apocalyptic sight.
But on the coastline, the shinobi of Kirigakure didn’t retreat a single step. Their eyes were filled only with solemnity and awe.
This was the First Mizukage, sacrificing himself to save the Shinobi World—
A moment destined to be passed down in Kirigakure’s history for millennia!
Kazuki tapped his fingers rapidly, and the endless sea compressed and condensed until its once-crystal blue turned pitch black—
transforming into dense, solid blocks of water.
One by one, Kazuki lifted the bricks and began stacking them carefully, building his own coffin.
On the surface of the coffin, he meticulously engraved seal after seal.
A dense network of black curse marks spread across it like the tightest putty, sealing every crack with perfect precision.
The sight deeply moved the shinobi of Kirigakure.
Kazuki-sama…
He was truly giving his all to seal himself away—
genuinely determined to keep the Shinobi World from falling into apocalyptic chaos!
Even if it meant crafting his own tomb with his own hands…
Even if it meant sleeping in inescapable darkness for who knew how many years…
He did it without hesitation.
Such conviction—
In a Shinobi World steeped in lies, deceit, and malice,
was like a burning light that pierced straight into their hearts.
