TitoVillar
patreon
JST Chapter 233: Uncaged
🕑 Added 2025-04-02 14:41:42 +0000 UTC[From the target Orochimaru: You get a special talent - Greedy Snake Soul.]
[Greedy Snake Soul]: When you actively host others, or when you host souls, spirits, and chakras in your body, you will slowly extract the power of the target, and there is a chance to mark the soul depending on the host time and the mental state of the target.
In the slightly salty and humid sea breeze of the Land of Water, Kazuki pondered the gift from Orochimaru.
It was quite interesting, just like a python swallowing its prey whole and then digesting it slowly...
What Kazuki was more concerned about was the function of marking the soul.
"The ability to split soul fragments, which was born from Orochimaru's curse seal system, has evolved into this?"
Kazuki glanced at Senju Tobirama in his body. He was not interested in marking Senju Tobirama. Kazuki had mastered all of the old man's skills, and all that remained was to exploit his last gold coins after achieving the final bond...
But there was still an extra surprise—that is, under Kazuki's influence, could Tobirama, who had the Sharingan, be promoted to Mangekyō?
How far Uchiha Tobirama could go, Kazuki would be watching firsthand.
And for the upcoming new resident—Otsutsuki Kaguya...
The way to use this marking could become relatively unconventional, such as carving it on the lower abdomen and matching it with a pink and purple color scheme, which was a bit intriguing...
However, this was a matter for later.
Kazuki was looking forward to it. When Kaguya slowly woke up from the darkness and found herself in a prison...
What would she feel?
Would she angrily accuse him of being an evil kid who was a descendant of the Six Paths Sage?
Kazuki thought playfully in his mind and stopped when he saw Kirigakure.
There was surprise in his eyes.
And Senju Tobirama's mouth twitched.
How could this still be Kirigakure?
Senju Tobirama vaguely remembered that Kazuki had high standards for the transformation of Kirigakure, one of which was that even if the Second and Third Mizukage were resurrected, they would not recognize this as their own village...
This truly met the requirements.
But wasn't this pure Konoha?!
From the gate, to the buildings, to the one that looked exactly like the Hokage Residence—except for the Mizukage Office—and even the commercial areas, everything was copied here. It was a one-to-one replica of Konoha’s essence.
What made Senju Tobirama most nervous was that even the Hokage Rock was copied here.
At this moment, on the mountain behind Kirigakure, Kazuki's Kage Rock was clearly engraved.
This was copied too, right?
It was almost identical!
Senju Tobirama felt very complicated. In order to seal the Six Paths Sage, Kazuki seemed to have no chance to become Hokage...
But becoming Mizukage was no problem. Even the Kage Rock was engraved, and the portraits of the previous Mizukage generations were missing.
The true new First Mizukage!
"Tobirama, why do you think Kirigakure is so tactful?" Kazuki asked softly.
Senju Tobirama pondered for a moment and said slowly: "This village has been in civil strife for too long, and the war was launched to transform internal conflicts into external conflicts."
"But the total failure of this war, especially the fact that you used the Second Mizukage’s method to kill the Third Mizukage... Their collective spirit was first broken by their own people, and then directly shattered by you."
"In addition to the Water Release technique and the Shikotsumyaku you demonstrated, as well as the iconic Lava Release and Boil Release techniques of Kirigakure, the few Kirigakure elites you subdued are now very important figures in this village."
As the former Hokage, Senju Tobirama reviewed Kazuki’s operations, and his mind flashed like an electric shock.
It seemed that from the very beginning…
Kazuki had set his sights on Kirigakure!
From the very start of this war, Kazuki first used a trick to lure the Third Mizukage into a formation, displaying both strategic wisdom and Konoha’s bombing force, forming a double-layered collective and individual combat power suppression.
And when killing the Third Mizukage...
Looking back, Kazuki seemed to have deliberately let the Third Mizukage reach the beach, allowing him to fight in his strongest state.
Terumi Mei, Kaguya Jinzaburo, Kisame, Zabuza...
These Kirigakure shinobi whom Kazuki had picked since the Chunin Exams were now truly the backbone of this village. Each of them had both identity and combat power and were among the few who could be leaders.
Winning their hearts meant winning more than half of Kirigakure.
In addition, the person in charge of supervising the construction of Kirigakure is Hyuga Hizashi, and Kazuki is generous with material things...
The relationship between the Hyuga and Kaguya clans is similar to that between the Senju and the Uzumaki clans, and they are naturally close to Kirigakure.
This is linked together, and it seems inevitable that the village of Kirigakure will fall into Kazuki's hands.
But when did Kazuki start thinking of conquering Kirigakure?
Did Kazuki begin planning all this during the Chunin Exam?
Senju Tobirama's eyes were full of confusion. He looked at Kazuki, as if he was about to say something but stopped...
"I know what you want to ask, Tobirama."
Kazuki walked slowly through Kirigakure Village, greeting the shinobi who acknowledged him, and said to Tobirama: "Tobirama, I said that the Six Paths Sage should be sealed in the ocean... There must be someone to look after the seal, right?"
"Kirigakure, a village built on an isolated island, is the grave keeper I chose."
Senju Tobirama was suddenly shocked. Could it be that Kazuki had similar ideas long ago? But the Child of Prophecy, the Uchiha Tablet, or the Three Sage Regions—these are all recent events!
At the beginning, Tobirama even thought that Kazuki could not detect the Rinne Sharingan in his body, and at that time, he did not dare to remind him for fear of putting too much pressure on Kazuki.
It turns out that Kazuki knew all along!
"Kazuki, you... since when did you..." Senju Tobirama was no longer calm, and his speech became a little hesitant: "You knew it a long time ago?"
"Ah, I didn't tell you at the time because I was afraid of putting too much pressure on you, Tobirama."
Kazuki smiled, and his smile conveyed a sense of tiredness that belied his age, as well as a hint of mockery. "But now it seems that your ability to withstand pressure is better than I thought..."
Senju Tobirama was suddenly shocked.
Yes...
This is Kazuki's own body. He should have been the first to know that such a terrifying Rinne Sharingan had suddenly appeared! And the Uchiha Tablet is placed in the Naka Shrine. When Kazuki occasionally met with various members of the Uchiha clan, the stone tablet would be placed right in front of them...
Kazuki may have already read its contents back then.
"Why didn't you tell me, Kazuki!" Senju Tobirama said angrily. "You don't trust me!"
Kazuki shook his head and said nothing more.
Senju Tobirama kept shouting but gradually fell silent.
Kazuki was just like this—always shouldering everything alone...
….
In the Mizukage Residence.
"Hizashi, you have worked hard these days..." Kazuki played with the azure blue hat in his hand and praised, "The construction of Kirigakure is very well done. You've worked hard."
Hizashi smiled. "I just followed your instructions."
Kazuki shook his head and motioned for Hizashi to come closer.
Hizashi approached, his expression becoming serious. "Kazuki-sama, what do you want?"
"Take off your forehead protector. Let me see your Caged Bird mark..."
Hizashi's expression turned stern, and his hands began to tremble.
This is going to...
Kazuki-sama, he is going to...
Hizashi gritted his teeth and revealed his forehead, which had been a source of shame his entire life.
At the center of his forehead, there was a dark green cross, with wavy stripes on both sides.
The infamous Caged Bird mark—the symbol of distinction between the main and branch families of the Hyuga clan.
It was essentially a type of curse seal, designed to seal the Byakugan. If the recipient died or had their eyeball removed, it activated a self-destruct mechanism. It could also be activated by the main family as a form of punishment.
Kazuki looked at Hizashi's forehead and smiled.
It was not a complicated seal—it merely connected the Byakugan, cranial nerves, and the Caged Bird seal...
But it was effective enough.
A chain is enough to tie up a dog, isn't it?
The branch family of the Hyuga clan had been brainwashed since birth to protect the main family. Their combat style revolved solely around learning Gentle Fist from childhood.
What's more, the Caged Bird seal only looked simple in Kazuki's eyes...
The tomoe in Kazuki's eyes rotated, and the mechanism of the Caged Bird flashed through his mind. Then he began to reverse-engineer it—
Kazuki slapped Hizashi's forehead with a palm, making a crisp sound.
With this palm, the seal of the bird in a cage that had been on Hizashi's forehead for nearly 30 years began to shrink instantly, starting from both sides and shrinking towards the center of the eyebrows, finally turning into two bright green dots.
"Sealing Technique: Uncaged Seal..."
Kazuki slapped his head again, and this time, the technique that could allow the branch family to regain freedom was imprinted into Hizashi's brain.
Hizashi felt an unprecedented sense of relief on his forehead, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Once you experience this feeling of freedom, you can never go back.
It is said that the seal of the bird in a cage can protect the branch family. Indeed, it does have a certain effect objectively.
But with the same purity of Byakugan and the same family background, who would be willing to work like a beast of burden for others? The shinobi world is inherently dangerous.
When you have secret techniques and kekkei genkai, you will naturally be targeted by enemies and bounty hunters. This is normal, and it is not just the Hyuga clan that has special dojutsu...
What's more, does the main family have the protection of a bird in a cage? In essence, this is just slavery...
