Chapter 71: The Demon Country Trap
Akatsurugi took the scroll without hesitation. After reading its contents, his brow furrowed. "An incident in the Land of Demons?"
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, nodded grimly. "Yes. According to the intelligence, the shrine maiden there can no longer maintain the seal on the demon. They've sent out a call for aid. I'm assigning this mission to you."
"Understood," Akatsurugi replied. "I'll make the necessary preparations and depart."
Hiruzen offered a faint, weary smile. "One more thing. The news reached us quite late. Given the urgency, you should go alone. You can fly, correct? It will save valuable time."
"Consider it done," Akatsurugi said, his tone unconcerned. He took the scroll and left the office to gather his gear.
The Land of Demons was a remote nation, bordering Iwagakure and Sunagakure, ruled by a lineage of shrine maidens. Akatsurugi knew a little about it. The so-called "demon" there wasn't particularly powerful. If a creature like that could truly end the world, legends like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha would have dealt with it long ago.
The fact that the major villages largely ignored the threat spoke volumes. This "catastrophe" was, at best, a local nuisance. An army of undead? How could it compare to the sheer, controllable terror of the Impure World Reincarnation? They could all be sealed, one way or another.
He departed directly from Konoha's main gate. For the first leg of the journey, he used his newly mastered Spirit Stepping, walking on the air itself as if it were solid ground. To cover the vast distance more efficiently, he soon switched to his signature ability, jets of flame erupting from his feet to propel him through the sky at high speed.
Meanwhile, deep within the Land of Demons, a different scene was unfolding.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, floated slightly above the ground, a satisfied smirk on his face as he addressed a disguised figure. "After all this time, I trust you now see our sincerity. The rest is in your hands, Mizukage-sama."
The man, the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure, gave a curt nod. For over a year, the other major villages had been in negotiations. They had all concluded that Kirigakure, with its unparalleled mastery of Water Release, was the key to countering Akatsurugi's flames. The Mizukage had been reluctant, fearing catastrophic losses, but the combined pressure and substantial concessions from Iwa, Kumo, and even Suna had finally secured his cooperation. He had brought his elite Water Style users and, most significantly, the Three-Tails Jinchūriki.
The trap was set. Ōnoki would control the skies. The Third Raikage would dominate the ground. And the Third Mizukage, with the full might of Kiri's water ninjutsu and a Tailed Beast, would provide the anvil to their hammer. Their goal was simple: ensure the Blaze God, Akatsurugi, never left the Land of Demons.
This was the culmination of a year-long conspiracy built around a single man.
They had even manipulated Konoha's response, carefully timing the distress call to force the village to send its fastest, most powerful responder alone. Their prediction was flawless. Akatsurugi was walking into the trap completely unaware.
Akatsurugi landed at the shrine maiden's palace. The current maiden was powerless; the demon's seal was stable, not on the verge of collapse. But with Iwa and Suna pressuring her from the borders, and Kumo and Kiri involved in the shadows, she was caught between four great nations she could not defy. As for Akatsurugi's fate? They would simply pin the blame on the rampaging "demon." Would Konoha dare start a world war over one man?
The moment Akatsurugi arrived, his heightened senses screamed a warning. His face darkened as he perceived the chakra signatures nearby. The Third Tsuchikage? The Third Raikage? Why would two Kage be here for a minor demon?
Then he felt it—a vast, bestial pool of chakra. The Three-Tails.
A cold realization dawned. This isn't about the demon. This is for me.
He immediately prepared to launch back into the sky and create distance with Shadow Clones, but it was too late.
Ōnoki appeared directly above him, making no attempt to hide.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
There were no words, no taunts. Just the immediate, devastating application of his ultimate Kekkei Tōta.
Akatsurugi's eyes narrowed. Dust Release, a bloodline elimination technique, was not something to be taken lightly. But he saw his chance. The Third Raikage was already on the ground, his body crackling with blue lightning. On the periphery, the Third Mizukage, the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, and dozens of Kiri Jonin were forming hand seals, preparing a massive, coordinated Water Release.
Now!
His eyes instantly morphed into the Mangekyō pattern. His left eye's ability activated: Transposition.
He had been waiting for this moment. In a split second, he forcibly swapped positions with the Third Raikage.
A trickle of blood ran from his left eye as he appeared where the Raikage had been standing. The Raikage now stood directly in the path of the falling Dust Release cube.
BOOM!
The technique landed, but the Raikage vanished in a flash of lightning—a Lightning Clone.
Akatsurugi was stunned, but he had no time to process it. A fist, sheathed in crackling energy, was already rocketing toward his head. The Third Raikage had predicted his prediction.
Akatsurugi willed his body into its elemental state. The fist passed harmlessly through his fiery form. The Raikage wasn't surprised. At that exact moment, the world turned blue.
A tsunami of water ninjutsu, summoned by thirty elite Water Style users, crashed down upon him, utterly submerging the area.
Instantly, Akatsurugi felt his power waning. His flames sputtered, his elemental form destabilizing under the deluge. If this continued, he would be extinguished. He had no choice. He solidified his body, abandoning the elemental transformation that had saved him so many times before.
His mind raced. Ōnoki controls the air. The Raikage is the anvil on the ground. And the Mizukage's forces are the hammer, turning this entire battlefield into an ocean to counter my every move.
He had underestimated them. This was the consequence of his abilities becoming known. These were not mere brutes; they were master shinobi who studied their enemy, learned his tricks, and built a perfect, inescapable counter-strategy.
He glanced toward the shrine maiden's palace, a cold sneer forming on his lips. "And the Land of Demons... they must be in on it too. Ha. You dare meddle in the games of the great nations? Whether you were coerced or not, you've made your choice. And that makes you my enemy."