Inside the Map of Mountains and Rivers of the Nation, all the mountains and rivers had turned a deep green; even the sky above was the same shade. The crushing pressure made Uchiha Izumi unable to stand. She was forced to crouch on all fours, gasping for breath.
"This is only ten times normal gravity… right? The Map can go up to thirty times!"
Rokuro's voice echoed through the air. Izumi wanted to curse him, but she no longer had the strength to speak.
"Should I lower it a bit? Try two times gravity?"
As soon as Rokuro spoke, Izumi felt her body lighten. The massive mountain pressing down on her back seemed to vanish by more than half. It was still heavy, but she could finally rise.
"How does that feel? Two times gravity—basically like carrying another adult."
"Adult my ass. It's easier than before, but I still feel chest tightness, shortness of breath… even my head feels fuzzy and lightheaded."
A golden light flashed in the air, and Rokuro leapt into the Map of Mountains and Rivers. He immediately began gasping, performing even worse than Izumi.
Izumi gave a wry smile.
"Now you get it, right?"
After half a minute, Rokuro finally adjusted enough to stop feeling faint. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he finally understood.
"Looks like gravity here isn't just about carrying a heavy load—it acts on every inch of skin, every muscle and bone, every single cell."
"The reason you're dizzy is due to insufficient blood flow to the brain. And that's just at two times gravity—no wonder you couldn't even stand under ten times."
Izumi rolled her eyes at him. At that moment, she noticed Rokuro drawing a sealing symbol in the air she hadn't seen before. The next instant, the symbol glowed, and the gravity in the entire space normalized.
Izumi exhaled, feeling a rare sense of relief.
"I've fought in the Land of Grass before, and that wasn't this exhausting. Rokuro… you're not planning to have me train taijutsu in this hellhole, are you?"
"Heh, not just taijutsu. Also ninjutsu."
With that, Rokuro suddenly summoned his Perfect Susanoo and pulled Izumi inside. The massive Susanoo soared into the air.
"Transform!"
He drew another sealing symbol. The space instantly turned scorching hot, like an enormous oven. To make matters worse, the ground beneath Izumi vanished, replaced by molten lava.
"The Map's alternate dimension has four environments: magma, ice, gravity, and strong acid," Rokuro explained.
"The strong acid zone is the deadliest. Without a Perfect Susanoo or equivalent full defense, even a few seconds will dissolve you completely!"
"Magma and ice are exactly as they sound—high heat and extreme cold. Training ninjutsu in these spaces will greatly enhance your power. Later, I also plan to add a 'wild lightning' zone for practicing lightning-style techniques."
Rokuro led Izumi through the zones one by one. With Susanoo's protection, magma and ice were challenging but manageable. In the strong acid zone, however, the corrosive liquid surrounded them, and Susanoo began dissolving after just three seconds.
When they reached the gravity zone, even the Perfect Susanoo was reduced to half its original form.
Izumi knew how powerful Rokuro's Susanoo was. Normally, it could take a direct hit from a Tailed Beast Bomb without harm. Yet the strong acid zone nearly destroyed it, revealing just how deadly the environment was.
"I get magma and ice, but what's the point of the acid zone? Are you trying to improve acid resistance?"
Izumi asked, sounding exasperated.
"To improve defense. You relied too much on your Mangekyō Sharingan before. Susanoo's full potential wasn't developed. Training in the acid zone is perfect for you. Once your Susanoo can endure a full minute there, no one in the ninja world could break it head-on."
Afterward, Rokuro and Izumi left the Map of Mountains and Rivers, and he rolled it up, handing it to her.
"You're giving this to me? Aren't you going to use it?"
Rokuro shook his head.
"You need it more than I do. Besides, I have to continue studying the Six Paths tools and their seals—no time for training myself."
"As for the Eight Gates technique, Konoha's Book of Seals covers it. You can train it if you want. You might not use it often, but if you encounter an enemy impervious to ninjutsu and genjutsu, it's a valuable option. There's no harm in learning."
Izumi didn't object to training the Eight Gates—her only resistance had been wearing tight outfits while running. With the Map of Mountains and Rivers, training efficiency would increase, so there was even less reason to refuse.
Cloud Village, now controlled by the surrender faction led by Mabui, combined with Rokuro's soft-power trade tactics, was effectively erased from the Five Great Ninja Villages.
From now on, the village could only take low-tier jobs like arson and murder. Its status was gone, income drastically reduced.
When a ninja village faces financial collapse, its combat strength falls. Over time, not only do elite warriors disappear, but the fighting spirit of the remaining shinobi erodes, turning them into passive "lay-down" ninjas.
Cloud Village wasn't destroyed, but in essence, its situation was hardly better than death.
When the three nations attacked Konoha, Cloud Village fell first. The Land of Earth, having lost a jinchūriki and the Tsuchikage, was also severely weakened, though slightly better off than Cloud Village.
Rokuro didn't press further because Uchiha numbers were too few. Even conquering the Land of Earth would be meaningless. Thus, he relied on trade to gradually undermine the enemy rather than annihilating the village outright.
With the defeats of Cloud and Earth, only the Mist Village of the Land of Water remained.
Having suffered fewer losses, Mist Village retained substantial combat strength even after withdrawing.
At the peak of her youth, Terumī Mei had already become a Mist Jonin. A master of molten-style and boiling-style ninjutsu, she was a recognized prodigy. Coupled with her stunning appearance, she was as popular in Mist Village as Tsunade had been during the era of the Three Legendary Sannin in Konoha.
Upon returning, Terumī immediately sought out Ao, the Mist Jonin who had received a transplanted Byakugan.
"Terumī-sama, I heard you've slain five Konoha Jonin, including a member of the Hyūga clan?"
Ao greeted her, but seeing Terumī's grim expression, his face tensed in concern.
"Did something happen?"
"Quiet. Follow me somewhere secluded."
Terumī led the way along the shore. Ao kept his head low, trailing her. Soon, they reached a deserted area by the water.
"Ao, use your Byakugan to check if anyone is nearby."
Ao didn't speak. Activating his Byakugan, he scanned the surroundings and shook his head.
"No one within two kilometers besides us. Speak freely, Terumī-sama."
"This is extremely important. What I'm about to tell you could put our lives at risk. You must not tell anyone—family included."
Ao nodded gravely. Terumī took a deep breath.
"I suspect… the Mizukage is under someone's mental control."
"What?! That's impossible!"
Raising his voice only slightly, sweat already beaded on his forehead.
In recent years, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, had ruled with an iron fist. Many who opposed his policies had met untimely deaths under mysterious circumstances.
Every ninja naturally understood what was happening. Yet, because Yagura was able to eliminate his enemies while simultaneously winning over another faction, his position as Mizukage had not only remained secure but had become increasingly unshakable. Within the village, he was practically an unchallengeable authority.
For someone so tyrannical, Terumī Mei claiming he was under mental control was something Ao could scarcely accept.
"I discovered this on the battlefield. After Yagura fully transformed into the Tailed Beast, he cried out for help. That must have been the Tailed Beast chakra reacting violently, temporarily breaking the mental control. But it lasted too briefly—his cry went unfinished, unnoticed by others. Only I, being closest, heard it."
Ao hesitated.
"Terumī-sama, could it have been the chaos of the battlefield… you misheard?"
Terumī shot him a piercing look.
"If I didn't have absolute certainty, do you think I'd come to you with this? Besides, whether Yagura is under control—you can see it with your Byakugan, can't you?"
Ao took a deep breath. Normally, he would never dare use his Byakugan on Yagura—that would be certain death. But trusting Terumī, he decided to take the risk.
"Terumī-sama, Yagura is a sensory ninja. If he isn't controlled, he will definitely detect me. You have to speak up if that happens."
"Of course. If anything goes wrong, I've got your back. Time is short—let's move."
With Ao's agreement, Terumī led him near the Mizukage's tower, even stationing a few subordinates to keep bystanders away.
Once everything was set, Terumī gave Ao a slight nod. He activated his Byakugan and scanned the Mizukage's office.
Ao's Byakugan had never been tampered with, so there were no blind spots, and its visual power was immense. He could see through multiple walls and immediately spotted Yagura sitting motionless inside.
From the outset, Ao suspected something was wrong just by observing Yagura's posture. Further inspection revealed irregular chakra flows—definitive evidence of mental control.
"It's true?! He really is under mental control!"
Ao looked at Terumī, shocked. She sighed.
"If this were the real Yagura, he'd have noticed us already. His lack of reaction proves everything."
Ao deactivated his Byakugan, his expression grave.
"Terumī-sama, I suggest we call Elder Genji immediately. Only he can handle this now."
Terumī agreed and led Ao to find Gen, the Mist Village elder.
Half an hour later, a plan targeting Yagura was set into motion.
By evening, Yagura was invited to Elder Genji's residence to discuss peace negotiations with Konoha.
Compared to Cloud and Earth Villages, the Mist Village, surrounded by the sea and supported by Mist ninja water-style techniques, held a significant strategic advantage.
Even if they lost the war, Mist Village could negotiate because Konoha crossing the sea to fight them would be suicide. It was precisely this geographic advantage that allowed Mist Village to maintain its status as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages without heavy diplomacy.
The defeat wasn't a concern for Mist's leadership. Yagura—or rather, Tobi controlling him—understood this and did not resist, allowing Yagura to be led into Elder Genji's home.
As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, a powerful sealing array erupted beneath his feet. Multiple rune-like chains climbed his body, suppressing his chakra.
Simultaneously, four Mist ninja emerged from the shadows, throwing chains to restrain Yagura.
"Are you trying to rebel?!"
Yagura cursed and struggled. His suppressed chakra, mixed with Tailed Beast energy, surged.
"Melting Release: Beast Dissolution Technique!"
A large stream of yellow-green sludge sprayed from Terumī Mei's mouth, covering Yagura and dissolving the chakra he had just drawn.
A shadow flickered, and Ao appeared above Yagura, hands forming seals as he pressed down on Yagura's head.
"Genjutsu: Release!"
A surge of chakra entered Yagura's brain, countering Tobi's invading chakra. The forces neutralized each other.
Yagura immediately stopped struggling, his expression changing drastically.
"Damn Uchiha Madara!"
The words froze everyone present, including Elder Genji.
At that moment, Tobi activated Kamui and appeared before Yagura, slamming a palm into his stomach.
"I didn't expect such skilled ninja in Mist. You've ruined my plans—well, then I'll just step out early!"
"Ah!"
Sealing runes rapidly covered Yagura's body, emanating a fierce roar. The Three-Tails burst forth, instantly crushing the elder's courtyard.
Terumī Mei shielded Elder Genji from the Three-Tails' attack, her expression grim.
"Call everyone in the sealing squad immediately. The rest—stop the Three-Tails from rampaging. Don't let it destroy the village!"
Words were easy to say, but Tailed Beasts weren't so easily controlled, especially one under Sharingan influence, a true embodiment of chaos.
Mist Village paid half its forces' cost before finally defeating and sealing the Three-Tails.
When they finally located Yagura in the rubble, he had already become a lifeless corpse.
Terumī Mei, battered and grim, looked upon Yagura's mangled body, her face twisted in anger.
"Konoha must answer for this!"
END OF CHAPTER
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