78 - The First "Astronaut"

Masashi had often heard that when two very similar people were put together, it could be difficult.

He didn't really believe it back then, but after meeting Kakuzu this time, he realized it might be true. 

That guy exuded an aura of "I'm very valuable" from head to toe.

It genuinely made him itch to take action.

When it came to defeating Kakuzu, he was fairly confident.

To be fair, Kakuzu was indeed very strong—a solid, classic Kage-level ninja.

Though in the manga, he was just a stepping stone to highlight Naruto's growth... But honestly, not just anyone qualifies to be Naruto's stepping stone.

As a stepping stone for the reincarnation of Asura and Indra, most would be reduced to nothing.

The only one who remained alive after serving as a stepping stone was Orochimaru.

And Kakuzu, well, he was in the same league as Orochimaru—a top-tier powerhouse.

His secret technique, Earth Grudge Fear, granted him infinite lifespan, recovery abilities akin to those of Hashirama Cells, exceptional healing power, and a five-heart system with independent consciousness that resisted illusions and provided a pseudo "soft body modification" ability, giving him jaw-dropping physical defenses.

The Earth Grudge Fear itself was a Yang Release secret technique. Its length and shape could be altered at will, enabling it to expand and contract. Combined with the Iron Skin, it became a low-tier version of True Several Thousand Hands.

It could also morph into wings for flight or create precise physical restraints to bind an opponent's hands, preventing hand seals or summoning—far exceeding the effectiveness of Jiraiya's Wild Lion's Mane Technique.

It was only because Masashi had amassed the strength of three timelines, reaching almost cheat-level proficiency, that he could handle Kakuzu with ease. For at least 90% of the shinobi world, facing Kakuzu would mean instant defeat.

Still, it wasn't the right time yet. Better to wait a bit longer.

Another day, he'd use a Transformation Jutsu to visit the exchange office for some cash.

For a jonin from a ninja village to take on freelance jobs under a false identity? It wasn't uncommon.

The ninja villages turned a blind eye to such activities, as long as a few rules were followed: private jobs shouldn't interfere with village-assigned missions, nor should they involve tasks that conflicted with the village's interests.

After leaving the armory, Masashi didn't immediately accelerate but maintained a relatively normal speed. He wanted to see if Kakuzu would follow him.

If Kakuzu did, there'd be no more talk—he'd use every trick up his sleeve and then head to the exchange office for a payday.

Unfortunately, after dawdling for quite a while, there wasn't even a trace of Kakuzu's chakra, let alone his shadow.

It seemed he had truly left.

Was money really that important to him?

Well, money was pretty important. But some things were even more important than money.

Once he confirmed Kakuzu wouldn't follow him, Masashi stopped wasting time and moved at full speed.

The Kannabi Bridge was where, during the Third Great Ninja War, two heroes with Sharingan were born.

This place also marked the turning point of the war between Konoha and Iwa.

Iwa ninjas, who loved to use mass waves of troops, often deploying thousands at a time, exposed a major weakness in this battle: they had an overwhelming number of genin but very few higher-level ones, and their overall quality was extremely poor.

The Iwa ninjas stationed at the Kannabi Bridge included three jonin, but these three were practically a joke.

Otherwise, what was the point of just blowing up the bridge?

The issue lay in the severe lack of chunin and jonin among the Iwa ninjas. Hoping these ninjas could walk on water to cross a river was less realistic than hoping they could build a dam by themselves.

Creating a bridge with Earth Release and maintaining it with chakra input? It wasn't that the Iwa ninjas didn't want to, but their weak skills just couldn't cut it.

Even a group of 50 elite jonin, Iwa's supposed trump card, was wiped out in a single attack by Minato on the frontlines, revealing the general competence of Iwa's higher-level ninjas.

The battle was a complete disaster.

But to Masashi, this place had only one significance: Madara's secret underground hideout.

The Kannabi Bridge was located within the borders of Kusa.

He first returned to the Land of Fire from the Land of Hot Water and then headed westward.

By the time the sun rose for the second time, he had entered the territory of Kusa.

Kusa, known for its opportunistic tendencies, initially sided with the Land of Earth during the Third Great Ninja War. But after the Kannabi Bridge battle, it quickly switched allegiance to the Land of Fire.

While the Kusa ninjas weren't great at fighting, they excelled at intelligence gathering, always staying alert to the slightest changes in the shinobi world.

Their surveillance of foreign ninjas entering their territory was especially impressive.

Masashi hadn't been in Kusa for long before encountering Kusa ninjas.

There was no hostility, no arrogance, no senseless showing off.

They simply came to confirm his identity.

Yes, Kusa was very open to ninjas from the great nations.

But if it were ninjas from a smaller nation? Sorry, that'd be considered an invasion.

Of course, the way they handled things varied depending on the intruder's background—after all, even smaller nations had their own hierarchies.

For ninjas from the great nations, however, their attitude was consistent: "Just passing through? No problem. Kusa welcomes friends from all over the world!"

When the Kusa ninjas saw the Konoha forehead protector on Masashi's head, their expressions lit up like children seeing their dad return home.

And when they got a good look at his face, their smiles grew even more enthusiastic.

"Masashi-sama, it's an honor to have you visit Kusa. Our country is most fortunate!" The leader of the Kusa ninjas was practically overflowing with excitement, bowing slightly. "We've heard so much about your work with the Police Force!"

It almost made Masashi feel like he'd wandered into the Konoha shopping district.

It made him uncomfortable. This excessive friendliness... always a sign they want something.

"I'm just passing through," he said helplessly.

"I understand, I understand. You don't want to reveal your mission," the Kusa ninja leader replied confidently, his smile knowing. "We haven't seen you, and you're free to do as you please. Just let us know if you need anything!"

"Thanks?" Masashi said, at a loss for words.

He had to admit, though, he was impressed by Kusa's monitoring system.

Sure, the small size of Kusa played a role, but their domestic surveillance was truly impressive.

If only Konoha's ANBU could learn from this. In the original timeline, Kakuzu and Hidan reduced the Fire Temple to rubble, and Konoha only found out when the its survivors came to report it.

And let's not even mention the Konoha Crush plan—Suna's forces managed to sneak right up to Konoha's walls.

What kind of shoddy operational standards were those? Was it just because Konoha's territory was too big to manage? Or maybe due to Danzō?

After their encounter, the Kusa ninjas vanished cleanly from Masashi's sight.

He continued on his way.

The Kannabi Bridge site was getting closer.

At last, he saw the half-destroyed bridge hanging from the cliffside.

Kusa hadn't even bothered to rebuild it.

The ruins of the Kannabi Bridge, with only half of its structure remaining, still faintly revealed its former majesty and grandeur.

A bridge that could serve as a lifeline for the Iwa army was naturally no ordinary bridge.

The great river that originated from the high mountains of the Land of Earth flowed through the Land of Stone and was joined by hundreds of tributaries in the Land of Rain, greatly increasing its volume.

It then curved into Taki, creating the most spectacular waterfall clusters on the continent. As it flowed into Kusa, the river widened to nearly 3,000 meters at its broadest, with an average depth of no less than 100 meters.

Within Kusa, the largest bridge across this river was the Kannabi Bridge, which was also at the river's narrowest point. Even so, the bridge spanned nearly a kilometer.

The bridge was once designed to accommodate six carts side by side, but now the structure was mottled and in ruins.

Deep cracks had formed on the dilapidated bridge surface—large enough for a grown man to lie down in.

He strolled toward the ruined bridge. The first thing he saw was a massive stone slab engraved with the words "Kannabi Bridge" in bold red characters.

Red as blood.

The bridge was burned and destroyed in a tragic inferno, leaving it in shambles. It had been just three years since that day.

The sky that day had glowed red under the flames, and the river below had turned a deep crimson.

It was here that Madara watched Obito step into his meticulously laid trap. Though they were both Uchiha, some knowledge was meant to stay hidden.

Masashi stepped onto the bridge. The stone path that used to be smooth was now beaten up, full of holes and overrun with weeds. Below, the rushing river seemed to mock humanity's arrogance.

People always reached for the impossible, only to end up empty-handed.

A bridge spanning east to west, turning an impassable divide into a thoroughfare?

All it took was enough explosive tags to end that dream.

It was wise to keep some self-awareness. The world would continue without you. Even peace couldn't be forced—you couldn't make everyone march to the same tune.

Masashi figured the daimyō of Kusa had refused to rebuild the bridge out of sheer frustration. "Rebuild it? Whoever wants it can do it themselves!"

As for Madara's medical hideout, he didn't know its exact location. But he knew Obito's incident had occurred somewhere above it.

Also, though he wasn't interested in Hashirama's cells, he had a small bit of curiosity about Madara's remains.

This wouldn't count as grave robbing—just a casual visit. Even as a pure-blood Uchiha, this behavior wasn't out of line.

Anyone who'd watched Naruto knew the Uchiha clan revered filial piety.

Masashi wandered around the bridge for a while, searching for the battlefield where Kakashi and his comrades had fought Iwa jonin years ago.

Konoha had documented this thoroughly, and as relatives of a hero, the Uchiha clan received a report with detailed records of the battlefield and combat events.

Masashi eventually located the spot.

Back then, Konoha ninjas, guided by Kakashi, searched here for Obito's remains but found nothing.

They concluded that a series of landslides had buried his body deep underground along with falling rocks. They even used Earth Release techniques to search.

Although three years had passed, traces of the past battle could still be discerned.

He diligently searched the area, his Sharingan scanning for any residual chakra signatures that might have survived the years. Though time had eroded many traces, using the records and following the remaining signs, he finally pinpointed the spot where Obito was crushed by the rocks.

Using Wind Release, he sliced the massive stone into chunks. With a burst of raw strength, he heaved the fragmented rocks aside.

One look at the pressure marks made it clear.

No multiple landslides—nothing had moved.

It seemed that even before his Mangekyō awakened, Obito had displayed some Kamui-like abilities in his life-or-death struggle.

Though half his body was crushed, his Sharingan had remained intact. The way the rocks were positioned suggested a partial phase-through, not just a lucky escape.

This ability allowed Zetsu to bring him into Madara's hideout. And that was where everything changed. One Uchiha's tragedy becoming another's opportunity.

This should be the place. The rock formation above matched perfectly with the historical records, though they'd missed the crucial details.

He considered his options. Wind Release won't help here—I need something that can reach unknown depths. Plus, when I find the bottom, I'll need to mark it... Kagutsuchi's shape manipulation should work perfectly. Time to train.

Activating Sage Mode and his Sharingan simultaneously, he focused all his chakra into his hand.

The technique required perfect control—one slip and the chakra blade could destabilize.

The white chakra blade turned red. With a continuous infusion of chakra, the fiery blade extended like an expandable staff, piercing deep into the rock layers below.

Though he couldn't yet manifest Susanoo, his Fire Release-infused technique and Kagutsuchi's enhancements made his chakra blade highly versatile.

The benefits of having plenty of chakra became apparent here. He could feel the strain starting to build, but his reserves held steady.

The longer the flame blade stretched, the more chakra it consumed. Beyond a certain limit, the consumption rate doubled. The blade's color shifted slightly with each pulse of chakra he pushed through it.

But Masashi, who once fought Kurama all night, could handle it. His chakra control remained precise despite the increasing drain.

The ground was unbelievably hard.

This only reinforced his belief that he was standing on Madara's hideout's "roof." The old Uchiha's perfectionism showed even in his choice of hiding places.

With a roof like this, there was no fear of leaks.

Someone as meticulous as Madara wouldn't need to carry a mop and bucket during the rainy season, would he?

That's absurd. Masashi preferred to think Madara would shoot fire indoors on rainy days.

"Hmm?" He suddenly felt his flame blade pierce into a hollow space. The resistance vanished abruptly, confirming his suspicions.

He didn't jump to conclusions and extended it further, carefully maintaining the technique's stability.

When the blade touched something solid again, he gauged the distance. His Sharingan helped him visualize the space below based on the blade's feedback.

The space below was vast. Large enough to house an army... or conduct experiments away from prying eyes.

But he wasn't done yet. Years of training had taught him to be thorough.

Controlling the flame blade, he branched it into multiple extensions, exploring in all directions. 

The branches reached their limit without encountering more solid ground. The chakra drain increased exponentially with each new extension.

There was no doubt—it was a massive chamber. Probably one of many, knowing Madara's tendency for elaborate preparations.

After marking the location with a Flying Thunder God seal at the blade's entry point, Masashi slowly retracted the flame blade.

Worn out, he flopped onto the ground. His chakra reserves, while still substantial, had taken a significant hit.

Chakra consumption aside, the mental strain was significant. Maintaining that level of precise control while managing multiple chakra extensions wasn't something he could do casually.

After a long rest, he activated Sage Mode again. The natural energy helped restore some of his spent chakra.

Once prepared, he donned what looked like the first astronaut suit in the shinobi world. Each piece was reinforced with protective seals.

To be cautious, he even crafted a chakra-powered "oxygen tank" with his technique. The seal work had taken hours to prepare properly.

He only needed to retreat immediately if he sensed something was wrong.

After making all the necessary preparations, Masashi activated the Flying Thunder God seal, teleporting himself into the hollow space.

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First bonus chapter reached!

168/300 reached for bonus chapter.

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