Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Konan returned to the high tower she shared with Nagato, waiting for a full hour before Uchiha Obito finally arrived with Nagato.

This delay was because White Zetsu had confirmed that Shūichi had already left.

Nagato was clearly displeased. As soon as he saw Konan, he asked, "Konan, did that Shūichi do anything to you?"

Konan glanced at Uchiha Obito, cloaked and masked, and replied, "That man left a Flying Thunder God mark on me."

White Zetsu immediately spoke up, "That's going to be troublesome. As far as I know, there's no way to remove that mark."

"This means Shūichi can appear beside you at any moment to ambush us."

"The only solution is—"

Before he could finish, Nagato shot him a cold glare. "That plan doesn't necessarily require you."

White Zetsu hurriedly laughed, "It was just a joke, no need to take it seriously!"

After eyeing White Zetsu's probing response, Black Zetsu interjected, "Shūichi didn't kill Konan but left a Flying Thunder God mark instead. It's likely he wants to sow discord among us."

"While the mark is indeed a problem, it doesn't mean we can't use it against Shūichi."

"Shūichi's strength exceeded our expectations. It seems we'll need to alter our original plan to capture the Nine-Tails."

"In this situation, working together is our best chance to succeed."

White Zetsu quickly added, "I don't think we're out of options just yet."

"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is pregnant. If we attack Konoha, we can use the entire village as leverage, leaving Shūichi and the Fourth Hokage unable to fight at full strength."

"If we use Konoha as a distraction, we'll have the opportunity to seize the Nine-Tails."

"With the Nine-Tails in our possession, we'll have a better chance against Shūichi."

Nagato responded calmly, "Then proceed with the plan to gather intelligence and confirm the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's delivery date."

"When the time comes, I'll use the Six Paths Puppets to hold them off and buy us enough time."

Black Zetsu nodded. "If that's the case, it's worth a try."

With that, Obito activated Kamui and left.

Nagato and Konan returned to the depths of the tower, to the area where the Six Paths Puppets were created. They activated the barrier set up in the chamber.

"Konan, speak."

Nagato had already sensed that there were things Konan hadn't said earlier.

After a brief silence, Konan relayed everything Shūichi had told her.

Nagato's expression shifted multiple times as he listened, eventually closing his eyes.

When Konan finished, she looked at Nagato with deep concern and asked, "Nagato, do you think what that man said is true?"

Nagato didn't answer immediately. He silently pondered and analyzed the intelligence Shūichi had provided. After a long pause, he opened his eyes.

"Does it matter whether it's true or not?"

"Our relationship with Uchiha Madara was always one of mutual exploitation."

"The curse mark on my heart isn't difficult to deal with. Once we've gathered all nine Tailed Beasts, whether or not to resurrect Uchiha Madara will be entirely my decision."

Konan quickly responded, "But Uchiha Madara wouldn't overlook that possibility. He didn't truly trust us; that's why he placed the curse mark on you."

"That Uchiha Obito, controlled by Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, is likely his contingency plan against us."

"Furthermore, if the Rinnegan really belongs to Uchiha Madara, there's a chance he left something hidden within those eyes as well."

"N-Nagato, these eyes…"

Nagato raised a hand, cutting her off. "I won't give up these eyes or this power."

"Besides, we can't fully trust Shūichi either."

"However, his method of ending wars is indeed better than our plan."

"Once we've collected all nine Tailed Beasts and created the ultimate weapon, the Ten-Tails, we'll launch a war against the Five Great Shinobi Villages and their nations, wiping them out in one decisive stroke."

"Once the Five Great Shinobi Villages are eliminated, the remaining villages and nations will naturally surrender."

"At that point, we can establish a world without war!"

Konan asked, "So, should we still interact with Shūichi?"

"He left a Flying Thunder God mark on me. He's bound to return."

She couldn't shake the memory of Shūichi's gaze, which had made her feel like prey under the watchful eyes of a predator.

Nagato thought of Shūichi's strength, feeling an immense pressure in his heart, though he didn't show it.

With Yahiko gone, the burden fell entirely on him.

"If we can cooperate with Uchiha Madara, why not Shūichi?"

Nagato said calmly, "As long as the goal is achieved, the process doesn't matter."

He had already suffered greatly under Hanzō's betrayal, which had led to Yahiko's death.

Thus, he wouldn't fully trust Uchiha Madara, nor would he trust Shūichi completely.

He was no longer the naïve, crying boy he once was.

Still, the information Shūichi provided was just as shocking to him as it had been to Konan.

The Rinnegan belonged to Uchiha Madara.

If that were true...

Nagato's gaze turned icy.

"Even if it was his before, it belongs to me now."

...

Outside Amegakure, Inside a Mountain Cave

Shūichi's figure appeared, gazing out toward Amegakure from a distance.

The reason he revealed so much to Konan was intentional, meant to subtly manipulate and create discord.

Of course, he didn't expect Nagato to immediately fall for his words or pledge allegiance to him.

After Yahiko's death, Nagato's trust in outsiders was nearly nonexistent.

However, the information Shūichi shared was sufficient to further erode the fragile trust between Nagato and Uchiha Madara.

"Besides, Nagato probably won't refuse a chance to cooperate with me…"

Shūichi chuckled softly to himself.

There was still time—no need to rush.

Once Nagato suffers another major setback, he'll fall in line.

"Time to head home!"

Stretching lazily, Shūichi's figure vanished once more.

---

Konoha, Hokage's Office

When Shūichi arrived, Kakashi was already in the room with Minato.

"Kakashi, what do you think about the ability of Obito's right eye?" Shūichi asked.

Minato also turned his attention to Kakashi, who had already analyzed it.

"It's a space-time ninjutsu," Kakashi replied promptly. "It appears to make his body intangible, evading all attacks. But since it's space-time related, he's likely temporarily transferring his body to another dimension, creating the illusion of intangibility."

Shūichi nodded. "Obito's eyes work like this: the right eye transfers objects it touches to the other dimension, while the left eye can transfer objects from a distance. Both eyes can also transport the user into the dimension simultaneously."

Kakashi's expression grew grave. "One for close-range, one for long-range—offensive and defensive capabilities combined. If he has both eyes…"

Minato immediately recalled the time Shūichi had been injured.

He was well aware of Shūichi's speed, and yet he had still been wounded. This demonstrated the immense power of Obito's eye abilities, reinforcing the importance of their current plan to retrieve his eye.

"Shūichi, what do you plan to do with Obito's eye once we get it?" Minato asked.

Shūichi smiled. "How about giving it to Rin?"

"Obito would probably be thrilled with that," he added with a smirk.

Kakashi's eyes lit up. "With the Mangekyō Sharingan, the First Hokage's cells could be effectively suppressed. That means Rin could be revived immediately, right?"

Shūichi nodded.

Though Kamui was powerful, he had no intention of using it himself. His priority was to see if he could learn to awaken the Sharingan from Shisui first.

If he succeeded…

Minato, after some thought, nodded. "Then we'll transplant it to Rin."

As Shūichi had pointed out, Obito would likely be more than willing to accept this outcome.

Still, considering the complicated relationships between Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, Minato couldn't help but feel a twinge of helplessness.

---

At this moment, Shūichi shifted his focus back to Minato and offered a suggestion.

"Sensei, during Lady Kushina's delivery, you'll need to take extensive precautions."

"The Rinnegan's sealing techniques are incredibly powerful. Even the Flying Thunder God technique could be rendered ineffective."

"Moreover, if that technique is deployed, it could destroy all of Konoha."

Both Minato and Kakashi's expressions darkened at his words.

Shūichi continued, "The safest location is Mount Myōboku."

"When the time comes, have Lady Kushina deliver the baby there."

"Meanwhile, evacuate the villagers into the shelters in advance. If they dare to attack, then we fight."

Minato pondered for a moment before nodding. "We'll proceed as planned. When the time comes, we'll send Kushina to Mount Myōboku ahead of her due date."

---

Outside the Hokage Building

Shūichi left the Hokage building and headed to the experimental facility with Kakashi.

Inside, White Zetsu's clone, Tobi, had been sealed and isolated. Taking Obito's Sharingan and Rin Nohara's original eye, Shūichi and Kakashi entered Rin's chamber.

Transplanting eyes was a trivial task for Shūichi.

After replacing both of Rin's eyes, Shūichi immediately released the seal that had been suppressing her.

With the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan to suppress it, the Hashirama cells no longer multiplied uncontrollably. Instead, they began to heal Rin's body completely.

As expected, once the seal was removed, the Hashirama cells spread throughout Rin's body, but instead of rampant proliferation, they worked to repair the damage in her brain.

Dead brain cells were replaced in large quantities.

An hour later, Rin slowly regained consciousness. At first, her vision was blurry, but as it cleared, she froze in surprise—she could feel a distinct change in her left eye.

Shūichi explained, "Your left eye has been replaced with Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan. Your right eye is your original one, reimplanted."

"With the Hashirama cells, the strain from the Sharingan shouldn't be too overwhelming. However, you'll need to learn to control this eye. Even if you can't deactivate it entirely, you must be able to switch between the regular three-tomoe Sharingan and the Mangekyō form at will."

Rin nodded and, with Kakashi's help, stood up. "Thank you, Shūichi."

Shūichi replied, "The Sharingan is difficult to master. You'll need time to adapt."

"Also, for the sake of secrecy regarding Obito, you'll likely need to stay at the Root facility or here at the experimental base for now."

With the Sharingan and the Hashirama cells affecting her chakra, Rin would undoubtedly attract attention. Wearing a mask would help maintain her anonymity.

"I understand," Rin said. "I'll stay at the experimental base and assist you and Lady Tsunade."

Shūichi nodded. "Alright, you two can talk. I'll be off."

With that, he vanished.

---

Personal Laboratory

Inside his private lab, Shūichi unsealed a scroll to retrieve the severed arm of the Gedo Statue.

After examining it briefly, he scraped off some material and placed it under a microscope for observation.

"The cells have plant-like characteristics, but they're not exactly the same. The cellular structure is more complex than human cells, with incredible vitality—even more than the Nine-Tails…"

After some analysis, Shūichi returned his attention to the Gedo Statue's arm. Contemplating for a moment, he touched it and injected chakra from the One-Tail.

The vast chakra vanished without a trace, as though absorbed. Shūichi frowned and was about to try another tailed beast's chakra when the arm suddenly began to change.

The severed arm transformed into a tree root and emitted a powerful suction, actively absorbing Shūichi's chakra.

Quickly withdrawing his hand, Shūichi observed the now-root-like arm. It showed no further reaction and appeared to be an ordinary, rigid piece of wood.

"Perhaps it requires chakra from all nine tailed beasts to activate further?"

"Could this root be used to create a miniature God Tree or even a small Ten-Tails?"

Shūichi fell into deep thought.

"I'll need to experiment by injecting chakra from each tailed beast to see if there's any reaction."

For now, Shūichi decided not to "consume" it.

His body still couldn't fully process even the chakra of the Nine-Tails. Consuming part of the Ten-Tails would likely cause complications, posing significant risks.

He sealed the root of the God Tree for further study.

Then,

Shūichi shifted his focus to the tag tree in his mind.

A new tag had been triggered:

Tag: God of Shinobi 

Condition to Obtain: Gain universal recognition in the ninja world, becoming the next "God of Shinobi" after Hashirama Senju.

Effect: Increases luck by 100% and grants the Sage Body of Hashirama Senju.

"Wow," Shūichi murmured, surprised by the tag.

The title God of Shinobi?

How did Hashirama earn it?

Rubbing his chin, Shūichi mused, "So… I need to dominate the other four great ninja villages?"

"Well, Suna shouldn't need much convincing, right?"

(End of Chapter)

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