Naruto: Manipulation-Chapter 187: Shigen’s Yomotsu Hirasaka

Uchiha Madara was no stranger to strategy.

In fact, he was highly adept at deception and scheming.

With the recent resurrection of the Three-Tails, all nine Tailed Beasts in the shinobi world had once again manifested, and Akatsuki's plan could finally begin in earnest.

Granted—

Akatsuki no longer had the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

But...

That didn't stop them from capturing the Tailed Beasts.

After all, with Shigen and Madara present in Akatsuki's base, there was no way any Tailed Beast could cause trouble there.

In truth, Akatsuki had already been secretly collecting them.

Several Jinchūriki who'd lost contact with their villages—like Rōshi of the Four-Tails and Utakata of the Six-Tails—had long since fallen under Akatsuki's control.

The plan was to avoid alarming the great nations by seizing the isolated ones first.

Moreover, this approach was a trap—bait meant to lure out Obito and his hidden allies.

Ever since Madara had been resurrected via Edo Tensei years ago by Kabuto, Obito and his group had vanished without a trace.

Still...

They couldn't hide forever.

With his Kamui Mangekyō, Obito could vanish with ease, but Madara was waiting for a chance to draw him out. After all, that fool had stolen the Demonic Statue and one of the Rinnegan, clearly not to stop the Eye of the Moon Plan—but to take it for himself.

The shinobi world's situation had become... strange.

Akatsuki had made their intentions plain during the Chūnin Exams four years ago, revealing their desire to collect the Tailed Beasts and create a weapon of war—yet none of the major villages had taken real action.

Maybe...

Because the blade hadn't yet touched their own throats, they hadn't realized just how dire the crisis truly was.

But now...

The sword of Damocles was about to fall.

Madara gathered the entire Akatsuki—including Shigen—to discuss the upcoming operations. Without the Demonic Statue, they would need to bring back the Jinchūriki alive... or extract the beasts directly.

The teams were assigned as follows:

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One-Tail's Jinchūriki: Deidara & Sasori

Two-Tails & Eight-Tails: Madara & Sasuke

Three-Tails: Nagato & Konan

Five-Tails: Kabuto & Shigen

Seven-Tails: Kakuzu & Hidan

The setup was fairly logical.

Gaara, the One-Tail's host, had become the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, which was Sasori's birthplace.

The Two-Tails and Eight-Tails resided in Kumogakure, arguably the strongest of the Five Great Nations. Madara would handle them himself, bringing Sasuke for combat experience.

The Three-Tails had just revived and wasn't yet sealed into a host—Nagato and Konan were sufficient.

The Five-Tails was in Iwagakure, where Kabuto had previously served as a spy. Shigen would accompany him, partly to monitor him.

The Seven-Tails was hidden in Takigakure—Kakuzu's home village, and the one he knew best.

The Four-Tails and Six-Tails were already secured.

Once this was done...

Akatsuki would possess eight of the nine beasts.

The last, the Nine-Tails, was to be kept for later. Madara intended to use Naruto Uzumaki as bait—a grand trap for Obito and a final test for Sasuke.

Just as Shigen had once entrusted Madara with guidance, Madara too began to consider entrusting the Eye of the Moon Plan to Sasuke, should the mission face delays.

"Then..."

"Let's move out."

A brilliant blue Complete Body Susanoo erupted around Madara, enveloping both him and Sasuke, launching them into the sky toward their mission.

They had the most to capture—Madara had no time to waste.

"Still as domineering as ever..."

Kakuzu shook his head and left with Hidan for Takigakure.

Their mission was relatively simple—the Seven-Tails' host was not particularly strong.

"Let's not waste time either."

Sasori and Deidara mounted a clay bird.

"Let's go, let's go!"

Deidara cheerfully waved and took off toward the Sand Village.

"Lord Shigen, we'll be off too."

Nagato and Konan nodded politely to Shigen.

Soon—

Only Shigen and Kabuto remained.

After everyone had departed, Kabuto adjusted his glasses. Though he had joined Akatsuki, he'd always carried ambitious dreams and only feigned loyalty to Madara.

But now...

He acted like a different man.

With no one else around, Kabuto bowed respectfully to Shigen and quietly pushed his wheelchair forward.

"Let's go too."

Shigen slowly raised his hand.

As his fingers brushed the air, a pitch-black dimensional gate appeared before him like a shifting grid of darkness.

Yomotsu Hirasaka.

A terrifying space-time technique.

Created by Shigen using the principles of the Flying Thunder God Technique, this jutsu allowed him to teleport anywhere in the shinobi world.

The truly terrifying part?

He didn't need to leave any markers behind.

He could open this gate silently, at will—even mid-battle—and attack through it across vast distances.

"Looks like we'll be the first to finish our mission."

Kabuto hid his awe, smiling as he complimented Shigen's technique while offering a fake prayer for Iwagakure.

"Let's hope the Iwa shinobi don't get too scared when they see you."

"They won't fear what they don't understand."

Shigen smiled faintly, recalling Black Zetsu's stunned expression the first time he used this jutsu.

"Only those who truly understand Yomotsu Hirasaka... grasp its terror."

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