A few minutes later, Byakuya returned to the Gedo Statue, dragging the unconscious Killer Bee behind him.
Killer Bee was undeniably powerful—among all the Jinchūriki, he was one of the top. In Byakuya's memory, the only one who could surpass Killer Bee was the sixteen-year-old Naruto who had fully mastered the Nine-Tails Mode. But Naruto was only thirteen years old now, far from the overwhelming strength he had in the Fourth Great Ninja War of the original timeline.
Judging from that, the current Killer Bee was in fact the strongest Jinchūriki in the shinobi world, without exception.
However strong Killer Bee might be, it was meaningless before the power of the Sharingan and Wood Release. Using Wood Release to suppress the Eight-Tails' body and the Sharingan to control Killer Bee's mind, Byakuya defeated him easily—he didn't even give Bee a chance to use his tentacle clone to escape.
Nagato was busy extracting the Tailed Beasts from Naruto and Gaara. When he saw Byakuya return with Killer Bee, he said flatly, "Wait a while, Byakuya. The Nine-Tails inside Naruto is too strong—it'll take at least half a day to fully extract it and seal it into the Gedo Statue."
Byakuya nodded without urging him. Extracting Tailed Beasts was inherently a long and draining process. In the original timeline, it took several days even with multiple Kage-level figures performing the Sealing Technique: Illusory Dragon Nine Consuming Seals.
Though Byakuya could easily speed up the process, he chose not to. He wasn't ready to expose his full strength just yet.
With his sensory capabilities, creatures like White Zetsu couldn't hide from him. But his true enemies weren't just Madara Uchiha, Obito, and Black Zetsu. There was also the ever-overlooking Sage of the Six Paths, and possibly the hidden and mysterious Ōtsutsuki clan lurking in the shadows of the shinobi world.
Even though they hadn't revealed themselves yet, caution was always necessary. As the mastermind operating behind the scenes of the shinobi world, if he slipped now, it would be a disgrace. Byakuya had no intention of becoming the world's laughingstock.
While Nagato continued performing Illusory Dragon Nine Consuming Seals, he kept observing Byakuya.
In Madara and the masked man's eyes, he was merely a puppet under Byakuya's control. But Nagato himself knew very well—Byakuya had never truly taken control of him, nor had he ever tried to seize the Rinnegan.
If Byakuya had wanted the Rinnegan, he could've taken it long ago.
Nagato had also seen how the Akatsuki and Amegakure were improving day by day. Bringing the entire shinobi world under Byakuya and Akatsuki's control might not necessarily be a bad thing—at least, that's what he believed.
Sometime later, Byakuya received a message from Kabuto. After glancing through its contents, he walked over to Nagato and began assisting with the Sealing Technique.
With Byakuya's support, the speed of sealing the Tailed Beast chakra accelerated several times over. In no time, the Tailed Beasts were extracted from Naruto, Gaara, and Killer Bee and sealed into the Gedo Statue. The statue, dormant for so long, slowly opened its eyes.
The Gedo Statue, having absorbed the vast majority of chakra from the nine-tailed beasts, was now on the verge of transformation.
All that remained was the other half of the Nine-Tails chakra, which Byakuya still held. Once that was sealed into the statue, the Gedo Statue would awaken completely, transforming into the Ten-Tails.
But Byakuya didn't proceed. Instead, he patted Nagato on the shoulder and said, "Nagato, it's time for us to head to the Allied Shinobi Forces' battlefield. Let the world feel the power of the Ten-Tails."
Nagato didn't object. He glanced at Naruto and Gaara lying on the ground and hesitated.
"Byakuya, what about them? Are we just going to leave them here?"
Byakuya gave a helpless smile at Nagato's sentimentality.
"Don't worry. I said I wouldn't kill them, and I won't. The leftover Tailed Beast chakra inside their bodies will keep them alive for a few more hours. As for what happens after those few hours, someone will arrive to take over for us."
Only then did Nagato nod and leave with Byakuya. The two of them could summon the Gedo Statue away at any time through the Summoning Technique.
Before leaving, Byakuya deliberately glanced at Naruto and then up at the distant sky.
He couldn't afford to kill Naruto now—not only because Naruto was part of the Akatsuki and a crucial stepping stone in his plan to grow stronger, but also because Naruto was the reincarnation of Asura. What if killing him now drew the attention of the Sage of the Six Paths?
Even if most of the Sage's power had been used to seal Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, his remaining strength was still formidable. Byakuya didn't want to risk a confrontation at this stage.
Just then, Naruto woke up after the extraction. He caught a glimpse of Byakuya's departing back before slipping back into unconsciousness.
Byakuya and Nagato had seemingly left, but Naruto couldn't even move a finger.
---
A few hours later, the cave that once housed the Gedo Statue received some unexpected visitors.
The uninvited guests were none other than Orochimaru and the others. After Konoha completed its intelligence analysis, they arrived here under the lead of the First and Second Hokage.
According to the Second Hokage, even if the reanimated ninja joined the main battlefield, they might still be no match for Byakuya and Madara Uchiha. They had to act as a surprise force to intercept the Ten-Tails before it fully revived and hunted down the remaining Tailed Beasts.
So, when the First Hokage sensed the chakra fluctuations here, they rushed to the location without delay.
Entering deep into the underground cavern, the group surveyed the aftermath of Byakuya's clash with the Jinchūriki. Sensing the lingering chakra in the area, the First Hokage's expression turned serious.
"I can feel the presence of the Nine-Tails, Eight-Tails, and One-Tail—and there's a chakra even more powerful than those. If I had to guess, it belongs to Byakuya."
Jiraiya stepped forward, frowning.
"Only Byakuya could've taken down three Jinchūriki. Not even the masked man could've done it."
Orochimaru mused aloud, "To think Byakuya-kun has grown so much in just a few years... If he finds us during this operation, I might not even have time to preserve a single clone."
The Third Hokage looked at Orochimaru, his face filled with regret. "Orochimaru, if only you'd returned to Konoha earlier, and reported all this sooner, perhaps Byakuya wouldn't have gotten this far."
Orochimaru glanced coldly at the Third and snorted. "Old man, I'm not a Konoha ninja anymore. Could you not speak to me in that tone? And if I hadn't learned about Byakuya and the masked man's plans to destroy the world, I'd still be in Akatsuki right now. Besides, don't forget—you're a failure."
"Orochimaru, old man," Jiraiya quickly stepped in as the peacemaker. "We're all on the same side now. Let's not fall apart from the inside."
The First Hokage chimed in, "Jiraiya's right. Disputes between master and student are common. Didn't Tobirama and I also have constant disagreements? And he, too, loved experimenting."
"Big Brother..." The Second Hokage lowered his voice after hearing that.
"I'm not like Orochimaru. I've never used Konoha's shinobi in my experiments. All my test subjects were criminals who deserved to die. Every experiment I conducted was for the development of Konoha."
Orochimaru chuckled without agreeing or disagreeing, making no move to expose Tobirama.
After all, just how many of Tobirama's so-called "deserving" subjects truly fit that description was questionable. And judging by the forbidden jutsu he developed, the number of lives lost under his hand wasn't any less than Orochimaru's.
At this moment, Shisui and the Fourth Hokage walked over and said, "Everyone, stop arguing. We just found several faint life signals among the ruins. They seem to be Jinchūriki whose tailed beasts were extracted... including Naruto."
The Fourth Hokage's face was filled with grief.
He knew Naruto was his son. He had once promised Kushina to protect him. But now, seeing Naruto in this state, just like Kushina back then, having the tailed beast forcibly removed and lying at death's door...
Upon hearing this, everyone began to sense chakra and started digging through the rubble.
Seconds later, they unearthed Naruto, Killer Bee, and Gaara. Seeing them lying on the ground, their lives hanging by a thread, everyone's expression turned grim.
That the three of them were in such critical condition here could only mean one thing—Byakuya had succeeded.
Now, all the tailed beasts had fallen into the hands of Byakuya and Madara Uchiha. Besides dealing with those two, the Allied Forces would now also have to face the Ten-Tails.
Kneeling down, the Fourth Hokage gently touched Naruto's body, his voice filled with sorrow as he turned to the First and Second Hokage, "First Hokage, Second Hokage, is there anything you can do to save Naruto?"
The First Hokage shook his head. "If I were still alive, I might have been able to save them by channeling massive amounts of life force. But in this reanimated body, I can't."
The Second Hokage also shook his head. "I'm powerless as well. But perhaps Orochimaru might have a way. You should ask his opinion."
The Fourth Hokage immediately turned to Orochimaru. The latter pondered for a moment before saying, "Minato, there might be a way to bring Naruto back… after he fully dies, I could use the Edo Tensei. But you know as well as I do, the Edo Tensei is just an illusion—it's not true resurrection."
Minato, of course, understood. He was currently under Edo Tensei. However, it wasn't the revival he desired. Edo Tensei could bring the dead back, but the soul couldn't linger in this world for long. His soul was slowly unraveling, and within a few months, it would vanish completely from the shinobi world.
He turned toward Shisui and Jiraiya—both of them shook their heads.
They had no means to bring Naruto or the others back to life.
At that moment, the usually quiet Kabuto spoke up, "My lords, I have actually learned a few life-restoring senjutsu techniques. But I can't guarantee they'll work with complete certainty."
Hearing this, all the Hokage and Jiraiya turned their eyes to Kabuto.
Even Orochimaru and Shisui looked at him with skeptical, almost incredulous expressions.
A moment later, the Second Hokage narrowed his eyes at Kabuto and asked, "Senjutsu? Are you saying you've mastered Sage Mode like Big Brother? That's supposed to be an extremely rare ability in the shinobi world."
Jiraiya interjected, "Second Lord, actually, both Minato and I have mastered Sage Mode. But from what I know, senjutsu doesn't have the ability to save lives."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "Mount Myōboku doesn't, but that doesn't mean Ryūchi Cave can't. Those toads who do nothing but eat bugs—how could they possibly understand the power of Ryūchi Cave?"
Jiraiya's face stiffened slightly, but he didn't retort. Every Sage Land had its own specialization. Maybe Ryūchi Cave really did excel in healing senjutsu.
The Fourth Hokage asked anxiously, "Kabuto-san, please—Naruto and the others are in your hands. When can you start treating him?"
"Right now…"
Kabuto removed his glasses and cloak, revealing skin covered in scales.
After passing Ryūchi Cave's ultimate trial, he had shed his snake form and transformed into a 'dragon'—the kind of shinobi Byakuya desired.
As Kabuto entered Sage Mode, everyone present sensed the change in him.
Unlike the sharp, overpowering aura of Jiraiya or Minato's Sage Mode, Kabuto's presence seemed to fade, he almost became one with the earth itself.
Seeing this, the Second Hokage frowned and glanced at Orochimaru and Shisui, sinking into thought.
'No wonder they dared to resurrect Big Brother and me at 90% peak strength. They had a perfect Sage as backup. A perfect Sage might not rival Big Brother, but if I were alive, I might not be able to defeat one so easily. Still, none of these people understood—Big Brother's strength existed on a different plane from mine. But Kabuto… this kid sure hid himself well. I nearly forgot he was even here. Could someone like him really be under Orochimaru?'
After entering Sage Mode, Kabuto's gaze swept over the First and Second Hokage.
In this state, he could now see through Tobirama, but not Hashirama.
Even absorbing all the natural energy in several kilometers, his chakra still didn't compare to the First Hokage.
No wonder Byakuya saw the First Hokage as an enemy.
Reining in his drifting thoughts, Kabuto came to Naruto and the others and began using the medical techniques Byakuya had taught him.
That's right—saving Naruto was also Lord Byakuya's order. Although Byakuya had extracted the Nine-Tails from Naruto, he didn't seem to want Naruto dead.
He had specially instructed Kabuto on how to restore vitality and even placed a Yang Release seal inside Naruto's body.
Without that, even as a Ryūchi Cave Sage, Kabuto wouldn't be able to save a dying Jinchūriki.
Activating the Yang Release seal, a surge of life force poured from his palm into Naruto, pulling him back from the edge of death. His wounds healed instantly.
After reviving Naruto, Kabuto turned to look at Gaara and Killer Bee.
Gaara was a subordinate of Sasori, a member of the organization. Of course, he had to be saved.
As for Killer Bee… that was a different matter. But Killer Bee's condition wasn't dire—it didn't seem like he was in imminent danger.
Since he had already saved Naruto and Gaara, Kabuto figured it was best to save Killer Bee as well to avoid raising suspicions.
With that, he poured the remaining Yang Release chakra into Gaara and Killer Bee. A dozen seconds later, all three slowly opened their eyes.