Chapter 37: Six-Barrel vs. The Immortal Duo

Page (1/3)

Five days earlier.

Uchiha Six-Tube was likewise pondering how to lure Uchiha Madara out and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

In the end, he decided that the simplest and most reliable method was to commit every vile deed imaginable.

That had been his guiding principle all along:

Never dismiss an evil deed merely because it is small.

Stealing lollipops and popsicles from little children was beneath his dignity.

So was knocking on a widow’s door in the dead of night, breaking into a woman’s boudoir after midnight, or dancing wildly in someone else’s funeral hall—though such acts were certainly enough to leave people speechless.

The most important part was this:

He robbed the homes of wealthy and powerful families, set them ablaze, and often made sure he was caught in the act, loudly declaring himself to be Uchiha Madara.

Petty theft was one thing.

But once he provoked people of status and burned down a residence belonging to the city lord, Six-Tube’s infamous reputation quickly spread far and wide.

And so, a “Uchiha Madara” possessing the Sharingan, wearing a tiger-skin mask and dressed in a black cloak patterned with red clouds, became famous in a remarkably short time.

Naturally, the Akatsuki soon heard the news.

Inside a dimly lit room, three figures were discussing the matter.

“Uchiha Madara? That isn’t you, is it?” Pain glanced suspiciously at the man sitting calmly in a recliner—the very protagonist of the story they were discussing.

“Hmph! Some insignificant nobody from who knows where has actually tarnished my reputation.” Shrouded in shadow, Uchiha Obito was visible only as a silhouette, but his tone made it clear that he was in a foul mood.

“I’ll go grind him into dust myself.”

“I’ve already sent Kakuzu and Hidan, the two nearest to him, to deal with it.”

“I’ll handle it personally.” The “Uchiha Madara” twisted space and vanished.

“If someone is impersonating Uchiha Madara, then does that mean the Uchiha Madara we met is also a fake?” Konan asked, troubled.

Deep down, she had never fully approved of the plan to gather the Tailed Beasts. Nor did she trust this so-called Uchiha Madara, a man who wore a mask every day and did not dare show his true face.

Still, she would support Nagato’s plan without reservation.

Pain answered in his cold voice, “Whether he is Uchiha Madara or not, the Tailed Beast collection plan must proceed. Only through a cycle of pain can this world give birth to peace. This is the plan we have accepted.”

“Yes.”

“However, we must not allow ourselves to be deceived again.”

“I’ll keep a close eye on him.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere—at almost the exact same moment—

From far away, Uchiha Six-Tube sensed two individuals with unusual chakra. He set off to investigate.

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

When he arrived, Six-Tube discovered that it was a beautiful place, with lush green hills and clear waters—a veritable blessed land.

Unfortunately, a toilet stood beside the road, ruining the scenery.

After taking a closer look, Six-Tube realized that it was an extravagant toilet, decorated in dazzling gold and splendor. Even so, an unmistakable stench still drifted from within.

At that moment, two men emerged from the toilet, grumbling and bickering. They were precisely the two people he had been looking for.

“Hey, I’m telling you, don’t kill the guy right away. At least let me preach the faith first and recruit another believer for Lord Death, Kakuzu.” A handsome young man in a black cloak patterned with red clouds came complaining out of the toilet.

The other man, whose bizarre eyes were the color of money, counted his cash while cursing under his breath.

“Idiot.”

After examining them carefully, Six-Tube noticed that both men were wearing black cloaks with red clouds. They were probably members of that organization—the Akatsuki.

“Ah…”

Six-Tube could not help sighing.

That night, Boss had been too busy teaching Uchiha Madara a lesson to spend much time gathering information about the Akatsuki in the arena, so Six-Tube had been forced to do the legwork.

For the past few days, he had been kept busy by one entanglement after another and had not found the time to visit the arena for more information.

Fortunately, he already knew that the Akatsuki existed—and that his target, “Uchiha Madara,” was a member.

Now he had finally found his target.

He leapt into the air, then found his attention drawn elsewhere.

“Oh? You have a lot of money.”

The voice suddenly sounded beside Kakuzu’s ear as he counted his cash.

Turning his face, he saw a man in a tiger-skin mask standing beside him. No one knew when he had appeared.

“What incredible speed!” Kakuzu thought in shock and immediately sprang away.

Hidan, standing nearby, had no idea what was happening. Seeing the newcomer’s Sharingan, red-cloud cloak, and mask, he assumed he was an acquaintance.

“Isn’t that Tobi? What are you doing out here alone?”

“Shut up, idiot. Look at the mask properly—this isn’t Tobi!” Kakuzu, whose own face was covered, warned him.

Even now, a trace of cold sweat remained on Kakuzu’s body. Although he had lived for ninety years, the stranger’s speed and the quality of the chakra contained within those Sharingan still made him feel deeply threatened.

The newcomer spoke in a carefree tone, and the Sharingan visible through his mask even seemed to hold a clear, almost foolish innocence. Yet the instincts forged through years of battle told Kakuzu that this man was immensely powerful.

This was absolutely not the sort of fear Tobi could inspire.

Could this be the target the leader had mentioned—the “Uchiha Madara” they were supposed to deal with?

It couldn’t possibly be the real Uchiha Madara… could it?

“Not Tobi?”

Hidan was puzzled at first. Then a bloodthirsty, maniacal grin spread across his face.

“Even better! You have the Sharingan, so you must be from the Uchiha clan, right? I’ve wanted to taste Uchiha blood for ages. I want to see what makes it different.”

As he spoke, he swung his strange scythe and charged at Uchiha Six-Tube.

Six-Tube leapt over the blade, barely suppressing a delighted laugh.

“You attacked me first, so returning the favor is only natural!”

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

“But you know who I am?” Six-Tube narrowed his eyes. He had not expected to obtain such valuable information in so little time.

“Tobi? Is that the name?”

“Woohoo! Here comes the blood of the Uchiha!” Hidan ignored him and launched another slash.

Six-Tube dodged it with ease.

Kakuzu, still shaken, warned him, “Hidan, be careful. This Uchiha is very strong.”

It was only a warning. Kakuzu knew Hidan’s immortality all too well. He had tried to kill the man countless times without success; otherwise, they would never have remained partners until now.

At least Hidan could test this Uchiha for him. If things went badly, he could still buy Kakuzu enough time to escape.

“I know that!” Hidan shouted excitedly. “Itachi and Tobi are both difficult opponents. But that’s precisely why I want to taste the blood of the Uchiha even more!”

When Six-Tube leapt onto a tree, Hidan swung his weapon.

Whoosh—crack!

A massive tree, wide enough for two people to embrace, was severed cleanly at the base.

“What a sharp scythe.”

Six-Tube dodged yet another attack and decided to strike back, hoping to gather more information.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Empowered by Wind Release, six shuriken broke the sound barrier and pierced straight through Hidan’s chest, leaving six enormous wounds.

“That hurts, you bastard!”

Hidan merely shouted in pain. He showed no other reaction and instead swung the Death Scythe even more ferociously.

Six-Tube’s interest was instantly piqued. His eyes lit up.

“Oh? An immortal body? No wonder you didn’t bother dodging my attacks. I never imagined that something like this existed in this world. You’re practically a perfect specimen. Boss would drool the moment he saw you.”

Six-Tube straightened up. The tiger-skin mask hid his expression from the other two, but the delight in his voice was unmistakable.

“Finding such a rare specimen will probably earn me another compliment from Boss.”

He completely ignored the Death Scythe hacking toward him and spoke with effortless ease.

“In that case, let’s bring this to an end.”

Crack—

Countless shards of glass shattered and reassembled.

“An illusion?” Kakuzu was stunned.

There were five hearts within his body. Not only did he possess an enormous amount of chakra, but the flow of that chakra was also nearly impossible to predict.

How could he possibly have fallen under a genjutsu?

Page (3/3)