Naruto: Drop System

Time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, eight days had gone by.

During those days, the Five Great Nations and the Land of Iron did not step even one foot into the Land of Rain. Only the logistics division had been busy.

Everyone was waiting—the day when Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki would emerge.

If he failed to become a perfect Jinchūriki, Konoha would have to take point on the offensive and pave the way for the others.

Meanwhile, the Akatsuki successfully sealed the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki and, after a brief rest, began sealing the Five-Tails.

Tens of thousands of White Zetsu clones either roamed the Land of Rain or sent small detachments to infiltrate the Five Great Nations' camps.

However, they soon realized they couldn't continue doing that.

Any White Zetsu dispatched to Konoha was discovered before it got anywhere near; Yagyu's Wood Clones caught sight of them. Whenever Zetsu tried the Mayfly Technique via plant roots, those roots would suddenly come alive to bind them, sprouting wooden spikes to impale them—burying them underground.

Those assigned to other villages or the Land of Iron managed to slip in, since Yagyu wasn't kindly sending Wood Clones to protect the other nations. Yet before long, they too were exposed.

Careful to prevent infiltration, those Great Nations kept the Yamanaka clan members—who had come to assist—on site at all times, checking personal identity every so often. Faced with Yamanaka's secret arts, a White Zetsu clone might gamble and get caught and executed, or flee underground to evade capture.

Even so, quite a few shinobi died at their hands, fueling the Great Nations' frustration and mounting anger. Once they found a surefire way to counter the disguise jutsu, that anger would no doubt explode, empowering them.

"...Naruto succeeded!"

On the ninth day, Yagyu brought Tsunade an exhilarating piece of news.

"Really? That brat became a perfect Jinchūriki so quickly?!"

Tsunade asked in delight. Seeing Yagyu confirm, she turned to Shizune—still her deputy, wearing the standard green vest:

"Spread the word. I need to confer with the Five Kage and Lord Mifune."

"Yes!"

Shizune responded respectfully, striding out of the tent.

Shortly after, the new meeting began.

Whether by coincidence or the resonance of fate and bonds, not long after the meeting started, two Wood Clones arrived simultaneously—one with Naruto, another with Uchiha Sasuke. Both had mastered Tailed Beast power or gained Eternal Mangekyō at virtually the same time.

"Granny Tsunade, no more idle talk—let's launch the attack!"

The Wood Clone who brought Naruto back appeared in the Five Kage Summit tent. Seeing the Five Kage discussing their "Second Round," Naruto—face brimming with confidence reminiscent of when he first learned Sage Mode—spoke up.

Whoosh—

In the next instant, dazzling golden chakra flared around Naruto, cloaking him from head to toe in a radiant sheen. Even his hair and toenails gleamed gold, while black markings appeared on his chest and back.

It was the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode—not truly "perfect" since he lacked Kurama's full cooperation, yet the aura Naruto now exuded caused the Five Kage, Mifune, and Sasuke (standing next to Tsunade) to narrow their eyes. There was no doubt it was the colossal chakra unique to the strongest Tailed Beast.

Like the One- through Eight-Tails, Tailed Beast hosts typically only manifested a Tailed Beast shroud or partial transformations. Even a perfect host could assume the beast's form—but not this kind of "pure human shape with Tailed Beast power." This was one of the Nine-Tails' special traits.

At this point, Naruto's chakra was at least on par with Killer Bee's fully-transformed Eight-Tails, if not stronger. No one else realized that Naruto only contained half of the Nine-Tails. Half of the Nine-Tails already rivaled the complete Eight-Tails. No wonder in certain forums from Yagyu's past life, fans claimed the Sage of Six Paths created the Nine-Tails from leftover Ten-Tails chakra after dividing the rest into eight equal portions.

Of course, Naruto didn't notice their astonishment. After entering Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he pressed his index and middle fingers together in a cross:

"Shadow Clone Jutsu—Multi-Clone Style!"

Poof, poof, poof...

Like fireworks, multiple bursts rang out inside the tent, growing so loud that most of the camp could hear it. Shinobi outside, hearing the ruckus in the tent, instinctively turned to see what was happening. Then they froze in shock. A sweeping cloud of white smoke spread; whoosh, whoosh… Gusts from countless flickering steps scattered the smoke. Now an overwhelming number of golden silhouettes darted in all directions—hundreds at first, soon thousands.

Many shinobi in green flak jackets reflexively thought it an enemy assault and prepared to attack these golden figures.

"No alarm—those are all Naruto's clones."

At that moment, the Yamanaka clan's mental voice resounded through every mind, also relaying Tsunade and Yagyu's instructions:

"Everyone, stand by. Prepare to invade Amegakure!"

"Yes!"

All around, the cry rang. No more explanation was needed—everyone realized they had a way to counter the enemy's infiltration. Thousands of shinobi from Konoha prepared to set out.

"Time for our counterattack. Round Two...begins!"

Through the chakra televisions, the Five Kage, along with Mifune, saw hordes of Narutos fanning out. Those with strong perception even sensed them heading this way. Their expressions reflected different emotions. The Fourth Raikage—long stifled by frustration—now bore a savage look, longing to storm Amegakure and tear the Akatsuki leader and that "Hundred Faces" (who defiled his father's soul) to shreds. Gaara, who trusted Naruto, and Mifune—unsure what had happened but seeing Naruto's new strength—both sighed in relief. Only Mei Terumī and Ōnoki remained stone-faced. They simply wanted to protect their village. Conquering the Akatsuki served that end. If the war ended with them holding a trump card to check Yagyu and maintain the world's balance, all the better.

As Tsunade smiled and declared war, the chakra TVs flickered with static and turned black. After resting several days, the six large divisions re-formed and marched once more into the drizzle of the Land of Rain, heading for Amegakure.

They hadn't gone far when White Zetsu clones erupted from underground in dense masses, either blocking their path or slipping into the ranks to steal chakra and sow confusion.

"Rasengan!!"

But the moment these White Zetsu tried disguising themselves, even successfully fooling nearby comrades, a sharp voice rang out. A swirl of bluish energy hammered them—sometimes flattening a face or smashing them from behind—revealing them as White Zetsu, or killing them on the spot.

Seeing teammates revert to that white form, ninja and samurai alike—previously skeptical about the Kyuubi Jinchūriki's friend-or-foe detection—finally believed it. Their pent-up frustration and wrath poured forth, lashing out at these White Zetsu that had murdered their comrades. Naruto's thousands of clones joined in, assisting them in identifying fakes and blasting White Zetsu with an abundance of chakra.

Despite being far from Naruto himself, the clones showed no sign of vanishing. Each was cloaked in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, brandishing power well above ordinary genin or chūnin—indeed rivaling ordinary jōnin. Their presence not only served as "radar" but formidable backup, reminiscent of how Naruto used Sage Mode clones and Rasenshuriken in the original. The horde of White Zetsu fell in one-sided slaughter.

"...My disguise jutsu is countered."

Word of the White Zetsu fiasco soon reached the original White Zetsu. His face soured:

"Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is now a perfect host, able to sense good or evil. He can read any hostility we harbor."

"Can't your clones stifle their emotions?" asked Deidara, voicing a rather naive query.

Given he was only nineteen, had joined the Akatsuki at twelve, and spent all that time on missions, he lacked exposure to reading or knowledge-building.

Neither Kisame nor the others mocked him. They just disregarded the question. Even Tailed Beasts had emotions; no being is free from them. If the foe's good-evil sense fails, it implies the target's power surpasses that sense. Clearly, White Zetsu lacked such godlike might.

"If that tactic fails, we'll fight them head-on," said Hundred Faces with a mocking tone. "If ten thousand disposable pawns plus my elite Edo Tensei forces, plus you all, can't hold out twenty-odd days, that means we can't carry out the plan anyway. Even if we succeed, we can't handle an ultimate weapon surpassing the Nine-Tails."

"Hiruko's right,"

Tendo Pain spoke before anyone else could:

"We'll commence a full-scale war. While your real bodies continue sealing, we'll dispatch Simulacrum Summons to aid the White Zetsu hordes and the Edo Tensei army, annihilating the enemy."

"Finally, no more being used as bait?"

Deidara cheered. At nineteen, only three years older than Yagyu's group, he too hadn't truly lived through a major war. But from books, he knew about the First Great Ninja War. That war involved just the five Great Nations; this time, the Land of Iron was involved plus 100,000 White Zetsu. It surpassed the First in scale. Overjoyed, Deidara looked forward to showcasing his "art."

"Then let's go,"

Tendo Pain's thought-form commanded. Again, via the Akatsuki rings, Nagato siphoned some of Hiruko and the others' chakra, channeling it via the Rinnegan's power to perform the Simulacrum Summoning. Soon new copies appeared in a mountain cave. Unlike nine days ago, where they acted as bait, they instantly flickered away to various fronts in pairs.

"I'll handle Konoha. Hiruko and Tobi take Kumogakure. Deidara and Kisame strike Sunagakure. Konan deals with Kirigakure,"

Tendo Pain's thought-form announced.

"As for Iwagakure, Hiruko, send the Second Tsuchikage to confront Ōnoki. No need to keep him hidden supporting me. I already grasp the gist of that Wood ninja in Konoha."

"Got it,"

Hiruko nodded with a grin. Only a thought-form, but his smile was tinged with amusement—he wondered how the Six Paths of Pain would respond upon meeting the Nine-Tails Naruto and Sasuke with Eternal Mangekyō. He was certain the Six Paths couldn't avoid a beating. Then what might happen? With the new wave of Simulacrum Summons plus Edo Tensei's elite forces, the second round of the Fourth Great Ninja War would soon erupt full-scale and escalate fiercely.

Abandoning "disguise tactics," the White Zetsu clones rushed forward unafraid to die, unleashing human-wave assaults. Black Zetsu didn't mind sacrificing the legacy his mother left behind. Once Kaguya was dealt with and the Infinite Tsukuyomi was cast, White Zetsu soldiers could be created endlessly. Yet as Black Zetsu shared a vantage with clones at Konoha's front, he felt a sense of foreboding. Precisely, he smelled a familiar scent—danger.

In a thousand years, only a handful had spurred such dread in him. The likes of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Hamura—his "two elder brothers." Or Indra and Asura—his "two nephews." Or Hashirama and Madara…

Could it be…?

Startled by his own realization, Black Zetsu's heart dropped.

...

[Check Out My Patreon for 30+ Extra Chapters!!!]

[p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/rosewhisky]