Naruto: Konoha’s Trickster, Starting as the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki

"Hm? Armor made of flowing water?"

"I have to admit, that move reminds me of someone."

Muren Uchiha had learned from Zetsu about the abilities of the current top shinobi. Among them, the Raikage of Kumogakure was known for molding chakra into elemental armor. His Lightning Armor provided powerful physical enhancements.

Of course, that technique worked so well partly because every generation of Raikage had honed their bodies and mastered the stimulating nature of Lightning Release.

And now Yahiko had done something similar—using flowing water to form armor around his body. He was leveraging water's fluidity to create a defensive shell...

But what did it matter? It was just water.

Seeing the contempt in Muren's Sharingan, Yahiko roared in anger.

"Don't look down on me!"

"Water Armor: Thousand Needles!"

The water surged into a barrage of senbon, shooting out wildly. But under Muren's gaze, none of them came close.

Just then, a Takigakure ninja formed hand seals and unleashed an unexpected technique.

"Genjutsu: Shadow Binding Seal!"

It was a genjutsu—an ordinary one, at that. A variant of Binding Illusion, created by Takigakure elders based on the village's environment. It used the shadows of leaves to paralyze the enemy.

At the sound of the jutsu name, Yahiko, Konan, and the others froze. Genjutsu? Would something that basic even work?

More importantly, they were up against an Uchiha—specifically, Muren Uchiha. The Uchiha Clan were known for their Sharingan, the natural counter to genjutsu.

Using genjutsu on an Uchiha? That guy must have guts.

But then something shocking happened.

The moment the genjutsu activated, Muren stopped moving. Completely. Even his eyes, mid-Dōjutsu, froze.

It actually worked? That simple binding illusion... succeeded?

Yahiko was stunned. Konan was stunned. Akaashi was stunned.

"The genjutsu worked—attack!"

"Take him down now!"

Muren, immobilized by the illusion, felt an invisible force locking his entire body in place. A surge of fury rose within him.

They actually dared use genjutsu on an Uchiha! And it worked?! Unforgivable!

Sure, genjutsu wasn't his specialty—but still!

While Muren lacked skill in genjutsu, his Mangekyō Sharingan still granted him enough ocular power to break out of most illusions. As long as it wasn't too overbearing, he could forcefully dispel it with sheer eye power. He had simply let his guard down. Had he been alert, that fool's binding spell wouldn't have stood a chance.

Sharingan was a result of special chakra surging from the Uchiha brain and affecting the optic nerves, triggering the eye's evolution and rapid growth in power.

That same chakra also protected the Uchiha brain, which was why the Sharingan naturally resisted genjutsu. Most illusions targeted the five senses to confuse the brain—but that didn't work on Uchiha.

But Muren was different. He had poured all his ocular power into offense, lowering his genjutsu defense. That lapse gave the Takigakure ninja their opening.

Yahiko seized the chance, broke free from Muren's grip, and launched a counterattack while leaping backward. The others followed his lead and struck together.

"Dance of the Shikigami: Tornado!"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Barrage!"

"Lightning Release: Ground Surge!"

Sheets of paper, water dragons, crackling lightning, along with shuriken and explosive tags hurled by other shinobi—all surged toward Muren Uchiha in a chaotic storm of attacks.

"So naive! Pathetically naive!"

"Genjutsu—release!"

Amid the thunder and lightning, Muren calmly closed his eyes, then reopened them. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun fiercely, instantly dispelling the Takikage's binding illusion with sheer ocular power.

"You think genjutsu like that can hold me? Laughable."

He sneered with disdain. Yahiko's heart sank at the sight, but he quickly had an idea. Gathering the thick steam around them, he tried to blur Muren's vision.

Muren frowned slightly, preparing to act—but the ground beneath him suddenly turned to mud. Another ally had triggered an Earth Release technique.

Taking advantage of the moment, Yahiko charged forward. The spikes on his Water Armor extended violently, aiming straight for Muren.

But Muren remained unfazed. His body vanished in an instant, causing Yahiko's strike to hit nothing but air. With his Mangekyō Sharingan, Muren could shift positions at will.

He reappeared and countered with a swift backhand, launching multiple waves of searing flame at Yahiko and the others.

Yahiko quickly raised a wall of water to block the attack, but the flames roared forward, threatening to break through.

"Yahiko, watch out!"

Through the mist, Akaashi's voice rang out. He shoved Yahiko aside just in time—then vanished.

Muren disappeared with him.

Yahiko and Konan's eyes turned blood-red with rage.

Again. Once again, someone had been taken from them—by the same man.

"Bastard! Give Akaashi back!"

Yahiko's furious roar echoed across the battlefield. The surrounding water exploded upward in towering waves.

But no matter what he did, it was already too late.

Akaashi and Muren were gone...

"Let me go, damn you!"

"I'll die before I let you get away with this!"

Teleported a kilometer away by Mugen's technique, Akaashi immediately pulled out a stack of explosive tags and charged them with chakra.

As a shinobi, he would never allow himself to be captured—especially not by a sworn enemy.

"Hmph. Trying to kill yourself in front of me?"

"You're dreaming."

Mugen activated his technique again. The explosive tags vanished from Akaashi's hands in an instant—so far away they didn't even explode.

With a casual flick, Muren sent Akaashi flying. The raw force of the blow smashed him into a tree, knocking him unconscious.

"Tch. Zetsu, if it weren't for you, I'd have finished those pests off."

Muren looked sharply in one direction, where the ground began to shift. Zetsu's form emerged slowly from the earth.

"You took too long. The Takigakure shinobi are already closing in."

"We're inside Takigakure. The quicker we finish, the sooner we get out."

"He's not one of the two we wanted, but he'll do."

Black and White Zetsu glanced at the unconscious Akaashi and gave a nod. Their plan only required one person to become the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki.

Who it was didn't matter.