Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 222: The Tailed Beast Capture Plan Continues

Drip! Drip!

Water droplets occasionally fell from above.

Guided by Hagoromo Gengetsu, Utakata entered the hidden cave with both anticipation and trepidation.

After crossing a long, dark passage, he saw a light not far ahead and continued walking. Turning a corner, he looked up.

Instantly!

A strong sense of shock overwhelmed him.

"What is that?!"

Utakata stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.

At this moment, his entire vision was filled by an enormous humanoid statue.

Unlike the narrow and confined space earlier, Utakata now found himself in a spacious and open area, large enough to accommodate half of the Tsuchigumo Clan's land.

Even so, with the Gedo Statue placed here, the space felt extremely cramped.

One can imagine the shock in Utakata's heart when he saw the grotesquely massive Gedo Statue, more terrifying than any tailed beast, suddenly appearing before him.

Moreover, it was the first time he felt such intense fear and anxiety from the Six-Tails inside him, whose chakra was leaking uncontrollably.

Even when facing Hagoromo Gengetsu earlier, the Six-Tails had never reacted this way.

"To make the Six-Tails so uneasy..."

Utakata was about to forcibly suppress the Six-Tails' chakra that was surfacing.

A teasing voice suddenly rang out above him:

"The chakra aura... is that the Six-Tails? How interesting, a Six-Tails Jinchuriki coming here on his own."

Utakata quickly looked up and noticed several figures, either physical or illusionary, standing on the fingers of the Gedo Statue.

As for the speaker.

Utakata's gaze fell on the unique shark-faced man with a Mist Village forehead protector marked by a horizontal slash.

"Kisame Hoshigaki!"

Coming from the Mist Village, Utakata quickly recognized the notorious S-rank missing-nin.

Similarly, as a former Mist nin, Kisame was familiar with the Six-Tails and grinned widely:

"Isn't this like a lamb walking into a tiger's den?"

"Do you need me to take action?"

Nearby, Kakuzu, who was physically present, spoke up proactively.

Upon hearing this, Utakata's expression turned serious as he looked at Kakuzu, then shifted his gaze to the others. Finally, his eyes fixated on Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, who was floating in mid-air, having his chakra continuously extracted.

"Black cloak with red clouds, missing-nin, and another Jinchuriki in mid-air having his chakra extracted, just like me. This must be the rumored secret meeting place of the Akatsuki organization."

"Why did Hagoromo Gengetsu bring me here?"

Utakata felt surrounded by wolves.

Most of the people on the Gedo Statue's fingers looked down at him with indifference, amusement, or interest, as if they had found a new toy.

Once again, his identity as a Jinchuriki held no weight.

To these people, he and the terrifying tailed beasts were nothing more than fish on a chopping block.

Utakata gripped his pipe tightly, ready for anything.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming tense.

On the thumb of the Gedo Statue's right hand, Hagoromo Gengetsu's clone slowly opened his Rinnegan, turned around, and looked at Utakata, saying:

"No need to be nervous, there are no enemies here."

Utakata looked over and was stunned.

'Hagoromo Gengetsu? A shadow clone or something else? And what's with those eyes?'

Seeing Hagoromo Gengetsu again, this time with purple, whirlpool-like eyes, Utakata was shocked.

He had met Gengetsu before and was familiar with his demeanor and tone, knowing the person in front of him wasn't an impostor but the real deal.

But why had his eyes changed?

And what was his connection to the Akatsuki?

Utakata was nervous and full of questions.

Fortunately, after Gengetsu spoke, Kisame and the others ceased their aggressive intentions and became more serious.

With the pressure easing, Utakata finally let out a sigh of relief.

Thud!

At this moment, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han, whose chakra had just been fully extracted, fell from mid-air, lifelessly hitting the ground, as another eye on the Gedo Statue fully opened.

"Prepare to extract the Six-Tails," Hagoromo Gengetsu ordered.

"Yes."

Kisame, Kakuzu, Sasori, Deidara, Uchiha Izumi, and Uchiha Kei responded solemnly.

Hagoromo Gengetsu then signaled Utakata to step forward, without giving him time to ask questions, and explained:

"While it's generally believed that a Jinchuriki dies after their tailed beast is extracted, this isn't always the case."

The Eight-Tails could leave part of its body inside Killer Bee, allowing him to survive after the extraction.

With his current understanding and control of chakra, Hagoromo Gengetsu could similarly leave a small part of the Six-Tails' chakra inside Utakata, using Yin-Yang Release to maintain his life force.

Even after the Six-Tails was extracted, Utakata could continue living.

Though Utakata was somewhat cold, his character wasn't bad.

After being saved by Hotaru, he wanted to leave immediately to avoid causing her further trouble despite his severe injuries. After being defeated by Hagoromo Gengetsu and waking up, his first concern was Hotaru's safety, and he went to rescue her despite knowing the vast difference in power.

Since he had already defected from the Mist Village, Hagoromo Gengetsu had no enmity with him.

While the Six-Tails still needed to be extracted, saving Utakata's life was within his power.

As for the Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han.

He was from the Stone Village, and saving him would be akin to aiding the enemy.

Hagoromo Gengetsu wasn't that naive.

"Once the Six-Tails is extracted, you can return to a normal life," Hagoromo Gengetsu finally said to Utakata.

Utakata nodded heavily.

Given Hagoromo Gengetsu's power, if he wanted the Six-Tails, there was no need for such a roundabout method.

Naturally, he believed everything Gengetsu said.

Utakata touched his stomach.

He had always hated being a Jinchuriki.

If the Six-Tails were extracted and he could live like a normal person, it would fulfill his deepest wish.

Utakata walked up to the Gedo Statue.

Once everything was ready.

Hagoromo Gengetsu, Kisame, and the others formed seals again.

Instantly!

The Gedo Statue opened its mouth, and Utakata, like Han before him, was suspended in mid-air, the Six-Tails' chakra surging out and flowing into the Gedo Statue.

Because Utakata cooperated willingly, the extraction process was much faster this time.

In just half a day.

As the fourth eye on the Gedo Statue was about to fully open.

Hagoromo Gengetsu appeared beside Utakata, waved his hand to intercept a small part of the Six-Tails' chakra, injected it into Utakata, and pressed his right hand on his chest, using Yin-Yang Release.

Soon.

The Six-Tails was fully extracted, and the fourth eye on the Gedo Statue opened.

Former Six-Tails Jinchuriki Utakata fell from mid-air, alive.

Everything went smoothly.

Now, the Gedo Statue in Hagoromo Gengetsu's possession had the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails.

The tailed beast capture plan would continue!