Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

Several days had passed since the end of the conference, and the Sky City had drifted above an unknown desert.

News came from various nations: the Four-Tails and the Six-Tails had been captured by the Akatsuki, and even the Two-Tails couldn't escape. The Akatsuki's capture efficiency had skyrocketed—it was far quicker than before. Reportedly, six members involved in these captures had the Rinnegan, and the only known ability among them was that the lead ninja could pull people toward him with some unknown power.

Jiraiya, now Hokage in Konoha, had confirmed that Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village) might be the Akatsuki's stronghold. Though he'd typically go alone for a mission like this, his status as Hokage meant he couldn't be so reckless anymore.

At this time, Kakashi's Team 7 volunteered for the mission to gather intelligence, hoping to contribute to the effort to eliminate Akatsuki. They also requested support from Zixu.

Zixu agreed without hesitation. He couldn't leave right away, and Rosinante was maintaining the Sky City's barrier. Karin and the others had been promised some rest—if things went on like this, there would only be one path left.

"What kind of clone should I create this time?" Zixu pondered. "Haki alone can form a complete combat system. Let's focus on that and integrate it with taijutsu like Gentle Fist (Jūken)."

He concentrated, forming a shadow clone.

A classical-looking man appeared, dressed in black and blue training gear resembling traditional Chinese clothing. Standing still like a tall pine, the clone's calm eyes exuded restrained power—a sword with no edge, fully retracted.

Zixu nodded in satisfaction. This clone, reinforced with Armament Haki (Busoshoku Haki), would be sturdier. What happened last time shouldn't repeat.

After giving it some instructions, Zixu sent the clone down.

Having handled that, Zixu walked to the edge of Sky City. Looking down, all he saw were clouds at an altitude of 10,000 meters. The entire floating city drifted above a sea of white clouds, like a small boat on a heavenly ocean.

Warm sunlight fell upon his cheeks. Zixu took a deep breath, suppressed his chakra and abilities to the minimum by pressing specific acupoints, activated his Observation Haki (Kenbunshoku Haki) to the limit—and jumped.

Eyes completely shut, he relied solely on his Observation Haki to sense altitude. Any distraction could mean death.

The clouds, like layers of gauze, brushed gently past his face. The temperature plummeted. His skin, alternating between warmth and freezing cold, prickled with goosebumps. The wind felt like a flurry of cold blades lashing his face, but his defense held.

Zixu adjusted his form as he plummeted faster and faster. His Observation Haki screamed warnings. His senses felt like they were being stabbed. Still, he didn't open his eyes.

Just before impact, his body wrapped in Armament Haki, he struck the desert below—hard. The pain screamed through his bones. The impact was brutal, his limbs numb, organs rattled. But it worked.

"Damn, that hurt like hell." Zixu groaned from the bottom of the crater.

Despite protecting himself with Haki and manipulating the wind to soften the fall at the last second, the damage was still serious. Ironically, his most severe injury came from his own insane training method.

Lying in the crater, he stared at the sky.

The Sky City always floated above the clouds. With the help of Water-style users like Hyuga Chinano and Ice-style ninjas like Haku, it remained hidden amidst endless cloud seas.

"Hmm? Why does it feel soft beneath me?"

Zixu shifted. Though still a little numb, he could move.

He stood and stomped his foot. A hollow sound echoed.

"Hollow? There's something underneath." He glanced around—just ruins and yellow sand. It looked like a dead land, abandoned and forgotten.

"A country ruined by war?" he muttered.

Wars were endless in the shinobi world. Cities vanished all the time. This might be one of those forgotten casualties.

Still, something strange tickled his senses.

He crushed the stone beneath his feet—and fell with it.

The underground stench hit him instantly: rot, mildew, and decay.

But what Zixu sensed next was far more shocking.

There was something ahead that shined like a blinding light in the darkness, a thing that absolutely shouldn't exist here.

"Dong-dong... dong-dong..."

A heartbeat echoed, steady and eerie.

Footsteps—quick, panicked—resounded nearby.

Zixu held his breath and concealed his chakra, inching closer to the sound.

The heartbeat grew louder, each thump pounding into his ears. The footsteps grew closer too—as if someone were being hunted.

Rounding a wall, he saw a figure stop.

"They chased us even here?" The voice was gritty, sharp, like sandpaper grinding metal.

"So, he's being chased." Zixu judged but didn't reveal himself.

Then, without hesitation, the figure began a ritual.

That's when Zixu saw something impossible.

One of his own dragon scales—utterly drained of energy—lay among the ritual items. It looked like a shell, abandoned after years of decay.

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