452. The Zero-Tails

That's right. Under Danzō's guidance, the Konoha Research Institute successfully developed the *Natural Curse Mark* based on Jūgo's cells.

Derived from Jūgo's unique biology, this mark allows the user to absorb natural energy from the environment, entering a pseudo-Sage Mode that significantly enhances physical abilities and the power of ninjutsu.

Like the Earth Curse Mark created by Orochimaru in the original timeline, this Natural Curse Mark also has a notable drawback.


When activated, the natural energy causes a degree of physical mutation in the user.

Similar to how Jiraiya's Sage Mode from Mount Myōboku gives him toad-like features, this mark also affects the user's mental state, making them more irritable, aggressive, and sensitive.

Of course, the severity of these side effects varies from person to person, depending on the user's talent for controlling natural energy.

Among the six-member team, Kabuto was undoubtedly the most skilled at handling natural energy, followed by Itachi and Kimimaro.

Haku and Chino came next, while Jūgo himself was a natural energy prodigy.

As Danzō put it, Jūgo was constantly absorbing natural energy, making him a born "sage"!


However, Jūgo had yet to fully master this power. Once he did, his potential would be limitless.

With the coordination of the six-member team, a massacre began.

Within an hour, the remaining Sky Ninja in the aerial fortress were wiped out, leaving only a few captives for interrogation.

The efficiency of this operation left even Kakashi stunned, making him question whether his presence was even necessary for this mission.

"Just a bunch of Sky Ninja..." Kakashi couldn't help but mutter disdainfully.

Soon, under the guidance of the remaining Sky Ninja captives, Kabuto and the others found the "entrance" mentioned by Shinnō.

It was a seemingly ordinary wall, but when Kabuto pressed a hidden mechanism with a tentacle, a section of the floor nearby opened, revealing a hidden passage leading further down.

If the intelligence extracted from Shinnō was correct, this passage led to the core power room of the aerial fortress!

"Wait," Itachi stopped Chino, who was about to enter the passage, and instead summoned a crow clone to scout ahead.

After confirming there were no hidden dangers, he took the lead and jumped in.

At the edge of the passage, a massive cylindrical space came into view.

The walls were covered in intricate sealing formulas, and at the center below was the Zero-Tails, wrapped in a yellow sealing membrane, just as the intelligence had described.

It resembled a snake, with a purple body and a mask bearing the character for "zero" on its head.

Just looking at it filled the six of them with a sense of awe.

"So this is the Zero-Tails..." Kabuto muttered.

Even through the sealing membrane, he could clearly feel the cold, malevolent aura emanating from the Zero-Tails.


Not only that, he also noticed that his chakra was slowly being drained away. Itachi noticed this as well.

To test his theory, Itachi formed a hand seal and flicked his fingers, creating a small flame.

But in the next moment, the flame uncontrollably dissipated into the air.


Through his Sharingan, Itachi saw the chakra from the flame scatter into the air and quickly be absorbed by the Zero-Tails below.

"Be careful, everyone. This thing can absorb our chakra," Itachi warned after confirming his suspicions.

"Tch, so dangerous. As expected of a tailed beast..." Despite her words, Chino didn't seem particularly intimidated.

Instead, she crouched down and stared at the "giant snake" below with interest.

"So, what do we do now?" Jūgo asked.

"This involves a tailed beast. It's probably beyond our capabilities, right?"

After two years of training, Jūgo had developed a solid understanding of the shinobi world.

Tailed beasts were weapons of mass destruction, tied to the rise and fall of nations and the balance of the shinobi world.

They were far beyond the capabilities of a group of chūnin.

"Jūgo's right. Leave the rest to me," Kakashi's voice suddenly rang out.

He stuffed the book he was reading into his pocket and lazily yawned.

"Well, actually, leave it to those two."

Kakashi corrected himself, then pulled out a three-pronged kunai and sent a signal to the village using a summoning creature.

A few seconds later, two figures appeared out of thin air.

One wore the Hokage's cloak, with the words "Fourth Hokage" clearly written on it.

The other was dressed simply, but his calm gaze was enough to inspire awe.

"Teacher!" "Lord Hokage!"

The six were surprised.

They hadn't expected the Zero-Tails to not only attract the Hokage's attention but also bring their teacher here in person.

"You've done very well this time," Danzō began, praising his students without hesitation.

Although they were only dealing with a group of disorganized remnants of the Land of the Sky, the power displayed by Kabuto and the others was impressive.

With a bit more polishing, Kabuto, Itachi, and Kimimaro could soon be promoted to jōnin.

The group reacted differently to Danzō's praise.

Kabuto remained calm, his expression unchanged.

Itachi and Kimimaro felt it was their duty.

Haku and Jūgo were more reserved, while Chino puffed out her chest and asked, "So, can I be promoted to jōnin now?"

Danzō chuckled at her question. "When you can defeat your second brother, we'll talk."

Hearing this, Kabuto raised an eyebrow and gave Chino a friendly smile.

She sighed dejectedly, "Then I'll just stay a chūnin for now."

Watching the harmonious interaction between Danzō and his students, Minato couldn't help but smile.

Then he turned his attention to the Zero-Tails below.

"So this is the Zero-Tails that the Land of the Sky used to rival the Five Great Nations?"

As the Hokage, Minato knew that the so-called Zero-Tails was just a name the Land of the Sky had given it.

But the terrifying aura it emitted still surprised him. In terms of chakra volume alone, the Zero-Tails had about 60-70% of a regular tailed beast's power.

While it was still far from matching the Nine-Tails, it posed a significant threat nonetheless.