Chapter 279: Remote Control

"If I remember right, the Third Mizukage participated in the Five Kage Summit."

"Was he really this weak?"

"Hmph, just like I said back then—what Five Kage? Just a bunch of slightly stronger ninjas."

"They're all rookies."

"This Third Mizukage was useless—he wasn’t even as good as that brat, Ōnoki of the Two Scales."

Madara Uchiha was thoroughly annoyed, but no matter how much it bothered him, there was nothing he could do now—the man was already dead.

Still, his irritation quickly faded, replaced by a cold smile.

He formed a one-handed seal. His Sharingan spun rapidly, transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan, then into the Rinnegan. A gleam flashed through his eyes...

At that same moment, on the coast of the Land of Frost...

Kazuyama Gekkō stood over the Third Mizukage, completely unaware of the danger creeping up on him.

He was still mulling over the new ability he had just earned—Draw a Circle and Curse You.

Curses were almost unheard of in this world. After all, this was a world of ninjutsu, not some cartoonish fantasy.

But since it was a reward from the system, he couldn’t help but feel curious. He was even thinking about trying it out on someone.

Just as he turned around, something strange happened.

"Kazuyama! Watch out!"

Chōmei’s urgent voice suddenly rang out.

Kazuyama’s gut clenched. A powerful sense of danger exploded from behind him.

"Dodge!"

Without hesitation, he tried to activate Flying Thunder God to escape—but his body didn’t respond.

He couldn’t move at all.

"Damn it! Genjutsu...Binding?!"

"No way!"

Binding Genjutsu was an unusual type of Genjutsu. It left the victim conscious, but completely immobilized.

"Chōmei! Chōmei!"

Kazuyama called out to Chōmei in his mind, but there was no response.

Clearly, Chōmei had been caught in the Genjutsu too.

Suddenly, the supposedly dead Third Mizukage began to rise slowly, his eyes now bearing concentric circles.

Rinnegan!

Kazuyama's heart dropped.

What the hell did Madara Uchiha do to him? The man was dead—how could he still move?

No—this wasn’t Genjutsu. As Kazuyama stared, he spotted a black rod embedded in the Mizukage’s chest.

Now it made sense. This was a backup plan Madara had planted in advance.

He was remotely controlling him using the power of the Six Paths!

That damn bastard!

"Kazuyama Gekkō... heh heh..."

"Die!"

The Third Mizukage suddenly spoke, then pulled out a kunai and lunged for Kazuyama's throat.

"Oh no! Chōmei, you bastard! Wake up!"

Kazuyama screamed internally, hoping Chōmei would snap out of it—but he had no real confidence. After all, Uchiha eyes controlling a Tailed Beast? That was practically routine.

And this was Madara Uchiha.

The kunai closed in—less than ten centimeters from his throat.

Suddenly, a surge of crimson chakra burst from Kazuyama’s body.

The wave of chakra broke the paralysis, and he regained control.

"Get the hell off me!"

Like Naruto launching the Truth-Seeking Orb, Kazuyama roared and unleashed a Leaf Great Whirlwind, kicking the Third Mizukage flying.

He dashed forward, arm outstretched, and grabbed for the black rod in the Mizukage’s chest.

The move caught Madara by surprise—he hadn’t expected this brat to pinpoint the issue so quickly.

In that moment, Kazuyama’s threat level in Madara’s eyes rose dramatically.

He was no longer just a slightly annoying brat—he had become someone with the potential to truly interfere with Madara’s plans.

From “must kill” to “erase from existence.”

As the black rod was ripped out, the Rinnegan faded from the Mizukage’s eyes, leaving only a lifeless gray. His body collapsed to the ground.

"Bastard! Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction!"

A torrent of searing flames erupted from Kazuyama’s mouth, surging down toward the Mizukage’s body.

The blast was so intense it launched Kazuyama into the air.

The flames melted the surrounding ice and snow, and in moments, the Mizukage’s body was reduced to ash.

[Ding! Detected that the host incinerated the corpse out of rage. A master at destroying evidence! Moment of silence for the Third Mizukage—tormented by both Madara Uchiha and the host. Special reward: Ninjutsu Amplification +5.]

At that moment, the Third Mizukage’s value had been completely squeezed dry by Kazuyama.

Driven by fury, Kazuyama’s Fire Release was so powerful it even caused the ground to partially collapse.

As the flames faded, he stood there, panting heavily.

But there was no time to rest—he immediately entered his inner world to check on Chōmei.

What he saw left him stunned.

"Chōmei! You..."

Earlier, Chōmei had been caught in the Genjutsu just like him, but somehow managed to break free at the last second. Kazuyama had been curious about that.

Now, that curiosity was replaced by deep emotion.

Chōmei looked terrible. His entire body was covered in insects, gnawing at him nonstop.

In just a few minutes, his body had already suffered visible damage. Even in an inner world made of chakra, damage was still damage.

Chōmei’s eyes glowed red. He was gasping for air.

"Kazuyama, you’re awake."

"Chōmei, what the hell are you doing?! Stop this now!"

Kazuyama surged with Tailed Beast chakra and obliterated all the insects on Chōmei’s body.

That move made Chōmei howl in pain.

"Aaah! My emergency rations!"

"Kazuyama, I’m fine. If it weren’t for those rations, we would’ve been toast this time."

Chōmei slowly explained what had happened. At the start, he had been hit by the Genjutsu, but as a Tailed Beast—and an insect—he had a backup plan.

Before the illusion took hold, he split off a portion of his chakra.

With that, he activated a batch of stored insects—specifically from the Aburame Clan—and ordered them to eat him alive. The external pain and destruction helped snap him out of the illusion.

The problem was, there weren’t many bugs, so it took some time for the damage to build up.

Kazuyama was deeply moved. Chōmei might act unreliable most of the time, but when things got serious, he really came through.

At that moment, Kazuyama’s bond with Chōmei deepened again.

Man and bug stared at each other—then spoke in perfect sync:

"Brother! I’m not falling in love with you!"

"You’re ugly!"

And the next second, the two burst out laughing.

Sometimes, being in sync is just that simple.