"You despicable villain! I'm going to tie you up first!"
Seeing that the bad guy wanted to tie her up, Uzumaki Kushina, full of anger, activated her Adamantine Sealing Chains and launched them forward, intending to bind and string him up like fish on a line.
But Tamura Hao calmly raised his hand and caught the approaching chain. Despite its suppressive and sealing effects, he ignored the chakra-draining property and yanked it hard, pulling Kushina toward him. In the same moment, he drew his Thor's Sword and electrocuted her.
This was a method he had refined in earlier fights. Once, a genjutsu-user tried casting an illusion on him—it failed entirely.
Genjutsu functions by molding chakra to manipulate the target's five senses, inducing a hallucination. The classic counter is disrupting one's chakra flow, reinforcing that its base mechanics lie within chakra interaction.
From that point on, he came to understand the nature of chakra systems. In essence, chakra behaves like an operating system with layered permissions. People with certain bloodline authority, like the Uchiha or Ōtsutsuki, can exert control over others, especially through unique chakra signatures.
This is why Uchiha Madara could disable even someone like the Fourth Raikage with a glance, and Uchiha Obito could enslave the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, for years using his Sharingan-linked genjutsu.
But Hao's chakra was different. Thanks to his transmigrator's golden finger, all underlying imprints had been wiped, turning his chakra into a purified, non-native form. It no longer operated on the world's established chakra protocols.
It was akin to wielding an imperial edict from a fallen dynasty—no longer beholden to the current system's laws.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains were no exception. Though unique to the Uzumaki clan, and capable of suppressing Tailed Beasts due to their bloodline's ties to the Sage of Six Paths, their effectiveness still hinged on universal chakra compatibility.
Hao's purified chakra simply wasn't on the same frequency. It was like trying to seal a phantom using a lock that didn't fit. That's why he dared to catch Kushina's chains barehanded.
Still, he wasn't being reckless. Kushina could only manifest a single chain now, and her control was clearly immature—it was slow, inaccurate, and rigid.
Should she ever develop the prowess shown during the Nine-Tails' Rebellion in the future—where she bound the Nine-Tails itself—Hao would run without hesitation.
He was immune to the suppression and sealing aspects, not the physical strength of the chains. If wrapped up like a cocoon, he'd be finished.
The red-haired girl spasmed under the electricity, her hair puffed up like a dandelion, her body twitching, and saliva trickling from her lips.
"Alright, alright, stop bullying the little girl."
Tutai stepped in, unable to watch any longer. He picked up the groggy Kushina and gently set her down.
"You villain! Why weren't you affected by my Adamantine Sealing Chains?"
Once she recovered slightly, Kushina stared at him, both furious and confused.
She had never encountered someone completely immune to her family's bloodline technique—especially one that shared abilities identical to her great-aunt's, just as her grandfather had described.
"The chains are powerful, but your chakra control is still weak. With proper mastery, you could manipulate them better."
Tamura Hao fabricated an explanation, saying that his superior chakra control allowed him to resist and redirect her chakra enough to deliver an electric jolt.
"Little girl, he's a bad guy—but we're not. The Uzumaki clan will eventually move to our Hidden Cloud Village. We'll be one big family by then. Why don't you tell us more about your great-aunt's ability?"
Tutai immediately deflected blame onto Hao, hoping to coax more information from her about the legendary sealing technique.
He already knew who the "aunt" was: Mito Uzumaki, the First Hokage's wife and the original jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. The same ability Hao demonstrated—the chains used for binding Tailed Beasts—originated with her.
The connection made sense. Hao had obtained a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra from the corpses of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who had ingested the beast's flesh. With that chakra, mimicking Mito's abilities became plausible, and therefore extremely valuable.
"You're all bad people! I'm not telling you anything!"
Kushina turned her head and stomped off, glaring at Hao along the way.
Though her freedom was limited, she was still permitted to move around within a set perimeter.
"The little girl's upset."
Tutai chuckled and waved at the three others to follow him into a nearby tent.
Once inside, he turned to Tamura Hao with a grave expression.
"I have a mission for you. Use the Transformation Technique to take on Ai's appearance. Walk around and talk to our people—report back on those with suspicious intentions."
This unique ability Hao had—an instinctive perception of malice—was perfect for identifying enemies hidden in plain sight.
"Spies?" Yeyue Ai's expression hardened immediately.
Ninja warfare always centered around intelligence. And at its heart were spies—those sent by enemy villages, or turned through bribery, blackmail, or coercion. Detecting them was notoriously difficult.
"Not just spies."
Tutai's voice deepened. He knew the village still held hidden rot—resentments, treachery, and ulterior motives.
Although the Third Raikage's purge after eliminating Kinkaku and Ginkaku's faction had cleaned house to an extent, remnants remained. If these moles could be found and either flipped or removed, the village's future would be far more secure.
Moreover, some spies, once exposed, became less threatening. They could even be fed false intel to mislead the enemy.
"I understand."
Tamura Hao nodded. He turned to examine Ai's dusty, scar-covered appearance. After memorizing the details, he formed the necessary seals and transformed into a perfect copy of him.
Though chakra-heavy, Hao had excellent control over the Three Basic Techniques. With his advanced chakra precision, his Transformation Technique was seamless.
Ai followed up with his own hand seals, transforming into an anonymous Anbu member. He would accompany Hao covertly to complete the ruse.
Together, even perceptive sensory-nin would struggle to distinguish them from the real thing.
"Doesn't Uzushiogakure still need our help?"
Fukai voiced his concern. The siege of the Uzumaki clan must still be raging.
"That war belongs to them alone. At this point, their military aims partly conflict with our own, so direct intervention is inappropriate."
Tutai shook his head. The Uzumaki had no intention of letting outsiders interfere just yet.
Besides, their current priority was to protect the relocated Uzumaki civilians—those evacuated ahead of the war. As the future foundation of the clan, their survival was paramount.
Even if Uzushiogakure fell, those survivors would ensure the bloodline lived on.
"What about my father?"
Yeyue Ai asked with worry. The political maneuvering with Konoha would not be easy.
"Your old man's probably struggling," Tutai laughed. "He's terrible at acting."
Despite his exhaustion from the recent clash with Kirigakure, the Third Raikage remained formidable enough to keep Shimura Danzō in check. However, he couldn't afford to be too dominant—not yet.
Their strategy hinged on letting the Uzumaki draw first blood. Only then could Kumo join in selectively, removing key opponents.
Otherwise, the rest of the Five Great Nations might band together and turn their blades on Hidden Cloud next.
After all, they'd already gained too much from this war. If they pushed any further, it would spark a unified backlash.
Yeyue Ai understood now and finally exhaled.
Tamura Hao, meanwhile, silently prayed that Danzō would suffer losses this time. If Danzō's loyal subordinates fell, it might allow "Tamura Hitoshi"—his alternate identity—to rise.
It would force Danzō to place greater emphasis on intelligence networks, giving Hao room to embed deeper.
With his plan set, Hao transformed into Ai and walked among the war-weary soldiers, offering praise and encouragement in the Raikage's name.
Most responded warmly—but a few radiated ill intent.
Hao took careful mental notes, ranking each by the intensity of their animosity, and later reported them to Dodai.
As for what happened afterward, he had no need to interfere—Tutai would handle it personally.