"Huh~?"
"Obito, you're injured again~?"
"Did you sneak off to play?"
"That's no good at all~"
I heard his voice before I saw him.
The real White Zetsu—Afei—appeared, hanging upside down from the wall, tilting his head as he looked at Obito.
"Huff—"
Obito took a deep breath, his eyes slightly reddened.
"It's fine… none of it matters. It's all fake anyway."
"Afei, I need a new White Zetsu body to support me."
He took off his mask and used the pain to numb his heart.
Puff—
Without hesitation, he removed the Sharingan that had activated Izanagi.
"Bring me another Sharingan."
"Okay~"
"Life is so boring~ I was just carrying bricks at the construction site~ then suddenly—"
Afei hummed a tune as he wandered off to fetch a new Sharingan and a Zetsu clone for Obito.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu was still catching his breath beside them.
Just a moment ago, he had really thought Obito was done for.
"So many variables… Did the Nagato-Konan duo really come back to life? And it wasn't Edo Tensei… Could such a technique really exist in this world?"
"Even with the Rinnegan's Samsara powers, revival has conditions—specific requirements, and it costs one's life to perform it."
Obito slowly stood up, eyes narrowing.
"I don't know…"
"But I suppose I should learn more about Edo Tensei—Impure World Reincarnation."
"Once my body stabilizes, I'll transplant the Rinnegan into my left eye."
At those words, Black Zetsu let out a relieved sigh. One more Rinnegan—one step closer to their true goal.
"So, are we stealing the Scroll of Seals now?"
Obito closed his eyes.
Rin's image flickered in his mind.
His heart had died the day Rin died.
What he couldn't understand was why he still felt sorrow…
Why did it hurt knowing Kakashi had taken Rin's body?
Sensing his silence, Black Zetsu asked tentatively:
"Are you going to use your Mangekyō Sharingan again?"
Obito shook his head slightly.
"No. Konoha is too dangerous right now... I'll leave the Scroll of Seals to you."
"The Eye of the Moon Plan hasn't officially begun. We haven't reached the point of no return yet."
"But the operation to collect the Tailed Beasts is starting early."
"Before that, I need time to adapt to this new body… and these new eyes."
Just then, Afei returned, holding part of a White Zetsu clone.
"White Zetsu's here~"
Obito lay back, allowing Afei to begin the process of grafting the new body onto him.
"No one can stop my plan."
"Everything… is coming to an end."
He closed his eyes.
Afei and Zetsu began the Rinnegan transplant.
Black Zetsu quietly slipped away.
Was Obito really entrusting the Scroll of Seals to him?
Was he planning to force him to make the next move too?
Submerging into the ground, Black Zetsu soon reached his secret chamber.
"It's been so many years… These are what I collected while shaping Obito."
"Edo Tensei… the forbidden jutsu created by Tobirama Senju. Summoning souls from the Pure Land to this world."
"That person… he'll definitely learn it. With a White Zetsu body as the vessel, even Madara can be brought back at half his former power."
At that thought, Black Zetsu summoned a White Zetsu and merged with it—becoming Nepenthe Zetsu, clad in the black cloak of the Akatsuki.
He retrieved the scroll for Impure World Reincarnation and vanished underground.
After some time, Black Zetsu returned again.
Standing before two scrolls, he hesitated.
Finally, he made his choice and picked one up.
"I hope this won't end in disappointment… This is my final trump card."
"If I still lose—then I'll have to escape. Or… go all in."
On the scroll in his hand were written four characters:
[Uchiha Madara]
Meanwhile…
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, two figures stood silently.
Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki had just arrived.
They both stared at the scene before them, unable to speak.
"Itachi… that guy Kakuzu… did he really assassinate that person?"
A cold sweat dripped down Kisame's back.
He didn't know what to say.
BOOM BOOM—
Suddenly, the earth trembled beneath them.
Itachi quietly zipped up his Akatsuki cloak.
Whoosh—!!
After the quake came a sharp wind—level six at least.
Their red-clouded black cloaks whipped violently in the gust.
Without a word, Itachi sat down cross-legged on the ground.
Kisame followed suit.
They waited.
"Itachi... the power of your eyes... That Susanoo you summoned—it should be on the same level, right?"
Uchiha Itachi closed his eyes, voice cold.
"If you don't want to die, then shut up and wait for your moment."
In the distance, Senju Hashirama entered Sage Mode. He raised his hand, and a massive Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands erupted behind him. The giant wooden Buddha, with its countless arms, began furiously digging into the earth.
Senju Tobirama and Orochimaru stood atop the colossal Buddha, consulting a set of schematics and pointing as they discussed construction plans.
From time to time, Tobirama would shout new instructions, and the great Buddha shifted directions accordingly, digging with precision.
Nearby, Gaara entered a meditative state and released Shukaku. But before the tailed beast could enjoy its freedom, it was smacked around by one of the Buddha's giant palms. Dejected, Shukaku grumbled but obediently helped Gaara gather the displaced soil.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, Naruto appeared, accompanied by a White Zetsu.
Both Tobirama and Orochimaru narrowed their eyes.
"This creature..." Tobirama muttered. "Its chakra... it feels familiar."
"The cellular structure..." Orochimaru licked his lips, eyes gleaming. "Exquisite material."
"Naruto-sama~!"
White Zetsu lunged forward, clinging to Naruto's leg and rubbing affectionately against it.
"Naruto, where did this thing come from?" Tobirama asked sharply.
Naruto chuckled, patting Zetsu's head.
"Found it near Konoha. It ran straight over when it saw me."
"White Zetsu, why don't you help them out with their experiments?"
"For Naruto-sama, I'd gladly give my life!"
White Zetsu raised four fingers—Black Zetsu's silent sign of goodwill. Otherwise, no White Zetsu would ever dare approach Konoha willingly.
What caught Naruto off guard was that this Zetsu could actually communicate with the plants he'd spiritually enlightened. When he discovered it, the other White Zetsu around it were fertilizing the plants—some of them even sporting hairstyles like Lazy Sheep.
Orochimaru leaned in, inspecting the clone like a prized specimen.
"This guy's practically wrapped in secrets... Second Hokage, I'll leave him to you. I've got some experiments to run!"
Tobirama nodded and casually tossed a kunai over his shoulder.
"I'll go handle those two pests first."
"No—we're leaving."
At that moment, Uchiha Itachi turned and left, taking Samehada with him. The moment Naruto had appeared, he'd made the call.
Tobirama frowned and handed a marked kunai to Orochimaru.
"If something happens, trigger the Flying Thunder God seal—I'll be there instantly."
"Haha... The Second really knows how to make me feel safe." Orochimaru laughed softly.
Naruto waved them off and returned home.
Inside, Karin was tidying the room. She froze when she saw him.
Her face instantly turned crimson.
"The landlord's back~"
Naruto blinked. Oh, it's just Karin… Wait—what are you doing with my underwear?
"Uh-huh."
He gave her a vague nod and walked past her toward the little sapling.
In his mind, the familiar voice chimed in:
"Master Naruto~"
Chirp!
The sapling leapt from its pot, roots flexing as it took its first steps.
Uzumaki Mina, who had entered upon hearing the commotion, was stunned.
"The... tree jumped out? It walked?!"
She exhaled when she saw Naruto.
"It's fine... I thought I was hallucinating."
But when she glanced again—
"Karin... you... No way. This has to be a genjutsu!"
Whoosh—
Naruto made a clean escape, sapling in hand. Staying would have just made things weirder.
He arrived at the storage point.
The moment he peeked in, a wave of cheers erupted.
"Naruto-sama~!"
All the White Zetsu scrambled toward him, clinging to his legs and sucking up his chakra like fanboys at a ramen shop.
"You're staying here from now on."
He gently pushed them aside and planted the sapling near the entrance to the vault.
Then he turned and looked inside—toward Rin.
"Now that we have the offerings... and the power of ghosts and gods..."
"Let's use that spiritual force—follow the path Rin once took—and enter the Pure Land."
"Just bring out my mother's soul," Naruto said calmly. "There's still some chakra lingering in her body—it won't take long to find her spirit. The old man Sage of Six Paths is probably either asleep or busy spying on the shinobi world."
He glanced toward the Pure Land's entrance.
"After that... I'll absorb most of you. I'll leave behind just enough strength to guard the Pure Land."
With that, Naruto walked toward Rin's body.
Immediately, a dozen White Zetsu popped out from nearby vegetation.
"Choose me, Naruto-sama~! Use me!"
"No, me! I'm also White Zetsu!"
Naruto: "…"
He stood there in silence, face unreadable, as the White Zetsu squabbled over who got the honor of being sacrificed for the greater good.
Meanwhile...
Black Zetsu slithered through a dark underground base, the walls lined with purple snake-scale patterns. The air smelled faintly of decay and chemicals.
"I didn't think I'd still be able to use the chess pieces Danzo left behind..." he murmured.
Torchlight flickered across his obsidian form as he moved deeper into the base.
Eventually, he reached a sealed lab.
Inside, a hooded figure hunched over a workbench, his hands moving with surgical precision.
He was tinkering with something grotesque—a snake's molted skin, still faintly glowing with leftover chakra.
Yakushi Kabuto looked up, his glasses flashing under the dim lights.