The Twilight Hermit Order members faded away, and the Reanimation Jutsu was undone.
Uchiha Sogetsu seemed regretful that he couldn't completely eliminate Itachi. Then, he turned to dust and returned to the earth.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, until his last breath, he glared furiously at White Zetsu, as if accusing it of all its deeds, but ultimately powerless to change anything. He too became dust.
The Second Tsuchikage only looked toward Iwagakure before peacefully turning to dust.
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"
White Zetsu laughed wildly inside the barrier.
At this moment, it had waited for a long time.
Since 'Adam' fell into a deep sleep, and it was still restrained by the Twilight Hermit Order, now at last it had a chance to completely break free.
From now on, White Zetsu would no longer be a pawn to be controlled.
No Black Zetsu, no Adam, no Twilight Hermit Order could stop its progress anymore.
It would finally transcend its mortal form and walk the great path to godhood!
"What about those two? How will you deal with them?"
Uchiha Obito interrupted White Zetsu's fantasy and glanced at the unconscious Raikage and Mizukage.
"They must have seen your true form, right?"
"No problem. I am a Spectator pathway—changing someone's perception is easy," White Zetsu sneered coldly, not taking the two seriously.
"Besides, in the plan ahead, those two are indispensable forces."
"And what about him?"
Uchiha Obito's eyes filled with killing intent. He didn't mind killing someone from the Aurora Order.
Itachi Uchiha, freed from the genjutsu, was completely drained, his whole body weak and sluggish.
But when he saw Obito's eyes, a sickly smile appeared on his lips.
At that moment, it was like two lunatics' gazes clashed fiercely in the air.
White Zetsu had originally intended to eliminate them both.
Yet in his mind, an evil whisper echoed — the vow of "the true Creator."
Gritting his teeth, he said, "Let him go. The Aurora Order will, like us, hold a grudge against the Twilight Hermit. In the future, we can join forces with them."
"Hah, very well."
Obito wasn't listening to White Zetsu's words out of respect — he simply felt the man matched his own temperament.
"Thanks."
White Zetsu exhaled with relief.
Honestly, a madman like Obito, if truly in the mood, was impossible to stop.
If the content of the 'vow' was judged, and he was found an accomplice, White Zetsu dared not imagine the consequences of offending the 'True God.'
"Heh, then I look forward to your future performance."
Obito said with a meaningful smile, "Once you complete your ascension, I'll come find you again."
"All right, I'll ascend soon."
White Zetsu promised once more.
Then, under White Zetsu's gaze, Obito was swallowed by the swirling vortex of space and disappeared without a trace.
"What exactly are your intentions?"
White Zetsu turned to Itachi, questioning the goals of the Aurora Order.
"Heh heh heh, no intentions. It's the will of the gods."
Uchiha Itachi grinned, then swayed unsteadily to his feet, staring at it with a mysterious look in his eyes.
"Soon, not long now, you'll understand."
White Zetsu frowned. It hated the feeling of its fate slipping out of its control.
But Itachi clearly wasn't going to say more. Calmly, he dissolved into shadows and disappeared from the barrier, leaving only one sentence hanging in the air.
"We'll come for you again after your advancement."
Advancement again?
White Zetsu's brow furrowed deeply, as if everyone was waiting for its advancement.
Yet it couldn't stop moving forward. This feeling of being pushed by invisible forces made White Zetsu extremely uneasy.
"It's fine. Soon... I will have the power to control my own destiny!"
White Zetsu looked beyond the barrier, a sinister smile curling at the corner of its mouth.
Dark clouds once again shrouded Konoha, with a fine rain like needles washing away the traces left by battle.
Every Konoha resident wore sorrow on their faces, dressed in black mourning clothes, walking solemnly in orderly lines through the streets.
Once again, once more!
The Hokage of Konoha had been assassinated!
Perhaps it was a punishment sent from heaven upon Konoha.
People held pure white flowers, stepping forward one by one to place the last bouquet before the gravestone.
Almost all the Jonin of Konoha gathered here, silently staring at the tombstone.
"How could something like this happen?"
Kurenai's eyes were slightly red, her voice tinged with sorrow.
However, Asuma Sarutobi, son of Hiruzen Sarutobi, showed no reaction — in fact, he seemed quite calm.
Many were surprised by his response, but no one said much.
Mitokado Homura and Koharu Utatane once again attended as advisors to the Hokage.
After delivering a long, heartfelt eulogy, the funeral ceremony drew to a close.
The grief among the people of Konoha reached its peak.
At this moment, White Zetsu hid within the crowd, quietly absorbing the sorrow of thousands.
A growing smile spread across his face, stretching to his ears.
This was the "Advancement Ritual" it had been waiting for!
White Zetsu drank the 'potion' it had prepared long ago in one gulp.
The thick liquid slid down his throat, quickly merging with his organs.
Buzz!
In an instant, White Zetsu seemed to transcend humanity, merging with the overwhelming sorrow.
It could clearly hear every person's inner thoughts.
Even from their facial expressions alone, it could uncover the deepest, most hidden secrets.
Including those shameful, darkest thoughts buried deep within everyone's hearts.
Tens of thousands of emotions surged like an invisible hand, pushing White Zetsu into the Sea of Collective Subconscious.
Finally, it could clearly see that deep and dark vast ocean.
Every drop of water here was like a ray of light, as if representing a piece of consciousness, a mark left behind.
Through the Sea of Collective Subconscious, it deeply felt the spirit within those lights and consciousness.
Then, in a moment transcending humanity into divinity, White Zetsu was fundamentally changed, experiencing the thrilling sensation of its life ascending to a whole new level.
"Ah, so this is it!"
White Zetsu sank deeply into the fantastic visions within the Sea of Collective Subconscious.
At last, its skin grew layers of fine scales, like gray-white rock. Its pupils became vertical and pale gold.
An unprecedented, explosive power spread inside its body, making White Zetsu eager to test just how strong the power of Sequence Four really was!
Silently, it disappeared from Konoha and arrived in a deserted place, freely revealing its 'Mythical Creature Form.'
Its strong body stretched out—a huge gray-white dragon's form. As it flapped its wings, a roaring gale rose, and its speed broke the sound barrier, easily shattering mountains.
Too powerful!
White Zetsu laughed wildly.
It could finally understand the power that 'Adam' once possessed.
"Adam, you never expected I'd break free from your control, did you?"
White Zetsu's pale golden vertical pupils gazed into the distance. There, a creature with a dragon's body but a human head stood—strangely grotesque no matter how you looked at it.
A terrifying, sinister smile spread across its face.
"Soon, I'll drag you down from that throne!"
It laughed wildly, unleashing the full power of its mythical form.
Mountains crumbled beneath its overwhelming strength, flattened without mercy.
Yet, White Zetsu never expected that, right beside it, two people were quietly watching its every move.
"Sogetsu, why are you letting it be?"
Erii tilted her head, looking curiously at the person beside her, her delicate brows furrowing. "I don't like it. It's disgusting."
"Because, to destroy someone, you must first drive them mad."
Uchiha Sogetsu smiled faintly, gently stroking Erii's hair. His pale golden eyes shimmered softly like rippling water.
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