As the Summer Country bustled with activity, Kushina Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha left the metropolis.
With their strength, deliberately concealing their presence made it nearly impossible for anyone to detect them.
But White Zetsu was no longer really human.
At least not entirely human anymore.
Intelligence from thousands of miles away flowed back into his original body.
Zetsu snapped out of his trance and glanced at his current teammates.
Nagato, Obito Uchiha, Darui, Raiga Kurosuki, Zabuza, Kakuzu.
It was basically half the Akatsuki's elite cell mobilized.
Who else but Haruki could stand a chance against such a team?
Once Nagato fully mastered the Rinnegan's powers, even Haruki wouldn't be able to stop their plan.
"The Land of Whirlpools lies in the coastal southeast of the Summer Country. Based on Kushina Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha's route, they're following the southeast railway to the port city Haiyu. Therefore, I suggest we intercept them either at sea or before they reach Haiyu."
Drawing on data from his clones, Zetsu analyzed the current situation.
"I personally recommend choosing the open sea as our battlefield. First, it weakens Mikoto's Fire Release. Second, Raiga Kurosuki, Zabuza, and Kakuzu are skilled in Water Release, while Darui's Lightning Release gains extra potency from seawater."
"I have no objections."
After listening to Zetsu's words, Nagato shook his head.
To Nagato, any location was just as good as another.
After all, they weren't really after Kushina and Mikoto.
"Then let's move out."
Seeing no one else spoke, Obito waved his hand and vanished on the spot.
Since Kushina and Mikoto were traveling by train—relatively slow—
the seven set off toward Haiyu City to await their arrival.
"Kakuzu."
Obito suddenly called out to Kakuzu, who was about to leave.
"What is it?"
Kakuzu asked impatiently.
He had planned to swing by the black market during the downtime to see if any new bounties had popped up.
The only reason he hadn't blown him off was because of Obito's mysterious vibe.
"Haruki-sensei asked me to give you a message."
Obito, still wearing his mask, gave no reaction as he spoke.
But Kakuzu's expression was unmistakable.
Shock. Surprise.
What kind of joke was this?
It was like the day your boss suddenly told you, "Sorry, I'm actually an undercover agent from another company."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Ha… Haruki?"
Kakuzu eyed him suspiciously.
There was definitely something fishy going on here.
"That's right."
Obito nodded. "Exactly Haruki-sensei."
"Wait a second—you called him Haruki-sensei?"
Kakuzu finally noticed the honorific and couldn't help asking, "Are you his student?"
Because Obito wore a mask, introduced himself as Tobi, and held deep hatred toward Konoha,
he'd never imagined Obito could have any ties to Konoha—much less be Haruki's student.
This was beyond ridiculous—the kind of situation where "Unbelievable calls home and says Unbelievable's arrived."
An Akatsuki elite cell formed to oppose Konoha was actually founded by none other than Haruki's own student.
"Yes. I truly am his student."
Obito didn't deny it and said, "Teacher Haruki asked me to pass along a message: think carefully before acting—don't rush into things."
"Huh?"
Kakuzu's face twisted in confusion.
He understood the general idea, but exactly what was it referring to?
Recalling his recent actions, he couldn't remember doing anything to offend Haruki.
Even when selecting targets from the bounty list, he had carefully chosen only those with no connection to Haruki before taking action.
That's precisely why he agreed to join the Akatsuki.
After all, the Akatsuki had White Zetsu, with operations spanning the entire ninja world.
It was far more efficient than working solo as he had before.
Since Obito was a Konoha ninja, there must be something suspicious about this operation targeting Kushina and Mikoto.
Kakuzu, having lived for decades, had vast experience.
He quickly zeroed in on the key point.
This was a setup by Konoha.
A chill ran down his spine.
Thankfully, Haruki had given him a heads-up; otherwise, he might never have figured out how he got killed.
"Looks like he's not totally rotten yet."
Kakuzu wiped sweat from his forehead, thinking to himself.
But moments later, he came back to his senses.
Shit!
He shouldn't let a small favor cloud his judgment or fall for this demon's trap.
There's no way he'd warn him unless there was something in it for him.
Maybe he's trying to get me to defect.
Kakuzu thought he'd figured it out.
Among his teammates on this mission were Darui and Raiga Kurosuki—both ninjas wanted by Konoha.
If he really decided to defect, taking them down wouldn't be hard.
Time passed quickly.
Half a day later, Kushina and Mikoto got off the train and boarded a steamship heading toward the Land of Whirlpools.
The sea stretched endlessly.
The two women stayed aboard the ship.
They were the only ones on board.
Midway through their journey, Zetsu slipped aboard silently.
As part of Obito's plan, Zetsu—who was unmatched in stealth—would sneak up on them unnoticed and strike suddenly.
Zetsu rarely showed himself in the ninja world and had never revealed his full strength.
Kushina and Mikoto wouldn't immediately use the Flying Thunder God marking upon seeing him.
After all, both Haruki and Minato were busy preparing for the Hokage election.
Unless they were in mortal danger.
While the two women hesitated at the sight of Zetsu, Obito would appear unexpectedly, pulling them into Kamui Space.
A near-perfect plan.
Zetsu had already circled around behind them, slightly raising his head.
If intimidation was the goal,
he definitely had the means.
Chakra erupted from him in an instant.
Several massive, serpentine vines burst through the deck, lunging toward Kushina and Mikoto.
"Watch out!"
Mikoto had already sensed Zetsu's chakra behind them.
She pressed her two fingers together and spat out a fireball.
A wave of scorching heat filled the air.
Kushina leapt backward, spotting the vines, and couldn't help exclaiming, "Wood Release?"
At those words, Mikoto's eyes narrowed in shock.
She hadn't known Zetsu could use Wood Release.
Though surprising, Zetsu's Venus flytrap appearance confirmed his identity—and signaled that Teacher Haruki's plan had already begun.
All they needed to do now was wait for Obito to show up.
"Who are you?"
Mikoto took a step back and stood beside Kushina, her expression wary and puzzled as she asked, "How do you possess Konoha's Wood Release?"
"Heh, *Konoha's* Wood Release?"
Zetsu didn't make a move to attack. His original goal had simply been to draw attention and buy time.
Now that Mikoto had taken an interest, he naturally wanted to indulge in some conversation.
"Naïve Uchiha, you should know the Wood Release didn't start in Konoha."
"What do you mean?"
After all these years with Haruki, Mikoto had learned quite a bit about deception.
As Zetsu prepared to speak, he sensed Obito's arrival and smiled slightly. "You'll find out soon enough."
"Who's there?"
Mikoto immediately formed hand seals, almost instantly unleashing flames from her mouth, which transformed into countless tsubaki seeds scattering in all directions.
The sheer volume was staggering.
Completely engulfing Obito.
However, when they touched him, his figure disappeared with a puff.
It was a Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Seeing this, even Zetsu couldn't help but be impressed.
Even he had been deceived.
At that moment, he felt a pair of hands grip his shoulders.
Zetsu froze for a second.
Seeing the owner of those hands—Obito Uchiha.
Still bewildered, his body twisted suddenly. When he opened his eyes again, he was in an extremely desolate space.
Although he had never seen or entered the Kamui Space before, it wasn't difficult to guess where he was.
Precisely because he understood, disbelief gripped him.
"Obito, what exactly are you doing?"
Zetsu stared at the Obito before him, his tone already icy.
"Nothing really."
Obito pulled off his mask. "I just don't want to keep up the act anymore. To be honest, being undercover isn't my strong suit."
...
Zetsu fell silent.
He hadn't expected that he and Madara Uchiha—whose combined ages surpassed Konoha itself—could actually be tricked by Obito.
"So you're saying everything was Haruki's scheme?"
Reaching this point, he surprisingly remained calm.
Having witnessed Kaguya Otsutsuki's betrayal at the hands of her own sons, Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki, Obito's treachery paled in comparison.
Still, a feeling of frustration lingered deep inside.
To think he had survived in secret for a thousand years, only to finally find the right person—only to discover he was a traitor himself.
But there was still time to salvage things.
Because his true favorite was Madara Uchiha.
As long as Nagato remained, he still had a chance.
Just then, Kamui Space briefly trembled.
Haruki, Kushina, Mikoto, and Nagato appeared one after another.
...
A single plant sprang to Zetsu's mind.
Grass.
So it seemed none of them were truly committed to the Moon's Eye Plan—except him.
As for Tarui and the others, he dismissed them outright.
Regardless of how they had all been recruited by Obito personally, their strength was clearly useless in such a scenario.
"Well then… very well indeed."
Zetsu let out a bitter laugh fueled by rage.
Yet at this point, he showed no sign of despair.
Frowning slightly, Haruki wondered where Zetsu's confidence stemmed from.
No matter what, kill him first.
Haruki gave his body a shake and immediately entered Sage Mode.
[Sage Art] was even effective against ninja with Six Paths-level power.
Even at his absolute best, Zetsu was nowhere near Six Paths-level power.
A piercing screech tore through the Kamui Space like a raging tornado, spreading instantly.
A blue glow gathered in Haruki's palm.
In the blink of an eye, it expanded to several meters wide.
Rotating.
The massive surge of Sage Chakra coalesced into a swirling blue sphere.
[Sage Art: Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!]
Haruki hurled it straight at Zetsu.
Its speed didn't slow despite its enormous size.
From appearance to impact, less than half a second passed.
Too fast for anyone to even blink.
All anyone heard was a "plop!"
Both the Rasengan and Zetsu vibrated violently.
It felt as if an electric drill was boring straight through him.
The chest where he was hit exploded into a mist of crimson.
The sheer force sent Zetsu's body whipping like a helpless blade of grass in a storm, smashing him into the space wall.
Gushing streams of chakra erupted along with his flesh, creating a bloody whirlpool of destruction.
The intense pain caused Zetsu to scream out in agony.
Since the day he was born, this was the worst wound he'd ever taken.
For a thousand years he had been cautious, never making a mistake.
And now… he'd been defeated by his own doing.
Haruki approached slowly.
That first strike had been too easy.
It almost made him wonder, "Is that all there is to it?"
After all, this was someone he had been wary of for so long. To be taken down this simply felt... strange.
But before he could get close, suddenly Kamui Space began shaking violently.
Haruki raised an eyebrow—Zetsu's Space–Time Ninjutsu?
Yet the next moment, he noticed Obito acting strangely.
Black patterns appeared across his body.
His hands immediately formed hand seals.
Kamui dissolved instantly.
"Kushina, seal Obito—he's already been controlled by Zetsu."
Haruki realized immediately.
Still, his focus stayed locked on Zetsu.
No sooner had they returned to the ocean surface than Zetsu vanished.
Luckily, Haruki had expected this.
Towering waves erupted into the sky, drenching everything in their path.
Then burst forth colossal trees.
[Wood Release: Nativity of Trees!]
In an instant, Haruki blanketed tens of thousands of meters of ocean surface.
And hidden within, Zetsu was immediately spotted.
[Sage Art: Gate of the Great God!]
A red torii gate descended from the heavens.
It completely surrounded Zetsu.
Haruki took a deep breath.
Massive crimson flowers bloomed in unison, waves of energy surging toward Zetsu.
And it didn't end there.
Behind him, trees grew wildly again, forming a colossal wooden Kannon statue.
Colossal wooden arms stretched wide.
[Summit Enlightened Thousand-Armed Cannon!]
An army of terrifying presences erupted.
Countless arms filled the entire sky, then fell together.
Tsunami.
Gales.
Huge waves.
Rain poured down.
Behind Haruki, everyone else stood staring at the scene.
They had expected this to be a fair fight.
Now, it was turning into a complete beatdown.
And not even needing their help at all.
The sea tore apart completely, splitting outward in every direction.
Once the attacks ceased, a crater over ten thousand meters wide sprawled before them.
Even though seawater gushed violently, the void remained unfilled.
On the side unseen by Mikoto and the others, Haruki's Rinnegan scanned back and forth.
Even if Zetsu possessed unparalleled stealth techniques, there was absolutely no way to escape detection by the Rinnegan.
After confirming repeatedly, Haruki deactivated his Rinnegan.
Without a miracle, there should be absolutely no chance of Zetsu's survival.
Nagato glanced at Haruki. He seemed to sense a familiar chakra signature.
The Rinnegan?
But was that even possible?
As he doubted, the black markings across Obito's body faded away.
"I'm fine."
Obito waved Kushina off with a hint of discontent.
His frustration, of course, was aimed at Zetsu.
He hadn't anticipated that Zetsu would leave a contingency plan.
He thought his performance had completely won Zetsu's trust.
Because of this move, during the final confrontation, he could do nothing but watch.
Granted, with Teacher Haruki's power, even if he hadn't been controlled, there wouldn't have been any need for him anyway.
"Longmen, use your Planetary Devastation to collect all the debris nearby," Haruki said thoughtfully.
Nagato stiffened slightly.
Was it really necessary to go this far?
Still, he didn't refuse. He raised both arms and shouted, [Shinra Tensei!]
The already chaotic sea surface rippled once again.
Countless waves, chunks of mud, and scattered debris floated into the air, controlled by the Rinnegan.
Haruki scratched his chin thoughtfully.
Something still felt missing, like it wasn't quite complete.
It needed a touch like "someone lugging a sack of rice up five flights of stairs"—that kind of vibe.
Moments later, a massive rock sphere formed before their eyes.
Haruki signaled the Senju Kannon behind him to hoist the sphere, then hurled it with all his strength.
It shot into the sky, vanishing in the direction of the moon.
"Alright, let's head back to the metropolis."
Haruki narrowed his eyes.
Right now, the moon should only have Toneri Otsutsuki remaining, right?
70