"The new body has been completed, but this is the first time I've seen someone reduced to such a state through Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation—it's truly unbelievable."
In the Akatsuki base, Orochimaru adjusted a newly crafted body and then turned his gaze toward Black Zetsu.
Madara Uchiha's body had been beaten down to nothing but a head, so naturally, it needed to be reconstructed.
This task was, of course, handed over to Orochimaru, though he couldn't help but feel deeply intrigued.
"So this is the legendary power of Yin-Yang Release? Even Impure World Reincarnation is rendered ineffective."
"Indeed, it's terrifying."
Black Zetsu sighed faintly. Yin-Yang Release was effective against any enemy.
"Fortunately, this was just Impure World Reincarnation. If it were a living body, the situation would be far worse..."
"Who would have thought Konohagakure would produce such talent?"
Orochimaru licked his lips, smiling meaningfully.
"Would you say this is the so-called 'power of all creation'? At this rate, your situation doesn't look too promising."
"The true 'power of all creation'—Lord Madara has acquired it too. He simply hasn't been fully resurrected yet."
Black Zetsu wasn't particularly interested in debating this with Orochimaru, though he felt there were issues with Orochimaru's statement.
"Don't forget, in their eyes, you're one of us as well. And since you provided the Impure World Reincarnation technique, none of us can escape responsibility."
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru licked his lips but didn't respond further. After all, he had absolute confidence in himself.
"Setting that aside, how's your progress with the Tailed Beasts? Iwagakure was a failure, Kirigakure remains silent, and if news reaches Konohagakure, the situation will only worsen."
"Iwagakure's operation wasn't a complete failure. At least we managed to collect some Chakra—it's a successful failure, so to speak."
Black Zetsu pursed his lips, resorting to serious nonsense.
"As for Sunagakure, there's no need to worry. We're quite familiar with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist; they can accomplish a lot. And Kumogakure is even less of a concern—Tsuchidai will assist us."
Tsuchidai was currently serving as Kumogakure's acting Raikage, since they hadn't yet chosen a suitable replacement for the Fourth Raikage.
Killer Bee would have been an excellent choice, but he had outright refused to take on the role of Fifth Raikage.
Darui, the Fourth Raikage's most trusted subordinate, had grown rapidly but still hadn't earned full recognition.
Thus, the Raikage position remained in a "4.5-generation" state, while their hatred for Konohagakure had reached its peak.
"It's truly tragic."
Black Zetsu couldn't help but feel puzzled. While the animosity between Konohagakure and Kumogakure was high, it shouldn't have escalated to the extent Kitagawa Minamoto had taken it.
Still, for the Akatsuki, this worked out well. The worse their situation, the easier they were to exploit; the more desperate they were, the more likely they'd cooperate in resisting Konohagakure!
"So, we just need to wait for the right moment."
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru tilted his head, suddenly smiling.
"Speaking of which, the Six-Tails from Kirigakure is missing—it won't be easy to locate. And the Three-Tails is still inside the Fourth Mizukage."
"Don't worry, we'll find a way."
Black Zetsu took a deep breath, speaking with utmost seriousness.
"We're quite familiar with Kirigakure, and we've already made preparations for the Six-Tails. Everything is under control."
Listening to Black Zetsu's confident words, Orochimaru simply smiled without refuting him.
To Orochimaru, the outcome didn't matter much; he remained in the Akatsuki for the sake of exploration and discovery.
Especially the changes in Kimimaro, which compelled him to delve deeper into certain mysteries.
Madara Uchiha was the perfect reference point!
"By the way, how's Kimimaro doing these days?"
Suddenly, Black Zetsu couldn't resist asking.
"And shouldn't your numerous subordinates be contributing at this point?"
"I have no objections. After all, as ninjas, if they can't serve their purpose, what's the point of their existence?"
Orochimaru chuckled indifferently before speaking more seriously.
"As for Kimimaro, I hope to obtain more information about Madara Uchiha. After all..."
"They are quite similar!"
"Hey, what have you been up to lately?"
While the Akatsuki members were busy preparing for their schemes, Konohagakure remained peaceful.
However, Kitagawa Minamoto wasn't in the best mood—Naruto had unexpectedly shown up at his house.
Considering Naruto had brought a bunch of stuff with him, Minamoto found it hard to kick him out.
Clearly, Naruto's parents were quite adept at social etiquette.
"I've been busy with my own affairs, of course."
Minamoto yawned lazily from his seat on the bed, then spoke indifferently.
"But you—being so idle—don't you feel ashamed?"
"Damn it! I want to train, but there's no one to train with!"
Naruto protested angrily, his tone full of frustration.
"Pervy Sage is like this, Kakashi-sensei is like this, and now you're the same. You promised to help me train!"
"Why don't you go find Sasuke?"
Minamoto looked at Naruto, scratching his head as he thought about it.
He realized he might have made a promise, which led him to ponder whether to use True Several Thousand Hands or the Ten-Tails he had recently acquired for their training.
After all, both were similarly massive—perfect for training the two of them.
"Sasuke seems to be undergoing a check-up. Who knows with that guy."
Naruto pursed his lips, speaking with a hint of annoyance.
"He said he'd spar with me properly when he got back, but now this. Could he be scared?"
"Kid, you're getting cocky."
Minamoto raised an eyebrow. Though he said this, he personally felt Naruto's combat strength might genuinely rival Sasuke's.
In fact, Naruto might even be stronger!
Minamoto recalled Naruto's clear progression path: starting with the "Nine-Tails Chakra Mode," then achieving mutual understanding with the Nine-Tails to reach the "Nine-Tails Mode."
Finally, through the Nine-Tails' approval, Naruto would achieve resonance between Sage Art and Nine-Tails Chakra, reaching the "Sage Art: Nine-Tails Mode."
As for the later "Six Paths Sage Mode" or the "Heavy Particle Mode" that revived the Nine-Tails, those were different matters altogether.
In terms of direct comparison with Sasuke's strength, the "Nine-Tails Chakra Mode" was roughly equivalent to the Mangekyō Sharingan and Eternal Mangekyō stages.
"It's truly hard to predict, especially since Naruto also has Sage Mode."
Sage Mode scaled with the user's strength—the stronger the user, the greater the boost from the technique.
Thus, it was challenging to make a clear comparison.
"Sasuke's visit to the hospital is likely for the purpose of transplanting Itachi Uchiha's eyes, isn't it?"
During their recent trip to Iwagakure, Sasuke had been deeply impacted—it was only natural for him to take action.
"Perhaps Sasuke will give you a surprise afterward."
"Tch, I'll be waiting for him."
Naruto shrugged, then curiously asked:
"By the way, you said you'd train us—when will it start? Are we waiting for Sasuke to return?"
"Don't worry, I've already prepared your training. You definitely won't be disappointed."
Minamoto grinned—he had it all planned out!
"Even if I don't have time, someone else will train you properly. He should be able to handle it."
"I have a bad feeling about this..."
Seeing Minamoto's expression, Naruto instinctively gulped.
"You're up to something suspicious."
Knock knock knock—
Just as Naruto was fretting, a knock sounded at the door.
"Huh? Who's that?"
Naruto's curiosity was piqued, while Minamoto stood up to open the door.
"Senpai."
At the door stood Ino, holding a basket and smiling brightly. However, upon spotting Naruto, her smile dimmed slightly.
"Sigh, you're here too?"
"Oh, it's Ino."
Naruto pouted—what did she mean by "you're here too"?
"I heard he was back, so I came over. What's this?"
"I also heard Senpai had returned."
Ino casually explained to Naruto, then turned her gaze to Minamoto with a smile.
"Senpai, you've worked hard. You finish one mission and immediately dive into other tasks, so I prepared some food for you. You should take care of yourself."
"Thank you."
Minamoto nodded, accepting the basket from Ino and heading inside.
Meanwhile, Ino changed her shoes at the entrance—she was far more considerate than Naruto.
"Smells great."
Naruto sniffed the aroma wafting from the basket, then grinned mischievously as he elbowed Minamoto.
"Hey hey, something's fishy here. Could it be that..."
"Doesn't this just prove my charm?"
Minamoto raised an eyebrow, grinning mischievously in return.
"Besides, Pervy Sage said he'd write my autobiography. I'll probably become even more popular then."
"Tch."
Naruto pursed his lips, feeling slightly annoyed. But Minamoto wasn't about to let him off the hook.
"And you, kid—when are you going to step up?"
"What for?"
"I've already said, the Uzumaki clan is counting on you, and Sasuke has to shoulder the revival of the Uchiha clan. You both need to work hard."
"This kind of thing..."
"Especially you, Naruto. Sasuke has Sakura chasing after him—what about you?"
"..."
"Anyway, you need to step up, and Sasuke too."
"..."
"I wonder when we'll see Sasuke and Sakura get together."
"Shut up already!"
Minamoto's teasing left Naruto visibly flustered.
Though he had gradually realized his feelings for Sakura weren't quite what he had imagined, his parents' presence had brought significant changes to his situation.
Still, being teased like this by Minamoto left him feeling irritated.
At times, he genuinely wanted to punch Minamoto—this guy could be infuriating.
"Sigh, what are you two talking about?"
At that moment, Ino finished changing her shoes and walked over, watching Minamoto tease Naruto with curiosity.
"Nothing much."
Minamoto casually threw an arm around Naruto's shoulder, grinning as he spoke.
"He's just talking about the next gathering, and how he plans to make everyone happy!"
"..."
Naruto glanced at Minamoto, feeling even more resigned.
"Why is this guy going to become Hokage? Konohagakure's future is doomed..."
Meanwhile, as they joked and laughed, Obito Uchiha quietly entered Konohagakure.
He gazed at the thriving village below, his eyes filled with nostalgia and resentment.
But soon, his gaze regained its determination.
"Rin, since you told me to do this, then..."
"I won't let you down!"
Isshiki: "..."
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