At this moment, on a cliff not far from the Hidden Grass Village.
Nagato, Kakuzu, and 'Kage' stood in the shadows, silhouetted against the rising morning sun, quietly looking down at the distant Hidden Grass Village, their robes fluttering in the wind.
"The final message has been delivered." Nagato retracted his gaze, sighing inwardly. "Let's go."
Kakuzu likewise withdrew his gaze, looking deeply at 'Kage' beside him, and sneered, "You, your methods are truly terrifying. Even I have never seen anything like it."
To be able to make the spirits of the deceased seek revenge—this eerie ability was even more frightening than the Impure World Reincarnation.
This was an entire ninja village.
Only those Hidden Grass ninja of the "Grass Fruit" faction within Hozuki Castle were still alive.
Even though the Hidden Grass Village had declined to its extreme, being almost entirely massacred overnight was enough to fill everyone with dread.
It was foreseeable that this news would quickly spread to others, shaking the ninja world.
"This is just the beginning." 'Kage' chuckled. "You will see more later."
Hearing this, both Nagato and Kakuzu detected the deeper meaning in his words, and their eyes flickered.
"What do you mean..."
Kakuzu was about to press further, but suddenly felt a tug on his clothes. He looked down beside him to meet a pair of tear-filled, misty eyes.
"Tsk." A hint of impatience appeared in his eyes. "What do we do with this tag-along?"
Seemingly sensing Kakuzu's annoyance, Karin abruptly pulled back her hand as if bitten by a venomous snake, her small body trembling with fear as she staggered backward.
"Don't be so rough."
'Kage' took a step forward, leisurely walking in front of Karin.
Karin, who had just released Kakuzu's clothes, now trembled slightly again from fear, almost instinctively wanting to retreat further.
These three people had taken her away from that hellish place. She didn't know who they were, only that the green-eyed man named Kakuzu felt like a monster.
The entirely white person had a cold and hollow aura, while the "Kage" before her, whose aura was completely undetectable, was the most mysterious and instinctively terrifying presence to her.
She hunched her shoulders like a startled chick, her red eyes brimming with tears, mixed with the fear and bewilderment of witnessing her mother's tragic death and becoming homeless last night.
Just then, a hand, steady yet not rough, rested on her messy red hair.
Karin trembled violently, her small body instantly tensing, her eyes shutting in fright, awaiting the anticipated pain or scolding.
However, the expected coldness or violence did not come.
"..."
Karin's tightly bitten lips slightly relaxed. Her tightly shut eyelashes trembled, and she carefully opened a slit, secretly peeking upwards.
She still saw an undetectable darkness; she couldn't see the expression on the face hidden in the shadows.
But the hand, with its distinct knuckles, was exceptionally steady, making her feel an indescribable gentleness, like a warm velvet blanket unexpectedly placed over her on a cold night.
"Since you don't want her, leave this child to me."
'Kage's' tone carried a hint of amusement, yet with an undeniable firmness.
Karin felt as if the world before her brightened, and her heart felt like a closed valley suddenly opening wide, with an unending wind blowing through it.
"Karin? Is that your name?"
'Kage' slightly lowered his center of gravity, resting on his knees to meet Karin's gaze. He extended his hand and asked gently, "How about it? Come with me, and you'll have hope of seeing your mother again."
Karin didn't answer 'Kage's' question.
She just seemed to use all her strength to raise her small, somewhat cold hand, timidly yet exceptionally firmly, grasping 'Kage's' hand.
She held on very tightly, her knuckles slightly white, and her body involuntarily leaned towards him, almost pressing against his leg, as if fearing that this sole lifeline would disappear.
Plop... plop...
Tears, no longer purely products of fear, but mixed with an incredible, bittersweet relief and a vague dependence after escaping disaster, rolled down in large drops.
"..."
Seeing this scene, Nagato, who had intended to speak, silently closed his mouth.
Actually, as a fellow Uzumaki clan member, he would also be very suitable to adopt Karin.
But, he was currently dressed in a White Zetsu outer shell, with only his Rinnegan visible.
If Karin could still sense his familial connection like this,
That would truly be heaven-defying.
Nagato couldn't possibly openly snatch her, so he could only let 'Kage' have his way.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu, seeing this, merely pursed his lips, thinking, That guy's tricking children again.
A dead person, even if resurrected, was still dead.
Moreover, even the body was burned.
However, there was no prompt sound in 'Kage's' mind.
This indicated that he hadn't lied.
"Hmm, although it cost two to three thousand points, the feasibility of the plan has been confirmed."
'Kage' stood up, looking at Karin, who was hiding behind him, and thought, "And, I've gained an exceptionally talented Uzumaki clan member, and a decent 'Hollow'."
The "Hollow" formed from Karin's mother was just one step away from evolving into an Intermediate Great Hollow and had already been transferred to the space within the underground palace.
Once it became an Intermediate Great Hollow, it would gain self-awareness and intelligence, and in the future, as an Advanced Great Hollow, it could even regain a human appearance. At that point, Karin and her mother could be reunited.
As for Karin, in the future, she would awaken "Mind's Eye of the Kagura," "Adamantine Chains," and "Physical Healing" without any instruction.
"Adamantine Chains" goes without saying; it's the most convenient sealing jutsu.
"Mind's Eye of the Kagura" allows one to sense anomalies within a radius of several tens of kilometers using chakra, and with a designated chakra, it can also sense detailed locations and movements.
Furthermore, it can determine if someone is lying by sensing their chakra.
As for "Physical Healing," which was like her mother's, its healing effect was quite powerful; it could even completely heal Tsunade, who was cut in half by Madara.
Most importantly, absolute loyalty.
"Speaking of which, before the clone is dispelled, 'I' supposedly have no memories?"
'Kage' blinked, amusedly thinking, "I wonder if I can harvest another wave of my own points when the news reaches the Hidden Leaf?"
This seemed to be another new way to gain points.
Now, he was truly even "deceiving" himself.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Mountains, at the Mountain Graveyard.
Within a circular pit hundreds of meters in diameter, the massive remains of wild beasts were buried, with only a section of their stark white spines exposed.
Dust was blown upwards by a downward current of wind, funneling into the numerous cave entrances in the surrounding rock walls, producing chilling and eerie echoes, even more unsettling than the wind itself.
It sounded like human moans and wails, like countless voices—men, women, old, young—intertwining like threads, as if one could hear the resentment and malice hidden within the wind.
The Mountain Graveyard, named as such not only because it was the burial ground for gigantic beasts, but also because it resembled a strange and mysterious "forbidden land."
It was riddled with complex and rugged caves; anyone who entered would get lost. If they were lucky, they might find their way out. If not, they would simply disappear without a trace.
But the people of the Land of Mountains were unaware that, at this moment, in the deepest, unknown part of the Mountain Graveyard, which they considered forbidden, a dwelling had been built.
It was surrounded by massive, gnarled trees, whose branches extending from underground had been fashioned into tables, chairs, and beds, clearly indicating that someone resided there.
"So, you're saying your identity has been exposed?"
Inside the stone chamber, Black Zetsu looked at the utterly disheveled Obito Uchiha and said in a deep voice.
The moment he saw Obito's blinded Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he had already realized something was wrong.
After all, half of Obito's body was White Zetsu. Only by using "Izanagi" could his eye become blind.
As the Uchiha clan's unique ultimate dōjutsu, "Izanagi" could turn events unfavorable to the user within a certain period of time into non-events, only making advantageous events a reality.
During its activation, even death could be altered, making it an incredibly powerful dōjutsu, but it invariably resulted in blindness after use.
Plop!
Obito dug out the blinded Three-Tomoe Sharingan and inserted the Sharingan left by Madara Uchiha into his eye socket.
"Only 'Madara's' fake identity has been exposed."
His eye rotated eerily in its socket. Obito Uchiha's face was extremely grim as he corrected, "But my own identity hasn't been exposed!"
"What's the difference?" Black Zetsu's voice remained hoarse and low. "Without 'Madara's' identity, what else can you do to Nagato?"
Hearing this, Obito Uchiha's body trembled slightly, unsure if it was from anger or humiliation.
Because he knew that Black Zetsu was right.
No matter how much Nagato doubted his identity in the past, fearing "Madara's" name and the Mangekyo Sharingan, he had no choice but to cooperate with him and obey his commands.
But if it was revealed that he was an imposter, Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, would absolutely not choose to submit to an unknown nobody.
"Damn it!" Obito Uchiha gripped his hair tightly, resentfully saying, "It's all because of that guy! I was paralyzed when that shadowy guy stabbed me in the body!"
"..."
Hearing this, Black Zetsu, who was covering White Zetsu, paused slightly, asking in surprise, "What did you say?"