"No wonder you're called Senior Zetsu," Naruto immediately flattered him. "With your strength, you could probably take care of that organization all by yourself, right?"
At those words, Black Zetsu instantly deflated. He quickly explained:
"My body has long since vanished into the river of history. What remains now is only this will of mine."
"Fighting is no longer my strong suit."
"The future will have to be entrusted to you young people."
Naruto: …
Tch, failed to trick this second cannon-fodder. Too cowardly.
"Fine then, leave it to me."
After a brief exchange, Black Zetsu and Naruto settled on a time and place. Satisfied, Zetsu sank into the earth and disappeared.
Once they were certain he had truly gone, Sasuke quickly asked:
"Naruto, was everything he said true?"
The most important part being this whole Indra's will business—could it really be his own past life's will made manifest?
Strong or not was one thing, but did it really have to look so ugly?
"Nine truths and one lie. He twisted the key information—everything else you can just listen to without taking too seriously," Naruto replied indifferently. But inside, he was already mulling over several secret pieces of information he had just learned from Zetsu.
Neji nodded, then spoke up: "That organization… are they really that strong?"
"Mm…" Naruto hesitated for the first time, unsure how to answer. "They shouldn't be weak, I guess?"
From the Fourth Raikage's description, this group was likely the predecessor of Kara—or perhaps Kara itself.
But as for Kara's actual strength, it was hard to say. After all, that tied into Boruto, a world where both intelligence and power levels across the board had been nerfed into the ground.
Comparing the Heavy Ion Mode to Six Paths Sage Naruto… not an easy call.
If it were up to Naruto himself, he leaned toward Six Paths Naruto being stronger—this temporary form he had now was more powerful.
And if Kara had truly been as formidable as their settings claimed, they wouldn't have waited until Boruto's timeline to make a move. Even during Shippuden, if they had acted, no one could have stopped them.
What's more, their on-screen performance fell far short of the pressure the big bosses of Shippuden had brought.
"Pathetic" might even be the right word.
Still, they weren't entirely weak—after all, they had managed to storm Kumogakure and abduct the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. At the very least, they should be equivalent to a major Hidden Village from the main story.
"The Hyūga clan is willing to take the vanguard," Neji volunteered.
Setting aside the few outright cheats, Neji's raw strength by this point already stood among the top tiers of the ninja world. In every gesture, he carried the air of a commanding general.
"No need. There's someone more fitting for that first wave," Naruto said coolly. "A certain village that's lost all its Jinchūriki must be feeling pretty desperate right now. Let them scout the path first."
"Don't forget our common goal."
A week later, an intelligence report arrived on the Fourth Raikage's desk.
"Everyone, take a look." After reading it, he immediately summoned the upper echelons of Kumogakure and shared the document aloud.
The letter contained information on the organization responsible for abducting the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.
With Black Zetsu and one hundred thousand White Zetsu scouring the land, unless all traces of action were erased completely, Zetsu would inevitably discover them.
As the Raikage's secretary and Kumogakure's chief strategist, Mabui spoke up:
"I do not recommend that you lead the expedition personally, Raikage-sama."
"If this isn't a trap, then it's someone trying to use us as their test scouts."
Her analysis was correct. That was, in fact, the truth.
"No, I must go myself," the Raikage rejected her outright without a second thought.
Every day delayed meant one more day of danger for Killer Bee.
With a sweep of his hand, he cut off any room for argument.
"Notify every jōnin in the village—assemble at once. We march immediately."
Seeing the Raikage's unshakable resolve, Mabui could only bow her head and accept the order.
"Yes, my lord!"
The Land of Birds.
This was a land of migratory flocks, dotted with lakeshores and greenery as far as the eye could see—a peaceful and beautiful country.
Yet deep beneath its earth…
A massive hollowed-out cavern, as if the entire underground had been emptied. There, an array of structures utterly alien to the ninja world's style had been erected. At the very center stood an enormous altar, from which thunderous sounds echoed at intervals.
A monstrous being, like a slug with countless writhing tentacles, slumbered there. Its nostrils flared, producing a huge transparent bubble that swelled and shrank. The thunderous noise was nothing more than its heavy breathing.
"No matter how many times I see it, I still think it's an adorable little thing," a serene voice spoke above the creature. The speaker was a monk-like man with a long braid trailing from the back of his head.
Notably, beneath his left eye was tattooed the Roman numeral "Ⅳ."
The way he looked upon the beast was filled with paternal affection.
Adorable? That's the last word I'd use for such a monster…
By his side stood a stooped, gray-haired researcher, trembling as he glanced at the slumbering monster, terrified that the slightest noise would wake it.
Suddenly—pop! The massive bubble burst, and the creature slowly opened the giant single eye that dominated half its face.
Within that eye were six concentric rings—identical to Nagato's Rinnegan.
No, not identical—this creature too possessed the Rinnegan, but with even more tomoe circling its rings.
The Ten-Tails. Yet not the same Ten-Tails.
Its body was at least a full size smaller than the Gedo Statue (the Ten-Tails' husk) Nagato had once summoned.
This was another Ten-Tails.
As soon as it awakened, it roared at the monk, its bellow shaking the subterranean world. The researcher beside him nearly collapsed, clutching desperately at his robes, terrified of being eaten alive.
But the beast's body was pierced with countless black stakes—identical to those that once jutted from Nagato's back, products of Yin–Yang Release.
These stakes bound and restrained the Ten-Tails.
"I know, I know—you're just hungry."
To the monk, the beast's roar was nothing but the tantrum of an empty stomach. After soothing it, he turned to the researcher.
"He needs more chakra. Bring back more tailed beasts."
"But capturing the Eight-Tails was already our limit. Our technology still isn't perfected…" the researcher stammered. "Kumogakure isn't so easy to deal with. Even during the Eight-Tails capture, even Ao'shin Jūshi was badly wounded. If—"
"Silence. That disposable pawn dying is nothing. I said he needs more chakra." The monk's face darkened, his voice ice cold.
"Are you questioning me?"
"N-no, sir! I wouldn't dare!"
The researcher nearly burst into tears, shaking like a leaf.
"You have one week. If you fail to capture another tailed beast, you'll have no reason to exist."
"Now begone."
Relieved beyond measure, the researcher scrambled away on hands and knees.
"I can already feel my power returning," the monk whispered, arms spread as if to embrace the Ten-Tails. Then suddenly, he froze, frowning.
"Hm? A few little mice have slipped inside."
The moment his words fell, a thunderous crash split the ceiling. Dozens of dark-skinned shinobi dropped down from above.
"Found them. Just as we thought."
"Return my brother to me!" roared the Fourth Raikage. In a flash, his body became lightning as he charged straight at the monk.
"Lightning Release: Liger Bomb!"