The ramen indeed tasted great; the springy noodles, delicious rich broth, and the flavorful fresh shrimp and small squid, even though Yang Tao had eaten many delicacies from Minecraft, he couldn't stop praising it.
"Boss, the taste is excellent, I'll definitely come again to patronize you. Bill, please..."
Teuchi, who was busy, heard the sound and looked up, still with that calm smile, and said, "Customer, I'm glad you're satisfied."
Yang Tao took out money and placed it on the wooden table. Sasuke, who was beside him, had already finished eating, after all, he had been there countless times and didn't need to savor it like Yang Tao.
[World Exploration Value Increased by 26.33%]
[Naruto Mod Activated]
'How should I put it, it feels somewhat expected...'
If the Naruto World hadn't activated a ninja-related mod, Yang Tao might have been surprised, but activating the Naruto Mod seemed to have no problem at all.
It was just, what was with this sudden surge in exploration value?
Glancing at the mini-map, Yang Tao was startled to find that besides Sasuke, Teuchi, Ayame (Teuchi's daughter) busy in the kitchen, and a few diners, there was now an extra red dot inside the ramen shop.
There was nothing unusual or any familiar figures appearing inside the ramen shop; it was just that with more diners, the aroma of the soup lingering in the air became even richer.
Yang Tao slightly lowered his head to look at his feet, and a black and white figure popped into his mind.
'Is it Zetsu? Is he targeting Sasuke?'
Zetsu, with his Mayfly technique, made Yang Tao feel troublesome.
'I still need to find a way to restrict Zetsu's movement ability...'
"Let's go, Sasuke."
Yang Tao, who had originally wanted to borrow the Scroll of Seals to study, temporarily gave up on this idea after getting the Naruto Mod.
"Welcome again next time!"
Teuchi's hearty voice came from behind, and Yang Tao, without turning his head, waved his hand as a farewell.
Staring at the mini-map, Yang Tao found that the red dot representing Zetsu was indeed closely following behind the two of them.
The presence of this clingy follower made Yang Tao very annoyed; he had to find a way to lure him out.
"Sasuke, let's go to your house first..."
Sasuke remained silent the whole time, following behind Yang Tao towards the Uchiha Clan's compound.
After a while, they arrived at Sasuke's empty home. The courtyard was very clean with no signs of overgrown weeds, clearly Sasuke tidied it regularly.
He leaned his head close to Sasuke's ear and whispered, "Don't move, and don't speak."
He took out an Invisibility Potion and smashed it on the ground. As the glass bottle shattered, their figures instantly disappeared from the courtyard, and the White Zetsu hidden underground suddenly lost its target.
He couldn't help but poke his head out from underground.
"Where are they? Is it some kind of space..."
Before he could finish speaking, a large hand gripped his neck. Yang Tao, having dispelled his invisibility, stood beside the White Zetsu, a brilliant smile on his face:
"Got you!"
He pulled the White Zetsu out from underground with force, like pulling a radish.
White Zetsu were products of human bodies during Kaguya's era. People who fell under Infinite Tsukuyomi underwent thousands of years of change and became White Zetsu.
White Zetsu had many avatars, but most had weak combat power and were only used for reconnaissance, though there were also extremely powerful ones like the one named Tobi.
However, under the research of Orochimaru, one of the three 'gambling, lust, and drugs' figures, they gained a more valuable use: White Zetsu were perfect as sacrifices for Edo Tensei.
"What is this?"
Sasuke was startled by the White Zetsu that Yang Tao had pulled out from under his house. Just by its appearance, he knew this thing was no good.
"White Zetsu. It's a bit complicated to explain. Come with me..."
With that, Yang Tao walked to an out-of-the-way corner of the courtyard, took out a fireplace brick bound to Land of Waves, and embedded it into the ground.
He took out Floo Powder and handed it to Sasuke, saying, "You take this and stand on this brick, thinking of Land of Waves."
Sasuke, who had also dispelled his invisibility, took the Floo Powder and walked onto the fireplace brick as Yang Tao instructed.
As soon as the thought of Land of Waves arose in his mind, his figure instantly disappeared from the courtyard. The spatial change made Sasuke cautiously vigilant, and when he clearly saw his surroundings, his expression couldn't help but change.
'This is where we left before?'
"Sasuke?"
Suddenly, a voice came from not far away. Naruto and Sakura were supporting the unsteady Kakashi, slowly walking along the path behind Tazuna towards Tazuna's village in the distance.
Naruto's face showed a surprised expression and he said, "Sasuke, did you pretend to leave with that person to protect us?"
Sasuke: "..."
I've already returned to Konoha from Land of Waves, eaten ramen, and then come back here. How are you three still here???
Looking at the excited Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke's heart was very complex.
As for Kakashi, who looked like he had kidney deficiency and needed to be supported, Sasuke instinctively ignored him.
"Kakashi? You haven't left yet?"
Yang Tao, accustomed to a fast-paced life, looked at Kakashi being supported by the two and showed a surprised expression. In his mind, even if Kakashi hadn't returned to Konoha, he should have left the Land of Waves area.
Who would have thought this guy hadn't even walked five hundred meters?
Upon seeing Yang Tao, Tazuna didn't hesitate at all, falling to his knees with a thud, his old tears streaming down his face as he said, "Sir, thank you... If it weren't for you, I would never have been able to avenge the people of my village in this lifetime, nor would I have seen the day the great bridge was completed..."
Looking at Tazuna, who was kneeling before him with graying temples, Yang Tao felt no awkwardness, merely stating calmly, "Tazuna, what I did has nothing to do with you. You don't need to be like this..."
"Furthermore, I plan to rule Land of Waves and become the new Daimyo of this country. Economic development is the way out for Land of Waves. Anyone who stands in the way of development will not have a good end. Gato will not, and neither will the common people of Land of Waves..."
Tazuna's heart trembled slightly upon hearing Yang Tao's ambitious declaration.
'Did we drive away wolves only to invite tigers and leopards?'
Stepping past Tazuna, Yang Tao walked directly towards Kakashi: "Kakashi, your recovery ability is truly too embarrassing... To be honest, you might as well give your Sharingan to Naruto to consume some of his abundant Chakra."
Uzumaki Clan member + Asura Reincarnation + Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kishimoto stacked Naruto with T1 and T0 level buffs. The consumption of a mere Mangekyo Sharingan is completely negligible for Naruto.
He took out another bottle of Almond water from his backpack and handed it to Kakashi: "Drink this to recover, and then help me seal this White Zetsu."
Setting aside his reputation as the '50/50' ninja, Kakashi truly knew many things. While not a master of sealing jutsu, he was definitely stronger than Zabuza, who had no relevant inheritance.
Yang Tao's matter-of-fact tone made Kakashi look up.
However, he quickly recognized the reality: he was now a fish on the chopping block. As long as it didn't harm Konoha's interests, he naturally had to protect himself and his disciples' safety.
"Okay."