Two days later, at a mountain pass nearly a hundred kilometers away from Amegakure, streams of people in strange attire moved back and forth. Ninja, mercenaries, and armed groups gathered restlessly, forming a chaotic scene.
Among them, Black Zetsu walked quietly through the crowd, his face hidden beneath a mask and a black hooded robe. His gaze swept across the surroundings with cold calculation.
"Ryoma… that bastard killed Madara and ruined my plan that spanned a thousand years. I won't let him off so easily."
Every time he recalled how Ryoma had destroyed everything he had worked toward for centuries, Black Zetsu felt an uncontrollable urge to tear the man apart with his own hands.
Unfortunately, he was also painfully aware of reality. With his current strength, he stood no chance against Ryoma head-on.
That was why, upon hearing rumors that rebel forces were gathering to oppose Ryoma, Black Zetsu rushed over without hesitation. His goal was simple—to see whether these rebels possessed any pieces worth manipulating.
Yet after observing for quite some time, disappointment crept in.
Most of those present were wandering ninja—mainly Genin and Chūnin—along with a few rogue elements wanted by various villages. There were also several dozen samurai from the Land of Iron.
Against ordinary civilians, such a force might inspire fear.
But against Ryoma's Shadow Empire?
They were nothing more than gravel before a mountain.
At that moment, a disturbance rippled through the crowd.
Black Zetsu turned his head slightly and muttered,
"Is it finally starting?"
Dozens of meters away, everyone gathered before a raised stone platform. A middle-aged woman slowly stepped onto it.
Seeing this, Black Zetsu quietly made his way forward.
By now, nearly two hundred people had assembled beneath the platform. The majority were rogue ninja, former rebels hunted by the Five Great Nations, and Iron Country samurai who had abandoned their posts.
Standing atop the platform, Chiyo scanned the crowd below. She coughed lightly, channeled chakra into her throat, and spoke clearly:
"Everyone here is a ninja, so I won't waste words. One year ago, Konoha began invading other ninja villages and major powers. Its leader, Ryoma, spread his ambition across the continent, establishing the so-called Shadow Empire."
Her voice grew colder.
"Any ninja who dared oppose him was mercilessly slaughtered. Such tyranny is utterly unforgivable."
As soon as she finished speaking, someone in the crowd shouted:
"That's right! Ryoma is a demon—despised by everyone!"
"Why should our countries be handed over to him?! What kind of ridiculous empire is that?!"
Fueled by several instigators, the crowd quickly erupted. Anger toward Ryoma and the Shadow Empire surged, while admiration for Chiyo steadily grew.
A Chūnin beside Black Zetsu said excitedly,
"Brother, Ryoma must be furious by now. With so many of us, there's no way we lose!"
Black Zetsu merely sneered inwardly, remaining silent.
In his eyes, this so-called rebel force was nothing but a mob. Forget Ryoma—even Konoha alone could wipe them out by dispatching a few ANBU squads.
"At best," Black Zetsu thought coldly, "Chiyo herself barely qualifies as a Kage-level fighter."
His gaze returned to Chiyo on the platform.
From what he already knew, Chiyo had once been a high-ranking figure in Sunagakure. During her confrontation with Ryoma in the past, many of her relatives, friends, and protégés had died by his hand. Because of this, she severed ties with her younger brother, Ebizō, and formed her own faction, dedicating herself entirely to revenge.
She was also skilled at manipulating emotions.
Despite knowing full well that the people present posed no real threat to Ryoma, she continued painting a grand illusion—luring desperate ninja into a battle they could never win.
And she seized every opportunity to do so.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly heated, Chiyo made her next proposal.
She declared that the two hundred people present would form a Rebel Army, and their first objective would be to kidnap those close to Ryoma—using them as leverage.
"Our rebel forces are not limited to this place," Chiyo said calmly. "There are other companions and bases near various shinobi villages. Once we restrain Ryoma by capturing his woman, our comrades will rise everywhere, forming a net that will completely strangle Konoha and its lackeys."
After her speech, many people immediately stepped forward and signed petitions to join.
The rest hesitated only briefly.
If they succeeded, these low-level ninja with stained pasts would finally turn their lives around. After weighing the risks, they joined one after another.
Watching the wandering ninja around him flush red with excitement, Black Zetsu couldn't help but shake his head.
I really did come to the wrong place this time.
A samurai suddenly shouted, brimming with confidence:
"Everyone! Are we really afraid of Ryoma with this many people?!"
"That's right! He's still young—how strong could he really be? There must be something suspicious about him!"
"Let's capture his woman and force him to kneel!"
In an instant, the crowd swelled with arrogance. United in numbers, they truly believed Ryoma could be crushed.
The so-called "rebels" began chanting loudly:
"Rebels!"
"Rebels!"
Black Zetsu scoffed silently.
"A bunch of idiots."
At this point, it already felt like a complete waste of time to have come here at all.
Judging by their intelligence, strength, and experience, this group of people couldn't even dream of infiltrating Konoha, let alone kidnapping someone close to Ryoma. Black Zetsu was convinced that they would all be slaughtered before even reaching the village gates.
"These people know far too little," he thought coldly. "They don't understand just how vast the gap between shinobi can be. Pinning their hopes on this camp to deal with Ryoma is nothing more than walking straight into a dead end."
With that thought, Black Zetsu's body quietly sank into the ground, vanishing without a trace.
About ten minutes later, just as the gathering reached its most heated point—
Boom!
A deafening crash suddenly erupted from the middle of the crowd, as if something massive had fallen from the sky. A terrifying shockwave surged outward, sending people flying in every direction.
Dust and smoke billowed into the air.
When it finally settled, a black silhouette could be seen standing atop a mound of broken bodies.
"Be bold!"
Chiyo shouted sharply, her voice carrying chakra as it echoed across the mountain pass.
"Who dares cause trouble here?!"
A calm, indifferent voice responded from within the smoke.
"So this is the so-called rebellion… a bunch of people panicking and dreaming of revolt."
At Chiyo's words, the figure slowly turned.
Black hair. Dark eyes.
That familiar face drained the color from Chiyo's expression in an instant.
"Ryoma!"
Her cry was like a stone thrown into still water.
The name alone sent shockwaves through the crowd.
Moments ago, these people had been shouting about tearing Ryoma apart and overthrowing the Shadow Empire. Yet now, faced with him in person—feeling the crushing pressure radiating from his presence—they were frozen in fear, desperate to shrink into the ground.
This was no longer empty bravado.
Ryoma's sudden appearance plunged the entire rebel camp into chaos. Some instinctively raised their weapons. Others shouted about negotiations. A few sharper minds immediately realized something was wrong and began edging backward, ready to flee at any moment.
Chiyo's legs trembled uncontrollably.
The instant she laid eyes on him, memories flooded back—the burning ruins of Sunagakure, the screams, the overwhelming despair.
This time, she had only intended to use Ryoma's fearsome reputation to gather forces and build momentum.
She never imagined he would appear before she could even take the first real step.
Taking a deep breath, Chiyo steadied herself and forced calm into her voice.
"…I didn't expect you would come here in person."
Ryoma shook his head slightly, his expression relaxed.
"Strictly speaking," he said evenly, "I didn't."
As he spoke, the surface of his body rippled faintly, revealing traces of wood-like texture beneath the skin.
"This is merely a Wood Clone."
The moment those words fell, the already panicked crowd felt their blood turn cold.
...
TN:
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