"No way." Kurama looked completely confused. "It doesn't make sense. If he didn't attack when you two were weak, what's he waiting for? He can't seriously be attacking Konohagakure, right?"
"Kurama, stop yelling. The sun's about to come up. Can Sasuke and I get some rest?" Naruto said weakly.
Sasuke looked just as exhausted. "You've been shouting all night, and Obito still hasn't shown up. He's clearly not here. Can you shut up? I just want to sleep…"
Since last night, Kurama had been swearing up and down that Obito was hiding nearby. At first, Naruto and Sasuke believed him. Even though they were both badly injured, they stayed on guard.
And then… the entire night passed.
Not only did Obito not show up, there wasn't even a trace of him.
"Damn it!" Kurama cursed. "Obito, you coward! You can hide and give off your evil presence, but you don't have the guts to actually show yourself?!"
"Can you shut up and let us get some rest? We'll know everything once Kakashi-sensei's intel comes in." Naruto looked dazed.
He and Sasuke had been running non-stop and barely held on thanks to medical ninjutsu. Then, in the afternoon, they went through an intense battle. They were already mentally exhausted. And after an entire night of listening to Kurama yelling? They were on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The fact that Naruto could even respond was impressive—no wonder he looked so out of it.
Sasuke lay still, eyes closed, looking at peace.
Naruto panicked. "Hey, Sasuke, stay with me! You can't die yet! You still have unfinished family business!"
A vein popped on Sasuke's forehead. "You just want me dead, don't you?!"
They finally got a chance to rest, and these two still wouldn't shut up!!!
"Oh, you're not dead," Naruto suddenly calmed down. "Okay, carry on then."
Sasuke: !!!
Have you ever been just about to fall asleep when someone suddenly wakes you up? Yeah, right?
Now, have you ever been woken up just for that person to tell you, "Oh, never mind, go back to sleep"? Yeah, that too, huh?
Then you can probably understand why Sasuke wanted to murder Naruto at that moment.
No words needed—just grab the sword first.
"Oh my, oh my, they still seem pretty lively." White Zetsu chuckled, watching Naruto and Sasuke bicker. His pale face was full of amusement.
Black Zetsu, however, looked serious. "We're too close. Move back a bit more. That Uzumaki Naruto has insane recovery abilities. His sensing skills are probably starting to come back already. If we stay here, we might get noticed."
"Ooooh~" White Zetsu replied cheerfully.
Black Zetsu ignored White Zetsu's playful attitude and started moving away while asking, "How's the operation going?"
"Very well~" White Zetsu said with a fake innocent smile. "Obito—wait, no—Madara's mission is going smoothly, and Nagato has Konohagakure tied up. Right now, the only real threat is the Nine-Tails."
"It's too strong. If it actually gets involved,
Madara's plan will fall apart instantly." White Zetsu sighed and shook his head, pretending to be worried, though his usual lifeless smile never wavered.
"Hmph." Black Zetsu smirked coldly. "No need to worry. As long as they don't figure out where Obito—Madara is, that fox won't leave Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke's side. Right now, no one in the ninja world can stop us."
"Whoa! Black Zetsu, you're so smart~" White Zetsu lifted both—uh, well, his one hand.
"Hmph!" Black Zetsu let out a cold snort, his eyes filled with killing intent as he stared at the two people and one fox in the distance.
Just wait. Once Mother is revived, all of you will die.
Taking a deep breath, Black Zetsu asked, "Is it ready?"
"It's all set. The moment they head back to Konohagakure or show any signs of noticing, my clone will activate it right away. Hopefully, we can bury all of them in there," White Zetsu said eagerly. "Hey, hey, Black Zetsu, can I use it now? I can't wait to see them get swallowed up!"
Black Zetsu shook his head. "That thing might affect them, but burying them completely? That's almost impossible. Those three are beyond normal ninja logic."
"Like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara?" White Zetsu asked curiously.
"Yeah," Black Zetsu nodded.
Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and the Nine-Tails—they had already surpassed even Hashirama and Madara. The only thing they lacked was a complete understanding and control of their power.
Right now, the only one who could truly take them down was Mother.
"What a shame," White Zetsu sighed.
"We'll take it one step at a time. We still need more time," Black Zetsu said, his face filled with killing intent as he took one last look at the two people and the fox before sinking into the ground, taking White Zetsu with him.
At almost the same moment, Kurama suddenly tensed up, instantly on high alert. "They're coming! That feeling... it's definitely Obito!"
Naruto lay weakly on the ground, while Sasuke was already asleep.
Kurama twitched. He seriously considered just leaving these two idiots to fend for themselves.
Hmph, you don't believe me, huh? Just watch—Obito is definitely going to launch a sneak attack. That's what he does best. He's just waiting for the right moment!
Sleep, sleep, and then die in your dreams without even knowing what hit you! Hmph hmph hmph hmph~ Ahahahaha~ Ehihihihihi...
Naruto half-opened his eyes, watching Kurama spiral into madness. His face was calm and kind, but inside, he felt nothing.
By the way, Kurama, your laugh is really awful.
…
"Something's off!"
Jiraiya dodged an attack from the Asura Path and countered with a Fire Release jutsu.
The Preta Path immediately absorbed the flames.
Jiraiya stood still, his face unusually serious.
Asuma landed beside him, cigarette in his mouth, watching the chaotic battle ahead where ninjutsu and shuriken flew everywhere.
Slightly out of breath, he asked, "What's wrong, Jiraiya-sama? What seems off?"
Jiraiya frowned. "That Deva Path… it hasn't attacked at all. Unless we directly threaten them, it barely moves. It doesn't even feel like it's fighting—it's like it's stalling for time."
Asuma instinctively glanced at the Deva Path in the distance. The storm of attacks had passed, yet the Deva Path simply raised a hand and deflected them without making any further moves.
Noticing this, Asuma also felt that something was wrong. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Could he be conserving chakra? Our fight has lasted all night. Even with the Rinnegan, his chakra should be running low by now, right?"
Jiraiya didn't respond. He scanned the battlefield, then suddenly turned his gaze upward.
Above them, Konan hovered with her paper wings spread, her face tense as she observed the battlefield.
"Konan… she looks like she's searching for something," Jiraiya muttered.
"Searching… for what?" Asuma asked, confused.
Jiraiya's eyes suddenly widened in shock. His pupils shrank as if he had just realized something unbelievable.
"Could it be...?"
"No, that's impossible!" Jiraiya's face darkened. "Asuma, you guys handle the fight from here. I need to see Tsunade!"
He could have just let the Anbu deliver the message, but he had to confirm it himself.
Asuma didn't know what was going on, but this wasn't the time to ask questions. He nodded immediately. "Understood. Leave the fight to us. We won't let that guy run wild in Konoha."
"Yeah." Jiraiya responded briefly, his face serious as if deep in thought.
The next second, Jiraiya turned around without hesitation and headed straight for the Hokage building.
At least, that's what it looked like.
From a distance, Nagato noticed his movements, and his expression darkened.
"As expected of Jiraiya-sensei… You noticed, didn't you?"
"But I won't let you leave!"
Tendo Pain stretched out his hand toward Jiraiya as he departed, unleashing his chakra without restraint.
"Bansho Ten'in!"
Jiraiya, who had just started to leave, suddenly felt a powerful force pulling him backward. His chakra failed to resist it, and his body was dragged uncontrollably toward Tendo.
But instead of panicking, Jiraiya's expression turned into one of confirmation. He turned to face Tendo and said coldly,
"As I thought… Your target was never Konoha from the start!"
"Hmph."
Tendo didn't respond, only letting out a cold snort.
At the same time, Shurado stepped forward with a smirk, swinging his blade at Jiraiya.
With a powerful slash, Jiraiya was cut clean in half.
But as the smoke cleared, only two broken logs remained on the ground.
Not far away, Jiraiya walked out from behind the ruins, his face ice-cold.
"Nagato… You're not looking for Konoha. You're after Minato's grave, aren't you?"
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