After running for what felt like a long time, Muren Uchiha finally came to a stop.
"Who are you?"
"Where is this? Why did you bring me here?"
"Ugh..."
Nagato, who had just regained the ability to move, was shocked to see the man in black before him. He instinctively leapt back while shouting his questions—only to be stopped mid-motion by a heavy punch to the gut. The sheer force knocked the already-exhausted Nagato unconscious on the spot.
Staring at the collapsed Nagato, Muren crushed his mask in his hand, revealing a face clouded with darkness and a pair of eerie Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Zetsu, I know you're here. Come out."
"This is already outside Amegakure's borders. That bastard Kazuyama Gekkō won't follow us out here."
Indeed, with his Dōjutsu, Muren had already taken Nagato far from Amegakure. As for their exact location—even he wasn't sure. He had just kept moving, leaving the rest to the map's guidance.
"Hmph. Muren, what the hell are you doing?"
"You actually took Nagato out of Amegakure? You're ruining the entire plan!"
"If he doesn't follow the plan, everything will fall apart."
Zetsu slowly rose from the ground. Black Zetsu's voice was thick with displeasure, furious over Muren's reckless move.
Muren cast him a cold glance and slowly deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan. Even with the normal Sharingan, his eyes radiated bloodlust.
"And what exactly are you?"
"You're nothing but a tool created by Madara to assist me."
"The only thing that matters is keeping Nagato safe. His true value comes when he matures enough to use the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique."
The cold tone only enraged Black Zetsu further. But he didn't argue—after all, the image he presented was that he had been created by Madara.
The truth, however, was far from that.
Black Zetsu hadn't been created by Madara, but by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. In reality, he was the brother of the Sage of Six Paths, acting only for the purpose of reviving his mother.
"Hmph. Still, you shouldn't have taken Nagato. You know he grows fastest around those people."
"What's your plan now that he's out?"
Muren looked down at the unconscious Nagato, his eyes glinting with cold intensity.
"I'll take him to Kirigakure and let him taste blood. I'll awaken his Rinnegan through slaughter."
"Better that I train him personally than let him stay in Amegakure playing pretend."
"You and I together can brainwash him—make him into my weapon."
Ever since Ao Uchiha's death, Muren had gone completely off the deep end. Friendship, family—none of it mattered anymore.
He was willing to sacrifice anything to cleanse the world.
"Ugh..."
Suddenly, pain surged through his body—the wound left by Kazuyama.
"You're hurt?"
"Was it Kazuyama Gekkō?"
White Zetsu noticed something was wrong and asked immediately.
Muren didn't respond, but to White Zetsu, his silence was confirmation.
"I never expected someone with your Dōjutsu to get hurt. It seems Kazuyama Gekkō has already reached Kage-level."
"I took a look at your battlefield earlier... that intense heat—was his Fire Release even stronger than yours?"
Black Zetsu, having moved past his earlier anger, was now focused on Muren's battle with Kazuyama Gekkō.
Fire Release...
As Muren recalled the sea of flames Kazuyama had unleashed, fury surged once more.
"Hmph. Just basic Fire Release."
"That's not the point."
"The real problem is—he saw through my Dōjutsu."
Black and White Zetsu were both stunned. Saw through the Mangekyō Sharingan? After a single encounter?
Impossible.
"Don't be surprised. He really did see through it—and even left a Flying Thunder God marker on me."
"I can feel it. It's still active."
"Zetsu, is there a way to replace my body?"
Muren glanced at his left leg, where a Flying Thunder God seal had been left behind—labeled ominously: "Your father is here!"
"Marked, huh..."
"Luckily, it's the left leg. That one can be replaced. I'll take care of it when we return."
Muren nodded at Black Zetsu's reply.
"My Dōjutsu is called Kyori Mushi."
"It lets me ignore distances within my line of sight—or stretch them infinitely."
"Never thought someone could see through it..."
"Hmph!"
The proud Uchiha would never admit carelessness.
But one loss meant nothing. He'd get his revenge next time!
"Let's go, Zetsu. Take Nagato. We're heading to Kirigakure."
"The Third Mizukage is dead. If there's no replacement, perfect. If there is—I'll do what Madara did and use my Dōjutsu to control him."
"Let Kirigakure become our base."
From the way he spoke, Muren clearly didn't see Kirigakure as a threat.
More like his private backyard.
Zetsu didn't argue. He simply scooped up the unconscious Nagato, and the two vanished into the distance...
At the edge of the cliff, Yahiko and Konan couldn't accept what had just happened. The abduction of Nagato had pushed them to the brink of collapse.
"Damn it! Who the hell was that?!"
"Why did he take Nagato?!"
"AAAHHH!"
As Yahiko roared, Kazuyama Gekkō stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.
Then he turned to Konan and Akaashi, letting out a heavy sigh.
"That guy's really strong. I wounded him, but I couldn't finish the job."
"The power of the Uchiha is terrifying, and those eyes… they're not something to underestimate."
The word "Uchiha" made Yahiko and the others tense up.
"Uchiha? From Konoha? Why?!"
"He's not from Konoha."
"How can you be so sure? The Uchiha have always been Konoha's core!"
Looking at Yahiko, who was clearly losing it, Kazuyama felt a headache coming on.
Time to start his persuasion routine again.
"Let's bury your comrades first."
"As for that man—I'll explain everything to you little by little."
Kazuyama and his clone moved together, helping Yahiko and the others lay their teammates to rest.
Once it was done, he led them to a cave to shelter from the rain.
And there, he began to tell them everything...
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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