By the ti Naruto found out about the incident, it was already the next day. Upon returning to Konoha, he suddenly realized that the usually lazy Kakashi had gone full-on Danzo mode and cleaned up all the trash.
It was indeed satisfying, but he had zero involvent in it.
Squatting like an old farr on a large bluestone under a tree, Naruto stroked his chin in thought, occasionally glancing at the plump Choji, who was starting to feel creeped out.
"Are you sick or sothing? You’ve been staring at for a while now!"
"Choji, aren’t we good brothers?" Naruto asked slowly, his tone uncharacteristically serious.
"No. Get lost." Choji had developed a reflex from being tricked too many tis.
"Damn, you are too heartless. Have you ever thought about the consequences if you ever need to beg for help in the future, Choji?" Naruto asked with a smile.
"Beg you?" Choji scoffed. "I’d rather die than beg you."
"Really? Young man, you’re still too naive." Naruto stood up with exaggerated flair, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at the long, moss-covered stone staircase ahead.
It was a lengthy set of stone steps, the cliff walls on either side covered in moss, with rows of houses neatly lining the path. A small shop stood at the top of the stairs, next to a large bluestone tree.
Naruto rose to his feet, overlooking the entirety of Konoha as the wind brushed past.
"What do you an?" Choji turned his head and looked at Naruto, but he didn't take it seriously. He might really ask him for help in the future, but definitely not now.
"I don’t lack food, clothes, or money. What would I even need to beg you for?"
"Choji, Choji… I didn’t expect you to be so stubborn." Naruto sighed dramatically and patted Choji’s shoulder, "Very good, very good."
Choji beca more and more confused, not knowing what Naruto was up tothis ti.
"Yesterday, Ino told your wife seems to have so complaints about you. She asked to remind you to stop lazing around all the ti."
"Really?" Choji half-believed it but wasn’t too concerned.
This kind of warning didn’t an much to him. He just needed to behave a little better for a while. After so ti passed, he’d go back to his usual self.
"Why would I lie to you?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at Choji’s indifferent reaction.
"Heh." Choji didn't care, "So what?"
"Guess why Ino went to your house yesterday?" Naruto suddenly smiled.
"Why?" Choji was a little confused, and then he suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart, as if he had forgotten sothing important.
Yesterday, he had gone to watch the commotion. It got so late that he ended up crashing at the Hokage’s Office, witnessing firsthand as the Anbu rounded up and executed those traitors.
He had barely gotten enough sleep when Naruto dragged him out at noon to this quiet spot to drink soda.
"Because… it was your wife’s birthday yesterday, and you weren’t there." Naruto rubbed his chin, clicking his tongue in mock sympathy, "Ino ca to this morning and told to warn you to… brace yourself."
"Ah!!!" Choji’s face instantly paled, and he practically jumped in panic, "No, no, no! I’m dead! I’m so dead!"
Watching his reaction, Naruto chuckled and patted his shoulder, "Don’t worry, it’s just a small disaster."
"What should I do?" Choji grabbed Naruto’s arm like a drowning man clutching a lifeline, "I was watching the chaos yesterday!"
"Chaos? You an the red-light district?" Naruto gasped in exaggerated shock.
Choji's hands trembled, his lips quivering as he stared at Naruto.
"Don’t… don’t make it worse! Any other ti is fine, but not now! I’ll actually die!"
"Just kidding." Naruto clapped his hands, "Alright, figure it out yourself. I’ve got things to do, so I’ll head out first."
"W-Wait! Don’t leave!" Choji quickly grabbed Naruto, "Help think of a solution! You can’t just abandon like this… we’re good brothers."
"You just said that..." Naruto deliberately played hard to get.
"Ugh, I was just talking nonsense." Choji was a little desperate, "As long as you help get through this difficult ti, I will agree to whatever you say!"
"Then it's a deal." Naruto’s face broke into a sly grin.
…
"Have you found the Rinnegan yet?" Kabuto asked in a hoarse voice, his hunched figure hidden beneath a large robe.
"No." Black Zetsu smiled grimly, "Those two Rinnegan on Uchiha Obito have been completely destroyed. Don’t even think about them anymore. They are completely gone."
"Then what should we do?" Kabuto said with so dissatisfaction, "Without the Rinnegan, how can we control the army of Impure World Reincarnation? Apart from the Rinnegan, there is almost no other way to control it."
"Just because the pair of Rinnegan on Obito is gone doesn’t an the Rinnegan itself has disappeared." Black Zetsu walked out of the darkness with a calm look.
"What do you an?"
"Before Obito set out, he left behind a clone. The Rinnegan has been feeding on the clone’s life force as nourishnt. Now… it’s finally ripe."
"The Rinnegan consus life?" Kabuto was a little surprised.
"It’s not a true Rinnegan, but… it’s usable enough." Black Zetsu's voice was cold, "It can only be transplanted now. I think it's ti for you to make a choice."
"While your current state is great, the Rinnegan is true power. As long as you master the power of Rinnegan, the entire Shinobi World will be at your rcy."
"More importantly, you could obtain Uchiha Sasuke, sothing even Orochimaru failed to achieve. Don’t you want to fulfill what he couldn’t? This is your chance."
Listening to Black Zetsu's words, Kabuto’s eyes flickered, but he was not fooled.
"Heh… So, a cloned Rinnegan turns its user into a puppet? I see." He chuckled hoarsely, glancing at Black Zetsu.
"But I’m more curious… What’s your goal?" Kabuto turned fully toward Black Zetsu, “With Nagato dead and Uchiha Obito gone, the only remaining mbers of the Akatsuki are you and Konan, right? Konan’s motives are obvious… she’s probably already tead up with Uzumaki Naruto."
"Then, what is your purpose?"
Hearing this, Black Zetsu fell silent for a mont. He raised his head and stared at Kabuto Yakushi for several seconds without saying anything. It was not until half a minute later that he slowly spoke in a cold tone.
"Does it matter?"
"You have your goals, and I have mine. For the sake of our cooperation, there’s no need to dig too deep. It won’t benefit either of us."
"But our enemy is Uzumaki Naruto. I’m just being cautious." Kabuto let out a sinister laugh, his voice like a crow’s caw.
In the dark cave, as he paced, the snake's tail slid across the ground, making a rustling sound.
"Uzumaki Naruto?" Black Zetsu paused, " That man is indeed troubleso. He acts without logic… a force of pure destruction."
‘Pure destruction? Is that all?’
Kabuto shook off the mories of Naruto in his mind. The madness of that man had left too deep a scar on him. Even now, with Orochimaru’s power and Sage Mode, the fear still lingered.
"This ti… Uzumaki Naruto must die."
Reviews
All reviews (0)