The Allied Shinobi Forces retreated in a panic. Suddenly, they saw the distant horizon dyed crimson, followed by fierce flames rushing into the clouds, scorching both the sky and the earth.
Although they were hundreds of meters away, they could almost feel the searing temperature.
A sense of despair rose spontaneously in the hearts of all the ninja.
In the face of such a disparity in power, could the Five Kage truly survive?
The four Kage were the pillars of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Their individual strength might not equal Itachi Uchiha or Nagato Uzumaki, but they had the ability to unite all the ninja.
If the four Kage were to die in this war, the blow to all the ninja villages would be immense.
Aside from the Seireitei's formidable power, the betrayal of the Sand Village had become the final straw that broke everyone's spirit.
The Sand Village was located in a desert. Due to a lack of resources, its development had always lagged behind other villages.
Within the Allied Shinobi Forces, the Sand Village's status was also relatively low.
No one expected that the Sand Village would latch onto the towering tree that was the Seireitei, only to turn traitor at such a critical moment.
To this moment, they couldn't understand why the Sand Village would do this. The Shinigami in the Seireitei weren't even humans.
They were attempting to overthrow all the rules established by the great nations and ninja villages.
This would surely damage the Sand Village's interests as well.
They racked their brains but couldn't find an answer.
They never imagined that Gaara had absolutely no interest in so-called rights or power.
"From this day forth, the Sand Village is the Seireitei's most solid ally."
Minato looked at Gaara, a smile in his eyes.
"We will dispatch several Kage-level Shinigami to be stationed in your village. Although the Allied Shinobi Forces have retreated in defeat, they may vent their anger on the Sand Village."
"After we deal with all the ninja villages later, you will be allocated the land with the most fertile resources," Naruto said to Gaara indifferently.
The Sand Village's defection during the war was sincere enough, so naturally, Naruto would reward them with more resources.
After a series of discussions, Gaara led the Sand ninja on the journey back to their village.
In the ranks, many Sand ninja expressed their inner doubts and dissatisfaction.
In their view, the Seireitei was indeed the culprit destroying the peace. Why would Gaara choose to stand on the Seireitei's side?
However, their respect for Gaara conquered everything, and they chose to support him.
During the march, Kankuro and Temari looked at Gaara hesitantly. Finally, they couldn't help but ask, "Our relationship with the Seireitei is..."
"Allies, of course," Shukaku said carelessly, pointing to himself. "Didn't you see that yours truly is a Shinigami?"
"So, Shukaku, you really are a Shinigami." Hearing this, Kankuro swallowed with difficulty.
He had suspected this after seeing Shukaku's abilities earlier, but he hadn't dared to believe it.
Becoming allies with the Seireitei—didn't that mean becoming enemies with the entire ninja world?
"Ahhh, this is too crazy." Temari rubbed her temples, evidently not yet recovered from the shock.
Gaara glanced at the two of them and said calmly, "I believe you saw it too. Even if the other ninja villages unite, they are unable to withstand a single blow. The Seireitei's power has already surpassed theirs, and it is constantly growing."
"This time, even the Nine-Tails didn't make a move," Shukaku added from the side.
"Naruto merely showed his face, and he scared them all away."
"Our Sand Village's choice this time should be the correct one."
With the retreat of the Allied Shinobi Forces, the Akatsuki's position became extremely awkward.
They were hired to participate in the war, but the war was lost, and their leader was gone.
Where should the Akatsuki go from here?
A fierce argument erupted among the members.
Deidara and Sasori believed that under the current circumstances, they could only retreat. The remaining members of the Akatsuki were only Tobi, Deidara, Sasori, and Konan. Their leader had been captured, and with their abilities, they simply couldn't rescue Nagato.
Instead of throwing their lives away, it was better to retreat temporarily and preserve their strength.
But Nagato was everything to Konan, so she advocated going to the Seireitei.
The argument bore no fruit, and the group parted ways.
Konan went deep into the Seireitei alone.
However, her infiltration skills weren't enough to avoid all reconnaissance. The moment she entered, she was surrounded by Shinigami.
Looking at the stubborn woman in front of him, Haku couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. He recognized Konan as the partner who always followed Nagato.
He felt admiration and envy for the friendship between Konan and Nagato, but as a member of the Seireitei, it was his duty to execute intruders.
The two immediately engaged in battle.
Under Haku's Shikai, the entire area was almost completely frozen, and his continuous attacks left Konan exhausted from defending.
But Konan had the power of money.
Billions of exploding tags emerged, shocking Haku directly.
"Ahem, Big Sister, let's talk this out nicely." He conceded.
It wasn't that he was afraid of the exploding tags, but rather that the Seireitei couldn't withstand being blown up by them.
"I want to see Nagato," Konan said expressionlessly.
She understood that the exploding tags were her only reliance now, and her bargaining chip to negotiate with the Seireitei.
Although Haku admired Konan's determination, he still tried to persuade her earnestly. "You should go back. Although you have a lot of exploding tags, they aren't even considered a threat to Lord Naruto. If you continue forward, it's very likely you won't return."
The bond between Konan and Nagato reminded Haku of himself and Zabuza in the past, touching a soft spot in his heart.
But Konan insisted on entering. Helpless, Haku had to lead Konan toward the interior of the Seireitei.
He didn't forget to remind her, "Follow me closely on the way. Do not make any aggressive moves. I will take you to the main hall and ask for instructions from Lord Naruto."
In the end, Haku's compassion led him to help Konan.
"One of the Akatsuki members, Konan. She possesses excellent paper ninjutsu. What do you think?" In the main hall, Naruto looked at Shion and the others.
"Hmph, just a weak woman," Shion snorted unhappily.
"I think her character is good. Knowing she isn't a match, she still came to save her partner. Perhaps we can recruit her into the Seireitei; she is Kage-level, after all," Minato smiled.
"The Seireitei isn't invincible yet. Absorbing some new members isn't a bad idea," the White Fang agreed.
"But then it won't be easy to dissect Nagato," Shion said with a cold face.
"We just want to study the Rinnegan," Naruto mused. "Those Rinnegan probably aren't Nagato's; he might have been used."
"Hmm?" Suddenly, Naruto's expression turned strange. He muttered to himself with a look of amusement, "I ignored you before, but now you dare to enter the Seireitei?"
"Damn Nagato, what a useless fool."
Black Zetsu had transformed into a Shinigami and was walking along the street, carefully approaching the main hall.
Nagato's Rinnegan was an indispensable part of his plan, so he absolutely could not let the Seireitei get hold of it.
He had wanted to send White Zetsu to infiltrate, but given White Zetsu's abilities, he estimated he would be discovered instantly. So, he could only rely on his main body.
Zetsu didn't have much confidence in this operation; after all, there were simply too many experts in the Seireitei.
But even if the operation failed, he could still retreat safely.
He was very confident in his ability to sneak and escape.
Originally, according to his plan, Nagato would resurrect Madara Uchiha, who would then use Obito's body to fully revive.
But with the appearance of Naruto and the Seireitei, Zetsu found that everything had changed.
Nagato had been beaten severely, and now even the Rinnegan was about to be taken. Zetsu absolutely could not allow this.
So, even at the risk of being discovered, he had to find a way to steal back the Rinnegan!
"Condense, Meta-Sphere."
However, while Zetsu was still thinking, he was suddenly pulled into a red dimension.
In his line of sight, both Naruto and Minato were looking at him with smiles.
"I'm exposed?" Zetsu was dumbfounded. This failure was a bit too thorough.
He tried to merge into the ground.
Only to find that the entire space had been completely locked down.
He didn't have much combat power and couldn't break the barrier at all.
"Hello there, little thing." Naruto walked slowly toward Zetsu, his smile chilling. "You little rat, you've been circling the Seireitei for months. This time you actually dared to enter with your main body?"
Naruto scrutinized Zetsu carefully.
Zetsu wasn't human; he was surrounded by chakra and appeared to be a monster composed of it.
Interestingly, Naruto could sense a massive consciousness coming from Zetsu.
The intensity of that consciousness was terrifyingly strong.
Could this be the alternate account of some old monster?
Naruto slowly drew his Zanpakuto.
"Naruto Uzumaki." Zetsu looked at Naruto, his eyes almost spitting fire. "I didn't expect to underestimate the Seireitei's vigilance. You are clearly a force originating from the Pure Land; why enter the Ninja World?"
The Summoning Realm, the Ninja World, and the Pure Land had always maintained a delicate balance.
The Ninja World was guarded by the consciousness of the Sage of Six Paths, so the other two realms didn't dare to invade easily.
The Sages of the Summoning Realm were the weakest. Even if they hadn't reached the Six Paths level, they weren't far off. As for the Pure Land, although its ruler had been annihilated, it was definitely the most mysterious of the three realms.
The soul administrators inside—the original Shinigami—formed the most solid line of defense.
So, for hundreds and thousands of years, the three realms had stayed out of each other's business.
Only the Great Toad Sage of the Summoning Realm interfered with the Ninja World through prophecies, trying every means to weaken any second Sage of Six Paths that might appear in the Ninja World.
For the Summoning Realm, prosperous development was the priority.
The Ninja World, on the other hand, had been in a state of constant war.
Previously, Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage were the ninja most likely to reach the Six Paths level, but unfortunately, both perished after their great battle.
After that, Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan came into the world. The Great Toad Sage feared those eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, so he found a suitable candidate and gave a prophecy, interfering with the development of the Ninja World through it.
The Summoning Realm would absolutely not allow a second Sage of Six Paths to appear. Similarly, they wouldn't allow a powerful force like the Seireitei to emerge.
It was precisely because Naruto keenly perceived this subtlety that he tried every means to reach a temporary consensus with the White Snake Sage, using him to kill the Great Toad Sage first, and then defeat them one by one.
Even Zetsu didn't know Naruto's plan; he thought Naruto let the Allied Shinobi Forces go purely out of arrogance.
Little did he know, Naruto did it to stabilize the third Sage, the most peaceful one—Katsuyu.
Leave a line in life so we can meet nicely in the future. By letting the Allied Shinobi Forces off the hook today, Naruto ensured Katsuyu would let her guard down.
By the time the White Snake Sage and the Great Toad Sage had fallen, it would be too late for Katsuyu to react.
This was also the plan for the Pure Land to reveal its sharpness.
"Did you forget one thing? I am not just a Shinigami; I am also human," Naruto smiled and said faintly.
Naruto possessed two different systems of energy—Reiatsu and Chakra—within his body, yet he could use them stably.
Not only that, but Naruto also possessed the ability of Hollowfication.
It could be said that Naruto's Zanpakuto was powerful enough to suppress so many abilities.
"So, little thing, do you choose to surrender, or be beaten half to death and become Orochimaru's research material?" Naruto revealed a creepy smile.
"Wood Style!!" Naturally, Zetsu wouldn't surrender without a fight. He immediately used ninjutsu.
Huge branches sped toward Naruto, intertwined leaves swirling around them, creating a loud whistling sound.
Such ninjutsu reminded Naruto of his cheap teacher, Danzo, and his expression became slightly absent-minded.
He chuckled lightly. "You've brought up some not-so-good memories. It seems you've made your choice."
"Ryūjin Jakka."
Accompanying the indifferent voice, raging fire boiled over, directly enveloping the entire area. The already red sky was burned a deep crimson.
Hiss!
The moisture in the soil beneath Naruto's feet evaporated in an instant, leaving the land parched and cracked.
The Wood Style turned into charcoal almost instantly under the scorching of the flames.
"Did you not know the ability of Ryūjin Jakka? Or did you think Wood Style could compare to Ryūjin Jakka?" Naruto's voice rang out in the flames like a demon.
Zetsu admitted that for a moment, he actually felt fear in his heart.
But he absolutely could not hesitate, and he certainly couldn't die!
Because his mother was waiting for his rescue!
"Aaaah!" Zetsu roared, running toward the flames surrounding him, trying to force his body through the fire to reach the boundary of the Meta-Sphere.
"Do you not even have the courage to pick up a sword? Sure enough, for a weakling who specializes in hiding in the shadows, battle is indeed what he fears most." Naruto's tone was full of disappointment.
He hadn't expected the mastermind behind so many conspiracies to have only this much mettle.
He felt bored.
BOOM!
The flames of Ryūjin Jakka suddenly surged. Incredible Reiatsu rushed into the clouds, causing the entire Meta-Sphere to vibrate and cracks to appear.
The firelight descended, and the Meta-Sphere collapsed with a bang.
When the smoke and dust cleared, Zetsu, burned beyond recognition, lay dying on the ground.
"Bakudo Number 9: Hōrin." Yellow Reiatsu turned into a rope, binding Zetsu.
Zetsu: Capture Successful.
Inside the Seireitei's Research Institute.
Nagato was tied to an operating table. The chakra in his body had been completely suppressed; he was now a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Orochimaru wore a white lab coat and held a sharp scalpel in his hand. He communicated with Nagato with a smile. "Don't worry, don't be afraid. You'll be anesthetized the whole time. My technique is very good; there won't be any pain."
"You want to dig out my eyes?" Nagato was unexpectedly calm.
"To be precise, I want to borrow your eyes for a study." Orochimaru smiled, eyes narrowing. "We suspect these Rinnegan aren't yours. Do you understand what I mean?"
Not mine?
Nagato's eyes grew unfocused as he fell into a memory.
He remembered when he was a child, he had fainted during an accidental situation. When he opened his eyes again, they had become the Rinnegan.
He had always thought these eyes awakened on their own.
Were they really transplanted?
Seeing the doubt in Nagato's heart, Orochimaru explained:
"Our judgments are based on evidence."
"Original Kekkei Genkai rarely cause massive damage to the body. Even if they do, it's limited. For example, the Uchiha's Mangekyo—using it too many times leads to blindness. So, from this perspective, it's excusable that the Rinnegan, which surpasses the Sharingan, would cause damage to the body. But it shouldn't leave your body riddled with holes like this. According to my preliminary examination of you, much of the destruction is generated because the body is incompatible."
"This kind of hidden injury is similar to what is required for transplanting a Kekkei Genkai. Here I must mention the Copy Ninja, Kakashi. He transplanted a Sharingan, and his own chakra is in a state of constant consumption. His own chakra can't keep up with the drain, so his strength has stagnated. You, however, are from the Uzumaki clan. Both your chakra and physical strength should meet the standards. Even if you possess the Rinnegan, there shouldn't be such a huge backlash. The only explanation is that your Rinnegan does not belong to you."
Orochimaru methodically disinfected Nagato's skin with alcohol.
"Why tell me this? I am just a prisoner now." Nagato believed Orochimaru's words in his heart and gave a miserable smile.
"Our Seireitei is very humane. I believe you've seen it along the way: residents living and working in peace, everyone yearning for peace. Even human experimentation is strictly controlled; it can only be conducted with the subject's consent." Orochimaru shrugged, beginning to beautify the Seireitei. "Even for outsiders like you, we have great tolerance."
"I am not willing to accept your research experiments," Nagato said decisively.
Orochimaru's hand holding the scalpel paused, and then he revealed a flawless smile. "I'm sorry, you are a specially introduced talent. You need to enjoy the premium treatment of being researched."
"This involves the laws of our Seireitei. But rest assured, overall, our Seireitei is still very user-friendly."
"You..." Seeing Orochimaru's bad taste, Nagato instantly lost the desire to speak.
"Rest assured, I'm just helping you find the secret of your eyes," Orochimaru comforted him instead.
"When I saw you in the past, you were still a powerless child. If not for Jiraiya, perhaps you would have died. From a certain perspective, I count as your martial uncle. Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs; how could your martial uncle harm you?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru picked up a syringe, tapped the needle elegantly, and gently squeezed the end. A few drops of liquid dripped from the needle onto the floor.
Hiss.
The floor immediately sizzled, dissolving continuously and even emitting a smell of burning.
"My apologies, I took the wrong serum. This is for rewarding criminals." Orochimaru immediately looked apologetic. "Luckily I tested it, avoiding a tragedy. Rest assured, all mechanisms in our research institute are very reasonable, and the probability of error is very low."
Not low at all! The floor is almost completely corroded! If that was injected into my body, I'd probably melt, right?
Seeing this, Nagato felt a little panic in his heart.
A pervert isn't scary; what's scary is an educated pervert.
Ding.
Just then, the bell inside the laboratory rang.
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