Deep beneath the battlefield, Black Zetsu remained motionless.
For centuries, he had hidden behind others.
Kings.
Kage.
Legendary shinobi.
Even Madara Uchiha himself had unknowingly danced to his tune.
That was Black Zetsu's greatest strength.
Not power.
Not speed.
Not even immortality.
It was secrecy.
As long as nobody knew he existed, he could always manipulate events from the shadows.
Yet now...
Naruto's gaze felt like a blade piercing through the earth itself.
For the first time in a thousand years, Black Zetsu felt exposed.
And he hated it.
Above ground, the battle intensified.
The Fourth Raikage launched another thunderous punch.
Gaara's sand sealed every escape route.
Ōnoki floated high overhead, continuously supporting the assault with Particle Style.
The Five Kage had effectively transformed the battlefield into a cage.
A prison built specifically for one man.
Obito.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted as Obito phased through another coordinated attack.
His expression remained calm beneath the mask.
But internally, he was becoming increasingly frustrated.
Things were spiraling beyond his control.
Nagato's betrayal.
Konan's departure.
The Five Kage's cooperation.
And most importantly...
Naruto.
Every road seemed to lead back to him.
Naruto stood at the center of the battlefield.
Golden chakra flowed around him like living sunlight.
Sasuke approached from the side.
His Sharingan slowly rotated.
"You've been distracted."
Naruto glanced at him.
"You noticed?"
Sasuke snorted.
"You aren't subtle."
Hinata arrived a moment later.
Concern filled her pale eyes.
"Naruto-kun... is something wrong?"
Naruto looked toward the distant mountains.
For a moment, he remained silent.
Then he nodded.
"There's another enemy."
The surrounding group immediately became serious.
Nagato frowned.
"Another enemy?"
"Stronger than Obito?"
Killer B asked.
Naruto shook his head.
"Not stronger."
"More dangerous."
That answer made everyone pause.
A dangerous enemy was often worse than a powerful one.
Konan crossed her arms.
"Who is it?"
Naruto looked toward the ground beneath their feet.
"A parasite."
The description confused everyone.
Only Nagato seemed thoughtful.
Naruto continued.
"A creature that has spent centuries manipulating people."
"Someone who treats history like a chessboard."
"And right now, he's hiding beneath us."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Even Sasuke's expression sharpened.
A hidden enemy capable of manipulating history?
That sounded absurd.
Yet nobody doubted Naruto.
Not anymore.
Deep underground, Black Zetsu's face darkened.
Every word Naruto spoke was accurate.
Far too accurate.
This could no longer be dismissed as coincidence.
Naruto truly knew.
The question was...
How?
Obito suddenly appeared atop a ruined stone pillar.
The battlefield quieted slightly.
His masked gaze landed on Naruto.
"Interesting."
Naruto looked up.
Obito's voice was calm.
"You're not just targeting me anymore."
Naruto smiled.
"Took you long enough to notice."
Obito remained silent for several seconds.
Then he spoke.
"Who told you?"
Naruto laughed.
"That's a secret."
The answer only made Obito more suspicious.
For years, he had believed himself to be the mastermind behind everything.
But lately...
The pieces weren't fitting together.
There were too many things Naruto shouldn't know.
Too many impossible predictions.
Too many secrets exposed.
Even Obito was beginning to suspect there were truths he had never learned.
Far underground, Black Zetsu clenched his teeth.
Danger.
The situation had become genuinely dangerous.
If Obito began questioning everything, centuries of planning could collapse.
That could not happen.
No matter what.
A decision had to be made.
Immediately.
For the first time in centuries, Black Zetsu abandoned caution.
His dark body began moving through the earth.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
He wasn't retreating.
He was advancing.
If Naruto couldn't be manipulated...
Then Naruto would have to be eliminated.
Before he ruined everything.
Back on the surface, Naruto suddenly smiled.
"There you are."
Everyone looked at him.
Sasuke frowned.
"What?"
Naruto pointed downward.
"He's moving."
A massive pulse of Sage Mode spread outward.
The earth trembled.
Cracks spread across the battlefield.
Boom!
An enormous section of ground exploded upward.
Dust and stone filled the sky.
The Allied Shinobi Forces immediately jumped back.
Several Kage prepared defensive techniques.
When the dust settled...
A dark figure stood in the center of the crater.
Half black.
Half white.
Humanoid.
Smiling.
Silence fell.
Nobody recognized him.
Except Naruto.
And Obito.
Obito's single visible eye widened.
"...Zetsu?"
Black Zetsu slowly raised his head.
His golden eyes locked onto Naruto.
Neither spoke immediately.
The atmosphere became strangely heavy.
As though two players who had known each other's moves for years were finally meeting face-to-face.
Naruto's smile disappeared.
Black Zetsu's smile remained.
Then the ancient manipulator spoke.
"Naruto Uzumaki."
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"You've become quite a problem."
Naruto rolled his shoulders.
"And you've been one for about a thousand years."
For the first time...
Black Zetsu's smile froze.
The entire battlefield went silent.
Even Obito forgot to move.
A thousand years?
What exactly was Naruto talking about?
And why did Zetsu suddenly look nervous?
The hidden truths of the shinobi world were finally beginning to surface.
And history itself was about to be rewritten.
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