As the group traveled farther away, a black-and-white face emerged from the distant ground.
It stared at Kawafune's group for a long while, its expression grim. The Rinnegan meant far too much to him.
Only after Kawafune and the others vanished from sight did it sink back underground and disappear in the blink of an eye.
Kawafune's group remained completely unaware of this.
Several days later, Zetsu appeared inside a massive cave.
The cave was vast, with tunnels extending in every direction. At its center stood an enormous husk.
It was shaped like a giant humanoid, with nine eyes. Its body was the color of dead wood, and ten pillar-like protrusions rose from its back.
It was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—the body of the Ten-Tails.
"Nagato was taken away by people from Konoha."
Before Zetsu stood a withered old man in a dark robe. White tubular objects extended from his back and connected to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
His long white hair covered his right eye, leaving only a Three-Tomoe Sharingan exposed in his left.
"Keep watching him. I cannot lose my eyes."
He was already too infirm to move freely and had no way to retrieve his eyes.
He could only have Zetsu continue watching Nagato. At the very least, the whereabouts of the Rinnegan had to remain under his control.
"Understood."
Their exchange was simple. After speaking, Zetsu sank underground again and vanished.
Kawafune had considered how the old man might react after Nagato was taken away. However, it was not yet time for the old man to die. There was still time for everything.
He had his own considerations and plans. For now, the most important matter was bringing Konoha's ninja back to the village for treatment.
After twenty days of