Master, There's a Monster in the Woods!

The sun set in the west, and night fell.

A vast black curtain covered the sky, and the air suddenly turned cool and thin.

The forest seemed to harbor profound, endless darkness. The strange old trees looked like shriveled faces baring their fangs.

Nocturnal predators struck without a sound, while injured little beasts cried helplessly, making the scene all the more chilling...

A group of around ten people leaped swiftly between the great trees, as agile as apes. Their open-toed shoes landed on branches as steadily as mountains.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

The ten figures flashed past. They were so fast that only ten dark shadows could be seen vanishing from sight.

Within the western forest of the Land of Fire, tongues of flame roared in every direction, burning every tree within a hundred-meter radius to ash.

At the very center stood a huge meteorite half the height of a man, its surface streaked black and red.

Thick black smoke billowed straight into the sky, while raging flames blurred the view.

The apocalyptic scene was shrouded in deathly silence.

Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound rang out.

A fissure split the burning meteorite neatly in half from the center.

Crackling, stones shattered, and a small boneless hand thrust out with a pop, gripping the earth fiercely.

"Hiss!~~ So hot!" A childish voice, lazy in tone, let out a rather casual scream.

Strangely, the surrounding flames seemed to be drawn by some force at the instant the meteorite broke apart, abruptly going out!

Not long afterward, a five- or six-year-old child crawled out of the meteorite.

He had been sealed away for over a thousand years, yet had possessed consciousness for only six.

The first memory to flood his mind was that he had inherited the most noble surname in this world, Otsutsuki. The child's name was Tōka.

Shaking his dizzy head, Tōka braced his hands on his slightly weak knees and slowly stood up.

"Ah, names are just passing clouds."

After not moving for six years, weak legs were normal, right?

Tōka hunched halfway over, feeling both legs tremble as though he would collapse the next second.

"Big Brother inherited Mother's Doudougan and elevated it into the Rinnegan."

"Second Brother inherited Mother's Dongdongyan and elevated it into the Tenseigan."

"Even Third Brother—he should be a brother, right? He also..."

"Ah, why the hell can't I even stand steady!!!"

After holding on for a while, Tōka decided to know his limits and plopped back down onto the meteorite.

Hiss!~~

It was a little hot, but he could not be bothered to move.

While he still had time, Tōka needed to rest for a while and think about what to do next.

Black Zetsu, who had always kept watch over the moon, had rushed madly toward this place the moment the strange celestial phenomenon appeared.

After the meteorite fell, Black Zetsu had remained hidden in the shadows, observing.

Until Tōka crawled out from the meteorite fragments...

An expression like a toppled bottle of mixed emotions appeared on Black Zetsu's face.

Shock, confusion, longing.

Black Zetsu stared blankly at Tōka's face and murmured, "It is... Mother's... scent."

"Who?! Who's there!" Though Tōka was small, his mind was meticulous.

The surrounding trees had all been burned away by the blaze, leaving the area wide open.

Black Zetsu's muttering was as crisp as a needle falling onto the floor.

Just then, a frigid night wind swept over the ground, making that little bird chirp from the cold.

Tōka instinctively squeezed his legs together and rubbed his arms with both hands.

He had not noticed before, but now that the flames ignited by the fallen meteorite had gone out, the surrounding air gradually returned to normal.

The night was cool, and the cold wind howled.

Only then did Tōka realize that he was not wearing any clothes at all!

His lower half felt rather breezy...

Just as Tōka lowered his head to look, he suddenly felt a shadow envelop him from above.

He instinctively looked up, only to see something slowly "rise" from the ground.

"Pitcher Plant??"

Tōka cried out instinctively, while thoughts raced through his mind.

Pitcher Plant, Black and White Zetsu!

A person growing from grass—no, a person with grass growing from his neck!

Half black, half white.

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, whose personalities were completely opposite.

But Tōka knew that there was actually only one Black Zetsu. White Zetsu was merely a puppet under his control.

During Tōka's brief daze, Black Zetsu had already emerged from the soil.

"Eh?~~ You know me?" White Zetsu asked in a strange, frivolous tone.

"Can you stop talking in that tone?" Tōka frowned as he wrestled with a question.

Should he call him Third Brother, or Third Sister?

"Who are you?" A sharp glint flashed through Black Zetsu's yolk-like eyes.

"Who am I?" Tōka inwardly rejoiced at those words.

Black Zetsu seemed to have been here for quite some time. The fact that he had only appeared after all this while meant he had probably guessed something.

Or rather, Black Zetsu had already caught a scent belonging to Kaguya Otsutsuki.

"Speak! Or I'll kill you!!"

Black Zetsu's gaze darkened. His hoarse voice carried a trace of trembling that even he himself had not noticed.

"You really want to know?" Tōka raised an eyebrow and sat brazenly atop the rubble.

Black Zetsu glanced at that little worm, envy flashing through his eyes before disappearing at once.

Tōka did not care in the slightest. While the other was distracted, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Gradually, a scheme emerged.

The world of Naruto was filled with powerful people.

In Tōka's current state, he was the weakest of the weak.

Black Zetsu himself might not have been very strong, but he possessed an ability no one could match!

Living! Living safely!

Ever since Kaguya Otsutsuki had been sealed away, Black Zetsu had survived alone.

He had lived through the era of the Six Paths, the era of Ninshu, and the Warring States era.

Even after being sealed later on, he had still survived!

What Tōka needed most right now was to live. Only by surviving could he grow stronger!

Under Black Zetsu's increasingly impatient gaze, Tōka finally laughed and spoke at the same time.

"I have an eldest brother who inherited Mother's Sharingan."

"I have a second brother who inherited Mother's Byakugan."

"I also have a third brother..."

As he spoke, Tōka glanced at Black Zetsu, the meaning in his eyes unmistakable.

Tōka's voice was soft and calm, but Black Zetsu's expression changed again and again.

When Tōka mentioned that his eldest brother had gained the Sharingan, Black Zetsu's pupils contracted.

When Tōka mentioned that his second brother had gained the Byakugan, Black Zetsu became seventy percent certain of his suspicions.

When Tōka mentioned his third brother...

Black Zetsu was practically one hundred percent certain that this brat was Mother's son!!

"Unfortunately, I..." Tōka's expression shifted, revealing a sorrowful air.

Before he could finish, Black Zetsu interrupted with a face full of envy. "You inherited Mother's beauty!"

"Pfft!!" Tōka immediately spat out a mouthful of imaginary blood.

Beauty? He could not help lowering his head for a glance.

Though the worm was small, one day it would ride the winds and clouds and become a dragon.

With this kind of body, you wanted to talk to me about beauty??

Tōka glared darkly at Black Zetsu. No wonder that guy had given his son such a name.

Black Zetsu glared right back without yielding. One stood and one sat, their eyes locked in a staring contest.

Under the night sky, cold winds blew in waves.

Who knew how long passed before Tōka finally conceded defeat.

"Hey, take off your clothes!"

"What for?"

Black Zetsu raised an eyebrow and spoke directly, not even bothering to make White Zetsu use that silly manner of speaking.

Tōka's face darkened as he felt a little cold. What kind of look was that? Could he possibly do anything to him?

"Of course it's for me to wear!!" Tōka said, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"Oh..." Black Zetsu instinctively began stripping.

But halfway through taking off his clothes, his movements suddenly stopped.

Tōka frowned slightly, unsure what Black Zetsu was trying to pull now.

"Then what am I supposed to wear?" Black Zetsu suddenly understood, then shouted angrily.

"What difference does it make whether you wear anything?" Tōka pondered solemnly for a moment before answering with a straight face.

"That's true..." Black Zetsu tilted his head and thought about it. It did seem that way.

But why did it feel a little strange?

Branches swayed in the forest, and the wind rustled through the leaves. The atmosphere became bizarre.

In the desolate black night, one large and one small figure stood in the open forest, stark naked...

Feeling the night grow brighter and brighter, Tōka hurried as he put on the clothes.

Black Zetsu's robe was enormous. Tōka only needed to wrap it around himself and fasten the buttons.

The garment, wide enough to serve as a blanket, looked rather absurd on Tōka.

"Well, this will have to do for now."

Just as Tōka finished dressing, an unexpected voice came from the edge of the forest.

"Teacher Jiraiya, this is the spot!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

The sound of rushing wind rose.

Immediately afterward, several dark figures appeared swiftly around Tōka as if descending from the heavens.

Faintly, they had already formed an encirclement.

The instant he sensed people approaching, Black Zetsu had used a secret technique to flee far away.

Besides, he had no habit of moon-gazing with his bare ass out.

Tōka narrowed his eyes and looked over, only to see a head of flowing golden hair enter his vision.

That guy had spoken just now!

"Kid, are you alone?" A hoarse, magnetic, seductive voice sounded.

There was a trace of genjutsu in Orochimaru's voice.

"Mm." Tōka nodded calmly. Once he saw who had arrived, he relaxed instead.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Minato Namikaze.

Six jonin stood behind them, but Tōka did not recognize any of them and immediately categorized them as nameless extras.

"You're lying?!" Minato retorted sharply.

He had been the fastest, rushing here the moment the strange phenomenon appeared.

And he had happened to witness Tōka crawling out of the meteorite.

To guard against any unexpected developments, Minato had chosen to return and report the information to Jiraiya.

If he remembered correctly, when he had left, Tōka had still been naked. How could this completely ill-fitting outfit be explained now?

Therefore, Minato concluded that Tōka was lying.

Tōka's blood flowed smoothly through his body, and his limbs gradually returned to normal. He slowly straightened up and glared back with righteous indignation.

"How do you know I'm lying? Did you see anyone else?"

"Uh..." Minato choked. He only found the child somewhat strange; he had not discovered any traces of anyone else.

If Black Zetsu's ability to conceal his presence ranked second, no one dared claim first.

Even Hagoromo Otsutsuki, whom the world had honored as the Sage of Six Paths, had failed to discover Black Zetsu's existence. That was enough to prove just how formidable Black Zetsu's concealment abilities were.

For a moment, everyone felt that they should believe this child.

Children did not lie, especially not when they were this self-righteous.

However, on the battlefield, it was not about belief or disbelief, but victory and defeat.

Eliminating every possible cause of defeat was the key to victory!

"Then are you a boy or a girl?" A man standing in the rear abruptly blurted out.

Everyone froze, then narrowed their eyes and began examining Tōka.

Though his delicate, adorable little face was dirty, one could still vaguely see the outline of breathtaking beauty.

That question immediately stirred everyone's curiosity.

"Must be a little sister, right? So cute."

"Wrong. Someone this cute is definitely a boy!"

"You guys..."

Everyone exchanged silent looks, with Jiraiya's eyelid twitching the hardest.

Being scrutinized like a monkey in a zoo, Tōka's expression darkened by the second, and the fist hidden in his sleeve clenched tighter and tighter.

But there was nothing he could do...

He could only secretly draw circles inside his sleeve, cursing Jiraiya.

Twitch! Keep twitching!

Careful you don't twitch yourself into a cramp!!

"Ah!" Jiraiya cried out in pain, quickly reaching up to rub the corner of his eye. It really seemed to have cramped!

"What are you doing? Don't make such a fuss right next to my ear!" Tsunade roared in disgust.

"Tsunade..." Jiraiya looked aggrieved, only to receive a synchronized round of eye-rolls from everyone.

Orochimaru stepped forward and looked down at Tōka from above, flicking his tongue like a snake and making a soft hissing sound.

"Next, we should discuss how to deal with this brat."

Someone had appeared on the battlefield for no apparent reason. They had no choice but to be cautious.

Sunagakure's Kazekage had vanished, and the troops stationed along the border had grown heavier by the day. The civilians in this region should have been evacuated long ago.

And then there was the scene of blazing destruction all around them, along with the Falling Stone Rain from earlier.

"Kill him." Seeing that no one spoke, Orochimaru did not mind playing the villain.

Of the ten people present, most wore expressionless faces.

For ninja, killing was as commonplace as eating and drinking. They could grow numb to killing any enemy.

Under such circumstances, choosing to kill rather than risk letting someone go was hardly unreasonable.

"Orochimaru, you're being too extreme." Jiraiya put away his carefree demeanor and spoke with a grave expression.

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiraiya shoved Orochimaru aside and strode up to Tōka.

When Tōka saw Jiraiya reach out with one hand, he instinctively raised his arm to block.

To Jiraiya, the sluggish movement looked no faster than a crawling turtle.

Seeing that, Jiraiya relaxed as well. Tōka did not seem like a trained ninja.

At the same time, Jiraiya grabbed Tōka's wrist, and a strange energy flowed into Tōka's meridians.

Tōka knew that Jiraiya was checking whether he had chakra in his body.

Once he understood, Tōka stopped resisting. How could a body that could barely stand even possess chakra?

After a moment, Jiraiya revealed what he believed was a very friendly smile and smiled at Tōka.

Unexpectedly, all he got in return was an eye-roll.

"There's no chakra in his body, nor are there any signs of training." Jiraiya smiled awkwardly before continuing with a serious expression.

"He isn't a ninja." Jiraiya's firm tone made his determination clear.

Everyone understood what Jiraiya meant, yet they remained silent.

There was a reason to kill him.

There was also a reason not to.

Since he was a civilian who had appeared in Konoha, he was naturally a citizen of the Land of Fire. Konoha had always adopted a tolerant attitude toward its own people.

Yet in Tōka's eyes, it was not nearly so complicated.

Whether a weak life could survive depended only on a single word from the strong.

The law of the jungle perfectly illustrated this cold world!

"Jiraiya-sensei, how about I take him back to the village?" Minato's face was full of sunshine, without any of the earlier hostility.

He had killed before, that was true, but he could not bring himself to harm a civilian.

Among the ten, aside from Orochimaru, who advocated killing him, seven chose silence. The remaining two, Jiraiya and Minato, hoped to bring Tōka back to the village.

The outcome was already obvious. Tōka had survived.

He had survived through the mercy of the strong.

Tōka was not angry. He merely remained silent. No matter how he survived, survival itself was a success.

Only by continuing to live would he have a chance to become stronger.