A secret meeting with Black Zetsu

The Wind and Sand continued, an endless expanse of Wind and Sand.

Tōka took a breath and stood up again, shaking off the sand sticking to his robes, and glanced at the broken Broken Cliff not far away.

Three familiar auras were right beneath the low wall, and Tōka lifted her foot and walked over there.

"Teacher?!" Karin was the first to notice Tōka, and her exclamation startled Yakumo and Kimimaro, who were resting with their eyes closed.

All three of them turned their gazes to Tōka, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

The three of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief when they noticed that Tōka was in good condition.

Kimimaro refrained from asking what had just happened, although he was also very curious about who the old man with horns on his head was.

Karin didn't have so many concerns and opened her mouth to speak.

"Teacher, where are we going next?" Kimimaro asked eagerly upon seeing this.

"You can't go back to the Land of Rain. The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning are still in a state of war due to the Two-Tails incident, and their countries are in chaos. It's not a good place to go."

Tōka's mind flashed through the situations of the Five Great Nations. Konoha was the next place he was going to, and it would be inconvenient to bring three people with him.

As for the Land of Wind, I heard that Chiyo and Ebizo, those two old guys, have shown their faces before, which means that the illusion of the Perfect World did not trap the two of them.

With these two cunning old foxes around, it won't be easy to sneak into the Land of Wind.

Excluding the Five Great Nations, only Small Nation remain.

Sudden!

A thought One Flash Tōka's mind. At this point in time, that incident seemed to have not yet occurred. "We have a place for the three of you to go."

Upon hearing this, the three immediately gathered around.

"Go find Black Zetsu for me first. If you can't find Black Zetsu, have Bai tell Black Zetsu without revealing yourselves." Tōka finished speaking and stared at the yellow sand outside the low wall.

"We understand, teacher." Kimimaro nodded respectfully.

"Isn't the teacher coming with us?" Karin asked Tōka with a look of utter despair, like a stray puppy.

"I need to go to Konoha first, then I'll come find you guys." Tōka patted Karin's head and deliberately ruffled it haphazardly.

He ruffled her long, red hair into a mess before finally letting go, satisfied.

Karin glared at Tōka with puffed-out cheeks, her displeasure mixed with a hint of sweetness. The teacher really wouldn't abandon them.

"Take this." Tōka took a ring off her finger, a dragon Dragon-Headed Jade Ring carved from the finest raw jade.

"What is this?" Kimimaro took the jade ring with both hands, not understanding its purpose.

"With this jade ring, you can spend any amount of money at the Gato Company in the Great Nations." Tōka's tone was calm, but his words exploded like thunder in the ears of the three of them.

"Gato Company?" The three were not greenhorns; they had heard of many such cases.

Although the Gato Company is not part of the Ninja World, it is a very famous conglomerate with a terrible reputation, but that doesn't stop them from being incredibly wealthy!

Several years ago, after Gato made his appearance in the Land of Waves, he became shrouded in mystery.

To this day, no one knows whether the real boss of the Gato Company is still Gato.

"Teacher, are you serious? Any amount is fine?" Karin didn't care about fixing her messy hair; her two big eyes shone red like jewels.

Thump!

Tōka flicked Karin's forehead with his finger, making the little girl's face twitch in pain. She quickly covered her forehead and wilted.

"You can spend any amount, but it's not for you to misuse. The ring is with Kimimaro," Tōka said expressionlessly.

"Hmph, I know!" Karin pouted and huffed.

Finally, Tōka's gaze fell on Yakumo, who was different from the little brat who had pestered him to play when they first met several years ago.

Yakumo grew more and more beautiful, and also more and more serene and gentle.

Of the three disciples, Tōka trusted Yakumo the most, but he also worried about Yakumo the least.

The awakening of the Kurama Clan's Kekkei Genkai is accompanied by the formation of inner demons; this is not an inevitable event, but in Yakumo's case...

The Yang Release Chakra that Tōka left on the three of them was not only to compensate for the negative effects of the Kekkei Genkai.

Similarly, this also serves as a barrier to protect the three of them.

"Yakumo, this is a collection of Genjutsu techniques I jotted down occasionally. You can take a look when you have time." Tōka took out a Scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Yakumo.

Yakumo's small face froze for a moment, then she showed a solemn and respectful expression, and respectfully extended both hands to accept the Scroll.

She knew the value of this item; with Tōka's strength, it was even more than a collection of Genjutsu techniques written specifically for her.

Even a single word or two of advice can attract a huge following.

Of course, that's assuming we know Tōka's strength.

"What? The teacher is so biased." Karin glared at Tōka with dissatisfaction, her resentful look almost making Tōka laugh.

Kimimaro ring, Yakumo has Scroll, but this guy has nothing!

"Ahem..." Tōka covered his mouth and coughed twice in a fake manner, but the smile in his eyes could not be hidden no matter what.

Reach out, bend your fingers.

The same action startled Karin, who quickly squinted her eyes.

The expected finger did not fall...

Long, slender fingers landed on Karin's nose, lightly tapping it like a playful bird. Karin opened her eyes in a daze, her face slightly flushed as she looked at Tōka, who was smiling.

"Next time, you clumsy apprentice."

Bang!

As Tōka finished speaking, his figure exploded into a cloud of white mist!

"It's Shadow Clone?!" Karin was shocked. Mind's Eye of the Kagura, but there was no trace of Tōka within a thousand miles!

The Land of Land of Fire, vast and rich in resources, Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Nations.

With the Dojutsu residing in his eyes taken away, Tōka could no longer use the power of the Tenseigan to control space, so he could only walk towards Konoha.

The dense foliage in the silent forest blocked out most of the light, creating dappled shadows.

Occasionally a gentle breeze blows by, and the Tree Shadow sway like ferocious ghosts.

The night was as black as ink, and a cold front came from the north, making the air feel frozen and bone-chillingly cold.

Even ninjas would not choose to travel at night unless absolutely necessary.

Rustling...

Suddenly, a strange sound rang out from the woods, like the sound of shoes rubbing against the ground or the sound of wind rustling through the leaves.

Deep within the path leading to the gates of Konoha, at the end of a pitch-black Vortex resembling Black Hole, a figure vaguely appeared.

Tōka strolled by leisurely, and even without deliberately concealing his aura, he seemed to blend into the darkness.

It is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye, and its eerie aura is hard to detect.

"Um?"

Suddenly, Tōka raised an eyebrow, stopped in her tracks, and slightly toned down the lazy and relaxed aura emanating from her.

His eyes, however, were sharp as an eagle's, his intense gaze falling upon the Forest beside him.

"Tsk tsk... I couldn't hide it from you after all!" A Pitcher Plant emerged from the ground, and the one who spoke was none other than Black Zetsu!

"You were discovered so quickly, Tōka, that's impressive."

"Don't tell me you didn't know Nagato's orders." Tōka squinted at Black Zetsu. With his Mayfly Technique alone, there were few things in the world that Black Zetsu didn't know.

If Black Zetsu wanted to, he could definitely get reliable intelligence.

Even if you can't get specific intelligence, you can still find out some useful information.

Nagato is just a pawn, but this pawn is very disobedient. Black Zetsu will definitely leave spies around Nagato.

Tōka is 100% certain that Black Zetsu knows about Nagato's secret order for Kakuzu to find him!

As for why the news wasn't given in advance...

Snort!

"I know, but I can't tell you the information!" Black Zetsu knew that Tōka would come to "question him," so he had already prepared a set of excuses.

Tōka stared at Black Zetsu expressionlessly, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

In terms of appearance, temperament, and charm, Tōka and Kaguya are seven or eight parts similar. The calmer his expression is, the more dangerous he is.

Staring intently at him, Black Zetsu felt a chill run down his spine.

Suddenly, a cold wind rose in the forest, causing the leaves to tremble and rustle.

Black Zetsu composed himself and continued, "After Kakuzu received Nagato's secret order to set off with his men, I went ahead of him to the Land of Wind."

It was no secret that Tōka was traveling with Orochimaru to Konoha.

The key point is that Black Zetsu know where Tōka went after leaving Konoha.

However, no sooner had Tōka and Orochimaru left the Land of Rain than Kimimaro and the other two immediately set off from the Akatsuki base.

Black Zetsu guessed that finding Tōka's three young apprentices would lead to Tōka's whereabouts.

Tōka's gaze alone was enough to make one's heart skip a beat!

It seems that Tōka's Dojutsu has increased quite a bit this time. Black Zetsu licked his dry lips and stared at the expression on Tōka's face.

"Go on." Tōka's eyes One Flash slightly, and the captivating light within them dimmed somewhat.

"I sensed that guy's presence within the Land of Wind, so..." Black Zetsu's face turned wary at the mention of the Sage of Six Paths.

"Oh? You can detect the Six Paths?" Tōka raised an eyebrow, it wasn't entirely surprising.

Black Zetsu has been able to evade the chakra left behind by the Six Paths for thousands of years, so he must have some methods.

It's perfectly normal that Black Zetsu could sense the Six Paths' existence before he Six Paths discovered him.

"The Six Paths are dead, but the chakra that remains in this world still watches over it." Black Zetsu nodded with a grim face and said viciously.

He absolutely could not let his thousand-year-long preparations go to waste before his mother broke the seal and was born.

Black Zetsu would never reveal himself, much less let the Six Paths detect his presence.

Of course, this is only one of the reasons why Black Zetsu hasn't appeared.

He actually had his own selfish motives too...

If Tōka could eliminate the remaining chakra of the Six Paths in the world, that would be ideal.

Tōka stared into Black Zetsu's eyes and could tell that the guy wasn't lying. Besides, the main reason he had brought Black Zetsu here today wasn't to interrogate him.

Black Zetsu has some value; pieces should only be discarded when they are no longer useful.

The Forest gradually quieted down, and the faint sounds of conversation were swallowed up by the night wind.

A fallen leaf was swept away by the wind, dancing and drifting far away in the air.

Black Zetsu's gaze, which had been slightly lost in thought, gradually sharpened. He raised his eyes to look at Tōka and asked, "What happened next?"

"And then? What happened next?" Tōka was taken aback by this strange question.

Black Zetsu chuckled softly, paused for a moment, and then asked, "Hagoromo... Six Paths didn't cause you any trouble?"

"What do you want to know?!" It would have been better if this matter hadn't been brought up, because once it was, Tōka felt a surge of anger rising in her chest.

Even the death of the old man Six Paths didn't bring peace of mind. Tōka originally intended to use the power of the Eternal Tenseigan to eliminate this obstacle.

Unexpectedly, we were outmaneuvered by the other side!

The atmosphere suddenly became oppressive and heavy.

A glint of light flashed in Black Zetsu's eyes as he secretly wondered if Tōka's reaction meant he had suffered a loss at Hagoromo's hands.

Although it's uncertain what happened between Hagoromo and Tōka, there's one thing Black Zetsu is certain of.

That means Tōka didn't deal with Hagoromo chakra left behind by Yuyi!

Perhaps we should give Tōka a little more time...

So be it. We've already waited a thousand years, so waiting a little longer won't hurt.

"None of that matters. You must have something to tell me today, right?" Black Zetsu glanced at Tōka, who was on the verge of exploding in rage, and quickly said.

He didn't want to fall out with Tōka right now, since Tōka currently shared the same goal as him.

Tōka took a deep breath and decided to put aside the matter of his eyesight being taken away for the time being.

The fusion of Natural Energy from the Reincarnation Seal and the forced absorption of Sharingan Dojutsu into the Tenseigan both require a long time to fully refine.

He wasn't in a hurry; this time, he held back!

"I have two things to ask you to do." Tōka calmed his heaving chest and held up two fingers.

"The first thing is to find someone for me, and then deliver the information to Kimimaro. This is the information I know."

Black Zetsu took the slip of paper from Tōka, glanced at it briefly, and memorized the character introductions on it.

Name, gender, approximate age, and possible identity.

It's not very detailed, but it's enough.

"And the second thing?" Black Zetsu asked again.

"Orochimaru has defected. Have Itachi retrieve the Vermilion Ring." Tōka paused, his arm slowly falling back to his side.

"Itachi wants to join Akatsuki; this is his pledge of loyalty!"

"The Vermilion Ring? Understood." Neither matter was important, and Black Zetsu readily agreed.

Although he had some doubts about why Tōka did this, Black Zetsu wisely chose to remain silent at this time.

The answer will gradually emerge later.

Tōka glanced at Black Zetsu and knew what the old guy was thinking.

Why send Itachi to cause trouble for Orochimaru?

Of course, it was to let Orochimaru witness the power of the Mangekyo Orochimaru stimulate his inner desires, his desire for the Sharingan!

There are currently four pairs of Sharingan in the world, but there is only one perfect vessel for them!

Every technique has a weakness. This was said by Itachi, Tōka agrees with this statement. There must be a way to break the Six Paths techniques.

Looking across the entire Ninja World, if someone could truly devise a solution...

Tōka believes...

This person could only be Itachi Uchiha!

The fishing nets have been cast; all that's left is to wait for the fish to approach.

Waaaaah~~~

A night breeze swept by, swirling fallen leaves from the Kitsuchi into the air, where they rose and fell like rootless duckweed.

The forest fell into an eerie silence once again.

The figures who had been talking had long since vanished, as if they had never existed; even the lingering scent in the air had been blown away by the wind.