The Impure World Reincarnation Legion Is About to Awaken

The night wind swept past the command tent. The Raikage set down his charcoal pencil and locked the top-secret document concerning the transfer of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki into a sealing box beneath his desk. He knew he had made the right decision, but "right" did not mean "easy." At the edge of the camp, White Zetsu's harassment continued. Every two hours, a patrol squad reported contact, and every encounter came with casualties. Without Naruto's Sage Mode, the Allied Forces could only rely on ordinary sensory ninja and Earth Style ninja to conduct rough underground scans. The inefficiency was maddening.

Kakashi raced through the dense forest with Naruto and three Anbu. They had deliberately avoided the main roads, taking an animal trail that was barely marked even on maps. Naruto followed silently behind Kakashi, replaying the Raikage's and Tsunade's words over and over in his mind. He was going to Turtle Island. He was going to master the Nine-Tails' power. He was going to become the "final trump card." Jiraiya's face, Iruka's face, Sasuke's face—those faces alternated in the darkness, until they finally froze on Sasuke's retreating back as he walked away. Naruto clenched his fists and quickened his pace.

Inside a secret communications station near the Cloud Village border, Obito watched the slowly moving point of light on a map of the Ninja World through sensory data transmitted by White Zetsu clones. Although Naruto had suppressed the Nine-Tails' Chakra to a very low level, that vast, violent power was impossible to conceal within White Zetsu's unique sensory network, like a bonfire blazing in the darkness. Several White Zetsu sat on the ground before him and reported in nearly synchronized voices, "The Nine-Tails is moving northeast at a moderate speed. There are four protectors. The destination is unknown, but the sea