The Third Raikage had lost his heart, but due to his immense strength, he still clung to life. After the group left the encirclement of Iwagakure, the Third Raikage suddenly said, "Bee, put me down. Remember what I'm about to say."
"By, you and A grew up together. After I die, A will be in your care. He's impulsive, so I'll need your help a lot!" The Third Raikage's voice was somewhat weak.
"Lord Raikage, I will." Killer B sighed and then agreed to the Third Raikage's request.
The Third Raikage nodded. "Yes, I have been struck by Ōnoki's Dust Release, and my heart has been disintegrated. There is no hope of Rotation. You shall inherit my position and become the Fourth Raikage, unite the village, develop the village, and allow it to recuperate and await the opportune moment."
"Father, Father, hold on a little longer! Once we get back to the village, I'll find the best medical-nin to save you! You won't die, you won't!" Young Lord A cried out. Today, he had lost his last blood relative in this world.
From now on, Ai will be all alone! He doesn't want that!
"You bastard, is this how I taught you? Don't cry. Kumogakure doesn't believe in tears. If you really want your father to rest in peace, then train hard in the future and strive to destroy Iwagakure to avenge your father!" The Third Raikage finally couldn't hold on any longer, and his voice fell silent after he finished saying the word "revenge."
"Father!" A cried out in anguish, clutching the body of the Third Raikage, sobbing uncontrollably. Killer B patted his shoulder, but A pushed him away and continued to weep.
Killer B's eyes dimmed, but he didn't say anything. After all, it was normal for his brother to lose his only father today and not be able to control his emotions.
Just then, Black Zetsu's voice suddenly appeared, "Hehehe, what a touching scene, little guy. Do you want your father to come back to life?"
"Who?! Who's playing tricks on me?!" Killer B roared, seemingly resurrected from the dead. He had never heard of such an ability before! With that, Killer B prepared to use the Tailed Beast Chakra!
Ai stopped him. "By! Step back!" His expression was serious, his eyes filled with hope as he shouted, "Who are you? If you can truly save my father, the Kumogakure will surely treat you as an honored guest!"
"Hmm~ Kid, you're smart enough to step back and lay your father's body flat. Any later and he'll be beyond saving!" Black Zetsu's voice became serious.
Upon hearing this, Young Lord A acted swiftly, following Black Zetsu's instructions to complete everything. Then, he stepped back, keeping a close eye on his father's body, afraid of missing any details.
Black Zetsu's timing was excellent. He gave a person a glimmer of hope when they were in despair, and no matter how outrageous or difficult that hope was to achieve, he would do everything in his power to seize it.
"Big brother, do you really believe such a thing could happen?" Killer B some doubt. Ai glanced at him but didn't speak. At this moment, he had placed all his hopes on that voice and had no time to think about whether this matter was reliable!
Killer B sighed and stared at the Third Raikage's chest. How could that cylindrical hole be easily repaired? However, what happened next made the two of them gasp, and even Gyūki began to question his existence!
Black Zetsu leaped from the tree into the Third Raikage's chest, and then black liquid connected to the various blood vessels. The liquid in the middle began to deform, forming the shape of a heart, which began to beat, thump, thump-thump, thump-thump-thump, thump-thump-thump, thump.
The sound was very clear, and then fleshy buds sprouted on the Third Raikage's body. In an instant, he was completely restored. The Third Raikage's eyes snapped open, and he looked around in confusion, asking, "Ah, Bee? I'm not dead? What happened?"
Young Lord A shouted excitedly, "Father! Father, a dark shadow just saved you!" Ai began to tell the Third Raikage what had happened after his death. The Third Raikage was also surprised; such a thing was actually possible.
"Heh, Raikage, I have now become your heart. We are symbiotic beings. However, I can leave you at any time, but you cannot leave me." Black Zetsu's voice startled both Young Lord A and the Third Raikage A.
The Third Raikage reacted quickly, shouting, "If you're trying to use this to threaten me and make me do anything detrimental to Kumogakure, then I'd rather die!"
"Father, no!" Young Lord A pleaded with his father, but the Third Raikage slapped him across the face. "What are you crying for! As the Kage of a village, your duty is to protect the village and seek its benefits!"
"Tsk tsk, as expected of the Third Raikage, known as the strongest Raikage. Don't worry, I won't let you do anything to Kumogakure. However, there's one thing: I'll need you to attack Konoha in the future," Black Zetsu's voice rang out.
The Third Raikage frowned. "Attack Konoha? I can't do it. The Kumogakure's resources accumulated over the past eight years have been completely depleted. I estimate they won't be able to make a move for the next ten years!"
"I didn't say now. Although Konoha is very strong now, everyone dies eventually. Uchiha Kō is dead. Do you think Konoha will still be as difficult to defeat as it is now?" Black Zetsu's voice was seductive.
"But I think I died before Uchiha Kō, right? He was only in his twenties, not even thirty!" The Third Raikage rolled his eyes.
"Hehe, no, as long as I'm here, as long as I live, you won't die, and your strength can always remain at its peak!" Black Zetsu was very confident.
The Third Raikage's heart skipped a beat. It seemed to make sense. If that were the case, on the day Uchiha Kō died, he would probably be able to rule the entire Ninja World! By then, that old guy Ōnoki would also be dead, and there would be no one in the entire Ninja World who could rival him!
Black Zetsu scoffed inwardly. Now that he could perceive everything in the Third Raikage's mind, he felt ashamed of the Third Raikage's lack of ambition. A real man should be thinking about how to save the Sage of Sage of Six Paths' mother!
"Then I look forward to your guidance from now on. By the way, what's your name?" the Third Raikage asked casually.
"Black Zetsu!" Black Zetsu replied, then fell silent, controlling his main body to pump blood into the Third Raikage's body. This Third Raikage's talent was truly remarkable, and his blood vessels were also very thick. He felt that this time he had chosen the right piece!
After the three discussed it for a while, the Third Raikage stood up, feeling the abundant Chakra in his body, and said with a smile, "Son, Bee, let's go back to the village and see which rats jumped out when we left."
"Yes!" Killer B and A replied, and the group headed towards Kumogakure.
Ōnoki led the ninjas back to the village. It was not yet time to counterattack. The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was still at his peak, and Han was not even able to restrain him. If he were to restrain the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Kitsuchi would not be strong enough to overwhelm Ai. Even if the army won, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. It would be better to wait until Han recovered his strength.
Upon returning to the village, he received news from Ling Lingqi: "The Third Raikage is not dead! Moreover, he swiftly and decisively eliminated those troublemakers in Kumogakure!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could the Third Raikage not be dead? His heart was disintegrated by my Dust Release, how could he still be alive?" Ōnoki roared, but after venting his anger, he calmed down.
Ling Lingqi wouldn't lie to him, which meant the Third Raikage really was alive. Ōnoki couldn't help but gasp. Had the medical technology of Kumogakure become so advanced?
Even without a heart, he can still live? Ōnoki began to question the meaning of life, and then regretted that he should have disintegrated the Third Raikage even if he had taken a hit from that brat!
"Damn it! One wrong step and you're doomed!" Ōnoki slammed his fist on the table, startling the Iwagakure high-ranking Lord Tsuchikage? He was perfectly fine just a moment ago, saying he wanted to discuss the subsequent occupation of Kumogakure, but now...
"Meeting adjourned! Do not mention the attack on Kumogakure again! Begin recruiting new ninjas for the entire village and intensify their training!" After giving these instructions, Ōnoki walked out of the office.
After reaching a secluded spot, Ōnoki took out his phone and called Uchiha Kō. "Hey? Owl, the Third Raikage has come back to life!"
Uchiha Kō was celebrating his victory with the Mizukage in Cai Xu Village when he received this news. His eyes narrowed instantly. The Konoha Ninja, who had been beaming with joy, fell silent upon seeing this and stared intently at Uchiha Kō.
"What's going on? A resurrection? Lord Tsuchikage, please explain in more detail." Uchiha Kō glanced at the officers and generals on the field, then took a deep breath and walked outside.
Ōnoki told Uchiha Kō about what happened that morning, and he specifically mentioned that the Raikage's heart had been disintegrated, but he was now sitting perfectly fine in the Raikage's Office, handling post-war matters.
Uchiha Kō narrowed his eyes. He believed that the Kumogakure's Ninjutsu was superb, after all, the power of technology was immeasurable. But if you were to tell me that the Raikage could be saved even with his heart gone, he would be different.
Uchiha Kō then needed to think carefully about whether this was a problem with medical technology or some unknown force. After listening to Ōnoki's account, he quietly pondered for a minute before replying, "Alright, I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Lord Tsuchikage. If Iwagakure is ever in trouble, please let me know, and I will take action."
Ōnoki breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was afraid of Kumogakure, but rather that today's events were simply too unbelievable. He had never heard of someone living without a heart before. Was that even human? Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't have done that, could he?
Does the Raikage possess the strength of the Sage of Six Paths? No! Does he even deserve it?