Black Zetsu: Just Because I Looked at Him One More Time

A remote mountain village in the Land of Birds.

Today, a cluster of houses has been built along the valley, where mountain streams converge to form a river that flows from the center to the lake in the Land of Birds.

On the hillside, sheets of paper support pieces of wood and stones, reinforcing the rock face.

"That was really tough!"

Looking down into the valley, Yahiko felt an indescribable sense of pride and excitement.

"Nagato, this is our village, built from scratch to where it is today!"

"Yes."

A slight smile appeared on Nagato's lips.

Although it's not the Land of Rain, but...

Very nice!

He suddenly looked at Yahiko and laughed, "Do you still want to go back to the Land of Rain?"

"Yes, I want to!"

Yahiko nodded without hesitation.

Looking down at the mountain village below, he said, "The more beautiful the scenery before me, the more I want to bring this beauty to everyone in my hometown, so that everyone can live such a life."

Nagato paused, then looked down and fell silent.

Yahiko turned his head.

Why aren't you saying anything? What are you thinking about?

"It's nothing. I just feel that your ideals are so much greater than mine and Konan's. Our ideals are just to live our own lives well."

Nagato smiled and replied, "Our current life is already very happy for us."

"Hahaha, what lofty ideals? It's just wishful thinking. The distance between 'wishing' and 'doing' is as far as the distance between here and the Land of Water."

Yahiko spread his arms wide, exaggerating as he gave an example.

but.

At that very moment.

"That's true, but you two, given the current state of the Land of Rain, even if we managed to develop it to this extent, what would be the point? What if war breaks out between the great ninja villages..."

"Small ninja villages like this."

"Like a fragile wooden bridge, it will be crushed by the machine of war and then—vanish into nothingness."

A strange voice sounded from behind.

Yahiko and Nagato immediately turned around, their eyes filled with vigilance.

Before me stood a strange figure, half black and half white.

On its head, leaves resembling those of a pitcher plant grew out, making it look extremely strange.

"Who are you?"

Nagato's eyes, hidden beneath his hair, had already locked onto his opponent, and he slightly raised his hand.

If Yahiko makes any move, he will immediately activate his Ninjutsu to pull the monster in front of him towards him.

"I am Jue, an information broker."

"Selling intelligence... I have no intelligence to sell, nor to buy. You can leave now."

Yahiko's tone was full of vigilance.

A slight smile played on Jue's lips.

"Don't be so absolute. Perhaps you'll need my help in the future."

"At least not now."

Yahiko coldly refused.

This guy in front of him made him feel very dangerous!

It wasn't that the other party was very powerful, but rather that their strange form, their ability to approach them silently, and their identity as an "information broker" made him very uneasy.

Furthermore, this person also seems to have been involved in the Sasori of the Red Sands incident.

The other party is the one stirring up trouble.

Their business is destined to plunge the Shinobi World into chaos.

Jue smiled slightly.

"Since that's the case..."

He was about to continue speaking when, in the next second, a figure suddenly appeared between them.

In the next instant, Jue vanished underground.

but.

In an instant, the figure was beside him.

Boom!

With a single punch, half of the body underground shattered, its flesh and blood staining the surrounding rubble, and the figure swiftly escaped Earth Style.

"Wow, that's fast!"

Kyohiko sighed regretfully, but did not pursue the matter further.

Black Zetsu possesses the Yin–Yang Release technique, making it difficult to detect with ordinary senses, so tracking it is pointless.

and.

Even if they catch up, with ordinary sealing abilities, they probably wouldn't be able to seal Black Zetsu.

He gathered up the surrounding stones.

Yahiko and Nagato, the parties involved, were completely bewildered at that moment.

Just now...

what happened?

Why did Kyohiko suddenly appear, and why did he smash that guy's body almost without hesitation the next second?

This decisiveness is as if one has confirmed that the other party is an enemy.

He looked at Kyohiko blankly.

"What exactly is going on? Also, why did you suddenly appear here?"

"Well, as you can see, I just returned from the Land of Snow."

Kyohiko was still wearing the thick coat from the Land of Snow, which made him feel quite hot. After taking it off, the Gyuki Gyuki his shoulder appeared, and it scanned his surroundings...

Then, its eyes instantly fixed on Nagato.

"You brat, your eyes!"

The Gyuki's tone suddenly became tense and urgent. Then, it tried to jump in front of Nagato, but hesitated because of its current size...

Bang!

In an instant, it crashed to the ground.

Kyohiko picked it up and pulled it in front of Nagato, Nagato nervously tried to avoid it.

Don't get too close!

He was very unhappy.

Kyohiko laughed and said, "It's nothing, this guy is just curious."

The Gyuki's tail smacked him, then it exclaimed excitedly, "Your eyes are also Rinnegan? How do you have these eyes!"

"..."

Nagato gave it a strange look, but didn't bother to reply.

but.

That glance made him notice that the other person's structure was quite strange.

Tail...

Eight tails?

Its appearance is also very strange, and its Chakra fluctuations are very strong, but they seem to be sealed.

ah???

Nagato's eyes widened as she looked at Kyohiko in disbelief.

"No way?!!"

"What's wrong, Nagato?"

Yahiko was stunned.

What's going on? Why are you experiencing such a drastic emotional fluctuation?

Letting it see won't hurt.

It's just a summoned beast.

Nagato swallowed hard and said, "It should be the Eight-Tails, right?"

"Yes, it's Gyuki."

Kyohiko continued, "Furthermore, as you can see, Nagato's eyes are the Rinnegan."

The Gyuki nodded in a daze.

It recognized it.

Rinnegan!

Could it be the old man's eyes?

No, that's unlikely!

The old man's eyes should have completely decayed with his death, making it impossible for them to have survived to this day.

Where did you get your Rinnegan?

"I don't know, it's been around for a long time."

Nagato answered.

After that...

A painful memory flashed through his mind, and a hint of hidden pain flickered in his eyes as he looked at Kyohiko.

Konoha's ninja!

Although his Teacher Jiraiya, who taught him Ninjutsu, was also a Konoha ninja, it is also a fact that his parents died at the Konoha Ninja.

After a moment of silence, he looked at Yahiko.

"I'll go down and help first."

"Good."

Yahiko nodded.

After Nagato left, he looked at Kyohiko, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

"That guy just now, was he really the one who was with Sasori of the Red Sands before?"

"Yes, it presents two colors, black and white, and it seems that the black part is the real thing. Of course, that's not the point. The point is..."

Kyohiko glanced down. "Based on our Konoha intelligence network, we can confirm that their mastermind is Madara Uchiha."

"Madara Uchiha?"

Even though Yahiko is a relatively calm and composed person, he was still shocked when he suddenly heard the identity of the person behind him.

Madara Uchiha.

He was a figure who, along with Hashirama Senju, was renowned throughout an era.

He's still alive?

Yahiko's first reaction...

I can't believe it.

Then, he met Kyohiko's gaze and, seeing the other's calm and unwavering eyes, finally believed him.

This is true!

"Ban, is he really still alive?"

"I'm not sure if it's really Ban, but that's not important. What's important is that right now their goal is to concentrate all their resources... on dealing with me."

Kyohiko couldn't help but chuckle at the end.

I never imagined that one day I would become the target of Madara's attack; thinking about it now, I feel a sense of pride.

This is probably the treatment Hashirama Senju received, right?

certainly.

If it were Madara at his peak, he certainly wouldn't have used the same strategy against his current self.

Time waits for no one!

Even Madara Uchiha can only cling to life now with the help of an oxygen tube, which is quite a sad state of affairs.

Yahiko couldn't comprehend Kyohiko's thoughts at that moment.

He felt that this situation seemed somewhat hopeless.

also.

"You came here hoping to get my help, didn't you?"

If that's the case, he felt rather powerless.

Kyohiko nodded, then shook his head.

"I need your help, but in the form of ensuring your safety and preventing any danger. You must know, they have already begun attacking the Tailed Beast."

"Takigakure has been attacked, and their Seven-Tails Jinchuriki is likely to be taken away."

"My main purpose in coming here is to use you as a springboard to reach Sunagakure and see if we can Shukaku Sunagakure. Also..."

"You don't think Nagato is safe, do you?"

Kyohiko looked down into the valley below.

This scene is indeed very happy and beautiful, but war could break out on this beautiful land at any time.

Because the Rinnegan exists here.

Yahiko clearly understood Kyohiko's meaning, and—

They've already come to us; do we need to explain the outcome?

He was silent for a few seconds. "What should we do?"

"Looking at you, perhaps..."

Kyohiko thought for a moment and said, "With Nagato's existence concealed, you can consider cooperating with Amegakure and Hanzo. You have a natural foundation for cooperation."

Yahiko is a ninja from Amegakure).

even.

Most of the people in the Land of Birds today come from Amegakure).

Hanzo himself greatly admired Yahiko.

The two hit it off immediately when they decided to collaborate.

Yahiko was silent for a few seconds, then nodded slightly.

This is a viable approach.

The question is, what about Nagato?

He looked down.

Nagato...

"Mount Myoboku?"

"I thought so."

Kyohiko nodded.

Yahiko did not have a contract with Mount Myoboku, but Nagato gained the approval of the Toad Sage.

"Going to Mount Myoboku will also allow Nagato to focus on training in Sage Mode. Once he masters this power, Nagato's strength will reach an even higher level."

Sage Mode plus the Rinnegan.

If combined with the secret techniques of the two great sages of Mount Myoboku, allowing Nagato to maintain Sage Mode for an extended period, very few in the Shinobi World would be able to defeat Nagato.

Yahiko quickly thought it over and soon realized that Kyohiko's plan was reasonable.

and.

This is arguably the most suitable solution for them at present!

"Alright, there's no time to lose. I'll talk to Nagato right away. Thank you, Kyohiko."

Yahiko was extremely grateful.

This wasn't the first time Kyohiko had helped them, but each time his assistance was timely.

Just like this time...

If it weren't for Kyohiko's arrival, he might not have realized how dangerous his situation was.

"It's nothing. I have my own selfish reasons too. After all, I absolutely don't want the enemy to have an extra pair of Rinnegan, or even... Nagato and Konan."

Kyohiko answered seriously.

Yahiko nodded slightly, vaguely understanding the unspoken meaning behind Kyohiko's words.

Even if Nagato goes to Mount Myoboku, you can't let your guard down, because the enemy's biggest target is likely you or Konan.

Kyohiko gave him further instructions.

Yahiko took a deep breath.

"I know they really depend on me..."

If I were to die.

Nagato and Konan will likely be kept in the dark by Madara and his group, and be used by the enemy.

He must live!

Yahiko's expression was grave. "While they haven't fully united and taken action yet, I must immediately begin my plan. Kyohiko, I won't accompany you any longer."

"Yes, I'm going to Sunagakure too."

"I'll join forces with Hanzo and see what his attitude is. I'll contact you then."

"Good."

Below, Yahiko appeared in Body Flicker Technique and clapped his hands.

People around immediately looked over.

Seeing everyone's gazes, Yahiko's eyes revealed a hint of reluctance, but...

He gritted his teeth and finally spoke.

"We've all worked so hard to settle down in the Land of Birds and build this village, but now, I'm planning to take a few people and leave, returning to Amegakure!"

A commotion immediately erupted below.

go back?

Konan and Nagato exchanged a glance, both utterly astonished and incredulous.

"Why?"

"Nagato, that guy just now was probably Madara's henchman. They're planning to start an unprecedented Shinobi World war!"

Yahiko explained, "In the Land of Birds, our strength is too weak to protect everyone. We must unite with the power of Amegakure to have any chance of survival."

"Of course, this also has to do with the three of us personally..."

"So, who's willing to come back to Amegakure with me?"

Yahiko laughed and said a lot.

The people below looked at each other in bewilderment.

Finally, several people stood up. "Chief Yahiko, we are willing to go back with you!"

Yahiko glanced around.

After these few people, everyone else stood up, scattered here and there.

A tear rolled down Yahiko's cheek.

Then, he looked up.

"I'm sorry, I can't take too many people with me, so, Kyosuke, you've been with me for a long time and learned a lot about handling village affairs, you and the rest of you will stay in the village."

"We need people here too!"

Yahiko smiled gently.

Kyosuke his reluctance, Kyusuke could only nod in agreement.

Konan frowned and asked, "Am I leaving too?"

"Certainly!"

Yahiko nodded earnestly.

Then, he looked at Nagato.

"Nagato, go there. Go there to cultivate even more powerful Sage Techniques. Right now, you and we are still too weak!"

Previously, the Toad of Mount Myoboku had inquired about Nagato's intentions in this regard, but Nagato had consistently made excuses and refused to go.

Yahiko's words left Nagato with no room for refusal.

"I..."

Nagato's face was filled with resentment.

but.

Finally, he nodded silently. "I'll go to Mount Myoboku!"

Yahiko walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Feel sorry!"

"I understand, I've dragged everyone down."

Nagato covered her eyes.

He is not stupid.

Yahiko and Konan both went to Amegakure, but he alone needed to go to Mount Myoboku for training. Clearly, this wasn't simply to make him stronger; there was another layer of meaning...

He was too weak to protect those eyes.

I need to become stronger!

"When we meet again, I will show you the power of these eyes, and I will make everyone afraid to even think of harming us again!"

Nagato resolutely entered the tunnel.

"I believe in you, because you are definitely the ' Child of Prophecy ' who shoulders the future of the Shinobi World!"

Yahiko smiled brightly.

Nagato nodded emphatically.

Parting is the most painful thing, but after hearing Yahiko's words, everyone agreed with his judgment.

This is Yahiko's prestige in this area, and also the reason why Yahiko was unwilling to take too many people back with him.

Hanzo was a remarkable and heroic figure, but also a suspicious man.

He needs to be more vigilant.

After bidding farewell, Nagato summoned Toad and, using the Reverse Summoning Jutsu of Mount Myoboku, headed directly to Mount Myoboku.

Yahiko then led Konan and several of his men towards Amegakure.

Standing on the hilltop, Konan looked back at the surrounding area.

Will we come back?

"Of course, once all is at peace, once the schemers are killed, we will return here and rebuild our home, and... I will make the Land of Rain a better place!"

Yahiko looked in the direction of the Land of Rain.

"Our current forbearance is only for our future reunion! Therefore, we must live!"

"Um!"

Konan nodded emphatically.