Black Zetsu

The destruction of Kumogakure was merely the first step on the chessboard.

However, Uchiha Yoru felt a slight sense of disappointment.

The system showed no reaction whatsoever.

He had originally assumed that destroying a ninja village would yield a reward, yet the system remained completely unmoved, not even providing a single notification, which caused him to frown slightly.

It seems the other ninja villages simply cannot compare to Konoha!

A moment later, he gathered his thoughts and returned to Konoha with a hint of regret.

After returning to the village, he immediately summoned the Police Force to head to the former capital of the Land of Lightning and take over Kumogakure.

After inspecting the situation within the village and confirming that everything was in order, Uchiha Yoru began to plan his next move.

However, before that, he had to resolve a more important matter—

Three Tailed Beasts were currently being kept by him in the depths of the forest outside Konoha.

Uchiha Yoru had not chosen to seal these behemoths; instead, he had used his own formidable ocular power to force them into a binding summoning contract.

From this day forward, whether they were willing or not, they would have to obey his summons; when the time came to suppress the One-Tail, he could simply summon them for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to absorb.

With everything properly arranged, he had intended to head directly to Sunagakure.

But before that, there was one more place he had to visit in person.

—Amegakure.

At the border of the Land of Fire.

A light breeze blew by, carrying a hint of damp moisture.

Uchiha Yoru walked along the forest path with a calm, leisurely stride, yet his speed was astonishingly fast.

Occasionally, a flash of the Flying Thunder God would instantly bridge a distance of several dozen meters.

Suddenly—

His gaze sharpened, and his pupils constricted slightly.

"Interesting."

The corners of Uchiha Yoru's mouth curled up, and his footsteps came to a halt.

On the tree trunk ahead, a figure quietly emerged.

The person was draped in a straw raincoat with a low-hanging hood, their entire form shrouded in shadow.

Even without seeing the face, Uchiha Yoru could still detect the faint, lingering aura of Yin-Yang Release emanating from the other party.

In the silent forest, the breeze brushed past gently.

The air seemed to grow stagnant.

The next second—

Uchiha Yoru arrived in a flash, the Flying Thunder God technique leaving behind an afterimage as his left hand slammed toward the figure.

"Playing god!"

However, the figure moved slightly, dodging the strike in an instant.

"Oh?"

Uchiha Yoru narrowed his eyes, revealing a smile of genuine interest.

The black shadow standing on the tree trunk slowly raised its head.

"You finally sensed me."

The voice was low and hoarse, carrying a hint of a mocking tone.

Black Zetsu watched Uchiha Yoru quietly, as if scrutinizing or perhaps weighing something.

"Truly, the reincarnation of Indra."

Black Zetsu was ecstatic inside.

What surprised it was why this brat also possessed the aura of Ashura?

Had the matching mechanism it set up developed a bug?

However, that was unimportant; in Black Zetsu's eyes, the Uchiha Yoru before it was even more arrogant, powerful, and ambitious than the Indra of a thousand years ago!

Such a person was the most suitable to be guided.

"I know what you are doing."

Black Zetsu spoke slowly, its tone eerie.

"Let me guess, you want to build a peaceful world, right?"

Uchiha Yoru did not respond, merely watching the other party quietly, as if waiting for him to continue his performance.

Seeing this, Black Zetsu became even more certain, and its tone grew more assertive: "Although your strength is already formidable, it is far from enough to truly unify the Ninja World."

"And so?"

Uchiha Yoru's tone was indifferent, as if he did not care in the slightest.

"He's taken the bait!"

Black Zetsu felt a surge of wild ecstasy within.

He continued, "I have a plan, a plan that can truly achieve permanent peace."

"The Infinite Tsukuyomi."

"Capture the Tailed Beasts, use the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to absorb them, and become the Ten-Tails jinchuriki!"

"Then, cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi!"

Black Zetsu's voice was low, carrying a hint of seduction.

"Once the Infinite Tsukuyomi is cast, the entire world will be immersed in the most perfect illusion. Whether it is war, hatred, or pain, all will be completely erased."

"That will be a world of eternal peace, a perfect Ninja World without any more conflict!"

Black Zetsu's voice was filled with fanaticism, as if he had already seen that idealized future.

However, Uchiha Yoru merely looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"...Is that so?"

His voice was calm and profound.

Black Zetsu's heart skipped a beat.

The next instant—

"BOOM!"

A violent aura swept outward. Uchiha Yoru's pupils shifted abruptly, his scarlet Sharingan reflecting Black Zetsu's ink-black figure.

"Do you think you've underestimated me too much?"

Uchiha Yoru slowly raised his hand, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, yet his tone carried a trace of indifferent chill.

"If I am constantly growing stronger, what meaning does the Infinite Tsukuyomi have?!"

Black Zetsu's heart shuddered, a faint sense of unease rising within him.

But he was not afraid—he was the product of Yin-Yang Release; ordinary ninjutsu could do nothing to him.

However, the next second, his pupils contracted violently.

Uchiha Yoru's eyes... shifted instantly from the Sharingan to the Rinnegan!

What?!!

Black Zetsu's mind was shaken to its core.

In this world... besides Uchiha Madara, there was actually a second person who had awakened the Rinnegan later in life?!

The birth of the Rinnegan, aside from being innate, required the fusion of Ashura's and Indra's chakra!

He had sensed both of these auras on Uchiha Yoru earlier and had assumed it was just a misconception... but now, this fact shattered his understanding!

Furthermore, even if one gathered both types of chakra, the awakening of the Rinnegan was an extremely long process.

Uchiha Madara had spent his entire life taking that step... yet the youth before him had done it so easily?!

Black Zetsu's thoughts raced; even the disappearance of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path seemed to have an explanation now—only a wielder of the Rinnegan could summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path at will!

But the problem was, this brat not only refused to buy into his plan, but even radiated a... dangerous hostility toward him.

"Heh."

Uchiha Yoru's palm moved slightly, and pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs slowly condensed, emitting a heart-stopping aura of destruction.

He looked at Black Zetsu with a half-smile, a certain unsettling light flickering deep within his eyes.

"Since you've come... you aren't leaving."

"Damn it!"

Black Zetsu's complexion, already as dark as the bottom of a pot, turned completely grim. He had survived until now and had never encountered such a sense of crisis.

The Uchiha Yoru before him was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

He had to leave!

However... before he could take action, Uchiha Yoru had already raised his hand and swept it forward—

BOOM!

The void trembled as the power of the Six Paths surged out. Several Truth-Seeking Orbs shot forth like meteors, sealing off all of Black Zetsu's paths of retreat!

"Six Paths—Hell Burial!"

Uchiha Yoru sneered and clenched his fist abruptly. The Truth-Seeking Orbs instantly detonated, transforming into a monstrous storm of darkness that swallowed Black Zetsu whole!

"Argh—!"

Black Zetsu let out a piercing scream as his body began to twist and dissolve under the crushing pressure of the Truth-Seeking Orbs.

However, just as Uchiha Yoru thought he could resolve the matter completely, Black Zetsu's already torn body suddenly writhed violently, transforming into countless black tentacles that scattered in every direction!

"Trying to run?"

Uchiha Yoru let out a cold snort, his hands weaving through seals in a blur before he thrust his palms forward!

In an instant, four Truth-Seeking Orbs elongated and tore through the air, slashing viciously toward the shadow of Black Zetsu as it fled!

"Hiss--!"

Black Zetsu's tentacles were torn apart in an instant, the residual black sludge dissipating like smoke, yet its will did not perish entirely. Instead, seizing the moment of its destruction, it transformed into a faint afterimage and dove deep into the ground!

Uchiha Yoru's eyes turned cold as the perception of his Sage Body spread out, attempting to lock onto Black Zetsu's position—but the next second, his brow furrowed slightly.

It... vanished?

Beneath the ground, a trace of an extremely faint shadow was moving slowly, and Black Zetsu's voice seemed to echo in the void, sinister and low:

"Uchiha Yoru!!!"

Whoosh--!

The shadow hid itself completely, as if it had never existed at all.

Uchiha Yoru stared at the direction where Black Zetsu had vanished, his gaze deep and inscrutable, yet a playful smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Heh... you certainly run fast."

He slowly withdrew his hands and looked down at the ground, the Rinnegan in his eyes rotating slightly, refracting an unfathomable light.

"However... next time, you won't be so lucky."