From now on, live and work for me.

Black Zetsu was sealed upon the ground, twisted like a shadow, resembling a smear of ink pinned in place.

That mastermind who had manipulated the Ninja World for thousands of years, guiding countless conflicts, could now only emit a faint, hoarse whisper.

"White Zetsu... visitors from beyond the heavens..."

"You... you don't understand at all... Mother's will... that is... the only true destination..."

The voice was laced with despair and obsession, like the final struggle of a candle before it flickers out.

Uchiha Yoru looked down at it, his expression so calm it bordered on cold, as if he were staring at a monument that had long since lost its meaning.

"You should not have harbored the delusion that the entire world would bear your mother's dying wish."

Uchiha Yoru's voice was low and stern, devoid of any emotion.

"True will has never needed to borrow a corpse to return to life."

The dust gradually settled, and the surroundings fell into a deathly silence, as if the world were finally able to catch its breath.

In the distance, Orochimaru stood in the shadows, his slender pupils slightly constricting.

He had witnessed Uchiha Yoru seal Black Zetsu, effortlessly suppress Senju Hashirama and the past Hokage, and even persuade Uchiha Madara to cooperate. His gaze held both scrutiny and a pathological excitement.

"Heh... truly remarkable, Uchiha Yoru."

He licked his dry lips, his voice carrying an undisguised obsession and fanaticism.

"This level of control... is the existence I have dreamed of."

He stepped forward slowly, radiating a dangerous aura.

His gaze swept across the ruined battlefield, scanning the half-destroyed Reanimated Bodies as if evaluating an unfinished experiment.

"I have waited for this era... for a very long time."

His voice was hoarse yet clear, carrying his usual confidence and playfulness. "Someone capable of truly pushing the Ninja World out of the mire has finally appeared."

He stopped, the corners of his mouth curling upward as he sized up Uchiha Yoru as if selecting experimental material: "You want to unify the Ninja World."

"And I... happen to be an expert at turning all chaos into something controllable."

"Chakra research, medical technology, cell regeneration, robotics... what I can offer is not just ninjutsu, but the fundamental ability to restructure the world."

His tone deepened, his eyes sharp as blades. "I can build a framework for you that will not collapse, providing the soil for your 'will' to truly take root."

"So—" he paused, his mouth curving into a near-pathological smile, "Uchiha Yoru, do you need a collaborator who is willing to delve into the darkest corners, yet capable of lighting the flame of utility?"

After Orochimaru's words fell, the air briefly stagnated.

Uchiha Yoru said nothing, merely watching him coldly, his gaze so profound it seemed capable of dismantling a person's soul.

His silence was the heaviest form of oppression.

Orochimaru's lips curled, seemingly accustomed to maintaining an elegant and humble posture before the strong. "I do not need power, nor do I seek status."

He spoke softly, his tone burning with a mix of reason and fanaticism. "I only want a space where I can conduct research freely—the essence of ninjutsu, the limits of life, the balance between nature and chakra..."

His eyes flickered, his voice low yet clear: "Only under the unified order you construct can all of this be realized."

"And I—will use my knowledge to lay the technical foundation for your new world."

Uchiha Yoru finally spoke, his voice cold and steady: "You should understand your place."

Not far away, Senju Hashirama knelt amidst the broken walls and rubble; his Reanimated Body was already falling apart, his chakra weak, yet his back remained straight. He slowly raised his head, looking toward that familiar figure, his voice low and sorrowful:

"Madara... are you really going to go this far?"

Uchiha Madara stood motionless, his back like a mountain. His voice was calm yet carried a hint of strange coldness:

"I have not changed anything; I have simply finally—seen clearly."

Hashirama trembled slightly at these words, his steps faltering, his eyes filled with pain:

"You once said there was no one in this world worth trusting. What about now? Are you willing to trust him?"

Madara finally turned slowly, his gaze sharp as a blade, looking straight at Hashirama without a shred of hesitation:

"Because he is not like you."

"You always thought that as long as you were sincere enough and persistent enough, people would understand you and follow you."

"But you were wrong—this world has never understood sincerity."

He took a step forward, his voice low and firm:

"The peace you speak of is an illusion built on hope and compromise... one that even you could not protect."

He looked toward the distance, his tone pausing:

"And I... once tried to create a world without pain using the Infinite Tsukuyomi, but even that eternity was, in the end, nothing more than a dream."

Madara's gaze returned to Hashirama, a flash of complexity and exhaustion in his eyes: "Now, he is walking a different path—perhaps cruel, perhaps extreme, but at least it is real. Only an order that makes everyone fear, an order they cannot resist, can bring true stability."

Hashirama fell silent, lowering his eyes as if facing an ending he had long sensed but never accepted.

"Madara... in the end, you still chose power."

He sighed softly, his mournful gaze resting on Uchiha Yoru's steady, rock-like back:

"Perhaps... we no longer belong to this era."

Uchiha Madara's expression remained unchanged, devoid of the slightest hesitation. He looked toward the figure standing in the center of the battlefield, whose aura was unfathomable, and spoke in a flat tone:

"Yoru, what is the next move?"

Uchiha Yoru glanced at Black Zetsu on the ground, a cold sneer curling his lips.

"This guy... can still be squeezed for some value."

As he spoke, his Rinnegan flashed.

Black Zetsu's expression changed abruptly: "You--no! You cannot--"

Before he could finish, a sharp pain swept through his entire body.

"Ahhhhhhh--!!!"

His body began to wither rapidly, and masses of black substance were stripped away, transforming into energy that swirled around Uchiha Yoru's right palm.

Uchiha Yoru reached out with his left hand, grasping at the void, and a faint soul was forcibly dragged out.

It was Nagato.

His face was calm, his eyes devoid of resentment, holding only the silence of the afterlife.

Uchiha Yoru thrust both palms forward, one condensing the residual power of Black Zetsu, the other guiding the soul, and spoke indifferently:

"Since you have submitted to me, you should not die so casually."

As the words fell, light gathered in his palms.

With a flash of light, amidst the broken remains, Nagato's body was rapidly repaired and reconstructed.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes abruptly, his whole body trembling violently as he coughed intensely.

"Cough... I..."

Uchiha Yoru looked down at him, his tone calm:

"From now on, live, and work for me."

Nagato's body paused slightly; in his previous spiritual state, he had already perceived everything around him.

When he confirmed that Konan was merely unconscious and in no serious danger, the stone in his heart finally fell.

"...Understood."

He lowered his head and touched his eyes; the Rinnegan was no longer there.

In its place were a pair of ordinary eyes, yet his perception had become increasingly sharp and powerful.

The effect of the Black Zetsu-grade Yin-Yang Release was remarkably significant; his body and soul had fused once more, restoring the aura of his past.

This resurrection was not merely a return from the dead, but rather... a total submission.