Muzan knew of Naruto's existence, and he also knew the responsibility Naruto carried. But he would not deliberately target a child.
That came from confidence.
The Great Toad Sage's prophecy did make him wary, but as for the future, Muzan did not believe that prophecy alone could determine fate.
A strong person's future could only be grasped in their own hands. He would remain vigilant toward those elusive prophecies, but not to the point of deliberately targeting someone because of them.
In times of peace, everyone exercised restraint. Even though Akatsuki was collecting Tailed Beasts, they had not clashed with the villages on a large scale. However, the pace of their collection had not slowed.
They had already gathered eight of the great Tailed Beasts. They had now reached a critical point: they only needed the Nine-Tails' chakra to revive the Ten-Tails.
When that time came, neither the Land of Waves nor the Five Great Shinobi Villages would matter.
Meanwhile, Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu stood in the shadows. Bound by their interests, they maintained a delicate partnership, but both knew that if they could severely weaken the other during the collection of the Tailed Beasts, neither would hesitate to do so.
Only by weakening the other could they ensure their own plans proceeded smoothly.
After all, the Ten-Tails' appearance signified the success of the final plan. Whether they intended to revive Madara Uchiha or unseal Kaguya-hime, neither goal could be achieved without the Ten-Tails.
Now, only the Nine-Tails remained uncaptured.
However, to obtain the Nine-Tails, they would need to enter Mount Myoboku. Even Nagato, who had fought those toads before, was somewhat wary of their strength.
The Shinobi World only needed a spark to erupt into war.
Clearly, the Nine-Tails was that spark. Some people had already noticed Naruto's