The leaves of the Divine Tree and the liquid it supplied did little to increase strength, but they worked wonders for sustaining life.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had been sealed for a thousand years. Throughout that time, the Secret Bases scattered across the Shinobi World had received no Chakra.
Yet when Madara Uchiha summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path back to the Shinobi World a thousand years later, the half-transformed White Zetsu were still alive.
Gray Snake nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll study it carefully."
"Do you remember what I promised you? Once you've trained suitable successors, you and Black Fox can leave whenever you wish."
Gray Snake smiled. "Sir, we've grown used to this life. There's no need to change it."
The Four-Tails Jinchūriki nodded. Fugaku understood Gray Snake's thinking. The Shinobi World might appear peaceful, but dangerous currents ran beneath the surface, and bloodshed could erupt at any moment.
At the very least, Gray Snake and Black Fox controlled all of Root. They held considerable power, and Fugaku rarely interfered in Root's internal affairs.
He left everything to Black Fox and Gray Snake. He had no interest in the power struggles within Akatsuki. As long as they completed the tasks he assigned, he did not care how they changed things.
Root was only a tool. Even abandoning it would cost him nothing.
Fugaku slowly opened his eyes and ordered the Ninja brought back through Impure World Reincarnation to return.
The resurrected Ninja regained control of their bodies. They split up, vanished in the blink of an eye, and headed for the Land of Rivers.
Rain fell without end in the Land of Rain. Three figures in conical hats walked slowly through it, leaving a trail of footprints.
They were Fujimoto, Kakuzu, and Sasori of