"How's the battle going inside? Did the Wood Release brat win, or did Uchiha Itachi win?"
The White Zetsu, now fused with Black Zetsu, eagerly questioned the other ordinary White Zetsu, but unfortunately, the ordinary White Zetsu, dragging back half of its broken body, only opened its mouth before its breath fell completely silent.
Black Zetsu fell silent. The power of the Deep Forest Emergence was even stronger than he had imagined. Even White Zetsu, who was also a plant mutated creature, could not escape unscathed after entering the Deep Forest Emergence.
It seems that Asura's reincarnation is going to win this battle... Black Zetsu silently speculated on the subsequent impact of this event and the extent to which it would interfere with the plan.
But the next second, the eerie and ominous black flames instantly devoured part of the Wood Release, and the Deep Forest Emergence was burned open. A large flock of Crow flew out of the gap, cawing wildly. After many were knocked down by the Wood Release, the remaining Crow condensed into the disheveled Uchiha Itachi, who also spat out a mouthful of bright red blood.
Even with his severe injuries, Uchiha Itachi showed no hesitation, transforming into a black shadow and rushing towards the edge of the desert.
" Uchiha Itachi, Akatsuki, I will surely wipe you out next time!"
An angry roar erupted from the Deep Forest Emergence, accompanied by over a dozen sharp wooden spikes that pierced the air. One of these spikes landed Black Zetsu Abyss; by a hair's breadth, his thousand-year-long plan would have been in vain...
"Get out of here!"
Terrified, Black Zetsu seized control of White Zetsu's body and quickly traversed the underground desert, following the faint footprints left by Uchiha Itachi.
After Black Zetsu left, Naoki Senju walked out unhurriedly. The Wood Release forest behind him made a huge rumbling sound as it slowly retreated back into the desert soil.
Looking at the landing point of the Cutting Technique, Naoki Senju secretly sighed in regret. Black Zetsu's ability to hide was comparable to that of the Six Paths Level. This time, it was only because of the intelligence advantage and the fact that Black Zetsu close to the Deep Forest Emergence that he was able to catch it by the tail. It would be difficult to have such an opportunity to ambush it again in the future.
After carefully putting away the Akatsuki intelligence scroll that Uchiha Itachi had given him, Naoki Senju pretended to be seriously injured and running out of Chakra, and slowly and laboriously walked toward Orochimaru's location.
Orochimaru is probably still trapped in Uchiha Itachi's Genjutsu, which gives him a reason to let Uchiha Itachi escape.
Naoki Senju strolled leisurely for a quarter of an hour under the cover of night before finally arriving at the place where Uchiha Itachi and Orochimaru were fighting.
But the utterly absurd scene before him stunned Naoki: three Orochimaru standing neatly together...
To be precise, there were two Orochimaru, and the other one was Kabuto Yakushi Orochimaru.
Seemingly sensing Naoki Senju's arrival, one of Orochimaru turned around. Seeing Naoki's empty hands and exhausted Naoki Senju, Orochimaru's gaze sharpened, but he showed no emotion. Instead, he warmly inquired about Naoki's condition.
" Naoki-kun's plan seems to have been quite successful. He was able to kill Hokuto from Akatsuki, so his strength is enough to make him one of the top Shinobi World. It's time for us older generation ninjas to retire."
Orochimaru's praise was poison disguised as honey, a fact that Naoki Senju knew all too well...
"These are just some petty tricks, not worth mentioning. But... Lord Cold-Blooded, what about the traitors of the Uchiha Clan?"
Naoki Senju struck first, directly blaming Orochimaru Uchiha Itachi's Genjutsu. However, judging from the three ' Orochimaru ' currently present, it seems the real Orochimaru never actually fought Uchiha Itachi, but rather used a decoy to test Uchiha Itachi...
Surprisingly, after hearing Naoki Senju's mockery, Orochimaru did not become angry. Instead, he revealed an expression of extreme longing, like a gourmet's desire for a delicacy...
"Itachi... is indeed a rare genius. Our preparations this time weren't thorough enough. Next time, next time we'll definitely be able to..."
Orochimaru left it at that, not revealing his ultimate goal, leaving only endless suspense.
" Naoki, Naoki!"
Tsunade's shouts came from afar. Orochimaru immediately put the most similar clone into the sealing scroll. Kabuto Yakushi, on the other hand, seemed to be still immersed in Uchiha Itachi's Genjutsu and was completely unaware of the changes in the outside world.
Naoki Senju quickly checked himself to make sure he had no obvious injuries before rushing over to greet Tsunade. His steps were swift and powerful, showing no sign of his previous weakness. Orochimaru, who witnessed all of this, had an even deeper gaze.
The moment they met, Tsunade gave Naoki a sharp rap on Naoki head. "Why didn't you drive Kakuzu here as planned? Did you think that killing a dozen Root rabble would give you the chance to face off against a ruthless elite missing-nin head-on?!"
Naoki Senju touched the spot where he had been hit, a warm feeling flowing through his heart, and he honestly admitted his mistake:
"I was wrong, it will never happen again."
I was wrong, but I'll do it again next time (whispering)
Tsunade was also somewhat surprised by Naoki's attitude of admitting his mistake. She had thought he would argue a bit more, and she had even prepared her lines... But this was fine too.
Even though Naoki Senju showed remorse and was very cooperative, Tsunade still maintained her elder sisterly demeanor and gave him a few words of reprimand, neither too harsh nor too mild.
After the reprimand, Tsunade didn't forget to offer a sweet treat. Tsunade opened her arms and hugged Naoki. After about twenty heartbeats, Tsunade pushed Naoki away and walked towards Orochimaru with a cold aura. She still had questions for Orochimaru.
" The Vanishing Facial Copy Technique."
Upon seeing Kabuto Yakushi dressed as Orochimaru and trapped in a deep Genjutsu, looking like a dazed fool, Tsunade immediately realized that Orochimaru was using Kabuto Yakushi as a substitute. The only way to do this was through the Vanishing Facial Copy Technique.
For Tsunade, the Scroll of Seals something she can look at almost whenever she wants, so she is naturally familiar with this Ninjutsu that is only C-rank but is rated as a forbidden technique.
Orochimaru nodded, confirming Tsunade's judgment. Tsunade gave a disdainful snort, but didn't say anything more. They had used even more costly tactics during Second Shinobi World War and Third Shinobi World War.
" Orochimaru, it's not just that you were once a member of Akatsuki, is it? You're incredibly familiar with the Akatsuki's inner workings. And these two Akatsuki members weren't targeting Naoki or me. They didn't even know Naoki's strength. Tell me, what did you do in Akatsuki, and what did you gain that made them hunt you down like this?"
Orochimaru seemed surprised to be exposed so quickly, realizing he had underestimated Tsunade's intelligence... After a moment of internal reflection, Orochimaru reluctantly said:
"I used some of Akatsuki's resources to achieve my own goals, and I betrayed them as a core member."
"Not enough." Tsunade's tone was firm and resolute.
Orochimaru sighed helplessly. His former teammates were sometimes so intelligent they were frightening.
"I've discovered the true leader of Akatsuki. The current leader is merely a puppet he's installed."
"Who?" Tsunade's curiosity was piqued.
Orochimaru said in a low voice:
"It's the legendary ninja who's long since died, Uchiha Madara!"