The sudden turn of events sent shockwaves through the audience. Murmurs spread like wildfire. What's happening? That student… a spy? Was this part of the exam?
But no one was more shaken than Kushina. The moment she saw Naruto getting stabbed, her vision blurred, and her heart nearly stopped. Panic surged through her as she screamed, "Naruto!"
The entire audience shot to their feet. Kana quickly reached out to steady Kushina, while others prepared to rush in and intervene.
"Calm down, Aunt Kushina." A composed voice cut through the tension.
Nagato's gaze flickered toward Akihiko, his tone laced with suspicion. "Shouldn't you explain what's going on?"
At his words, all eyes turned sharply to Akihiko, their expressions demanding answers. Their silent stares practically shouted, Is this your doing?!
Under the weight of their gazes, Akihiko let out an awkward chuckle. "Hahaha~ Relax, everyone… This is all part of the exam!"
"So it was your doing! You nearly scared me to death!" a loud voice cut in.
"I almost had a heart attack, too!" another equally exasperated voice followed.
"Lord Akihiko, at least give us a warning next time! We're not as young as we used to be—we can't handle shocks like this!" a third voice, this one a bit more timid, chimed in.
Before Akihiko could say a word, the voices behind him grew louder. Hanzō, Advisor Chiyo, and Advisor Ebizō stepped forward, all glaring at him.
Hanzō clutched his chest dramatically. "You could have given me a heads-up, Akihiko! I nearly keeled over from the shock!"
Akihiko chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "My bad, my bad. But if I told you beforehand, it would've ruined the test. This was all… for the children's benefit." He sighed deeply, placing a hand over his heart. "Believe me, watching that scene hurt me just as much, but I had to see how they would react in a real crisis—"
Before he could finish, the space in front of them twisted and warped. A mocking voice cut through the air. "Really now? Because to me, this just seems like your twisted sense of humor."
From the distortion, Uchiha Obito stepped out, his gaze sharp with amusement. Behind him, Rin followed, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Master Kushina, Lady Mikoto, Lady Fusō, Lady Kana, Leader Akihiko…" Obito greeted them all with practiced politeness.
But despite his composed expression, Akihiko could see the amusement hidden in his eyes.
"You definitely did this on purpose," Obito said, crossing his arms. "Even if you wanted to train the kids, this is taking it way too far. Do you have any idea how much trauma this could cause?!" He shook his head, letting out a dramatic sigh. "I, Uchiha Obito, firmly oppose this kind of extreme education! Master Kushina, everyone—we can't just stand by and do nothing!"
Akihiko immediately tensed. This brat… He was clearly here just to stir up trouble.
Noticing the sharp gazes now directed at him, Akihiko quickly pointed at the large screen. "Look! Sasuke and Gaara are already reacting!"
As expected, the crowd's focus immediately shifted to the screen. Even Rin and Obito turned to watch.
However, Kushina only spared it a brief glance before turning back to Akihiko with a deceptively sweet smile. Her hair, however, began to rise ominously, and the sound of her knuckles cracking filled the air.
Now that she knew Naruto wasn't actually in danger, relief washed over her—but that did not mean she was letting Akihiko off the hook. Her eyes burned with fury as she hissed, "We'll settle this tonight."
She had nearly had a heart attack just now. With that, she returned her attention to the screen, her expression dark and serious.
Meanwhile, Akihiko stood frozen for a second before slowly turning his glare onto Obito, screaming internally: I WILL REMEMBER THIS BRAT!
Then, with a heavy sigh, he wondered to himself: How did that once cheerful, kind-hearted, and helpful boy… turn into this? What went wrong?
…
"Black Zetsu, you bastard!" Despite his exhaustion, Sasuke suddenly felt a surge of energy and charged toward Black Zetsu, his anger evident in every step.
But Gaara, remaining calm in the midst of the chaos, quickly stopped him. "Sasuke, calm down!"
Sasuke glared at him for a moment before looking around, his eyes narrowing in shock. The entire area had been sealed with a rising barrier.
And then he saw it—countless ninjas, all wearing masks, lying motionless on the ground. These were the same guards they had seen earlier, but now they were unconscious, their bodies pierced by kunai and shuriken. When had this happened?
Sasuke's gaze snapped back to Black Zetsu, realization hitting him like a punch to the gut. Wait… a spy?
It made sense now. After all those years of repeating the same year, Black Zetsu had suddenly been promoted. Had he been waiting for this moment all along?
"You've been hiding your strength all this time?" Sasuke muttered as realization dawned on him.
Black Zetsu smirked. "Took you long enough to figure it out."
He reached to his side, pulling out a blood-red kunai before dragging his tongue across the blade in a disturbingly slow motion. "Not that it matters now..."
With a flick of his wrist, he pointed the kunai directly at Sasuke and Gaara. "Both of you—no, all of you in this forest—are going to die, one by one. Just imagine it… so many promising young talents wiped out in a single night. I wonder how devastated the Three Villages will be?"
"You—!" Sasuke clenched his fists, taking a deep breath as his crimson Sharingan glowed menacingly. "Why? What the hell are you after?"
Black Zetsu's smirk widened, his voice dripping with fanaticism. "This is all for my mother, Kaguya."
All three of them were left momentarily confused. Had they just heard something strange? The third voice came from Black Zetsu himself.
Even Black Zetsu, who was hidden underground in a secret location, was completely baffled. He stared at the Black Zetsu on the battlefield, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
For some time, Black Zetsu had been mentally screaming that the Black Zetsu present wasn't him—it was that "bastard" who had somehow managed to transform.
The switch had occurred during the battle between Gaara and Sasuke, when the real Black Zetsu had quietly swapped places with the imposter from underground. Even Naruto, who had been nearby, hadn't noticed. But now, the real Black Zetsu couldn't shake the feeling that the other might know something…
Just as Black Zetsu was piecing things together, a voice called out from nearby. It was White Zetsu, who had been pretending to be one of the fallen corpses. "Black Zetsu! Black Zetsu!"
Black Zetsu glanced over, seeing White Zetsu sprawled awkwardly on the ground. Something clicked in his mind. With a heavy sigh, he muttered, "So, you heard it too… Looks like you've figured it out. This guy might—"
Before he could finish, White Zetsu cut him off with an annoyed whine. "You're stepping on me! Move over a bit! I can't play dead properly like this!"
Black Zetsu was completely baffled. He had no idea how to react to these idiots. Were they seriously worried about this right now?
His eyelid twitched in frustration. If it weren't for the current situation, he would've shouted at White Zetsu. Do you have any idea what's happening right now? They're about to uncover our secret!
"Cough, cough!" At that moment, the fake Black Zetsu turned toward Sasuke with a cold expression, sneering. "The Shinobi World has become filthy again."
Filthy? Before anyone could even process what he meant, the fake Black Zetsu sighed dramatically and clasped his hands behind his back. "To cleanse this world, I will plunge the entire Shinobi World back into darkness!"
Black Zetsu was momentarily thrown off. Darkness? Did he mishear that before? Didn't the fake Black Zetsu mention Mother just now? But that made sense, right? Perhaps he had misunderstood. After all, any trace of mother had long been erased. Even Hagoromo and Hamura were oblivious to his existence. How could anyone in this world be aware of his connection?
Before he could fully process the thought, the fake Black Zetsu's voice cut through his musings again. "There is a terrifying power hidden within both you and Naruto. Powers so immense that, if awakened, they could threaten my plans. Therefore..."
A sinister grin spread across his face. "You... must die!"
The moment those words fell, Black Zetsu, who had just begun to relax, felt his entire body tense up. His expression froze, his mind went blank, and for a brief moment, he nearly lost his composure.
This bastard… he definitely knows something. But after a moment of contemplation, a realization settled in—Even if he does… what can he actually do about it?
With a deep sigh of frustration, Black Zetsu gazed up at the sky, a profound sense of melancholy washing over him. I'll remember this. When Mother returns, I'll make sure she knows how you toyed with me… She will definitely avenge me.
"Naruto and Sasuke… a strange power?" Gaara muttered, his brows knitting together. He stole a glance at Sasuke before his sharp gaze locked onto Black Zetsu. Without hesitation, he gave the command—"Attack!"
"Haha! I don't know what's going on, but Gaara, leave it to me—your big brother will save you!" A loud, carefree laugh echoed across the battlefield.
In an instant, multiple figures surrounded the fake Black Zetsu, their hands already forming seals.
"Wind Release:—!"
"Fire Release:—!"
Jugo stepped forward, his expression dark. "I never expected you to be a spy… and you dared to lay a hand on Naruto!" His aura flared as he roared, "Black Zetsu, I swear—I won't forgive you! Exploding Strike!"
"Sand Burial!"
"Sealing Jutsu:—!"
"Water Release:—!"
Without a moment's pause, everyone unleashed their attacks in unison, the battlefield erupting into chaos.