"Hateful!"
The [Caster Type I] on Yahiko glowed with the light of chakra.
But with his current perception, there was no way to track the location of Black and White Zetsu.
At this moment, Yahiko was full of frustration and resentment. If only his power was stronger...
Nagato wouldn't have had to suffer such pain!
The papers floating in the sky quickly converged, forming Konan's figure.
Seeing Nagato's blood-soaked eyes, Konan's expression was full of concern.
Compared to Yahiko, she remained calmer and quickly said:
"Get the medical ninja, now!"
The commotion from the battle had already drawn everyone's attention.
The medics arrived and began treating Nagato.
"How's Nagato?" Yahiko asked anxiously.
The medical ninja let out a breath of relief.
"Don't worry, Brother Nagato is out of danger... but his eyes…"
The ninja hesitated.
After all, the eyes were gone.
No one knew what kind of strength Nagato could still wield without the Rinnegan.
Though he had survived, the loss of the deputy leader's eyes had a huge psychological impact on the Revolutionary Army.
Nagato's Rinnegan had become a symbol of their movement.
Whenever these eyes appeared on the battlefield, it meant victory was close at hand.
Everyone believed that.
But now... those eyes had been stolen.
Yahiko clenched his fists in frustration.
"…"
A weak voice came from inside the room.
Konan and Yahiko looked at each other and rushed in.
"Nagato, how are you feeling?" Yahiko asked worriedly, sitting beside him.
Konan added gently, "Nagato, do you have something to say?"
Nagato's face was pale. Though he couldn't see, he could still feel the familiar presence of his friends.
He gritted his teeth and said:
"Immediately report what happened here to the leader. Request support from headquarters."
Konan paused for a moment but immediately understood Nagato's thinking.
Due to the suppression by the noble clans, the Revolutionary Army had been struggling in the Land of Rain.
Now, if word spread that Nagato had been seriously wounded and the Rinnegan stolen…
The aristocrats and rebels of the Land of Rain would surely launch a brutal offensive.
Their only choice was to seek help from headquarters.
As for the "leader" Nagato referred to—
It wasn't Kakashi, nor Nara Shikaku.
It was someone far away in Konoha, the one remotely directing this revolution: Rei, the man who had even influenced the Fourth Hokage!
After understanding the situation, Konan took out a den-den mushi and contacted Rei.
When she did, Rei's brows furrowed tightly.
Seeing this, Kushina asked with concern, "Did something happen?"
Rei's expression turned serious.
"Nagato's Rinnegan has been stolen."
Based on Konan's description, Rei could basically confirm that the perpetrator was Black Zetsu.
Back when he had killed Uchiha Madara, he hadn't found any trace of Black Zetsu or the Gedo Statue at the base.
Even the tens of thousands of White Zetsu hadn't known Madara was hiding there.
Of course, even if they had, it wouldn't have changed much.
The cunning Black Zetsu would have already moved everything before Rei discovered anything.
Now that he had stolen the Rinnegan, it was clear: he had fully abandoned the chess piece that was Nagato.
Something darker was likely brewing in the shadows.
But for now, the most important thing—
Was Kushina's upcoming delivery.
At this critical moment, Rei couldn't leave Konoha.
"The plan for the Land of Rain is temporarily suspended. Yahiko will remain stationed there. Konan, send Nagato to Konoha immediately."
"Yes," Konan's voice came through the den-den mushi.
Having studied Wood Style ninjutsu for so long, Rei had fully mastered the technology of prosthetic creation.
Transplanting a new eyeball would be even easier.
But the liberation of the Land of Rain would have to be postponed.
Without Nagato, Yahiko and the remaining Revolutionary Army—numbering just over a thousand—would be hard-pressed to hold the line.
"If you have something to do, go take care of it," Kushina said softly.
"I'm not that fragile. Don't forget, I'm going to be the Hokage's woman."
Rei gently held her hand and replied, "You are the most important person to me right now."
Feeling his warm touch, Kushina rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Besides," Rei added with a smirk, "aren't you already Hokage's woman?"
Kushina caught his teasing tone and shot him a glare.
"You're about to be a father and you're still this shameless!"
Meanwhile, on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water...
Black Zetsu and White Zetsu walked silently among the trees.
The endless sea stretched out ahead, and across the strait lay the Land of Water.
"This place is quite hidden,"
Black Zetsu murmured with emotion.
Unfortunately, the White Zetsu beside him showed no interest in continuing the conversation.
This made Black Zetsu nostalgic for the days when White Zetsu was more talkative.
Everyone is technically a variant of White Zetsu, so why is this one so dull?
Black Zetsu reached out and formed a seal.
A pulse of chakra glowed briefly from his palm.
Soon, a shadow emerged from the nearby woods.
It was a tall, burly man, his entire body shrouded in a black robe.
Only a glimpse of pale skin on his cheeks was visible beneath the hood.
"Please follow me," the man said.
Black Zetsu narrowed his eyes, watching the man's back carefully.
At that moment, White Zetsu finally opened his mouth.
"There's natural energy radiating from him."
Black Zetsu smirked.
"Looks like Orochimaru found himself a nice container."
Under the robed man's guidance, they entered an underground stronghold hidden within a rocky crevice.
Inside, hundreds of humans were imprisoned—men, women, old and young, from all over the world.
The base was filled with equipment, and the roar of generators echoed faintly underground.
The faint tremors could still be felt underfoot.
As a familiar figure emerged from the shadows, Black Zetsu said coldly,
"I didn't expect you to survive under Hanyu Simu's nose."
A silhouette slowly stepped forward.
It appeared to be a woman, with skin smooth enough to break under a breeze.
But her golden, slitted pupils betrayed her true nature.
She flicked out her tongue, hissing like a snake.
At the mention of Hanyu Simu, an intense burst of killing intent and resentment flashed in her eyes—
followed closely by a twisted longing.
Black Zetsu chuckled,
"Struck a nerve, did I?"
The woman scoffed, her voice dripping with venom.
"If it weren't for that man, I wouldn't have been forced to reincarnate into this pathetic body."
It was Orochimaru.
He had indeed scattered backup containers throughout various strongholds for emergencies—
but their quality was far inferior to his original body.
As a result, his strength had plummeted.
Now seated on a chair, Orochimaru spoke in a cold voice:
"Enough talk. What do you want?"
After his reincarnation, the cold-blooded instincts of a serpent had only grown stronger within him.
Black Zetsu pulled out a test tube containing a fragment of Uchiha Madara's flesh and blood.
"I want you to regenerate Lord Madara's body—and then use the Impure World Reincarnation to bring him back."
Orochimaru stared at the test tube. Even this tiny sample pulsed with tremendous life force.
"And what do I get out of this?" he asked directly.
He wasn't one to do charity work.
Black Zetsu had already anticipated the question.
"You'll get Madara's genetic data.
The fusion of Sharingan and Wood Style that eventually led to the evolution into Rinnegan—
Don't you want to unravel that mystery?"
Black Zetsu's offer struck a chord deep within Orochimaru's ambitions.
Unlocking the secrets of the world had always been his goal.
If he could successfully regenerate Uchiha Madara's body and revive him, it would take his research to an entirely new level.
Besides, Orochimaru still lacked the perfect container...
If this experiment succeeded in reproducing Madara, he might even seize that body for himself.
A chilling smile curled on Orochimaru's lips.
"I agree. We have a deal."
Black Zetsu continued,
"Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is about to give birth."
He was clearly hinting at something.
But to Black Zetsu's surprise, Orochimaru immediately refused.
"I'm not going anywhere near Konoha right now."
What a joke.
Hanyu Simu's strength is on another level entirely—going to Konoha now would be suicide.
"I didn't expect the great Orochimaru to be so... cautious,"
White Zetsu sneered mockingly.
"We only need a bit of your technical expertise."
"Hmm?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Had these two already made contact with the other ninja villages?
Were they planning to unleash a surprise attack on Konoha?
But... other villages wouldn't trust Black Zetsu and White Zetsu that easily.
Black Zetsu shrugged.
"Relax, Orochimaru. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire has provided us with considerable resources.
We may not be able to kill Hanyu Simu, but we can weaken Konoha's power."
A dangerous glint appeared in Orochimaru's golden eyes.
"If that's the case… I'm listening."
He had long-standing hatred for Hanyu Simu.
If there was a way to strike at Konoha and hurt them without risking his own safety, then why not?
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