Artist Tobi didn't want to draw manga anymore.
So what?
Just beat him up.
Who cares about his "artistic temperament" or "integrity as an artist"?
Either he draws—or he gets punched.
Faced with that choice, Tobi pouted and reluctantly nodded, clearly wronged. But as he turned and left, that lonely silhouette of his… it almost looked like the tragic farewell of youth lost to time.
Was this the beginning of some film about a reclusive, tortured artist?
Even Rasa found it hard to watch without sighing, then turned to the pair of White Zetsu and Black Zetsu nearby.
"You… the tournament's long over, and you're still hanging around Sunagakure? Aren't you afraid your current boss will get suspicious?"
Black Zetsu waved a hand nonchalantly. "It's fine. We're based in Kirigakure now. No matter how mad Obito gets, it's not a problem."
"That said, I probably should head back soon. Need to update Obito on everything. Can't let him get too suspicious."
"You guys still have a plan? Isn't it just Madara's original one—gather the nine Tailed Beasts, become the Ten Tails' jinchūriki, and use Infinite Tsukuyomi to blanket the world in illusion so you can revive your mommy?"
"That's the goal, yes," Black Zetsu muttered, clearly irritated. "But the details… depend on how Obito executes it."
He shot Rasa a look that screamed: Bro, did you have to say the entire master plan out loud like it was a joke?
As for the question "Aren't you worried about Infinite Tsukuyomi?", Black Zetsu didn't dare voice it.
Right now, their relationship with Sunagakure was at its honeymoon phase. Even "Mother" was happy here. If he brought it up now… who knew how quickly this alliance might fall apart?
"I need to brief Obito on the state of the world. And if it weren't for your little stunt in the Land of Rain, we wouldn't have had to adjust the entire operation and relocate our base to Kirigakure."
"No, no—Obito heading to Kirigakure was destiny," Rasa sighed theatrically. "That's just… love."
Then he lowered his gaze toward Black Zetsu, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully.
"Say… how about I join your organization?"
"..."
Can I say no?
Black Zetsu paused, then without hesitation—under control of White Zetsu's main body—sank into the ground.
"Oh right! I just remembered something urgent I need to do!"
"Fine, fine. Just messing with you," Rasa said, letting out a disappointed sigh.
Rejected so fast… he didn't even get an interview.
That was discrimination!
He'd genuinely been considering infiltrating the group to tilt fate in the protagonist's favor. After all, as for the current Ōtsutsuki Kaguya… let's not even go there.
"Besides, I don't have time to play this 'Let's Save Mommy' game with you."
Too bad.
Clearly, Black Zetsu didn't trust him at all.
"By the way, what's the status on the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques? How long has it been and still no progress?"
"Getting into Konoha's barrier is no joke—especially the vaults that house forbidden techniques."
"You seem to get in and out of Sunagakure just fine. A little ol' Konoha should be nothing for you."
"…Maybe Sunagakure's just… poorer?" Black Zetsu offered weakly.
"..."
Cheeky little bastard.
Rasa shot him a glare. "Sunagakure isn't poor anymore."
"Sealing techniques are! Right now, only Konoha has a complete set of the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts. But—" Black Zetsu trailed off, seeing Rasa rolling up his sleeves, then quickly added, "Shukaku's sealing technique is actually quite good too! It just requires One-Tail chakra to function, but you could study that instead."
"…I hadn't thought of that," Rasa said, genuinely surprised. He nodded in approval, then narrowed his eyes again. "But if I still don't see those Uzumaki techniques next time… don't blame me if I drag Sunagakure into Obito's crew. At that point, even you won't be able to stop it."
"..."
This guy's seriously obnoxious.
Black Zetsu nodded with a long-suffering look. "Understood~"
And before Rasa could say anything more, Black Zetsu immediately sank into the ground and fled.
This Kazekage…
If it were up to him, he'd never want to see this guy again.
It was like Rasa knew everything.
Meanwhile…
Watching Black Zetsu vanish into the ground, Rasa didn't stop him. He just smiled, shook his head, and turned toward home.
"Time to head back for dinner."
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was already nearing October.
Kakashi crouched down, frowning as he examined the dirt in front of him.
Ever since being assigned this bizarre mission, he'd brought an ANBU squad out to investigate.
But after days of rain, wind, and sun, there wasn't much left. Aside from the obviously missing soil, there were no other clues.
They were on the border of the Land of Fire. Remote, yes—but not deserted. And if there weren't any surprises, they probably wouldn't find anything new here.
"This is going to be a real pain…" he muttered, standing and stretching as one of his team returned.
"Find anything?"
"There are multiple locations where this same phenomenon occurred," the masked ANBU replied. His black hair was short, and his eyes glowed crimson—three tomoe in each. "According to the locals, it actually started over a year ago."
"Some villagers said they heard strange sounds at night. A few who snuck out to investigate saw a multi-legged creature lying flat on the ground. It could swallow huge amounts of earth in a single bite."
He added, "So based on the intel, it's likely a creature that eats dirt. But for some reason, no one's seen it for the past month."
"A creature that eats dirt…" Kakashi frowned behind his mask, thoughtful.
"Any reports of injuries or deaths?"
"None. It seems to only eat soil."
"Does anyone have a clear description of it?"
"Unfortunately, no. It only appears at night, and the villagers are too afraid to get close. They only watch from a distance. And since it was just dirt, they didn't think much of it… until it started happening in more and more places. That's when the fear set in—they worried it might eventually start attacking people."
"So… no casualties yet?" Kakashi asked again.
Was it truly a harmless earth-eater—or a cunning predator biding its time?
He rubbed his chin, then looked back down at the ground. His brow furrowed.
"What a hassle."
He sighed deeply.
"Start a full sweep of the nearby villages. Search for anything that fits the description. Also, monitor the rest of the country—see if this is happening elsewhere."
"You think it might've moved inland?"
"Could be," Kakashi nodded. "It hasn't been seen in a month. Maybe it's relocated."
He straightened and issued the order with a serious tone:
"We're officially naming this mission: Operation Dirt-Eater. Everyone spread out. Stay undercover. If you encounter it, don't engage until we know its capabilities."
"Understood!"
With that command, the surrounding ANBU vanished in a flurry of body flickers.
Shun-shun—gone.
Meanwhile — in Konoha.
Danzo stood before the massive, three-story Grand Sail Hotel.
A faint smile curled at his lips.
"So… it's finally finished?"