"What?"
At Naruto's words, the members of Akatsuki all froze in shock.
They didn't know exactly what a "spore clone" was, but from the name alone, it didn't sound like anything good.
The most important part was that Naruto claimed those spores were attached to them.
All at once, every eye turned toward Zetsu.
As Akatsuki's "eyes," Zetsu usually only appeared to deliver information. He looked unimpressive, with seemingly no fighting ability at all, and because of that, his presence had always been faint.
But now things were different.
If Naruto was telling the truth, then Zetsu had been secretly monitoring the members of Akatsuki themselves.
And no one liked being spied on—least of all a gathering of S-rank rogues.
This was taboo.
White Zetsu immediately denied it, swearing up and down:
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
He was gambling—gambling that Naruto was only bluffing. He believed in the concealment of the Spore Technique; under normal circumstances it was impossible to detect, unless one possessed an abnormally strong sensory ability.
For once, White Zetsu was actually thinking.
As for Black Zetsu, he was already calculating how best to flee.
"You really don't know, Senior Zetsu?" Naruto grinned mischievously.
"I can smell the scent of lies."
"Here, I'll show you."
Naruto pressed a hand against his right shoulder, then gave a sharp tug.
A White Zetsu spore clone was ripped straight out of his body.
The clone tumbled to the ground in a panic, scrambling to its feet in sheer fright. It hadn't imagined someone could not only detect it, but forcibly pull it out.
It tried to burrow into the ground, but Naruto stomped it flat.
The spore clone was no stronger than a chūnin. There was no escaping Naruto's grasp.
"This guy looks a lot like you, Senior Zetsu. Don't tell me you don't recognize him?"
The appearance of the clone set the whole cave ablaze.
"Zetsu! You bastard!"
Deidara was the first to explode, clay already swelling in his palm.
"Want to taste the true power of art?"
Sasori's puppet body radiated pure killing intent; for a puppet master, the greatest taboo was having one's secrets exposed. Kakuzu's greedy eyes narrowed, already appraising Zetsu's body as if calculating how much bounty it could fetch.
Even Kisame, roped into Akatsuki by Obito, wore a suddenly grim expression.
No one wanted their secrets probed—not even spies.
If spore clones could be planted without a sound… did that mean assassination could be done the same way?
For the first time, the Akatsuki truly focused their attention on the seemingly harmless intelligence officer, who usually vanished at the first sign of danger.
"Zetsu."
Just as the situation threatened to spiral into violence, Pain's voice cut through, steady and commanding:
"Remove the spores from everyone, and never do it again. I've said before—do whatever you want, but never turn on your own."
"Or I will personally clean up the betrayal."
It sounded like a threat, but in truth, it was protection.
Nagato knew perfectly well that Zetsu belonged to Obito's side. He wasn't yet ready to sever ties with Obito.
Nagato pressed:
"Give me this face."
"I'm sorry, Leader. I only wanted to ensure reinforcements could be called quickly if something happened."
It was Black Zetsu who spoke, spinning a lie even he didn't believe.
"It won't happen again."
"What a shame, Senior Zetsu." Naruto sighed with mock regret.
"I thought I could take your place as Akatsuki's eyes. Tell me, do you think my sensory skills pass the test? Am I qualified to accompany you on missions?"
"…Fine!"
The words ground out between clenched teeth. White Zetsu's tiny green eyes glared daggers at Naruto.
If not for this brat, he could have continued to play the invisible little shadow, unnoticed and unbothered. Now, thanks to him, every member of Akatsuki was on guard against him.
Obediently, White Zetsu followed Pain's order, releasing the Spore Technique.
Fluffy white clumps of spores fell off the Akatsuki members' bodies one by one.
Sasori had three.
Kakuzu had five.
Kisame carried six.
Hidan and Deidara were the worst, each sprouting ten.
Even Konan had one.
Only Pain was completely untouched.
"Make sure you clean them all off, Senior Zetsu." Naruto sniffed theatrically as the spores were removed.
"My senses don't miss a thing."
"Got it!"
At this moment, White Zetsu thought the grinning Nine-Tails brat was the most hateful creature alive. He wanted nothing more than to smash him flat.
And so Akatsuki's rare gathering came to a close. One by one they dispersed, awaiting Pain's next summons. If nothing went wrong, the next time would be three years later.
But with Naruto here, "nothing going wrong" was impossible.
"Senior Shark-Face."
Just as they were leaving, Naruto called out to Kisame.
"My two teammates are your partners from now on. Why don't we find somewhere to get to know each other better?"
"Oh?"
Kisame fixed his beady eyes on Naruto, studying him. He hadn't expected the boy to reach out. Then he bared his jagged teeth in a grin.
"Alright."
Funny enough, Akatsuki now had three beady-eyed members—Kakuzu, Kisame, and Zetsu. Maybe tiny eyes were the real mainstream.
Yes—after Kabuto, Naruto now had his sights on swaying Kisame.
Even though he was from the Mist, Naruto respected him. Kisame had qualities worthy of admiration: for the sake of protecting comrades' secrets, and for the sake of completing his mission, he had been willing to die without hesitation.
In the end, he was Akatsuki's only "honest man," the only true warrior.
And his reasons for joining Obito's Eye of the Moon Plan were simple: disillusionment with a shinobi world full of lies, and the desire to find something real, to achieve lasting peace.
In essence, he wasn't so different from Nagato.
"We've got to make sure Obito kills that Nine-Tails brat."
"I want to see the fox ripped out of him with my own eyes!"
"His abilities are far too dangerous for us."
From the moment they left the cavern, White Zetsu had been grumbling nonstop. Meanwhile, Black Zetsu's eyes spun thoughtfully, calculating.
If the Nine-Tails jinchūriki could be brought to their side…
"Contact Obito."
Black Zetsu's voice finally silenced the muttering.
"Hopefully he hasn't gone too far."
At the same time, elsewhere in the Land of Fire—the gambling capital, Tanzaku Town.
Two of the Legendary Sannin happened to cross paths.
Orochimaru—his arms still sealed by the "Konoha Crush" plan—had come to meet his chosen mark: the "Big Fat Sheep" of Konoha, Princess Tsunade.
Standing respectfully at Orochimaru's side was Karin, long unseen. She seemed to have taken Kabuto's former place as assistant.
"I know you, Tsunade."
Orochimaru's voice was smooth as velvet, like the whisper of a devil luring a lost lamb:
"You want to see Dan and Nawaki again, don't you?"
"As long as you heal my arms, I will summon them from the Pure Land for you."
"You know me—I never lie. I can do it. I have the power to make it happen."