Naruto's aura grew heavier by the day—sharper, more oppressive, and quietly terrifying. The air of a ruler, the confidence born from overwhelming strength, settled naturally over him. Compared to a few short years ago, the Naruto of now possessed the bearing of a king.
To those closest to him, the change felt subtle, gradual.
But to everyone else—Naruto was already an unquestionable leader, a force capable of shifting the world's balance.
Tsunade frowned slightly, muttering, "Akatsuki…?"
During her time cooperating with Umbrella, she had learned enough to understand what kind of monster the Akatsuki Organization had become. Nearly ten shinobi at the Five-Kage level—simply absurd.
"The one leading Akatsuki is Nagato, the true wielder of the Rinnegan. But publicly, it's the Deva Path—the head of Pain."
Naruto spoke quietly, forming a sound-sealing barrier of faint, drifting chakra around them. Tsunade didn't even notice its activation.
"Pain? Deva Path?"
Tsunade blinked, completely lost.
Naruto hadn't mentioned this before, so he began explaining as they continued walking, retreating from the center of the room.
If he didn't tell her now, she would learn it soon enough. Better she hear it from him and be mentally prepared.
"You remember how Jiraiya-sensei took in three children in the Land of Rain, right?"
Tsunade frowned, then her expression softened as realization dawned.
"It's him? Nagato? No wonder he seemed familiar!"
She clapped her hands lightly.
But then, a new confusion surfaced.
"But why did that child become Akatsuki's leader? And how does he have the Rinnegan? Isn't that the eye said to belong only to the Sage of Six Paths?"
Tsunade fired off three questions in a row.
Naruto didn't mind—in fact, he smiled slightly.
"That's related to one person."
Tsunade leaned in, suspicious. "Who?"
"Danzo Shimura."
"What?" Tsunade froze. "Danzo again?! Why is he involved in everything?"
Her voice trembled between anger and disbelief. Why did every rotten event in the shinobi world seem to lead back to Danzo?
Naruto nodded. "That man's hands were filthy to the end. The original Akatsuki was founded by Yahiko to bring peace to the shinobi world. But because of Danzo's interference…"
Naruto slowly recounted the truth. Tsunade's fury rose with every sentence.
"That bastard Danzo… Dying back then was far too gentle a punishment!"
Her fists clenched in helpless anger. She had long exhausted her words of condemnation toward that man. His heart must have been pitch black.
"Anyway, let's leave Danzo aside for now. To understand how Akatsuki reached this level, we have to mention another person."
Naruto's voice dropped into a mysterious tone.
"Who?" Tsunade asked again.
"I won't say yet. It's someone you absolutely wouldn't expect. The whole story is… complicated. Honestly, it's a mess."
Naruto chuckled.
Black Zetsu manipulated Madara;
Madara manipulated Obito;
Obito manipulated Nagato…
A never-ending nesting doll of schemes.
But what mattered now was this:
Obito was no longer the bright, earnest boy of the past.
He was suspicious—deeply wary of Madara's intentions. He never intended to revive Madara. All he wanted was a world where Rin still lived.
…Yet in the end, Madara was revived.
Naruto's steps quickened. Tsunade stamped her foot lightly, annoyed—showing a rare feminine frustration.
This brat loved keeping people in suspense.
She called out, "Then how do you know all of this?"
It was the question she burning to ask.
Naruto glanced back, expression unreadable.
"Let's just say… I have a kind of foresight."
"Foresight? A kekkei genkai?"
Tsunade murmured, stunned.
She stopped walking without realizing it. Only when she saw how far Naruto had moved ahead did she hurry after him, her mind still spinning.
The main force soon began its withdrawal, leaving only a handful of shinobi behind to clean up the battlefield. The ninja of Iwagakure and Kumogakure sealed the bodies of their fallen fellow shinobi into scrolls and carried them away.
The news of the Allied Shinobi Forces' defeat spread like wildfire, shocking the entire world.
No one had expected the battle to end in a single day.
Umbrella… actually possessed such overwhelming power?
Three days later, the situation only grew worse.
The shinobi world was in complete turmoil. Smaller nations trembled in fear, unsure of what fate awaited them.
The news had already circulated:
The Five Great Nations had fallen.
At this moment, the Raikage had finally regained consciousness. But upon returning to Kumogakure, the report he received almost drove him into a violent rage:
The Daimyō's palace of the Land of Lightning had been seized by Umbrella.
The Daimyō himself had vanished without a trace.
The other four Great Nations suffered similar losses—only the Daimyō of the Land of Fire managed to escape, taking refuge within the Fire Temple.
"How dare they?! Do they think they can rule the shinobi world? As if ordinary people mean nothing!"
The Raikage slammed his fist onto the table, his temper flaring.
What stung even more was the humiliation of having been knocked unconscious—again.
Though he boasted that he didn't care for the common folk…
In truth, what Kage wouldn't dream of ruling the world if given the chance?
"Are they openly declaring war on the entire world?! Killing Daimyōs… that's beyond reckless!"
Mabui frowned deeply. Her belief in the natural supremacy of powerful bloodlines made it impossible for her to understand Umbrella's actions. Their ambition wasn't just high—it was bordering insanity.
Even so… with Umbrella's current power, conquering the shinobi world within ten years wasn't completely impossible.
But she could never have imagined the real reason behind their recklessness—
Compared to the threat of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, conflicts within the shinobi world were merely children's squabbles.
Meanwhile, deep in the shadows, Obito had received Black Zetsu's report. A chilling unease crawled into his chest.
Madness. Utter madness.
Umbrella's people were lunatics.
To Obito, their actions could only plunge the entire world into a new war—dragging countless innocent nations along with it.
But more importantly…
A heavy dread gnawed at him.
Umbrella's strength was becoming a threat even to his plans.
Naruto was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, and his rising power had already spread across the world.
How was Obito supposed to gather the Tailed Beasts now?
Beneath his mask, Obito's expression tightened. A dangerous thought crept into his mind:
Should he revive Uchiha Madara with Edo Tensei?
With Madara's might, conquering half the shinobi world would be trivial.
But Obito shook his head.
No.
Absolutely not.
Not unless he had no other choice.
He could not—would not—allow Madara to return unless Umbrella forced his hand.
His gaze hardened as he stared into the darkness.
"It's time for Nagato to move," he muttered.
Beside him, Black Zetsu's narrowing eyes gleamed faintly under the dim light.
The ancient schemer was already plotting something—but Obito failed to notice.
The shadows stretched long beneath the lantern's glow, draping the two figures in a cold, uneasy silence.
...
TN:
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