Chapter 194: The Moves of Itachi Uchiha and Black Zetsu
Hidden Rain Village, an Akatsuki hideout.
Dim lights flickered. The news of the mass resurrection of the Uchiha clan, the return of the deceased Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, and Fugaku Uchiha leading a faction to defect from Konoha… this series of intelligence reports was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, causing considerable ripples even within the Akatsuki.
Itachi Uchiha sat quietly on a stone chair. His handsome, indifferent face was now covered with an imperceptible shadow. The intel from Konoha stirred a thousand waves in his heart.
The Uchiha clan has resurrected. And the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Names that should have been sealed in history have reappeared in reality.
His fingertips tightened slightly. His first thought was not the joy of his clansmen's revival. That brief astonishment had already been replaced by heavier worries.
How will the resurrected clansmen view Konoha? How will the Konoha high command deal with this inconceivable change?
These were worrying, but what unsettled him more was another piece of intel. His father, Fugaku Uchiha, had dared to lead a portion of the clan, including Sasuke, to defect from Konoha!
Foolish beyond belief!
Father…
Wasn't it enough back then, trying to use me to launch that so-called bloodless coup, pushing the entire Uchiha clan to the brink of destruction?! And now, he's led Sasuke and the others to defect?! Where have they placed the Uchiha name?! How is this any different from seeking their own destruction?!
Such actions will only make Konoha and outsiders more suspicious of the Uchiha, bringing utter shame to the clan's name!
How will the world see the Uchiha? An ungrateful clan?!
How will Konoha deal with the remaining clansmen?! Do these clansmen feel any guilt for their attempted rebellion back then?
And Sasuke… will he be seen as the son of a traitor! Will he bear this stigma forever?!
No, I absolutely cannot let things develop to that point.
For the peace of Konoha, to save the Uchiha clan from eternal damnation, and most of all for Sasuke—the brother he had sacrificed everything to protect, even bearing the sin of kin-slaying—he must not let them be dragged into a darker vortex! He must not let his father's erroneous judgment ruin Sasuke's life!
Even if he had to slaughter the entire clan again, he would not hesitate! Now, this bit of "reputation" and "stability" must not be destroyed by anyone again.
Perhaps… it is time to consider using the eye Shisui left behind.
Kotoamatsukami.
Use the ultimate genjutsu to guide Sasuke to be "loyal to the village," preventing him from going down an irreversible path of extremism. He just wondered if the death of the entire clan again would be enough to earn the Third Hokage's pity, granting Sasuke and the Uchiha a legitimate reputation once more.
Once this thought arose, it lingered. The air seemed to grow even heavier.
At the same time, in another location.
In the shadows of a corner, black and white figures quietly separated and merged.
"This world is getting more and more interesting," White Zetsu said with a hint of amusement, seemingly enjoying the chaos.
Black Zetsu's voice was as raspy and low as ever, carrying an obsession unchanged for a millennium. "Uchiha… the Fourth… existences that should have completely vanished keep appearing one after another. It's time to go to Konoha and see what happened."
"Right, right! Maybe we can find something fun?" White Zetsu agreed.
Then, their figure began to slowly merge into the earth. White Zetsu sank with it, leaving only a faint chuckle echoing in the cave.
Mayfly Technique.
Zetsu's figure vanished completely, stealthily heading toward Konoha.
Konoha Village, Edge of the Forest of Death.
Zetsu's figure slowly seeped out from the shadow of a giant tree. He was just about to investigate the sources of the powerful chakra further.
Suddenly. Countless twisted chakra fluctuations surged from all directions. The ground began to tremble slightly.
Skritch-scratch… Skritch-scratch…
The sticky crawling sound was spine-chilling. Zetsu frowned slightly.
The next moment, his field of vision was filled with writhing black shadows. Biological weapons fusing insect and snake characteristics. They had discovered a new element and immediately designated it a target for capture, lunging toward Zetsu.
Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs Jutsu!
Sharp wooden spikes emerged from half of Zetsu's body. Several spikes burst from the ground, accurately piercing the insect-creatures at the front, but it was useless. These biological weapons were fearless of death. The subsequent insect tide easily filled the brief gap created by the spikes, continuing to surge toward him. The stench of rot hit him in the face.
"Troublesome." Black Zetsu made a quick judgment. Entangling with these creations was pointless.
His figure merged into the earth and vegetation again. Mayfly Technique! Cutting off his presence completely, he moved at high speed toward the center of the battlefield, toward the most powerful and chaotic chakra sources.
When Zetsu quietly surfaced from the ground again, the scene before him caused a momentary blank in his millennium-old consciousness.
This was the area of the original Chunin Exams venue. Now, it had been reduced to ruins. Parts of the ground had even been torn and reshaped by giant trees bursting from the earth.
And at the core of the battlefield.
A giant, tens of meters tall, covered entirely in emerald-green chakra energy, was wielding a spiral longsword, clashing fiercely with another, even more grotesque humanoid weapon!
That was… Susanoo!
Shisui Uchiha! His Susanoo radiated powerful chakra.
And its opponent…
Zetsu's gaze froze. It was a giant humanoid weapon covered entirely in pale white bone armor. The cold metal structure combined perfectly with the grotesque biological bones, filled with an ominous, oppressive aura.
"Uchiha's Susanoo… those guys really did resurrect! And the Fourth Hokage's presence is nearby too—" The intel was preliminarily confirmed.
"But—what is that?! That giant construct… a new ninja tool? Or a weapon created by humans?!"
Zetsu's thinking stalled. He had seen countless strange jutsu, witnessed the rise and fall of countless strongmen, but this giant war machine exceeded his understanding.
"It… it can contend head-on with an Uchiha's Susanoo?!"
A feeling of utter absurdity welled up in his heart.
"Has human wisdom reached the point where they can create monsters capable of rivaling the Mangekyo Sharingan?!"
This realization hammered at his ancient soul. The trajectory of the world seemed to have deviated from the set path, developing somewhat beyond his imagination.
On the battlefield, the dance of destruction continued.
CLANG!