Only after Tsukifu's figure completely disappeared into the distance—swallowed by the edge of the horizon—did Sarada slowly sit up from the ground.
She looked down at her newly bought clothes, now soaked in blood and smeared with mud, and felt a sharp pang of regret.
"This is all your fault. Why didn't you just use a Mangekyō illusion to control him? You really had to waste time talking so much."
See? You didn't even get the answer you wanted, and I ended up suffering for nothing.
Sarada puffed out her cheeks, venting her dissatisfaction.
"No," the man in white replied calmly. "What I wanted to know—and what the plan required—has already been basically achieved. And that's all thanks to you."
He helped Sarada to her feet, casually washing away the bloodstains on her clothes with Water Release, then drying the damp fabric with Wind Release.
"Tsk… I didn't expect you to be this good at taking care of people." Sarada turned her head away, her voice dropping, cheeks faintly red.
The man in white rolled his eyes and reached out, pulling the sharp blade straight out of her back.
"Ouch!!" Sarada cried out, angrily shoving him away. "Why are you so easily flattered?!"
Without a word, the man in white plunged the blade back in.
"…Ugh!!" Sarada gasped in pain. She could clearly feel another hole torn open in her back, fresh blood seeping out.
Tears welled up as she stared at him, grievance and confusion written all over her face.
"…"
The man in white fell silent.
He clearly didn't want to waste words on her. His tone returned to its usual cold indifference.
"One minute to adjust. Then we move to the Land of Water."
"…Yes," Sarada answered weakly.
…
A cool night breeze brushed past beneath the moonlight. The lush grass rippled like waves on the sea. The man in white sat quietly in the hay, eyes closed, resting.
The wind lifted the hem of his white robe. Time passed with the rhythm of the breeze.
"Pfft—"
Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
He had no choice but to remove his mask for a moment, revealing a pale face devoid of color.
With some reluctance, he discarded the bloodstained mask, used Wood Release to create a new identical one, and put it back on.
"Hey, don't rush to cover it. You actually look pretty good without the mask," Sarada said, standing nearby, staring at his face in a daze.
She hadn't noticed the blood at all.
Perhaps this was what a girl's ideal prince charming looked like—created by Orochimaru using top-grade genes, mixed with Boruto's blood.
Unlike ordinary White Zetsu, whose skin was ghostly pale, his complexion was closer to that of a human—fair, clean, and refined.
"That would damage your image," the man in white said flatly, securing the mask.
"Image…? Wait, you washed my clothes just now—are you worried I'll ruin Moon's image?"
"Yes."
"…"
Sarada turned her back on him resentfully, refusing to say another word.
"Since you've rested, we're leaving now." The man in white stood and looked up at the stars, as if confirming direction.
"I haven't rested enough. My chakra flow is still sluggish. I think I need more time—"
Before she could finish, the man in white grabbed her wrist and shot into the air.
"Hey!!"
"If you keep talking, I'll shut you up," he threatened coldly.
The sky among the clouds was far colder than the ground. Dew condensed into mist, dampening the skin.
As they flew at high speed, the scenery below shifted rapidly. A note suddenly appeared beside the man in white. He calmly took it.
[Mission: Airdrop Son Gokū into Kirigakure.]
He frowned slightly at the bizarre instruction. But bound by absolute execution, he immediately changed course and flew toward the coordinates listed.
Sarada hung helplessly in midair, as if being dragged along by force.
"So what's the plan this time?" she muttered unhappily. "I feel like you lie to me every single time."
"Last time you said the target was the Four-Tails, but because of you, it kept getting delayed. Now we've gone in circles and dragged in other forces."
"You even said the plan was basically complete—but we haven't even seen a single hair of the Four-Tails!"
The man in white replied mercilessly, "Isn't it because you wanted to escape that things dragged on this long?"
"You—!" Sarada wanted to stomp in anger, only to remember they were thousands of meters above the ground.
"You let me escape on purpose, didn't you? You knew I'd run into trouble!"
"I'm not a toad from Mount Myōboku. I can't see the future," he said coldly. "It's just that your actions were clumsy, and your vigilance and strength are lacking."
"…It just happened to be the organization you wanted information on, right? Shell. What a tacky name."
The man in white rolled his eyes. "There's only one force left in the ninja world bold enough to attack someone with the Mangekyō Sharingan. If it wasn't Kara, who else would it be?"
"I see… so all of this was still part of your plan."
"All thanks to your excellent cooperation," the man in white laughed freely.
"What about this mission? It can't be just capturing tailed beasts again."
"Of course not. This time, the real goal is to pull the shell out of its hole."
…
Woyin Village, hidden stronghold.
Tsukifu returned to the base with a splitting headache. His neck still ached, and breathing wasn't entirely smooth.
He opened a concealed floor panel and descended into the underground chamber.
The space was extremely simple—nothing but a single light screen on the wall. He activated it with chakra, and after a brief flicker of static, a middle-aged man with a calm, intelligent expression appeared.
"Father, I have something important to report." Tsukifu bowed deeply, nearly ninety degrees.
"Get up first," the man said calmly, a rare smile touching his lips.
"I encountered a high-ranking member of an organization called 'Moon.' He clearly knew about us… and directly mentioned Victor's name."
"Moon…?" The man seemed indifferent. "Did you fight?"
"Yes. We fought." Tsukifu lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Father. I… couldn't defeat him."
"You lack real combat experience. To conceal your existence, I never trained you systematically in battle."
"So this isn't your fault."
"…Mm."
Even so, Tsukifu couldn't hide his frustration. "Their goal seems similar to ours. They said cooperation is possible… to create a god."
"From revealing themselves to attacking the tailed beasts, their intentions are very clear," the man said calmly, unsurprised.
"As for cooperation…" he paused thoughtfully.
Becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki doesn't make one a god. Jigen has his own Ten-Tails and still isn't rushing to absorb it. So what else are they planning?
"One more thing," Tsukifu added seriously. "That high-ranking member told me to pass a message to Victor. He said… Moon has a way to cultivate the Divine Tree."
Victor… a restless one indeed. That single sentence might be enough to sway him.
As for the Divine Tree—clearly, the other side understands immortality well enough to strike at the core.
Hmm… either there's an internal leak, or their intelligence network is terrifying.
Wait—
The man's expression shifted slightly.
Seeing this, Tsukifu asked nervously, "Father? Is there something wrong with Victor?"
"It's nothing serious," the man replied, adjusting his glasses, fatigue evident. "You're injured. Your missions are suspended for the next few days. Rest."
"Yes, Father."
Seeing that his father was clearly preoccupied, Tsukifu didn't dare say more.
The basement went dark again as the light screen shut off. Tsukifu restored the floor to match its surroundings perfectly.
---
A/N: A New Fanfic Is Out "Bleach: Reborn As Ishida Uryuu"
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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