"It seems you've made up your mind."
Inside Kumogakure, in the Raikage's office.
Acting Raikage Dodai looked at Obito in front of him and spoke, his expression somewhat grave.
"It's just that you're inviting us to take part with you now—don't you think that's going a bit too far? After all, you're planning to challenge the order of the entire shinobi world!"
"Oh? So it seems you know what happened at the Three Kage Summit."
Obito nodded carelessly, and that attitude made the faces of the young people at his side look somewhat displeased.
C furrowed his brows, Samui let out a cold snort, and only after a moment of silence did Darui take the initiative to speak.
"That's not difficult for us, and we know every word of what you said, without missing a single one. Even we are among your targets, aren't we?"
"That's right. But I also have a better plan."
Faced with the questioning, Obito still wore a calm expression.
After all, in his eyes, he was already completely different from these people.
Besides, he had already met Uchiha Madara before coming here, and he knew how he should respond.
Although, in his view, whether he had Kumogakure or not was not important, since this was a shinobi world war, he also needed more cannon fodder.
Kumogakure and Konohagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure all had blood-deep grudges, and on top of that, back when Kumogakure had been destroyed, they had already established a connection with Kumogakure.
At a time like this, naturally he could not let that go to waste.
"I already said at the Three Kage Summit that I would create an entirely new shinobi world—a peaceful shinobi world."
Obito's expression was indifferent as he spoke calmly.
"But I never said how we would carry out the reconstruction once the shinobi world's order was shattered, did I?"
"Oh?"
These words from Obito instead caused looks of doubt to spread across the faces of the Kumogakure group.
"What you mean is—"
"Isn't this something obvious? The shinobi world still needs order, and you are our allies."
Obito spoke in an unhurried manner, and these words instantly made the eyes of everyone from Kumogakure widen, yet he did not stop.
"I've always known very clearly that the reason the shinobi world has been at war year after year is because so many hostile ninja villages stand side by side."
"If one truly wants peace, the only way is to destroy the other villages and keep a single one to maintain the stability of order."
"That way there will no longer be excessive disputes, nor all those messy hatreds; only then can true peace be ushered in."
"And since you are our allies, you are naturally the best choice—but what exactly to do in the end will still depend on you."
Having said this, Obito stopped, and at that moment everyone from Kumogakure fell into silence.
Clearly, they had all been drawn in by Obito's words.
"But are you really willing to hand all of this over to us?"
However, Dodai quickly furrowed his brows; he did not trust Obito that much.
Or rather, he had never trusted this Akatsuki organization in the first place—it was only the drive of hatred that had forced them to come together.
"And besides, what is it that you want to obtain?"
"Naturally, we intend to take the things we want."
Obito spoke indifferently, seeming absolutely confident.
"We will monitor your every move. After all, we also have to ensure the fruits of victory. We even need to obtain the right to veto everything you do!"
"Are you dreaming?"
Dodai immediately lost his composure when he heard this.
"The right to veto everything, you—"
"Don't rush. For now this is only a preliminary setup; the specifics will still depend on how you perform in the war."
However, Obito did not give Dodai the chance to go on speaking; he raised a finger and lightly shook his head.
"In the end, negotiations like this still depend on how you perform on the battlefield. If your performance is good, you'll naturally get more; if your performance is poor—"
At this point, Obito felt he had already made his ideas clear.
Dodai also understood what Obito meant; you could say this guy had put him right on the spot!
"An opportunity like this, I personally recommend that you seize it. Look at your current situation; look at those mountains that once allowed Kumogakure to be built."
But before he could say anything in response, Obito once again spoke.
"That's like the backbone of your Kumogakure—yet it was broken by Konohagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure together. Can you really swallow that?"
"An opportunity like this can let them personally take revenge. You can even fight shoulder to shoulder with your former Kage. Why wouldn't you?"
"The most important thing is, I seem to remember that your Kage has always yearned to stand at the very summit of the shinobi world, so—"
As he spoke, the space around Obito's body had already begun to twist. Having said things to this extent, he also felt it was about enough.
He had no intention of staying here any longer; he still had more important matters to deal with.
"Don't miss out on an opportunity like this. I'll give you one week to think it over carefully, and after a week..."
"We will officially move into action. I very much look forward to your answer."
As his voice fell, Obito had already vanished, leaving only the few from Kumogakure staring at one another.
"Tch, that damned bastard..."
Only after quite a while did Darui finally curse out loud.
"He just wants to use us as cannon fodder, and on top of that he wants to summon all of our past Kage. Damn it."
"But it really doesn't seem like something we can't consider."
Samui frowned as she, too, weighed the pros and cons, while C rubbed his chin and spoke.
"I think we should have a proper discussion about this. A week is a bit tight; we need to make preparations on all fronts."
"You're kidding, C?"
Darui was somewhat incredulous.
"You actually believe what he said?"
"No, I don't believe him. But I do know this is an opportunity."
C shook his head and looked toward Dodai at his side.
"I think Lord Dodai is thinking the same thing I am. They're using us—so why can't we use them?"
"Use them, huh..."
Darui and Samui fell silent for a moment, seeming to understand somewhat what C meant, and at this time Dodai also nodded and spoke.
"Let's do this. Convene a meeting—and call Killer B over as well. We need to have a proper discussion."
"Yes, sir!"
The people of Kumogakure moved quickly; this ultimately concerned their future. Obito, too, had not gone very far.
He stood quietly atop a high mountain, overlooking Kumogakure in the distance.
"Barring any surprises, Kumogakure can be considered settled. The rhetoric taught by that guy Uchiha Madara really is quite useful."
He murmured this, then shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
"Now, we just have to wait for Impure World Reincarnation to gather, and for Uchiha Madara and the others to go search for the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother's relics."
"Hurry it up. I don't want to stay in this disgusting world for even a moment longer."
...
"It seems Kumogakure is more or less settled."
Within the Land of Fire, atop a certain mountain peak, Uchiha Madara couldn't help but shake his head as he listened to Black Zetsu's report.
"But how did his thinking suddenly change so quickly, to the point that he's actually thinking of helping me deal with Nagato?"
Before this operation, Obito had come to find Uchiha Madara, and the two of them had also reached some "agreements."
Otherwise, just relying on Obito's eloquence alone, it really wasn't certain he could have settled those people from Kumogakure.
It was just that Obito's actions were also extremely strange—even Uchiha Madara was somewhat taken aback.
Having already betrayed him, he still had the face to come back looking for him?
"He's probably doing it for the Rinnegan and the Ten-Tails, wanting to gamble everything—but he really is thinking too highly of himself."
Black Zetsu's face was full of disgust; right now, when it came to Obito, he truly hated him down to his very bones!
It was precisely because of this guy's self-righteousness, this bout of reckless meddling, that he had shredded Black Zetsu's plan to pieces.
He knew very well that he had already made up his mind: he absolutely could not let his mother be released.
But Obito, on the other hand, insisted on pushing ahead with everything in one go—did he really think his mother hadn't died fast enough?
Or did he think Ōtsutsuki Genshiki wasn't strong enough?
Moreover, when a pawn suddenly wants to become the player moving the pieces, who could tolerate that?
Right now he had only one thought, which was that he could not allow Obito to run wild.
If the opportunity arose, he absolutely had to reinforce the seal; he could not allow anyone to discover it!
'Especially Ōtsutsuki Genshiki...'
For a moment, Black Zetsu even suspected that those two older brothers of his might have sealed their mother away precisely in order to protect her.
It was just that his mother had been unable to understand all of this, which had led to this kind of misunderstanding.
'What on earth am I thinking?'
Black Zetsu quickly grew a bit self-mocking. Although he was now somewhat similar to those two utterly unfilial older brothers...
'But I am truly protecting Mother. I absolutely will not allow Mother to be harmed!'
Black Zetsu clenched his fists. Just then, as he was lost in thought, Uchiha Madara spoke again.
"A pawn will never make it onto the board as a player, and the Rinnegan will always be mine. Forget about him. How is your mission progressing?"
"There are already some leads."
Black Zetsu came back to his senses and immediately nodded.
"Although many things still can't be called clear, we finally have a direction. Besides, that place is Konohagakure—I also need time."
"Hurry it up."
Uchiha Madara nodded. He stood up and looked down over everything below.
The Land of Fire was still the same Land of Fire as before, although its terrain had undergone considerable changes…
But past memories still surged endlessly through his mind.
Looking at everything before him, he couldn't help but murmur.
"I really am getting a bit impatient."
"Hashirama, I wonder if you're the same as I am—have you also been waiting for a long time?"
...
"Tch, never thought a war would actually be coming."
In Konohagakure, inside a dango shop, Kitagawa Gen was sitting together with a group of the rookies.
Shikamaru, with a skewer in his mouth, couldn't help but speak up in complaint, and his words drew quite a bit of agreement.
After all, war was still quite distant for them—something they had only ever heard about from the conversations of their fathers.
They hadn't expected that now all of this would finally fall upon them as well.
"It's not like we want to fight. It's those lunatics from Akatsuki who stirred up this whole mess."
Kitagawa Gen was also eating dango at the side. Hearing Shikamaru's words, he couldn't help but shake his head.
"And besides, with that kind of mindset, how are you supposed to take over your dad's position?"
"Hey, even if you haven't formally been inaugurated yet, you're already the Hokage in practice."
Shikamaru spoke with his dead-fish eyes, sounding somewhat depressed.
"As the Fifth Hokage, acting so relaxed at a time like this… you're even less supposed to be, aren't you?"
"So you do know I'm the Fifth Hokage. I'll give you a chance to apologize right now, or else—you wouldn't want your father to retire on the spot, would you?"
Kitagawa Gen raised his eyebrows and spoke with a mischievous grin.
After all, he followed the "offline monarch" system—so many people doing the work, why should he be the one to tire himself out?
"Hey, come on…"
Shikamaru immediately didn't dare speak. Even though he knew it was a joke…
Kitagawa Gen could really be unreliable at times.
"Alright, you two—this isn't the time to be talking about that."
Ino couldn't keep watching; at moments like this, only she could step in. Hinata and Sakura both nodded.
"War, huh…"
Neji at the side actually looked somewhat expectant, and Lee clenched his fists even tighter.
"War may be cruel, but none of us will be afraid. And I've heard that the situation this time is very different."
"Mm. Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and we are allies—we'll all be deploying together."
Kitagawa Gen smiled toward Ino as he spoke, and Shikamaru smoothly picked up the topic.
"Besides that, the Land of Iron, the Land of Frost, and even Sunagakure have all responded actively. Actually, the Land of Grass wants to join too, but—"
"Tch, those scumbags—whether they come or not, it's the same."
Before Shikamaru could finish, Karin cut in with extreme annoyance.
Everything she had experienced back in the Land of Grass was something she could never let go of for the rest of her life!
"Besides, that pathetic village was already smashed to bits a few years ago. They probably can't send out any decent troops anyway."
"True. Whether Kusagakure joins or not is basically the same."
Shikamaru couldn't help but nod, though his gaze kept drifting toward Kitagawa Gen from time to time.
Clearly, he knew exactly how that village had ended up in such a miserable state.
"Sen-senpai…"
While they were chatting, Hinata—who had barely made a sound until now—couldn't help but look toward Kitagawa Gen.
"Um… Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun… we haven't seen either of them. Right now, are they…?"
"Yeah, senpai!"
Sakura, hearing this, couldn't help speaking up as well.
"How is Sasuke doing right now?"
"Those two? You can relax."
Hearing this, Kitagawa Gen also chuckled.
"They're both doing just fine. The next time you see them, they might have already undergone a complete transformation."
Sasuke and Naruto had both begun their respective training and metamorphosis.
For Sasuke, it went without saying—having Uchiha Itachi's eyes to begin with, what he needed to do now was ensure the energy of those eyes was completely applied to his own body.
As long as he secured that, he would complete his transformation.
And Naruto…
his situation was even better—he was about to obtain the complete Nine-Tails chakra!
'It's just that he's going to suffer for it too.'
Things between Naruto and the Nine-Tails were a mess; with the Nine-Tails growing stronger, he would definitely have a rough time.
But Kitagawa Gen believed Naruto would ultimately be able to awaken the Nine-Tails Mode.
'If I'm remembering right, Naruto only gradually pacified the Nine-Tails and reached mutual understanding when he was fighting desperately against Obito. That was when he finally became a perfect Jinchūriki.'
So right now there's not much of a problem. At worst, when the time comes he can personally pat the Nine-Tails on the head and help them speed things up!
"Mm?"
However, just as Kitagawa Gen was thinking, Kaguya inside his body suddenly let out a puzzled sound.
This made Kitagawa Gen raise an eyebrow; outwardly he continued chatting casually with the rookies, but in his heart he asked, "What's wrong?"
"It seems like… I've sensed Zetsu's presence."
Kaguya spoke with a slight frown, sounding somewhat puzzled.
"Although he's hiding himself very well, his chakra originally belongs to me, so there's no way I could be mistaken. It's really strange—why would he be here?"
Kaguya was indeed somewhat confused. Although Kitagawa Gen had never told her exactly what was going on with Black Zetsu… she had not forgotten that there was a trace of her chakra in Kitagawa Gen's Divine Tree.
Combined with Kitagawa Gen's stance, she knew the two of them were probably enemies.
This left her somewhat troubled: on one side was a being condensed from her chakra, basically equivalent to a child of hers… on the other side was the true source of terror in this world.
Under the influence of her elder son Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, Ōtsutsuki Genshiki had already surpassed the master, becoming even more terrifying, cruel, and cold-blooded!
The only good news was that this cold, ruthless man did not seem to be preparing to strike to kill.
"Zetsu is trying to save me."
After thinking for a moment, Kaguya still couldn't help speaking.
"Although I don't know what his purpose in coming here is, still—"
"I know what you mean. I'm also waiting to see how he plans to save you."
Kitagawa Gen chuckled. Naturally, he knew what Black Zetsu's goal was, but there was one thing he also found strange.
'I've shown myself to be that terrifying, yet Black Zetsu still wants to release Kaguya, this—'
He had never concealed his Divine Ascension Stairway from the members of Akatsuki—after all, Isshiki was inhabiting Obito's body.
But when he had already gone "on a killing rampage," was Black Zetsu really not worried that releasing Kaguya would only turn her into his Divine Ascension Stairway?
"There's something off about this."
Kitagawa Gen rubbed his chin, starting to grow somewhat curious about what exactly Black Zetsu was planning to do.
"Forget it, let's not talk about him."
Kaguya, however, shook her head at this moment, her voice tinged with a faint sense of emotion.
"I really didn't expect that Hamura's descendants would also have continued on—and that there would even be Byakugan of such high purity."
"Hinata, huh?"
Kitagawa Gen immediately knew who Kaguya was talking about, and he nodded as well.
Hinata's Byakugan really was extremely pure; no wonder she was hailed as the "Byakugan Princess."
"It's just a pity that she only inherited the Byakugan, yet lacks the Yang Release portion of the power."
Kaguya shook her head, seeming to sink into reminiscence.
"Hamura used to be a good child. It's just a shame he was led astray by his older brother."
"..."
Kitagawa Gen rolled his eyes; he felt that the Sage of Six Paths at this point was already about the same as Shimura Danzō.
On the Konohagakure level, back when Shimura Danzō wasn't dead yet, whenever something happened people would always think of him.
And now, on the shinobi world level, it seemed to have become, "if something happens, it must definitely be Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's fault"!
He wasn't too sure how exactly this kind of shift had come about, but Kaguya seemed to have reminded him of something.
'The last time that guy risked his life to come over, he forged a relic of the Senju clan. So this time…'
Kitagawa Gen couldn't help looking over at Hinata as well, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
'This time, he's not going to have forged a relic of the Hyūga clan, is he?'
...
"Does Kumogakure even still need to think it over?"
While Kitagawa Gen was pondering Black Zetsu's actions, Obito had already slipped quietly back into the Akatsuki base.
He had called over both Orochimaru and Nagato, and after listening to his account, Orochimaru couldn't help licking his lips.
"It's not really surprising. They have their own ideas as well—chaos is a ladder, and they also need to get themselves ready."
"And what about Uchiha Madara and the others?"
Nagato didn't care about Kumogakure; he was more curious about something else.
"They still haven't found the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother's relics?"
"Things like that aren't easy to find, but there's no need to be overly worried about them."
Obito shook his head indifferently, then spoke in a low voice.
"We just need to handle our own tasks—especially the Impure World Reincarnation side…"
As he spoke, his gaze turned toward Orochimaru, and Orochimaru immediately gave a knowing smile.
"Don't worry. Although Konohagakure has already issued warnings and the people from the other villages have been strictly guarding against it afterward, still—"
As he spoke, his hands began forming seals, and as his chakra surged in waves, coffins appeared one after another in front of them!
He knew very well that he needed to give a proper display of the necessary ability; otherwise his right to speak wouldn't be sufficient.
Under his control, figures stepped out from the coffins one after another, and then light and awareness slowly appeared in their eyes.
"Mm, where is this? I remember I went down together with that zombie, didn't I?"
A man with yellow hair and a small mustache was the first to walk out. He looked around in confusion, but quickly started laughing.
"Yeah, I went down together with you, you damned zombie. How hateful—I really took a loss!"
"Hmph, what do you mean 'went down together'? You were clearly taken out by me."
At this moment, a man wrapped head to toe in bandages, like a mummy, also walked out.
"It was just my bad luck that you also managed to land a sneak attack."
"Oh?"
The small-mustached man instantly turned his head, his face full of displeasure.
"Want to try it again, you zombie?"
"I advise you two to quiet down. Haven't you noticed that we're already being controlled?"
As the two of them faced off, a stern, burly man walked out as well, his gaze locking onto the zombie.
"But I actually trust you more, Second Mizukage. You can take care of this Second Tsuchikage. After all, you wouldn't be trash like Iwagakure, sending tens of thousands of people to besiege me."
"You're… the Third Raikage?"
The Second Tsuchikage, Mū, and the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu, both turned their heads to look over, faintly thoughtful.
When the two of them perished together, the Second Raikage had already long since been killed in a sneak attack by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, even taking the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, down with him.
"Wait—Senju Tobirama?"
The two of them wore somewhat strange expressions, but quickly seized on the main point.
"Damn it, is this that Impure World Reincarnation of his?"
As shinobi of the same era, both of them had seen Senju Tobirama use Impure World Reincarnation, and their expressions immediately turned unpleasant.
At that moment, more and more shinobi began stepping out from the coffins.
Their faces were also filled with bewilderment—after all, the final fragments of their memories were all of death.
However, hearing the conversation among these three, they also seemed to realize something.
"I've been awakened as well?"
Rasa looked at his own body in disbelief; his final memory had been an extremely painful one.
"Wasn't I taken out by Dust Release? Why…?"
"Dust Release?"
Upon hearing Rasa's words, Mū couldn't help raising his brows, and he spoke in a cold voice.
"The Kazekage, huh? Ōnoki is actually quite capable, managing to kill a Kazekage."
"You've misunderstood there. The one who killed him wasn't Ōnoki."
Orochimaru shook his head at this point, licking his lips as he smiled at Rasa and said, "Although you were shredded by Dust Release, before you died you did leave behind quite a lot of samples. Those can't be allowed to go to waste."
"You—"
Rasa instantly remembered that he had also been injured before being taken out by Kitagawa Gen back then. Had samples been left behind at that time?
"You bastard…"
"Not Ōnoki?"
Orochimaru didn't take Rasa's curses to heart at all, but Mū to the side heard them loud and clear.
"Just who is it that has learned Dust Release? What on earth is going on?"
"It's someone from Konohagakure—an extremely cruel man whose methods are extremely sinister, a schemer every bit as crafty as the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama!"
Another rough voice rang out, and the Fourth Raikage came walking over right afterward.
"You—"
Looking at the Fourth Raikage, the Third Raikage's expression changed drastically.
Wasn't this his own eldest son? How had he died as well?
"Father."
The Fourth Raikage still treated his old man with respect. After glancing at the stunned Rasa, he spoke bluntly.
"Not long after you died, I was also ambushed by Kitagawa Gen using the Flying Thunder God Technique. I knew it—this vicious bastard had never erased his markers back then!"
"Kitagawa Gen?"
"Dust Release?"
"Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"And judging from the Fourth Raikage's tone, the two of them joined forces, but in the end were killed by this Kitagawa Gen alone?"
They were all shinobi, and they had all heard of these techniques; likewise, they were willing to trust in a Kage's strength.
For one person to have mastered both of these techniques, and even killed two Kage, was more than enough to show just how terrifyingly powerful this guy was!
"The most frightening thing is that he's still young, yet he's already Konohagakure's prospective Fifth Hokage."
At this moment, another faint sigh sounded, and Chiyo walked slowly forward.
"Fourth, it's been a long time."
"Chiyo, you died as well?"
The shock on Rasa's face deepened, and he then asked nervously, "Could it be that you were also killed by Konoha or Kitagawa Gen—"
"No, I died in order to save the Fifth Kazekage."
Chiyo spoke calmly, then locked her gaze on Orochimaru.
"So this is Impure World Reincarnation? I truly didn't expect you to use such a technique on this old one."
"Being forced to join hands with the White Fang of Konoha to deal with your own grandson—that couldn't have felt very good, could it?"
Orochimaru laughed indifferently, folding his arms across his chest.
"Now I'm giving you an opportunity like this, to go take your revenge. Isn't that a good thing?"
"How truly pathetic."
However, Chiyo didn't waver in the slightest; she only let out a helpless sigh.
"Even after death, I still have to end up as one of the minions of your evil. Perhaps this is the greatest retaliation fate has for me."
"In that case, by what you're saying, I'm actually even more pathetic, aren't I?"
A hoarse voice rang out, and Hanzō, wearing a respirator, also stepped out.
He had already known Chiyo, and they had crossed blades before; however, his gaze was fixed on Nagato in the distance.
"Our village was destroyed by him, our people were killed by him, and now even in death we're being enslaved. You're already not doing too badly, Chiyo."
There were many people brought back by Impure World Reincarnation. Some were lamenting, some were cursing, and some were talking among themselves.
For a time, the entire hall was filled with noise and clamor, yet not a single one of them launched an attack.
Because they could all feel that they were already under control; it was simply impossible for them to do anything to the people in front of them.
They could not even give rise to the thought of making a move.
Therefore, all they could do was start discussing other matters—especially this person called "Kitagawa Gen."
For someone so astonishing, they would be curious even as dead men—especially since everyone gathered here was an expert!
"With this result, can you be considered satisfied?"
Orochimaru stopped chatting idly with the ones brought back by Impure World Reincarnation and stepped back to stand beside Nagato and Obito.
"These are the relatively strong ones. As for the others who have some strength or are only average, I didn't summon them. After all, that would only increase my burden."
"This kind of lineup isn't bad."
Obito nodded lightly. To still be able to gather so many Kage and so many elites under the protection of the Konoha alliance was enough to show Orochimaru's capability.
"It's just Hanzō and Danzō—those two make me feel sick."
Nagato also spoke up at this moment, and his expression didn't look very pleasant.
"Turning your former mortal enemies into your own pieces and making them work for you—isn't that a form of revenge?"
Orochimaru went on speaking with a smile, then turned his head to look at Obito.
"However, there's one thing I need to make clear. I'm afraid I've run into a bit of trouble now."
"Trouble?"
Obito raised an eyebrow, while Orochimaru's expression also became slightly more serious.
"There are too many people under Impure World Reincarnation. Controlling them puts too heavy a burden on me. Right now, I need a new body—but I still need to do some research on Kimimaro…"
"A new body, huh?"
Obito frowned. He knew exactly what kind of thing this so-called "new body" in Orochimaru's mouth was.
But he only paused for a brief moment before nodding directly.
"No problem. I'll make arrangements for you, and the quality won't be bad."
"That would be for the best."
Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction, while inwardly Obito grew even more disdainful.
White Zetsu's body looked very precious, since it was filled with Hashirama's cells.
But for an "evolver" like him, it was completely not worth mentioning!
Not to mention, he still had a full hundred thousand of them.
"Everything is more or less prepared. All that's left is to wait for Kumogakure's answer."
Obito took a deep breath. Looking at that crowd of people under Impure World Reincarnation, his gaze became incomparably firm.
'Rin, I won't let you fall under Konoha's control ever again—and I will definitely create a new, peaceful world!'
...
While Akatsuki was making preparations, inside Konohagakure, within a secret shrine of the Hyūga clan—
Kitagawa Gen's figure crossed the boundary of space and appeared here quietly.
"So this is the place. I wonder what exactly he prepared."
Kitagawa Gen glanced around and couldn't help speaking with a faintly amused tone, while Kaguya seemed rather certain.
"Most likely a method to rescue me. The only mission I gave him was to free me."
"Are you that sure?"
Kitagawa Gen walked up to the bookshelf, casually picked up a book, opened it, and took out an extremely inconspicuous bookmark kept inside.
This bookmark was filled with the style of the Hyūga, and a strong sense of age and history rushed forth from it.
"It really is intricately crafted. Even a knowledgeable archaeologist wouldn't be able to tell it's fake."
Kitagawa Gen pressed his lips together; he realized that Black Zetsu's skill in forgery was unmatched throughout the entire shinobi world.
"Hurry up and take a look."
But he was still busy marveling at it—Kaguya could not wait any longer.
"See what he actually wrote."
"Alright, alright."
Kitagawa Gen nodded, then activated the Tenseigan.
Instantly, the hidden information on the bookmark was completely revealed before his and Kaguya's eyes.
But as he continued reading, Kitagawa Gen's expression gradually turned strange, while Kaguya's face grew incomparably dark.
"It seems he really is your child…"
After quite a while, Kitagawa Gen finally couldn't help saying in a somewhat playful tone, "And in the end, he still followed in his elder brothers' footsteps and walked the same old path!"
"…"
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