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Inside a dimly lit meditation room.
Nagato, clad in luxurious robes and with long, deep red hair, sat cross-legged before the wall, meditating with his eyes closed, just as he had done for years.
After an unknown period, he suddenly lifted his eyelids, revealing his profound, dark, light-purple Rinnegan.
"Click."
Just then, the sound of a door opening came from behind him.
A maid knelt outside the door, respectfully reminding him:
"Lord."
"The Holy Communion ceremony is about to begin. Please proceed to the main hall."
"Mm."
After a long pause, only a soft, low response came from inside the room.
When Nagato rose from his spot, he was noticeably taller than he had been seven years prior, with a well-proportioned and robust physique. Only his complexion was somewhat pale from prolonged indoor living. This was a stark contrast to the emaciated, skeletal figure he became in the original world, where his legs were blown off in his teens and his Chakra was constantly drained by the Outer Path Demonic Statue.
Perhaps it was due to the excellent quality of his vessel, but even his Rinnegan, which he had been nurturing, seemed to have gained some luster.
The maid outside the door glanced at Lord Nagato's 'divine eyes,' and her heart swelled with even greater reverence and awe.
But Nagato seemed to ignore her presence, stepping out into the hallway and walking towards the main hall.
'Seven years.'
Unlike Sawara Kiri and his Konoha, who could comfortably develop in one place and rely on the reputation of being the Ninja World's strongest village to generate a continuous flow of money, these individuals, to break free from Uchiha Hikari's control and achieve their ideals, knew it was not something that could be accomplished overnight. No one wanted to be bound by a small Engraved Tsukuyomi for their entire lives, let alone complete the conquest of the entire world under its manipulation.
Thus, Nagato, who nominally still belonged to the Moon Organization, began to change after his conversation with 'Isshiki'.
Initially, out of concern for the various methods Uchiha Hikari had employed against them, his actions were quite conservative. He merely tentatively tried to earn some money through other channels with Yahiko and Konan, money that they shouldn't have been able to acquire, as a reserve.
Later, they grew bolder, simply registering their own shell organization outside and conducting corresponding mission handovers with the Moon Organization. Through this, they gradually established tiny intelligence network nodes throughout the eastern part of the Land of Rain.
After that, their bodies matured over the years, and the three of them became pillars of the 'Moon Organization,' gaining the qualifications to act independently. Naturally, they could then reside outside for extended periods to manage their own forces.
This 'Rinnegan Temple' was one of the forces Nagato developed in the eastern Land of Rain.
Originally, they had wanted to develop a large-scale Ninja organization. Yahiko had even given the organization a pleasant name: Dawn of the Akatsuki.
But problems quickly arose.
In this era, the Ninja industry was in decline. Not to mention Ninjas from small nations, even Ninjas from the Five Great Nations were being laid off in batches, forced to wander abroad seeking work opportunities before they even turned thirty-five.
Ninja intelligence organizations and mercenary groups, whose ecological niches overlapped with their own, sprang up like mushrooms and disappeared just as quickly in the wild and untamed lands of various small nations.
Most of the time, they found themselves colliding with colleagues, fighting for business, engaging in fierce battles, suffering mutual losses, and finally being replaced by cheaper newcomers.
In desperation, the trio had no choice but to turn their attention to the cheaper, but relatively less efficient, blue ocean: civilian services.
Perhaps it was due to the overwhelming suffering of the lower classes, but not just in the Land of Rain, across the entire Ninja World, except for the Land of Fire, various chaotic cults were rampant. It was easy to attract ordinary people who couldn't survive and sought spiritual solace.
Another appealing aspect was that he distributed a large bowl of yellow millet porridge mixed with gravel every two days.
This was the so-called Holy Communion ceremony.
Nagato extensively recruited these people, firstly, to help his compatriots while simultaneously establishing numerous secret agents and informants within the Land of Rain. Secondly, he wanted to secretly train some individuals from among them to see if the earth-style Ninjutsu distributed worldwide by Konoha could be used to alter the soil properties in the vicinity.
Unfortunately, after a period of experimentation, he discovered that this method of altering soil properties was simply too luxurious for small nations like theirs.
However, the first point, under their steady and careful management, gradually yielded results.
By this time, their intelligence network gradually covered the entire Land of Rain.
Along with it, the commercial network, which they had initially established to earn money, also began to flourish in the Land of Rain.
Over time, this stumbled-together structure actually managed to operate, albeit with some bumps.
Nagato thus began his 'Cult Leader' career.
However, the only thing that somewhat displeased him was that, as the 'Cult Leader,' Nagato himself had to show up on time and make his presence felt during the Holy Communion ceremony.
He was never the type of person who enjoyed being in the spotlight.
'Indeed, I am not suited for this kind of work.'
Nagato thought to himself, yet his face maintained an aloof demeanor that kept people at bay, fully embodying the 'Cult Leader's' gravitas.
Until a certain moment.
A bell at his waist suddenly emitted an ethereal chime.
"Ding."
Nagato's action of distributing the holy communion abruptly paused.
A gaunt middle-aged woman, kneeling devoutly before him, looked up in confusion, only to be immediately pressed down by someone beside her. Her expression instantly became somewhat uneasy, and her clasped hands ceaselessly rubbed together, muttering something under her breath.
But very quickly, Nagato regained his composure, handing the bowl and ladle to the surrounding cult members, and strode towards the back of the courtyard.
No one noticed that the moment Nagato turned to walk towards that room, a strong surge of killing intent flashed in his light-purple Rinnegan.
But it seemed like an illusion.
In just an instant, this subtle display of emotion was immediately reined in.
"Thud."
Almost simultaneously with Nagato stepping into the room, a muffled thud of something heavy falling to the ground echoed from inside.
Nagato lifted his Rinnegan and looked over, seeing a figure, as if split down the middle into black and white halves, sitting cross-legged in the center of the room.
At this moment, he saw seven or eight White Zetsu avatars lying on the ground at his feet.
However, some were missing arms, some were missing legs, and one even had half its buttock torn off, lying there askew.
The sound Nagato had heard earlier was precisely the thud made when one of the White Zetsu was thrown to the ground.
Nagato's gaze fell upon the torso of the figure in the middle, and the apprehension in his eyes deepened.
'Is it solid?'
'This guy, he's not human at all.'
Instead, Black Zetsu, who was sitting in place, painstakingly stuck his left hand back onto his arm as if molding clay, then vigorously shook it to ensure it wouldn't fall off. Only then did he raise his head towards Nagato, his face displaying that perpetually annoying, stiff smile:
"What? You look constipated just seeing me."
"You're truly an unlikable fellow."
Although his tone remained flippant, Nagato still keenly detected some extremely subtle anomaly in his words.
Rather than dissatisfaction or mockery, was it anger?
Could a non-human monster like him actually get angry over certain things?
Why was his body so severely fragmented?
Nagato felt a faint sense of incredulity and a slight curiosity.
However, years of being a 'Cult Leader' had ultimately honed his acting skills—at least, he was exceptionally good at maintaining a poker face.
"Is it Uchiha Hikari's mission?"
"Or do you have something else?"
Black Zetsu did not speak immediately. Instead, he sat there quietly, tilting his head to look at Nagato, observing his tall, well-proportioned physique, and... his eyes, which seemed to be integrated to an unexpectedly high degree.
Suddenly, Black Zetsu spoke with a smile:
"My business? No, I specifically came to save your life, Nagato."
Nagato's brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze grew cold.
Black Zetsu's voice continued without stopping: "You must have heard about Sawara Kiri absorbing Hidden Mist and making the Land of Water a protectorate."
"This already restless Ninja World is about to be thrown into chaos once again."
"However, before the Five Great Nations make their move, they have a tacit understanding."
Black Zetsu's lips curved upward: "That is, to crush us 'unstable elements' who are causing trouble along the borders of various countries first."
"How long will it be until your eyes are 'reclaimed'?"
Upon hearing this, Nagato's Rinnegan inadvertently revealed a hint of mockery, and he said coldly:
"It seems Sawara Kiri's actions have made you very nervous, Zetsu."
"Even your taunts are so clumsy."
"Or is it that you were beaten by Sawara Kiri and fled back in disarray, and without even having time to think of more excuses, you're trying to lay claim to me, this demonic blade, in impotent rage?"
Black Zetsu's smile remained frozen, hanging quietly on his black-and-white face, without the slightest change. He simply listened.
Without any feedback, Nagato, who was not much of a master of verbal sparring to begin with, only retorted a few times before returning to the main topic:
"Your words need more sincerity, Zetsu."
This time, Black Zetsu finally gradually reined in his stiff smile, his voice flat and monotonous like a read-out.
"I have a way to make those Rinnegan truly 'your eyes.'"
Nagato's eyelids trembled instantly.
A ticking time bomb that had been on his body for decades, no matter how powerful it was, would ultimately harm both himself and others. To say that Nagato had no worries at all would be a lie, but if it could be fully integrated...
He forcefully suppressed the increasingly chaotic thoughts in his mind, still maintaining that poker face, and calmly said:
"So what?"
"Even with the Rinnegan, won't I still be controlled by Uchiha Hikari?"
"Hmph."
Black Zetsu smiled at the remark and said indifferently, "The Rinnegan and the Mangekyo Sharingan are not on an equal footing, but rather in a superior-subordinate relationship."
"As long as you awaken the Rinnegan's ocular power, that 'Engraved Tsukuyomi' will no longer be able to bind you."
"By then, you will be truly invincible under this heaven."
Nagato didn't believe any of his nonsense.
Sawara Kiri didn't have the Rinnegan, yet he still suppressed Uchiha Hikari, the Eight-Tails Raikage, and all sorts of others. Could Nagato really turn the tables just by having an extra pair of eyes?
However, the information to break the 'Engraved Tsukuyomi' was still crucial.
Nagato continued, "What's the price?"
Black Zetsu was silent for a moment: "I need you to unify the nearby small nations and secure a large enough area to provide me with a Ryumakyu Ninjutsu energy supply zone."
"Ryumakyu... Ninjutsu?"
Nagato turned to look at him, seemingly trying to get some additional clarification.
However, Black Zetsu did not continue speaking.
For this matter, he had to thank Sawara Kiri and Konoha for all the new things they had developed.
Although Black Zetsu was already a thousand-year-old being, he was still very attentive to absorbing various ideas and knowledge of the new era, with Konoha being of particular importance.
A few years ago, when the Chaldea floating island truly reached thirty thousand meters in the sky, even he secretly snuck into Konoha's barrier and, like the surrounding civilians, looked up for a long time.
From that moment on, he involuntarily activated his millennia of astonishing wisdom and began to ponder there.
Yes, the power of the Ryumakyu was right there.
Why had he never thought of continuing to exploit it?
If the power of the Ryumakyu could send such a massive floating island into the sky, then sending an island of similar size into space, into the cosmos, how much harder could that be?
As long as it could be sent into outer space, with the acceleration over a long distance, such a massive island could easily smash a small moon.
Yes.
Smash the moon!
This was Black Zetsu's imagined, highly risky 'Mother Rescue' plan.
It was well known that Ōtsutsuki's body was immortal and indestructible. As long as even a tiny bit of energy information remained, they could still revive through various channels. Only being sealed and unable to move was the most troublesome. For this, Black Zetsu felt that blowing up his own mother along with the moon to free her didn't seem like too big a deal.
Just tell him if the seal was broken or not!
Just thinking about his mother being freed, Black Zetsu couldn't help but hum with delight.
As for why he chose to abandon his original path at this point and opt for this high-risk, low-reward route...
There was only one reason.
Sawara Kiri was simply too dangerous, exceeding all expectations.
By now, even Black Zetsu himself couldn't judge whether he had the ability to escape from Sawara Kiri's grasp unscathed.
After that series of internal explosions not long ago, although he was merely a lifeless entity imbued with life, he hadn't suffered too much damage.
But the problem also lay there.
That time, Sawara Kiri had merely made a casual move.
What if he had faced him head-on?
As for why he traveled thousands of miles to find Nagato instead of the closer Uchiha Hikari, it was even simpler.
For Uchiha Hikari, who had sworn to throw the Engraved Tsukuyomi onto the moon, if she discovered even the slightest hint related to destroying the moon, she would likely investigate it thoroughly... Moreover, over the past few years, she had become increasingly secretive with him.
Comparatively, Nagato, this simple kid, was indeed easier to control.
He thought to himself, then turned to look at the red-haired young man opposite him.
Nagato pondered for a long time, then nodded, "The final decision on this matter will have to wait until Yahiko and Konan return for a vote."
"But the Land of Rain must be taken."
"I heard that your Mayfly Jutsu, Zetsu, is the top reconnaissance Ninjutsu in the entire Ninja World?"
He looked up, appearing to take it for granted: "To show sincerity between our two sides, it's only reasonable for you to investigate some information related to the current Amegakure leader, Hanzō, right?"
"Naturally."
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