Chapter 48: Weighing the Pros and Cons, Operation Canceled!
Kushina's greatest worry right now was little Naruto's safety.
After all, this was the only child she and Minato had together.
Oborotsuki's earlier words made her involuntarily recall the terrifying enemy who had attacked her that night.
That person's space-time ninjutsu was extremely bizarre.
If he really tracked them down and attacked her and Naruto again, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Kushina didn't care much about her own safety.
But with that enemy's elusive abilities, Naruto's safety was truly something to worry about…
Thinking of this, her expression darkened.
"However, I'll handle this matter properly. If it really is that guy coming after us, I'll just kill him."
"Don't worry—I won't let any of you get hurt again!"
Oborotsuki said as he gently touched Naruto's chubby cheek.
These words made Kushina's thoughts waver. Her eyes flickered unnaturally.
Looking at Oborotsuki's tender actions, his warm smile, and the confident, sunny aura radiating from him—
In that moment, Kushina's feelings became complicated.
"I'm sorry for troubling you again."
"As repayment… I'll teach you the Uzumaki clan's unique sealing techniques."
Kushina knew very well what Oborotsuki had in mind, but she still couldn't cross that final emotional barrier.
Not wanting to owe him too much, she thought of offering something else in exchange.
Right now, the most valuable thing she possessed—in her opinion—was her mastery of sealing techniques.
"I'm not interested in sealing techniques, and I basically don't need them. The most reliable thing for me is this greatsword in my hand!"
Oborotsuki smiled and patted his weapon.
The Decapitation Greatsword, now enhanced to +2, possessed terrifying power—no further explanation was needed.
It was truly one of his most dependable partners.
Hearing Oborotsuki's response, Kushina looked deeply at him and fell silent, unsure how to reply.
"Dawn is almost here. Go pack your things, Kushina."
Oborotsuki gave her a bright, sunny, handsome smile as a reminder.
"Need any help?"
"No… I can handle it myself…"
Kushina, still holding Naruto, turned silently to leave. After one step, she paused again:
"Thank you."
Even though Kushina knew very well that these two simple words couldn't truly satisfy what Oborotsuki wanted,
At least saying them eased the guilt in her heart a little.
…
Meanwhile, in Kirigakure's Mizukage office—
Terumī Mei lay in bed for a while, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Oborotsuki's face and teasing smile kept replaying in her mind over and over—impossible to shake.
For a young woman just beginning to experience romance, Oborotsuki's roguishly handsome appearance, carefree attitude, and overwhelming strength were far too lethal.
"He's coming back at dawn!"
"No—this won't do. I need to make arrangements quickly!"
Suddenly remembering this, Mei jumped out of bed, hurriedly washed up, changed clothes, and rushed toward the Fourth Mizukage's office.
At the same time, in the busiest port of the Land of Water—
In a dark corner of the docks, Black Zetsu's true body slowly emerged from the ground beside another figure.
"I've located Hōzuki Oborotsuki. As you suspected, he returned to the Hōzuki clan grounds."
"But I haven't found any trace of Konan yet… because my clone was discovered by him…"
"That kid is even stronger than we imagined!"
Black Zetsu's upper half rose from the ground, reporting the freshly confirmed intelligence to Pain's Deva Path.
At the same time, he inwardly congratulated himself on his prudence.
If his real body had gone, this mission would likely have ended in disaster.
The plan to revive Mother would have collapsed…
After hearing the report, Deva Path spoke expressionlessly to the other Paths:
"Hōzuki Oborotsuki is difficult to deal with. Fighting near Kirigakure will easily draw unwanted attention."
"If Kirigakure notices our existence, it might interfere with future plans."
"Whether to act immediately or not—we need Madara's decision."
Upon hearing this, the Animal Path nodded immediately:
"I'll use Reverse Summoning to bring Madara here right away."
Just as she began forming seals, a spatial vortex suddenly appeared beside them.
The next moment, Obito emerged in front of the Six Paths and Black Zetsu.
Seeing the sudden arrival of "Uchiha Madara," everyone's attention focused on him.
"Operation temporarily canceled."
Obito spoke bluntly the moment he appeared.
"We've confirmed Hōzuki Oborotsuki returned to Kirigakure. Are we abandoning the pursuit?"
Deva Path reported the situation.
"Our ultimate plan is to collect all nine tailed beasts and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"Kirigakure is already severely weakened—hardly a threat."
"Even if they learn of our existence, with their current strength, they can't do anything to us."
"But if other ninja villages also become aware of our actions, things will become troublesome."
Obito said gravely.
He knew very well that the Great Ninja Villages—still recovering from the Third Great War—would never share intelligence with each other.
So even if Kirigakure discovered them, they would absolutely not inform the other villages.
As long as the entire ninja world didn't find out, their overall plan wouldn't be significantly affected.
To Obito, the village he had personally turned into the Bloody Mist was already riddled with holes. Even if Yagura had broken free of the genjutsu, it was impossible for Kirigakure to recover its peak strength in a short time.
So it wasn't much of a threat at all.
A mere Kirigakure.
Once everything was ready, he could always come back later and deal with them.
As for Hōzuki Oborotsuki…
Remembering how that kid had betrayed him, Obito's eyes flashed with murderous intent:
"One day, I'll kill you with my own hands!"
With that thought, Obito snapped back to the present and looked at Black Zetsu.
"Zetsu, from now on, closely monitor Kirigakure's movements. Report immediately if they show any unusual activity."
"Deva Path—continue leading the other members of the organization in missions. Recruit suitable new members to further expand our forces."
"Understood."
The Six Paths said nothing more and departed.
Black Zetsu slowly sank back into the ground.
"By the way—when my clone clashed with Hōzuki Oborotsuki, I sensed a familiar chakra signature."
"You might be interested."
He suddenly said to Obito.
Obito immediately turned to him:
"Whose chakra?"
"The former Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—Uzumaki Kushina."
Black Zetsu replied coldly.
"Kushina?"
Obito was slightly stunned:
"No wonder I searched all of Konoha and couldn't find any trace of her and the child! So they hid here!"
"Wait… wasn't she… by Minato…? Could it be…"
Obito suddenly recalled that night—when he had attacked Kushina, the mysterious figure who used Flying Thunder God to rescue both her and the child.
In that instant, he became filled with shock and suspicion.