As soon as Tobi walked in, he slightly bowed with excitement, his voice full of barely contained joy.
"Great Sage! Hello!"
Arisu looked at the lively, energetic figure in front of him and smiled faintly.
"Alright, alright, no need to be so formal. How have you been in the organization lately? Do you miss Mount Myoboku?"
Arisu waved his hand as he asked.
"I do! I dream about it every day!"
Tobi nodded hard.
"I miss it every second! Great Sage, this place is unbelievably boring!"
"Even though the ninja world's technology has improved a bit and they have things like TVs now, the leader doesn't let anyone use them!"
"No phones, no internet, I can't even watch the shows I want. Every day it's just gloomy caves and missions... It's driving me crazy. I'm about to grow mold!"
Tobi complained nonstop to Arisu.
"Alright, I know."
Arisu smiled helplessly after hearing him complain.
For someone as lively and outgoing as Tobi, Akatsuki's dull environment really was torture.
"Be patient."
"I can announce your evaluation now, you've passed. You've stayed in the ninja world even longer than Black Zetsu, and you've done an excellent job."
"Now all that's left is the final stage. It'll take about four more years, and your mission will be completely finished.", Arisu announced gently.
"Yes!"
Tobi's face instantly lit up, and his eyes sparkled.
"That's great! Then I'll be on the same level as Black Zetsu, Fukasaku, Shima, Gamamaru, and the others! I'll also unlock more permissions."
"Then I can visit the Pure Land. I heard the environment there is really nice now. It's perfect for retirement..."
Tobi suddenly paused. The excited smile on his face faded slightly, replaced by a hopeful, pleading look.
"Great Sage... You didn't forget, did you? The thing you promised me back then...", Tobi asked.
Arisu slightly raised an eyebrow. A trace of remembrance flashed through his eyes as he asked calmly, "What thing?"
Seeing this, Tobi immediately stepped forward half a step, his voice filled with excitement and hope.
"I mean... the body modification you promised for me and all the other White Zetsu! We've been undercover here for so long. It's time to keep that promise, right?"
Arisu thought for a moment before immediately remembering that promise.
"Oh, that. Sure. Mount Myoboku has already started carrying out that plan. After you go back, you can undergo the modification directly.", Arisu said.
The moment he heard that, Tobi was so happy he almost exploded.
"Long live the Great Sage! Long live! Long, long live!!!"
Tobi instantly shot through the roof with excitement.
Arisu looked at him helplessly with a faint smile, though there was a hint of indulgence in his eyes.
The thing Arisu had promised Tobi back then was actually very simple, but it meant a great deal to the entire White Zetsu race.
He would give every White Zetsu a complete sense of taste, a sense of touch, and normal human body functions such as using the restroom.
These originally unique lifeforms would become much closer to ordinary humans.
From then on, when they were hungry, they could truly enjoy good food. When they were thirsty, they could drink to their hearts' content.
When they were tired, they could feel exhaustion and the comfort of resting. They could even experience richer emotions and a broader sensory world.
At the same time, the White Zetsu could also choose to generate random personalized appearances, avoiding the awkward situation where every one of them had the exact same face.
Each White Zetsu would have a unique appearance and body, allowing them to truly blend into life in the ninja world.
Tobi stayed excited for quite a while before finally forcing himself to calm down. He respectfully bowed to Arisu.
"Thank you, Great Sage! As soon as the mission is over, I'll be the first to get modified. Then I'll enjoy good food, enjoy life! Most importantly, I'll finally know what the urge to poop feels like..."
"Alright, you may leave.", Arisu quickly interrupted.
Beaming with joy, Tobi skipped out of the restroom like a child who had just been given candy, his steps so light he almost seemed ready to fly.
Sasori, sitting in his chair, watched Tobi hopping around with a silly grin and frowned slightly.
But he quickly shook his head.
'Forget it. This guy acts like an idiot every day anyway. Nothing strange about it.'
However, what happened next completely put Sasori on alert.
The usually silent Venus Flytrap White Zetsu, who almost never spoke to anyone, slowly walked into the restroom as well.
"Great Sage."
Venus Flytrap White Zetsu bowed slightly, his posture respectful and proper.
Arisu nodded, his voice gentle, "You've had to keep an eye on both Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito all these years. You've worked hard."
"It wasn't hard. Serving the ninja world is my duty.", Venus Flytrap White Zetsu answered calmly.
Looking at him, Arisu thought for a moment before asking,
"Which department did you work in at Mount Myoboku before? Once this mission is over, I'll transfer you to a better position."
Venus Flytrap White Zetsu respectfully replied, "Reporting to the Great Sage, I used to serve under Lady Kaguya and Lady Hikari."
Hearing the name "Kaguya," Arisu nodded slightly, understanding immediately.
"In that case, after you return, come work at the Sage Hall."
Venus Flytrap White Zetsu was overjoyed and immediately nodded.
"Thank you, Great Sage!"
Then he quietly left the restroom as well.
By now, Sasori's brows had become more tightly knitted.
A strong feeling that something was wrong rose in his heart... It felt like something was seriously off.
His eyes suddenly widened.
Wait! Why would White Zetsu use the restroom!?
That Tobi keeps talking about "the urge to poop" every day. Just looking at him, it's obvious he's the type that doesn't even need to use the restroom. So why are they going into the restroom one after another? What are they actually doing in there?!
Sasori immediately became alert.
Without drawing attention, he released a tiny puppet and had it secretly sneak into the restroom to investigate.
However, when the small puppet arrived, the restroom was completely empty. There was no one inside and no trace left behind.
Sasori narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and fell into deep thought...
———
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was heavy.
Minato Namikaze closed his eyes in grief, his hands tightly clenched into fists.
Arisu had already brought the news of Hatake Sakumo's death back to Konoha, and the entire office seemed to be covered by a dark cloud.
"The dead cannot come back..."
"Akatsuki is very powerful. Tsunade and I almost didn't make it back. For now, Konoha should avoid a direct conflict with them and focus on keeping the situation stable."
Arisu stood to the side, speaking in a low voice.
Hearing this, Tsunade was slightly stunned.
That's not right... During the battle in the Hidden Rain Village, Arisu had easily beaten the Six Paths of Pain until they couldn't fight back at all. So why is he saying Akatsuki is very powerful now?
Although she was full of questions, because Arisu was her husband, Tsunade raised no objections.
She continued along with what Arisu had said, "That's right. If Arisu hadn't learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, we probably wouldn't have made it back either. Akatsuki's foundation is far beyond our imagination. For now, we can only endure."
'Sigh... You've both worked hard...'
Minato Namikaze let out a deep sigh and nodded. The atmosphere inside the office became even heavier.