Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 79 Black Zetsu: No! Absolutely not!

Tick-tock...tick-tock...

Water droplets condensed and seeped from the cave walls, falling into shallow puddles.

The space inside the cave gradually twisted into a vortex, as if a calm water surface was being stirred by a hand, and a black figure appeared silently.

He has long black hair similar to that of Madara Uchiha in his lifetime, but wears an orange single-eyed mask with black patterns on his face, revealing his only scarlet and cold Sharingan.

"..."

As soon as Obito Uchiha entered the cave, he smelled a strong stench of blood. His eyes narrowed as he looked in front of him, only to find that Nagato's mobility aids, which he couldn't leave his side, were empty.

The device was covered with fresh, still-drying bloodstains, and the ground beneath his feet was stained with a glaring dark red.

"what happened?"

Jue poked his upper body out from underground and was stunned by what he saw.

There's no doubt that Nagato is in trouble.

"Oh my! Is it 'Lord Madara' who's back?"

Just as Obito was feeling uneasy and angry, a light and cheerful voice, completely out of place with the atmosphere, suddenly rang out from behind him.

Upon hearing this, Obito Uchiha turned around abruptly and saw Tobi, the White Zetsu, peeking out from the shadows of the cave tunnel.

He still had his index finger pressed against his lips, appearing innocent and harmless, but this gave Obito Uchiha a strange and strong sense of unease.

"hooligan!"

His hoarse, deep voice came through the mask, so cold it seemed to freeze blood: "Where is Nagato? What happened here?"

Before Zetsu left, didn't he ask Afei to guard Nagato? Why is Afei still here even though Nagato is gone?
"Huh? Nagato?"

Ah Fei tilted his swirling head, seemingly pondering how to answer his question.

Just as Obito impatiently took a step forward, he suddenly heard Tobi's voice change.

"Nagato, isn't he standing right in front of you?"

The same cold words were transmitted through "Ah Fei's" body.

Immediately, under the gaze of Obito Uchiha's pupils, which contracted instantly, the swirling head bloomed like pale flower petals.

Those Rinnegan eyes, as deep as a bottomless pool, met the Mangekyou Sharingan with utter indifference.

Under the oppressive gaze of those Rinnegan eyes, Obito Uchiha's expression beneath his mask suddenly froze.

"Nagato, it's you..." His face twitched slightly, "You've stood up?"

"Yes, it's all thanks to you."

Nagato slowly emerged from the shadows, allowing Obito and Zetsu to see the black rods still embedded in his body behind him.

Nagato lowered his head to look at the body that could walk freely on the ground, a complex look flashing across his eyes, but he quickly regained his indifference and looked up at the so-called "Sandalus" in front of him.

"What did you do to Tobi?" Obito Uchiha asked in a deep voice, regaining his senses. "What exactly happened?"

“It’s nothing,” Nagato said calmly. “I was injured in a fight with Hanzo, and this White Zetsu named Tobi helped me. Now he’s voluntarily staying in my body.”

voluntary……

The half-white Zetsu standing to the side twitched his lips, knowing that Nagato was just talking nonsense.

Given Tobi's restless and unruly personality, how could he possibly obediently become a tool and be worn by Nagato like this forever?

It's clear that Nagato used some method to control Tobi, preventing him from escaping.

"you……"

Obito Uchiha had obviously guessed as well, and he frowned and opened his mouth as if to say something.

But before he could speak, Nagato interrupted him.

"This White Zetsu allows me to move freely, making it much easier to carry out the plan in the future."

Nagato raised his hand and shook it, then looked at Obito Uchiha and smiled, "As the true leader of Akatsuki, you wouldn't care about a mere White Zetsu, would you?"

A mere White Zetsu?
Afei is a special individual with important abilities, and that damned Nagato just stole him!
Obito's face beneath the mask suddenly darkened, but he couldn't utter a word of refusal or rebuttal.

Because he could see the coldness in Nagato's eyes, he guessed that Nagato was angry because he had concealed the White Zetsu's abilities from him, and was even on the verge of breaking off relations with him.

Obito genuinely didn't want Nagato to gain the ability to walk freely. In his view, Nagato, as the container for those eyes, only needed to serve as a tool.

Therefore, he did not tell Nagato the true value of the White Zetsu, nor did he replace Nagato's crippled leg with the White Zetsu's body.

But now, it's clear that things won't go as planned.

"Of course, I don't care. It's just a White Zetsu."

Suppressing his frustration, Obito Uchiha regained his usual calm and composed demeanor and said, "I just didn't expect it to help you stand up. Congratulations."

Upon hearing this, Nagato gave him a deep look, and the words of that 'Shadow' involuntarily came to mind. If it were the Nagato who had been deceived in the past, he would not have had the slightest doubt.

Even in his past interactions with "Madara," Nagato had always been in a subordinate position; the true leader of Akatsuki was actually "Madara."

However, after being misled by Hinata Kumokawa and the figure on the mountain of corpses, Nagato now found the "Madara" in front of him very suspicious.

No, it's not just suspicious, it's even somewhat... affected.

It's like trying desperately to imitate someone's temperament, but you can't capture that person's essence and spirit at all; you can only imitate their voice and appearance.

"Could it really be as 'Kage' said, that this guy isn't Uchiha Madara at all?" A shadow of gloom appeared in Nagato's eyes.

"correct."

Feeling uneasy under Nagato's gaze, Obito forced a change of topic, worried that Nagato would see through him, and asked, "How are Hanzo and Amegakure doing?"

"Hanzo has agreed to cooperate and has officially joined the Akatsuki organization," Nagato said calmly.

“…” Obito fell silent again, then asked with a puzzled tone, “You mean, cooperation? Joining?”

To cooperate with the mortal enemy who killed Yahiko?

Make peace with Hanzo, whom you have always hated?
“Yes.” Nagato nodded and said frankly, “Konan has also been sent to assist Hanzo. I have regained my mobility, so I no longer need Konan by my side.”

"In future operations, Amegakure operating in the open while Akatsuki remains in the shadows is more advantageous for us..."

Obito Uchiha and Zetsu stood frozen in place, staring at Nagato who was speaking eloquently in front of them, both feeling as if they were under some kind of genjutsu.

What happened here while they were away?!

Not only did Nagato fail to kill Hanzo, he also got Hanzo to join the Akatsuki organization and even sent Konan to Hanzo's side.
I was only gone for a day, but it feels like everything has changed, as if I've completely lost control?
"Wait a minute, Nagato!" Obito finally couldn't help but interrupt Nagato. "Are you sure Hanzo is trustworthy? He's been colluding with Danzo!"

“You should understand that I won’t joke about our plans.” Nagato’s tone was completely calm. “Don’t worry, his life is in my hands now.”

Upon hearing this, Obito Uchiha was speechless. He still felt uneasy, but he understood that Nagato wouldn't joke about something like this.

Although I still don't understand why Nagato let Hanzo go, it seems that Nagato truly had Hanzo's lifeline under control, rather than going mad.

The situation is still under control.

"Although the process was somewhat bumpy, Amegakure is now in our hands. As agreed before, it's time to help you fulfill your long-cherished wish."

Seeing Obito breathe a sigh of relief, Nagato asked in his usual calm tone, "So, what's the next step?"

Seeing that Nagato still remembered their promise, Obito suppressed his turbulent emotions and calmed down.

Well, the situation in the ninja world is currently turbulent, and with Nagato regaining his mobility, the plan can proceed more smoothly.

Regardless, their goal was the same: to seize the nine tailed beasts.

Just as Nagato turned a blind eye to his actions, as long as Nagato continued to carry out his plan to seize the Tailed Beasts, Obito would also take a step back and not really break ties with Nagato.

Although their ultimate goals are different, they are destined to break off relations, but not at this moment.

"The first step is to recruit members of 'Akatsuki'."

Obito took the initiative and, following the original plan, said, "Besides me, let's find ten more people. The current Akatsuki members are you, Konan, Zetsu..."

“And Hanzo,” Nagato added before asking, “Why aren’t you included?”

"..."

A vein bulged on Obito's forehead beneath his mask as he suppressed his agitation and unease, continuing, "I will join when the time is right, and you will lead Akatsuki for now."

This is clearly a declaration of sovereignty.

Nagato didn't seem to care; her expression remained calm.

"I currently have two candidates in mind."

Obito Uchiha raised two fingers: "First, Kakuzu, who stole the forbidden technique of Takigakure to become an immortal ninja, and second, Sasori, who betrayed Sunagakure as a puppet genius."

"These two?" Nagato, who knew a little about Kakuzu and Sasori, nodded and said, "Yes, they are qualified to join Akatsuki. Let Hanzo and Konan recruit them."

Upon hearing this, Obito Uchiha frowned and asked, "Aren't you going to make a move?"

"I also have someone in mind."

Nagato spoke calmly and casually, looking at Zetsu beside Obito: "You said before that a very strong monster emerged from the Land of Hot Springs, right?"

Upon hearing this, Black Zetsu, who had maintained his taciturn persona, suddenly opened his eyes and felt an ominous premonition as he looked at Nagato in front of him.

"I was curious before about who could be called a 'monster', but I had to put my curiosity aside because of my mobility issues."

Just as Black Zetsu had thought, Nagato continued, "Now that we've regained our mobility, let's go see if that so-called monster is even qualified to join Akatsuki..."

"no!"

Before Nagato could finish speaking, a hoarse voice interrupted her.

(End of this chapter)