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Chapter 119n
🕑 Added 2025-08-04 22:15:35 +0000 UTCChapter 119n
2-in-1-chapter
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After such a period of reflection, after personally witnessing the cruelty and brutality on the battlefield, seeing so many faces he had only recently come to know forever frozen in the moment of death, Naruto made his decision: he wanted to become Hokage, to see the view his father had once seen.
“Rēn-nii, you’re the strongest shinobi I’ve ever met. If I study under you, I really believe I can become Hokage,” Naruto added, giving his reason for seeking a teacher.
“I see.”
Uchiha Rēn nodded in understanding. “But unfortunately, Naruto, I’m not suited to be your teacher. The Uchiha clan’s methods all revolve around these eyes of ours. Many things simply can’t be learned without them.” Rēn continued as if he hadn’t noticed the change in Naruto’s expression. “Compared to me, there’s someone else far more suitable to be your teacher.”
Naruto lowered his head, his heart filled only with deep disappointment.
“Raise your head, Naruto. I may not become your teacher, but…I can teach you a very interesting jutsu!” Rēn said with a smile.
The blond-haired boy suddenly looked up, his eyes shining with new light.
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“How did the investigation go?”
Uchiha Obito sat on a tree trunk, tilting his head slightly to look at the pitcher plant emerging from the main trunk. “Did you find any trace of that useless thing?”
“Traces of Wood Release were discovered, but that’s all. As for what exactly happened to my so‑called predecessor—whether he self-destructed, or was killed and his body taken away—the clues we gathered from the scene are far from enough to draw a clear conclusion.”
The one speaking was White Zetsu, the new White Zetsu chosen by Black Zetsu to replace the so-called predecessor.
“So we wasted our time?”
Obito pressed a hand lightly against his orange mask. The mask hid his face, and with it his expression, yet even unseen, his displeasure could be felt.
“Whether it’s wasted or not, you only know after doing it. Besides, confirming that White Zetsu may have been taken away by Uchiha Rēn is itself a result, isn’t it, Obito?” Black Zetsu’s hoarse voice rang out.
“Don’t try to fool me with useless nonsense!”
Obito stood. “ ‘Maybe,’ ‘possibly’—that doesn’t count as an answer. If Uchiha Rēn really got hold of White Zetsu’s corpse and put it to use…it’ll be nothing but trouble. That useless thing!”
He was in a foul mood.
That worthless White Zetsu hadn’t even managed to escape. Even with Mayfly Technique, he had made a complete mess of things. Obito was beginning to regret sending him to impersonate Yagura Karatachi to keep pushing the Mist and the Leaf toward war. Yes, the casualties in the battles that followed were numerous on both sides.
But all of that together was still less troublesome than Uchiha Rēn alone.
Black Zetsu said nothing further. He too was thinking.
If Uchiha Rēn had indeed obtained White Zetsu’s corpse and managed to use it—or even without White Zetsu, just with that troublesome Mangekyō Sharingan dōjutsu that had already defeated Obito—if he were to gain additional power… It seemed the plan would need some revision.
The Leaf would have to be dealt with last.
If Obito couldn’t handle it, then let Madara resolve it. Until then, they would avoid that monster Uchiha Rēn as much as possible. Truly, the Uchiha clan produced monster after monster. Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Rēn, and across the centuries those countless others chosen and ultimately failed…
His cheap elder brother had always favored the firstborn.
A pity there was no chance to wipe out the clan completely, for now.
Truly, what a pity.
“Enough. Zetsu, let’s go. Staying here any longer is nothing but a waste of time.”
Obito vanished using Kamui. Black Zetsu glanced back once more at the nameless island, before the pitcher plant-like body slowly sank back into the tree.
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Land of Water, Kirigakure.
A man hurried through the empty main street. Looking at the few scattered passersby, his mood grew heavier. The village had already been clinging on at the edge, and now the Fourth had insisted on launching a war against the Leaf.
Sure enough, once war began, the village had withered.
The desolation of the streets and alleys was enough to sour one’s mood from the start of the day.
“I wonder how things are going at the front. Hopefully the Fourth can win!”
So he thought, not without some expectation. If, by chance, the Fourth could seize the advantage on the front lines—even achieve victory—it would allow the village to recover its strength by bleeding others dry. The thought stirred him, lifting his spirits somewhat, and his pace quickened.
Crossing the alleys, he reached the southern edge of the village.
“Ao-senpai.”
Just as the man arrived at the doorway, someone called his name. He looked up to see a stern-faced man with short brown hair, wearing a brown jacket, standing at the door as he opened it. “You’re as punctual as ever.”
“Gonbee, how is Master Genji?”
Ao quickened his steps as he spoke, the talismans hanging beneath his ears swinging more vigorously.
“He just finished breakfast. Appetite’s as good as ever. His health is reassuring.”
"That’s good! Master Genji’s health is the most important thing. Don’t overlook even the slightest sign, and even if it turns out to be a misunderstanding, it doesn’t matter. As long as Master Genji is still here, no matter what kind of chaos breaks out, the village won’t change." Ao reminded Gonbee with the tone of a senior speaking to a junior.
Even though they were only four years apart in age.
"Yes, I’ll remember, Senior Ao."
Gonbee nodded earnestly in agreement.
"Where is Master Genji now? What is he doing?" Entering through the door, Ao did not immediately walk inside but paused at the entryway, waiting for the chill carried on him to fade before removing his shoes and stepping onto the corridor.
"Before you came, Senior Ao, the battle report from the frontlines had already arrived. Master Genji is reading it in the tearoom right now!" Gonbee replied to Ao’s question.
"So early?"
Ao frowned.
Battle reports from the frontlines usually came daily. By convention, they would normally arrive around ten in the morning, and if there were delays on the road, they might not arrive until afternoon or even evening. But rarely ever early.
Delivered ahead of schedule—had something changed at the front?
"I’ll go take a look."
Speaking as he quickened his pace, Ao walked the familiar corridor without needing a guide until he reached the sliding door embroidered with a serpent-like pattern. Kneeling respectfully on the corridor, he said, "Master Genji, it’s Ao."
"Oh! It’s Ao, is it? If you’ve come, then come in!"
From inside the tearoom came a trembling, hoarse, and aged voice. Just by hearing it, one might think its owner was already near death.
"Please forgive my intrusion, Master Genji."
Ao slid open the door. The room, about six tatami mats in size, was clean and fresh with straw mats woven of rush grass. Its decoration was simple and tidy. At the center stood a long table, upon which lay writing tools such as brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. At one corner of the table was a small, vibrant black pine in a pot, its branches twisted and gnarled.
Behind the table sat an old man, bald of hair, eyebrows, and beard, his frail body hidden in a wide brown monk’s robe, a bright yellow half-kesa draped over his shoulders. Yet he was no temple monk, but a lay devotee who practiced at home.
He could not leave Kirigakure to spend his final years in a temple, so he remained as a lay devotee in the village.
This frail old man, who seemed like a gust of wind might topple him, was Master Genji—the living fossil who had witnessed the founding of Kirigakure.
Ao knelt forward across the tatami to sit formally before the long table. Looking respectfully at Master Genji, he asked, "Master Genji, I heard from Gonbee that the battle report arrived early this morning. Might I ask…"
"We lost."
Master Genji sighed softly.
"What?"
Ao was stunned.
"The frontlines have been defeated. The Mizukage has already signed the ceasefire agreement." Master Genji’s eyes were half-closed.
"So fast? The Mizukage himself took the field—how could we have lost so quickly, even if victory wasn’t certain?" Ao was bewildered. And hadn’t Konoha fallen into civil strife? What exactly had happened at the front?
"The situation is complicated. Ao, read it for yourself."
Master Genji picked up the already-opened battle report from the table and tossed it toward Ao. Lacking strength, he had thrown it too short, but Ao, still in his prime, easily reached out to catch it. Forgetting courtesy for the moment, he read swiftly through the report.
His expression shifted again and again until finally he was left dumbstruck.
"Absurd. This is absurd, completely… completely…" He shook his head, tongue-tied, unable to form a full sentence until he pinched his thigh hard. The sharp pain drove out the haze clouding his mind, letting him regain some composure. "Master Genji, the Mizukage claims he was being controlled by a mysterious man with the Sharingan… is that true?"
"I don’t know."
Master Genji shook his head.
He opened his eyes slightly, looked at Ao, and asked in turn, "Ao, have you ever used that eye to look at the Mizukage?"
"No… In fact, these past years I’ve barely even seen the Mizukage. Even when reporting missions, I was never able to meet him directly. Everything was always relayed through the bodyguard unit…" At that, Ao fell silent.
He had never thought much of it before, so it all seemed normal. But now that suspicion had been raised, the strangeness was undeniable.
"This time, when the Mizukage launched the war against Konoha, I had hoped you would accompany that girl to gain some experience. Yet for some reason, the Mizukage struck your name from the roster and replaced you with Bi," Master Genji revealed something Ao had not known.
"It seems our Mizukage truly may have been under someone’s control."
Master Genji sighed again.
Ao grew uneasy, afraid that the matter might upset Master Genji’s health. At his age, he could not withstand agitation. For a moment, Ao even forgot the issue of the Mizukage’s manipulation, concerned only for Master Genji.
"Master Genji, please don’t be upset. Your health is what matters most…"
"Don’t worry, Ao. I’m only shocked. I hadn’t expected the Mizukage to be manipulated by the Uchiha clan’s Sharingan. No wonder his behavior has grown more extreme in recent years. I was too careless. I thought Uchiha Madara alone had exhausted a century’s worth of the Uchiha’s spiritual energy, but I hadn’t imagined someone else could control a tailed beast."
Master Genji sighed again, and Ao, deeply unsettled, racked his brain for a way to divert his thoughts.
"Master Genji, do you think the Mizukage’s manipulation might have been orchestrated by Konoha? After all, we’ve never heard of an Uchiha defecting from Konoha, and the Sharingan is something no outsider could bear the cost of." Ao voiced his speculation.
"No, not Konoha."
This time, Master Genji shook his head decisively.
"If Konoha had been controlling the Mizukage, they would never have needed to start such a war. Even if they wished to divert internal strife, they could have done so by having the Mizukage join them in targeting Kumogakure or Iwagakure. That would have better served Konoha’s interests.
"And when I met the Mizukage, I felt his unmasked hostility toward Konoha—or rather, the hostility of the one controlling him. That was no mere act." Master Genji recalled the meeting, eyes closing again as he nodded with certainty.
Though his speculation had been dismissed, Ao was not discouraged. As long as Master Genji no longer sighed like before, it was enough.
"Then, Master Genji, what should we do next? According to the battle report, Konoha’s shinobi may be coming to Kirigakure. Should we…" He gestured as though cutting someone’s head.
This time, Master Genji did not answer immediately.
Instead, he fell into a long silence.
