"Don't hide, Orochimaru."
After calling out a few times, Naruto Uzumaki raised his hand and condensed a Rasengan.
Sensing that tightly compressed chakra, a giant snake slithered out from a crack in the rocks—and then spat out a half-naked body.
Yep. Orochimaru. Still entering the stage in the most disgusting way possible.
Naruto silently complained in his heart, then narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"Orochimaru… pretty disappointed that Pain and I didn't kill each other, huh? You almost got your hands on the legendary Rinnegan."
Orochimaru had long heard about the personality of this "leader" of Uzushio Village.
A freakishly strong monster pretending to be a normal ninja… yeah, definitely not someone to piss off.
So he immediately put on a fake smile.
"No, no… I was just watching the battle. Pure observation. Totally harmless."
Naruto snorted.
"Oh? Like last time when you 'observed' Uzushio Village by attacking it?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Also… judging by how Pain tried to kill you, looks like you've already fallen out with Akatsuki. That makes this your second defection, doesn't it?"
Orochimaru chuckled awkwardly.
"Just… some minor disagreements."
"I tried to sneak attack Itachi Uchiha… didn't go well."
He paused, then added quickly:
"But don't worry. I have absolutely no intention of attacking the Land of Waves this time."
After a brief hesitation, Orochimaru even explained how he got his ass handed to him by Itachi. After all, Akatsuki and Uzushio Village were basically enemies now—might as well earn some goodwill.
Naruto stared at him for a long moment… then suddenly said:
"Come back to the village with me."
"I've got a lot of questions—about Konoha… and Akatsuki."
Orochimaru froze for a second, then remembered the Nine-Tails chakra he had sensed earlier.
So this "Menma" really did have some connection with Konoha.
He nodded and followed behind Naruto without another word.
...
After the two left, a figure slowly emerged from underground.
It was Zetsu.
He glanced at Naruto and Orochimaru in the distance, then turned his gaze toward the sea.
He had been secretly observing Nagato all along, so naturally he witnessed the battle between Naruto and Nagato.
But because both of them had absurd sensory abilities, he had stayed buried deep underground until the fight ended.
Now, by analyzing the remaining chakra traces…
He could almost confirm Naruto's identity.
Jinchūriki.
Nagato failing to capture him was disappointing—but not shocking.
After all, the Nine-Tails was the strongest tailed beast, closest to the Ten-Tails. That kind of combat power made sense.
But aside from being a Jinchūriki…
That Uzumaki brat might also be the reincarnation of either Asura or Indra.
Or worse—
Some weird fusion of both.
"…Annoying," Zetsu muttered.
Since Madara Uchiha's death, the cycle between Asura and Indra had gone off-script.
Without that conflict, how the hell was he supposed to manipulate things into the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan?
Rely on Obito Uchiha and Nagato?
Heh. One more unreliable than the other.
What a pain in the ass.
...
Inside the company building.
As the massive chakra clash in the distance finally died down, the ninjas from various villages—who had been "invited" to sit and drink tea—grew increasingly restless.
No matter who won…
It was bad news.
Because it meant the Land of Waves now housed a monster comparable to a legendary "demigod."
From now on, every major village would have to factor this person into their strategies.
At that moment, Shisui Uchiha pushed open the door and said calmly:
"The disturbance is over. You're free to move around again."
He paused, his tone turning cold.
"But remember—follow the rules of Uzushio Village."
"Break them… and we will deal with you. Doesn't matter which village you're from."
The "tea party" was over. They couldn't keep these spies locked up forever—after all, officially, they were just "tourists."
The earlier battle had already served its purpose: showing off Uzushio Village's strength.
The ninjas exchanged glances, their previous arrogance completely gone. They nodded and quickly left the building.
Then—
They rushed straight toward the battlefield.
What they saw…
Was absolute devastation.
The crescent-shaped bay was completely ruined. Massive craters scarred the ground, forests had collapsed, and parts of the land were burned to ash.
Stepping into the largest crater, the remaining chakra alone made their hearts pound.
Some weaker ninjas couldn't even stand—they dropped to their knees, trembling.
The jōnin didn't bother saving face anymore. After leaving the crater, they began discussing seriously.
A ninja from a small village asked cautiously:
"Hey… Yunyin… can your Jinchūriki do this?"
A Cloud jōnin frowned.
"Of course. Killer B is a Jinchūriki—this level of destruction is possible."
The ninja pressed further:
"What about the Fourth Raikage?"
The Cloud jōnin fell silent.
He had never seen the Raikage go all out… but if he answered honestly, it meant something terrifying—
That both fighters here were at least Raikage-level.
An Iwagakure ninja laughed dryly.
"The Third Tsuchikage could destroy mountains, sure… but in a normal fight, you wouldn't wreck this much terrain."
The small-village ninja hesitated… then said:
"I have a bold guess…"
"The people who fought here… are stronger than the Five Kage. Maybe even comparable to a Kage combined with a Jinchūriki."
"Impossible!" the Cloud and Stone ninjas snapped at the same time.
Then…
They fell silent.
Because deep down—they knew he wasn't wrong.
This level of destruction… wasn't normal.
If someone like that infiltrated their village, it wouldn't be a battle—it would be a disaster.
One by one, they summoned their communication summons and sent urgent reports back to their villages.
At the same time, a thought formed in all their minds:
The ninja world… was about to change again.
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