27Absolute guess!AI Model: gemini-2.5-flashChapter 27 Absolute guess!
"Is this really me?"
Obito was confused.
The drawing was quite accurate, but his memory told him he hadn't done anything like that.
"You forgot what you did yourself, and it's only been a few days?"
Zetsu almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
He knew Obito wasn't very reliable, but there was no need to be so unreliable.
"I shouldn't have done it, so why would Uzumaki Naruto draw this picture?"
"I've seen that location; you can indeed see the Root headquarters at a glance. If you didn't do it, then how did Uzumaki Naruto draw it?"
Zetsu pointed at the drawing, puzzled, "Logically speaking, he shouldn't know your abilities without having come into contact with them, unless someone told him."
"Who?"
"The Nine-Tailed!"
Hiss!
Uchiha Obito suddenly understood.
That's right.
In Konoha Village, only one person knew about his abilities—no, one Tailed Beast—and that was the Nine-Tailed.
When he infiltrated Uzumaki Kushina's room while she was giving birth, perhaps the Nine-Tailed saw his abilities.
"So, the Nine-Tailed and Naruto have already made contact."
Zetsu looked up at Obito in shock, "Do you think there's a possibility that the Nine-Tailed has recognized Uzumaki Naruto?"
"You're overthinking it, aren't you? Naruto is just a little kid; what would the Nine-Tailed want with him?"
Uh!
Zetsu was stumped by Obito's rhetorical question.
Yes, what could it want?
His body?
That idea was purely ridiculous.
Naruto was Minato Namikaze's child; it was a miracle the Nine-Tailed didn't hate him to death, so how could it recognize him?
Then the question was, why would it do this?
Or was there a deeper reason he didn't know about?
"I'll keep an eye on Naruto recently. I must find out his secret."
"Suit yourself!" Seeing Zetsu's gritted teeth, Obitosighed and smiled, "However, Danzo going to raise pigs is also a good thing for us."
At least for a short time, he wouldn't have to worry about how to respond to Danzo.
"I've been out too long. If I don't go back soon, Nagato will probably get suspicious. I'll return to the Akatsuki Organization first, and I'll come back after some time. Notify me as soon as you have any news."
"Go."
Zetsu didn't care at all.
Although this trip didn't achieve its intended purpose, he did gain some good insights. He now had to keep a close eye on Uzumaki Naruto.
He didn't know why, but he always felt that Uzumaki Naruto held an extraordinary secret.
…
"Tsk, in the end, I still have the upper hand."
Nara Shikaku moved the chess piece in his hand, smiling faintly, "This is just the beginning."
"The setup is to let them fight among themselves, subtly and without a sound."
"Uchiha Obito, this is just the beginning."
Nara Shikaku thought of the spirited and warm young man.
Minato Namikaze was truly charismatic and powerful; it was unbelievable that such a person would be killed by his own disciple.
Recalling those years, when he became Hokage, Ino–Shika–Chō and others contributed to it.
They initially thought Konoha Village would reach its peak again, but they never expected it to take a sharp turn for the worse; the Nine-Tailed incident brought everything back to square one.
Later, Uzumaki Naruto's experiences sent shivers down their spines.
The subsequent events were more explosive one after another.
Sometimes he truly felt that the Third Hokage was no longer the original Ninja God, but a true ruler in every sense of the word.
Coupled with Danzo, these two, working in tandem, made Konoha Village appear peaceful and stable, but in reality, it was a mess behind the scenes.
Among them, he didn't particularly hate this masked man.
After all, he was an enemy, not a friend.
It was understandable for an enemy to do anything out of line; he would also resort to all means if he were in their shoes.
But now, when he learned that this masked man was Uchiha Obito, his hatred soared to the heavens.
"Akatsuki Organization, you've made so many people in Konoha Village look like fools; now, let's see how it feels to be made a fool of."
Nara Shikaku made his move, then suddenly thought of Uzumaki Naruto.
"Perhaps, there really is karma and reincarnation in this world."
"Uchiha Obito, you will eventually fall into Uzumaki Naruto's hands."
Clap!
Shikamaru looked at his father in confusion, feeling that his father was playing chess with an intense killing intent today.
"And the Third Hokage, Danzo, and those people."
Nara Shikaku's lips curved into a meaningful smile, "I wonder what kind of expression they would have if they knew that all this turmoil was caused by Uzumaki Naruto."
"I'm really looking forward to it."
He glanced at Shikamaru, then raised his hand to pat his head, smiling, "Come on, let's play another game."
Shikamaru looked at the chess pieces in his hand, then at the murderous Nara Shikaku, casually dropped the pieces, stood up, and ran away.
A terrifying man.
A murderous father.
Playing chess with you now is just asking for abuse; you think I'm stupid.
Nara Shikaku: "…"
With a carefree smile, Nara Shikaku played against himself.
…
Huddled in a dark corner, Danzo was at a loss, wondering how things had come to this.
Out of nowhere, he was framed, entrapped, and set up, ending up in his current state.
He wasn't worried about himself; he was worried that this stain would become an obstacle to his future as Hokage.
"Don't let me find out who is plotting against me."
Danzo was not a fool.
On the surface, this matter seemed like a Uchiha Clan plot, but if those guys were that good at plotting, they wouldn't have ended up in their current situation.
There must be a master behind it.
He just didn't know who it was yet.
"Fortunately, Root generally obeys me; I can investigate in secret."
"It's also good to hide in the dark; that way, I can be in the dark while the enemy is in the light, which is more convenient for me."
Danzo took a deep breath.
He wouldn't give up that easily.
…
"Huff!"
"Huff!"
"Huff!"
Naruto was breathing heavily.
Even with his special physique, running a few laps around Konoha Village was unbearable.
He was drenched in sweat, his hands propped against the wall, and sweat dripped continuously.
He picked up the water bottle nearby and took a few sips, feeling the cool and refreshing sensation. Naruto comfortably squinted his eyes.
His head was lowered, his golden hair fluttering in the breeze, but his eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
For the past few days, he had felt a faint, lingering gaze on him.
He was almost certain that this person was the mastermind, Zetsu.
However, he had never been able to pinpoint the other party's location.
"My current strength is still a bit weak after all."
Naruto took another sip of water, a faint cold smile on his face.
The Ninjutsu in his space was still growing; every day, wisps of insight continuously surfaced in Naruto's mind and were absorbed.
This feeling was like someone disassembling a complex object and teaching it bit by bit.
He believed it wouldn't be long before he could dominate the Ninja World with just the Three Body Technique.
"With my current physique, I should be able to open the Eight Gates's first gate."
Naruto muttered to himself.
Upon hearing this, the Nine-Tailed rubbed its forehead with a conflicted expression.
Please, you're only five years old; what do you want to do?
It didn't know about Naruto's sense of urgency, but this atmosphere still affected it. Upon hearing him, it said directly, "I also know the Eight Gates."
Naruto's movements paused, and he frowned.
Was this Nine-Tailed an encyclopedia?
How could it know everything!