Obito's eyes glinted with madness, as if he had laid eyes on a rare treasure.
Naruto raised a hand, stopping Obito from falling to his knees in submission.
"Black Zetsu."
The oily shadow nodded immediately.
Black Zetsu surged forward like a pool of black sludge, engulfing Obito's body completely—except for his head, which remained exposed.
At that moment, with Black Zetsu detached—
A second-stage White Zetsu with an Uzumaki-patterned mask emerged.
The outer mask split open, revealing the standard White Zetsu within.
Naruto raised his hand. The inner White Zetsu eagerly pressed his face into Naruto's palm.
Naruto: "…"
"Lord Naruto, do you remember me? I'm White Zetsu No. 9527~!"
Naruto didn't hold back his smile.
With that smile, 9527 could die without regrets.
"Are you ready?"
"No… Lord Naruto, can I receive the kiss of death?"
"Don't push your luck."
"Okay~"
Chuckling, Naruto shook his head. He pressed his other hand on Obito's crown.
The power of the Mori Mori no Mi, the power of spirits and deities—
Naruto closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his Rinnegan had awakened.
The hand on Obito's head pulled back sharply—
He had extracted Obito's soul.
In an instant, Obito's soul splintered into countless strands of nourishment.
As Naruto sensed a unique chakra within the soul's remnants, he isolated it and returned it to Obito's body.
Black Zetsu looked at Naruto with gleaming anticipation.
"Father, Black Zetsu is ready~!"
Naruto nodded lightly and asked, "Do you want this to be your primary body, or just a vessel?"
Black Zetsu replied without hesitation, "Just a vessel."
As expected. That was always Black Zetsu's style—staying in the shadows.
"In that case…"
Naruto pressed his hands upon Black Zetsu's mass once again.
Rinnegan chakra surged forth.
Soon, Black Zetsu, which had only been draped over Obito's body like a cloak, merged with it completely.
Obito's body trembled violently, then curled into a fetal position.
Before their eyes, his hair turned white and his skin took on a gray hue.
The face once crushed by boulders rapidly regenerated.
Fifteen minutes later, a reborn Obito stood—now with a form resembling a hybrid between Black and White Zetsu, echoing the Ōtsutsuki lineage.
"Thank you for the gift, Father~!"
Black Zetsu—now whole—knelt on one knee.
"Go help your mother. She's lost."
Black Zetsu blinked, startled, then quickly stood straight.
"Yes, I'll head out at once!"
He activated Kamui and disappeared, off to locate Kaguya.
Meanwhile, the second-stage White Zetsu was busy poking a ripe Mount Myōboku toad with a stick.
With a casual swipe, he conjured a ninja blade, sliced off a chunk of roasted toad meat, and peeled away the charred skin.
He carried the steaming piece to Naruto.
"Naruto-sama~"
"What is that…"
Before he could finish, Naruto cut in:
"Bring it back and let everyone share. Call Lu Jiu here… We've got a stockpile of crab at home. Tell Grandpa to bring it over. We're having a feast tonight."
"Got it~!"
"Second-stage White Zetsu 007 guarantees mission success~!"
Naruto added, "Tell Uncle Takuya I'll be troubling him and Ayame again this evening."
"Yes~!"
The Zetsu clone bounded away.
Boom—Boom—
The ground trembled.
Naruto turned back.
A massive elder toad slowly rose into the sky.
Chunks of earth floated up and gathered around it—
Soon, a great sphere hovered in the sky.
But it had a vent—a passage for the Great Toad Sage to breathe, eat, and peer into the outside world.
Suspended above Mount Myōboku, he could observe everything below.
Through the opening, the Great Toad Sage watched the current chaos:
Jiraiya, now wild-eyed and blood-soaked, was ruthlessly cutting down former Konoha shinobi.
Some of the former Leaf ninja were fleeing.
Others were still greedily feasting on the toads of Myōboku.
Still more were using the very sage arts of Mount Myōboku to fight the toads that once taught them.
Pfft—
The Great Toad Sage spat out a mouthful of thick, dark blood.
Everything before the Great Toad Sage was shrouded in darkness.
Naruto turned and injected the soul nutrients extracted from Obito into the body of White Zetsu No. 9527.
"Ah~!"
9527 let out a strange cry as his body began to morph.
Soon, his form reshaped itself into Obito's appearance.
However, this Obito no longer carried the bloodline power of the Uchiha clan.
He blinked, disoriented, and then his eyes landed on Naruto's face.
"Na... Naruto... damn it!"
"Naruto!"
Those were the first words Obito uttered upon regaining a body.
But almost instantly, he was influenced by the nature of the White Zetsu body.
His eyes flared with madness and desire.
Still, this wasn't a second-stage White Zetsu engineered for total control—Obito retained some autonomy.
He gritted his teeth, glaring at Naruto, though there was unmistakable reverence in his gaze.
"Go," Naruto said flatly. "Join Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō."
"There are plenty who want your head. You won't be treated any better than Danzō."
"The Bloody Mist Village, the Nine-Tails Rebellion, Akatsuki... Hidden Mist, Hidden Rain, Konoha—you're no better than Danzō."
"Now go."
The command left no room for argument. Obito's feet moved on their own, carrying him toward Konoha.
Naruto didn't care how Obito would be executed. This was Kurama's gift, not his burden.
Last time, Danzō had paid in full. This time, after giving Obito a new vessel, Naruto had made modifications.
9527's body had no offensive capabilities—but so long as there was chakra, it would regenerate endlessly.
So the pain Obito would suffer wouldn't just be from physical injury.
Every time the body regenerated, the soul would experience a fresh wave of agony—tear by tear.
As for the soul damage?
Naruto's residual power of ghosts and gods—Yomi—would mend it within minutes.
After dealing with Obito, Naruto turned his attention to Mount Myōboku—and to Jiraiya.
He was just about to leave—
When suddenly, the city of Konoha behind him lit up.
Searchlights cut through the night sky.
Fireworks exploded, firecrackers snapped and echoed through the streets.
From the distance came the thunderous steps of Senju Hashirama riding atop his colossal wooden Buddha.
Boruto and Sasuke flanked him.
Boruto stood atop the Great Buddha's shoulder, waving his arms excitedly.
Sasuke glanced down at Nijima, who shot him a look of disdain.
"Useless," Nijima muttered.
Sasuke had no comeback.
Just moments ago, he had attempted to summon a full-body Susanoo—but the chakra flickered out, leaving him briefly looking like Kakashi.
Uchiha Madara joined the chaos too, striding in with his own completed Susanoo form.
Below them, the villagers of Konoha and countless shinobi erupted into cheers.
Tonight's feast: Spicy Myōboku Toad.
A new frontier of animal husbandry had dawned!
The entire village rejoiced—save for the Otsutsuki Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
Even making crab noodles had left his hands trembling.
His apprentice's skills still weren't up to par, so he had to stir the pot himself.
Slack off? Not with Hinata already at the store, leading the dinner crowd.
Even Tuantun, who had been restless for days, finally sighed in relief.
"Is this... Konoha?" asked the White Snake Sage.
Princess Ichikishima nodded. "Yes, Lord White Snake."
Tsujinji blinked. "Why's everyone out in the streets?"
Tianxin, the elder miko of Ryūchi Cave, sniffed the air. Her serpentine pupils dilated.
"That smell…"
The two snake priestesses and the elder miko were momentarily confused.
But the aroma soon swept over them like a wave.
At that moment, Princess Ichikishima and Princess Tsuzune understood exactly why Tianxin was so obsessed with human cuisine.
The three priestesses turned simultaneously to the White Snake Sage.
He coughed twice and said, "It's too late to turn back. We'll assess Konoha's condition first."
"Yaaay~" ×3
Meanwhile, Tsunade had arrived at Mito's residence.
"Grandma? Wait—who's this?"
"Lady Tsunade~"
Tsunade frowned.
"…That voice… sounds way too familiar."
Elsewhere, at Mount Myōboku—
"The devil… the devil has come!"
Fukasaku gazed at the enormous Chibaku Tensei floating ominously in the sky, his voice trembling.
Shima could only stare in horror.
The Great Toad Sage—sealed within?
Jiraiya had gone completely mad, deaf to reason or plea. He slaughtered everything in his path, a wild glint in his eyes.
"I will definitely stop Konoha... I will definitely stop the Devil's Child!"
High above, Naruto floated in the sky, observing Jiraiya's descent into madness.
He didn't intervene.
He simply watched.
Watched as Jiraiya—once a hero of the village—slaughtered the remaining former Konoha shinobi with his own hands.
Naruto wasn't sure whether he was the "Devil's Child" they spoke of. But at this moment, everyone watching knew one thing:
Jiraiya, along with Fukasaku and Shima perched on his shoulders, had become demons in the eyes of what remained of the old Konoha.
With a wave of Naruto's hand, the remaining former Konoha shinobi froze mid-action.
Another wave, and they vanished—teleported far from the battlefield.
As for the toads from Mount Myoboku who still had strength left, they barely caught a glimpse of Naruto…
…before collapsing, unconscious.
There was no need for Naruto to lift a finger. Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara would handle the rest.
"The end of the shinobi world... we were too late."
Fukasaku shut his eyes, tears carving trails down his wizened face.
"The Devil's Child has grown too powerful. It won't be long before he wipes us all out..."
Shima hissed, eyes full of hatred.
Puff—
Jiraiya struck down the last of the old guard.
Bang—
He fell to his knees.
Even with Sage Mode active—and Fukasaku and Shima supporting him—his strength was gone. His body trembled as he looked up at the colossal Chibaku Tensei suspended in the sky.
Grief, rage, madness—every emotion surged through him.
On one side of his face: a bitter smile.
On the other: the twisted grin of a man unraveling.
"Am I the devil now...? Or have I been consumed by the Devil's Child...?"
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Naruto approached.
Through the sea of blood and broken bodies, he walked—untouched.
Each step parted the blood as if repelled by an invisible force. Not even a drop stained his clothes.
He stopped in front of Jiraiya.
His pants were still immaculate.
"Demon!!"
Shima screamed, leaping forward with what remained of her chakra.
She didn't get far.
Mid-lunge, her body froze—suspended in the air. Speechless. Powerless.
"You bastard!"
Fukasaku roared. "You damn devil! Let the kid go!"
Naruto glanced at him, calm as ever.
"You say that with such indignation. But what have I done that makes me the villain here?"
"Bah!"
Fukasaku spat.
"You Devil's Child! You have no idea the destruction you'll bring to this world!"
"Mount Myoboku is finished! Next… Konoha will fall!"
Naruto didn't bother arguing with the last point.
After all, the Konoha of Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had already perished tonight.
What stood now was not Konoha Village—but the birth of Konoha Country.
He turned to Jiraiya.
"You trusted these toads, didn't you?"
Jiraiya raised his head slowly, dazed.
"And they trusted you… even that old toad sage, didn't he?"
The silence said enough.
Mount Myoboku's fate was already sealed.
All that remained now—
—was finding someone to tend the livestock.
...
TN:
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