Just as Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke encountered an enemy in the Forest of Death, far away in the tower of the Hidden Rain Village, Nagato suddenly sensed a chakra fluctuation.
"A reverse summoning?"
"Konan?"
Nagato immediately formed a hand seal, and with a puff of white smoke, a small origami paper crane appeared in his hand.
He frowned.
Konan had only just arrived in Konoha. Either she'd run into trouble… or obtained something important enough to report back immediately.
Please let it be the latter…
With growing unease, he unfolded the paper crane. The moment he read the message inscribed within, his expression contorted even more violently.
"Damn it…"
"That bastard—Uchiha Hikaru—he's back? And he's just as powerful as me?!"
"No. That's impossible!"
"I'm the only ruler of this world. I am its one and only Kami!"
With a furious growl, he crushed the paper crane and scattered the pieces into the air.
But a few moments later, Nagato forced himself to calm down and reconsider the situation more rationally.
Konan wouldn't lie to him. Still, she only sensed the chakra signature—maybe she'd misjudged the scale.
Perhaps it was the Uchiha bloodline… the Mangekyō Sharingan… maybe that alone inflated his chakra output.
But I possess the Rinnegan—the Sage's Eye.
And now, having mastered that technique… Uchiha Hikaru could never surpass me.
Still… that healing potion…
That was a real threat. If a full-scale war broke out now, Akatsuki would be no match for Konoha—especially with a mass-produced medical potion tipping the scales.
"…Madara, Black Zetsu… we'll need to send you two in first to test the waters."
"If you die in the process, Akatsuki will honor your contribution. We'll even build you a nice monument."
Elsewhere, in a hidden base beneath the earth, Obito suddenly sneezed.
He looked up—well, at the ceiling—and murmured,
"Rin… are you watching me from the Pure Land right now? Missing me?"
In truth, it was just Nagato's scheming that triggered this—Obito was completely oblivious.
He turned to Black Zetsu, who was crouched nearby performing the Impure World Reincarnation technique.
"How's it going? How much longer?"
Black Zetsu, currently possessing Hiruko's body, continued channeling chakra from a nearby White Zetsu's corpse while mixing blood, bones, hair… even ash, from a variety of jars and containers.
He combined various DNA remnants from long-dead shinobi, trying to produce usable sacrifices for the Impure World Reincarnation.
"Damn it… so ashes really can't be summoned?"
"Looks like cells destroyed by fire lose their connection to the soul. They can't act as anchors anymore."
Nearby, several captured rogue ninja were bound tightly, their mouths gagged. They squirmed helplessly like worms, crammed into the corner of the dim chamber.
Tears and snot streamed down their faces. They watched in terror as one after another of their comrades were consumed by swirling gray paper, re-emerging as cold, gray-faced corpses—undead warriors with cracked skin and lifeless eyes.
Some of the prisoners screamed into their gags. Others urinated on themselves. A few simply passed out.
Obito pinched his nose at the growing stench, clearly disgusted.
"I've contacted the other side hundreds of times. Why is every summon total trash?"
"The strongest one's barely Jonin level."
"Can you do this or not?"
Black Zetsu looked utterly hopeless. "I can't help it. These fragments give us no clue who these people were in life."
"We can confirm the general identities, sure. But if you want to expand the army numbers, this is all we have."
Obito slapped Black Zetsu across the face with a heavy crack.
Zetsu spun midair, a full 720 degrees, before landing face-first in a pile of ash. His mouth filled with the soot of the dead.
I endure… all this to bring back Mother.
Obito, you idiot. Just wait—once I free Kaguya, I'll trap you in Infinite Tsukuyomi forever. You'll relive Rin's death over and over… in the most twisted, cursed illusion imaginable.
Despite the rage in his heart, Black Zetsu looked up at Obito with a polite smile.
"…You sure you don't want to try again?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to gamble a little longer—maybe summon someone stronger?"
"The Third Raikage was supposed to be a powerhouse, right?"
Obito looked away, a bit sheepish.
…Maybe I hit him too soon.
"…Tch. Doesn't matter. Uchiha Hikaru doesn't have the Eternal Mangekyō. Even if he's still in Konoha, he's not that strong."
"This lineup is good enough."
"And if it's not… we can still unleash Madara."
Black Zetsu rolled his eyes internally but said nothing. He took out several tightly sealed scrolls and unwrapped the stored summoning materials.
A few minutes later, the Impure World Reincarnation technique activated again.
This time, the summoned:
— The Second Tsuchikage, Mu
— The Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki
— The Third Kazekage
As the summoning smoke cleared, eerie chakra pulsed from their revived bodies.
"…I…"
"What is this… strange sensation?"
"Wait… am I dead again?!"
"Damn it! Another Impure World Reincarnation? That bastard Orochimaru must be behind this!"
The moment their awareness returned, the three Kage locked eyes.
Gengetsu's expression twisted with rage. He leapt back, forming a finger-gun hand sign, and pointed directly at Mu.
"You again, Bandage Bastard?! I can't believe I'm stuck with you even in death!"
"Come on! Let's settle this once and for all!"
"Water Style: Water Gun Technique!"
A stream of highly compressed water began to condense at his fingertips.
Mu responded immediately, rising silently into the air. He ignored both Black Zetsu and Obito, even disregarding the Third Kazekage beside him.
He pressed his hands together, forming a precise seal—his thumbs and index fingers meeting.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique."
The deadly cube of chakra began to form.
Feeling the intensity of their techniques, Black Zetsu quickly formed a hand seal and forcefully reasserted control over all three.
"Alright, alright. I know you're eager to screw each other—save it for the battlefield, yeah?"
"Plenty of chances to blow each other up later."
The three undead Kage froze mid-jutsu, eyes wide and mouths twitching.
Black Zetsu sighed and reached into his sleeve, drawing three kunai inscribed with binding talismans.
Without ceremony, he jammed one into each of their foreheads.
Immediately, their consciousnesses faded, and their reanimated bodies went limp.
With Obito's help, they were sealed into coffins engraved with summoning glyphs.
…What? You're wondering why we put them in coffins?
Come on. How else are we supposed to make a badass entrance later?
(´・ω・｀)
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