Chapter 284 : Abandoned chess piece
Mountain Prison, underground space.
Uchiha Madara is dead.
After entrusting all his abilities to his successor, the Ninja World's Ashura could no longer bear his withered and aging body. He calmly severed the pipe connecting him to the Gedo Statue and readily embraced death.
His soul will temporarily leave the real world, lie dormant in the gap between the Ninja World and the Pure Land, and await the moment of his body's resurrection and the Ten-Tails' emergence.
Neither Naraku nor Obito were saddened by his departure; instead, they felt a sudden lightness, as if a great burden had been lifted, and almost laughed aloud.
But then they looked at the blob of black mud next to Madara, and their mood, which had just improved, soured again.
Naraku: "Oh my god, old Madara is finally gone! I can finally let loose and do whatever I want! It's just that I still need to be wary of Black Zetsu..."
Obito: "If you're going to die, die completely. What's with leaving a so-called 'will clone' here to watch us? Is it surveillance? It's already annoying enough to always be overshadowed by Naraku..."
Black Zetsu, being a mere cricket, initially felt nothing about Madara's temporary demise. To it, it was just PLAN A temporarily offline, no big deal.
But when it considered that the two successors he left behind were not easy to deal with, each more difficult and strange in temperament than the last, it suddenly felt a little reluctant for Madara to die like this.
The only Uchiha in the entire Mountain Prison who was still somewhat normal was gone. How would it survive all those years ahead?
It sighed, hugging the base of Madara's stone chair, and before it could fully digest the melancholy in its heart, it suddenly saw Naraku holding a scalpel, ready to draw Madara's blood.
"Wait! Naraku, what are you going to do to Lord Madara's body!?"
"Hm? Isn't it obvious? I want to keep some biological samples of Lord Madara~"
Naraku casually wiggled his fingers, and the sharp little knife spun nimbly between them. His tone was innocent and naive as he spoke, as if he believed what he was doing was perfectly fine.
"He always said no before, but now he shouldn't be able to stop me~"
Black Zetsu: "Is there really a need to be so persistent? Uchiha Madara's cells don't have research value like Senju Hashirama's. What's the point of all this trouble?"
After hesitating for a few seconds, it still didn't insist on stopping Naraku, but instead moved away from the stone chair.
"Alright, but don't take too much, otherwise Lord Madara will definitely be unhappy when he wakes up."
"Oh, oh, I know, I know."
Naraku hummed an unknown cheerful tune, drew a small tube of blood from Madara's arm, and cut off a tiny bit of skin and muscle tissue.
"I think it's just a waste of effort."
Obito sat cross-legged on a high perch, watching Naraku busy himself with cold eyes, scoffing at the latter's useless actions.
"If Madara's body had potential beyond Hashirama cells, he would have already thoroughly researched himself. It wouldn't be your turn, would it?"
Naraku put away the samples in his hand, put his hands on his hips, and looked up to meet his gaze: "With an idiot like Obito's intelligence, it's better not to point fingers at a genius like me~"
Even through his mask, Obito could tell that Naraku must be wearing a mocking expression right now.
"Damn it, Naraku, you always—"
"Ah, I remember!"
Naraku startled, interrupting Obito's rising emotions, and while the latter was still bewildered, he waved for Zero to come over: "Has Pakura already left for Hidden Mist?"
"Yes~"
Zero White Zetsu emerged halfway from the ground, happily counting on his fingers.
"She should be almost there now, right? She still doesn't know she's already a sacrificial pawn."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! Black Zetsu, remember to take good care of Fu-chan~!"
"Go where? Hey!"
Before Obito could react, Naraku pulled him underground, and the two of them, along with a White Zetsu, rushed towards the Hidden Mist Village.
It was during their journey that Obito finally understood Naraku's plan.
"A Scorch Release user? She's a decent candidate, but is it worth all this trouble? There are plenty of powerful Ninja in the entire Ninja World."
"How boring would that be? Idiot Obito is truly uninteresting, he doesn't even know how to find fun for himself~"
Naraku's voice emanated eerily from the White Zetsu's body, his tone slightly cheerful, yet subtly revealing a chilling malice and ruthlessness.
"A loyal and stubborn Ninja betrayed by her Village, unknowingly stepping into a trap meticulously woven by her comrades..."
"Just before death, the moment she learns the truth, what kind of hateful and despairing expression will she show? I really want to see~"
"If given a chance to start over, would she choose to forgive the world, or seek revenge on the culprits who caused all this?"
"But no matter what she chooses in the end, this Ninja will struggle in unavoidable pain for the rest of her life, won't she? This is simply the best entertainment!"
"Ehh," Obito commented briefly, "You really have twisted tastes."
"Hehe~" Naraku chuckled twice, responding ambiguously: "Perhaps~"
...Ever since her defeat in the Battle of Mount Kikyo and being exchanged back by the Village at a considerable cost, Pakura had been holding a grudge.
She wanted to repay the Kazekage and the Village for their kindness, and at the same time, wash away the shame of being captured.
Unfortunately, after Mount Kikyo, Sunagakure no longer participated in the Third Great Ninja War, focusing on recuperation. For a short time, she had no opportunity to contribute her strength to the Village.
However, Pakura did not give up. She trained diligently day and night, improving the speed and power of her Scorch Release, waiting for the day the Village would need her in battle.
Whether to be happy or sad, Pakura finally got her chance to turn things around.
The fickle Iwagakure had once again set its sights on Sunagakure, hoping to gain more from the latter before the war ended.
Receiving a top-secret mission, Pakura strictly followed the Kazekage's orders, secretly leaving the Village alone to negotiate with Hidden Mist as an envoy, hoping to form an alliance with them.
With Hidden Mist's cooperation and support, Sunagakure would not struggle as much against Iwagakure.
Although negotiation and diplomacy were not Pakura's strongest areas, how could she easily disappoint the Kazekage who placed such trust in her?
The only thing she could do was try her best to complete the mission...
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