After witnessing the defeat of Hashirama and Madara, Black Zetsu immediately contacted Madara through the Edo Tensei.
He wasn't sure whether the soul would also be sealed if their body was sealed. To avoid such a scenario, he decided it was better to simply release the Jutsu.
Thus, after Madara declared his defeat, Black Zetsu directly dispelled the Edo Tensei and hurried toward Obito's location.
---
In the urban area of the Land of Rain, the scene was one of utter devastation.
In fact, the destruction far exceeded what words like 'ruins' could describe. The entire city looked as if it had endured an apocalyptic catastrophe, with not a single trace of its former self remaining.
The fact that the battle didn't create another Valley of the End was largely due to the difference in terrain compared to Konoha.
Seeing the battle concluded, Konan flew over with Nagato.
"..."
"It's an honor to finally meet you, the leader of the Land of Waves."
After a while of looking at each other in silence, Nagato broke the silence, extending his right hand.
"Likewise, the leader of the Akatsuki." Naruto replied, shaking Nagato's hand in return.
The atmosphere quickly turned awkward again.
After witnessing the battle, Nagato's confidence was utterly shattered. As someone who had once proclaimed himself a god in the Land of Rain, seeing the true power of the God of Ninja made him realize how weak his own 'godhood' was.
Finally, Naruto broke the silence.
"Is Black Zetsu in your custody now?"
When he arrived in the Land of Rain, Naruto hadn't sensed Black Zetsu's presence. Either Nagato had sealed him, or he had already fled.
Nagato's mouth twitched when he heard this, and he lowered his head. "He probably took advantage of the chaos during the battle to escape."
He felt somewhat embarrassed. Despite calling himself a god, he couldn't even handle Black Zetsu.
"Is that so? Well, it's not surprising. Black Zetsu has lived for so long, and he's undoubtedly extremely cautious."
Naruto wasn't particularly surprised.
Someone like Nagato, a reckless and stubborn teenager, would find it difficult to outmaneuver Black Zetsu. After all, even Indra and Madara had been manipulated by him.
Naruto was merely curious about this 'mommy boy' who wanted to split the moon to save his mother. After all, rarity adds value. In over a thousand years, Kaguya had only created three beings, and two of them were already dead.
Moreover, as a creation of Kaguya's consciousness, Black Zetsu was inherently closer to her in nature, making him a valuable subject for research.
Of course, if Black Zetsu were willing to surrender and bring the 100,000 White Zetsu with him, Naruto wouldn't mind accepting him.
As for Black Zetsu's ultimate goal, once the situation in the Ninja World stabilized, Naruto wasn't opposed to releasing Kaguya.
Kaguya, having consumed the God Tree's fruit, was immensely powerful and harbored hatred toward the Otsutsuki Clan. So when the extraterrestrial threat arrived, she could serve as a formidable ally.
If all else failed, Naruto could simply absorb her and become an Otsutsuki himself.
From the beginning, the true threat had always been the Otsutsuki Clan beyond the Ninja World.
"What are your plans now? Will you join the Land of Waves?"
Naruto asked again.
"Nagato..." Konan looked at him expectantly.
Nagato remained silent for a moment, his former confidence as a self-proclaimed god shattered. He could no longer spout grandiose declarations like 'challenging a god is folly.'
"Do I even have a choice?" Nagato said helplessly.
"You can try."
"And if I refuse? What will you do?" Nagato didn't believe Naruto would give him a chance.
"I'll transplant your eyes into someone else. As for you, once your body recovers, you'll likely become a blood bank for the Land of Waves. Even without awakening their innate abilities, the Uzumaki Clan's blood is a potent medicine."
Naruto showed no shame in exploiting his own clansman. If Nagato insisted on being stubborn, he would be an enemy, not a fellow clansman. Besides, Naruto himself was also a blood bank for the Land of Waves.
Many of the medicines in the hospital were made from his blood, which has remarkable effects.
Nagato wore an expression of resigned understanding and forced a bitter smile.
"I see. Then, I look forward to working with you, leader."
"Likewise, leader." Konan added with a smile, though she couldn't bow properly while supporting Nagato.
"A wise choice." Naruto replied with a smile.
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Konan quickly asked, "Leader, what about the civilians of the Land of Rain?"
Because of the battle, the steel city built by the Akatsuki had been reduced to a massive crater. Many civilians who had escaped now had nothing left.
If not handled properly, they would become a large group of refugees.
Naruto thought for a moment before answering, "We'll rebuild the city on its original site for now. The Land of Waves' population is nearing capacity."
"The necessary resources will be provided by the Land of Waves."
Although it rains all year round in the Land of Rain, doesn't this just show that there is abundant rainfall and sufficient water resources here?
Moreover, in the current state of the Ninja World, there's little concern about industrial pollution or water contamination, so there's no need to worry about the water being unclean. This also opens up opportunities to develop industries suited to the environment.
Additionally, most of the factories in the Land of Waves are nearing completion. Once they're finished, the experienced construction teams will have new projects to work on, so there's no need to worry about job transitions.
Next, Konan announced Naruto's identity to the gathered civilians and also announced the arrangements for the future.
---
One day later, in Iwagakure, which borders the Land of Rain.
Inside the Tsuchikage Building, which resembles a fortress.
"What did you say!?"
The short-statured Onoki slammed his hand on the table and jumped down from his seat.
But as soon as his feet touched the ground-
Crack!
A grating sound echoed, and Onoki immediately clutched his lower back, his eyes bulging in pain.
"My back!"
Seeing this, Kitsuchi quickly stepped forward to help Onoki back into his chair.
"Tsuchikage-sama, you're not young anymore. You really shouldn't get so worked up. A hundred-meter-tall giant battle? That's impossible. Even the Tailed Beasts aren't that big."
Onoki immediately glared at him and roared: "You brat, what do you know? That blue-purple giant… someone has used it before!"
'Though the one I had seen wasn't that tall, if it was that person, it was entirely possible.'
No one understood the terror of that man better than Onoki. Even his master, Mu, had been defeated in a single move by that person, and with just a glance, Onoki himself had been frozen in fear.
'The Wooden Giant, Susanoo, and the Nine-Tails...'
'Could it be that Konoha, under the guise of sealing off their village, is secretly researching some Forbidden Techniques that defiles the dead?'