Nagato's thin body trembled slightly as he clenched his fists.
He didn't hate this world. From the moment he was born, it had been filled with war, chaos, and oppression.
Those in power sat high above, looking down on everyone else, never knowing what real suffering was.
Nagato's change wasn't mindless rage. If anything, he was an idealist.
He wanted this world to experience pain. He wanted those who had always stood above everyone else to feel the suffering of ordinary people.
But that was never the end goal.
Nagato's true goal was for those people, after experiencing that pain, to finally understand the suffering of this world and treat it with more kindness.
That was the real purpose.
That was what gave it meaning.
The original Akatsuki had never been a true terrorist organization. As long as Nagato was leading it, their goal would always carry some level of idealism.
That was the biggest sign of an idealist—still holding onto hope for the world.
As long as those in power could feel the same pain, they would develop empathy and treat the world better.
But after meeting Shanks, Nagato started to change.
He realized he had been used.
And he started to see that his idealism was built on something completely unrealistic.
Both Nagato and Yahiko had been too idealistic.
But Shanks was completely different.
He seemed like an idealist, but his idealism was built on real-world experience.
Or rather, even if Shanks didn't think too deeply about things, his position was already too high, his level far beyond what anyone in the ninja world could grasp.
Shanks was an idealist shaped by action.
But whether he was practical or idealistic, his understanding of the world was already on another level compared to anyone in the ninja world.
That was also one of the reasons Naruto changed so much after experiencing the underground prison in the Land of Wind—he saw firsthand the impact Shanks had.
At this moment, Nagato completely abandoned his idealistic goals.
Reform? Reform my ass!!
He once thought the problem was just some outdated traditions in this world. But now, what was he seeing?
What he saw was the oppression of the world by the Sage class and the ancient nobles. These people had always hidden in the shadows, never appearing in history, yet they lived in luxury while the world suffered.
As long as this ruling class existed, the suffering of the world would never end, and peace would never come.
He had believed the problem was with the social system itself. But now, he was being told that it wasn't just about the system—it was a group of people secretly controlling everything from behind the scenes.
What was there to discuss anymore? Nagato had originally planned to infiltrate different nations and overthrow the existing system. But now?
If some people had to die, then they would all die!
"H-Horrifying!!"
Tobi's sharp voice rang out as he hurriedly ran off.
The way Obito played Tobi right now was still as goofy as ever. But Nagato wasn't fooled by appearances.
In fact, at the moment, the biggest suspects within the organization were Tobi and Zetsu. Tobi was easier to deal with since he hadn't been in the group for long.
But Zetsu… Zetsu was far too mysterious.
Nagato narrowed his eyes slightly, but right now, he had bigger things to worry about.
Compared to the grand goal of changing the world, whatever Zetsu was plotting didn't really matter.
Nagato no longer needed to focus on small things around him. His vision had completely changed. Even if there were hidden schemes within the organization, he could tolerate them.
It was just like with Itachi. He knew Itachi wasn't truly one of them, but he still used him—he just never let Itachi access the most critical information.
"Nagato, are you really going to do this?"
Konan sounded worried.
"Those people have to die. If they don't, this era will never end. The new world doesn't need some untouchable sages."
"Even someone like Shanks, known as the strongest Pirate Emperor in the ninja world, never acted like he was above everyone else."
"Shanks let the world challenge his authority. He shared power with the strong and tried to create a new era.
But the sages? They hid in the shadows of history, controlling the rules of the world from behind the scenes.
If Shanks was willing to risk his life for a new era, then the sages should be ready to pay with their lives too!"
Nagato's voice was ice-cold, carrying a chilling intent to kill.
What the sages had done was unforgivable.
The only way to settle this was with their lives.
He wanted the ninja world to understand that sages could die too. Only then could this world truly step into a new era.
"Alright! Then let them die."
Konan didn't argue. She didn't fully understand, but she could stand by Nagato's side. By her friend's side.
She didn't grasp the complexities of social structures or class struggles. But she knew that if this could make the world better, then she was willing to go through with it.
Even if it meant dying, she was willing.
"What about Yahiko?"
"Yahiko will know what to do. If we fail, the Akatsuki…"
Nagato paused for a moment.
"The responsibility of the Revolutionary Army will fall to Yahiko. But for now, it's not the time. Yahiko's role is to handle any internal issues within Akatsuki."
Hearing Nagato's decision, Konan stopped asking questions. The world was already in chaos.
At this moment, the sages seemed to turn into countless playing cards, falling from the sky. The power that had ruled for thousands of years was now descending from above.
Scattered across the ninja world.
And now, the ninja world had become a massive gambling table.
When power returns to the table, it's time for the gamblers to fight for their chips—betting their very lives.
Even Kaguya, who once ruled the ninja world, was now just another gambler at this table.
The dark cards in her hand were gradually flipped over.
The white parts began to show.
Black Zetsu opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.
The sky had changed.
At this moment, the entire ninja world had changed. He once thought he was the one moving the pieces, but now, he had been dragged onto the board himself.
"Shanks… Damn it. What did that man do?"
For the first time, Black Zetsu truly felt how small he was.
The chips in his hand were limited. Now, all he could do was hide carefully beneath this great era.
"If we can't turn the tables, then Mother…"
"Be glad," Obito said. He couldn't hear Black Zetsu's thoughts, but from his expression, it was clear he wasn't happy.
"At least we didn't show up in front of that man directly. Otherwise, we might already be dead."
Now, the world was in chaos.
No—more accurately, the world was no longer in their control.
"Under the overwhelming force of Shanks' rule, all our schemes and tricks seem meaningless. There's no way to stir up any real trouble in this kind of era."
"But there's one advantage—no one is paying much attention to us."
Obito seemed rather relaxed.
Shanks wasn't after them directly. Though the ripple effects of his actions made things difficult, it was still better than facing him head-on.
"Hurry up and go. Nagato seems pretty pissed. He caught others slipping up, but make sure you leave yourself an escape route. Don't get too cocky."
Obito reminded him.
Nagato suddenly deciding to use "White Zetsu" meant things had gotten serious.
This was definitely connected to Shanks, and it had disrupted the plans he and Black Zetsu had.
But it didn't matter—plans could always change.
"Hmph. You better take care of yourself. If I get exposed, you won't get away either."
"Right now, we're nobodies. Forget us—even if Uchiha Madara were resurrected, what difference would it make?"
Obito sneered at himself.
Black Zetsu didn't argue back and just left.
"…"
Watching Black Zetsu walk away, Obito's gaze turned cold.
This time, Black Zetsu forgot to uphold Madara's name.
As the will of Madara himself, making such a mistake was unacceptable.
"So, even Madara was fooled.
How ridiculous. Ha."
Obito chuckled coldly.
Finally, under this massive shift in power, he had caught a glimpse of the cracks in their plans.
Since that was the case, he would just sit back and watch the show.
Let's see what these people were really capable of.
Make him work for them?
Not a chance.
Obito had nothing left. He had lost everything he cared about. So how could anyone possibly control him now?
Leaving Obito aside for now, Black Zetsu quickly made his way to Nagato.
This time, his attitude was noticeably more respectful. After all, he was just an informant for the organization—nothing more.
"Leader, Tobi said you need that secret technique I mentioned before. Is that right?"
"Hand it over. Explain what's going on."
Nagato was straightforward. His health had improved a little, though he still looked frail. Even so, Black Zetsu had to be extra careful when dealing with him.
"Yes, Leader."
Black Zetsu pulled out a scroll he had prepared in advance.
"I discovered this while researching Devil Fruits. The God Tree's tissue can reverse the process and turn jutsu into Devil Fruits. But after experimenting, I found that by using a special kind of chakra, I could cultivate the God Tree's tissue into White Zetsu."
He began explaining the details of his technique.
As for how he discovered this, it was all thanks to his research on Devil Fruits. And, of course, he knew nothing about Nagato's connection to the Ten-Tails—at least, that's what he would claim.
But Nagato didn't care about any of that. His only concern was the usefulness of White Zetsu.
From what Black Zetsu was saying, White Zetsu could be mass-produced and was absolutely loyal to the organization. They were completely obedient, manufactured beings.
They had their own consciousness and could follow orders. Even the most basic White Zetsu had the strength of a low-ranking ninja.
In this era, that level of power wasn't much—it was about the same as an ordinary pirate.
But… the sheer number of White Zetsu could make up for their lack of strength.
"Special chakra… does it have to be Tailed Beast chakra?"
"Tailed Beast chakra is the best option since it provides a much larger supply. But regular ninja chakra works too."
Black Zetsu nodded, careful not to reveal too much.
But to produce that many White Zetsu, the most efficient method would be using Tailed Beast chakra.
"Does the leader need a lot of White Zetsu?"
"In a short time, we'll need as many as possible. Produce as many as you can."
Nagato took the scroll and gave his order.
Hearing this, Black Zetsu understood—something big was about to happen.
A hundred thousand White Zetsu. Creating that many wouldn't be easy. But what exactly were they going to be used for?
Black Zetsu didn't know, and he didn't dare ask.
"Go now. From here on, you and Tobi have a new mission. You need to report on the situation in the ninja world as soon as possible."
"Understood, Leader."
Black Zetsu didn't ask any more questions—he wouldn't dare.
He had already told Nagato everything about how to control White Zetsu.
The only thing he didn't mention was that he had a way to make White Zetsu go completely out of control. And once that happened, even he wouldn't be able to stop it.
This was the backup plan he had left in place. The situation was too chaotic, and even he wasn't confident in the outcome. He had no choice but to be extra cautious.
If Nagato ever lost his mind and tried to use a hundred thousand White Zetsu to destroy the world, or even trigger the Dragon Pulse, Black Zetsu could use his failsafe to minimize the disaster.
After all, from what he could tell, the remaining members of the Uzumaki Clan were all a little… off.
He had no idea what they would do next. And more importantly, he didn't dare go anywhere near Shanks.
Right now, the rest of the ninja world still didn't understand what was happening.
But out at sea, things were already starting to change—there were more powerful people on the ocean now.
The sages had appeared, but not in their usual form. Instead of arriving as sages, they had taken on the role of pirates.
Not every sage was as outrageous as Sandai Tsuchikata. This group was known for being extremely cautious—if that weren't the case, Fukuda Seimeng wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths to force them out.
Even Fukuda himself hadn't expected the situation to escalate this much.
The truth was, the sages had been detached from the world for too long.
Rikudou Sennin had elevated them to a level beyond ordinary people, making them ignorant of the world and unfamiliar with human affairs.
But given their strength and talent, they certainly had the right to be proud.
Meanwhile, on a ship in the eastern waters of the Land of Fire, Kakashi turned to look into the distance.
Out on the ocean, massive waves surged as a twenty-meter-long fish with its mouth wide open chased after a figure running across the water.
That person was sprinting toward the ship, stepping on the surface of the sea.
Kakashi swung his sword in a single, swift motion. A flash of white light cut across the water, slicing the giant fish clean in half.
The person being chased leaped into the air and landed steadily on the deck.
"Ow… ow ow ow!!!"
Jiraiya clutched his backside, shivering as the wind brushed against him—he could even feel a slight chill.
"Jiraiya-sensei!!"
Naruto ran over in excitement and hugged Jiraiya tightly.
"Jiraiya-sensei, what are you doing here?"
"Naruto… let Jiraiya-sama put on some pants first."
Standing behind Naruto, Kakashi lifted him up with one hand. Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly while using his other hand to cover himself.
"Hehehe, Kakashi, long time no see!"
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