Danzo was dead.
And judging from the way things ended, even the possibility of reviving him through the Impure World Reincarnation (Edo Tensei) was likely gone as well.
The massive fire that night drew the attention of all Konoha.
Wood Release intertwined with roaring flames, turning the entire night sky crimson red.
Perhaps ordinary civilians—and even many lower-ranking shinobi—couldn't fully understand what that night truly represented.
But they all knew one thing:
Konoha had completely changed.
The dark specter that had long hung over the village had finally been reduced to ashes within that inferno, disappearing forever.
No longer would that shadow leave them restless and unable to sleep peacefully.
At the same time, they also understood that after tonight, an even more terrifying giant would rise within Konoha.
And yet, despite that realization, people found themselves far more willing to accept this new force.
Because the one who would control it…
Was Senju Natsuhiko of the ANBU.
Even though most people didn't know Natsuhiko particularly well, they all understood that he was someone rational and restrained.
Compared to a madman like Danzo, Natsuhiko practically seemed like an angel.
In truth, no matter who he interacted with, Natsuhiko always carried himself with an air that made others feel comfortable and at ease. That alone had already earned him an enormous amount of goodwill.
But Natsuhiko himself had no time to care about any of that.
It wasn't that he didn't care about Konoha's internal affairs—it was simply that he genuinely had no spare energy left to focus on them.
During the following period, "busy" practically became another name for him.
And the worst part was…
He had brought all this upon himself.
"If you take too big a step, you'll tear something important," Natsuhiko muttered to himself helplessly. "That village chief wasn't lying."
He had always believed that one of the films from his previous life deserved cultural preservation status, because some of its lines were simply too accurate.
This time, after scheming against Orochimaru, then turning around and plotting against Danzo, and finally taking a huge bite out of Hiruzen Sarutobi as well…
Natsuhiko had truly feasted to his heart's content.
But no matter how large someone's appetite was, there were limits.
Even if you could swallow everything in one gulp, digestion still required time.
Right now, Natsuhiko had eaten far too much.
He needed sufficient time to digest everything he had taken for himself, otherwise even he would run into trouble.
As for spitting anything back out?
That was impossible.
Humans were greedy creatures.
And Natsuhiko was no exception.
If anything, he was greedier than most.
This time, he had obtained a portion of Root's authority. In terms of his previous life, it was equivalent to gaining control over both the FBI and the CIA.
Beyond that, he had also seized part of the Medical Department's authority.
Politics was the art of language and compromise.
Although Hiruzen had admitted defeat, he had not surrendered everything completely.
Likewise, after eliminating Danzo and gaining the support of numerous clans, Natsuhiko also couldn't push things too far.
On the surface, it appeared that he hadn't taken much.
But in reality, what he acquired was already a massive and terrifying power structure.
Under Danzo's leadership, Root had undergone significant expansion.
More importantly, Root was fundamentally an organization responsible for operations outside the village.
The reason it had become so "active" within Konoha itself was partly because Danzo constantly sought to interfere with ANBU affairs.
But there was another reason as well—
Hiruzen himself had not wanted to dirty his own hands.
ANBU was the Hokage's direct military force.
There were many matters where the evidence wasn't entirely sufficient, yet action still needed to be taken. If ANBU handled those matters directly, it was essentially the same as the Hokage personally making a move.
Thus, with Hiruzen's tacit approval, Danzo willingly took on that role and began using his butcher's blade to establish his presence within Konoha.
Natsuhiko, however, had no interest whatsoever in Konoha's internal political filth.
After all, he already controlled the ANBU. There was no need to take over another dirty organization whose authority overlapped with his own responsibilities.
Because of that, he specifically chose the portions of Root that operated outside Konoha.
And to him…
Those were the parts that truly mattered.
On one hand, with Root's external forces now under his control, Natsuhiko could massively expand the reach and influence of his newspaper—not only throughout Konoha, but across the entire Land of Fire and even beyond its borders.
After all, from the very beginning, he had never defined his newspaper as a mere "media outlet."
In his eyes, it was an intelligence and propaganda organization.
An institution with political purpose.
At its core, such an organization existed to control public opinion, manipulate narratives, and, if necessary, undermine or even topple regimes in other nations.
Without forces operating outside Konoha to protect distribution channels and ensure circulation, how could his newspaper ever achieve those goals?
"In the end, I'm just borrowing tricks from that so-called beacon of freedom across the ocean from my previous life," Natsuhiko thought with amusement. "And if I manage to fool a few people with it, that'll be a huge profit."
Back in his previous world, that "beacon of freedom" overseas had used these methods with overwhelming success for decades—
At least until it ran into his homeland.
Of course, Natsuhiko also understood that his own country hadn't had an easy time either. Before things stabilized, there had been all sorts of so-called "springs" breaking out around the world. Even former superpowers had collapsed because of them.
If not for the global pandemic that later swept across the world, the tide might not have turned so quickly. Many people would never have clearly and objectively realized what the true face of that "beacon of freedom" actually looked like.
Thinking about it now, Natsuhiko found it slightly embarrassing.
After all, even he himself had once been influenced by those narratives.
And precisely because he had experienced it personally, he understood better than anyone how terrifying information warfare truly was.
"Besides newspapers… I should probably start working on films too. That's another major weapon for cultural and ideological influence."
Natsuhiko's ultimate goal was still the position of Hokage.
But for the sake of that so-called "ultimate mission," he needed to expand his influence to the absolute maximum.
And now that he had acquired part of Root's external network, he could finally begin operating without restraint.
The problem was that the organization itself was enormous.
Taking over Root's overseas branch, restructuring it, redistributing authority, and purging Danzo's diehard loyalists—all of that demanded a tremendous amount of time and energy.
And Root wasn't the only thing giving him headaches.
There was also the matter of the Medical Department.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had been extremely crafty about it.
The moment Natsuhiko expressed interest in the Medical Department, Hiruzen immediately understood what he was aiming for.
Natsuhiko had no interest in the Administrative Department because Danzo's actions this time had already offended Inoichi Yamanaka, while the department itself was firmly controlled by Shikaku Nara. There was no point wasting effort there.
As for the Financial Department, Hiruzen had actually been quite willing to hand it over.
Why?
Because the financial specialists and personnel were already monopolized by his own faction. Even if Natsuhiko took control of the department, he would only end up with an empty shell—a puppet organization.
In Hiruzen's view, the departments Natsuhiko truly wanted were either the Mission Department or the Medical Department.
One controlled the livelihood of ordinary shinobi.
The other controlled the life and death of the vast majority of people.
Naturally, those were the most valuable departments worth fighting over.
And as expected, Hiruzen's guess had been correct.
In his eyes, Natsuhiko wanted the Medical Department in order to win over more shinobi.
However, making Hiruzen surrender it entirely was never going to be easy.
After all, Tsunade wasn't in Konoha.
Once upon a time, Tsunade had been one of Hiruzen's greatest political cards.
But Natsuhiko was a member of the Senju clan by blood. That alone naturally drew him closer to Tsunade.
Once that factor was accounted for, Hiruzen would inevitably suffer a disadvantage.
And deep down, Hiruzen knew very well that if Tsunade ever returned to Konoha, it wouldn't be strange at all for her to support Natsuhiko instead.
Fortunately for him, Tsunade was absent.
That allowed Hiruzen to use the Medical Department's personnel and expertise as bargaining chips.
What he hadn't expected, however, was that Natsuhiko's true target wasn't the Medical Department as a whole at all.
What Natsuhiko directly demanded was the department responsible for medical experimentation and research.
Of course, he hadn't openly revealed his intentions from the start.
Instead, he first acted as though he intended to swallow the entire Medical Department whole. Only after rounds of negotiation and compromise did he finally "settle" for the research division he actually wanted all along.
And naturally, the final result was exactly what he desired.
All of the department's personnel and talents were transferred entirely under his control, with Hiruzen forbidden from interfering in any capacity.
"Now that I've obtained the medical research division," Natsuhiko thought with satisfaction, "many of my future experiments will become much easier."
Scientific experimentation had always been one of the areas Natsuhiko desperately wanted to involve himself in, yet lacked the means to truly touch.
But now…
Everything would finally become far simpler.
"It's fair to say, things are developing in an excellent direction…"
Natsuhiko rubbed his temples helplessly.
"…aside from how absurdly much time all of this is consuming."
Although Natsuhiko felt somewhat helpless about the situation, there really wasn't much he could do about it.
After all, he had gained far too much this time.
Stretching lazily, he turned his gaze toward the window. Outside, the skies had already cleared. The snow-covered Konoha that had once been wrapped in silver had once again become bright and vibrant beneath the sunlight.
Winter had passed, and spring had quietly arrived.
Time itself had entered a brand-new year.
And somewhere along the way, Natsuhiko had already celebrated another birthday.
Sometimes, even he couldn't help feeling emotional about it.
Without realizing it, he had already lived in this world for fifteen or sixteen years.
Over those years, he no longer knew whether he had gradually transformed into a monster…
Or whether he had become the person he once dreamed of being.
Unfortunately, there was no answer to that question.
At least, Natsuhiko himself couldn't answer it.
He once heard a joke in his previous life about a man who forgot the password to his first messaging account. The password recovery question had been:
"What is your dream?"
The man tried countless answers and failed every single time.
Only in the end did he realize, with stunned disbelief…
That he had long since forgotten what his dream even was.
Natsuhiko felt much the same.
He could no longer remember what kind of "ideal self" he had wanted to become when he first arrived in this world.
He had simply continued walking forward step by step until he reached where he was now.
Step by step, he had become the true ruler of Konoha's darkness.
"But at least," Natsuhiko murmured softly as he shook his head, "I still know what I want."
He withdrew his gaze from the window.
What he wanted was crystal clear.
To become Hokage.
It was technically the system's mission, but regardless of that, it was still a goal worth pursuing.
Soon, however, Natsuhiko suddenly laughed at himself before shaking his head again.
"My body's only fifteen or sixteen years old… so why am I already acting this sentimental?"
A faint smile lingered on his face.
But the moment his eyes landed on the mountain of documents piled across his desk, his expression instantly darkened.
There were simply too many files.
And worse, every single one of them required his personal attention.
Because these documents involved matters related to laboratory expansion, experimental projects, and even the utilization plans for Hidan.
To put it simply, the information contained in these files could practically be classified as crimes against humanity. If ordinary people saw them, their blood pressure would probably skyrocket on the spot.
Still, Natsuhiko knew very well that no matter how outrageous his experiments became, as long as they didn't involve souls, nothing major would go wrong.
After all, his current experimental subject was Hidan.
Although the kid hadn't yet fully mastered true immortality, according to Natsuhiko's observations, he wasn't far from it anymore.
As Natsuhiko continued developing and using the Jogan more deeply, he increasingly realized just how absurd its so-called "super perception" ability truly was.
If there was something he wanted to see—
He could see it.
Clearly.
He could directly observe Hidan's physical condition and even determine the exact progress of his training and transformation.
In Natsuhiko's estimation, if quantified as a percentage, Hidan had already reached roughly seventy percent completion.
His talent was honestly quite impressive.
Of course, reaching a true one hundred percent would still require more time.
But no matter what, that day probably wasn't far away anymore.
At least, Natsuhiko was confident of that.
And after obtaining the medical experimentation division, the value he placed on Hidan only continued to rise.
Hidan's usefulness shouldn't be limited solely to Natsuhiko's personal experiments.
Although those experiments were certainly important, Natsuhiko already had outsourced assistance handling much of the workload.
Orochimaru, after all, was essentially his outsourced research company.
And recently, Orochimaru had already invested significant time into these projects.
Kabuto had adapted to his role remarkably quickly, while Orochimaru himself remained surprisingly transparent, never hiding his work from the boy.
Because of that, Natsuhiko had a fairly clear understanding of Orochimaru's current progress.
Whether it was the Uchiha-related experiments or research concerning Natsuhiko's resurrection techniques, Orochimaru was advancing both simultaneously.
With Orochimaru handling those responsibilities, Natsuhiko naturally no longer needed to devote all of his attention entirely to experimentation himself.
Moreover, since Natsuhiko had only just obtained the Medical Department's experimental division, it was impossible for him to start off with anything too extreme.
He intended to proceed step by step—gradually building things up while also squeezing out more value from Hidan along the way.
So the solution he came up with was actually very simple: let the Medical Department start with something relatively "normal," like pharmaceutical research.
Truth be told, Natsuhiko no longer needed medicine to assist himself. However, he had not forgotten the fear of once being controlled by military ration pills.
Besides, pharmaceutical research would benefit the entire village of Konoha. It was a task that could greatly enhance his personal reputation, and naturally, he had no intention of missing out on it.
Konoha's pharmaceutical development wasn't particularly smooth.
Aside from the existence of medical ninjas created by Tsunade, there was another rather awkward limitation—
"There's no country like India in this world."
In his previous life, India had been a rather… interesting country. Apart from frequently showcasing its questionable sense of logic on the global stage, it also excelled at internal self-persuasion.
One of the funniest things Natsuhiko had ever heard was that "Indians are very peaceful."
Thinking about it, it almost made sense.
In a modern society that still retained a caste system, those at the bottom had absolutely no chance of upward mobility. For them, there was nothing left but to wait for death. What other choice did they have?
As for the upper castes, they already lived in comfort and abundance. They didn't need to worry about anything at all, while enjoying vast amounts of resources.
One group waited for death, the other enjoyed life—perhaps that could indeed be called "peaceful."
However, what Natsuhiko could not deny was that India had, in fact, contributed two very important things to the world: generic drugs and human test subjects.
Generic drugs were not fake medicine. They were legally produced alternatives that bypassed patent fees while maintaining the same formula and effectiveness as the original drugs. In fact, the movie "Dying to Survive" was based on smuggling such medicines from India.
Of course, the question remained—why should everyone else pay patent fees while India did not?
While there were certainly reasons tied to its national conditions, the reality was that India had also paid a certain price in exchange.
That price was allowing pharmaceutical companies to conduct human experiments without being bound by international restrictions.
Testing drug effects and researching pharmaceuticals naturally required experimentation. In other countries, companies had to start with animals and still deal with interference from various animal protection organizations.
But in India, they could start directly with human subjects.
Why wouldn't they take advantage of that?
Drugs were ultimately meant for humans. No matter how good the results were on animals, there was still a huge gap when compared to human application.
That principle held true both in Natsuhiko's previous world and in this one.
Unfortunately, the world of Naruto had neither Indira Gandhi nor a country like India.
Just look at Danzo and Orochimaru—both of them had already suffered catastrophic failures due to human experimentation. And in Danzo's case, Natsuhiko himself had personally pushed him off the cliff.
He definitely did not want to repeat such mistakes.
But if normal humans couldn't be used for experiments…
Did that mean non-normal humans couldn't be used?
Clearly, Hidan's value was now fully revealed.
He could be used not only for ninjutsu experiments, but also for pharmaceutical testing.
And starting with drug trials first would allow the Medical Experimental Division staff to gradually understand one thing—
This man was effectively immune to death.
With such a gradual psychological transition, when later experiments involving ninjutsu were introduced, the researchers would not suffer any significant mental burden.
"As for Hidan, that part is easier to handle too," Natsuhiko thought calmly. "Give him respect, give him money, and grant him a certain degree of freedom within Konoha."
"At the same time, continuously reinforce the idea that using his body for experiments can save countless lives. If necessary, we can even allow him to spread his religion outside the Land of Fire."
To tempt someone effectively, one had to first give them respect—while also understanding what they truly desired.
Natsuhiko had a fairly accurate guess.
What Hidan likely wanted most was nothing more than his so-called "faith in Jashin.
And that was something Natsuhiko could absolutely provide him.
As long as he didn't cause trouble within the Land of Fire, he could deceive as many people outside as he wanted. In fact, he could even be allowed to bring followers into Konoha to participate in experiments.
Wasn't that… quite perfect?
"If even the dead can be forced to work through Edo Tensei, then the living—especially the immortal—can work endlessly without rest!"
After quickly running through this thought, Natsuhiko picked up his brush again and continued carefully reviewing and revising the documents in front of him.
This kind of work really wasn't suitable for anyone else to handle, and at the moment, even these files wouldn't be handed over to the Administrative Department for review.
He did have two secretarial divisions under his control, but even so, he had no intention of letting them interfere with matters like this.
"Let's see… it should be about time. The eye I took from Uchiha Fugaku and planted should have been in place for quite a while now. And that kid Kimimaro's situation also needs to be checked."
As he wrote, Natsuhiko quietly muttered to himself inwardly. During this entire period, he had barely paid attention to these two matters, but now he felt it was time to refocus his attention.
He was genuinely curious about what could be cultivated from a Mangekyō Sharingan.
As for Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku, his previous attempt could be considered a failure, and he had been waiting for another opportunity to experiment again ever since.
More importantly, he hadn't forgotten that he had also obtained a special power capable of fusing chakra natures. That energy had been lying dormant inside his body all this time, never properly utilized.
What kind of Kekkei Tōta would eventually be formed from it—he still didn't have a clear answer.
But regardless of what it became, it had to be something suitable for the identity of Senju Natsuhiko.
Of course, the greatest benefit from that last experiment was actually the trace amount of special, non-attribute chakra.
That tiny fragment of energy had directly boosted the progress of his eyes.
Thinking of this, Natsuhiko slowly closed his eyes.
The next instant, his status panel appeared directly within his field of vision.
...
Name: Senju Natsuhiko
Gender: Male
Birthday: Konoha Year 34, March 24
Level: Semi-Kage (System evaluation without using any abilities) (Massive chakra reserves) (Partially sealed Ryūmyaku chakra)
Dōjutsu: Jōgan (Initial Stage) — Development: 52%
Bloodline Development: Intermediate (Senju Secret Technique, Basic Yang Release Techniques)
Kekkei Tōta: Unnamed (in development)
Jinchūriki: Nine-Tails (Intermediate, can grow by consuming large amounts of special chakra, plant advanced Nine-Tails fruits to further growth) (Excessive chakra intake, continuously increasing)
Seeds: Three-Tails Chakra Seed (99%), Intermediate Wood Release Seed (99%)
Fruits: Intermediate Fire Release Fruit (1), Intermediate Water Release Fruit (1), Intermediate Earth Release Fruit (1), Special Fusion Power (1)
Mission: Become the true final boss of the ninja world (Unique) — Progress: 45%
...
"Gone up again?"
When Natsuhiko saw his panel, he froze for a moment before a faint, knowing smile appeared on his face as he nodded.
The progress of his unique mission had risen once more.
It seemed directly related to Danzo's death.
Even though ordinary civilians and lower-ranked shinobi didn't fully understand what had happened, Natsuhiko had personally killed Danzo in front of Hiruzen, the clan heads, and a group of jonin.
That alone was enough to earn him a massive surge in progress.
And at last, after all this effort, he could see the progress bar approaching the halfway mark.
For him, this was a challenge—but strictly speaking, it wasn't an insurmountable one if he truly focused on it.
However, he had chosen a path full of temptation instead of following Danzo's ruthless model.
Naturally, he wouldn't complain about it now.
The only thing slightly worth regretting was the Three-Tails chakra seed and the intermediate Wood Release seed, both stuck at ninety-nine percent.
"It's hard to believe… this time the progress jumped so much, and yet neither of these actually reached completion."
He wasn't exactly happy with that result, but it wasn't unacceptable either.
At the end of the day, he wasn't in urgent need of new power anymore. His current strength was already more than sufficient.
For now, at least.
...
In the Land of Rain, Nagato leaned weakly against the shell of the Gedo Mazo.
His eyes were dim, his entire body looking even more exhausted than before, his flesh almost seemingly more gaunt than it had been previously.
His entire body was so thin and frail that he looked no different from a skeleton. If not for the faint rise and fall of his breathing, one could easily mistake him for a corpse.
Ever since he had gone to find Orochimaru and encountered that Konoha ANBU operative—Senju Natsuhiko—and suffered what could only be described as a one-sided slaughter, Nagato had ended up in this state.
Konan watched him with deep worry. She hadn't fully witnessed what had happened during that battle, but she clearly remembered Nagato's condition when he returned to the cave. His body had been visibly weakened, and his chakra had been almost completely drained, all of which she had seen with her own eyes.
Beyond that, there had been the terrifying tremors outside the cave, and the apocalyptic scene they witnessed after stepping out—something she felt she would never be able to forget for the rest of her life.
That Konoha "Nightingale" had displayed power that was nothing short of godlike. The sheer overwhelming force had filled her with instinctive fear.
And yet, according to the intelligence they had gathered, this man's strength was not supposed to be that terrifying. So why had things turned out like this?
With a soft sigh, Konan shook her head. She decided it was better not to dwell on that question any longer, because there was something far more important demanding her attention.
Nagato.
The blow he had suffered this time was beyond anything she could have imagined. He had always referred to himself as a god, yet that Konoha Nightingale had effectively dragged him down from that throne with his own hands.
It was a devastating defeat—one that didn't just wound the body, but shattered belief itself.
For a ninja, the collapse of their conviction could be more terrifying than death itself.
"…Hm?"
Suddenly, Konan turned sharply. Paper sheets silently formed in her hand as she reacted instantly.
Behind her, space began to ripple. The calm air distorted into a strange vortex, and from within that distortion, two figures slowly stepped out.
Seeing them, Konan's tension eased slightly—but her expression remained guarded. Neither she nor Nagato trusted these two.
"You don't need to be so tense. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even realize I was here," Obito said indifferently, glancing at Konan before shifting his gaze toward Nagato.
He completely ignored Konan—as if she didn't even exist in his perception.
If he truly intended to kill her, she would die without ever noticing anything was wrong. That was how absolute his confidence in his abilities was.
But he hadn't come here for that. Not yet. So he had deliberately released a trace of his chakra upon arrival—just enough to announce his presence.
This visit, for Obito, was also a reluctant decision. The Hidden Mist Village had been drowning in problems lately, and the Fourth Mizukage's condition had taken a severe turn for the worse.
After being attacked by the man who wielded Nine-Tails chakra, the Fourth Mizukage had suffered catastrophic damage. Both his life force and his control over the village had been heavily compromised.
If he hadn't been a Three-Tails jinchūriki, he would likely have already died.
But the attacker had been merciless—so much so that even the Three-Tails itself had been nearly shattered. As a result, Yagura's recovery had become painfully slow.
On top of that, Kirigakure was far from stable. The situation there was becoming increasingly difficult to manage, and it was giving Obito a severe headache. If Konan hadn't told him that Nagato was on the verge of collapse, he wouldn't have come at all.
The longer he stayed away from the village, the harder it became to maintain control over it.
"So what exactly happened?" Obito looked at Nagato. After a long pause, he finally spoke in a low, heavy voice. "How did he end up like… this inhuman state?"
"Because of that Konoha Nightingale," Konan replied helplessly, shaking her head—but before she could finish, she was interrupted.
"Senju Natsuhiko?" Obito's tone changed instantly, a rare hint of shock slipping into his voice as he repeated the name.
He truly hadn't expected that answer.
Senju Natsuhiko.
That was a name he would never forget.
This was the man who, together with Minato Namikaze, had repeatedly defeated him. This was his former classmate—someone he could never possibly forget.
But how could this guy have defeated Nagato? How could he have reduced him to this state?
What exactly had happened? What on earth was going on with Nagato?
Obito had just opened his mouth to ask when Nagato suddenly spoke first.
"Jōgan…"
"Hmm?" Obito tilted his head slightly under his mask, utterly confused. Beside him, Black Zetsu's expression also shifted in a subtle but noticeable way.
Jōgan. He had never heard of that name before—but that didn't stop him from instantly connecting it to certain unusual possibilities.
For instance, the relationship between the Byakugan, the Rinnegan, and even the Tenseigan.
In essence, the Rinnegan was a power derived from the God Tree's fruit, a mutation that occurred after Ōtsutsuki power was acquired.
And the Byakugan, when influenced by that same fruit's energy, could also undergo special mutations—one example being the Tenseigan.
Black Zetsu had never heard of the so-called Jōgan, but that didn't prevent him from forming a hypothesis: could it be that Senju Natsuhiko had awakened a mutated form of his mother's bloodline?
The Senju were descendants of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, and Hagoromo himself carried the blood of his mother. More importantly, he was the one most deeply altered by the power of the God Tree's fruit.
But that didn't change the fact that he still retained his mother's pure lineage. Before fully awakening the power of the Sharingan and the Rinnegan, Hagoromo had also once used the Byakugan.
"Could it be that this kid has reverted to an ancestral form… and, on top of that, undergone a mutation that resulted in that kind of eye?"
Black Zetsu silently pondered.
Looking at Nagato's broken, lifeless state, he made a decision in his mind.
It was obvious at a glance—Nagato's will had completely collapsed. If nothing was done, this pawn would become completely useless.
And if he was ruined, then who would resurrect Madara? Who would become the vessel for his mother's resurrection?
"You said you are Uchiha Madara, that you know everything," Nagato suddenly spoke again, interrupting Black Zetsu's thoughts.
"Then tell me—what exactly is the Jōgan? What is that eye? Why… why—"
"Are you certain what you saw was the Jōgan?" Black Zetsu interrupted sharply before Nagato could finish. "Describe it in detail. I need to confirm something."
"You know about the Jōgan?" Nagato's dead, hollow eyes suddenly regained a faint glimmer of life as he quickly responded.
"It was a pair of deep blue eyes, constantly radiating flowing light."
"That man could also wrap that chakra around his body—it made him look almost like a divine being."
"Those eyes made me feel fear… I could sense that they were on the same level as my Rinnegan."
"Isn't the Rinnegan supposed to be the eye of creation? Then why would something like that exist as well?"
Nagato poured everything out in a single breath, his gaze fixed tightly on Black Zetsu, filled with desperate expectation.
Not only him—Konan and Obito also turned their attention toward Black Zetsu.
But Black Zetsu said nothing. He simply stood there, as if deep in thought.
Yet inside, his mind was in complete turmoil.
Jougan? From that description... that's not some new eye. That's the Tenseigan!