“Have you heard? That guy Mizuki tried to tempt Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals.”

“Unbelievable. Has he lost his mind? And doesn’t he realize what that brat Naruto is…”

“Don’t worry. Naruto’s sharper than we give him credit for. He told Jōnin Gen and Hokage-sama everything. Acting along with them was all part of the plan.”

“Tch, that kid… not bad. Just a bit too reckless.”

“Yeah. But with Hokage-sama and Jōnin Gen keeping an eye on him, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

The next day, on the streets of Konoha.

Many people were still talking about the events of the previous night. After all, what happened…

Truth be told, none of it should have spread. But the eruption of the Nine-Tails’ chakra inside Naruto had been sensed by too many.

Because of that, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no choice but to spin another version of events and release it. In the end, it gave Naruto’s reputation a noticeable shift.

“But didn’t I tell Kakashi to remind you not to make such a big scene?”

In the Hokage’s office, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Kitagawa Gen with a helpless expression, his head pounding.

“The Nine-Tails’ chakra flaring up is never a good thing, even if nothing serious came of it.”

“Maybe Mizuki just pushed Naruto too far—that’s why he lost control.”

Gen shrugged, then quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Anyway, I’ve already looked into Mizuki. I suspect he’s tied to Orochimaru.”

“Orochimaru?”

Though Hiruzen knew Gen was deliberately shifting the subject, he wasn’t eager to linger on the other matter either.

“Are you certain?”

“Not completely. We might need Inoichi-senpai to confirm. But I’m pretty sure.”

Gen nodded firmly, speaking with conviction.

“Last night I could clearly feel it—he used a power that belongs to Orochimaru. I’ve crossed paths with Orochimaru a few times before; there’s no mistaking it."

"Besides that, I interrogated him briefly. He said he was carrying the sealing technique because he was looking for Orochimaru. But I doubt it’s that simple.”

“Carrying Orochimaru’s power?”

Hiruzen’s brows furrowed, and he suddenly thought of Anko.

“This definitely needs to be looked into carefully. But since it involves Orochimaru…”

“…it won’t be easy to get the whole picture. Orochimaru is meticulous.”

Gen agreed smoothly, rubbing his chin as he continued.

“And Mizuki himself probably doesn’t know much. He’s only a chūnin instructor. But given the timing of all this…”

“I know what worries you. It’s what worries me too.”

Pipe clenched between his teeth, Hiruzen rose to his feet. His head throbbed even more now—his disciple never failed to cause trouble.

“This Chūnin Exam is turning out to be far more troublesome than expected. Especially with Orochimaru… and the Akatsuki.”

Even Hiruzen felt weary. This joint Chūnin Exam was not going to be easy, no matter how he looked at it.

The presence of the Five Kage alone was headache enough. Add Orochimaru stirring up chaos, and it became nearly unbearable.

And on top of that, Orochimaru was a member of the Akatsuki.

The Akatsuki, who already had a deep conflict with Konoha—or more precisely, with Kitagawa Gen.

It’s hard to say whether they’ll make a move this time as well.

“So, why not just cancel it altogether?”

Suddenly, Kitagawa Gen blinked and asked with curiosity.

“If it’s going to cause so much trouble, then just cancel it. Wouldn’t that make all the problems disappear?”

“…”

Sarutobi Hiruzen almost choked on the spot. Could something like this really just be canceled at will?

“Gen, there are some things that aren’t as simple as you think. The world isn’t just black and white, nor purely right and wrong."

"Especially when it comes to the village’s perspective. What you see as a problem often comes hand in hand with opportunity."

"You still need to work harder to understand that. Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

Gen nodded. Right now, he truly felt like this old man was raising him as if grooming him for Hokage. Shaking his head, he couldn’t be bothered with such nonsense, instead turning back over Hiruzen’s earlier words in his mind.

'Akatsuki?'

He had considered the Akatsuki before, but thinking it through, it didn’t seem impossible for them to act in such a way.

After all, he had been striking at them with heavy blows for so long. It was highly likely they’d want revenge, right?

The thought made Gen realize—he and the Akatsuki really were “enemies as deep as the sea.”

Whether it was his true self or his “Ōtsutsuki Genshiki” clone, both had relentlessly hammered the Akatsuki.

It was hard to say they wouldn’t retaliate.

“All right, let’s leave it here for now. But there’s no need to worry too much. Konoha has you, has all of you—there won’t be a problem.”

Seeing Gen lost in thought, Hiruzen seemed unwilling to press him further and instead smiled.

“Also, Kakashi should be wrapping things up about now. Aren’t you going to check on them?”

“No need. I just didn’t expect it to be those brats.”

Gen pursed his lips. He had originally planned to handle it himself, but Hiruzen had dragged him away.

“But speaking of last night—when Naruto’s chakra erupted, I think I sensed two other unfamiliar chakras inside him. Very strange.”

“Two unfamiliar chakras?”

Hiruzen frowned at that, an odd thought surfacing in his mind.

Could it be…

[Knock, knock, knock—]

Before he could work it out, the office doors were suddenly knocked upon. He quickly came back to himself and called them in.

“Hokage-sama.”

Kakashi stepped inside, with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura trailing behind him, all looking rather disheveled.

Kakashi didn’t seem to care. Spotting Gen, he gave a slight nod before speaking.

“The test is finished. They more or less passed, so I’d like to request a mission for them.”

“…”

Hiruzen froze. What did “more or less passed” even mean? And applying for a mission right after passing?

He hesitated a moment, then asked cautiously.

“Isn’t this a bit too soon?”

“Too soon? Gen was the same back then. Let’s start with something simple—a C-rank mission should do.”

“…”

“Gen started with a C-rank mission. It was easy enough, right, Gen?”

“That’s right. A C-rank mission is nothing difficult.”

“…”

Watching this back-and-forth between sensei and disciple before him, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt his head splitting.

But just as Hiruzen’s scalp was tingling, Kitagawa Gen raised his brow.

[Statistics complete]

[Side Mission Complete: As the white-haired character, of course you clean things up as much as possible]

[Reward Obtained: Scroll of Seals]

[Naruto’s Exclusive Mission Complete: The results are less than ideal]

[Reward Obtained: Nine-Tails’ Chakra (can be fused into the Source of the God Tree)]

...

“How are you feeling now?”

Land of Rain, inside the Akatsuki base.

Black Zetsu looked at Nagato and asked in a low voice. Nagato clenched his fists slightly.

“Not bad. I didn’t expect you to have this kind of ability.”

“As long as it works. But remember, this is only a temporary aid.”

Black Zetsu shook his head, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter further. Seeing Nagato looking as if he had somewhat recovered, he couldn’t help but shake his head again.

“My clone can help you move and provide a bit of chakra, but that’s the limit.”

He wasn’t telling the full truth. After all, he did have a way to restore Nagato to “normal”—for example, by directly transplanting White Zetsu’s body.

But Black Zetsu had always been cautious. Otherwise, he couldn’t have survived since a thousand years ago, nor kept spinning the Uchiha clan in circles again and again.

He knew better than to lay all his cards on the table at once. The best approach was to reveal them bit by bit, depending on how the situation evolved.

And always with the appearance of being forced, of paying a heavy price—only then could he better keep these people under his control.

Nagato was no exception. Especially with his terrifying natural talent, truly restoring him did not align with Black Zetsu’s goals.

That was why letting Tobi handle Nagato—just like he had once handled Obito—was the best choice.

'This way, he won’t ever fully recover, but his power can still be maximized—enough to achieve that so-called belief of his, that ‘only focused strength can pierce stone.’'

Black Zetsu was satisfied with this arrangement. Of course, he also had other preparations in place.

'If even this doesn’t work, then we may have to seriously consider restoring him completely. Or else…' This text is hosted at novelFirｅ.net

Black Zetsu stopped his thoughts there. In any case, he was fully prepared—Tobi, this White Zetsu, was already a safeguard planted on Nagato.

“For now, you need to adapt to this properly, to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“I understand. This is already more than enough!”

Nagato stood up. Though his figure was still gaunt, his mental state was far better.

“By the way, how are the others?”

“Hidan is the same as ever. Kakuzu and Sasori are mostly ready. The only thing they still lack is a Wind Release heart, and they’re waiting for this opportunity in Konoha.”

Black Zetsu did not conceal anything, speaking directly.

“As for the other two, Kisame is fine now. His body was already strong, and before it was only excessive chakra depletion. He has recovered. As for Uchiha Itachi…”

At the mention of that name, Black Zetsu’s face darkened.

He really didn’t want to bother with this man. After all, he was nothing but a traitor. Only because his power was useful—and because Uchiha Obito had his own thoughts—was he kept around at all.

From Black Zetsu’s perspective, he had been struggling for centuries to save his mother. Someone like Uchiha Itachi, who had slaughtered his entire clan…

“For now, I’ve restored his combat ability, but his body’s condition is not good. As long as he can move, that’s enough.”

Shaking his head, Black Zetsu gave his final answer. Nagato nodded.

“Not bad. Looks like there won’t be any issues with this Chūnin Exam.”

Originally, Nagato hadn’t been very interested in the Chūnin Exams. To him, it was only a ploy to draw out that so-called “Ōtsutsuki Genshiki.”

But after being hammered so fiercely by Kitagawa Gen, his interest had grown. This time, he had to make a move!

“By the way, have our missing members been filled?”

“Yes. We had already targeted a man named Hiruko. He has agreed to join. And we have another potential recruit as well.”

“Who?”

“In the Land of Waves. He was once a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.”

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. /TitoVillar

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