Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 552 Black Zetsu: Shadow Vanishes Twice

Naruto always had only one answer to Sasuke's requests—"Okay."

Even though she was going to find Uchiha Itachi, the man she hated so much, and even though this trip was destined to be anything but heartwarming, Naruto simply nodded.

As long as Satsuki is happy, that's all that matters; he'd figured that out a long time ago.

At this moment, Zuo Yue's eyes were churning with emotions—resentment, a pent-up frustration that had been building up for years with nowhere to be released.

Naruto, of course, understood what Sasuke was thinking.

In his own world, Itachi Uchiha's fate was imprisonment. Ultimately, this was because Mikoto Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha, and virtually all Uchiha civilians were saved.

Because of her mother's soft heart, Zuo Yue couldn't even vent her anger.

And what did Itachi Uchiha do in this world? He massacred his clan. Those blood-stained hands killed not only Uchiha clan ninjas, but also the elderly, children, and clansmen who fell in pools of blood without even understanding what had happened.

He really did kill everyone except his younger brother, and then used illusion magic to make that brother watch the scenes of his parents' deaths day and night.

As soon as Zuoyue thought about this, something churned in her chest.

Today, she wanted to see with her own eyes, at least, what kind of expression Itachi Uchiha of this world would have when he saw his younger brother who "shouldn't be there."

Naruto didn't say anything more, but simply raised his hand, and one of his azure eyes instantly changed color—the power of the [Star Eye] spread out in all directions, searching for Itachi Uchiha's chakra aura in this world.

This process takes less than a second.

"Found it."

Naruto looked away. "Still within the Land of Fire, not far from Konoha. Judging by the timeline, he should have just returned—his mission was to gather information on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but..."

"His real purpose was to see his younger brother, whom he had tormented to the point of madness, with his own eyes."

Satsuki didn't reply, but something flickered in her eyes.

It's good that we found it.

However, before setting off, Zuo Yue suddenly raised her hand and began to form hand seals.

It was a very simple seal—the seal for transformation.

A puff of white smoke gently exploded, enveloping her entire body. When the smoke dissipated, the one standing there was no longer Uchiha Satsuki, but—

Little Sasuke.

Exactly the same. That youthful yet stubborn face, the height, the build, the aura of chakra—all were perfectly replicated.

"This is……"

Naruto paused for a moment, then realized what was happening. "Satsuki, what are you going to do...?"

"I really want to see it."

Satsuki, now transformed into a young Sasuke, spoke, his voice identical to the original's—carrying the youthful awkwardness unique to teenagers.

But the light shining in those eyes was completely different from that of young Sasuke.

It wasn't confusion, pain, or bewilderment about not knowing where to go; it was anticipation, a mischievous glimmer, a kind of... dark pleasure.

"His younger brother, whose life he had meticulously planned out for him, has suddenly become someone he completely cannot understand—what kind of expression will he have on his face?"

"...Satsuki really has a twisted sense of humor."

That was the only evaluation he could ultimately give.

But I have to admit, this idea is really interesting.

Think about it, Itachi Uchiha, who thought he was in control and "protected" his younger brother in his own way, found that the expression in the boy's eyes was completely beyond his expectations when he saw his brother, whom he should have been able to manipulate.

What would that look like?

Naruto was actually starting to look forward to it.

Satsuki—who was using the appearance of young Sasuke—simply returned a light, slightly cunning smile.

That smile, in Naruto's eyes, was strangely endearing.

"Let's go."

Satsuki's smile faded, and his eyes, once belonging to young Sasuke, fixed on Naruto, gleaming with eager anticipation. "I can't wait to see his expression."

The two left, preparing to search for the young man who had recently returned to Konoha. Their mission was to find information about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but in reality, they were going to see their younger brother whom they cared about.

However, Itachi Uchiha tormented Kakashi for no apparent reason, and then forced young Sasuke to grow too fast, driving him insane.

------

A massive waterfall cascades down from a great height, sending up a mist that, under the sunlight, refracts into a faint rainbow before being quickly dispersed by the wind and disappearing into the air.

At this moment, only one figure remained standing there.

Those were shadow clones created by Naruto.

He sat atop the head of the Uchiha Madara statue, his gaze calmly fixed on the four people lying on the ground.

The shadow clone raised its head and looked up at the sky. A few white clouds floated leisurely and slowly across the azure sky.

It's very quiet here.

But Naruto knew very well that this quietness was just a facade.

The commotion he and Zuo Yue just caused can't be ignored. Those eyes lurking in the shadows, those beings sensitive to power, those eyeing the future of this world—they'll all be drawn to it.

That being who has lived for over a thousand years, who understands patience better than anyone, is better at lurking than anyone, and is more persistent in pursuing his goals than anyone.

A very filial son.

How could it possibly let its pieces slip out of its control?

So it will definitely come.

Naruto's shadow clone raised its head, its gaze sweeping across the surrounding woods.

The trees stood quietly, their branches swaying gently in the breeze; everything seemed normal.

But Naruto knew that something was hiding there.

Ordinary ninjas cannot sense its chakra or its aura at all—that thing is too good at hiding.

It was so skilled that even sensory-type ninjas couldn't detect its presence. That was a skill it had developed over thousands of years, a way of survival honed over those long years.

Unfortunately, it was facing Naruto in Creative Mode.

Naruto suddenly stretched out his hand, reaching towards the woods not far away.

"The Guiding Force of All Things".

In that instant, a tremendous suction force burst forth from Naruto's palm!

That force covered the intact forest in front of them.

The trees began to shake violently, their branches and leaves danced wildly, and countless leaves were uprooted and swirled in the air.

The pebbles, dirt, and dead branches on the ground—everything that could be moved—began to fly towards Naruto.

"What?!"

A cry of surprise came from the chaotic forest.

The voice was filled with unbelievable terror, a fear that was unprecedented and completely beyond expectation.

A figure was forcibly pulled out of its hiding place by that irresistible suction force!

The thing looked extremely bizarre, half of it was deathly white and the other half was pitch black.

Its shape resembles a giant Venus flytrap, struggling in the air, trying to break free from the force that binds it.

But the suction was too strong, so strong that it couldn't even move.

It could only watch helplessly as it got closer and closer to the man sitting on the rock, closer and closer to the blond youth who was looking at it with a terrifyingly calm gaze.

"Long time no see, Black Zetsu."

Naruto spoke, his voice carrying the familiar warmth of an old friend reuniting.

"I'm sorry, it seems you can't unseal Kaguya in this world either."

"Then... let's say goodbye forever once again."

Black Zetsu's pupils contracted violently for a moment, if they even had pupils.

It wanted to shout, "How do you know my identity? How do you know about my mother? How do you know what I want to do?"

But before it could even utter these words, it already understood.

It had been spying and eavesdropping the whole time.

So it already knows.

The person before me comes from the future, from another world.

He is the reincarnation of Asura.

He knew about his mother's situation.

He is still alive, and he is hostile to himself.

What does this mean?

Does this mean that your counterpart in that world failed?

And, judging from his words… he wants to kill me?!

Black Zetsu's heart sank completely.

It has lived for so many years and has never known what the word "fear" means.

Because it always hides in the shadows, always manipulates everything, and always stands at the very edge of all events.

Watching those pawns, manipulated by it, gradually move towards the ending it had designed... except that it never expected that each reincarnation of Indra could defeat the reincarnation of Asura.

But now, it has become the one being manipulated.

"Wait a moment!"

Black Zetsu spoke, his voice sharp and urgent, "You're from the future! Right!"

Its eyes were fixed on Naruto's hand—a small white energy ball was appearing in the palm of his hand.

The thing was small, even somewhat inconspicuous. Compared to the black sphere that had destroyed dozens of kilometers of forest, it was as gentle as a child's toy.

But Black Zetsu could sense it.

It could sense what was contained within that thing.

It didn't know how powerful that thing was, or what kind of destruction it would cause. But it could sense that if that thing touched it...

Will definitely die.

"No! Don't kill me!"

"We can cooperate! You know what? Mother's clan! Those guys—those Otsutsuki clan members! They'll be coming into this world in a few decades!"

It twisted its body wildly.

"Help me rescue my mother! I can persuade her! We can fight those guys together! Without Mother's strength, you simply can't do it!"

"It's so noisy."

Naruto interrupted it.

"But your two worlds are really exactly the same. Black Zetsu said the same thing before he died."

Black Zetsu's struggle came to a halt in that instant.

"Wh...what?"

That Black Zetsu... before he died... which means...

"No! You bastard! You're just a brat who hasn't even grown up yet! Don't think you can take him down so easily—"

I hadn't even had a chance to say the word "I".

[Rasengan - Sun Core] touched it.

In that instant, an absolute temperature of 15 million degrees Celsius enveloped Black Zetsu's entire body.

That's the temperature at the core of the sun.

That is an absolute heat that can reduce all matter to nothingness.

There was no pain. No struggle. No dying screams. Even the process of "disappearing" was so brief as to be imperceptible.

Black Zetsu simply vanished.

That being that had lived for thousands of years, planned for thousands of years, and waited for thousands of years, vanished into nothingness in that brief moment.

Naruto's shadow clone withdrew his hand, his gaze calmly fixed on the empty air.

If the Pure Land has consciousness, and if death itself has consciousness, it certainly wouldn't be aware that something just died.

That kind of death was too fast, too thorough, too clean; so fast that even the fact of "dying" didn't have time to be recorded.

This is the last act of mercy Naruto can show to the villains.

Painless death.

He sat back down on the ground, his gaze fixed on the four figures still fast asleep. The roar of the waterfall remained, the sunlight remained, and the breeze remained.

Nothing has changed.

It's just that a being that has lived for thousands of years will never appear again.