Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 423 Selfish Motives

As the teacher of the Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya was fully aware of the Nine-Tails inside Naruto.

Even after the Fourth Hokage split the Nine-Tails and sealed half of it inside Naruto, he gave the key to open the seal to Jiraiya using a toad at the very end.

This is a gift from Naruto's parents to their child, or you could say it's a testament to their trust in him.

After his battle with Obito, Minato Namikaze placed his hopes on the newborn Naruto. This was partly due to his Uzumaki clan bloodline, but more so because of his trust in him.

After the Chunin Exams, during the time Jiraiya was training Naruto, he also summoned Gamabunta, the toad who controlled the sealing key.

But that one time, he almost died at Naruto's hands...

"Eight tails? Naruto... is he still alive?"

Jiraiya's gaze was solemn.

Although Naruto always trusted Sasuke Uchiha, the actions of the entire Konoha leadership during the Uchiha clan incident were not honorable.

Danzo was the direct instigator of Itachi Uchiha's massacre of his clan, and the old man, though hesitant, was happy to see it happen.

With this outcome, Sasuke Uchiha's stance would inevitably be on the side of Kumogakure after joining the village.

Therefore... if he wanted to use this incident to do something to Naruto, he would have a position to stand on.

"Still alive."

Shikaku looked at Jiraiya and replied, "The Nine-Tails inside Naruto was controlled by Sasuke Uchiha using genjutsu. After the First Hokage, who was resurrected through Edo Tensei, was destroyed, Sasuke controlled the Nine-Tails' chakra to gather it together and finally sealed it back up."

"However, with such extensive burns, it would have been difficult for him to survive until treatment if it weren't for the Hokage's slug."

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief: "The Uzumaki clan is known for its strong vitality. With Tsunade here, there won't be any problems."

The two returned to Konoha as they talked.

However, Jiraiya was stunned as soon as he entered the gate.

Just a few meters behind the gates of Konoha, there is a giant crater!

The semi-circular crater, encompassing the entire Hidden Leaf Village, was enough to demonstrate the intensity of the battle.

If... if everyone hadn't been evacuated beforehand, the aftershocks of such an attack would have caused Konoha heavy losses.

Chunin and Genin, or rather, the kids from the Ninja Academy, are the future pillars of a village.

If everyone is gone, leaving only some Jonin and Anbu, plus the Kage and some high-ranking members, then such a village would be meaningless.

"We've set up a makeshift medical unit for now, and starting tomorrow, we'll arrange for Chunin and Genin who didn't participate in the battle to rebuild the entire village."

Shikaku sighed and said, "What they said before was actually true. If it weren't for Sasuke Uchiha this time, Orochimaru's techniques would probably still have been able to destroy the village even after Pain's Six Paths were destroyed."

Jiraiya remained silent.

As a disciple, he couldn't bring himself to criticize his teacher. He had simply chosen to leave for various reasons.

The same applies to Tsunade.

At this moment, Shikaku continued, "You'll need to stay in the village for a while. Although the Akatsuki has officially declared war on the Five Great Shinobi Villages, I still don't dare to have too much hope for those guys."

Jiraiya nodded: "Don't worry. We've gathered enough intelligence on Akatsuki. I'll try to stay in the village from now on."

Even Pain, after obtaining the scroll left behind by Itachi Uchiha, had a basic understanding of the Akatsuki members' abilities.

After this, we also learned some information about Nagato, Konan, the masked man, and even Orochimaru, and we need to analyze and deal with them as soon as possible.

But there is one person he has yet to meet, and the same is true for Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage.

According to Itachi Uchiha's descriptions, the opponent's strength was simply unimaginable.

Whether it was Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan or the masked man's space-time jutsu, they both seemed to be easily broken in front of the opponent.

The root of the enemy was destroyed, Danzo was killed, and the old man also retreated again and again.

Just like Orochimaru's bond with himself, Danzo was also a bond with the old man. The reason he could suppress his anger even after his old friend was killed was simply because he cared about something more important.

The village...

Only when he knew he was no match for them, and that it might even drag the entire village into the abyss of destruction, would the old man retreat again and again.

Who exactly is this person? And what is his stance?

The annihilation of the Uchiha clan did not prompt him to take action, but he would help Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Sasuke when they were in danger.

……

In another dimension.

The immense gravity pressed Black Zetsu to the ground, and several black iron rods formed from Truth-Seeking Balls pinned him to the spot, unable to struggle.

A short while later, the spatial passage opened, and Uchiha Yun walked in.

The weight pressed down on him, but it didn't seem to affect Uchiha Kumo's basic mobility.

Having trained his body using gravity for a long time, he had long since adapted to this place. Although he couldn't even run fast, at least he wasn't as pathetic as Black Zetsu.

"This is Mother's power, Tenno Minaka! Who the hell are you, you bastard?!"

"Didn't you already think of me as someone from heaven?"

The cloud's face held a mocking expression.

Black Zetsu tilted his head back and tried to struggle, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get rid of the black rods pinned to his body.

"No. Your ability is similar to your mother's; it's a power that can only be obtained by consuming the chakra fruit grown on this planet."

"You are neither a member of the Otsutsuki clan, nor a celestial being! You are a native of this world, a native who has always remained hidden!"

Aboriginal?

Yun slowly walked over, lifted one foot, and under the influence of supergravity, stomped hard on Black Zetsu's head.

Because of the black rod's influence, although this kick turned Black Zetsu into a round disc, it did not disintegrate, and it had no way to escape.

"You think we're natives? I think you're more like a lump of black mud! Kaguya rushed to leave you here, did she forget to give you a brain?"

Yun said, stepping down one foot at a time.

"At this point... you still can't tell the difference between the king and the queen? Do you still want to continue your 'Black Zetsu saves his mother' story? Don't you know how to bow your head, admit defeat, and submit?"

A series of devastating blows flattened Black Zetsu's head, leaving him speechless.

What can we do?

It was a completely crushing situation; even when the Sage of Six Paths and his brother were alive, he had never felt so humiliated.

After stretching for a while, Uchiha Yun also felt a bit tired.

It is only because of the strong gravity here that such an effect can be achieved.

"call……"

After letting out a breath, Uchiha Yun looked at Black Zetsu: "Obito has decided not to follow your plan. He now feels that Nagato's ideas might be more successful."

Black Zetsu was stunned for a moment, but did not get angry or refute.

That bastard was absolutely right. There's no point in arguing with him now; it would only ruin your plans.

Although his previous plans were disrupted after he was captured, he believed that after witnessing this guy's power, Obito would definitely want the Ten-Tails' power even more.

Uchiha Yun, standing to the side, smiled and said, "After becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, your mind will be affected, right? Infinite Tsukuyomi, Rinnegan—at that point, even if you don't want to, you'll have to use Infinite Tsukuyomi, right?"

These words stunned Black Zetsu, whose body, compressed by gravity, was desperately trying to struggle.

After a long period of fruitless effort, Uchiha Yun finally spoke up: "The will that Kaguya Otsutsuki split off in an emergency. Although you should be Otsutsuki Hagoromo's younger brother according to seniority, you can't compare to them."

Black Zetsu roared, "Those two unfilial sons! Mother gave them her chakra, and they betrayed her for the sake of the natives of this planet!"

"They're animals! Ungrateful bastards!"

"Mom will definitely break the seal. At that time, both you and the so-called ninjas will become nourishment for the Divine Tree!"

Yun chuckled lightly: "You really do have a strange kind of courage. Kaguya Otsutsuki devoured the Chakra Fruit as a servant, and her power might not even be as great as mine now."

"Even if she breaks the seal, what can she do? She's been sealed for thousands of years. Until she's restored, she probably won't be a match for me."

At this point, Yun herself couldn't help but chuckle.

Black Zetsu's fate is already sealed; when the time comes, he will be sacrificed to serve as a medium.

By then, whatever deal he made with Kaguya Otsutsuki would be gone.

Thus, in the gravity-bound space, apart from Black Zetsu's curses, no other sound could be heard.

……

Three days later, Konoha, Hokage Building.

After the war began, Tsunade released the Yin Seal and, with the help of her chakra, was able to summon one-tenth of the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest.

Such logistical support has reduced Konoha's losses time and time again; at least under the Shinra Tensei, the losses have been minimized.

Having accumulated some chakra and regained his appearance, he began the work of gathering and analyzing intelligence.

That's the situation.

As Shikaku spoke, he looked up at the group of people in front of him: "Also... the spy Kabuto Yakushi who appeared with Orochimaru, after analysis, he should be collecting the overflowing Nine-Tails chakra."

"Lord Raikage, the guard who arrived after your village should be the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, right?"

The Fourth Raikage, who had recovered largely after treatment, shook his head slightly: "He's not a clone. Or rather, he's just a tentacle horn of the Eight-Tails. Although he has the Eight-Tails' chakra, it's very little."

These words made Tsunade and Jiraiya frown.

She's really straightforward...

In this way, they misled the Akatsuki into creating the illusion that the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was also in Konoha, thus drawing their attention to Konoha.

If they hadn't survived this ordeal, Kumogakure might have been able to deplete a portion of Akatsuki's strength without suffering any losses.

At the very least, we can obtain more specific information about the other party.

They're using Konoha as a weapon...

"Bang!"

Tsunade slammed her fist on the desk, and after the cracks appeared, she split in two and fell to the ground.

"Lord Raikage, I believe Konoha needs an explanation from you!"

The Fourth Raikage glanced at the broken desk; it was a familiar scene indeed…

"No explanation was given."

With a calm tone, the Fourth Raikage also stared at Tsunade: "The fact that Sasuke and I came here and were able to help you with all our might is already the best explanation we can give!"

These words made Shikaku frown, but he didn't refute them.

Jiraiya then spoke up, saying, "The blame is being shifted eastward. The Raikage should have seen the losses Konoha suffered in this battle. Under these circumstances, future cooperation will inevitably be strained."

"Everyone has seen the strength of the Akatsuki organization, whether it's the Six Paths of Pain, the masked man who can't be hit, Orochimaru's Edo Tensei, or those other members."

"With such power, none of the five great ninja villages can stand against them alone. Konoha can't, and neither can Kumogakure."

"Even before the alliance began, there were already many cracks between us. Such an alliance would only crumble at the first touch against Akatsuki. I think... Lord Raikage should understand what I mean."

After speaking, he directly pointed out the thoughts of the Hidden Cloud Village, but the Fourth Raikage did not get angry or retort.

He knew very well that one of the three legendary ninjas opposite him was right: no village could stand alone against the Akatsuki.

I originally thought that the enemy had already given their all in the battle outside the Hidden Cloud Village, but I didn't expect it to be such a short time.

If Sasuke hadn't returned in time, and if more reinforcements hadn't arrived, perhaps it wouldn't have been just Yugito who was replaced and kidnapped.

"Perhaps what I am about to say will seem righteous to you, but besides my own selfish motives, it is more about preventing them from achieving their goals."

The Fourth Raikage looked at the three people from Konoha.

"Be is a perfect Jinchuriki, and his method of creating a clone, which allows him to possess the Eight-Tails' chakra, makes him undetectable to the Akatsuki for a short period of time."

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki can't do that. Am I right?"

After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

After a long pause, Shikaku spoke up: "The Infinite Tsukuyomi requires the power of all the tailed beasts, and the Eight-Tails is an indispensable part of it. That's why the Raikage came and risked his life."

"But if Konoha loses this battle and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is captured by the enemy, then Lord Raikage will also die."

"At that time, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki will hide away, and may never appear again, right?"

The Fourth Raikage nodded slightly: "They will hide, but the lifespan of a Jinchuriki is limited. After a few decades, the Jinchuriki will die, and the Tailed Beast will take a few years to revive. This period of time is the time allotted to the entire ninja world."

"I have my own selfish reasons. If the battlefield is in Kumogakure, firstly, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki might not be able to deceive the enemy, and secondly, it would put the fate of Kumogakure in Konoha's hands."

"I can guarantee that I will do my best, but I have no idea whether you will do everything you can to help Yunyin."

"Furthermore... Konoha suffered heavy losses, which, from the Raikage's perspective, is certainly better than Kumogakure's heavy losses!"

……

(End of this chapter)