Whoosh!

  Deep within the forest.

  A swirling vortex suddenly appeared before Sasuke and his team, interrupting their rest. Although the timing was slightly off, Tobi, wearing his mask, desded before Sasuke once again!

  With a deep voice, he greeted, "Yo, Sasuke..."

  Sasuke, Karin, and Suigetsu all stood up simultaneously.

  Karin frowned. "That guy's chakra appeared out of nowhere. How is that possible?"

  Suigetsu, ever nont, remarked, "Well, isn't this just great timing!"

  Sasuke, cold and indifferent, asked, "How did you know I was here?"

  Tobi replied calmly, "Don't uimate me. I have my ways."

  The spatial movement of Kamui, much like the *Flying Raijin Jutsu*, relies on markings. However, uhe Flying Raijin, Kamui's markings be left with the eye, making it more ve. Both are indelible, except by *Yin-Yang Release.*

  Sasuke said coldly, "Why are you here now? We, the Taka, have already left the Akatsuki. We have nothing to do with each other anymore."

  Tobi's voice turern. "I told you before, betraying the Akatsuki leads only to death. You broke reement."

  Sasuke frowned. "What are you referring to?"

  "The task of capturing the Tailed Beasts," Tobi said.

  Karin interjected, "Didn't we already capture the Eight-Tails for you?"

  "That was merely a decoy," Tobi replied. "In other words, you failed..."

  "!?!" The three of them were stunned.

  "You were pletely fooled by the Eight-Tails," Tobi tinued. "To be ho, I'm deeply disappointed in you."

  Sasuke recalled the battle at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning: *I firmed it with my Sharingan. He had no opportunity to use a e...*

  Suddenly, a detail came to mind—the moment his *Chidori Sharp Spear* severed the Eight-Tails' tail, it had sunk into the river.

  *Could it have been then...?!*

  Suigetsu, trying to maintain his posure, said, "Even so, what do you want us to do? We have nothing to do with you anymore!"

  "No," Tobi replied. "I just hope you'll finish what the Akatsuki entrusted to you. That said, fet about the Eight-Tails for now. There's aask for you today."

  "And if I refuse?" Sasuke asked.

  Tobi tinued as if he hadn't heard, "The reason I'm here is to stop you from heading to the Leaf Vilge..."

  "It seems I'll have to use force!"

  Sasuke unched a *Chidori* thrust... only for it to pass right through Tobi!

  "!" Sasuke was startled, recalling his enter with Deidara: *My attack passed through him again, just like st time. So this is his ability...*

  Tobi gnced sideways. "I've heard about your iions. Unfortunately, they will e to nothing..."

  Sasuke turned sharply. "What do you mean?"

  "The Leaf Vilge no longer exists," Tobi said.

  "!?!" The three of them were once again stunned.

  Karin demanded, "What do you mean?"

  Rustle, rustle. At that moment, Zetsu emerged from the ground beside Tobi.

  Karin tensed up. "That's..."

  "Don't worry. He's with me," Tobi assured her before turning to White Zetsu. "Who's the new Hokage?"

  Zetsu replied, "It's that guy, Danzō."

  "Just as I expected..." Tobi muttered.

  Sasuke frowned. "Danzō became Hokage?"

  "That's right," Tobi firmed. "One of the Konoha elders who drove your brother away has bee the new Hokage."

  "What happeo the Leaf Vilge?" Sasuke finally asked.

  Tobi g the two behind Sasuke. "Where's that subordinate of yours, Jūgo?"

  Suigetsu replied, "He went to fetch water. Though, it's taking him quite a while..."

  Karin adjusted her gsses, annoyed. "Holy, everyone's so unreliable!" Her face turned serious, but her ihoughts betrayed her: *Sasuke, hurry up and fire them so we elope together, hehe~!*

  Suigetsu shrugged. "You could've just drunk the water from me. Jūgo only went because you were thirsty~."

  Karin ched her fists, veins bulging on her forehead. "Who would drink water from an idiot like you? What if I turn into an idiot after drinking it?!"

  Her inner monologue tinued unabated: *And what about my future children with Sasuke, hehe~...*

  Suigetsu teased, "You're already not very bright, so it wouldn't make much of a difference..."

  "You bastard~~~!!"

  Thud!! Karin punched Suigetsu's head, which turned into water, and then began kig him as he cried out in pain.

  Sasuke sighed in exasperation. "Stop it, Suigetsu, Karin."

  "..." Watg this farce, even Tobi seemed at a loss for words. Returning to the main topic, he said, "Enough. It doesn't matter if he's not here. It won't affect what we o discuss ... The Leaf Vilge was destroyed by my subordinate, Pain. Sasuke, both you and Pain have been too spicuous, and now the Five Kage are preparing to act!"

  Sasuke's gaze darkened. "The Five Kage..."

  Tobi tinued, "The Five Kage Summit is about to vene."

  Zetsu added, "I'll expiails from here~!"

  ...

  The news of Naruto's defe and his alleged betrayal spread like wildfire in the Leaf Vilge, thanks to Root's maations.

  Previously, Root had circuted rumors that the Akatsuki's leader, Pain, had attacked the Leaf Vilge in collusion with Naruto, staging the event to gain the vilgers' trust. After being exposed by Danzō, Naruto fled the vilge ht.

  Initially, the vilgers were skeptical of these rumors. After all, Naruto had spent years earning their trust through his as.

  But the corpses of Tokuma Hyūga, Muta Aburame, and Avaro, along with the scroll left by Anko, were undeniable evidence.

  The vilgers gathered in front of a temporary te up fh-level discussions, waiting for news.

  When it was firmed that the scroll's tents were true, public opinion pletely shifted...!

  "As expected, the ails is just the ails..."

  "Naruto was a cer hiding in pin sight!"

  "We were all deceived by him!!"

  "That damn Naruto should be executed...!!"

  Tap! Tap! Tap! The sound of a e silehe crowd.

  Danzō approached, speaking in a steady tone, "Konoha has always shown no mercy to traitors. It was only due to the Fifth Hokage's indulgehat thied to this point..."

  "But I, Danzō Shimura, will put ao this chaos and give Konoha the resolution it deserves!"

  After a brief silehe crowd erupted into thunderous cheers: "We swear allegiao Lord Danzō's leadership!"

  No oiced the sly smile beh Danzō's Hokage hat, a sign of his scheme's success.

  ...

  In the inal cave where Naruto and Konan resided, Konan asked, "Is it time to begin?"

  Naruto replied, "Yes, let's begin."

  Konan lifted the unscious Anko Mitarashi. "I still 't believe this is actually possible."

  Naruto expined, "The essence of the curse mark developed by Orochimaru is an indepe sciousness. As long as the curse mark exists, he is immortal. However, to awaken him, we he blueprint of the curse mark, which I obtained earlier from Jūgo."

  Naruto stepped forward, pg his left hand on the curse mark on the back of Anko's neck.

  Whoosh! The sage energy absorbed from Jūgo flowed into the mark.

  Slowly, Naruto lifted his hand. Rustle, rustle... A white snake emerged from the curse mark, its mouth opening wide as Orochimaru's elegant figure materialized.

  Thud! Anko colpsed to the ground, still unscious.

  "..." Naruto and Konan took a step ba unison.

  Rising from the viscous substan the ground, Orochimaru's slit pupils locked onto the blonde-haired boy before him. His raspy yet seductive voice echoed, "Heh heh heh, how ued. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagihat the o me back to life would be you... Naruto."