Naruto: Menma Exiting Infinite Tsukuyomi

Chapter 190: Sasuke, Become Hokage

"I suggest you take back what belongs to you from Hatake Kakashi."

"...You don't need to tell me."

The expression under Obito's mask froze for a moment, then he glanced coldly at Zetsu: "I naturally know what needs to be done!"

The reason he hadn't taken back his left eye from Kakashi, aside from a small, unmentionable thought in his heart,

was also because after the death of Namikaze Minato, who could use Space-Time Ninjutsu, there was no one left in the ninja world who could truly threaten his safety.

After all, with the characteristics of his right eye's "Kamui - Intangibility," one eye was enough to place him in an invincible position.

But now...

Whether facing that giant meteorite that fell from the sky or facing Nagato who could wield the power of the Rinnegan,

with just his right eye, he could only barely protect himself.

Beyond that, he could do nothing.

"I don't understand what you are still hesitating about now."

Black Zetsu continued to egg him on: "If you can have a complete pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, you can not only use the other eye's dōjutsu but also use Susanoo, which is called the power of a god!"

"Or perhaps..."

Black Zetsu paused, saying meaningfully: "Do you want to give up the ideal of the Infinite Tsukuyomi for the sake of so-called bonds?"

"You!"

The single eye Obito revealed suddenly widened. He looked at Zetsu but couldn't say a word.

In fact, this was not the first time they had discussed this topic.

After being repelled by that fellow Ame-no-Minakanushi, he himself had proactively brought this matter up with Zetsu.

But this time, it was Zetsu who brought it up, even using a questioning tone.

Now Obito couldn't give a reason, and was suddenly in an awkward position.

Drip... Drip...

The two thus fell into a bizarre silence.

Only the sound of rainwater dripping from the top of the cave entrance echoed softly in the small, dark cave.

After a long silence,

"...Obito."

Hearing Black Zetsu no longer use "Madara" but directly address him by his real name,

Obito's body instantly stiffened, his heart also sinking.

"I am Lord Madara's will."

Black Zetsu stared intently at Obito, his tone low: "If you still cannot make up your mind, we are very willing to do it for you."

White Zetsu also chimed in with a chuckle: "Heehee, yes indeed."

Although he didn't understand why Obito, who had personally killed his master and master's wife, was so hesitant about this matter,

Black Zetsu didn't care about Obito's thoughts.

If the first appearance of "Crimson Moon" only gave him a faint sense of foreboding,

then the sudden appearance of Hamura's lineage now made Black Zetsu feel an unprecedented sense of crisis.

The clansmen of Hamura's lineage had always shouldered the responsibility of guarding the Six Paths seal and the Gedō Mazō; one could say they were naturally on the opposite side of him.

And from that meteorite that fell from the sky, one could see that Hamura's lineage also possessed a power comparable to the Rinnegan.

They had now noticed the existence of the ninja world and Nagato.

If those guys were determined to descend upon the ninja world from the moon, Nagato's current strength alone might not be enough to deal with them.

Strengthening the Akatsuki's power was, one could say, imperative.

However, Nagato only wanted to collect the nine Tailed Beasts, obtain the Ten-Tails' power, and use it to intimidate the ninja world, achieving peace through fear and pain.

Therefore, Obito, who subscribed to the Eye of the Moon Plan, was the key that Black Zetsu truly valued.

He had to let Obito and Nagato's power within the Akatsuki reach a balance.

"...Zetsu, right now, I am Uchiha Madara!"

Obito's gaze was unsteady. He then said with feigned indifference: "You just need to do your own thing. You don't need to remind me."

With that, without waiting for Black Zetsu to respond, he continued to press: "Have you found any trace of Orochimaru or not?"

Realizing Obito was deliberately changing the subject, a trace of dissatisfaction couldn't help but rise in Black Zetsu's heart.

This guy Obito was taking a chicken feather for a command arrow, really thinking he was Uchiha Madara.

If not for the lack of a more suitable candidate,

Black Zetsu really wouldn't want to entrust the "Eye of the Moon" plan to this useless trash that couldn't be led.

However...

Orochimaru knew too much; he had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

So Black Zetsu could only temporarily suppress the dissatisfaction in his heart, replying in a calm and low tone: "Orochimaru showed up in the Land of Fields not long ago, but he vanished before White Zetsu in a flash."

"The Land of Fields?"

Obito was first taken aback, then frowned deeply: "I heard that small country recently formed a small ninja village?"

"Mm, a small ninja village called Otogakure, established with funds allocated by the Daimyō of the Land of Fields."

Zetsu nodded: "I estimate Otogakure has some connection with Orochimaru. I just don't know what he's planning, or where his specific hiding place is."

"Then continue investigating."

Obito first gave the order, then muttered in a frustrated, low voice: "Truly a slippery, stinking snake. Has no skills whatsoever, but his ability to save his own skin and run away is first-class."

Black Zetsu first nodded, then sneered inwardly: 'As if you're any different from Orochimaru.'

Orochimaru at least had a sufficiently clever head.

This guy Obito, besides running away, really had no other special skills.

'Sigh, if only there was a more convenient pawn.' Black Zetsu sighed again to himself.

Obito didn't know his thoughts. He stood up directly and said: "Let's go. Come with me to Konoha."

The out-of-nowhere appearance of Crimson Moon and Ame-no-Minakanushi had indeed caught him off guard.

And now, an enemy has appeared that requires the entire Akatsuki to cooperate to deal with. This made Obito's desire to increase his strength even more urgent.

Without sufficient strength as a guarantee, the Eye of the Moon plan was just empty talk.

Although there was still some obstacle in his heart, he cared more about the "Eye of the Moon" plan.

As for Kakashi...

"Everyone... will meet again in the perfect world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi."

A trace of determination flashed in Obito's eye.

Immediately, without waiting for Black Zetsu to say anything more,

he stepped into the distorted space vortex and vanished directly from within the dark cave.

...

Meanwhile, in Konoha Village.

"Sasuke, don't lose focus! Concentrate!"

Beside a waterfall, Jiraiya leaned lazily against a tree.

Sasuke sat cross-legged on a stone slate on the tree, his eyes tightly closed.

One could faintly see his body constantly trembling and swaying, the look of frustration on his face becoming more and more obvious.

As Sasuke's body trembled, the range of his swaying also began to gradually increase...

The next second,

Thump!

Sasuke fell directly from the tree to the ground.

He then stood up with a frustrated look, patting the dust off his body.

Then, very skillfully, he was about to jump back onto the tree.

"Alright, that's enough for today."

Jiraiya suddenly spoke: "If you continue like this, your mood will only become more and more frustrated."

He didn't plan to let Sasuke undergo Sage Art training yet; right now, he was just tempering Sasuke's impetuous nature.

After all, this was different from learning ninjutsu.

If one was too hasty in cultivating Sage Art, it could very well endanger the cultivator's life.

"...Mm."

Sasuke's expression still looked somewhat unwilling, but in the end, he just lowered his head and acknowledged.

But after a moment, he abruptly looked up at Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya... sensei..."

Sasuke, his face full of defeat, said with an unwilling tone: "Do you think I can possibly catch up to Naruto? Compared to him, am I really that bad?"

"Naruto has already completed the combination of wind-nature chakra nature and shape transformation, but I still can't skillfully master the nature and shape transformation of fire-nature chakra."

"I also don't have Naruto's terrifying temperament and physique. I can't even enter a state of tranquility at will like he can."

Naruto's usual training time was clearly half of his, yet his progress in ninjutsu and senjutsu cultivation far surpassed his.

The distance between the two seemed close, but in reality, it was separated by a boundless chasm.

"Sigh, what a troublesome brat."

Jiraiya casually extended his arm and roughly ruffled Sasuke's head.

"Damn it, old pervert! What are you doing!?"

Sasuke angrily slapped his hand away, tidying his messy black hedgehog-like hair.

But when he looked up, he couldn't help but be stunned.

The two met eyes, and he saw the gentleness in Jiraiya's.

"Hahaha, you are already outstanding enough."

Jiraiya, one hand on his hip, the other slung around Sasuke's neck, said in a heroic tone: "In my eyes, you brat are not bad at all."

"However, always carrying hatred is not a good thing."

Looking at the defeated tsundere brat, Jiraiya's eyes were full of amusement.

During this period of training, he had basically figured out Sasuke's personality.

-- Just a brat who talks tough but has a soft heart, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and likes to act cool.

For Jiraiya, Naruto was perfect in all aspects, so perfect it was a bit unreal.

Compared to Naruto, Jiraiya actually preferred Sasuke, who had some minor flaws.

After all, even he, one of the Sannin, had his own little quirks.

And Sasuke, born of the Uchiha clan, his talent was indeed worthy of the name of genius.

Whether it was ninjutsu techniques or practical combat experience, he showed visible improvement in every training session.

Even if he were placed in the entire Uchiha clan, he would very quickly stand out.

Unfortunately, his target was Naruto.

A perfect ninja who possessed both temperament and talent.

"Sigh! If it were me, I probably wouldn't even be as good as Sasuke."

Jiraiya sighed helplessly in his heart.

Immediately, he looked at Sasuke, comforting him gently: "You know what Naruto's childhood was like. He has been honing his personality and temperament since he was young."

"If you want to catch up to his progress in senjutsu cultivation, you naturally also need to spend more time honing your own temperament."

Sasuke looked up at Jiraiya, asking with a somewhat lost gaze: "Then what should I do? I've clearly already tried my best."

Although he didn't voice the problem, Jiraiya understood his frustration.

"...Hatred, and revenge."

Jiraiya fell silent for a moment, his expression troubled: "Even if I wanted you to give up on hatred and revenge, you definitely wouldn't listen to me, right?"

After all, his entire Uchiha family was exterminated by his beloved older brother.

Even if something like this were placed on him, Jiraiya, he couldn't guarantee he could easily let it go.

"So my suggestion is, you can be like Naruto and set a more long-term goal."

Jiraiya pondered for a moment before asking: "For example, what do you plan to do after you get your revenge?"

What to do after revenge?

Sasuke couldn't help but be stunned.

Then, inexplicably, he thought of the words Naruto had been nagging him about lately.

His brain hadn't even reacted yet, but his mouth made the answer first.

"I want to... find a wife, build up the family fortune, have children, and revive the Uchiha."

"...Huh?"

The smile on Jiraiya's face instantly froze. He dug at his ear in some disbelief.

Find a wife, build up the family fortune, have children, and revive the Uchiha?

Why did this set of procedures come out of Sasuke's mouth so fluently?

"Brat, your ideal is a bit too common."

Jiraiya supported his forehead, then said playfully: "You might as well just become Hokage. Then, whoever you want to choose as your wife, wouldn't that be an easy matter?"

"If I remember correctly, Naruto also wants to become Hokage, right? Maybe you two can have a competition."

Naruto's ideal was to become a great ninja like the Fourth Hokage.

Then doesn't that mean he wants to become Hokage?

Jiraiya naturally equated the two.

"Become Hokage?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment, then replied sullenly: "I don't have that kind of thought for the time being."

He didn't even know what "Hokage" meant.

To him, "Hokage" was just a title.

"However, if I can defeat Naruto while reviving the Uchiha, I can give it a try."

"Good, good, good."

Jiraiya couldn't help but chuckle, teasing: "Then you'll have to work hard. Teacher here will support you."

He didn't take Sasuke's words to heart, just treating it as a childish squabble.

"Teacher Jiraiya." Sasuke suddenly spoke again.

"What is it?"

"Thank you."

"...Ahahaha!"

Jiraiya was first stunned, then immediately squatted down, bringing his ear close to Sasuke's.

With a cheap, flippant look, he said playfully: "The wind is a bit loud. What did you just say? I didn't hear clearly."

Sasuke's small face first turned red, then he pushed Jiraiya's head away with an expressionless face.

"I take back what I said before."

"My cute disciple actually thanked me. How touching," Jiraiya chuckled lightly.

"Oh, right."

Jiraiya, as if suddenly thinking of something, showed an intriguing smile: "You've trained so hard today. How about letting your master take you out to relax a bit?"

Sasuke subconsciously nodded.

However, looking at the slightly lewd smile on Jiraiya's face, he couldn't help but feel an ominous premonition rise in his heart.

But before he could back out,

Jiraiya grabbed his arm, his face full of excitement: "Let's go! Master is taking you to see the world!"

(End of Chapter)

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