Tap, tap, tap...
The sound of soles striking the ground, amplified by the confined space, was exceptionally jarring.
The Naraka Path descended several tens of meters. The passage suddenly opened up, and an underground space, as large as a football field, came into view.
"You're only back now. Did something happen?" Black Zetsu's hoarse voice sounded.
"I encountered the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. It took a little time," the Naraka Path replied in Uchiha Obito's voice.
"Is that so." Zetsu nodded slightly and said no more. They were aware of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's strength; Obito managing to escape from him largely depended on his spatial dojutsu.
"Where's Nagato? Did something unexpected happen?" the Naraka Path asked, his tone casual, continuing the conversation.
"Uchiha Sasuke has the Eternal Mangekyo, after all. It took some time to shake him off," Black Zetsu replied, his tone extremely relaxed, seemingly unconcerned that Nagato might have encountered problems.
Recalling Nagato's bizarre dojutsu, the Naraka Path's eyes flickered, and he asked no further questions.
Half an hour later.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
The sound of fluttering paper echoed through the underground space.
The Naraka Path and Zetsu turned their heads to see Nagato and Konan slowly descending the stairs.
"Where's the Seven-Tails?" Nagato asked.
"Right here." The Naraka Path stepped forward. The Mangekyo in his right eye spun rapidly, and a vortex rippled in the space before him. The Seven-Tails' massive body slowly materialized in the underground chamber.
"With only four of us, extracting the Seven-Tails' chakra will probably take about seven days," Nagato said, gazing at the behemoth before him.
"The Seven-Tails is just the prelude. The Eight-Tails is the main event," White Zetsu piped up. "The Eight-Tails is the second strongest Tailed Beast after the Nine-Tails. Its chakra volume is greater than all the Tailed Beasts we've extracted previously combined."
"Let's discuss the shift rotation," Black Zetsu said, his tone also somewhat resigned.
"To activate the Mystical Dragon Nine Consuming Seals, all four of us are needed together. For the subsequent extraction, it'll be two people per shift, two days each." Nagato directly stated the shift arrangement, clearly having considered it beforehand. "Zetsu and I will be one team. Konan and Uchiha Madara will be the other."
It seems, from beginning to end, Nagato never trusted Madara or Zetsu... the Naraka Path thought, nodding in agreement with the assignment. With this mixed grouping, even if he or Konan became mentally fatigued, if Tobi and Black Zetsu tried to cause trouble, they would have someone to resist. From Obito's memories, maintaining the Mystical Dragon Nine Consuming Seals to extract Tailed Beast chakra was a considerable burden on the caster.
"Adjust as quickly as possible. In two hours, we begin extracting the Seven-Tails' chakra." Nagato formed hand seals and summoned the Gedo Mazo.
After confirming that the Naraka Path hadn't been exposed, Naruto withdrew his attention. The pseudo-Uchiha Obito soul he had constructed, though flawed, was concealed by the mask. Coupled with the fact that Obito himself didn't display many emotional changes, it didn't require too much of Naruto's mental energy to manage.
Knock, knock!
A knock on the door.
Naruto turned his head. "Come in!"
Seeing Haku's face, which was even more beautiful than a woman's, he quickly averted his gaze. To be honest, he was quite intimidated... After all, Haku's existence had already "bent" quite a few Dragon Heritage members. Zabuza was a prime example.
"Is something the matter?"
"Karin sent word back. The Land of Tea and the Land of Rainbows are both under control," Haku reported.
"Excellent." Naruto nodded with satisfaction. Although the Land of Tea and the Land of Rainbows were both nations without shinobi, the power held by their Daimyo residences was still quite strong. To have successfully taken them down in such a short time, that little girl Karin had indeed grown.
"My lord, there's one more thing..." Haku hesitated for a moment. "The priestess of the Land of Demons—Shion—wishes to see you."
"The priestess of the Land of Demons?" Naruto paused for a few seconds before recalling the name and its associated matters.
Due to its recent establishment, the Dragon Heritage organization found it difficult to assemble a large-scale army. Compared to the Five Great Shinobi Villages, which could easily mobilize forces in the thousands, with an upper limit in the tens of thousands, Dragon Heritage was severely lacking. Thus, the Stone Army, which had once plunged the shinobi world into turmoil in its history, entered his sights. The Stone Army was created by the demon Moryo through some unknown means, a powerful weapon to assist it in ruling the shinobi world. But the shinobi world still existed today, indicating that Moryo's ambitions had ultimately ended in failure.
According to intelligence currently gathered by the Dragon Heritage organization, the one who had sealed the demon Moryo, which had once plagued the shinobi world, was an ancestor of Shion, the current priestess of the Land of Demons. It was said that this line of priestesses, besides possessing the ability to seal the demon Moryo, also had the heaven-defying ability to foresee the life and death of others.
"What is her reason for wanting to see me?" Naruto asked.
"She said... only she can undo Moryo's seal." This was precisely why Haku had hesitated. The priestess of the Land of Demons probably had no idea how powerful his lord truly was. Only she can undo it... To this, Haku could only surmise that the repeated failures of Dragon Heritage members had given her a false impression.
"I understand. I will personally handle matters concerning the Land of Demons," Naruto nodded. Coincidentally, Akatsuki wouldn't be causing trouble for a short while, and Zabuza and Kurosuki Raiga were keeping an eye on the borders. He could now free up his hands to advance his plans.
"Once the deployed personnel are in place, have them begin preparations for constructing the ninja academies. As for the national treasury funds from the Land of Tea and the Land of Rainbows, have Karin send a portion back. The rest, as long as it's used for developing maritime industries, she can spend as she wishes..."
Naruto briefly outlined the upcoming administrative framework for the Land of Dragon, leaving the rest for Haku to handle, then headed towards the Land of Demons. On one hand, it was to ensure there were no mishaps in gaining control of the Stone Army; on the other, he also wanted to see why the priestess of the Land of Demons wanted to see him... or rather, dared to see him. After all, his reputation in the shinobi world wasn't exactly pleasant.
Land of Fire.
Konohagakure, Hokage Tower.
Naruto Shadow Clone #2 walked into the meeting room. Recognizing the faces of those seated, he felt a slight surprise. The Fifth Hokage, her advisor Jiraiya, the Two Great Advisors, the heads of Konoha's major clans, and a man he had never seen before, yet who was seated on the same tier as Tsunade and the others... Not a single one was a pushover. All of them were heavyweights!
"Sit!" Tsunade pointed to the only empty seat in the room, directly in front of him.
"With such a lineup, may I ask what crime I've committed?" Shadow Clone #2 asked, meeting everyone's gazes. Though, even without asking, he knew why they had summoned him for this grand interrogation.
"What exactly is Dragon Heritage's objective?" Tsunade didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point. "This is a special envoy dispatched by the Daimyo," she said, gesturing to the unfamiliar man at her side. "Your answer will be relayed to the Daimyo by the special envoy. You know what this represents."
Sending someone directly, it seems they intend to negotiate... Shadow Clone #2's mind stirred. The Daimyo's reaction was unexpected. He had thought the Daimyo would directly dispatch troops to the Land of Dragon.
"For my mother's dying wish." His mind raced. Shadow Clone #2 offered a silent apology to Uzumaki Kushina, far away in the Pure Land. What he was about to say was absolutely not his true intention.