"By the way, ask if they're willing to work voluntarily first. If they are, don't make things too difficult for them," Lexon instructed Orochimaru just as the latter was about to kidnap his research targets.
"All... right, Boss." Orochimaru was clearly a bit reluctant.
However, since it was his boss's command, he had no choice but to agree despite his hesitation.
Otherwise, having just become a living snake with great difficulty, he didn't want to upset his boss and turn back into a dead snake in the next moment...
That wouldn't be good at all...
He had originally wanted to slice some people up for research...
But Orochimaru could only abandon that thought.
"Let's go." Lexon gathered the three youngsters together, intending to do what he had previously decided upon.
"What are we going to do, Brother Lexon?" Sasuke didn't know where Lexon meant by 'going'.
Was it to see the surviving clansmen?
Sasuke wondered.
Naruto and Haruno Sakura shared similar doubts.
Are we going back to Konoha?
They both thought to themselves.
But thinking of the empty Konoha, they couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow.
"To resurrect the people who died in Konoha," Lexon said to the three youngsters.
As his voice fell, expressions of shock appeared on Haruno Sakura and Naruto's faces.
"Teacher, is what you're saying true?" Sakura asked, her face full of disbelief.
Although as a ninja she felt in her heart that this was impossible, a tiny, faint glimmer of hope inevitably emerged.
What if... what if what Teacher said is true...
"Lexon! I don't want you to do this!" Naruto remembered their previous conversation in the sealed space, recalling Lexon's words about 'dying'. After the shock, he spoke with an agitated expression.
Sasuke trusted Lexon implicitly and wouldn't question his words. Since he hadn't heard Lexon mention anything about 'dying', he neither reacted with shock nor became agitated.
"I already told you that won't happen," Lexon first responded to Naruto, then looked at Haruno Sakura and continued, "Believe in your teacher, Sakura."
"Yes," Sakura nodded heavily in response.
"Lexon..." Naruto was still a bit worried after hearing Lexon's words.
Seeing him like this, Lexon patted his small head and said with a smile, "Rest easy."
Only then did Naruto stop speaking.
"Then, let's head out." Lexon waved his hand.
Just like when they arrived, three spheres of chakra wrapped the youngsters into small balls.
"Itachi, I'm borrowing your little brother for a bit. I'll return him to you later," Lexon said to Itachi before leaving.
Because Lexon didn't intentionally hide his voice, Itachi had heard everything they said.
Knowing what he was about to do, Itachi remained silent and didn't answer.
"Remember not to run off. You still need to help your little brother produce many children."
Hearing Lexon's teasing words, Itachi's face couldn't help but darken.
"Uchiha Lexon!"
Just before they left, a loud shout suddenly came from Orochimaru's side.
It was the voice of Nagato controlling Tendo Pain.
He didn't understand anything.
He didn't know why the situation had developed to this point...
Why the members of his own organization were about to become Orochimaru's research subjects...
So, he wasn't willing to be taken away by Orochimaru just like that.
"Follow Orochimaru, and then you will understand everything." Lexon didn't say much to Nagato. He only left behind those words before flickering away with the three youngsters.
He had already instructed his Wood Clone to perform the Impure World Reincarnation on Uchiha Madara once he could be revived again, letting Madara explain everything himself.
Regarding Nagato's manipulated life...
As for whether Madara would say anything...
If he wouldn't talk, Lexon would just tell him about the Uchiha stone tablet actually being tampered with by a certain black fellow, and how his life's goals were actually someone else's conspiracy...
...
The travel distance wasn't far, so it didn't take long.
Lexon and the others didn't return to Konoha but instead arrived beside the enemy Reincarnators.
Because according to what Number Four had said, the people of Konoha should have been digested in his stomach after being eaten.
Thus, this was likely the best place to perform the Gedo: Art of the Rinne Rebirth.
However, it would be a hassle for the resurrected villagers to travel from the Hidden Rain Village back to Konoha in the Land of Fire.
They landed beside the Reincarnators who were being guarded by over a dozen Wood Clones.
Lexon released the chakra surrounding Naruto and the others, then first asked the enemy Reincarnators, "Where is Black Zetsu? Was he killed by you?"
The Reincarnators looked at each other, and then the woman, Number Three, replied, "The Black Zetsu you're talking about is?"
"The guy who is entirely black," Lexon said.
In his knowledge, as the son of Kaguya Otsutsuki, Black Zetsu shouldn't be so easy to kill.
So there was still a possibility he was alive.
"He's here." Hearing the description, the enemy Reincarnators realized who Lexon was referring to. Number Two, the one with the zipper ability, spoke up.
Immediately, he pulled open a zipper opening in mid-air.
He reached his arm inside to search.
Finally, he pulled out an entirely black figure.
It was indeed Black Zetsu.
He was actually in quite good shape. After resting in the zipper space for a while, he had clearly recovered well. As soon as he was taken out, he used Yin-Yang Release to turn his body into a black liquid and attached himself to Number Two, seemingly trying to seize his body.
"Quite energetic, aren't you, Black Zetsu?" The moment Lexon saw Black Zetsu, he greeted him.
"Uchiha Lexon?" Black Zetsu immediately stopped using Yin-Yang Release, detached himself from Number Two's body at incredible speed, and quickly came behind Lexon before transforming back into a humanoid shape.
"Are you here to save me, Uchiha Lexon?" Black Zetsu had clearly misunderstood something and spoke these words.
Vaguely, one could even sense a trace of touched emotion in his voice.
From this moment on, he truly and implicitly trusted Lexon, his loyal comrade-in-arms.
After all, in his eyes, it was Lexon who had rescued him from the hands of the enemy.
"Uh..." Lexon didn't know how to respond to him. He couldn't exactly say 'It was just in passing', could he?
How much would that hurt the heart of this number one filial son in the world of Naruto...
"It was just in passing," Lexon said to Black Zetsu in a flat tone.
"Uh..." This time, it was Black Zetsu's turn to not know how to respond.
"Stay aside for now. Once I'm done here, we'll go together to release the seal on your mother," Lexon continued to Black Zetsu.
Hearing his loyal comrade-in-arms talk about unsealing his mother, Black Zetsu became happy in an instant and replied, "Yes, yes, yes."
After ignoring Black Zetsu, Lexon then asked Number Four among the opposite Reincarnators, "It's confirmed that you killed all those people from Konoha, right?"
"Yes." Number Four couldn't figure out Lexon's intention, but he still nodded honestly.
Because he knew lying was basically useless against Reincarnators.
As Stage 4 Reincarnators, they had several methods to verify the truth of a lie.
Not to mention the person in front of them who might even be a Stage 5 Reincarnator.
Instead of being tortured by certain methods, it was better to just be direct.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]