Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 486 The Gaze from the Abyss

The Iwagakure ninja finally managed to break free of a small portion of his consciousness from the extreme terror.

He stiffly rolled his eyes, finally seeing the ghostly figure that had appeared. His teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.

My sixth sense is giving me a frantic warning.

"Wind... Wind Shadow... Master..."

His mind went blank; he was completely unable to comprehend the absurd scene before him.

Why would the highest leader of Sunagakure appear here so quietly?

And why would he stop himself from killing a Konoha ninja who should have been an enemy?

Liemen didn't look at him.

They didn't even spare a sliver of attention for this ant.

His deep, emotionless pupils were completely focused on the Uchiha boy at the bottom of the pit, soaked in blood and whose fate was unknown.

"A... excellent source material."

The voice did not belong to the Liemen sect; it was ancient and viscous, as if it were seeping from the deepest part of his own bone marrow and blood, carrying a nauseatingly slippery feeling.

It's Black Zetsu.

"He was willing to burn himself to protect his comrades. Despite being just an unknown low-ranking ninja, he possessed such a pure and dazzling will..."

Black Zetsu's consciousness flowed, carrying within it a trace of extremely rare, almost offensive, irritation.

It has witnessed thousands of years of rise and fall, and has gained insight into the full nature of human nature—selfishness, greed, hatred, and endless, self-destructive conflicts.

In its cognitive logic, humans are neither worthy of nor capable of achieving self-redemption.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the new Konoha he created are shaking this age-old iron law from the very foundation, brick by brick.

That man is creating a near-perfect ideal world that can self-repair, self-evolve, and continuously prosper.

A world that no longer needs the Eye of the Moon to force peace.

But that's absolutely impossible!

For the first time, Black Zetsu felt a crisis that came from the core of his being.

It understood that destroying this system from the outside would only strengthen Konoha's resolve and make the Will of Fire burn even brighter.

It must be proven from within.

This proves that this so-called perfect world is ultimately just a false illusion built on sand.

Therefore, it needs a tool.

A perfect tool born into this perfect world, deeply influenced by that will of fire, yet ultimately able to tear it to shreds with his own hands.

The dying Uchiha boy before them was simply fate's response to its conspiracy, an unparalleled gift.

The Uchiha bloodline means that he was born with the potential to grow into a top-tier powerhouse.

The pure, almost blinding, will to sacrifice that he displayed at this moment, no less than that of any Senju clansman, was the most perfect poison that permeated his soul.

A detailed and malicious plan instantly took shape in Black Zetsu's mind.

He rescued the boy and trained him to become the sharpest and most concealed blade in his hands.

It will distort his perception, turning everything he protects into the source of his own destruction.

It wanted him to see with his own eyes how fragile and vulnerable the Will of Fire, which he had defended with his life, was in the face of greater interests and deep-rooted hatred.

It aims to make the products of this perfect world the wedge that will end this perfect world.

Ultimately—the mother was rescued.

"Excellent material."

Black Zetsu repeated, his mind filled with the pleasure of capturing prey.

"His injuries were severe enough to allow us to start from scratch. Moreover, his heroic self-sacrifice will leave a perfect mark of heroism in Konoha; no one will doubt his disappearance, but will only mourn his sacrifice."

"Lord Kazekage, you..." The Iwagakure ninja finally mustered his courage and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Ugh, so noisy."

As if talking to himself, Liemen gently twisted his stiff neck.

He still didn't look at the Iwagakure ninja, but casually, even with a hint of impatience, raised his hand.

The Iwagakure ninja didn't even manage to let out a complete scream.

Countless jet-black iron sands appeared out of thin air, like living hellish serpents, drawing eerie arcs in mid-air and instantly wrapping around and enveloping his entire body.

"Pfft—!"

The iron sand contracted, compressed, and penetrated rapidly inwards!

The strong body of the Iwagakure ninja was instantly twisted into a contorted knot, the muffled sound of bones breaking and flesh being pierced mixed together.

Scalding hot blood and fragments of internal organs spurted out from the gaps in the iron sand, only to be covered and absorbed by more and finer iron sand.

In the blink of an eye, only a strange black humanoid statue remained, its surface smooth, yet exuding the silence of death, in a posture of terrified impending death.

After doing all this, Liemen seemed to have merely brushed away a speck of dust that was bothering him.

He took a step forward and walked to the edge of the pit.

Under his control, the power of Magnet Release displayed a subtlety and gentleness that was completely opposite to its previous violence.

The black iron sand transformed into a silent stream, slowly seeping into the bottom of the pit. Like the gentlest hand, it carefully lifted Uchiha Ran's broken body and gently brought him to its front.

Liemen reached out, seemingly wanting to check the boy's injuries.

On the palm of the hand, a black, mud-like, wriggling substance slowly emerged, eventually coalescing into a tiny black spore that seemed to possess its own independent life.

"Well, let's keep this guy alive for now."

The black spores drifted gently from the palm of his hand, like a weightless feather, silently merging into Uchiha Ran's bloodied and mangled chest.

Almost simultaneously, the boy's heart, which had nearly stopped beating, began to beat again, weakly but with incredible tenacity.

One stroke after another, like a marionette given a false life.

Then, more iron sand poured out from all directions, transforming into a huge, perfectly sealed black coffin, completely encasing Uchiha Ran's body within.

Uchiha Ran used the last of her strength to open her eyes and stare intently at the enigmatic man before her.

He wanted to remember that face.

This cold, indifferent face of the enemy who saved my life.

The black square coffin floated silently in mid-air.

Retsumon turned around and glanced at the main battlefield in the distance, where ninjutsu filled the air and the fighting shook the heavens. On his face, which had been frozen for a thousand years, a complex expression seemed to flash across his face, a mixture of mockery and expectation.

The next second, he and the black coffin slowly sank into the shadows of the ground, disappearing without a trace.

"Hehehe..."