Watching the deranged Uchiha Obito, Nagato frowned and said, "Are you crazy? Letting everyone slumber eternally in a world of illusion, what's the difference between that and eliminating all of humanity?"
"The difference is, one dies happily in a dream, their life is fulfilling, any wish will be granted, there will be no fatigue, no betrayal, and no pain or illness. The other is cruelly killed, or enslaved by the strong, betrayed by loved ones, and afflicted by disease..." Uchiha Obito retorted, "The average lifespan of humans and shinobi is so low, rather than letting them die in war, experience birth, old age, sickness, and death, and taste all the darkness of human nature, it's better to let them experience a long and beautiful time in the world of illusion, and ultimately die happily without illness or pain."
Nagato silently looked at Uchiha Obito, then suddenly chuckled, "Heh... escapist."
"Don't you want to see Yahiko again?" Uchiha Obito shouted as if he had been offended.
"Of course, I do."
Nagato gazed at the dark Kamui Dimension, as if he could see the three little ones when they were young and when they grew up, and said softly, "Over the years, I have dreamed of Yahiko countless nights. Dreaming that he didn't die, dreaming of how he changed this world, and even dreaming of him realizing his ideals, eliminating war, bringing lasting peace to the Shinobi World, and being called the Savior of the World."
"But when I wake up, all of this disappears."
The purple Rinnegan looked down at Uchiha Obito on the ground, Nagato said lightly, "Even an eternal dream cannot change the fact that... the Yahiko in the dream is fake!"
"But... the will and ideals left by Yahiko are real."
Nagato raised his hand and clenched his fist, his expression firm, "Mutual understanding cannot achieve peace, then I will inherit Yahiko's original ideal, and with absolute strength, eliminate the endless war, and let everyone live in peace under high pressure."
"And when you die?" Uchiha Obito said quietly, "Even the God of Shinobi cannot achieve immortality, so how can you be immortal? When you die, the Shinobi World will still be like the First Shinobi World War, the flames of war will reignite."
"When I die, I will leave the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to all the countries, so that they can all use this power to check and balance each other." Nagato said, "As long as all countries can use the power of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, then no country will dare to act recklessly."
"Hmph, whatever you want."
Uchiha Obito snorted coldly, "The mission of the Uchiha Clan is to correctly guide the owner of the Rinnegan, if your method is wrong, then the will of the Sage of Six Paths residing in you will naturally choose the next successor, and then it will prove that the method on the Stone Tablet is correct."
Nagato was skeptical and asked, "Where is the Uchiha Clan's Stone Tablet?"
"It's under the ground in Konoha, you can't see it." Uchiha Obito seemed to know what he was thinking, and responded with a sneer, "That is text that can only be interpreted by the owner of the Mangekyo Sharingan, it is the inheritance and responsibility of the divine envoy. You, the owner of the Rinnegan, must experience the process from weak to strong, and experience all aspects of life, and cannot evolve like the owner of that Tenseigan."
"Similarly, the Tenseigan that can evolve will not have the ability to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and is destined to not become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, his eyes are the eyes of a loser!"
Nagato was silent.
After a long time, he slowly opened his mouth and said, "Let's go out."
Hearing this, Uchiha Obito breathed a sigh of relief again.
Regardless of whether Nagato believed it or not, his crisis with Black and White Zetsu had disappeared, and he could continue to stay in the Akatsuki in the future.
However, to avoid Nagato playing tricks, Uchiha Obito was prepared to activate Izanagi when he got close.
But fortunately, Nagato did not take the opportunity to use the Human Path to attack him, but left the Kamui Dimension with him.
Even after returning to the forest outside, Nagato still did not tear his face, but gathered the four Pains who came with the team.
"Leader."
The figures of Black and White Zetsu emerged from the ground, their attitude towards Nagato was still respectful.
During this period, they didn't even look at Uchiha Obito.
"Go back, you maintain the status quo."
After Nagato left these words, he and the four Pains all turned into white smoke and disappeared with a bang.
It was summoned away by the Reverse Summoning Technique.
Releasing a powerful sensory wave and confirming that Nagato had indeed left, Black Zetsu questioned in a deep voice, "Obito, what did you say to Nagato?"
"Anyway, I didn't expose his existence, so it won't affect the plan." Uchiha Obito left these words and disappeared using Kamui.
"Can his words be trusted?" White Zetsu asked.
"It doesn't matter anymore, that guy was never reliable to begin with."
...
"I'm very grateful to you this time, Izayoi-kun."
On the other side, Orochimaru was expressing his gratitude to Izayoi.
"It was nothing." Izayoi smiled, "However, Orochimaru-sama, you might have to change bases again."
"It doesn't matter, the important things are all in the scrolls. It's just a pity about those instruments; it will take a lot of money and time to acquire them." Orochimaru laughed, not caring at all.
"That black and white guy has the ability to merge with the earth, plants, and trees. If my Wood Release hadn't been a natural counter to him, I'm afraid Orochimaru-sama, you would have been in grave danger this time." Izayoi first confessed that he had been monitoring Orochimaru, and then instructed, "Sasuke is preparing to learn Sage Jutsu, so you should go and live in Ryuchi Cave with Sasuke during this time. Once Sasuke has learned Ryuchi Cave Sage Jutsu, I will give you the Death God Mask, so you will have the strength to protect yourself."
Orochimaru's eyes immediately became fiery, and he subconsciously stuck out his tongue, laughing, "So soon he has the qualifications to practice Sage Jutsu? It seems that the compatibility between Hashirama's cells and Sasuke-kun is higher than imagined."
"Orochimaru-sama, Sasuke is my second-in-command, whom I have spent many years cultivating, and he is the future 'Madara Uchiha' of Konoha." Izayoi quietly reminded, warning, "Don't cause me any trouble, or even if I admire you very much, I will erase you and Anko Mitarashi from the village."
Hearing this, Orochimaru's pupils instantly contracted, and he looked at Izayoi in shock.
Immediately, his smile stiffened, and his voice trembled slightly, "Izayoi-kun, how did you know?"
"There is no perfect ninjutsu in this world. No matter what kind of ninjutsu, there will be weaknesses, just like the elemental advantages and disadvantages of the Five Elements Release Techniques." Izayoi said plainly, but did not hide his contempt, "When you were a child, you would think that adults are invincible. When you become a Genin, you will find that those Jonin and Five Kage are so unattainable. But when your strength reaches a level that ordinary people and geniuses can hardly reach, you will find that their methods and strength are so childish and weak."
Izayoi pointed to his heart, looked at Orochimaru, who was covered in cold sweat, and did not hide anything, "The First Hokage's wife, because she was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, her Kagura Mind's Eye has the ability to perceive good and evil. And I, just by practicing the Spirit Transformation Technique, have the ability to perceive the aura of souls."
"Your current soul state, and the soul fragments hidden in the Cursed Seal, are completely invisible in front of my mind's eye."
"So, don't let me down."
After speaking, Izayoi's body quickly swelled up, turning into a towering tree on the spot.
This was also a Wood Clone.
"Orochimaru-sama, are you alright?"
Kabuto Yakushi supported Orochimaru, his body also soaked in cold sweat.
Although Izayoi was just a Wood Clone, the shock he brought to them was above Nagato and Uchiha Obito before.
"Nagato, Toneri Otsutsuki, Izayoi, Uchiha Obito... Uzumaki Clan, Otsutsuki Clan, Senju Clan, Uchiha Clan... Rinnegan, Tenseigan, Wood Release, Mangekyo Sharingan... Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Nagato, Toneri Otsutsuki, Izayoi, super-standard combat power..."
Orochimaru ignored Kabuto Yakushi, but looked at the towering tree in front of him, grasped the inspiration in his mind, and began to murmur, "What is the connection between these four Shinobi clans and four bloodlines? Unattainable level, why only people from these four Shinobi clans can have super-standard combat power that the Five Kage can't reach? Why can the Sharingan and Hashirama's cells balance each other? What is the relationship between Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, and the Sage of Six Paths? Are the Otsutsuki enemies or friends with the Sage of Six Paths?"
Suddenly, a white beam of light flashed through Orochimaru's mind, and his eyes instantly widened to the maximum.
"Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Tailed Beast plan!"
Orochimaru's body suddenly trembled with excitement.
"Orochimaru-sama, are you alright?" Kabuto Yakushi asked again with a worried expression.
"I'm fine, I'm very well now..." Orochimaru showed a familiar evil smile, looked up at the towering tree in front of him, and said, "Kabuto, the storm of the new era is coming. This is a lucky and unlucky era. We will know the truth of the world, but only have the despair of being powerless."
"Because, we are all just... mortals."
...
After dealing with Orochimaru's matter, Izayoi kicked Sasuke Uchiha out of the house, letting him go to Ryuchi Cave to meet up with Orochimaru on his own.
Then Izayoi and Hinata also ended their vacation and began to help Shino Aburame grind missions and accumulate achievements.
By virtue of being a creditor, Izayoi had already learned in advance that the Chunin Exams for the first half of the year would be in March.
This was a very special month.
Students from the first to fifth grades of the Ninja Academy would have their annual assessments this month to select the Top Student representing the top of the grade.
Sixth-grade students would face graduation exams.
Unexpectedly, there would also be Chunin Exams this month that were not open to the public.
Since they also had to grind achievements for themselves and Hinata to prepare for this year's Jonin Exams, the Eighth Squad no longer took C-rank missions, but started with B-rank missions.
Moreover, Izayoi no longer accepted escort missions.
Because these types of missions were really too tiring.
Unless it was a local of the Land of Fire, escorting people from other countries would take at least one or two weeks back and forth.
If they encountered clients from more remote places, half a month would be wasted.
Therefore, Izayoi specifically took on some assassination and intelligence missions.
Izayoi originally wanted to see if there were any missions involving war.
However, the sensation created by Nagato and Toneri Otsutsuki had not yet subsided.
Those weak countries had tacitly sent people to contact the Daimyo of the Land of Rain, trying to seek protection, and no small country dared to cause trouble.
The Five Great Nations also did not instigate their younger brothers to compete with other great powers overtly or covertly.
They were all afraid of attracting the attention of Toneri Otsutsuki and becoming pawns used by him to deal with Akatsuki.
The current Shinobi World had fallen into a strange peace.
Therefore, the number of assassination mission requests suddenly skyrocketed.
If they couldn't fight openly, they would do it secretly.
In one month, the Eighth Squad carried out 13 B-rank missions, an astonishing efficiency.
Such a record was even more shocking among the Genin. Shino Aburame's record sheet was already at the level of a great demon king.
Even Izayoi and Hinata only needed to grind a few more A-rank missions to be eligible to participate in the Jonin Exams.
Tsunade was deeply gratified, as if she saw the dawn of retirement.
In this month, the impact of the peak duel between Nagato and Toneri Otsutsuki finally subsided.
Whether ordinary people or ninjas, they all had to live.
With the help of the Five Great Nations, Akatsuki had been tied to Amegakure and labeled with a positive image.
Due to Nagato's overwhelmingly powerful strength, no one dared to ask the Daimyo of the Land of Rain to pressure or communicate with Nagato, or to demand that Nagato hand over the rogue ninja from their country, all fearing that their actions would break the balance.
Seeing that the Five Great Nations had not joined forces to deal with the Akatsuki, many shrewd clients made a point of running to Amegakure to make requests.
After all, the commission prices of this small ninja village were cheap, and there was a large number of high-end combatants, and the leader was the God of Shinobi of the new era.
In the Black Market, the Akatsuki, which gathered a large number of S-rank rogue ninja, was the strongest mercenary organization.
Whether it was the common people of the Land of Rain, the villagers of Amegakure, or the members of the Akatsuki, they all found that life had become better.
They all knew that Nagato had brought all of this.
But Nagato knew that this was just the great powers cutting off a little bit of flesh and giving up some profits to confuse him.
If he had no ideals and only wanted to occupy a corner, this benefit would indeed be very satisfying.
However, Nagato did not have this kind of self-serving ideology, what he wanted was to bring peace to the whole world.
Now that there were more commissions, it was just to help him raise funds.
When the Three-Tails was revived, the Akatsuki would begin to act.
So, it was still unknown who was confusing whom.
...
In this way, time came to March of Year 61 in Konoha.
Just as the Chunin Exams in the first half of the year in Konoha were about to arrive.
The Shinobi World, which had been calm for two months, suddenly stirred up again, and a major event that attracted the attention of various countries occurred.
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