Deep underground, in a place of unknown depths, thick tree roots extended in random directions, clinging to dry earthen walls. Here, silence and darkness coexisted, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.
In the depths of the darkness stood a massive stone statue shaped like a human figure. The statue had nine closed eyes and a grim face, its color and form resembling withered wood.
Below the statue, several tubes extended forward, inserted into an elderly man with white hair. The old man, leaning on a cane, sat atop a stone platform. His expression was cold, and a crimson glimmer flickered in one eye hidden beneath his bangs, conspicuous in the darkness.
The old man stared into the darkness before him, as if peering into the future.
Suddenly, the dark ground rippled as if molten lava were bubbling up. A bubble appeared and burst, revealing a young man with a pale complexion.
"That's an interesting child." The young man said, looking at the old man on the stone platform.
"Oh?"
The old man's gaze slowly shifted towards White Zetsu and he said calmly, "Did you keep any spores?"
White Zetsu replied softly, "They couldn't be preserved. They were consumed."
"Consumed?"
"Yes, completely devoured."
"Tell me what happened."
White Zetsu then recounted everything he had observed, including Ye Zi's performance during the battle, in vivid and detailed terms, as well as the new Konoha Jinchuriki, Kushina.
As the old man listened, his eyes grew increasingly cold, and he muttered to himself, "Extraordinary vitality, recovering chakra through consuming flesh, even the spores were unconsciously devoured. Interesting, but unfortunately, he is not from the Uchiha clan."
The original person, in his words, had become mere meat.
"I want to know more. Keep watching him."
"Understood." White Zetsu nodded slowly, merging into the ground like mud and disappearing without a trace.
After White Zetsu vanished, the old man slowly lifted his head, gazing into a particular section of the darkness. A cold smile gradually appeared on his withered face.
The war continued. The Iwa ninjas' loss on the first day pushed the battlefield into the Land of Grass, and Konoha seemed like a massive wheel slowly rolling toward the Land of Earth, with the Land of Grass merely being the path beneath it.
Orochimaru deployed all available troops, seemingly intent on defeating the Iwa ninjas in one blow.
Faced with Konoha's formidable strength, the Iwa ninjas did not retreat. Ignoring the strong protests from the Land of Grass, they dragged the battlefield into the Land of Grass, intending to use its resources to gain an advantage.
Ye Zi, who was not severely injured, was also sent to the front lines. In the tide of soldiers, he was like a leaf drifting without a root.
He looked at the capital of the Land of Grass, recalling the blood-soaked night with a cold expression. He had sworn to return here and reclaim everything.
Kusa ninja's Kotoe stood beside him, staring at the capital of the Land of Grass with a murderous aura. Her father had fallen here, and even his body could not be recovered. At that time, she was filled with immense pain and overflowing hatred. Finally, today, she stood here, and soon she would walk over the ruins of the Land of Grass.
Two figures, one black and one white, flew like birds into the sky and landed in the terrifyingly fierce battlefield.
The last cries of life echoed through the flames of war, unending and persistent.
Blood flowed from trickles to rivers, accumulating on countless corpses.
Countless different types of ninjutsu intertwined on the battlefield, accompanied by the final cries of life, igniting a towering inferno. Soon, the sky grew overcast, and the steam formed from the water pouring onto the flames rose into the clouds.
By the time the light rain fell on the Land of Grass, it had already become a wasteland.
The light rain quickly turned into a torrential downpour, extinguishing the flames and leaving behind a field of charred remains.
The Iwa ninjas suffered a crushing defeat, and their commander, knowing the gravity of the situation, perished at the hands of Orochimaru.
Though Konoha won, they also suffered heavy losses.
As the rain fell, droplets hitting his face were somewhat painful but washed away the blood.
Ye Zi stood on a partially burned building, silently observing the group of disheveled figures in the rain.
A person leaped beside him—Kotoe. She had survived but was injured on her back by a blade, with blood and flesh torn, and the rain continuously washing the blood away from her.
"Thank you." She said, following his gaze and looking at the group of people gazing up at the sky. She was still not strong enough and had fought like a madwoman among the crowd. If not for Ye Zi's timely intervention, the blow she received from behind might have been enough to split her in half.
Ye Zi slowly sheathed his sword and said calmly, "It's good to be alive."
Whether he was speaking to her or to himself was unclear.
The rain wove a curtain between heaven and earth, obscuring people's vision.
Kushina lifted her head and looked at the two figures standing side by side, watching them quietly.
"Everyone is talking about that matter. It might be worse when we return to the village." Kushina said, looking at Ye Zi's back, while Minato watched her face.
"I can't stop others from saying what they want about him, but I will never agree." Kushina said, biting her lip as rainwater ran from her hair to her face and into the blood-soaked ground below.
Minato gazed at her in silence, and after a while, he also looked up, gazing at the figure on the rooftop.
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