Chapter 386: Extra: Massacre at the Grass Village! Sasuke meets Black Zetzu

Chapter 386: Extra: Massacre at the Grass Village! Sasuke meets Black Zetzu

The Land of Grass.

A black-and-white creature moves through here.

It is none other than Zetsu, the intelligence officer of the Akatsuki, who had once operated under the guise of a Grass Ninja. On its head are two halves of a face, known respectively as White Zetsu and Black Zetsu.

"Have you found any trace of Kisame?"

Black Zetsu's voice is eerie and hoarse.

"Yes, I have..."

White Zetsu's voice is more lively, responding cheerfully, "Not only did I find Kisame's whereabouts, but we also discovered where Itachi went. That traitor Itachi and his brother, Uchiha Sasuke, injured Kisame and returned to Konoha."

"As for Kisame..."

"To escape the pursuit of Konoha's ninjas, he's hiding in the Grass Village. We only found him by following the signals he left behind..."

"First, let's find out what really happened..."

Black Zetsu's tone seemed to grow even more ominous, clearly displeased, "If that traitor, Uchiha Itachi, has leaked the Akatsuki's plans to Konoha..."

The plan...

Might have to be expedited!

However, if the plan must be rushed, they cannot afford to lose manpower. Kisame's strength is ideal for capturing the tailed beasts!

The Land of Grass.

This is a small nation in the ninja world.

These small nations in the ninja world often cannot maintain long periods of peace like the larger ones, frequently erupting into wars over minor disputes. The only military force here is the Grass Village.

Recently, the Grass Village has been struggling, as they recently lost all their members who were sent to participate in the Chunin Exams in Konoha, including the leading Jonin. For a small ninja village, such a loss is devastating...

However...

Konoha explained it as suicide.

The leading Jonin of Grass Village had offended Konoha's ninjas and chose to commit suicide within Konoha as a form of atonement. All Konoha could do was express their apologies.

"Konoha went too far..."

"Is this how they think they can explain it to us..."

"They even forcibly kept Karin, that little kid, in Konoha..."

A group of Grass Ninjas voiced their discontent, filled with anger toward the large ninja village of Konoha, some even hoping to sever the alliance with them immediately.

But...

The leader of Grass Village didn't dare to do so.

The only thing he could do was calm the people in the village.

After all, Grass Village often goes to war with neighboring countries and even faces conflicts with powerful rogue ninjas. They can't afford to offend Konoha at this time.

Moreover, since the ninja world is not currently engulfed in war, the geographic location of Grass Village holds no strategic value for other large ninja villages.

"Leader."

As the Grass Ninjas were still expressing their anger, one of them hurriedly came forward to report an important matter: "Konoha's ninjas have arrived again! They appear to be members of Konoha's Anbu, and they're carrying Karin with them, as if they're returning her to us!"

"They dare to come here!"

"Let's kill them right now!"

"Silence!"

The leader of Grass Village immediately silenced everyone and spoke in a deep voice: "Do not say such things in front of Konoha's ninjas! We must maintain our alliance with Konoha, at least until our war with the neighboring countries is over!"

"Alright."

"I will personally go to meet them."

"Konoha's willingness to return Karin to us is beneficial..."

The leader of Grass Village personally led a team of guards to welcome Konoha's emissaries. He believed they were Konoha's emissaries, which is why he came in person.

However...

This time...

He was not welcoming Konoha's emissaries...

But a messenger from hell.

Outside Grass Village.

Uchiha Sasuke stood at the entrance with a trembling Karin.

Karin hid behind Uchiha Sasuke, looking at the fierce-looking Grass Ninjas in front of her, feeling an urge to retreat.

"Don't be afraid."

Uchiha Sasuke turned around and placed his hand on her head.

This black-haired boy, though seemingly not much different in age or height from her, comforted his peer like a little adult.

"From today on..."

Uchiha Sasuke ruffled Karin's red hair, letting out a long sigh in his heart as he looked at her hesitant expression, "Your nightmare is over."

"Sasuke..."

Karin still stubbornly clung to his side.

"This is a revenge for you."

Uchiha Sasuke slowly raised his hand as he watched a group of ninjas emerge from the gates of Grass Village, "It's also a grand performance for others to see..."

"..."

Karin didn't quite understand what Uchiha Sasuke meant.

"Welcome, emissaries from Konoha..."

The leader of Grass Village stepped out with a smile on his face. His eyes showed a hint of shock at the sight of the emissary's appearance, but he quickly suppressed it.

This little guy...

The one rumored to have forced the Grass Village's leading Jonin to commit suicide!

"So, it's you..."

The leader of Grass Village couldn't help but grit his teeth, his heart filled with rage. After a moment of intense internal conflict, he forced himself to maintain his composure as a leader: "Thank you for bringing our little one back..."

"I'm not here to return her."

Uchiha Sasuke's expression remained calm as he looked at the leader of Grass Village: "I'm here to help her kill... to kill everyone here..."

"..."

The leader of Grass Village's eyelid twitched.

Is this some kind of joke?

A little kid from Konoha dares to be so insolent?

The next moment!

A flash of lightning surged from Uchiha Sasuke's palm!

The lightning came so quickly that it pierced through the leader's chest in an instant. The leader of Grass Village stared in disbelief as a large hole appeared in his chest!

"Leader!"

"How dare you, Konoha's ninja!"

Indeed.

This devastation would soon be over.

After all, even the Five Great Ninja Villages were powerless before the fully-formed Susanoo, let alone a small and insignificant village like Grass Village...

When the entire Grass Village was utterly destroyed, it no longer even resembled a village. Deep fissures appeared in the ground, filled with blood and dismembered limbs, the only evidence that people had once died here...

This village.

There were only two places left to stand.

One was the small house where Hoshigaki Kisame and Zetsu were, and the other was the village cemetery.

Uchiha Sasuke dispersed his Susanoo with a wave, and with the still-terrified Karin, he walked towards the small house, ignoring all the mutilated bodies along the way.

"..."

Karin's body trembled with fear.

Even she hadn't imagined that one day this village, which had once brought her nightmares, would be so easily destroyed. Those Grass ninjas who once bullied, beat, and tormented her and her mother were slaughtered like weeds...

"..."

Black Zetsu's heart was heavy.

Because...

It couldn't understand why Uchiha Sasuke had a Rinnegan!

No...

Not just the Rinnegan...

Even the fully-formed Susanoo shouldn't be something that someone of Uchiha Sasuke's age could use, as even the most talented Uchiha, Madara, couldn't achieve that!

"Do you want to visit your mother?"

Uchiha Sasuke softly asked Karin.

"Okay..."

Karin lowered her head slightly.

This matter...

should indeed be told to her mother...

But her mother's grave should have been destroyed as well, right?

Unexpectedly, the cemetery of Grass Village had remained largely untouched, perhaps because there were no living people here, or perhaps because someone deliberately spared this place.

After dismissing Karin, Uchiha Sasuke walked step by step towards Zetsu, a mocking, arrogant smile appearing on his lips.

"..."

Black Zetsu's heart tightened.

Because that smile was full of Uchiha arrogance, it even vaguely felt that Uchiha Sasuke's smile resembled Madara Uchiha's!

"Hmph..."

"A thousand years..."

"And you're still here..."

Uchiha Sasuke's first words made Black Zetsu's heart pound wildly.

"!!!"

Black Zetsu was filled with infinite fear.

This kid...

Those words...

What do they mean!

What does he mean by saying that I, someone over a thousand years old, am still here? How could Uchiha Sasuke, this kid, know that I've lived for over a thousand years!

This is Black Zetsu's deepest secret...

Yet in this moment, it was exposed by Uchiha Sasuke's words!

"You... just who..."

Black Zetsu's body began to tremble.

Its mind spun in circles, listing all the people it had encountered over the past thousand years, one by one!

"Are you... Indra?"

Black Zetsu could only think of this possibility, stammering out the name of the first descendant of the Sage of Six Paths it had ever manipulated, its first action since its creation.

"Just his chakra..."

Uchiha Sasuke's lips curled into a cold smile, seemingly mocking Black Zetsu's naivety: "You should've known this long ago."

"..."

Black Zetsu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like it had narrowly escaped death.

No...

Wait...

This is absurd!

How could Indra's reincarnation know these things, know who I am, and understand what a reincarnation is!

Unless Indra secretly did something, allowing his reincarnations to access his memories, Black Zetsu's heart couldn't help but tremble with fear!

It shouldn't...

Be possible...

No matter how exceptional Indra was, he was ultimately not a true member of the Ōtsutsuki clan. His chakra was only a portion of the Sage of Six Paths' chakra...

"Are you wondering how I have his memories?"

Uchiha Sasuke's lips curled into a mocking smile, as if he were laughing at Black Zetsu: "Because the previous reincarnation was exceptional, after obtaining a portion of Asura's chakra, he could sense Indra's lingering will, which allowed Asura's chakra and Indra's chakra to reincarnate together in me..."

"Oh..."

"By the way..."

Uchiha Sasuke's mocking smile deepened, as if he were laughing at both Black Zetsu and someone else: "Are you Indra's helper, left for us reincarnations?"

"..."

Black Zetsu's eye twitched.

Wait...

Does this mean...

No!

It seems like I've been deceived!

When Uchiha Madara awakened the Rinnegan, he also awakened Indra's will and learned some of Indra's memories!

This means...

Uchiha Madara knew I was a thousand-year-old Black Zetsu!

But when I pretended to be Madara's will, that man didn't expose me. Instead, he used me, this thousand-year-old monster, making me obediently serve as his dog to help him resurrect!