Chapter 59 (Patreon)

Not long after parting ways with Orochimaru, Naruto’s female avatar came to a stop.

She turned around and stared at a seemingly empty tree behind her.

“Do I have to invite you out?”

The moment those words left her lips, a strange figure resembling a giant pitcher plant slowly emerged from the tree trunk. Its face was divided into two halves—one black and one white.

Naturally, the newcomers were Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.

Naruto had always regarded the two as separate beings. After all, Black Zetsu was the physical manifestation of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki’s will, and only one of him existed.

White Zetsu, on the other hand, had once been human—one of the countless people trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi during ancient times.

Neither Obito, whom Black Zetsu had deceived, nor even Uchiha Madara knew Black Zetsu’s true origins.

That was the truth of the world in which Naruto now lived.

As Black Zetsu emerged, a trace of killing intent flashed through the female avatar’s eyes.

This creature had schemed from the shadows for a thousand years. Compared to him, even the Third Hokage was an amateur.

Naruto would have to find an opportunity to eliminate him as soon as possible.

“Have you heard of Akatsuki?” Black Zetsu asked.

There was always something cold and sinister about his voice.

“Heh. Are you here to recruit me?” The female avatar appeared surprised. “Do you even know who I am?”

“I don’t. But that doesn’t matter. Akatsuki only invites powerful shinobi who are willing to cooperate. We have no interest in your identity or private affairs.”

“I see. That’s good.”

A meaningful smile appeared beneath her mask.

“I only hope you don’t come to regret it.”

Naruto had originally intended for his female avatar to kill enemies outside the village and earn System Points for him, just as she had during the Chūnin Exams.

Now, however, an unexpected opportunity had presented itself.

A daring plan took shape in the female avatar’s mind, but before putting it into action, she needed an opportunity to discuss it with Naruto’s main body.

“If I join Akatsuki, what will I be expected to do? And what will I receive in return?”

“You will assist in completing Akatsuki’s missions. In exchange, you will receive payment—or whatever else it is that you seek,” Black Zetsu explained.

The female avatar nodded.

“Very well. I’ll join Akatsuki.”

“Good. Two of our members will arrive shortly. You can return to one of our bases with them.”

After saying that, Black Zetsu sank back into the tree trunk and disappeared.

The female avatar turned toward her left.

Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame were rapidly approaching from that direction.

Ten minutes later—

“You’re a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan?”

Uchiha Itachi studied the red-haired, masked woman standing before him.

His expression remained perfectly calm, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

As she looked at Itachi, the female avatar couldn’t help remembering Kabuto, whom Naruto had killed.

Kabuto, forgive me. I judged you too harshly.

The man standing before me is the true master of deception—and an elite spy on top of that.

“You’re a descendant of the Uchiha Clan?” the female avatar asked with a grin.

Despite the mockery in her voice, Itachi’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

“The Will of Fire truly is terrifying,” she murmured.

“Hey, don’t think I won’t hit you just because you’re a woman!” Kisame warned, immediately speaking up for Itachi.

“Heh. Is this how Akatsuki welcomes every newcomer?” The female avatar sneered. “Do you beat them first?”

She raised one hand.

“Then why don’t you try?”

At that moment, a massive centipede formed from white explosive clay burst out from beneath Itachi’s feet and wrapped itself tightly around his body.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan?” Kisame asked with an amused grin. “How can you use Deidara’s technique? And this scene feels strangely familiar.”

“Look at your feet,” Itachi said calmly.

“Hm?”

A jolt ran through the female avatar as she lowered her head.

At some point, the enormous white centipede had released Itachi and wrapped itself around her instead.

“Is this… a genjutsu?”

Shock appeared on her face.

“Oh, it looks like you’re every bit as foolish as Deidara.” Kisame covered his forehead and sighed helplessly. “I truly don’t understand why the organization keeps recruiting people like you.”

“Is that so?”

The female avatar’s shocked expression suddenly vanished.

“Heh…”

A knowing smile appeared beneath her mask.

“Then why don’t the two of you look up?”

Itachi and Kisame immediately raised their heads.

High above them, another red-haired, masked woman was riding upon a giant white clay bird.

At the same time, an enormous humanoid figure made of white clay was plummeting toward them.

“Art is an explosion!”

BOOM!

Itachi and Kisame immediately used their respective defensive techniques.

Only then did they realize the truth.

The female avatar standing before them was merely a clay clone. She had deliberately allowed Itachi to trap it within his genjutsu!

At that very moment, the clay clone standing nearby and the massive centipede coiled around it detonated as well.

BOOM!

The explosions swallowed the entire area.

It took a long time for the smoke and dust to finally clear.

Uchiha Itachi stood within a crimson Susanoo. Weariness could be seen within his eyes; protecting himself from the explosions had consumed a considerable amount of his ocular power.

Kisame had shielded himself inside a massive sphere of water, but he had still sustained injuries from the blast.

He clutched Samehada in one hand, drawing upon its chakra as his wounds gradually healed.

“Well?”

The triumphant voice of the female avatar descended from the sky.

“Do you still want to test my strength?”

Seeing Itachi forced onto the defensive filled her with satisfaction.

Itachi raised his head and stared at the female avatar in the sky, his gaze deep and unreadable.

In truth, his eyesight had already deteriorated so severely that he couldn’t see her clearly from that distance.

Even if he wanted to cast another genjutsu on her, the condition of his eyes made it nearly impossible.

After seeing Itachi’s crimson Susanoo, the female avatar understood that killing him today would be extremely difficult.

Unless Naruto came here personally and activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, there was almost no chance of breaking through Itachi’s defenses.

However, the risks weren’t worth it.

It would be better to wait until Itachi’s health and eyesight deteriorated further—or until Naruto became even stronger.

With the system in his possession, it was only a matter of time before Naruto reached the pinnacle of the shinobi world.

“I’ll head to Amegakure first,” the female avatar called down to them. “You two can take your time.”

With that, the giant clay bird carried her away.

The mere thought of traveling all the way to Amegakure beside Uchiha Itachi left her feeling uneasy.

[Dawn of Darkness]

As she flew toward the Hidden Rain, the female avatar felt as though she were willingly descending into the darkness.

Itachi silently watched her disappear into the distance.

Once Kisame’s injuries had recovered, he slung Samehada across his back again and chuckled.

“Our new member seems to know quite a lot. I wonder whether recruiting her will prove to be a blessing or a curse for Akatsuki.”

…

At the same time, inside a distant cavern—

Black Zetsu emerged from the ground and addressed the masked Obito.

“The Uzumaki descendant is heading toward Amegakure. She seems to know more than she should about Akatsuki.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Obito replied in a low voice. “She’s nothing more than a useful pawn. Once the Eye of the Moon Plan is complete, she’ll be trapped within the genjutsu along with everyone else.”

“Who should we assign as her partner?” Black Zetsu asked. “Every team already has two members.”

Obito fell silent for a moment.

“Then I suppose I’ll take the field myself.”

His eye narrowed behind the mask.

“If I become her partner, it will be easier to keep her under surveillance.”