Chapter 137: Capture Izayoi? Black Zetsu's Backup Plan

While Izayoi was using his own body to test whether he could unlock the "Sage Body" entry, in the Hidden Rain Village, Nagato—who had handed over all village affairs to Konan—had already entered a state of seclusion.

Inside an underground base surrounded by layers of barriers, the darkness was so thick that one couldn't even see their own hand.

Even with Izayoi's Rinnegan, all he could see in this place was a ball of blue chakra, indicating there was only one person present.

That person was the God of the Ninja World's new era, the most publicly acknowledged strongest ninja alive, and Jiraiya's so-called "Child of Prophecy"—Nagato.

But no one knew that beneath Nagato's seat was the Outer Path Gedo Statue—an object that all of the ninja world, whether civilians or shinobi, were curious about. It was the very reason why two Rinnegan holders once fought over it.

"Finally succeeded!"

In the dark, Nagato opened his eyes. Purple ripples glowed in his irises, and faint red shadows colored the corners of his eyes.

If someone turned on the lights, they would see that red eye shadow now adorned Nagato's face.

"As expected… The Outer Path Statue hides secrets beyond what Uchiha Obito told me," Nagato thought to himself.

He had finally mastered true Sage Mode.

But unlike Izayoi, who had cultivated it in just three days thanks to the Gray Stone, Nagato had secluded himself for more than a month. The Gray Stones he obtained from Hyde had long since been exhausted.

Even so, Nagato—who could now enter Sage Mode instantly—still didn't count as having mastered it at the time.

Unlike Izayoi, the time traveler, Nagato didn't know which places had stronger concentrations of natural energy, nor did he have a contract with Mount Myoboku.

He was about to find a quiet location and rely on pure perception to sense natural energy, when he suddenly picked up on a faint source.

That quiet place happened to be—the top of the Gedo Statue's head.

So Nagato began meditating there, and within just over a week, successfully entered true Sage Mode.

With the help of Wood Release and Yin-Yang Release, he could absorb vast amounts of natural energy immediately after entering Sage Mode, allowing him to maintain it for extended periods.

His offense, defense, and perception had all drastically improved.

His power had skyrocketed once again.

Black Zetsu, whose sensory abilities could bypass ordinary barriers, was the first to detect Nagato's change.

"...Nagato has gotten stronger again," Black Zetsu muttered.

"His strength now... might be on par with Madara-sama, right?" White Zetsu exclaimed.

"The life force from the Gray Stones fully restored his body to its prime, and his chakra has advanced again. If he wears the Afei armor, he may now surpass even Madara," said Black Zetsu in a hoarse tone. "But the stronger he becomes, the better it is for us."

"But... Nagato is this strong now. Can we still make him revive Madara-sama?" White Zetsu asked. "He has the Rinnegan. We can't implant the cursed seal into his heart. Madara-sama's eyes are inside his body, so the Transcription Seal can't be triggered. He's also extremely wary of us. Do we still have a chance to possess him?"

"That depends on whether our backup plan works." Black Zetsu sounded calm, but his tone carried great confidence.

When Nagato finished his seclusion, Black Zetsu immediately approached him and handed him a scroll.

Nagato opened it and read the secret messages inside. He then infused chakra into his palm, erased the hidden text, and wrote new secret information before handing the scroll back to Black Zetsu.

After reading it, Black Zetsu nodded and quietly left.

Not long after, a fist-sized black hole appeared in the air.

Its terrifying suction warped Nagato's body and sucked him inside.

"Two months have passed, and still no signs of strange, powerful chakra appearing in the Land of Wind or the Land of Rivers..."

Inside the Kamui dimension, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu were reporting to Nagato. White Zetsu muttered, "Chief, could your guess have been wrong? Maybe the Gray Stone mine isn't located in either of those countries?"

"More likely, Otsutsuki Toneri has already acquired it," Nagato replied calmly. "If that's the case, he's likely cultivating Sage Mode too. His chakra will be even more massive than last time."

"We must be prepared to start the second round at any time."

Hearing this, Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, and Uchiha Obito—who stood nearby—visibly tensed.

"You've cultivated Sage Mode?" Obito asked.

"Yes, I can enter it freely now," Nagato confirmed.

"Then... can you defeat him now?"

"If his strength hasn't increased, and I'm wearing the Afei armor, I'd estimate a 70% chance of victory," Nagato said. "If your space-time ninjutsu can pinpoint his location, then I'd say a 90% chance of killing him. But you and I both know—that's impossible."

"With his cautious personality, the next time he appears, he'll definitely be stronger than when we last fought."

"So we must be fully prepared. We must even plan for the worst."

Nagato continued calmly, "Next time, he might possess Six Paths techniques comparable to mine, Sage Mode, and enormous chakra reserves... and an army of human puppets."

At this, Nagato frowned slightly. "This next round may well be the final battle. We must factor in the threat of his puppet army. His Six Paths techniques are different from mine—his Yin-Yang Release lets him control more than a dozen puppets. Each one may wield those black rods."

"Last time, just a few puppets easily defeated Sasori and Deidara. If Sasori hadn't been repaying a favor, they probably wouldn't have made it back alive."

"And those puppets didn't include bloodline limit users, or Shimura Danzo. His puppet army might already surpass the Akatsuki in total strength."

"If I fight Otsutsuki Toneri directly, those puppets could attack the Hidden Rain Village and the Akatsuki. We'll need troops to fight them," Nagato said, turning to Black Zetsu. "Is there any way to improve the strength of the White Zetsu army?"

"White Zetsu clones are the same as Afei. They originate from Hashirama cells. If we get more of his cells, we can enhance their strength," White Zetsu replied, grinning. "If we extract Wood Release from another user and infuse it into the clones, their power and numbers will both increase dramatically."

Uchiha Obito's face darkened beneath the mask.

That damned White Zetsu!

Ever since his identity had been exposed, these two barely took him seriously anymore.

They often contacted Nagato directly without informing him of anything.

Obito felt like an outsider.

But when he noticed Nagato's thoughtful expression, his heart skipped. He quickly readied Izanagi and said with forced calm, "Hashirama's cells are limited. But isn't there a better option?"

"You mean the Wood Release ninja from Konoha?" Nagato caught on instantly.

"Exactly. He's a pure-blooded Wood Release user. Not even a year out of school, and already capable of techniques like Tree World Advent. With his chakra and talent, he'll become a second Hashirama. If we capture him, we could enhance the White Zetsu army and possibly create more clones than there are ninjas in the world."

Obito clearly hated Izayoi.

Nagato looked tempted but still frowned.

As if sensing his hesitation, Obito added, "If you're worried about alarming the Five Great Nations and ruining the Tailed Beast Plan—don't be. Even without you, that Wood Release kid will be feared by every village eventually. You'd simply be removing a future threat."

"As long as you don't go after any Jinchuriki, they won't unite to attack the Hidden Rain. In fact, they might even cheer you on."

"You may lose reputation—but your gains will be enormous."

But Nagato didn't relax. His expression grew more solemn.

"That's not what I'm worried about," he said. "Once peace is achieved and the new world is born, Pain will be remembered as both hero and villain."

"I'm just wondering—could that boy also have mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

Everyone fell silent.

"No way... right?" White Zetsu laughed nervously. "In the 61-year history of the ninja villages, only three people have learned Flying Thunder God. Two in the same era? That's ridiculous."

"It's hard to say..."

Black Zetsu's voice was low. "He awakened Kagura Mind's Eye at the Academy. He deduced Obito's identity just from his annual visit to Nohara Rin's grave. He awakened Wood Release early but hid it until both Hiruzen and Danzo were dead and Konoha had returned to the Senju era—then revealed himself and became Sixth Hokage's heir."

"This boy is sharp. Cunning. Not inferior to Otsutsuki Toneri."

"And he hasn't even been a genin for a year. He's already shown mastery over two- and three-element fusion techniques, Ohnoki's flight jutsu, and even Dust Release."

"He may have given Uchiha Sasuke his cells, awakening his Wood Release and helping him master Sage Mode. He rescued Orochimaru, too—it's even possible he's mastered Ryuchi Cave's Sage Mode."

"With bloodline, brain, and talent like that, this kid is practically Hashirama, Tobirama, and Mito combined—just without the Nine-Tails."

Nagato and Obito's faces turned grim.

This was the real reason Nagato hesitated.

Otsutsuki Toneri's meteor jutsu and star-fall were terrifying—but Nagato, who once used Tree World Advent and Wood Giant in the Afei armor, had felt for himself how Wood Release could pressure even Shinra Tensei.

The forest's sheer mass could rival mountains.

Even Super Shinra Tensei might fail to destroy it completely.

And Wood Giants were immune to chakra absorption—they couldn't be blocked by the Preta Path. That alone weakened two of the Six Paths' strongest techniques.

If Izayoi only had Wood Release, it wouldn't be so bad—they had Afei too.

But if he also knew Flying Thunder God...

Then what if Nagato attacked Konoha first, only for Izayoi to retaliate by launching Tree World Advent in the Hidden Rain Village?

Wouldn't that give Otsutsuki Toneri the perfect opportunity to strike?

With Toneri still a threat, provoking a genius like Izayoi was dangerous. The Three-Tails hadn't even resurrected yet. The Gedo Statue could only store two more Tailed Beasts. The timing couldn't be worse.

"If we just want a powerful force… there might be another way besides the White Zetsu Army."

At this moment, Black Zetsu's voice reached their ears again.

Seeing his strange smile, Nagato asked: "What way?"

"Impure World Reincarnation."

"Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation?" Nagato and Obito were both surprised.

Then they both showed interest.

But Nagato quickly shook his head. "That jutsu could make up for our lack of manpower. But we don't have the scroll. Even if we did, it requires immense talent and specific conditions. Orochimaru is likely hiding in Ryuchi Cave. We can't use the Human Path to read his mind."

"Heh... we do have the scroll." White Zetsu laughed.

"And it doesn't matter," Black Zetsu said. "If anyone besides Orochimaru can master Impure World Reincarnation—it's you, Leader."

Nagato, who had mastered all six chakra natures and was proficient in every mainstream jutsu since childhood… was no longer just a genius—he was now a top-tier ninjutsu master.

With the Rinnegan's Six Paths abilities, powerful summoning skills, and unmatched soul strength—

If anyone could pull it off...

It wasn't Izayoi.

It was Nagato.

Impure World Reincarnation—was Black Zetsu's backup plan.