socalfunplaces Chapter 645 Evacuation
Chapter 645 Evacuation
"……etc."
Mai struggled to prop herself up on her elbows; her body was still trembling slightly from the previous battle, but she gritted her teeth and raised her head, staring intently at Naruto's retreating figure as he prepared to turn and leave. "What do you mean?"
Naruto stopped and turned his head. "I'm not going to kill you. Now that this trouble is over, it's about time I left."
"……are you serious?"
"You know who I am, right? Even though I've lost to you now, I still won't stop my plans. I won't give up on the path of unifying the ninja world."
"Yeah, Uni-President is pretty good."
Naruto nodded. "The idea of consolidating scattered forces to avoid internal strife and focusing on dealing with the real threat isn't inherently flawed. Unfortunately, I have no interest in that. I don't want to be the leader of the ninja world. So you should be able to do what I can't."
"...I still have questions."
Satsuki, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. She took a step forward from Naruto's side. "No matter how you look at it, you're Naruto from another world. Although the gender is different and the experiences are different, your essence should be the same as Naruto's. Why did your personality become like this? It's not about using any means necessary for power. What made you decide to become the way you are now?"
"...Who knows? Maybe it's just how it is."
"No, I don't believe it." Satsuki's voice was resolute and unwavering. "How could Naruto be born like this? What kind of experiences could have turned Naruto into the person you are now?"
Mai did not answer. Satsuki's gaze shifted from her face to the black fragments scattered at her feet.
Those were fragments of a weapon Mai created using Yin-Yang Release during the battle, which were shattered in the devastating clash just now and scattered on the ground.
Zuo Yue crouched down and picked up one of the pebbles from the ground.
Then, she gripped the fragment tightly in her palm. She would use the Uchiha clan's eye power to read what remained within it. Chakra has memory, especially Yin-Yang Release, a power directly related to life force.
When it is created, it bears the imprint of the creator's soul, and Zuo Yue is touching those imprints with her own eyes. The remaining memories in the fragments flood her mind like a burst dam, and her body suddenly stiffens.
Naruto looked at Satsuki's suddenly stunned expression with a puzzled expression, not understanding what she saw in that fragment. But he didn't disturb her, and simply turned his head to continue speaking to Mai.
"However, I hope you won't let power completely corrupt your mind and turn you into a second Kaguya Otsutsuki. I really hate people who will stop at nothing to gain power and kill countless people. If I didn't know that the Jinchuriki were still alive, or if you really killed too many innocent people, I really would kill you."
Mai's expression changed completely in that instant. Her confusion turned into undisguised terror.
"...You! How did you know?!"
She hadn't told anyone that the Jinchūriki was still alive.
"Yes, I saw it."
Naruto's tone remained unhurried and relaxed.
"After you extract the Tailed Beasts, you use puppetry to control the bandits and outlaws you capture, making them release their Reanimation Jutsu and exchange their lives for the Jinchuriki's life."
"You even pick the guilty scapegoat; you're really particular. And you even brought Mom back to life."
"...What...what is it about you?!"
Mai's fingers were trembling slightly. She had never told anyone about this, never.
"It was the starry sky that told me this."
Naruto's answer was brief and vague.
Mai stared into those eyes that were exactly like her own, her mind frantically processing this information that was completely beyond her comprehension. The starry sky? What starry sky? How did he know about her mother? The fact that she had resurrected her mother—Kushina Uzumaki—was the most secret of all her secrets, the last soft spot she dared not even face herself.
She didn't even dare let her mother know her true identity, but instead placed her in a hideout known only to herself, under another name and with another face.
"...Satsuki, let's go." Naruto turned around, took two steps, then stopped, realizing there were no footsteps following. "Satsuki?"
Zuo Yue was still squatting in the same spot, tightly clutching the black fragment in her hand, her head down, and no one could see her expression at that moment.
Her shoulders were trembling slightly. Then she carefully put the shard into her pocket and quickly wiped her eyes.
"Huh? Oh—okay. Naruto's done talking, right?"
"Yes, this world is no longer our concern. The rest, Uchiha Sasuke of this world will handle."
Naruto nodded, then extended his hand. Satsuki stepped forward and took his outstretched hand. "Let's go."