Naruto: The Otsutsuki Naruto

Whoosh!

Deep within the forest.

A swirling vortex suddenly appeared before Sasuke and his team, interrupting their rest. Although the timing was slightly off, Tobi, wearing his mask, descended before Sasuke once again!

With a deep voice, he greeted, "Yo, Sasuke..."

Sasuke, Karin, and Suigetsu all stood up simultaneously.

Karin frowned. "That guy's chakra appeared out of nowhere. How is that possible?"

Suigetsu, ever nonchalant, remarked, "Well, isn't this just great timing!"

Sasuke, cold and indifferent, asked, "How did you know I was here?"

Tobi replied calmly, "Don't underestimate me. I have my ways."

The spatial movement of Kamui, much like the *Flying Raijin Jutsu*, relies on markings. However, unlike the Flying Raijin, Kamui's markings can be left with the eye, making it more convenient. Both are indelible, except by *Yin-Yang Release.*

Sasuke said coldly, "Why are you here now? We, the Taka, have already left the Akatsuki. We have nothing to do with each other anymore."

Tobi's voice turned stern. "I told you before, betraying the Akatsuki leads only to death. You broke our agreement."

Sasuke frowned. "What are you referring to?"

"The task of capturing the Tailed Beasts," Tobi said.

Karin interjected, "Didn't we already capture the Eight-Tails for you?"

"That was merely a decoy," Tobi replied. "In other words, you failed..."

"!?!" The three of them were stunned.

"You were completely fooled by the Eight-Tails," Tobi continued. "To be honest, I'm deeply disappointed in you."

Sasuke recalled the battle at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning: *I confirmed it with my Sharingan. He had no opportunity to use a clone...*

Suddenly, a detail came to mind—the moment his *Chidori Sharp Spear* severed the Eight-Tails' tail, it had sunk into the river.

*Could it have been then...?!*

Suigetsu, trying to maintain his composure, said, "Even so, what do you want us to do? We have nothing to do with you anymore!"

"No," Tobi replied. "I just hope you'll finish what the Akatsuki entrusted to you. That said, forget about the Eight-Tails for now. There's another task for you today."

"And if I refuse?" Sasuke asked.

Tobi continued as if he hadn't heard, "The reason I'm here is to stop you from heading to the Leaf Village..."

"It seems I'll have to use force!"

Sasuke launched a *Chidori* thrust... only for it to pass right through Tobi!

"!" Sasuke was startled, recalling his encounter with Deidara: *My attack passed through him again, just like last time. So this is his ability...*

Tobi glanced sideways. "I've heard about your intentions. Unfortunately, they will come to nothing..."

Sasuke turned sharply. "What do you mean?"

"The Leaf Village no longer exists," Tobi said.

"!?!" The three of them were once again stunned.

Karin demanded, "What do you mean?"

Rustle, rustle. At that moment, Zetsu emerged from the ground beside Tobi.

Karin tensed up. "That's..."

"Don't worry. He's with me," Tobi assured her before turning to White Zetsu. "Who's the new Hokage?"

Zetsu replied, "It's that guy, Danzō."

"Just as I expected..." Tobi muttered.

Sasuke frowned. "Danzō became Hokage?"

"That's right," Tobi confirmed. "One of the Konoha elders who drove your brother away has become the new Hokage."

"What happened to the Leaf Village?" Sasuke finally asked.

Tobi glanced at the two behind Sasuke. "Where's that subordinate of yours, Jūgo?"

Suigetsu replied, "He went to fetch water. Though, it's taking him quite a while..."

Karin adjusted her glasses, annoyed. "Honestly, everyone's so unreliable!" Her face turned serious, but her inner thoughts betrayed her: *Sasuke, hurry up and fire them so we can elope together, hehe~!*

Suigetsu shrugged. "You could've just drunk the water from me. Jūgo only went because you were thirsty~."

Karin clenched her fists, veins bulging on her forehead. "Who would drink water from an idiot like you? What if I turn into an idiot after drinking it?!"

Her inner monologue continued unabated: *And what about my future children with Sasuke, hehe~...*

Suigetsu teased, "You're already not very bright, so it wouldn't make much of a difference..."

"You bastard~~~!!"

Thud!! Karin punched Suigetsu's head, which turned into water, and then began kicking him as he cried out in pain.

Sasuke sighed in exasperation. "Stop it, Suigetsu, Karin."

"..." Watching this farce, even Tobi seemed at a loss for words. Returning to the main topic, he said, "Enough. It doesn't matter if he's not here. It won't affect what we need to discuss next... The Leaf Village was destroyed by my subordinate, Pain. Sasuke, both you and Pain have been too conspicuous, and now the Five Kage are preparing to act!"

Sasuke's gaze darkened. "The Five Kage..."

Tobi continued, "The Five Kage Summit is about to convene."

Zetsu added, "I'll explain the details from here~!"

...

The news of Naruto's defection and his alleged betrayal spread like wildfire in the Leaf Village, thanks to Root's machinations.

Previously, Root had circulated rumors that the Akatsuki's leader, Pain, had attacked the Leaf Village in collusion with Naruto, staging the event to gain the villagers' trust. After being exposed by Danzō, Naruto fled the village overnight.

Initially, the villagers were skeptical of these rumors. After all, Naruto had spent years earning their trust through his actions.

But the corpses of Tokuma Hyūga, Muta Aburame, and Avaro, along with the scroll left by Anko, were undeniable evidence.

The villagers gathered in front of a temporary tent set up for high-level discussions, waiting for news.

When it was confirmed that the scroll's contents were true, public opinion completely shifted...!

"As expected, the Nine-Tails is just the Nine-Tails..."

"Naruto was a cancer hiding in plain sight!"

"We were all deceived by him!!"

"That damn Naruto should be executed...!!"

Tap! Tap! Tap! The sound of a cane silenced the crowd.

Danzō approached, speaking in a steady tone, "Konoha has always shown no mercy to traitors. It was only due to the Fifth Hokage's indulgence that things escalated to this point..."

"But I, Danzō Shimura, will put an end to this chaos and give Konoha the resolution it deserves!"

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers: "We swear allegiance to Lord Danzō's leadership!"

No one noticed the sly smile beneath Danzō's Hokage hat, a sign of his scheme's success.

...

In the original cave where Naruto and Konan resided, Konan asked, "Is it time to begin?"

Naruto replied, "Yes, let's begin."

Konan lifted the unconscious Anko Mitarashi. "I still can't believe this is actually possible."

Naruto explained, "The essence of the curse mark developed by Orochimaru is an independent consciousness. As long as the curse mark exists, he is immortal. However, to awaken him, we need the blueprint of the curse mark, which I obtained earlier from Jūgo."

Naruto stepped forward, placing his left hand on the curse mark on the back of Anko's neck.

Whoosh! The sage energy absorbed from Jūgo flowed into the mark.

Slowly, Naruto lifted his hand. Rustle, rustle... A white snake emerged from the curse mark, its mouth opening wide as Orochimaru's elegant figure materialized.

Thud! Anko collapsed to the ground, still unconscious.

"..." Naruto and Konan took a step back in unison.

Rising from the viscous substance on the ground, Orochimaru's slit pupils locked onto the blonde-haired boy before him. His raspy yet seductive voice echoed, "Heh heh heh, how unexpected. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the one to bring me back to life would be you... Naruto."