Chapter 297: The Unknown Variable
Night had deepened.
The wind atop the highest point of the Hokage Rock carried a trace of cold.
Kaede sat cross-legged at the edge of the stone carving and looked toward Konoha's outermost perimeter.
Four towering walls had risen around the village.
Massive gray-brown tree trunks twisted together in dense layers.
These fortifications created through Wood Release were far wider and thicker than ordinary buildings inside the village.
Moonlight washed over them, leaving only heavy shadows beneath their foundations.
The enormous connected walls formed a gigantic ring around Konoha, locking the entire village securely at the center.
Torches along the top connected into a long ribbon of light.
Patrol squads carrying those flames crossed between the battlements in dense formations.
The elite forces of the Five Great Ninja Villages were concentrated behind that single defensive line.
Tens of thousands of allied shinobi stood ready for battle.
The fortress appeared impregnable.
Kaede watched the ring of firelight and rubbed his chin.
It looked impossible to breach, yet a vague unease remained inside him.
The original timeline had already been distorted beyond recognition by his presence.
Once, his greatest advantage had been absolute foreknowledge of the future.
Now, that trump card had failed.
Who had Black Zetsu found as a new pawn?
How much backlash could the person implanted with the Rinnegan endure?
How much of the eyes' true power could they use?
What had the Ten-Tails revival plan become?
How large had the White Zetsu army grown?
Kaede knew none of it.
He raised one knee and rested his elbow on it.
He had already done everything he reasonably could.
What remained would be decided by raw strength.
With a thought, the White Moonlight Simulator's interface appeared before him.
The account balance now showed that the required payment had been completed.
He could begin the third simulation at any time.
Kaede looked at the blue button at the bottom of the panel.
One press, and he could enter another simulation and attempt to obtain another S-rank evaluation.
Judging by the system's usual behavior, the reward would be even more outrageous.
His strength would rise explosively once again.
It would unquestionably be the strongest insurance policy for the coming battle.
Kaede's finger hovered in midair.
Then images from tonight's dinner suddenly flashed through his mind.
Tsunade chopping the cutting board far harder than necessary.
Mei's foot sliding slowly up his calf beneath the dining table.
And the bowl of mushroom soup Pakura had placed before him at exactly the right temperature.
Three memories.
Three living, breathing people.
Just maintaining balance among these three every day already left him exhausted.
If he started a third simulation now and somehow produced another woman who awakened more than ten years of memories and came looking for him in reality...
Kaede's mouth twitched.
Even if he defeated Black Zetsu, he might die in the battlefield between those women.
He withdrew his hand and closed the interface.
Unless the situation reached the final edge of life and death, he absolutely would not begin a third simulation.
Only if Black Zetsu truly revealed some ridiculous weapon capable of erasing the Five Great Ninja Villages in an instant would he reconsider.
Until then, he would rely on the strength he already possessed.
A faint rustling came from behind him.
"Still not going home this late?"
Minato walked along the edge of the rock and sat beside Kaede.
His gaze also settled on the distant ring of fire.
"The defensive handovers between the villages have gone smoothly these past few days," Minato said.
Kaede glanced at him.
"The defensive line is enormous. There will inevitably be communication problems. Keep an eye on them."
Minato smiled.
He turned his head and looked toward the center of the village, in the direction of his home.
"Kushina's due date is sometime in the next few days."
His voice was quiet, carrying a father's anticipation and a trace of worry hidden beneath the current situation.
Kaede followed his gaze and nodded.
"Don't worry. We're here."
Minato said nothing more.
The two sat side by side atop the Hokage Rock, listening to the night wind whistle past.
All of Konoha settled into the final silence before battle.
...
Far away, in an enormous cavern deep beneath the earth, damp and frigid air filled every corner.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path stood in the center like a lifeless mountain.
Its withered trunk remained completely motionless. Nine tightly closed eyes gave the entire creature a deeply unsettling appearance.
Along the rear wall, countless white cocoons hung upside down.
They covered the stone and wrapped around thick roots.
Thousands upon thousands of White Zetsu clones curled inside them.
They resembled larvae that had yet to form chrysalises, layered one on top of another.
Black Zetsu slowly seeped upward from the ground.
It lifted its distorted half-black face and looked toward the mass of cocoons above.
Footsteps came from around a bend in the stone wall.
Fu lowered the black hood covering his head and walked expressionlessly to Black Zetsu's side.
The dim light inside the cavern illuminated his face.
His eye sockets contained a pair of Rinnegan, pale violet rings spreading across each eye.
Fu glanced at the Demonic Statue and reported,
"The latest intelligence has arrived. The walls created through Wood Release have completely sealed Konoha's perimeter."
"The elites of the Five Great Ninja Villages have fully assembled. They've turned the entire village into a massive fortress."
Black Zetsu gave a shrill laugh.
"Gathering all the insects into one jar..."
It shook its head.
"Interesting. They seem to believe numbers will keep them alive."
Fu didn't answer. He only looked coldly at Black Zetsu.
The laughter disappeared, and Black Zetsu's voice became heavier.
"What about the Tailed Beasts we captured?"
Fu turned and walked toward a massive stone wall at the deepest part of the cavern.
He raised his palm and pressed it against the uneven rock.
Dim firelight spread farther into the depths, driving the darkness from one corner.
A massive iron barrier came into view.
Six enormous creatures appeared behind it.
Aside from the Six-Tails, which Obito had released, and the Nine-Tails still in Konoha, every strategic-class weapon in the Shinobi World had been gathered inside this lightless prison.
Yet the chakra incarnations that had once been violently uncontrollable now resembled puppets emptied of their souls.
They showed no signs of resistance and lay motionless on the ground.
Their original eyes had become Rinnegan.
More than that, thick black metal rods had been driven into their necks, joints, and even their heads.
The rods penetrated deeply into their chakra pathways.
They suppressed movement and severed all ability to resist.
Fu withdrew his hand and looked at Black Zetsu.
"They're all under control."
"Whenever you need them, their chakra can be transferred into the Demonic Statue."
Black Zetsu looked through the iron bars, its eyes curving with satisfaction.
"The Rinnegan's power of domination is truly intoxicating."
It looked once toward Fu, then up at the still-expanding cocoons overhead.
"There's no hurry."
Its gaze seemed to pass through the cavern's jagged ceiling and thick layers of earth to the round moon in the sky.
"Once enough White Zetsu have finished propagating, the army will be complete."
Black Zetsu muttered almost to itself,
"The timing is nearly right as well."
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki will give birth within the next few days."
It turned, baring a grin.
"The moment childbirth weakens the seal to its lowest point..."
"That will be when our army launches its full assault."