Chapter 170: Shadows Beneath the Snow.

Kurama let out a guttural roar of pain. Its massive body convulsed—not from injury, but from the unbearable sensation of being bound.

This chakra chain technique… it knew it all too well.

That oppressive, suffocating seal instantly brought back memories of the past—of the time when it had been imprisoned within Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the First Hokage. Back then, Mito's mastery over the Uzumaki Clan's sealing arts had rendered Kurama utterly powerless.

Even as she grew old and her life faded, Mito could still restrain the Nine-Tails with ease—sometimes even pulling its chakra by force.

Then came Uzumaki Kushina, and things weren't much different. The chains of her Adamantine Sealing Technique had locked down Kurama's body so tightly that it could barely twitch its tails.

So when it finally found itself sealed within Naruto Uzumaki, Kurama hadn't just sensed his sincerity—it had also tasted something long forgotten: freedom.

Inside Naruto's body, for the first time in centuries, it could move, speak, and act of its own will.

But now… that same feeling of imprisonment returned, and Kurama's rage boiled over.

Just as the Nine-Tails was about to go berserk, Minato Namikaze—the Fourth Hokage—stepped forward, pulling Kushina back before things escalated. He quickly explained the situation to her.

Kushina's expression softened into one of embarrassment.

More than that, she was stunned—Naruto had formed an actual partnership with Kurama.

Kurama glared at her with slitted, burning eyes, its tails lashing against the invisible restraints. Its fury was palpable—until a familiar voice echoed through its mindscape.

"Kurama."

Naruto's tone was calm but firm, carrying both authority and understanding.

Kurama turned away from Kushina with a low growl, its agitation subsiding.

Once Minato nodded in confirmation, Kushina sighed and released the sealing chains. The glowing bonds vanished, freeing Kurama completely.

Naruto noticed, however, that Kushina's chakra form had started to fade—the sign of imminent dissipation. Alarm flickered across his face as he turned toward Kurama.

The Nine-Tails snorted, clearly still resentful about what had just happened. Yet, without saying a word, it gathered a dense mass of crimson chakra and hurled it toward Kushina.

The energy surrounded her, stabilizing her form. Her fading outline became solid again.

Naruto exhaled, relief washing over him. But as he looked at the two of them—his parents and his partner—an indescribable mix of emotions welled up inside him.

He didn't know what to say.

He had heard Kushina's gentle voice all those years ago—her final words before death, filled with love and apology. Even without memories from that time, he had felt it.

And now, after merging completely with his other self, Naruto recognized her fully—not just as a remnant of chakra, but as his mother.

He turned to Kurama with a small, sincere smile.

"Thank you, Kurama."

The beast huffed but didn't reply, flicking its tails aside as if to say, Don't make a big deal out of it.

Naruto chuckled softly, then approached Kushina.

"Naruto…!"

Her voice trembled with joy. In the next instant, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Naruto froze at first, stunned by the sudden warmth. Then he slowly lifted his arms and embraced her in return.

Minato stood quietly nearby, watching with a gentle smile.

Mother and son clung to each other in the golden glow of the mindscape, the years of longing collapsing into that single moment.

Kushina spoke in a rush—asking questions, offering advice, laughing, crying, and apologizing all at once. Naruto, in turn, told her about everything—his childhood, his travels, his training, and finally, his departure from Konoha.

At that, Kushina blinked in surprise. Then, slowly, she smiled.

When she learned how Naruto had been treated as a child—shunned, beaten, and hated—her expression darkened. She turned toward Minato, eyes blazing.

Minato instinctively took a step back, cold sweat running down his neck.

"K-Kushina…"

Her voice trembled with fury. "Minato Namikaze! You left our child to suffer like that?!"

Naruto tried to intervene, waving his hands frantically. "Mom, it's not Dad's fault—"

Kushina huffed and turned back to him, her anger melting into guilt. She pulled him into another hug.

"Naruto… it's Mama's fault. Mama made you suffer…" Her voice cracked, tears falling freely.

Naruto's own eyes grew misty. So this is what it feels like… family.

In his past life, he had been an orphan. In this one, too, he had carried that loneliness for so long.

Now, that emptiness felt full for the first time.

"I'm fine, Mama," Naruto said softly. "But… do you blame me for leaving Konoha?"

Kushina hesitated, then shook her head firmly.

"Of course not, child. You did nothing wrong." Her tone softened. "It was the Third Hokage who failed you. You only did what you had to do. You must have suffered so much, Naruto…"

Naruto's heart trembled at her words. He had expected understanding, maybe even forgiveness—but hearing her unconditional support still struck him deeply.

For the first time in both his lives, he felt what it truly meant to be loved.

As for Minato, he could only look at Kushina with an innocent expression as she glared daggers at him once again.

He didn't want this either!

Who could've predicted things would turn out like this? Even thinking about the Third Hokage made Minato sigh helplessly. Back then, he had never doubted that seemingly kind old man.

Now, he could only admit—he'd been wrong about him.

Naruto, meanwhile, was still basking in the warmth of family reunion. But elsewhere, far from their joy, Black Zetsu had already begun its investigation into Naruto ever since his defection from Konoha.

It would not allow anything to spiral beyond its control.

After all, this was the closest it had ever come to fulfilling its thousand-year plan.

For centuries, the reincarnations of Indra and Asura had appeared again and again—yet none had managed to awaken the Rinnegan.

And without the Rinnegan, there could be no salvation for its mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

The prerequisites for her revival were clear: the Ten-Tails and the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Black Zetsu's plotting had guided the shinobi world for generations. It was the one that manipulated Uchiha Madara, led him to Nagato, and, after Madara's death, even turned its attention to Obito Uchiha.

But with the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki defecting from Konoha, everything began to shift.

According to Black Zetsu's observations, the current reincarnation of Asura was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

And yet—Naruto's temperament didn't match. Asura's reincarnations had always been impulsive and driven by emotion, but Naruto… something about him was off.

Even more baffling was the current Indra's reincarnation. The destined conflict between Indra and Asura had defined every generation—but now, those two reincarnations were… harmonious? Cooperative?

Something was deeply wrong.

Determined to uncover the truth, Black Zetsu's investigation led it to an unexpected discovery—Naruto's involvement with the Umbrella Organization.

Black Zetsu had lived for millennia, weaving through the rise and fall of countless powers. It knew of Umbrella's existence, of course. But it had always dismissed the group as irrelevant—its so-called ideology of "Red Order" meant nothing to a being whose sole purpose was to revive its mother.

Compared to Kaguya's other creations, Black Zetsu's combat strength was modest—roughly at the level of a jōnin. But its true advantage lay in survivability. It wielded Yin–Yang Release with mastery, making it virtually impossible to destroy through ordinary ninjutsu. Only techniques infused with Yin–Yang Release could truly erase it.

At that moment, Black Zetsu was briefing Obito on its findings.

"Obito, this Umbrella Organization isn't as simple as it looks. You should investigate it. If they interfere with our plans—"

"Call me Madara," Obito cut in coldly, his Sharingan gleaming through the mask.

The warmth that once defined him—the hopeful youth from Konoha—was long gone. Now, only darkness remained. Indeed, as people said: when one falls into the shadows, their strength multiplies threefold; but once they seek redemption, they lose most of it.

In these early stages, Obito truly was an unstoppable force.

"Is this organization really that dangerous?" he asked at last.

"Yes," Black Zetsu replied solemnly. "Even with my abilities, I can only probe their outer branches. Their main headquarters is protected by layers of complex barrier ninjutsu. If I try to approach, they'll detect me instantly—as if the barrier was designed specifically to counter me."

It paused, its tone darkening. "The Umbrella Organization has relocated to the Land of Snow."

Originally, their base of operations had been in the Land of Waves. But as their numbers grew and their secrecy became more critical—especially after being discovered by Kakuzu—they had shifted locations.

Now, even their central base was hidden deep within the snow-covered lands.

And the fact that Black Zetsu had managed to uncover this much… was already proof of its terrifying skill.

...

TN:

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