341-345

Chapter 341: Both Shocked and Delighted 

Though they didn't exactly have a soft spot for Black Zetsu, the Kage also found their respect for Kazama completely gone. They knew how much effort it took to gather their ninja, and now Kazama had senselessly slaughtered them all. 

Sure, Kazama's actions might have prevented their subordinates from fighting amongst themselves or attacking them, but everything has two sides. What Kazama did inadvertently crippled the strength of the Five Great Shinobi Nations' hidden villages. 

So, the Raikage, Kazekage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage glared at Kazama, their faces filled with fury. "Listen, Kazama," the Raikage spat, "we may have pledged allegiance to you before, but now that you've massacred our ninja, there's no way we'll ever serve you again!" 

"Heh, you guys really love believing everything you hear, don't you? Do you just accept whatever anyone tells you?" Kazama chuckled. 

"What? What do you mean?" The four Kage exchanged confused glances, unsure of Kazama's intentions. 

Then, Kazama spoke again, "I'm telling you, if I, Kazama, can kill your subordinates, then I also have the power to revive them!" 

"Oh? Really?" 

"That's impossible!" 

Upon hearing Kazama's words, the four Kage felt both shocked and delighted. They were shocked because they didn't believe Kazama could possibly possess the power to revive others. But if Kazama truly could bring their subordinates back, they would, of course, be overjoyed. 

Meanwhile, Black Zetsu was utterly stunned to see that Kazama had the ability to revive the ninja he had killed. He knew that if Kazama truly revived these thousands of ninja, his ultimate plan would be ruined. Because if Kazama revived them, the Kage would surely reconcile with him, and Black Zetsu wouldn't be able to show off in front of Kazama anymore. 

So, Black Zetsu scoffed at Kazama once more. "Kazama, you little mongrel bastard! I don't believe you have the damn ability to revive these people! Remember, I, Black Zetsu, am the will of Kaguya Otsutsuki, and she's the Sage of Shinobi! Even she couldn't revive these people, but now you're claiming you can? You're a complete bastard, a dog's runt, you're just spouting nonsense!" 

When Kazama saw Black Zetsu daring to flaunt himself and curse at him repeatedly, he was naturally enraged and furious. While Kazama was generally a very calm person, he couldn't tolerate Black Zetsu's continuous insults. 

With a single outstretched hand, Kazama unleashed a wisp of Emperor Flame that instantly sealed Black Zetsu's mouth, causing him to writhe on the ground in agony. But even then, Black Zetsu couldn't escape Kazama's grasp. Kazama had already enveloped Black Zetsu with the formidable Emperor Flame, and with its power, he could easily incinerate Black Zetsu into nothingness. 

"Chapter 342: Absolutely Crushing Black Zetsu" 

However, Kazama had already made up his mind; there was no way he'd let Black Zetsu die so easily. So, Kazama was going to slowly torture him to death. 

At this moment, Kazama immediately unleashed his Life Flames. In a flash, he resurrected the tens of thousands of shinobi who had been burned to death. Black Zetsu, along with the four Kage-level shinobi, had initially thought Kazama was just boasting. But now, seeing that Kazama truly had the ability to bring everyone back to life, Black Zetsu was utterly speechless with rage. 

Meanwhile, the Kage-level shinobi were ecstatic. They realized they had indeed misjudged Kazama earlier. So, they quickly rushed to him, bowing and clasping their hands repeatedly. 

"Oh, young brother Kazama, we were wrong! We were blind before, unable to recognize true talent! We underestimated you. We truly are worthless, good-for-nothing scoundrels! Please spare our lives!" 

"That's right, please don't attack us, and please don't be angry!" 

"Heh, you guys sure change your tune quickly. When did I ever say I was going to lay a hand on you?" 

Seeing the four Kage-level shinobi prostrating themselves and begging for mercy, Kazama smiled and waved his hand at them. While he had been a bit annoyed by their misunderstanding earlier, Kazama wasn't a bloodthirsty person. So, he wouldn't actually harm them. 

Thus, in an instant, Kazama once again led these four Kage-level shinobi, along with Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, and others, to Black Zetsu. 

When Black Zetsu saw that Kazama not only had the power to kill tens of thousands of shinobi but also to revive them, he broke out in a cold sweat. Having lived in this world for thousands of years, Black Zetsu had never encountered anyone as incredible and powerful as Kazama. 

Full of shock, Black Zetsu immediately asked Kazama, "Who the hell are you? How do you possess the power of resurrection?" 

Clap, clap, clap! 

Before Black Zetsu could finish speaking, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha immediately rushed forward, pummeling and kicking him. In just a few moments, they had beaten Black Zetsu until his face was bruised and swollen. Although Black Zetsu couldn't feel pain due to his unique body structure, he certainly felt the humiliation. He was instantly furious, boiling with rage. 

But even his anger was useless. Kazama had already used his Imperial Flames to completely surround him. 

At this point, Kazama spoke to Black Zetsu again, "I'm telling you, you don't need to ask who I am, because my comrades here will tell you. Furthermore, I am a person of justice. As a person of justice, it's natural for me to possess the power of resurrection. As for a filthy scumbag like you, a good-for-nothing who only seeks to cause chaos, there's no way I'd just kill you easily!" 

As Kazama spoke, he once again used his Imperial Flames to pierce through Black Zetsu's body. This made Black Zetsu scream and shriek in agony, gnashing his teeth in anger. He immediately began cursing at Kazama. 

"Kazama, you little brat! If you have the guts, kill me now! If you don't have the guts, then go eat dirt!" 

Chapter 343: Becoming the Overlord of the Shinobi World 

"Stop spouting nonsense!" 

Kazama wasn't usually one for profanity, but seeing Black Zetsu constantly showing off in front of him, he immediately unleashed his incredibly powerful Emperor Flame again. In just a few moments, Black Zetsu was barely clinging to life. 

Just as Black Zetsu was about to bite the dust, Kazama revived him using the Three Thousand Burning Flame. This left Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama utterly confused. They knew Black Zetsu was a truly wicked being, so why would Kazama bring him back? 

"Kazama, my young friend," Hashirama questioned, "why didn't you just finish him off?" 

"It's simple," Kazama replied. "Black Zetsu is a truly heinous villain, overflowing with evil. I couldn't possibly let him off that easily!" 

As soon as Kazama finished speaking, he once again used his Emperor Flame to burn Black Zetsu to the brink of death. Then, he repeated the process, restoring Black Zetsu's body with the Three Thousand Burning Flame. This continuous cycle left Black Zetsu in a state where he couldn't live, nor could he die. 

Seeing Kazama's incredibly sharp and merciless methods, Hashirama and Madara were filled with admiration. They finally understood Kazama's intent: for a despicable scoundrel like Black Zetsu, simply killing him wasn't enough. He needed to be tormented, beaten to a pulp, to truly teach him a lesson. 

By this point, Black Zetsu was so broken from Kazama's torment that he couldn't even speak. With one final decisive strike, Kazama completely incinerated him into nothingness. 

Seeing Kazama's astonishing power, Madara, Hashirama, and the others were absolutely floored. They immediately invited Kazama to take control of the Shinobi World, to become its true overlord. 

However, Kazama knew he wasn't from this parallel world. He had a much more important mission: to return to his own reality and help defend against the invasion of the Otsutsuki Clan. After all, Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki Otsutsuki would soon be arriving on Earth. 

That's why Kazama had gone through so much trouble to gather the twenty-three types of Heavenly Flames—to strengthen himself to the absolute peak. Only then could he easily deal with the Otsutsuki trio. So, Kazama quickly explained the situation to Hashirama, Madara, and the others. 

While they didn't fully grasp the concept of "real world" versus "parallel world," they knew Kazama was speaking the truth and had vital responsibilities. Thus, they didn't force him to stay. Instead, they solemnly told him, "Kazama, young friend, we won't stop you from leaving. We know you have important matters to attend to. But if you ever find yourself free in the future, we truly hope you'll come back and share a drink with us." 

"That's right," Madara added. "I've never truly admired anyone, not even Hashirama. But now, I genuinely respect you. So, you absolutely must come back and visit us often!" 

*Chapter 344: Back to the Present*

Hearing everyone’s words, Kazama immediately nodded with excitement.

He then hopped back into the time machine and returned to the real world.

But what Kazama didn’t expect was that the few days he spent in the parallel world equated to decades in the real world.

Now, upon his return, Kazama was stunned to find that Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and others his age were all married with kids.

This left Kazama caught between laughter and tears.

At this point, Naruto had officially become the Seventh Hokage.

Originally, Naruto was supposed to be the Sixth Hokage, but that title had been reserved for Kazama.

However, after waiting decades without any sign of Kazama, they had no choice but to appoint Naruto as the Seventh Hokage.

Even though Kazama had never served as the Sixth Hokage or governed in that role, everyone remained deeply grateful for his heroic deeds in saving the entire ninja world.

As a result, they carved Kazama’s likeness onto the Hokage Rock face.

After all, everyone held immense gratitude for Kazama in their hearts.

The moment Kazama returned to the Hidden Leaf Village, he went straight to Naruto’s Hokage office.

At that time, Naruto was swamped with Hokage duties, barely able to catch a breath.

The second he saw Kazama, he was so thrilled he could hardly string a sentence together.

And seeing that Kazama, after decades, still looked like he was eighteen or nineteen years old, Naruto was utterly shocked.

He blurted out, “Kazama, how the heck are you still so young after all these decades?”

“Well, about that…”

Kazama had pieced together that the dozens of days he spent in the parallel world translated to decades in the real world.

So, naturally, his experience of time was different from Naruto’s and the others’.

He quickly explained this to Naruto.

Unfortunately, Naruto, being a bit of a blockhead, couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.

He just scratched his head awkwardly, admitting he didn’t fully get what Kazama was saying.

Then Naruto, with renewed enthusiasm, said to Kazama, “Doesn’t matter! You’re my brother, man! This Hokage position was meant for you, but since you were gone for years, I stepped up as the Seventh Hokage. Now that you’re back, I’ll step down and let you take your place as the Sixth Hokage!”

“No way, absolutely not!”

The moment Naruto offered to step down, Kazama shook his head like a rattle.

“Why not? Kazama, wasn’t your dream since we were kids to become Hokage?”

Naruto, seeing Kazama refuse, was visibly anxious.

He knew Kazama shared the same dream of becoming Hokage.

Plus, Naruto was well aware that Kazama was far more qualified for the role.

After all, Kazama’s strength was among the top in the entire ninja world.

It was Kazama who single-handedly thwarted Kaguya’s plan.

Without him, the ninja world would’ve likely fallen under her control.

So, Kazama taking the Hokage role? That was well-earned.

But Kazama also knew that Naruto had done an incredible job as Hokage and had earned everyone’s trust.

"Chapter 345: The Arrogant Boruto" 

If Kazama were to rashly take over as Hokage from Naruto, it would surely lead to resentment from those who didn't know him. Plus, Kazama had already been Hokage in that parallel world, and even the supreme ruler of the entire shinobi world. So, he really didn't care much for a mere title like Hokage. 

Kazama chuckled and said to Naruto, "It's simple, Naruto. The Hokage position is meant for someone everyone recognizes. While everyone recognizes me now, I haven't been around for decades. The new generation of shinobi in Konoha doesn't even know me. So, I can't just rashly take on the role of Hokage." 

"Besides, it doesn't matter who the Hokage is, as long as they genuinely care for everyone, then they are a true Hokage." 

"Well said!" 

Hearing Kazama's words, Naruto immediately gave him a thumbs-up. 

"Hey, Kazama, now that you're finally back in Konoha, you have to come drink with me until we can't drink anymore!" Naruto said, immediately inviting Kazama to his home. 

Even though Kazama hadn't been back in Konoha for decades, he knew the Naruto manga series incredibly well. As someone who had "transmigrated," he naturally knew that Naruto had married Hinata and had a son and a daughter. As for Sakura, she had naturally married her childhood friend Sasuke and had a daughter named Sarada. Seeing how happily everyone was living, Kazama felt genuinely pleased. 

However, what Kazama didn't expect was that Naruto's son, Boruto, was incredibly rebellious. Boruto was also fearless and disobedient, even towards his own father, the Hokage. So, when he saw Naruto bringing Kazama home as a guest, Boruto immediately scrutinized Kazama from head to toe. 

Then, he said to Kazama, "I often heard my dad talk about you, saying how amazing and powerful you are, how you saved the entire shinobi world by yourself. I always thought my dad was just talking nonsense." 

"Oh, if you think your father was talking nonsense, then keep thinking that. Because I really don't have any extraordinary qualities." Kazama naturally didn't want to engage with this brat, Boruto, too much. 

But Boruto was a very stubborn kid. When he heard Kazama's dismissive words, he became even angrier. He immediately prepared to challenge Kazama to a sparring match. This instantly made Naruto quite embarrassed. 

Naruto immediately told his son, "What are you doing? Kazama is our guest, and he hasn't been back in Konoha for many years. How can you challenge him to a match as soon as you meet? Besides, with your current skill, how could you possibly be a match for Kazama?" 

"Stop with the excuses!" 

Before Naruto could finish, Boruto immediately retorted. At this moment, Kazama never imagined that this Boruto would be so arrogant and overbearing, daring to speak to his own father like that. Kazama immediately felt a surge of anger.