“Hey, don’t get so worked up! I wasn’t finished yet!”
A Portal opened beneath Evan’s feet.
He dropped straight through it, neatly avoiding the shockwave blasting toward him.
Another Portal appeared two meters above where he’d just been standing, and Evan promptly fell out of that one.
The Deva Path and Konan’s pupils contracted again at the sight.
The wariness in their eyes deepened.
Evan paid no attention to their reaction and continued as though nothing had happened.
“What I meant was that I want Konan to work for me.”
“And relax. It’s nothing weird.”
Before either of them could refuse, Evan hurriedly explained, “She’d just be a mascot waitress at my restaurant.”
He paused .”You know what that is, right?
Basically a waitress at a small shop.”
Neither Konan nor the Deva Path’s expression changed.
They simply stared at him even more coldly than before.
Clearly, they didn’t believe a word he was saying.
Evan scratched his head in frustration.
Talking people around really wasn’t his strong suit.
Forget it.
Let’s do this the simple way.
He flicked two fingers.
Two streaks of light shot toward Konan and the Deva Path.
Their eyes sharpened instantly.
Finally ran out of excuses and decided to attack?
The ninjutsu they’d already prepared erupted at once.
Konan’s body scattered into countless sheets of white paper.
Hundreds, thousands of paper shuriken screamed toward Evan.
At the same moment, the Deva Path unleashed a full powered Almighty Push directly at him.
The Asura Path’s back split open, revealing missiles that launched with flames roaring from their tails.
The Animal Path slammed both hands against the floor, summoning the remaining four Paths from downstairs.
All of this happened within a single second.
By the time the paper shuriken were almost slicing into his face, Evan finally reacted.
“Oh, crap!”
A Teleportation Spell flashed.
Evan instantly appeared behind Konan and the Deva Path.
The next second—
BOOM!
The entire upper floor was flattened.
Chunks of shattered wall were hurled outward like artillery shells, smashing violently into the surrounding buildings.
At the same time, the two streaks of light Evan had fired earlier struck Konan and the hidden Nagato directly in the forehead.
They sank into their bodies.
In an instant, both vanished.
All Six Paths of Pain collapsed to the ground.
Several seconds later, Konan reappeared.
Her expression was… awkward.
The two streaks of light had transported both her and Nagato into the Dimensional Restaurant.
There, they had received information about the restaurant and Evan’s identity before being sent back.
And now they understood just how stupid their earlier behavior had been.
They had been dealing with someone capable of traveling freely between entirely different worlds.
Instead of trying to establish a good relationship with him, they’d attacked him.
Worse, they’d spent the entire encounter wondering what kind of conspiracy he might be plotting.
A man like that wanted to deal with them…
An awkward silence lingered for several moments.
Then Nagato gritted his teeth and forced the Deva Path back onto its feet.
“Boss Whitaker, what happened earlier was my fault.” The Deva Path lowered its posture slightly.
“I failed to recognize who I was dealing with. If you wish to punish someone, Nagato alone will accept responsibility.”
“No need.” Evan waved dismissively.
“I didn’t explain who I was from the beginning either. Can’t really blame you.”
Though now that he thought about it, he was rather annoyed with himself.
He’d spent most of his old life as a shut in and had never been particularly skilled at communicating with people.
If he’d simply used this method the moment he’d first met the Six Paths of Pain, would they even have needed to fight?
Next time I talk to somebody, remember to establish my identity and background first.
“Whew.” Nagato visibly relaxed.
“Thank you.”
Then, demonstrating a rather impressive ability to push his luck, he immediately asked, “About what you said earlier… about resurrecting Yahiko…”
The Deva Path and Konan both looked at Evan expectantly.
“Don’t worry. The offer stands.”
The answer immediately filled both Konan and Nagato with joy.
At this point, they had absolutely no trouble believing Evan could resurrect Yahiko.
After all…
The man was clearly operating on an entirely different level from them.
“But this is still a transaction,” Evan reminded them.
“Don’t forget my condition.”
“Of course.” Nagato agreed without hesitation.
After a brief pause, he asked, “Are you still hiring?”
Evan blinked.
“Me and Yahiko can work hard. We’ll do anything you need. As long as food and lodging are included, you don’t even have to pay us.”
As far as Nagato was concerned, once Yahiko came back to life, world peace could go take a number.
He’d simply follow Boss Whitaker instead.
Then he, Yahiko, and Konan could form the—
Akatsuki Service Crew.
“Sure.” Evan saw no reason to refuse.
He needed workers anyway, and it didn’t particularly matter who he hired.
Besides, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were all decent people at heart.
“Then when can you resurrect Yahiko?!” Nagato could barely contain his excitement.
“In a bit. There’s something else I need to handle first.” Evan shifted his gaze toward the edge of the upper floor.
“How long are you planning to hide there, Black Zetsu?”
“Who are you?” Black Zetsu didn’t bother hiding any longer.
He slowly rose into view from outside the building, asking the question in his hoarse voice.
“Who I am isn’t important.” Evan looked at him.
“What’s important is that I can help you free your mother.”
The statement hit like a bomb.
All three people present were stunned.
Konan and Nagato couldn’t even begin to imagine what Black Zetsu’s mother might look like.
No. They didn’t dare imagine it.
Somehow, they had the feeling the answer would shatter their worldview.
Black Zetsu, meanwhile, was stunned for an entirely different reason.
His greatest secret had just been exposed.
Shock.
Panic.
Killing intent.
All of them surged through him at once.
But he didn’t attack.
Because he couldn’t beat Evan.
Which was honestly rather depressing.
“No particular reason. I have my own objectives.” Evan shrugged.
“And I can promise you that none of them involve hurting your mother.”
He even gave the dutiful son a guarantee to put his mind at ease.
Then he waited.
And waited.
Black Zetsu said nothing.
In fact, he seemed to be considering running away.
Evan stared at him for a second.
Then slapped himself on the forehead.
He’d forgotten again.
He crooked a finger and flicked another streak of light forward.
Black Zetsu vanished.
Then reappeared.
His attitude had undergone a complete one eighty.
“Please, Boss Whitaker. I’m counting on you.”
Look at that.
He was even using respectful language now.
“Come on, then. Let’s go unseal your mother.”
Evan held out one arm, gesturing for Black Zetsu to transfer himself onto it.
Then he turned toward Konan.
“You two clear out a room. I’ll be back once I’m finished.”
By the time he’d finished speaking, Black Zetsu had already merged onto Evan’s right shoulder.
Evan opened a Portal and stepped through.
In a single stride, he entered the sealed space deep inside the moon.
“Mother!” Black Zetsu shouted in excitement.
“Who are you?”
Black Zetsu entering the sealed space didn’t make Otsutsuki Kaguya happy.
Because he’d brought a stranger with him.
The sealing power of Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei was terrifyingly strong.
Kaguya had been completely incapable of breaking free on her own.
And now someone capable of simply bypassing that seal had appeared directly in front of her.
How could she possibly not be shocked?
How could she not be wary?
“Explaining everything verbally is a pain.”
After making the same mistake twice already, Evan wasn’t about to make it a third time.
He immediately flicked a strand of light into Kaguya’s mind before speaking.
“I come from the Dimensional Restaurant. It’s a restaurant that connects countless worlds and serves food from across them.”
“My purpose in coming to this world is to search for new ingredients.”
Kaguya looked puzzled.
“Then why are you looking for me?”
She knew practically nothing about any of this.
She hadn’t even eaten anything in hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.
“Your third son, Black Zetsu, possesses detailed intelligence on the entire shinobi world.”
Evan began counting off the advantages.
“Your White Zetsu army can go out and gather ingredients for me, and they can also grow and raise new ingredients.”
“So I came here to ask whether you’re interested in working for me.” He smiled.
“You’d become the glorious Head of the Farming Corps.”
Kaguya’s expression immediately turned proud.
“I am the progenitor of the shinobi world. The Mother of Chakra—”
“As compensation, I’ll release you from the seal and give you your freedom.”
Kaguya changed course without missing a beat.
“When it comes to farming, I’m a professional.” She spoke with complete confidence.
“I grew the Divine Tree myself.”