AUTHOR NOTES: This story is almost over; I wanna know what you expect for the ending.
You can expect 1 More CHAPTER TODAY; the total chapters left are below 9.
Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 175: Fraud Zetsu
Black Zetsu was less than a second away from escaping the cave, but he stopped the moment he heard Raiken offer.
"I want to offer you something," said Raiken, his eyes moving toward the shadow where Black Zetsu had been hiding while eavesdropping on their conversation. "Something you have wanted for a very long time: it is your mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki."
'He actually knows,' thought Black Zetsu, the realization hitting him; his eyes went wide, and he went into full panic mode.
He wanted to leave this place because every instinct he had developed over centuries told him to hide from Raiken and Madara. But his feet didn't move because part of him wanted to know how to save his mother easily.
"What do you mean, his mother?" asked Madara, his eyes moving between Raiken and the shadow where Zetsu was hiding.
"Wait, old man, don't interrupt our conversation and don't worry; I am getting to you after this," said Raiken, waving a hand in Madara's direction, telling him to be patient.
Madara's expression darkened; never in his time had someone been so rude as Raiken.
"You would do well to remember who you are speaking to," said Madara, his voice dropping as he struggled to hold himself back from beating Raiken.
"I remember exactly who I am speaking to," replied Raiken without missing a beat, "which is why I am not worried about it. Now be quiet for a moment."
[DING! 3000 Stars Donated by Audience D]
[Message: HE JUST TOLD MADARA TO BE QUIET, GIVE THIS DAMN SON A DAMN RAISE]
[DING! 2000 Stars Donated by Audience Z]
[Message: The power dynamic in this cave is not what anyone expected when this stream started; suddenly I remember the Deadpool and Wolverine duo]
Madara said nothing more, though the look on his face made it clear that he was ready to beat Raiken. Seeing Madara fall silent, Raiken looked back toward Black Zetsu's location.
"Hagoromo sealed your mother after the war between them," said Raiken. "She has been imprisoned since then, and I am telling you now that I have the means and a way to unseal her."
Everyone inside the cave fell silent; they didn't expect Raiken to know so much. Madara, meanwhile, finally connected the dots between Black Zetsu and Kaguya.
Black Zetsu's mind was a mess after hearing what Raiken had offered. He had spent a century planning to release his mother from prison, moving pieces across a board that spanned generations, manipulating bloodlines and conflicts and the ambitions of powerful men, all of it aimed at a single outcome that this man was now casually offering him as though it were a bargaining chip.
He still did not reveal himself. Even after what Raiken had said, he was not ready to trust him, and right now he was ready to escape the instant anything in the room moved or someone tried to attack him.
Raiken, apparently satisfied, looked at Madara again.
"Before Kaguya was sealed," said Raiken, "she had already given birth to a third child. Hagoromo was her first son, and Hamura was her second son. Unlike the first and second child, the third child was the creature that has been lurking behind us. That child has been in this world ever since, operating from the shadows, steering events toward the outcome of unsealing his mother."
He paused.
"You know that child as Black Zetsu."
"WHAT?" The word came out of Madara's mouth, even though he already had the answer after Raiken said "mother," but it didn't feel right, and he wanted to think something else. He looked toward where Black Zetsu was still hiding.
[DING! 5000 Stars Donated by Audience D]
[Message: MADARA JUST FOUND OUT AND HIS FACE IS SOMETHING I WILL NEVER FORGET]
[DING! 3000 Stars Donated by Audience F]
[Message: Black Zetsu has been manipulating Madara this whole time, and Madara is only finding out now because a stranger walked into the cave and told him]
[DING! 2000 Stars Donated by Audience G]
[Message: Centuries of manipulation dismantled in thirty seconds.... Boys, it is a century.]
"Relax," said Raiken, giving him a simple smile; he didn't want Madara to attack Zetsu. "We still need that creature, and I will explain why we really need it.
Madara looked at Raiken and noticed he was smirking.
"I genuinely dislike your smile," said Madara after a moment, his voice tight.
"Smiling is good for the face," replied Raiken pleasantly, grinning wider and giving a thumbs-up with the energy of someone enjoying the moment. "Especially for someone who just got their youth back, and you should try it."
"Destroyer Majestic Flame," said Madara, and the fire that erupted from him was not a warning shot, a roar of flame that swallowed the space where Raiken had been standing and expanded outward until the entire front section of the cave was lit up with light and heat.
[DING! 4000 Stars Donated by Audience D]
[Message: MADARA JUST FIRED THE FULL ATTACK BECAUSE OF THE THUMBS UP]
[DING! 2000 Stars Donated by Audience Z]
[Message: The thumbs up was what did it hahahaha... loser Madara.]
The flames held for several seconds, then the heat gradually settled, the light dimming back toward the ordinary darkness of the cave.
Then a voice came from directly behind Madara.
"You know," said Raiken casually, "that technique would be considerably more effective if you had someone covering your back."
Madara turned slowly. Raiken stood behind him with his arms folded, entirely unsinged, wearing the expression of someone who had waited for the fire to pass, then repositioned. At the same time, Madara was surprised to see Raiken beside him.
"You left your rear completely open," said Raiken. "We should probably work on that before we get to the real fight."
Madara stared at him.
[DING! 5000 Stars Donated by Audience D]
[Message: He teleported behind him, and if I'm not mistaken, Madara never left his back open; he actually teleported behind Madara and is now giving him combat advice.]
[DING! 3000 Stars Donated by Audience F]
[Message: I started watching this stream because someone told me it would be entertaining, and I was not prepared for any of this, and now Madara was humiliated]
[DING! 1000 Stars Donated by Audience Z]
[Message: Black Zetsu is still in the corner watching all of this, and I genuinely feel sorry for it]
Black Zetsu, still pressed against the cave wall, looked between Raiken, standing behind Madara and Madara, staring at Raiken and the scorched section of the floor where the attack had landed.
...
There is 30 advanced chapter on my patreon.
Chapter 204: Madara VS Raiken Part 1
Chapter 205: Madara VS Raiken Part 2
-patreon.com/zorojurown