Land of Fire.
Outskirts of Konohagakure.
Black Zetsu, who had been lurking through the night like a shadow under the moon, waited patiently for his mother to reappear.
But the rabbit didn't return.
So now, he had no choice but to shift gears—to implement the contingency Kaguya had entrusted him with.
In his twisted mind, the objective remained unchanged:
Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Gather the chakra of the world, revive his mother, and reclaim the dominion she once wielded.
But Obito lay in a coma now, teetering between life and death.
And that... made things problematic.
Obito, under the name "Madara," had been the mouthpiece of Akatsuki's objectives. With him down, Nagato might stop listening. And if Nagato went rogue...
Then what?
True, Nagato had once agreed to Obito's instructions—capture all the Tailed Beasts and achieve "peace"—but that was under the illusion of Madara's authority.
Now?
Without Obito, Black Zetsu couldn't impersonate that authority convincingly.
He needed to improvise.
Yes—if he didn't have a Madara...
He would make one.
With that resolution, the shadowy figure slid beneath the soil like ink in water.
He had to reach out to Orochimaru.
Even if it meant revealing part of the Akatsuki's true plan.
Orochimaru had once joined Akatsuki at the invitation of Pain and Konan, but never fully trusted their motives. He sought knowledge, not peace.
If nudged properly—if offered a glimpse of the power behind the Tailed Beasts—perhaps he could be baited again.
First, observe. If it failed—
He'd do it himself.
Madara would be disappointed, wouldn't he?
Shaking his head, Black Zetsu left the vicinity of Konoha.
It was too dangerous.
Rumor in Konoha said Uchiha Bai Ye trained at dawn—sometimes even outside the village. Staying here? Suicide.
Black Zetsu was more cautious than Obito. Even with the Mayfly Technique, last time he barely escaped when they crossed paths.
He still believed Bai Ye had let him flee.
After all, Bai Ye had thrashed Kaguya like a rag doll.
If Mother really had her own thoughts... if she had regained enough strength to act on her own...
He couldn't allow her plans to be ruined.
…
Inside the village.
Guard Headquarters.
After his morning run and a quick shower, Bai Ye led Uchiha Quan into the cold, sterile interrogation chamber.
Tsunade didn't come.
She seemed embarrassed—understandably so.
She had originally hoped to showcase her decision-making and leadership, but things spiraled. Still, the situation with the Uchiha had finally settled.
Mostly.
The clan was stabilized.
The radicals eliminated.
Still, the aftermath required meetings and political placation. As Hokage, she was swamped.
Bai Ye had suggested forming a council—he'd chair it, of course—and delegate routine work to subordinates.
She'd considered it.
But it was early days.
"Go on."
Brother Cong, ever observant, lit a cigarette for Bai Ye, who reclined leisurely in his chair.
His eyes swept over the four "detainees" before him.
"Danzo's behind it all."
Uchiha Itachi reported calmly, his voice clear. He had followed Bai Ye's instructions to the letter, as he had during their last covert meeting in the Hokage office.
Shisui stood nearby, lips twitching, as if wanting to say something—but refrained.
He'd died once already.
He knew he'd been naive back then. It was better to stay silent and act rather than spout ideals.
"Dad, why am I cuffed too? I'm catching criminals!"
Sasuke, arms crossed, pouted in protest.
"What's Rule One of the Guard Reserve?"
Bai Ye raised an eyebrow, his voice cool. Just yesterday, a few impulsive moves from Sasuke had escalated what should've been a routine clean-up of Uchiha radicals.
The plan had been simple: Fugaku would confess past errors, reforms would be introduced, and the clan would reintegrate with the village fully.
But no.
Sasuke had gone off-script—tackling Itachi in public. Then Shisui jumped in. Chaos.
"I know, Dad!"
Sasuke puffed his chest. "Report violations to full Guard members—don't act without authority… Uh. I messed up."
"Sasuke! I'm not even dead yet!"
Fugaku shouted from the side, face red.
This brat!
Even if he and Mikoto had divorced, Sasuke's casual betrayal stung.
"I know, rich dad."
Sasuke sighed dramatically.
"But you were in the wrong. The academy says admit your faults and correct them. As a Guard reserve, should I let these two escape?"
See?
Even seven-year-olds understand rules.
"I made the call to bring you in—it was a hard decision!"
"And I said I'd talk to my godfather to reduce your sentence. Why did you resist?"
Fugaku and Itachi fell silent.
So this was Sasuke's logic?
Noble… but misguided.
Itachi couldn't explain the real reason he'd turned himself in.
He had volunteered to take the fall—to protect the clan's future.
Better Sasuke not know.
"Enough."
Bai Ye waved his hand and nodded to Uchiha Cong.
The latter produced a scroll.
"After thorough investigation of yesterday's attack on the Uchiha compound, it has been confirmed that the mastermind was Shimura Danzo."
"Uchiha Fugaku resisted with all his strength, suffered severe injuries, and is currently unconscious. He disappeared this morning—his whereabouts unknown."
"Before collapsing, Fugaku passed the mantle of clan head to his eldest son, Uchiha Itachi."
"Danzo conspired with foreign forces, intending to incite civil war and weaken Konoha from within."
"The evidence is conclusive."
"Shimura Danzo is hereby sentenced to death. Execution to proceed immediately."
There it was.
The scapegoat verdict.
A calculated play.
Releasing Danzo from prison had always been a setup—to make him the fall guy and drain the last drop of value from him.
"I object, Godfather!"
Sasuke raised his voice.
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes.
You little…
But Sasuke wasn't done.
"How can my criminal brother be clan head? He couldn't even beat me!"
"I should be the patriarch!"
"And don't worry, Godfather. If I take over, I'll send all the prettiest clan girls to your quarters!"
Now that—
That was a thoughtful boy.
Bai Ye almost shed a tear.
He wasn't wrong—there were a lot of beautiful women in the Uchiha clan.
"What do you mean I couldn't beat you?"
Itachi frowned.
And even if you "send" someone, it's up to me who gets assigned where.
Still, he held back.
He'd discipline this little brother later.
"And just so it's clear—since Lord Bai Ye is present—I repeat: everything that happened was Danzo's doing. Not mine."
Yeah, yeah.
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
Like he believed that.
"Captain, I'm taking my brother home. He needs re-education."
Even Itachi's patience cracked.
He was the big brother here!
"Take all three of them," Bai Ye sighed. "And bring Danzo back for the public trial."
He didn't even glance at Shisui.
That would come later.
After everyone had filed out, Bai Ye remained.
Just him—and the old patriarch.
He looked at Fugaku, sighed deeply, and finally spoke.
"Tell me… why'd you go this far?"
He didn't understand it.
Fugaku wasn't blind. He knew about Mikoto and him.
Maybe that was it?
Maybe the fallout had given Mikoto an excuse to move in with Bai Ye, making their affair official.
But even so…
Fugaku had let go too easily.
And Bai Ye wasn't sure why
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