Diarmuid arrived at the designated meeting point outside Konohagakure.
He found Black Zetsu still waiting for him, though White Zetsu was gone, and the early-departing Obito was nowhere to be seen. Diarmuid looked at Black Zetsu, mentally rehearsing how to explain his own actions.
However, before he could utter a word, Black Zetsu spoke up with the expression of a fellow victim. "Diarmuid-sama, I am profoundly sorry. That fellow... Madara... seems to have suffered some emotional and mental instability, causing the plan to stall. I hope it didn't disrupt your own business?"
In Black Zetsu's view, the entire debacle was solely the fault of Obito, who had suddenly lost his mind and ruined everything.
Diarmuid had mentioned before arriving that he had his own objectives in Konoha. Since he had taken so long to return, Black Zetsu naturally assumed that Obito's reckless rampage had caused Diarmuid a massive headache, forcing him to spend significant effort just to extract himself. It was even possible that whatever the great man intended to do in Konoha had been completely botched by that liability, Obito.
Consequently, after Obito emerged, Black Zetsu hadn't even bothered to vent his rage. He simply had White Zetsu spirit him away immediately. He feared that if a frustrated Diarmuid came out and found the person responsible for ruining his day, he might just beat Obito to death on the spot.
While Black Zetsu found that idea satisfying, Obito was still an essential piece of the puzzle, at least until a suitable replacement could be found.
As for why Black Zetsu stayed behind, he felt he might still be able to salvage his relationship with Diarmuid. All in all, Black Zetsu felt a twinge of guilt; he felt Diarmuid had trusted him enough to follow his plan and cooperate, only for them to let him down like this... He felt he owed Diarmuid an apology.
Diarmuid was somewhat bewildered. Why is this guy apologizing first?
He had been thinking of excuses, perhaps claiming that because Obito didn't follow the plan, he hadn't provided cover, to explain himself to Black Zetsu. Now it seemed Black Zetsu had none of those suspicions; instead, he felt he had wronged Diarmuid?
Sensing the opportunity, Diarmuid intentionally clouded his expression, looking like someone who was holding back a surge of fury for Black Zetsu's sake.
Seeing this, Black Zetsu's heart sank. Damn, the Great One definitely failed his mission in Konoha. Given his strength, no one in Konoha should have been able to stop him. Therefore, whatever he wanted to do must have required absolute secrecy. He needed a distraction, but not total chaos. Now that Konoha's situation had spiraled out of control into a messy riot, it must have ruined the Great One's subtle play.
"Where is that 'Madara'?" Diarmuid asked in a low, dangerous tone, looking like he was ready to commit murder.
Black Zetsu felt a chill. Thank goodness I let Obito run first. In his current state, Obito wouldn't have stood a chance of escaping Diarmuid.
Thinking this, Black Zetsu quickly said, "That man felt so terribly sorry toward you, Diarmuid-sama, that he was too ashamed to face you and left ahead of time..."
"Hmph! So he actually knows the meaning of shame!" Diarmuid cold-snorted.
Black Zetsu fell silent, worried Diarmuid might vent his anger on him next. However, he soon noticed that after a few moments of staring, the anger in Diarmuid's eyes softened into something resembling helpless sympathy.
Black Zetsu was utterly confused. What's with that look?
Before he could ask, Diarmuid let out a long sigh. "The fact that you waited for me here proves that you're suffering too, Black Zetsu. I truly pity you for having a teammate like that 'Madara.' Your plan was fine; the problem was entirely with that man. So, I don't blame you. We're both victims here... And stop calling me 'sama.' Didn't I say it before? We're friends. Just call me Diarmuid."
Black Zetsu had been boiling with rage inside, feeling utterly sabotaged by Obito. Because he'd been in a hurry to get Obito away, he hadn't had a chance to vent. Now, hearing Diarmuid's empathetic words, Black Zetsu's impression of him soared once again.
Look at that! That is the magnanimity of a truly great figure. Not taking out one's anger on others is a virtue. And that empathy, Black Zetsu didn't think for a second that Diarmuid was faking. In his mind, they really had both been screwed over by that idiot Obito. How could they not be kindred spirits?
Because of this shared "suffering," Black Zetsu felt that familiar sentiment again: In this world, only Diarmuid truly understands me! A soulmate!
Diarmuid's noble behavior, contrasted with the pathetic escape of Obito, who had turned a perfect plan into a pile of waste, caused the scales in Black Zetsu's heart to tilt even further. He had learned a profound lesson today: it doesn't matter how excellent you are if you have a "pig" for a teammate.
Was Black Zetsu excellent? He thought so. Thousands of years of experience, playing countless people like fiddles, even Uchiha Madara had been led astray by him. Was Diarmuid excellent? Black Zetsu certainly thought so. His strength, his aura, and his magnanimity were all admirable. Moreover, the fact that Diarmuid hadn't been tricked by him yet proved the man's high intelligence.
But two such excellent people, armed with a near-perfect plan and one "pig" teammate, had turned the whole event into a disaster... This proved that getting rid of "pig" teammates is more important than being excellent yourself.
Black Zetsu now looked down on Obito more than ever, a man who was "useless at succeeding, but gifted at failing."
I have to find a way to get Diarmuid onto my side as soon as possible... then I can kick that bastard Obito to the curb and just rely on this big tree, Black Zetsu thought.
Comparing the two, Obito had nothing. Conversely, Diarmuid was the actual ruler of the Land of Rain, the strongest of the secondary nations right behind the Great Five. Look at Diarmuid's subordinates: Orochimaru, Sasori of the Red Sand, Kakuzu, and Biwa Jūzō. They were all top-tier elites, and their organization was only going to grow. This proved Diarmuid had the talent and means to lead a major power.
How was Obito even a competition? Black Zetsu felt a twinge of regret. If he had approached Diarmuid sooner and let him exchange ideas with the original Madara before the old man died, Obito might not have been needed at all. If he and Diarmuid had joined forces, they would be invincible by now. Why am I so miserable today? It's all Obito's fault.
"Diarmuid, I'm so glad you understand my predicament. Truly, I am sorry. There's no excuse; it was our side's failure that delayed your business. I don't know what you were looking for in Konoha, but I'll prepare a gift for you. Once I'm back, I'll deliver it personally to Amegakure," Black Zetsu said quickly.
Diarmuid was pleased internally, but he shook his head outwardly. "Sigh, forget the gift. It wasn't your fault. But I'll put this bluntly: before my anger cools down, don't let that 'Madara' show his face in front of me, or I'll break his legs!"
Black Zetsu nodded immediately. "Don't worry. Given the current situation, I won't be troubling you again in the short term. But the gift is a token of my sincerity; please do not refuse it."
Black Zetsu was telling the truth. He had originally prepared a whole string of follow-up plans. After securing the Nine-Tails, they were supposed to snatch other Tailed Beasts in quick succession and move to the next phase. But now, he felt that "haste makes waste." He couldn't rush these things anymore.
The reason was simple: Obito was unreliable. With his current mental state, even a perfectly arranged plan resulted in losing the Nine-Tails they already had. Would Black Zetsu dare let him handle anything else?
Black Zetsu didn't dare. He didn't plan on making any major moves for a while. While waiting for Diarmuid, he had been strategizing his next steps. He had two priorities:
First, continue to train Obito. He needed to make that unreliable brat grow up and become a bit more stable, less of a loose cannon.
Second, accelerate the relationship building with Diarmuid. He needed to find a way to align their fronts and make him a "true" ally.
To be honest, this was Black Zetsu's two-pronged approach. If Obito became useful later, he'd keep using him, since he didn't know how long it would take to fully "recruit" Diarmuid. Until they were truly partners, he couldn't abandon Obito. But the second plan was the insurance policy in case Obito turned out to be a lost cause. If Obito remained a failure, at least he'd have worked on Diarmuid, meaning he wouldn't be without options.
He would pursue both goals with equal vigor. Until one of them met his standards, Black Zetsu wasn't going to stir up any more trouble. As the saying goes... "To repel the foreign, one must first stabilize the internal." He'd fix the waste on the inside before bothering with the rest of the world.
In the original timeline, after Obito's mess in Konoha, Black Zetsu had indeed paused the Eye of the Moon Plan for a long time. He focused on training Obito, having him secretly join the Akatsuki and perform smaller tasks like the Uchiha Clan Downfall. Those were "experiences" meant to foster growth. You couldn't train a successor in isolation, but you just had to keep them away from the main plot for a while.
Seeing Black Zetsu so insistent, Diarmuid "reluctantly" accepted the offer of a gift.
After chatting a while longer, they didn't leave together. They went their separate ways, as they weren't headed to the same destination.
Once he was completely clear of Black Zetsu, Diarmuid stretched his limbs, a wide grin spreading across his face. He whispered softly, "Well then, time to head back and check the haul... The Scroll of Seals, a massive pile of Konoha's ninjutsu scrolls... Tsk tsk, all good stuff."