"I know far more than you think—about your origin, your task, your mission. Those are things you know.
What you don't know are the things about the Ōtsutsuki clan."
Uchiha Yorin spoke with absolute confidence.
He had more than enough intel to buy Black Zetsu's trust—and cooperation.
After all, the Ōtsutsuki trio's first target upon arriving in the shinobi world would be the traitor Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Whether it's Momoshiki, Kinshiki, or Urashiki—each is a top-tier Ōtsutsuki combatant. Any one of them could beat Kaguya until she coughed blood.
And beyond those three, there are still forces of the Ōtsutsuki clan out in space.
Even without bringing up the future, Earth still has a "Isshiki" alive. Betrayed by Kaguya and left half-dead, he's been burning for revenge.
Uchiha Yorin: "That's the situation, Zetsu. Your mom's something else—not that capable, but she sure made a lot of enemies. Heh-heh-heh-heh."
Black Zetsu: "…"
He wasn't sweating; his body simply didn't have sweat glands. But he could tell—Yorin wasn't lying. Everything he'd said rang true.
Some of it, Zetsu knew. Much of it—even he did not.
"What else could she do?! They were going to kill Mother—offer her up as seed for a God Tree! Of course she fought back! What, sit and wait to die?!"
Black Zetsu snapped. Yorin didn't refute him; he nodded along. "Well said. Let's hope the other Ōtsutsuki are willing to hear your explanation."
Black Zetsu: "…"
White Zetsu: "Wow, I never realized your mom had such a… colorful romantic history."
Black Zetsu: "Shut up!"
White Zetsu: "If you—"
Black Zetsu: "Shut up!!"
White Zetsu: "Okay okay, I'm quiet."
…
For a millennia-old fox and master schemer, Black Zetsu's Wisdom stat had to be high.
But he had a fatal flaw—his core logic.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
His every action presupposed Kaguya's interests.
So when Uchiha Yorin uttered that line, Zetsu had no counter:
"Zetsu, you don't want your mother to get eaten, do you~?"
Black Zetsu: "What do you want?!" The words had come this far; he was nearly despairing.
He watched Yorin with careful eyes. "You want me to give up reviving Mother? That is impossible!"
"No. That's not it. I want us to work together." Yorin answered lightly.
"The Ōtsutsuki are not just Kaguya's enemies—they're the enemies of everyone living in this world.
"Kaguya alone can't match the Ōtsutsuki—we will struggle as well. So why not join forces to face the threat?"
Zetsu fell silent, weighing Yorin's words.
Yorin kept stacking the chips:
"Think about it. A powerhouse like Kaguya is necessary for our Shinobi Defense Alliance.
"In fact, to stave off the threat of being devoured by the Ōtsutsuki, we would show great respect to Ancestor Kaguya-hime.
"You want to revive her? Fine—I'll help you.
"I'll gather the Tailed Beasts, I'll assemble the Ten-Tails, I'll cast Infinite Tsukuyomi! I will save your mother!
"You know my methods. Far stronger than that failure Obito. Far healthier than Nagato.
"You've seen my power base in Konoha—and soon, Kiri will be in my pocket, too.
"So what are you worried about? Working with me is your best option!"
"You should know… Mother's plan…" Black Zetsu tried, cautiously. "It doesn't quite match your vision…"
"Yes. She feels betrayed and wants to destroy the world, and so on." Yorin waved it off.
"She's a woman—emotion over reason. Trust me. I have ways to convince her."
Yorin's mind flashed to his "good boy" Naruto's ultimate move—Reverse Harem Jutsu—spinning lazily through his head again.
Seemed like it had been a while since that one got a mention.
His handsome stat was a full 32 points, after all.
(You're not wrong. But Mother won't necessarily act according to your script.) Black Zetsu thought. (*Still—if he's walking into my hands, I'd be a fool not to use him.
Obito's dead. Akatsuki is under this man's thumb. If I want to revive Mother, working with him may be the way.
As for what happens after she revives—we'll deal with that then.*)
With that, he decided. "Fine. We'll do it your way—we form an alliance. After Mother is revived, you'll ally with her to fight the Ōtsutsuki, right?"
"Wrong." Yorin's refusal caught him off guard.
Under Zetsu's puzzled gaze, Yorin unveiled his plan. "I'm going to marry Kaguya-hime."
Black Zetsu: "…???"
Black Zetsu: "…"
He swallowed it, swallowed it again—but even a weathered old fox like him couldn't hold back in the face of such nonsense.
"What the hell?"
…
Half an hour later, at Konoha High Command's war council—where Uchiha Yorin had already been named vanguard general for the Norman Conquest—he clapped a very unwilling Black Zetsu on the shoulder and told the room:
"Everyone, this is the intelligence specialist I've recruited for this operation. With his help, the Norman plan will be even steadier—let's welcome Ōtsutsuki Zetsu!"
He led the applause. The young hawks—the Konoha One-Heart Society and the Gestapo-types—followed suit.
They didn't know what this Zetsu could do—but if the boss said he was good, then even if he wasn't, they'd beat him until he cried, "Stop! I admit it—I am an intelligence expert."
Of course, not everyone in the room welcomed him.
The Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hyūga contingent—all traditional intel houses, whether by hounds, bugs, or eyes—narrowed their gazes at the word "intelligence."
What, this yin–yang face is here to outdo us?
Given their roles as Konoha's intel backbone, and now Yorin bringing in another "intel expert," what did that mean?
Did the vice-commander and vanguard general of the Norman Conquest not trust the village's own comrades?!