Chapter 297: Black Zetsu x Madara Uchiha x Tsunade Visits
His silence was a tacit admission.
Even though the visual impact of these four "pillars of blood energy" wasn't as earth-shattering as the "blood cocoon" that had formed last time, for someone like Netero and Beans who were witnessing this situation for the first time, it was undoubtedly shocking... In fact, in Netero's eyes, the boy's spasmodic bursts of growing stronger brought him an extremely absurd sense of dejection.
"He's usually like this," a leisurely hot breeze blew through the window lattice into the training room, gently rustling their white hair.
Zeno fell silent for a long moment, casting a deep look toward Roy's bedroom, and said, "This isn't the first time. You get used to it."
Netero's old eyes rippled with waves of light. After his initial shock, he slowly sat down again. His gaze swept all the way from Roy's bedroom, past the dim little room, and finally up to the second floor. He let out a chuckle and said, "You certainly are calm about it, but the same can't necessarily be said for others."
Zeno raised an eyebrow, following Netero's gaze...
On the second floor of the Zoldyck family's ancient castle, the door to that spacious master bedroom was open, yet firmly blocked by a tall silhouette. From behind him came the sound of Kikyo gently singing a nursery rhyme to coax Killua to sleep...
Beside her was a small crib prepared for him, complete with stuffed toys and a few cartoon ornaments hanging at the headboard. Silva, with his beautiful silver hair draped behind his back, stood with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the massive floor-to-ceiling window. Without uttering a single word, he stared toward Roy's bedroom. Inside the room, Kikyo's electronic eyes flashed as she coaxed Killua while watching his back. For some unknown reason, she always felt... her man had been spacing out frequently lately. Was it caused by the exhaustion of taking care of the child, or was it because she demanded too much during her ovulation period?
Neither... Kikyo turned her fair neck, and amidst the flashing of her electronic eyes, several complex patterns of static snow surfaced. Among the host of Nen users, although she didn't belong to the "combat type" personnel specifically responsible for "fighting," she was, after all, the chosen daughter-in-law of the Zoldyck family and the current Grand Mistress of the world's number one assassin family. When it came to "reconnaissance," she wasn't inferior to anyone in the slightest, and naturally, she too sensed the "pillars of blood energy" that continuously impacted the firmament, one after another!
Roy... child, how did you suddenly end up with silver hair?
"Yi-yi ya-ya..." Killua, cradled in her arms, opened his mouth and gnawed on his fingers. A few sparse tufts of silver fuzz on his head entered Kikyo's vision as she looked down to gently pry his small hand away. This left the woman in a state of bewildered chaos... Like Silva, she found herself spacing out constantly. Ever since marrying into the Zoldyck family, there hadn't been a single moment where the woman hadn't desperately desired to give birth to a silver-haired child, even if it was just one. Now, over ten years had passed, and her wish was finally fulfilled. Not only was the newborn Killua silver-haired, but even her eldest son had turned silver-haired. Yet, Kikyo didn't feel the happiness she had imagined. On the contrary, she plunged into a deep state of bewilderment, frequently staring blankly at Killua in her arms, even once doubting whether there had been a need for her to give birth to him... if she had known beforehand that Roy was capable of evolving!
But the wheels of time only roll relentlessly forward; they never roll backward.
With a soft sound, Killua closed his eyes and fell asleep. Kikyo draped a coat over herself, gently placed him into the small crib, slipped on her slippers, and slowly exited the bedroom. Approaching Silva, she reached out to loop her arm through his, rested her head against his shoulder, and asked, "Stop looking. Just wait a little longer. Isn't tomorrow coming very soon?"
Tomorrow... it's tomorrow... Silva's gaze was as sharp as a hawk and a wolf, his eyes piercing like swords. Expressionless, he exhaled two long dragons of vapor from his nasal cavity, reached out to push Kikyo away, and turned to walk toward his study: "Tonight, I will sleep in the study alone."
"Even if you didn't say it, I wouldn't ask for it anyway!" Kikyo stomped her foot, shouting at Silva's departing back: "I can hold it in."
Silva didn't break his stride, nor did he turn his head: "It's me,"
"Who can't hold it in!"
He had finally waited for this day, waited for this... day that had arrived far sooner than he had ever imagined!
Silva breathed heavily, a surging, raging fire burning and churning within his internal organs. Now that it had truly arrived, he suddenly realized... it was far harder to remain calm than he had anticipated!
He didn't know how long it had been since he last felt this way. The previous time was twenty years ago, during that battle against Zeno—the battle where he successfully defeated his father, received Maha's nod of approval, and took over as the head of the family. Now, time had flashed by, and twenty years later, standing in the exact position Zeno had once stood, what would happen to him? And what would happen to Roy?
Regardless, he would not lose!
Silva lowered his hands, abruptly clenching them into fists. The air within his palms exploded, suddenly releasing an ear-piercing sonic boom, which was instantly and forcibly snuffed out by him again.
The man didn't turn his head.
With a bang, he closed the study door, instantly leaving behind Kikyo alone, the chaotic static snow flashing frantically upon her electronic eyes, leaving her a mess within the empty corridor.
"Sigh... these children all have their own stubbornness. Zzigg was like this in the past, and now it's the same for Silva and Roy." Inside that dim little room of the Zoldyck ancient castle, dense Nen aura steamed as Betty Zoldyck, her hair tied in a ponytail, drilled out from Maha's body. Her bright, expressive eyes, densely packed with time and weather, pierced through layers of thick walls from afar, casting a glance toward the second floor. Taking another look, she tilted her head, glaring at Maha as she said, "Truly... they all take after you..."
Maha's shriveled body sprawled carelessly on the rocking chair, making it creak as it rocked. He chuckled without refuting her, merely casting a glance toward Roy's bedroom, a trace of deep thought faintly flashing within his shrewd, experienced gaze.
Betty Zoldyck's gaze shifted as she floated over, nestling into his embrace. Resting her hand on his chest, she asked softly, "What did you discover this time?"
"Do you feel that the child Roy is progressing too fast, and you're worried he might suffer a backlash from [Nature]... or..."
Maha reached out to wrap an arm around Betty's waist, slowly shaking his head: "He is the sun, inherently a part of [Nature] to begin with. How could he suffer a backlash?"
"Then what are you worried about?"
Maha didn't answer. He extended his withered, bony hand, tracing it all the way up Betty's back, his gaze turning profound. A moment later, he said deeply, "I am worried that he has lost himself."
The old man narrowed his eyes, recalling Orochimaru, Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and the others he had just witnessed within the Mental Space. He murmured, "[Dreams] are unpredictable, and neither you nor I can dream on his behalf... You saw it today; within that child's dream, even resurrection can be achieved. In the future, whatever people or events he encounters within his dreams, and even... life-threatening danger, he must face it all alone. I am saying, if..."
Maha paused his words, stating gravely, "If he experiences life and death within his dreams, and it reflects upon the real world, it might inflict entirely irreversible influence and harm upon him."
Betty Zoldyck was struck with horror. She abruptly straightened her back, staring intently at Maha as she said, "You're saying someone intends to target Roy within his dreams!"
"It's merely a guess..."
"What do you mean, guess! With Zzigg back then, you also said it was a guess, and what was the result?"
Betty threw off Maha's withered hand that reached out to comfort her, beginning to pace anxiously around the room.
As she walked, she wrung her hands together, muttering anxiously, "Conjurers are particularly prone to getting lost between [Illusion] and [Reality]. Back then, Zzigg was ensnared by someone who reverse-utilized a [Game]. What if Roy..."
"Maha," Betty abruptly halted her steps, "This won't do. You must think of a way!"
The rocking chair swayed with a creak~...
Maha lay paralyzed with narrowed eyes. Remaining silent for a long while, he let out a helpless sigh: "There is no way."
"He can only rely on himself. After all, it is his own dream."
"As for us," the old man's eyes opened and closed, looking out the window at the intense sunlight scorching the ground, evaporating waves of summer heat, as he stated slowly, "We can only pray that no one targets him, nothing more..."
As his words fell, a long silence descended upon the dim little room.
"Mother~"
In the world of Naruto, within a hidden forest adjacent to Konoha, a blurry, pitch-black shadow attached to the shadow of a large tree awakened with a start... Abruptly sitting up, a cold sweat broke out across its ink-black forehead...
Another nightmare. Black Zetsu didn't know how many nightmares he had suffered over the thousands of years since Kaguya Otsutsuki had been sealed. Every time in his dreams, dreaming of his mother shedding tears of blood, glaring at him with her Byakugan and demanding to know how much longer she had to wait, Black Zetsu felt entirely overwhelmed by terror, nearly suffocated by the pressure. "Zetsu, are you going to betray me just like your two brothers?"
His mother's words were still vividly etched in his mind. The mention of his two brothers prompted Black Zetsu to gaze through the heavy darkness of the night, utilizing the moonlight to stare at the bright moon from within the tree's shadow. That was the prison where his mother was sealed, and also the place guarded by his good second brother, Hamura Otsutsuki.
Now, a thousand years had passed. His eldest brother was dead, and his second brother had surely died long ago... Half of Black Zetsu's body submerged into the tree's shadow, while the other half gazed up at the starry sky. He slowly shook his head and said, "Of course that isn't the case, Mother. Please believe me, I have always been working hard and have never slackened for a moment. Very soon... I will release you."
Moving like a mayfly, he slowly sank into the ground. Utilizing the Mayfly Technique, he traveled freely through the earth, swiftly arriving at a mysterious underground space. This was also an underground fortress excavated deep beneath the earth by the Uchiha clan during their preparations for war in the past.
It was a pity that the batch of Uchiha from back then had either died or been swept into the dustbin of history...
The remaining young Uchiha, such as Fugaku Uchiha, Yashiro Uchiha, and even... the most senior elder of the Uchiha clan, Setsuna Uchiha... would never imagine that right on the outskirts of Konoha, at the very edge of the sensory barrier's coverage, such a fortress lay hidden, alongside a person who should have died long ago... lingering on his last breath...
"You're here..."
At the top of the fortress, Black Zetsu slowly poked his head out. The exact instant he revealed himself, a leisurely, weathered, and feeble voice drifted over... It was like a candle flame left in the freezing wind, liable to be snuffed out by a sudden gust... It was so eerie it made one's neck tingle, sending shivers down their spine.
Having heard this voice countless times, Black Zetsu was entirely unfazed. He completely emerged from the soil, flipped over, and landed slowly. Entering his vision... was a withered corpse, covered entirely in tubes connected to a massive demonic statue, slowly pumping chakra into him. A faint, obscure trace of mockery flashed deep within Black Zetsu's eyes. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a few scrolls, unrolling them one by one and bringing them before the "corpse" for him to review.
"In accordance with your instructions, Master, among the current younger generation of the Uchiha clan, there are a total of three individuals who can be listed as key observation targets."
As the scrolls unrolled, revealing a few portraits, Black Zetsu's hoarse, dark voice slowly spread out: "They are Obito Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, and the one... I reported to you last time... Jin Uchiha!"
Hearing "Jin Uchiha", the "corpse's" ears twitched, and he opened his eyes with great difficulty. Bizarrely... one of the eyes was missing, leaving a pitch-black, empty socket that sent shivers down one's spine.
He said weakly, "Bring it closer."
Following orders, Black Zetsu stepped forward with the unrolled scrolls. The scroll bearing the name "Jin Uchiha" lay open, revealing a handsome, young face that bore a thirty-percent resemblance to Fugaku and a seventy-percent resemblance to Mikoto, staring calmly right back at him...
The "corpse" froze slightly. Through this youthful face, he vaguely seemed to see his younger brother—the brother who had died at the hands of Tobirama Senju, the brother who had gifted his eyes to him before dying, the brother who, even at death's door, hadn't forgotten to warn him to protect the Uchiha...
The "corpse" hunched his chest, murmuring hoarsely, "Izuna..."
He stared blankly for a long time... a very long time...
A moment later, perhaps due to emotional fluctuations, or perhaps because he hadn't spoken to anyone in so long, the "corpse" began to cough violently. It took a long while before he caught his breath. Relying on the demonic statue behind him to increase its chakra output, he stabilized his body. Taking another look, he raised his head to look at Black Zetsu and asked, "Does he have a younger brother?"
"He does," Black Zetsu recalled a glimpse he had once caught, narrowing his eyes as he said, "His younger brother is named Itachi Uchiha. He is the youngest son of the current patriarch of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha."
"Itachi..." The "corpse" mumbled the name, letting out a weak, hoarse chuckle.
"As long as he has a younger brother,"
"As long as he has a younger brother... then it shall be him... Proceed according to the original plan..."
"I want to watch him plunge into the Avici Hell,"
"Experience the death of his family... and awaken—"
"The Mangekyō!"
Black Zetsu unrolled the scroll belonging to Obito, cast a glance at Madara, and said, "Not choosing him? He looks like an idiot, very easy to manipulate..."
Madara shot an unquestionable sidelong glare at him and said, "Remember, you are merely a wisp of my will. All you need to do... is obey!"
Black Zetsu bowed in salute and said, "Yes, Madara-sama."
Subsequently, a trace of mockery flashed across his lowered head once more. Following that... he merged into the ground and vanished.
Within the gloomy, dark underground fortress, only the "corpse" and a mute demonic statue remained in the blink of an eye, savoring the isolation.
Once Black Zetsu's shadow had vanished from his sight, the "corpse" gazed through layers of rock, looking far away toward the location of Konoha...
Today's Konoha was as peaceful and tranquil as any other day, completely untouched by the Third Shinobi World War, almost excessively calm... Except for the Fugaku household, where someone was pounding heavily on the door!
Bang, bang, bang...
Bang, bang, bang...
Within the Uchiha clan compound, the small courtyard belonging to Fugaku Uchiha welcomed two rare "uninvited guests"!
Hearing the knock on the door, Fugaku Uchiha, having just finished his night shift and sitting at the dining table in the living room drinking tea while waiting for Mikoto to finish making breakfast so he could eat and sleep, frowned. Rising to his feet, he approached the entryway, pulled open the door, and froze for a few seconds before saying, "Tsunade-sama..."
☆☆☆
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