Return
For the past two days, Black Zetsu had been… irritated.And it hated being irritated.
Too many bizarre incidents had erupted across the ninja world, all of them completely outside its thousand-year understanding.
For example:The Land of Lightning losing over ten thousand chickens overnight, bankrupting the girl who raised them. Black Zetsu's own investigations revealed strange thieves who stole only the meat, leaving feathers, organs, and heads behind.
Normally, a trivial matter.
But when combined with Uchiha Tobika tossing fried chicken around like charity, suddenly the situation was… suspicious.Probably connected in some way it didn't yet understand.
Then there was Sunagakure.
They'd apparently lost the kettle that once sealed Shukaku.On paper, not a serious issue.The One-Tail was already sealed inside its jinchuriki; the old vessel held little value.
But then Black Zetsu saw that kettle inside Konoha—and sensed Shukaku inside it.
No one else would've recognized it.But Black Zetsu, co-author of history itself, could never mistake that tanuki's chakra.
It was like witnessing a ghost.
Later, after rushing to Suna and locating the jinchuriki who housed Shukaku's original body…Black Zetsu petrified on the spot.
Suna had Shukaku No. 1.Konoha had Shukaku No. 2.Both genuine, both alive.
Impossible.Absolutely impossible.
When had the ninja world started doing things without its permission?
Tracing the timeline backward—the divergence seemed to begin around the moment Uchiha Tobika packed his bags to leave Konoha… then randomly changed his mind.
Everything had been on track before that.Madara was properly guided.Uchiha Obito had already assumed Madara's identity and begun acting as his agent.The plan had been flowing smoothly.
Now?The plan was tangled.
Two One-Tails.If they tried to seal both, would the chakra merge correctly?If they sealed only one, would the other interfere and cause disaster?
If something went wrong and ruined Kaguya's resurrection, Black Zetsu would genuinely throw itself into a hole and stay there for eternity.
Behind it, White Zetsu tilted its head.
"Should we tell Madara-sama?"
Black Zetsu closed its eyes.Telling Madara wouldn't help. He had no way to re-fuse two tailed beasts.And killing one of them was too risky—if either Shukaku were harmed in an unexpected way, the plan could collapse.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Tobika was not an easy pawn to manipulate.
White Zetsu seemed to read its hesitation.
"Madara-sama is strong. He hasn't abandoned his beliefs. If anyone can handle this, it's him."
Black Zetsu reluctantly agreed.
Whether out of stubbornness toward Hashiramaor genuine desire for peace,Madara was—regrettably—an extremely effective tool.
Obito… less so.Ever since Rin died, Obito's emotional stability had collapsed.He accepted the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan, sure, but behaved erratically far too often.
Better to leave him alone until he stabilized.
As for the host carrying Shukaku No. 2…That host seemed to have some connection to Madara.
Maybe sending Madara to investigate the dual tailed beasts was the safest option.
Black Zetsu grimaced.
It would not tolerate any unpredictable factors in the world.And the nine beasts suddenly becoming ten?That was a mountain of iron blocking its path to saving Mother.
Completely unacceptable.
It clenched its teeth.
"Madara-sama. Madara-sama."
The faint voice echoed in a cavern.
The old Uchiha slowly opened his eyes from his light slumber.
Madara lifted his head as White Zetsu materialized from the floor with a cheerful grin.
"Madara-sama, are you awake?"
"…Yes."
A plastic bag dropped onto his lap.
Madara stared at it.
Inside the bag…Three-colored dango.
His eye twitched.
"You idiot," he growled. "I should never have allowed Hashirama's cells into your body."
He shook his head slowly, remembering the man he once called friend.Hashirama, with charisma so ridiculous that even a speck of his cells could infect this creature's thought process like stupidity.
Normal White Zetsu:diligent, obedient, efficient.
Hashirama-fied White Zetsu:brain full of nonsense, constantly bringing strange food or random objects back to the hideout, muttering about toilets and jokes he didn't understand.
"Madara-sama!"White Zetsu perked up. "I found two important pieces of intel. Really important for our peace plan! Long story, so you eat—I'll talk—and then I'll help you to the bathroom later."
Madara stared at it.
"You… can gather intel?"
"Yup!" The creature beamed. "One good news, one bad."
"Speak."
Madara placed the dango aside.
Ever since his brother died, and since Hashirama chose the wrong path, nothing in the world could qualify as "bad" to him anymore.
White Zetsu cleared its throat.
"Good news: capturing the One-Tail is much easier than we thought. Huge boost to the Moon's Eye Plan!"
"Next."
"Bad news… there are currently two One-Tails. One in Suna. One in Konoha."
Madara stared blankly at the stone ceiling.
…Had his hearing finally degraded?
Because he could have sworn he heard something impossible.
A One-Tail.And then another One-Tail.
He slowly rose from his seat, joints creaking, walked to White Zetsu, and forced his face calm.
"Repeat. The bad news."
"Oh—sure!"White Zetsu nodded."There are two One-Tails now."
Madara inhaled deeply, steadying himself.
This…ranked right behind his brother's deathand Hashirama betraying their dream.
For the first time in decades, irritation washed over him.
The Moon's Eye Plan… had a crack in it.
He looked around the dim cavern, then down at his withered hands and the tubes keeping him alive.
If he left the Demonic Statue, he would die instantly.
He had believed the plan would ensure eternal peace.But if it failed…He might as well have died at Hashirama's hand back then.
"Madara-sama," White Zetsu ventured, "should we return to the Uchiha district to check?"
Return.
Madara glanced at the tubes behind him.
Just walking out would kill him.
White Zetsu scratched its head.
"Since you rely on the Demonic Statue's chakra to survive… why not absorb that chakra into your own body? That way you could move freely for a short while."
Hidden in the stone behind them, Black Zetsu sighed silently.
It hadn't wanted Madara to leave the cave.Ideally, the old man would die here, and the plan would proceed with Obito.
It had even considered convincing the Hashirama-fused idiot to "accidentally" tell Madara to remove his tubes.
But not now.Not with two One-Tails.
For today, Madara needed to survive.Possibly even recover some strength.
The plan demanded it.