Next Bonus, 100PS!!
--------------------------------------------------
Black Zetsu listened in silence while Senju Tsuru talked about going to the battlefield. The shadowy face in Tsuru's palm lowered slightly, looking thoughtful, as if considering the idea.
The battlefield was where all the chaos in the Shinobi world came together. If they were going to search, that was the best place. With some luck, they might even meet this era's Indra reincarnation.
Black Zetsu remembered that Indra's current reincarnation was the Uchiha Clan's first female leader. She was proud, stubborn, and had become the heart of her clan.
A person like her wouldn't miss the battlefield.
"I'm going to tell my father."
Tsuru couldn't hide his excitement. He ran to the clan head's house, eager to tell his father the best news he'd had in years: he could mold chakra again.
Inside the clan head's hall, Tsuru gripped his ink-blackened left hand and blurted out the news, his voice virtually glowing. He could train again.
For a moment, the clan head just stared in shock. After more than ten lost years, his son could finally practice ninjutsu again.
"Ah! That's wonderful news!"
At first, the Senju Clan Head was frozen with surprise, then he broke into a smile. He stepped forward and clapped Tsuru on the shoulder, his eyes showing relief.
Without missing a beat, he called for the clan's ninjutsu scrolls and even pressed the prototype Chakra-Enhanced Strength technique into Tsuru's hands.
[Note: Chakra-Enhanced Strength was originally created by Senju Tobirama, so it should not exist in this era. The version here is only a prototype.]
"Tsuru, your basics has only just recovered. Focus on training for two months first. Once I test your strength, we'll discuss sending you to the battlefield. Do not rush this."
The Senju Clan Head's voice was stern, but full of hope.
"Okay!" Tsuru nodded.
"Your hand?" The Senju Clan Head looked at Tsuru's pitch-black left hand with some confusion.
"Oh, nothing. I just thought it looked cool." Tsuru smiled.
The clan head looked at it for a moment, saw nothing unusual, and nodded. "You have a weird sense of style—"
..............
Dragon Vein, Dunes.
Hot wind blew across the yellow dunes, stirring the sand above the Dragon Vein.
Sage Shima stood to the side, her eyebrows knitted with worry.
Tobi rocked back and forth in his White Zetsu body, curiosity written all over his face as he felt the power pulsing below.
"Wow, that chakra fluctuation is terrifying! The Dragon Vein's power is even more massive than Mount Myōboku's. No wonder the Grand Sage sent us to investigate."
[Note: The Dragon Vein is described as chakra flowing through the earth. In theory, it is infinite. Personally, I don't think it is truly infinite, because the Earth itself can be destroyed. If the planet is gone, the Dragon Vein disappears with it.]
Sage Shima nodded. "The Grand Sage wants to move the Dragon Vein back to Mount Myōboku. Bringing such a strong power into the mountain... I don't know what changes it could cause."
She stopped speaking, uncertainty showing in her eyes.
"You're worrying too much. The Grand Sage is the one moving it. We're just here to check the area," Tobi said, shrugging.
Shima turned to him. "No one is allowed to enter within a hundred miles of the Dragon Vein. This matter is too important for mistakes."
Tobi slapped his chest. "Don't worry! I already took care of everyone within a hundred miles!"
"Mm... wait, what?"
Shima nodded at first, then suddenly reacted. Her eyes widened and she snapped, "What did you just say?"
Tobi quickly waved his hands and grinned. "Haha, don't be mad, Senior. I'm just joking!"
As soon as he finished, Shima hit him hard on the head.
"If you keep running your mouth like that, I'll demote you to the Lunar Intelligence Bureau and make you spend the rest of your life watching stars as a space intelligence officer!"
Tobi grabbed his head and howled, looking hurt. Then he leaned in and asked, "Senior, when are we going back to the center of the Shinobi world?"
Shima glanced at him. "Why are you so eager to go back?"
"I want to see how Senior Black Zetsu's plan is going. Maybe I'll get a Sage examination one day too, so I should learn from him now."
Tobi laughed, eyes full of curiosity.
"HAH?"
Shima couldn't help but laugh. She patted his shoulder. "You really do think ahead. I haven't even finished a full Sage body yet, and you're already thinking about an examination? Wait a few more years."
..............
Three months passed before anyone noticed.
The autumn wind blew golden leaves across the Senju Clan's training field.
Tsuru stood tall in dark gray armor, chakra swirling around him. He gathered fire-nature chakra in his palm and shouted, "Fire Style: Flame Barrage!"
Fireballs flew out one after another, hitting the stone targets and bursting apart.
His hands moved quickly through seals, and his chakra changed in an instant.
"Water Style: Water Wall!" A pale blue wall of water surged up from the ground.
Tsuru's hands moved again.
"Earth Style: Mud Swamp!" The ground turned to thick mud, swallowing a training dummy whole.
When the ninjutsu ended, Tsuru hefted a massive Senju blade. Chakra surged through his arms, and the blade sliced the air with a heavy rush.
He swung again and again, sending sharp arcs that cut clean through the wooden posts.
Snap!
His last swing faded into stillness. Tsuru dropped into a low stance, feeling the strength humming in his body. He clenched his fist, grinning.
"I'M STRONGER!"
The ink-black face in his left palm surfaced. Black Zetsu smiled and nodded. "Mastering three chakra natures in two months and grasping the prototype of Chakra-Enhanced Strength. That progress is excellent."
"It's all thanks to you, Sage Black Zetsu," Tsuru said, sounding honest and a bit shy. "If you hadn't helped me with chakra and control, I couldn't handle even one nature, much less three."
After three months together, they had grown close, like teacher and student, but also like old friends.
Tsuru talked to Black Zetsu about everything—his ideals, his way of the Shinobi, the Senju's future, even the old stories of the Shinobi world.
The more they talked, the more Tsuru found himself amazed by Black Zetsu's knowledge.
Black Zetsu seemed to know everything—ninjutsu, the hidden histories of every clan, even the ins and outs of politics and the mortal kingdoms. His knowledge felt endless.
Tsuru scratched his head, puzzled. "Sage Black Zetsu, how do you know so much? You even know more about the Senju than my father does. How?"
Black Zetsu almost snorted.
He'd seen the history of the Shinobi world with his own eyes. Of course he knew more than these kids.
On the outside, he showed no reaction. Instead, he changed the subject. "That's not important. You're strong enough now. It's time to test yourself on the battlefield. Tell me, you've never killed anyone before, have you?"
Tsuru's smile faded. He hesitated briefly, then said, "I've never killed a shinobi. I've only helped with the pigs..."
"Hahahahahahahaha."
Black Zetsu let out a laugh, his shadowy outline shaking a little.
Tsuru looked uneasy. "I want to help the Senju, but I don't like killing. Every life matters. We shouldn't take it lightly, right?"
Black Zetsu nodded a little, his voice calm. "You have a good nature. Sadly, you were born in the wrong era."
"The Shinobi world is soaked in blood now, and the age itself is cruel. If you had been born in the time of Ninshū's first leader, that person would have liked you."
"Ninshū's first leader?" Tsuru frowned, confused. "You mean the Sage of Ninshū? I thought he was just a legend. Was he real?"
Tsuru had no idea that Black Zetsu, standing right there, was once the brother of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo—the Sage of Ninshū himself.
Black Zetsu paused, a trace of sadness flickering inside.
For kids like Tsuru, names like Hagoromo, Asura, Indra, and Ninshū were already just old stories—half myth, half memory.
Black Zetsu sighed inwardly.
The Grand Sage had been right.
"After a hundred years, I become legend. After a thousand, I become myth."
--------------------------------------------------
~ Every 100 PS => Bonus Chapter!
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)