"Fishing?" Sasuke frowned slightly, his gaze narrowing as he looked at Black Zetsu. "How do you plan to pull that off?"
As a ninja, strategy was everything. If he could conserve energy by eliminating others, he was all for it. Though Sasuke was confident in his abilities, his Uncle Akihiko always drilled one lesson into him: "As a ninja, you must remain cautious and humble. Never think you're invincible!"
If he ignored that advice, his uncle would hit him on the head and make him write essays. Sasuke couldn't afford to take his guard down. Besides, now that he understood the price to pay for unlocking that pair of eyes, he knew this power required sacrifice.
But as he rubbed his eyes, his expression turned more serious. Family, friends, comrades, the ones who caused him both anger and sorrow were the ones who triggered the awakening of that power. The question lingered in his mind: But what could he afford to lose?
At that moment, something seemed to cross Sasuke's mind. He turned his head involuntarily, his gaze lingering on Naruto with a complicated expression.
"Hiss~" Naruto suddenly shivered, rubbing his arms. "Why does it feel so cold all of a sudden?"
Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and replied with a straight face, "Maybe the weather's cooling down. Make sure to wear more layers next time."
Naruto blinked, confused by the oddly considerate remark, but before he could question it, Sasuke had already shifted his focus back to Black Zetsu. "Alright, let's hear your plan."
Black Zetsu's lips curled into a confident smirk. "No need to worry, I've got everything figured out."
"First…" Black Zetsu began, "There are still a lot of participants in this exam. While some have already been eliminated, many remain. This is not just a test of strength, but endurance as well. The more energy you conserve, the longer you can last, and the higher your score. So…"
He paused for a moment, as if weighing his next words carefully. Then, with a sense of finality, he continued, "We need bait. Using my knowledge of the area, we can lure enemies one by one, then eliminate them with minimal effort, trap them, knock them out, or even gang up on them."
He glanced at Sasuke, who was still deep in thought, and at Naruto, who scratched his head, confused. Black Zetsu went on, "The bait needs to be both attractive enough to draw attention and trustworthy enough to make others lower their guard. That's how we create an opportunity."
A sly grin crept onto his face as he looked at Naruto. "For this, I think Naruto is the perfect choice. He's well-liked at the academy, and people naturally approve of him. That makes him ideal for…"
But before he could finish, he noticed both Sasuke and Naruto narrowing their eyes at him. A chill ran down his spine. His voice faltered slightly. "W-What? Is something wrong? Is my plan not good? I mean, sure, there are a few flaws, but that's fine. Let me think of a better solution…"
"No, no, no!" Sasuke, who had been calm until now, suddenly flashed a mysterious smile. "The plan is perfect. This is it!"
"Yeah, it's great!" Naruto chimed in with a grin, giving a thumbs-up. "I didn't expect you to come up with something this clever."
"Well..." Black Zetsu hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think it still needs some fine-tuning."
Sasuke shook his head, his expression confident. "No, it's good. It's exactly what we need."
"Yeah, I agree!" Naruto added, his enthusiasm matching Sasuke's. "It sounds like a solid plan to me!"
"I..." Black Zetsu started, but Sasuke cut him off with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"Alright, alright! If you both think it's fine, then it's settled!" Black Zetsu hesitated under the weight of their stares before forcing a nervous smile. "But about the bait, "
"Bait?" Sasuke smirked, shaking his head. "I've found an even better one. Forget it, this idiot isn't the best choice. I'd rather not take unnecessary risks."
"Oi! Who are you calling an idiot?!" Naruto huffed, crossing his arms. Then, as if suddenly recalling something, he turned to Black Zetsu with a grin. "Actually, I found someone even more perfect for the bait, too!"
Black Zetsu blinked, his smile faltering slightly. "...Oh? That's great! But… who?"
However, as soon as the words left Black Zetsu's mouth, Sasuke and Naruto fell silent, both continuing to smile at him. An awkward stillness hung in the air.
Black Zetsu blinked, confusion creeping over him. After a moment, his smile faltered, and he quickly realized his earlier suspicion had been spot on. Forced to laugh nervously, he said, "Uh, well... I'm starting to think this plan isn't as good as I thought. Maybe I should come up with something else? Besides, everyone's so wary around me, it's not ideal. Not ideal at all."
"No need." Sasuke's expression remained calm, his voice unshaken. "This plan works. Don't worry, I have a way. No one will suspect a thing."
"Wh-what idea?" After a moment, Black Zetsu glanced around expressionlessly, his eyes shifting down to the ropes binding him. He then looked back at Sasuke and Naruto below.
How had he ended up in this situation? The thought nagged at him for a brief second before he spoke, his voice hesitant. "There's something... I'm not sure if I should say it or not..."
"No rush," Sasuke interrupted, still calm as ever. He clapped his hands lightly, then gestured toward the surroundings. "We'll talk after the exam. Someone's coming."
Without another word, Sasuke grabbed the still-grinning Naruto and pulled him into a nearby hiding spot, leaving Black Zetsu standing there, now speechless. A curse rose in his mind as he realized just how difficult it was to deceive this year's Ashura and Indra.
In fact, as he stood there, something strange welled up inside him. His eyes, which had never known tears, suddenly felt... moist. He blinked, then gazed at the horizon, his voice barely a whisper. "Mom... I miss you so much..."
…
At the same time, the audience outside watched the screens in stunned silence. Was this even a valid tactic? Using their own teammate as bait to lure others in? Who had taught them such a thing?
Among the older, more experienced Grass-nin in the crowd, a few couldn't help but smile with approval. One of them sighed, his voice tinged with admiration, "The future of Grass Village is in good hands."
Now this, this was the true spirit of a Grass-nin. As expected from the students of Akihiko, they betrayed their allies without hesitation.
Meanwhile, feeling the strange stares directed his way, Akihiko chuckled awkwardly before nodding in approval. "Not bad... they've really grown up!"
And the moment those words left his lips, "Pfft—" The crowd couldn't help but scoff in unison. At this point, they all knew exactly what the so-called 'spirit of Grass' truly meant.
Especially Mikoto… Back then, she had truly believed Akihiko was a wise and open-hearted leader. After all, he had taken in wandering shinobi, compiled ninjutsu into textbooks, and selflessly provided education for young children, on the surface, everything pointed to a compassionate and noble man.
But over the years, as she gained a deeper understanding of what it truly meant to lead the Grass Village, she realized the truth. And the most baffling part? Akihiko had never even bothered to hide it.
Just then, Akihiko pointed at the screen and said casually, "Looks like we have company."
At his words, everyone's eyes snapped to the screen. Sure enough, a lone ninja was approaching Black Zetsu with careful steps, scanning his surroundings warily.