Somewhere in the shinobi world.
"What… what is this!" Black Zetsu tore open the envelope delivered from the black market. The moment it glanced at the contents, it froze in place.
From head to toe, an immense wave of terror surged through its entire body.
Inside the envelope, there were no words—only a decently drawn picture:
A woman trapped inside a sphere, writhing in agony, while not far away a man lurked in the shadows, his gaze cold and detached, as if ready to strike at any moment to finish her off…
Black Zetsu immediately thought of its mother—Kaguya!
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had been sealed away for a thousand years in precisely such a manner, trapped by the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei.
And the Sage of Six Paths, like the man in the drawing, had hidden within the Pure Land, spying from afar…
This wasn't just Black Zetsu being paranoid.
Rather, it was that Tobirama, who had seen both the Sage of Six Paths and Kaguya, had deliberately included certain distinctive traits in his strokes, perfectly capturing their unique essence.
To someone equally familiar with Kaguya and the Sage, Black Zetsu couldn't help but be drawn in at first glance.
What alarmed it most was the fact that someone else might know of Kaguya's existence… something it guarded against with the utmost vigilance. Kaguya must never be known by others. Any leak could devastate its plan.
Hidden in the shadows, Black Zetsu was formidable. But if dragged into the light, if its true nature were exposed, its power would hardly be worth mentioning—
"How is this possible? A mere Senju brat—not even the reincarnation of Asura's chakra! There's no way he could know any of this!" Black Zetsu's gaze trembled as it stared at the signature on the envelope—Senju Tobirama. Its mind was shaken to the core.
What did it mean, sending such a drawing to me?
Senju Tobirama knows of my existence, my identity—and even the story of Kaguya and the Sage of Six Paths?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
For over a thousand years of maneuvering in the shinobi world, Black Zetsu had tried approaching countless reincarnations of Indra's chakra, yet never once had its true nature been discovered.
Let alone by someone from the Senju camp. Ever since the Sage of Six Paths had sealed away all traces of Kaguya in the ancient era, no one knew of the Rabbit Goddess's existence.
The only divine figure remembered was the Sage of Six Paths, founder of Ninshū.
Black Zetsu drew in a deep breath, forcing itself to steady. It examined Tobirama's drawing again and again.
"No… perhaps I'm overthinking this. The man in the shadows is Senju Tobirama, and the woman trapped in the sphere is Uchiha Izunai. Is this the Water Release: Water Prison Technique?"
After studying it closely for some time, it arrived at another, self-consistent explanation.
This was Tobirama depicting his own triumph over Uchiha Izunai.
But why send me such a drawing?
Black Zetsu felt as though its brain was about to ignite. If one tried to follow this thread, the possibilities became endless…
Perhaps Tobirama was flaunting his confidence in victory to the one who trafficked in information. Or perhaps he believed this was false intel spread by Uchiha Izunai, and so mocked her with a drawing meant to enrage and humiliate…
Or… did he truly know something?
Until now, the shinobi world had always been transparent in Black Zetsu's eyes. No person harbored the slightest secret from it…
But then suddenly, Senju Tobirama appeared—seemingly outside of that control.
Given Tobirama's known capacity for analysis, his curiosity for ancient texts and forbidden techniques, a chill ran through Black Zetsu's heart.
Its primary surveillance targets had always been the reincarnations of Asura's and Indra's chakra.
Mortals like Senju Tobirama had never been in Black Zetsu's eyes.
For no matter how skilled they were, they could never break free of the constraints of era and bloodline. What they could achieve was always limited… only the reincarnations of Asura and Indra had the potential to shatter the existing seal.
But after seeing that drawing, the situation had changed.
To ensure nothing went wrong with Kaguya's resurrection, Black Zetsu had to uncover exactly what Tobirama was. Even if it was only coincidence, Black Zetsu would dig into every last cause and consequence.
"Senju Tobirama…"
Murderous intent flickered in Black Zetsu's eyes. "Uchiha Izunai must die—and you're another wretch who deserves death…"
...
The Senju compound.
[Detected the target Black Zetsu, carrying Ōtsutsuki chakra, harboring intense dread toward you!]
[You have extracted a measure of foreign spacetime essence, unlocking part of your abilities!]
As Tobirama was pondering how best to persuade Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna, his gaze sharpened.
At that instant, when the spacetime essence belonging to Black Zetsu was seized by Tobirama, much of that clinging, sluggish suppression within his body—imposed by the laws of time and space—vanished.
Tobirama arched a brow, flipped his wrist, and drew a kunai, channeling chakra into it.
The Flying Thunder God seal was engraved upon the kunai. Tobirama's ability to sense space and wield fūinjutsu returned, and the flow of chakra through his body grew smooth and effortless.
He then produced several more kunai, etching each one with the Flying Thunder God seal. With each release of the technique, he tested and confirmed the state of his body.
"This will do… Black Zetsu just helped me break the ice!"
Tobirama allowed himself a satisfied smile, a weight lifted from his chest.
On paper, Tobirama was now on par with his eighteen-year-old self from the original timeline. The difference was, this time, he carried with him decades of accumulated battle wisdom, forbidden techniques, and the mentality he had forged through his journey alongside Kazuki.
"With the Flying Thunder God, dealing with Uchiha Izuna will be more than enough… even if he awakens the Mangekyō Sharingan."
There was, however, one thing that still piqued Tobirama's curiosity.
Though outwardly his eyes now appeared crimson, that was only because Kazuki had helped conceal his Mangekyō Sharingan beneath the guise—done to prevent this spacetime from rejecting a power too strong.
The strength was sealed, but the foundation of the Eternal Mangekyō—or even the Rinnegan—remained intact.
So, if Uchiha Izuna tried to forcibly bind him with the power of his Mangekyō in this state… would it still work?
Tobirama thought back to that battle where he had grievously wounded Izuna—how Izuna had first used his three-tomoe Sharingan to control him, how Tobirama, knocked aside, had countered the Great Fireball with Water Release, raising a thick mist.
Within that fog, Izuna, wielding his Mangekyō, had brimmed with confidence. And it was precisely that confidence that let Tobirama cut him down with a Flying Thunder God slash, securing victory in that clash.
If it came down to another fight now…
Tobirama thought he might just slap Uchiha Izuna across the face the moment that smug Sharingan glare appeared!
"Jiejiejie…" The thought alone made Tobirama let out a strange laugh, the kind that sounded just like a villain's.
Toying with an Uchiha Izuna who had yet to fully grow—in Tobirama's eyes, who had already faced Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, even Gaia's Will, and Ōtsutsuki Shibai—was no different from bullying a child.
And yet…
Why did the idea feel so entertaining? Just the thought of it fired him up instantly!
"Good. It's decided." Tobirama rubbed the Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand, settling his plan for the upcoming meeting with the Uchiha clan.
In short, Tobirama's aim was to reach an early agreement with the Uchiha clan, to end the Warring States as soon as possible and then establish a shinobi village greater than Konohagakure itself. With the strength of an organization, he could then help Kazuki search for Shibai's Remains.
Although the remains were theoretically somewhere in the ocean…
The problem, according to the intel Kazuki had provided, was that the thing could conceal itself and even possessed a degree of sentience.
If it provoked Isshiki, who was hiding in the shinobi world, into making a stand, Tobirama would still need Madara and Izuna as muscle to hold the front line.
At the very least, they must not become his enemies.
Even for Tobirama, before his strength returned to the level of the Six Paths, facing Madara, Izuna, Isshiki, and perhaps even the Sage of Six Paths together would be an impossible burden to handle alone.
"The Uchiha clan… aside from Kazuki, this lot always has to be stroked the right way, but they also need to be shown force. I'm certain Uchiha Izuna will set an ambush during the talks!"
"And he'll definitely assume I plan to do the same… But this time, it will just be Hashirama and me. With my Flying Thunder God, I don't fear two Uchiha who don't even possess Eternal Mangekyō."
"In that case, it will be they who violate honor first… And with Madara's friendship toward Hashirama, that man will definitely feel indebted. That will open the door for true negotiations."
Feeling at ease, Tobirama sought out the young Hashirama and laid out his plan for the talks.
The moment Hashirama realized his brother had no intention of deploying hidden reinforcements, he was stunned. He looked Tobirama up and down in disbelief, as though this brother of his had turned into a stranger before his very eyes.
"Tobirama, you mean you're not planning to ambush the Uchiha? I'm truly moved!" The young Hashirama hugged Tobirama tight, tears welling up, and cried out: "That day, when you spoke to me about allying with the Uchiha, ending the chaos, and opening the way to peace… I thought you were lying! But now, Tobirama, it turns out your heart isn't only filled with forbidden techniques and killing!"
"You want to change things! Tobirama, I misunderstood you!"
Tobirama's forehead darkened with irritation. He couldn't hold back from shoving his brother's arms away.
Really, just listen to this nonsense!
So in Hashirama's eyes, he had always been nothing more than some blood-soaked Senju demon?
Heh. As if the Senju clan had only one peace-loving good man—Hashirama the noble one!
"In any case, that's how it'll be… But keep in mind, even though we're going into these talks with genuine intent, there's no ruling out the chance that Uchiha Izuna might make a move—so we need to stay cautious."
Tobirama cast a sidelong glance at the young Hashirama, then spoke slowly: "Still… with that unmarked healing ability of yours, you're not likely to end up like some washed-up fool who gets struck down with a single blow and can't recover. So if a fight does break out, just don't be too surprised."
The young Hashirama blinked in confusion.
"No, Tobirama… Madara already promised me we would talk. Something like that won't happen." He shook his head firmly.
"Just as you said… this is no longer the time when Father and Uchiha Tajima led our clans. In this new age, the Uchiha and Senju are bound to find a true opportunity for cooperation!"
Tobirama shrugged, unwilling to answer that.
If Kazuki were present, then yes, the answer would be certain. Kazuki was the greatest shinobi the world had ever known, the one who brought true peace to this planet.
But the Uchiha without Kazuki? That was another matter entirely.
At the very least, Tobirama was certain that when Uchiha Izuna saw only him and the young Hashirama arriving for the talks, no matter his motive, he would definitely try to strike.
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