The wilds of the Land of Lightning.
The Demonic Statue materialized before Indra with a thunderous crash.
Black Zetsu cackled in delight. "Hahaha, as expected of you! You actually snatched the statue that Naruto went through all that trouble to obtain!"
Indra rose to his feet, the six-tomoe Rinnegan in his eyes swirling with an unreadable depth. "I'm simply reclaiming what was mine to begin with. Nothing to make a fuss about."
But Black Zetsu thought to itself: Hmph, Indra—that statue isn't yours. Still, I'll let you borrow it for now.
Of course, none of this showed on its face as it continued to play the loyal attendant.
"The one who controls the Demonic Statue also commands its spawn—the White Zetsu. That's a force you can't ignore. Let's gather them…"
"True. Better to have them than leave them in enemy hands," Indra agreed, weaving hand seals.
—Outer Path: Statue Summoning!
Thousands of miles away in Amegakure, every single White Zetsu froze in place.
"The master of the statue—Lord Indra's will—is calling us!!"
"To our master's side!"
Rustle, rustle, rustle… The White Zetsu army betrayed their current masters, burrowing into the earth and racing toward Indra.
A hundred miles from Indra's location—
Rustle, rustle, rustle… Tobi began to peel away from Obito's body, fighting against the summoner's will. "Obito, stop me! I—I can't control myself!!"
Obito grabbed the end of Tobi's vine-like body, his right eye narrowing with focus.
—Kamui!
Whoosh!
Tobi vanished into the time-space dimension.
Hang in there, Tobi, Obito thought grimly.
Traveling beside him, Asura asked, "What was that just now?"
Obito replied, "Tobi is one of the White Zetsu created by Kaguya during the original Infinite Tsukuyomi. All White Zetsu must obey the summoner of the Demonic Statue—no matter what."
That explained why, in his previous life, Tobi had followed Madara's orders after his revival, even watching helplessly as Obito was betrayed.
Asura grew agitated. "What is my brother planning?! Obito, take me to Amegakure. I need to strategize with the reincarnate about stopping him!"
But Obito was resolute. "My mission is to keep close watch on Indra's movements. Saving you was just a bonus. Mission comes first."
…
Rustle, rustle, rustle…!
The White Zetsu emerged one after another from the earth before Indra, bowing low.
"Lord Indra, we have come at your call…"
Indra surveyed them coolly. "Weren't there supposed to be a hundred thousand? Why does the count seem off?"
Before him stood roughly ninety thousand White Zetsu—ten thousand missing.
Black Zetsu answered, "Some were lost in previous battles, and it looks like a portion were brainwashed by Uzumaki Naruto using Kotoamatsukami. Those under the genjutsu seem to have broken free from the statue's command."
Indra's gaze sharpened. "Oh? Kotoamatsukami can sever the link between the products of Infinite Tsukuyomi and the statue itself? Impressive…"
Black Zetsu fumed inwardly: Damn it! Tobi and that bastard 'A-Juan' didn't show up. I wanted to use this as payback for that humiliation in Konoha!
Watching the White Zetsu army, Black Zetsu had an idea. "Indra, you haven't shown off the dōjutsu your Rinnegan awakened, have you? Why not give these guys a test run?"
Indra glanced sidelong at Black Zetsu. "You seem awfully interested in my abilities."
Black Zetsu grinned. "Of course I am! You're the prodigy I've waited for since a thousand years ago. Asura, Hagoromo—they're nothing compared to you. Who wouldn't want to witness the power your eyes have birthed?"
"Fine. I'll indulge you…" Indra turned away and strode forward.
As he walked, his left eye locked onto a White Zetsu.
Sizzle!
"Gah…!" The White Zetsu shrieked as its body shriveled into a withered husk.
Black Zetsu gasped. "What… what is that?!"
Indra said calmly, "That was my left eye. Now, the right…"
Sizzle!
His right eye focused on another White Zetsu.
Crack—!
"Aaaaghhh…!" The White Zetsu's body convulsed, then twisted grotesquely as thick tree branches burst out from within, tearing it apart.
Splatter!
White sap sprayed everywhere, but the remaining White Zetsu didn't even flinch.
Indra turned to Black Zetsu. "Do you understand now?"
Black Zetsu analyzed, "The left eye absorbs life force remotely, and the right eye releases Wood Release through your gaze?"
Indra smirked. "Not bad. I'll tell you—the dōjutsu born from these eyes is called Konohana-Chiru-Ryu. The left eye directly siphons life force from the target, turning it into my own vitality."
"The right eye is a bit more complicated. It plants undetectable 'Wooden Flower Seeds' in the target, which absorb chakra and rapidly sprout. Used on living beings, as you saw, the growing wood tears them apart from the inside…"
Black Zetsu was stunned. "What a terrifying dōjutsu! If Konohana-Chiru-Ryu is used with both eyes together, the results must be unimaginable!"
Indra's gaze grew enigmatic. "That, I'm afraid, is classified."
But Black Zetsu was already scheming: I know, Indra. If you use both eyes at once, Konohana-Chiru-Ryu can draw limitless life force directly from the earth itself, converting it into your own chakra.
Unlimited—so much so that the chakra absorbed exceeds your body's ability to contain it. At that point, the user transforms into the Ten-Tails, into the Divine Tree!
And how do I know? Konohana-Chiru-Ryu is an ancient power, first born within the Divine Tree. Among Mother's clan, only a rare few could wield it!
When Konohana-Chiru-Ryu is combined with Wood Release, it's truly the stuff of legends.
Now that Indra has awakened this dōjutsu, I'd better keep my distance and watch for now.
Black Zetsu changed the subject, probing, "The Demonic Statue is still missing the power of the Nine-Tails, which is with Uzumaki Naruto and his father. Indra, shouldn't our next stop be Amegakure?"
Indra nodded. "Yes, it's time. Let's move out."
Just then, one of the White Zetsu spoke up. "Lord Indra, there's no need to go—Minato Namikaze is already on his way here with the Nine-Tails!"
Black Zetsu blinked. "Wait, Minato Namikaze? Isn't that Naruto's father? Why would he bring the Nine-Tails here?"
The White Zetsu replied stiffly, "I only answer to Lord Indra."
Black Zetsu scowled. "Tch…"
Indra commanded, "Answer his question."
The White Zetsu responded, "Because… Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Naruto have had a falling out over ideals. They've severed their father-son bond, and he's coming to pledge allegiance to you, great Lord Indra!"
This White Zetsu looked calm on the outside, but inside it was panicking: Damn it, I was just curious and tagged along, and now I've stumbled into a huge scene. I can only hope to keep in mental contact with the other Kotoamatsukami-blessed comrades and pray the others don't catch on too soon…
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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