In the end, even the combined efforts of Earth and Stone failed to capture Black Zetsu.
But this outcome was within expectations. After all, Black Zetsu's escape and survival abilities were exceptional. Once he vanishes from sight, the likelihood of apprehending him becomes negligible. His capacity to burrow and merge with the terrain grants him almost guaranteed evasion.
Moreover, Black Zetsu possesses survival strategies that are borderline unnatural, akin to severing his own tail to survive—much like certain animals. There's little more the duo could have done.
Uchiha Kiyo had long delved into the study of the soul, and over time, he refined various methods of soul cultivation and development. Several soul-targeting techniques had been invented and perfected under his hands.
However, Black Zetsu's existence was uniquely troublesome. From the beginning, Earth and Stone never assumed they could restrain or kill him entirely. To create a technique capable of permanently neutralizing Black Zetsu, experimentation on him would be necessary.
But that kind of risk—should Black Zetsu escape—would be catastrophic.
Black Zetsu now serves as Madara's most trusted confidant. In addition, he commands an unknown number of White Zetsu clones. Combined with his elusive movements and the unpredictable use of space-time jutsu, Black Zetsu becomes a ghost-like figure—nearly impossible to track. Even now, most of the White Zetsu clones remain dormant.
If awakened, White Zetsu could spread across the entire Ninja World. Unless Earth and Stone chose to remain secluded indefinitely on their isolated research island, eventually, they'd be found.
Even Kiyo's own hidden body might eventually be discovered. He wasn't entirely certain there weren't already White Zetsu hidden on Qing Island…
The mysterious Dead Sea, located in the southeastern reaches of the Ninja World, was unlikely to be a coincidence. There's a strong chance it served as a battleground between the Sage of Six Paths and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki centuries ago. The area might still harbor dormant White Zetsu clones from that era.
Granted, unless hostilities escalated dramatically, the odds of such a discovery were slim.
Still, constant vigilance was necessary.
Despite living for millennia, Black Zetsu was emotionally immature—a "child" in many ways. If he ever discovered a credible method of killing him had been developed, he might panic and unleash every White Zetsu in desperation.
"The fragment of Black Zetsu that we sealed is stable. It shouldn't alert the main body, and we can use it for research."
"But still…"
"Why did Black Zetsu appear here in the first place?"
Tsuchi could be certain of one thing: Black Zetsu had retreated into the shadows in recent years, minimizing his involvement with Nagato. As Nagato's strength grew—even if his mastery over the Rinnegan remained basic—his sensory perception and spiritual strength increased significantly. Yahiko had also grown more powerful, and Yun's awakened "Heavy Eye" granted immense insight. With so many unpredictable variables, even Black Zetsu struggled to maintain surveillance over Nagato.
At this point, Madara could only learn about Nagato's activities through Akatsuki's surface-level intel.
So if Black Zetsu had returned to the Land of Rain, it likely wasn't for Nagato. That made his goal rather obvious.
Black Zetsu's concealment skills were unparalleled. His choice to merge into a White Zetsu body—rather than using his pure form—suggested his mission didn't involve reconnaissance.
Otherwise, he would have utilized his stealthier black form.
So what was the purpose of using a White Zetsu body?
…
No matter. This wasn't Tsuchi's responsibility. Yun could figure it out later.
Still, they needed to transmit the Black Zetsu fragment to the main body. The connection between the various Zetsu fragments was fragile, and damage to one might alert the whole. Letting the main body handle it was safer.
Thanks to multiple upgrades, Qing Island's isolation techniques now ranked among the best in the Ninja World.
—
Elsewhere.
Black Zetsu managed to escape the pursuit of Earth and Stone, but instead of feeling triumphant, his mood turned sour.
Of course, he always looks "dark" — but this time it was worse.
"Why did Earth and Stone appear out of nowhere? That damned Kiyo has so many tricks, and he's absurdly strong. He even has sealing techniques that affect the soul…"
Though he hadn't seen them firsthand, Black Zetsu had no doubts about the existence of such jutsu. Sealing arts in the Ninja World were ancient and potent—perhaps the highest form of technique. After all, even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, his revered mother, was still sealed away on the moon.
"Hmph. Luckily, I didn't transplant the eyes beforehand—just in case."
He found another White Zetsu body, merged into it, and retrieved a test tube from within. Inside was a pair of vivid scarlet Sharingan, each with three tomoe glowing ominously.
These eyes were the foundation of his current mission. He couldn't afford to lose them.
Black Zetsu became hypervigilant, traveling through the earth with extreme caution.
—
Half a day later, outside Amegakure.
He emerged cautiously and retrieved the Sharingan test tube before transplanting the eyes.
"This is the power of the Sharingan… Even with just three tomoe, my vision is much sharper. Too clear."
Still, he knew better than to be intoxicated by the improvement. The Mangekyō Sharingan, in contrast, gradually degraded vision with each use, eventually leading to total blindness. That's why some called it the "Cursed Eye." It wasn't an exaggeration.
There was no arrogance in his demeanor. While three tomoe greatly enhanced perception, the eyes didn't drastically increase his combat power.
More importantly, the eyes consumed chakra continuously.
Thankfully, his White Zetsu body—infused with Hashirama's cells—had an abundant chakra reserve. Otherwise, the passive drain might prove unsustainable.
Even in standby mode, the chakra drain—though less than an E-rank jutsu per second—was constant. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours, and days to weeks. Over time, even elite shinobi could be drained to death.
This is why so few people survived with transplanted Sharingan.
And that was just passive drain. Using the Sharingan actively, especially for genjutsu or advanced techniques, would increase the burden exponentially.
With this in mind, he prepared to use a simple illusion on Hanzo, the "Demi-God of the Rain," but he remained apprehensive.
It had been centuries since he directly faced a high-tier ninja like Hanzo.
He had never plotted against one either.
Still, he drew confidence from Madara. For all of Madara's foolishness in being briefly manipulated, the Uchiha patriarch remained immensely powerful.
In fact, Black Zetsu believed Madara was even stronger than Indra or Asura, who had never truly experienced war. Madara had lived and grown through endless bloodshed and battlefields. That experience forged unmatched strength.
While Konoha thrived, Amegakure had declined. The village wasn't lacking in high-end power—Hanzo made sure of that—but its foundational strength and heritage were significantly weaker.
Sealing arts included, especially the village barrier.
But none of that mattered.
Black Zetsu had infiltrated Konoha's barrier once. Compared to that, Amegakure's barrier was child's play.
The war and Akatsuki's influence had devastated Amegakure's elite shinobi ranks. With only two elite jonin remaining, the village had never truly recovered from its losses during the Second Shinobi World War and subsequent conflicts.
Black Zetsu snuck into the leader's mansion—Hanzo's residence.
There was no "Rain Shadow Office." Amegakure lacked a true Kage title.
"Who's there?!"
Hanzo, as a seasoned swordsman and powerful sensor, immediately detected the malicious intruder.
A presence entering his sanctum with such audacity—and with killing intent—was unheard of.
Hanzo's chakra surged.
But it was too late.
"Sharingan! A Konoha ninja?! No… something's wrong…"
Hanzo's eyes widened as he saw the crimson eyes set into the face of a White Zetsu body. What in the world was happening?!
Danzo was dead. Was Konoha reneging on past agreements? But if so, why this approach?
Hanzo prepared to strike.
But at that moment, the Sharingan spun. The tomoe blurred, forming the faint outline of a Mangekyō pattern. Though subtle, its effect was immediate.
Despite possessing Hashirama's cells, Black Zetsu's eyes began to bleed, and he groaned under the strain.
"Ugh!"
His chakra stopped fueling the illusion technique, and Black Zetsu fled the mansion, leaving Hanzo standing with dull, glassy eyes.
Moments passed. Then minutes.
Eventually, Hanzo's pupils began to focus again. His expression shifted—from confusion to resolute clarity.
"Come forth—"