Kaguya? Mother?!
Uchiha Shin stood motionless, his Rinnegan glowing faintly as he gazed into the empty space beside him. Black Zetsu, watching him intently, couldn't understand at first. But then, the realization hit.
The presence he felt… it was unmistakable. His creator—his mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—was here.
With a wet squelch, Black Zetsu's amorphous form lurched forward, bouncing in front of Uchiha Shin, shifting like a restless shadow. It swirled around him, trying to sense its mother.
"The scent of mother… it's here…"
"You slimy little freak," Shin muttered, grabbing the shifting black mass.
Black Zetsu didn't resist, too fixated on his mother's presence. "Explain yourself, Shin. What is going on?"
Shin smirked. "It's simple, really. Kaguya has become my Karma—embedded into my very being. We share a symbiotic existence now."
Black Zetsu twitched, processing the information.
"As for our relationship?" Shin continued, tilting his head. "I'm Kaguya's husband now. Which, by extension, makes me your father. You understand, don't you?"
A brief silence passed. Then, with an amused chuckle, Shin flexed his fingers and let Kaguya take control for a moment.
Kaguya's ethereal presence surfaced within Shin's body, her pale, otherworldly gaze settling on Black Zetsu with mild confusion.
"Mother!" Black Zetsu's voice trembled. "It's really you! I can feel it! I can—"
Before he could finish, Kaguya sighed and shut her eyes. She muttered something under her breath before instantly retreating back into Shin's subconscious.
Shin blinked as he regained control. "Well, look at that," he said flatly. "You scared her into logging off. Great job."
Black Zetsu quivered slightly, but then its eyes narrowed in focus. "Fine. I'll accept it for now. What do you need from me, father?"
The eerie, almost innocent look in Black Zetsu's eyes made Shin sigh. He suppressed the sudden urge to reshape it into a more human form. That could wait.
For now, there were more pressing matters.
"Black Zetsu, you were always the mastermind behind Kaguya's resurrection, right?" Shin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You even tried to manipulate me into gathering the Tailed Beasts for you."
Black Zetsu hesitated but nodded.
"Good. We're continuing that plan. But now, I need more." Shin's Rinnegan glowed. "I want all the information you have on Kara."
Black Zetsu's form twitched, then settled. "Kara… yes, I have observed them before. But my focus was always mother's return, so I never investigated deeply. What I do know is that they are highly secretive. Their true leader remains unknown, even to me."
Shin sighed. "That's disappointing."
"There is one key figure," Black Zetsu continued hastily. "A scientist named Amado. He is responsible for their advanced technology—especially their Scientific Ninja Tools."
Shin's eyes narrowed. "That name again. Tch. Fine. Investigate further. I need every detail."
Black Zetsu nodded obediently. His usefulness had not yet run out.
Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and father… the Akatsuki have already captured the One-Tailed Beast. It is currently sealed in a container. Give me a moment—I'll fetch it."
Before Shin could respond, Black Zetsu slithered into the ground, vanishing from sight.
Shin stretched his arms, his gaze drifting. Kaguya had been watching through his senses, silent but present. He could feel the emotions stirring within her.
"It's odd, isn't it?" he mused aloud. "Black Zetsu was just your tool. Yet, in the end, it truly sees you as its mother."
Kaguya said nothing.
Shin smirked. "Tch. You're feeling guilty, aren't you?"
"…Perhaps," she admitted after a long pause. "It was created for a purpose. Yet it… loves me."
Shin exhaled through his nose, amused. "Then maybe you should start treating it like a real child."
"…I will consider it."
Shin nodded, satisfied, but then something caught his attention. His Rinnegan flared slightly as he sensed an unfamiliar chakra signature approaching.
A lone figure trudged through the desolate landscape, small and frail.
A child. A girl.
Her blue hair was tangled, her clothes covered in grime. War had reduced her to this—another displaced soul wandering a battlefield long since abandoned.
Shin observed her quietly.
He adjusted his perspective with his Rinnegan. Unlike the Byakugan's relentless vision, his sight was adaptive—sharper, more precise. He saw her fully in an instant. Malnourished. Exhausted. But alive.
She paused when she spotted him, her body tensing.
Shin tilted his head. "Lost, are we?"
She didn't respond. Her fingers curled into fists.
Shin chuckled, tapping his knee. "I won't hurt you, girl. Unless you make me."
She remained silent, wary.
Shin sighed. "Ah, children. So predictable. Fine, do as you like."
The tension remained, but she didn't run.
He turned his focus back to the ground beneath him, waiting for Black Zetsu to return. War had created too many orphans like this girl. If she had any use, she might live a little longer.
Otherwise… well.
Survival was a cruel game. And he played it well.
—
Minutes passed, and finally, Black Zetsu emerged from the earth, a large containment vessel in its grasp. It pulsed with restrained energy—Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, trapped within.
Shin grinned. "Good work."
Kaguya, watching, felt something stir again within her.
Shin noticed. "You're thinking about making it up to Black Zetsu, aren't you?"
"…Yes."
"Well, then. Let's fix that mess of a body," Shin said, standing up. "If it continues to serve us well, we'll shape it into something more fitting. A proper existence."
Kaguya hesitated, then nodded. "Agreed."
Shin smirked, amused by the turn of events. Perhaps there was something strangely domestic about this bizarre situation—Kaguya, the mother. Black Zetsu, the devoted child.
And him?
Well. He was just here to rule the damn world.
And he would.
One step at a time.
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