"Hey, Blacky, what's wrong with you again?"
Under the endless rain of Amegakure, Black Zetsu stood alone amidst the downpour, staring blankly at the sky.
His peculiar behavior annoyed White Zetsu, who shared the same body. After all, whenever Black Zetsu acted strangely, White Zetsu suffered as well.
"And why do you keep staring at the sky lately? There's nothing up there, is there?"
"Can you just shut up for a moment?"
Black Zetsu, clearly irritated by White Zetsu's chatter, sighed deeply as he gazed upward.
"You wouldn't understand. Sometimes, I wish I could be as empty-headed as you and Obito Uchiha. That way, I wouldn't have so many worries."
"Huh? Obito's empty-headed too? That can't be true, can it?"
White Zetsu looked at Black Zetsu with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, I get it now! You're saying Obito and I are both idiots, right?"
"You're surprisingly self-aware for once."
"But why would you want to be an idiot?"
"..."
Black Zetsu refused to answer. He was already feeling troubled enough.
The power that had erupted from the moon just now—if he wasn't mistaken—seemed to belong to his "good second brother," Hamura Ōtsutsuki.
Though Black Zetsu had been operating in the ninja world, targeting the descendants of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, he was well aware that his second brother had gone to the moon.
Thankfully, the Rinnegan's unique abilities allowed him to bypass the moon's defenses and directly summon his mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, sparing him a lot of trouble.
But now, this sudden development had caught him completely off guard.
"The ninja world is starting to feel so unfamiliar... First, there's that little brat Kitagawa Minamoto making me second-guess everything. That strange yet familiar aura of his is baffling enough.
And now, there's this surge of Chakra resembling my 'good second brother's'... If this continues..."
Black Zetsu shuddered at the thought. He didn't dare imagine what might come next.
"Could it be... that my mother's kin are all coming back?"
He shook his head, trying to dismiss the idea.
"Forget it. Let's not dwell on this. We still have important matters to attend to."
Black Zetsu refocused his thoughts. Who knew what was happening on the moon? For now, all he could do was stay vigilant.
Victory was within reach—he just needed to finish the remaining tasks.
Even if all of Hamura's descendants descended from the moon, he wouldn't be afraid!
"The letter Danzō sent to Hanzō of the Salamander has been intercepted. We've forged a response in Hanzō's handwriting to send back to him."
"Oh? So how should we write it?"
White Zetsu looked at Black Zetsu curiously.
"Should we lure him out? That could work. After all, Obito does want to kill him."
"..."
If Danzō dies, who will take the blame?
Black Zetsu sighed in exasperation. Dealing with an idiot like White Zetsu was truly exhausting.
But he was getting used to it—after all, he was surrounded by idiots.
"No need to kill him just yet. Keep him around; he might still be useful later. Besides, we can use him to deal with Orochimaru. Isn't that what Obito wants?"
Sacrificing Orochimaru wasn't a big deal—he was a traitor anyway, so there was no moral dilemma in targeting him.
"Also, I remember that Kumogakure seems to be investigating us. Depending on the outcome, we could lure them into a trap and let them have some fun."
Suddenly, Black Zetsu recalled something and added it as an afterthought.
It wasn't surprising that Kumogakure was investigating them. During Nagato's last operation, the Fourth Raikage had been watching the entire time.
And that little brat Kitagawa Minamoto had even framed them for an assassination attempt on the Fourth Raikage.
Honestly, if anyone wanted the Fourth Raikage dead, it was probably Konohagakure!
That brat's ability to shift blame was truly impressive—no wonder Obito had been so furious.
"That kid... He really does remind me of the Second Hokage. Both are equally shameless and cunning!"
Black Zetsu thought to himself. However, as he continued to ponder, he suddenly froze.
The next moment, his gaze involuntarily shifted back to the moon, his expression growing increasingly strange.
Finally, an unsettling thought struck him.
"Ever since Kitagawa Minamoto appeared, so many bizarre things have been happening.
His aura is so peculiar, and now there's this Chakra eruption from the moon. Plus, his Sage Mode eyes are white. Could it be..."
"Could he be connected to the Lunar Ōtsutsuki?"
"Damned Hanzō of the Salamander, are you really dead?!"
At the Root headquarters in Konohagakure, Danzō Shimura sat silently in his seat, calmly reviewing intelligence reports from across the ninja world.
On the surface, he appeared composed, but internally, he was far from at ease.
He still hadn't received any response from Hanzō of the Salamander!
He didn't dare venture into Amegakure himself. The memory of that disastrous encounter still haunted him.
Even a figure as formidable as Hanzō had been forced into hiding. What chance did Danzō have if he went there recklessly?
"And then there's that kid's eyes..."
Danzō couldn't forget the red-haired boy he had seen back then.
Those eyes, with their ripple-like patterns, had left a lasting impression on him.
He knew those eyes were extraordinary and had his own ambitions regarding them.
Though he couldn't act on those ambitions for now, he was already planning for the future.
"But where are they? According to Jiraiya's intel, they're scattered across various locations. This makes things particularly difficult for me."
Furrowing his brow, Danzō tried to steady his thoughts.
He knew his opportunities were limited and that he needed to seize them carefully.
"And what exactly are their goals? Based on the information from Kitagawa Minamoto and Takigakure, Obito Uchiha seems to be targeting the Tailed Beasts. Is there a connection here?"
Danzō couldn't help but speculate.
From what he had observed, Obito Uchiha seemed intent on using the Sharingan to control the Tailed Beasts for destruction.
The ambush in Takigakure had likely been an attempt to lure Jiraiya's team into a trap, only for Kitagawa Minamoto to intervene.
"Fools. The Tailed Beasts possess immense destructive power, yet they don't know how to utilize it properly. Or perhaps they have other plans..."
Though Danzō had his own biases, he remained cautious.
The intel provided by Hiruzen Sarutobi aligned with his suspicions, but the lack of concrete information left him frustrated.
"Danzō-sama, a letter has arrived."
As Danzō sifted through the intelligence scrolls, Aburame Torune entered the room, kneeling respectfully as he reported.
"It's from Amegakure."
"Oh?!"
Danzō's eyes lit up. He immediately stood and took the scroll, dismissing Torune with a wave.
"Leave. Make sure no one interrupts me."
"Understood."
Once alone, Danzō carefully opened the scroll.
Though the handwriting was different, it contained Hanzō's token, and the contents matched what he knew.
"So those people left Amegakure, and Hanzō has sealed himself away, hiding in the depths of the village?"
"What a coward. But this aligns with Jiraiya's intel."
"He's been investigating as well and has even tracked them to the Land of Wind?"
Danzō fell into thought.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had recently tasked him with investigating Orochimaru.
He had been pondering how to approach the matter, given his past connections with Orochimaru.
But now, it seemed Hanzō had conveniently provided the information he needed.
"This will also allow me to verify the authenticity of this 'Hanzō.'
At the same time, I can strategize my next move..."
(End of Chapter)
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