Black Zetsu was utterly lost.
He had no idea what to do anymore.
The moment an Ōtsutsuki appeared, a blasphemous thought crossed his mind.
"Perhaps... Mother is safer sealed away?"
At least, in her sealed state, she was secure.
But the problem was, his very existence was tied to the mission of freeing his mother. If he did nothing, wouldn't that betray his purpose?
Moreover, after all these years of effort, he had finally seen a glimmer of hope.
Even though Uchiha Madara had chosen a fool like Obito Uchiha as his proxy, everything had been progressing steadily.
To give up now would be unthinkable.
"Blackie, what are you doing?"
While Black Zetsu was lost in thought, White Zetsu had started complaining. Standing under the blazing sun wasn't exactly comfortable.
"And what's been going on with you lately? You've been acting so preoccupied."
"Shut up. You wouldn't understand."
Interrupted by White Zetsu, Black Zetsu felt irritated.
"My issues aren't something an idiot like you could comprehend!"
"Not all idiots are the same, you know. Look at Obito; he's an idiot, but he's always sulking. I'm an idiot too, but I'm happy every day. Hehe."
"..."
Black Zetsu felt his intelligence being insulted. Were there really different kinds of idiocy?
"Come on, tell me. Maybe I can help you figure something out."
White Zetsu spoke with such confidence that Black Zetsu almost rolled his eyes.
"If I had to rely on you, we'd be doomed!"
"Oh."
White Zetsu nodded earnestly, but then Black Zetsu suddenly spoke again.
"You'll never understand my confusion. Everything I've done has been for one goal, but now it seems like things are only getting worse."
"..."
White Zetsu blinked, thinking to himself, Didn't you just say relying on me would doom us?
"Do you know what that feels like?"
Black Zetsu sighed, oblivious to White Zetsu's thoughts.
He was under immense pressure, and the news Obito had brought back had nearly driven him to despair.
If he didn't vent, he felt like he might completely lose it.
"To work so hard for so long, only to end up with nothing—it's terrifying."
"Mm-hmm, I get it. Like how I can never poop, so I can't understand the joy of pooping. I totally understand you."
White Zetsu nodded seriously, almost making Black Zetsu want to strangle him. But in the end, Black Zetsu just sighed.
"It's different. We might be facing an unimaginable enemy, and all our preparations might be useless.
"You can't possibly comprehend how terrifying they are or the magnitude of their power. With someone like that around, we're..."
"They? Isn't it just one person?"
White Zetsu tilted his head, confused, and scratched his chin.
"Oh, I get it. It's like cockroaches—if you see one, there are probably countless more?"
"Idiot! Even one is hard to deal with!"
Black Zetsu finally snapped, seriously considering strangling the fool next to him.
After all, he was already on the verge of despair. Why not just go all out and destroy everything?
"Hey, hey, don't get mad. You're scarier than Obito when you're angry!"
White Zetsu immediately sensed Black Zetsu's killing intent but continued to smile.
"Sure, it's just one person. But we have numbers on our side, so why be afraid?"
"Fool! In the face of true power, numbers mean nothing!"
"But why don't we try to create someone similar to them?"
"Idiot! How could someone like that be replicated?!"
Black Zetsu roared, but then he paused.
His mother and her clan were unique, their power unparalleled.
But that didn't mean they couldn't try, right?
Take Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, for example. While their strength couldn't compare to the Ōtsutsuki, they were still formidable.
"Besides, if everything goes according to plan, Madara's power won't be too far off..."
Black Zetsu calculated meticulously. According to his plans, Madara could potentially reach a level comparable to his "big brother's."
Probably.
"That kind of power should at least cause some trouble, right?"
Black Zetsu realized he couldn't give up so easily. After all, he had invested so much effort; how could he just stop?
Perhaps he could struggle a bit more, calculate a bit more carefully, and do even more.
"Hey, hey, you seem to have a plan, Blackie!"
White Zetsu immediately noticed Black Zetsu's change in demeanor and grinned.
"See? I told you talking to me might help. I might be an idiot, but I'm not useless!"
"True, you are an idiot, but you're occasionally useful."
Black Zetsu nodded subconsciously, but then he shook his head.
"Still, I need to think this through. Nothing is simple."
Reviving Uchiha Madara wasn't a straightforward task, and finding a replacement wasn't easy either.
After all, deploying White Zetsu carelessly could lead to complications. He had to think carefully.
"But Mother, I will do my best..."
He looked up at the sky again, but this time, his gaze was less confused.
"Still, this Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki... something about him feels off."
"Ōtsutsuki Minamoto... Kitagawa Minamoto."
"Why do all the troublesome ones have 'Minamoto' in their names?"
"Little Jiraiya, it's been a while since you've come to Mount Myōboku."
Deep within Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya walked with Fukasaku and Shima perched on his shoulders, heading toward the Great Toad Sage's hall.
Hearing Fukasaku's comment, Jiraiya scratched his head.
"I've been busy lately, so I haven't had the chance. Now that I have some free time—and some questions—I decided to come."
"Tch, so you only come when you need something?"
Shima scolded him, knocking him on the head.
"Did you forget about us, Little Jiraiya?"
"Sorry, sorry, my bad!"
Jiraiya rubbed his head, grateful when Fukasaku stepped in to mediate.
"What's so important, Little Jiraiya?"
"The shinobi world has been facing many issues lately, and..."
Jiraiya hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. Eventually, he sighed.
"And I think I've encountered my former student—the one with the Rinnegan."
"Hmm?"
Both Fukasaku and Shima were taken aback.
"When you asked us to investigate, the information we gathered suggested they had all died. What's going on?"
"I don't know either. But now, he might be an enemy of both us and the shinobi world."
Jiraiya's face was filled with bitterness.
"In addition, there's another troublesome individual in the shinobi world. That's also why I came here."
"It does sound troubling."
Fukasaku and Shima's expressions grew serious.
"Let's hurry; we're almost there."
Jiraiya nodded, quickening his pace. Soon, they reached the deepest part of the hall.
"Great Toad Sage," Fukasaku called out, jumping off Jiraiya's shoulder.
"Little Jiraiya is here."
"Little Jiraiya?"
The Great Toad Sage squinted, smiling faintly, but soon looked confused.
"Who's Little Jiraiya again?"
"..."
Jiraiya was used to the old toad's antics.
"You've really gone senile!"
Shima muttered under her breath, clearly annoyed.
"Oh, I remember now," the Great Toad Sage said, laughing.
"Getting old, getting forgetful."
Turning to Jiraiya, he asked, "So, Little Jiraiya, what brings you here? Is it about the Child of the Prophecy?"
"..."
Jiraiya sighed but explained his concerns.
Meanwhile, deep within the Fire Temple's underground tomb, Kitagawa Minamoto's Chakra surged as he absorbed the power of the Sword of Totsuka.
His Status Panel displayed:
[Name: Kitagawa Minamoto] [Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (Development: 36%)] [Dōjutsu: Tenseigan (Initial Awakening)] [Special Abilities: Ice Release, Magnet Release, Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion]
(End of Chapter)
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