"What did you say?"
Hearing the fluctuation in Black Zetsu's tone, Obito Uchiha subconsciously looked up.
"Hmph!" He sized up Black Zetsu, then said coldly, "That guy is somewhat like you, black and gooey. But he's stronger than you, much stronger! Not only did he figure out my abilities in a short time, but he also grabbed my body and restrained me at the end, forcing me to use 'Izanagi' to escape! Oh, right, that guy also seems to be able to hide his clones in my shadow! Damn it! If it wasn't for that ability, I would have killed him!"
After listening to Obito's brief narration, Black Zetsu's body trembled. This, this sounds more and more familiar?
It had originally hidden in Madara Uchiha's shadow, and at the last moment, disguised itself as something created by Madara Uchiha. But in reality, it was a product of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's Yin-Yang Release, thus representing the "will" of its mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. The reason Madara Uchiha initially recognized it as his own will was because Madara Uchiha, who possessed the Rinnegan at the time, could indeed create similar things using Yin-Yang Release.
"That guy Obito mentioned, could he be a will-based creation like me?"
At this thought, Black Zetsu suddenly felt a chill surge through it, and the figure it had seen in the Land of Hot Water involuntarily surfaced in its mind. If the guy Obito met truly was a will created by that "Extraterrestrial Being," then many things could be explained. But if that were true, wouldn't it mean that Nagato had been targeted?
No, it should be said that the Rinnegan has been targeted...
Black Zetsu was getting a "headache" now. It simply couldn't compete! The opponent wasn't just a will-based creation like itself; the "original owner" was still alive...
"No, that's not right!"
Black Zetsu suddenly thought of something, muttering to itself, "If that 'Extraterrestrial Being' truly possessed full power, there would be no need to have its will-based creation act externally."
The "Extraterrestrial Being" was at least an existence on par with its mother; it could directly seize the Rinnegan from Nagato's eyes, and absolutely no one in the entire shinobi world could stop it. But now, since that incident in the Land of Hot Water, the other party hasn't shown up again. This rather indicates that the guy might be in a state where they cannot act, just like its mother!
The more it thought, the clearer and more ecstatic Black Zetsu's thoughts became.
That's right! That "Extraterrestrial Being" must be unable to act personally for some reason!
"Madara." Finally realizing this, Black Zetsu looked at Obito again and asked, "Did you see anything strange in the underground palace?"
Strange things?
The dispirited Obito Uchiha frowned, then, as if remembering something, took out a tattered scroll from his inner pocket/bosom.
"These are the texts from the stone tablet at the entrance of the underground palace," he explained. "Nagato had me make a rubbing of them, saying they might be useful."
Black Zetsu quickly reached out and took the scroll. With its millennia of experience, it could instantly understand the text. Thus, it also saw the "secret history" that the Fourth Raikage and others had seen.
"This..."
Black Zetsu, who hadn't inherited all of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's memories, was horrified. That guy was an Ōtsutsuki clan member who arrived in the shinobi world even earlier than its mother? And was pursued to near-death by its mother and another Ōtsutsuki clan member... This was clearly a sworn enemy.
Black Zetsu had no doubt about the authenticity of the text's content, because even though it had no memories of much of it, it all felt familiar. These secrets could only be known by someone who had lived since that era; otherwise, it would be impossible to know about the existence of its mother and that Extraterrestrial Being. Also, the origin of the Ōtsutsuki clan and the rules of the main and branch families—even Hamura and Hagoromo couldn't possibly know so much in such detail.
"However, it seems my guess was correct," Black Zetsu felt a slight relief amidst its fear. "That guy indeed miraculously survived, something even they didn't expect."
"But, I still can't recklessly approach Nagato. The only advantage now is that he's in the open, and I'm in the dark. For now, I'll act low-key. I absolutely cannot expose my existence, otherwise, that guy will surely pursue and eliminate me."
"But, I can't do nothing either..."
At this thought, Black Zetsu's mind raced. It looked at Obito again and said in a deep voice, "Let's go."
"Go where?" Obito Uchiha was startled.
Black Zetsu didn't speak, only thinking:
Of course, to find another pair of Rinnegan.
Hmph, it already had a lot of experience with this kind of thing. Since Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju were dead, the chakras of Indra and Asura must have reincarnated. It would be the same as before, within the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan. Regardless of whether it would eventually lose that Rinnegan, since it had one successful case, it could have a second one. At worst, it would just wait a few more decades! It had already waited a thousand years; a few decades were nothing. As long as it wasn't discovered, it could afford to wait!
Meanwhile, on the battlefields of the Land of Moon, a new round of offensives began.
"Those Konoha guys are attacking again."
Inside Kumogakure's outpost, Samui frowned as she looked at the frontline intelligence.
"What's wrong?" Yugito Nii, sitting nearby, asked. "Did Konoha make any moves?"
"It's the same as the previous times." Samui shook her head, but her brow remained furrowed. Konoha's recent offensives were very frequent, making her feel subtly uneasy. This was already Konoha's third offensive in just one week, each one a severe drain on Konoha's resources and personnel. However, Konoha continued to launch offensives relentlessly, acting as if they didn't care about their lives, causing morale on Kumogakure's side to waver.
"Could it be that Hyuga Kawa is about to make a move?" Yugito asked gravely.
"..."
Hearing the name from Yugito, Samui's eyes flickered slightly. She already generally knew what happened to Yugito Nii and the others in the underground palace from Yugito's account; it was indeed as she had guessed, or even more bizarre. A thousand-meter-deep abyss, a man-eating giant door to an underground palace, a chaotic battle involving multiple forces, a stone statue with ten tails, ten powerful ninja tools, a lunatic who slaughtered countless people... And that guy in the underground palace who shone brightly, displayed his power, and even provoked the Raikage before leaving, yet managed to depart safely.
"We still don't know Konoha's objective," Samui said calmly after a long period of thought. "We can't rule out that that guy is acting intentionally. We shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater or be tied down by just one of his words."
"It's a shame Iwagakure suddenly made a move; the Raikage-sama had to rush back to the village," Yugito sighed. "Otherwise, how would Konoha dare to be so arrogant?"
"The situation hasn't reached a point where Raikage-sama needs to personally oversee it yet."
Samui smiled reassuringly, "Analyzing the intelligence you provided, Hyuga Kawa just took advantage of that ninja tool; it won't have too much of an impact on the battle."
Although Hyuga Kawa's flying ninja tool looked powerful, its attack power would definitely weaken with increasing distance. As long as precautions against aerial attacks were taken, even if that guy flew over, it would be meaningless. Instead, they could directly shoot him down and kill him.
"Oh, right."
As if suddenly remembering something, Samui looked at Yugito and asked, "How is the analysis of the two ninja tools obtained from the underground palace coming along?"
"Speaking of that, one is the 'God-Slaying Whip' that I used before," Yugito, who had been a little uneasy, showed a hint of interest as she explained. "The other has already been taken by Raikage-sama. Its name is the 'Thunder Roar Arm.' Its effect is to concentrate all Lightning Release chakra into the arm, then compress and direct it for a localized burst of power far exceeding Raikage-sama's usual taijutsu with lightning enhancement."
Recalling the arm guard that covered the shoulder to the knuckles, encasing the upper and lower arm, Yugito Nii felt a touch of envy. That ninja tool was simply too suited for the Raikage-sama, far exceeding her own compatibility with the "God-Slaying Whip."
"It seems Raikage-sama's strength will increase greatly again," Samui sighed. "I really wonder who could forge such powerful ninja tools."
These were far stronger than the bizarre and inexplicable seven ninja swords of Kirigakure. Look at what kind of monstrous things those were.
The Lightning Blade Kiba, simple and conductive like a lightning rod.
The Blunted Sword Kabutowari, claimed to crush all defenses, but effectively a hammer and an axe.
The Severing Sword Kubikiribōchō, which regenerated by absorbing blood but broke very easily.
The Longsword Nuibari, claimed to pierce everything and stitch it together, but essentially a needle and thread.
The Explosion Sword Shibuki, claimed to perfectly combine with explosions, but essentially wrapped in countless explosive tags.
Only the Greatsword Samehada and the Twin Swords Hiramekarei were decent.
And Kirigakure still revered these things as treasures, specifically training seven individuals called the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," only to be wiped out by a Konoha genin.
Pitter-patter... pitter-patter...
Suddenly, a sound interrupted Samui's thoughts.
"It's raining," Yugito Nii said at just the right moment.
Samui turned to look at the tent window; raindrops pattered against the transparent pane. Outside, heavy, leaden clouds covered the sky, making the day gloomy and overcast. And on the distant battlefield, thick smoke rose to meet the heavens, merging with the ink-stained clouds. Beneath the clouds, the firelight of ninjutsu and explosive tags still couldn't illuminate the entire world.
"It's raining..."
The drizzling rain seemed to cast a shadow over Samui's heart, making her feel inexplicably stifled and uneasy.