"I knew it. Madara has changed."
After being unceremoniously driven away, Black Zetsu took White Zetsu to a deserted corner of the base to vent his frustrations.
White Zetsu replied, "And what can be done about it? Besides, isn't this what you expected? I thought you were mentally prepared."
Black Zetsu retorted, his voice laced with bitterness, "I was prepared, but to see it actually happen is infuriating! I worked so hard for so many years, only to have all my plans undone by a small child. White Zetsu! You never should have brought Shiro back with you! And now look! The plan to revive mother has failed!"
White Zetsu waved a hand dismissively. "Eh? Don't look at me. This grand plan of yours has nothing to do with me. I don't operate with some grand purpose in mind; I just do what I feel like. I don't have a mother complex."
"White Zetsu, you dare to suggest I have a mother complex…!" Black Zetsu looked as if his entire world had crumbled. He had wanted to complain to his other half, but White Zetsu's "comforting" words were somehow more cutting than Madara's dismissal.
"Alright, alright," White Zetsu said, its two halves separating as one patted Black Zetsu's shoulder. "Don't overthink it. Who can predict the future? You know Madara's personality. A strong emotional stimulus is all it takes to send him spiraling back into darkness. Right now, Shiro is the one who gives him light. If something were to happen to Shiro, Madara would surely become the man he used to be."
At that, Black Zetsu shouted, "That's out of the question! I will never let anything happen to Shiro!"
"Hehehe," White Zetsu said with a sly, half-smile. "Think about it carefully. As long as Shiro is in trouble, your mother can be resurrected almost immediately."
"…" Black Zetsu frowned, falling into a troubled silence. He still hesitated at the thought of "sacrificing" Shiro to revive his mother. Although her resurrection had always been his primary goal, Shiro's place in his heart was now nearly equal to Kaguya's.
"Well, you think about it slowly. I'm going to go find Shiro to play." White Zetsu had grown tired of trying to coax the pouting Zetsu and turned to leave.
"Wait, White Zetsu. There is something I must ask you first."
"Go on."
Black Zetsu looked directly at his counterpart, his voice a low, serious whisper. "If one day—and I mean if—I were to move against Shiro, would you still help me as you always have?"
Hearing this, White Zetsu's playful demeanor vanished. It narrowed its eyes, and its voice was chillingly cold. "If that day ever comes… no. If you even allow that thought to cross your mind, I will probably kill you."
A raw, murderous intent radiated from White Zetsu's eyes. It was the first time Black Zetsu had ever seen such a look on its face.
"Hehe, Black Zetsu, don't be angry," White Zetsu said, its carefree expression returning as quickly as it had vanished. "As long as you don't touch Shiro, we'll still be the perfect team."
Black Zetsu slowly recovered from its surprise, retorting with embarrassed sarcasm, "Tsk! With your pathetic level of strength, you speak as if you could actually kill me."
"That's hard to say." With that, White Zetsu dove into the ground and disappeared, leaving Black Zetsu standing alone, lost in thought.
In the Uchiha compound, at the home of the clan head, Fugaku, all the elites and elders of the clan were gathered, their faces filled with an electric excitement. They had just heard of Lord Madara's plan to build a new village, one just for the Uchiha. To finally have a home of their own was something they had never dared to imagine.