The moment Black Zetsu declared his loyalty, White Zetsu looked shocked.
"Hey! You're switching sides just like that? Weren't we all following Madara together? What about the Eye of the Moon Plan? What about bringing back Kaguya?"
White Zetsu's voice cracked with disbelief.
Black Zetsu sneered. "Idiot. I never said I was loyal to Madara. He's just a tool I've been using. You were too clueless to see it."
White Zetsu's jaw dropped.
Even Madara, who had been listening calmly, finally narrowed his eyes. "So… all along, I was just your pawn?"
Black Zetsu didn't deny it. "Yes. I whispered in your ear, guided your thoughts, planted the idea of the Eye of the Moon Plan, and showed you that stone tablet. Everything I did was to bring back my mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
Madara was silent for a moment. "Then you have no loyalty."
"I have loyalty to Kaguya's resurrection."
Kaede Kanshi glanced at the two Zetsus and Madara. He suddenly laughed softly.
"Intriguing. You've been lurking in the shadows for thousands of years, pulling strings behind the scenes... and you come to me? Not for your mother, but because you're afraid of me."
Black Zetsu didn't deny it. "Yes. The moment you entered this base, I sensed something terrifying in you. Not just power, but potential. A force that could rival even Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's divinity. Unlike her… you are more rational."
Kaede Kanshi raised an eyebrow. "Is that flattery?"
"No, it's acknowledgment."
Madara turned his head slightly. "What exactly do you want to do, Kaede Kanshi? You've heard the whole truth now. You know everything about the Eye of the Moon Plan, the origin of chakra, the Ten-Tails, and the truth about Indra and Asura. You've also seen the Gedo Statue. What's your goal?"
Kaede Kanshi chuckled. "You think I would just tell you that?"
He walked slowly toward the Gedo Statue, looked up at it, then said in a cold voice:
"But I'll say this—I have no interest in your Infinite Tsukuyomi farce, nor do I care about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's return. As for the Gedo Statue... I might dissect it one day to see what's inside."
That statement sent a chill through the room.
Even Madara's expression darkened slightly. "You'd dare?"
Kaede Kanshi turned to face him. "Why not? You're not the only one who sees this world as rotten. But unlike you, I don't want to save it."
"I want to rewrite it."
At that moment, the air in the chamber felt tense.
Even Black Zetsu—who had been sure that Kaede Kanshi could become the perfect vessel—now felt a sense of fear.
Kaede Kanshi was not like Madara.
He wasn't fooled by ideals.
He wasn't obsessed with family or revenge.
He was something else entirely—a force of nature, cold, calculating, and not limited by ideas of "good" or "evil."
Madara finally said, "Fine. Do what you want. I won't stop you—for now. But if your path ever interferes with mine, we will clash."
Kaede Kanshi turned away and walked toward the exit.
Black Zetsu quickly followed, his form melting into the floor and reappearing beside him.
"Lord Kaede Kanshi, I will bring you all the information I have. The locations of Hashirama cell samples, the hideouts of the Akatsuki, the chakra of the Tailed Beasts, the legacy of the Ōtsutsuki clan... I will give it all to you."
Kaede Kanshi didn't answer.
He simply walked away, leaving behind a base filled with mistrust and silent rage.
Madara stood before the Gedo Statue, his eyes closed.
White Zetsu muttered, "This is bad. Black Zetsu betrayed us, and that guy is terrifying. What do we do?"
Madara slowly opened his eyes.
"We wait."
(To Be Continued)