Chapter 16: Fairy Godmother Black Zetsu
Inside the room, Amamiya Rei lay on the bed, leisurely crossing one leg over the other. His eyes did not blink, and with an expressionless face, he stared at the ceiling. Then, the corners of his mouth began to curl upward uncontrollably.
Good.
He had finally managed to get through the day.
Infiltrating Konohagakure truly felt different.
It was as if a carnivorous beast had been thrown into a pen full of sheep.
Earlier that day, Amamiya Rei had walked alongside Kushina down the village streets, and every ninja they passed by was—at least in his mind—future prey. Just the sight of them made his mouth water with desire.
This was pure happiness!
Watching his "food supply" stroll down the streets, all strong and healthy, was a pleasure in itself — the very air seemed to be steeped in the savory scent of shinobi flesh.
Although he had spent most of the day under his umbrella, he had still been exposed to sunlight; his sunlight value had dropped by at least thirty minutes.
Still, the day had gone... smoothly.
Smoothly?
Amamiya Rei narrowed his eyes, a thought flashing across his mind.
Namikaze Minato was the Hokage — could he really be so easily fooled?
Pondering this question, a mischievous impulse began to stir in his heart again.
It was at that exact moment that something appeared within his field of vision — right there on the ceiling above him. A pitcher plant sprouted out of nowhere.
"..."
Amamiya Rei blinked, then raised a hand to rub his eyes, hoping what he was seeing was just an illusion.
But when he opened them again, Black Zetsu was still there, a pair of small, bean-like yellow eyes fixed unblinkingly on him.
After a brief moment of silence, Rei thought to himself that Black Zetsu must truly have a death wish.
Namikaze Minato was sleeping in the room next door, and yet Black Zetsu dared to show up here.
Black Zetsu had better hope that Minato was... occupied at the moment.
After all, from Rei's memories, Namikaze Minato's sensory abilities were also quite formidable.
While black Zetsu's to conceal its presence was peerless — even Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths himself, had failed to detect him — but showing up so openly like this was still an extremely risky move.
His blood-red eyes swept over Black Zetsu from top to bottom, instinctively seeking a good spot to take a bite.
Wait... was it his imagination?
Why did it look like Black Zetsu had lost weight?
Was that even normal?
Under Amamiya Rei's scrutinizing, hungry gaze, Black Zetsu silently thought: "..."
Just one look from this monster was enough for Black Zetsu to know exactly what he was thinking.
Seriously? Thinking about eating meat again?
And Black Zetsu was certain he had seen this monster sneak a bite of Uchiha Shisui's flesh not long ago.
How long had it even been since then?
Next time, perhaps it would be better to bring Obito along—otherwise, this monster would just keep eating meat from his own body.
Even though Black Zetsu wasn't human, he still couldn't endure being eaten like this forever.
Thinking this to himself, Black Zetsu still stepped forward to stand in front of Amamiya Rei, extending one arm.
The moment he saw this familiar gesture, Amamiya Rei sprang up from the bed like a carp leaping from the water. He stared at the arm now so close to his mouth.
Who would turn down such a free meal? Only a fool!
His gaze gleaming, Rei eyed the flesh on Black Zetsu's arm. But mindful of Namikaze Minato in the next room, he, for the first time, bit down with a more "refined" manner — taking a chunk of Black Zetsu's flesh without making the slightest sound.
[Ding!]
[Scanning...]
[Scan complete.]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained: "Black Zetsu Flesh Chunk" × 1.]
[Analyzing...]
[Analysis complete.]
[Contained abilities: Mental Fusion, Basic Wood Release, Sensory Perception, Spore Parasitism...]
[Converting...]
[Conversion complete.]
["Black Zetsu Flesh Chunk" × 1 = Spore Parasitism + 600 min Sunlight Value + 6000 Chakra]
[Host, please strive to obtain more high‑quality flesh chunks!]
The numbers on his health bar shifted.
His sunlight value rose from 4640 to 5240, and his chakra amount increased to 53,000.
However, Rei was puzzled about one thing—what exactly was this "Spore Parasitism" ability?
He couldn't recall the specifics from the Naruto series.
As he pondered the question, a game-like skill card appeared in front of him.
[Spore Parasitism: Spores created by the user's main body are unlike ordinary clones—they do not disappear even if the main body dies. Before activation, the spores are undetectable. Once triggered, they transform into an expanding mass similar to White Zetsu, enveloping the host, absorbing their Chakra, and transferring it to others as needed.]
This wasn't the first time Rei had seen a skill description card.
Previously, when he had been confused about Muzan's abilities, a similar card had appeared.
He quickly understood the system's rule — whenever he was unsure about a skill, a corresponding skill card would appear to explain it.
Quite convenient.
Still, this "Spore Parasitism" ability... wasn't this more like White Zetsu's skill?
Had Black Zetsu secretly swapped things out when he bit into the flesh just now?
Or had Black Zetsu spent so much time merged with White Zetsu that their abilities had begun to overlap?
Unable to think of an answer, Rei decided not to waste the effort.
Regardless of the source, he was quite satisfied with this new ability.
He could plant a few spores on Shisui, wait until they drained his chakra, and then transfer it to himself — that would be much faster than simply eating meat.
Although Black Zetsu could evade Namikaze Minato's sensory perception, being too blatant still carried the risk of discovery.
After casting a deep, lingering glance at Amamiya Rei, Black Zetsu vanished back into the earth.
So... was Black Zetsu's visit just to remind him he existed?
And to play the role of some kind of flesh-delivering "fairy godmother"?
Could it be that Black Zetsu was worried he might starve to death?
Well, that would mean losing a valuable piece on the board.
Amamiya Rei stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Pushing the question aside, he got out of bed, pulled open the curtains, and looked up at the moon outside.
He couldn't sleep at all.
Not even the slightest drowsiness.
Nighttime was the best time for a demon to be active.
Besides, he had just eaten meat — and that only made him more energized.
The only thing that concerned Rei about living in Konoha was his daily routine.
His schedule was completely opposite to that of a normal person.
Adjusting to a regular routine in the future would be a troublesome matter.
Carefully, Rei opened his door.
Of course, he knew that such a small sound would never escape Namikaze Minato's notice — but that was exactly the point. He wanted Minato to notice.
If he didn't take advantage of such a perfect "escape" opportunity, wouldn't that be far too foolish?
Moving on tiptoe, he made his way to the entrance, gently opened the living room door, and stepped outside.
In the bedroom —
The instant the door lock clicked into place, Namikaze Minato's eyes snapped open.
He gently patted his still-sleeping wife in reassurance, threw on his clothes, and silently left the room, following Amamiya Rei without a sound.
Amamiya Rei was no shinobi, while Namikaze Minato was among the strongest shinobi alive. Following behind him without being detected was effortless.
Minato intended to see exactly what Amamiya Rei was planning to do.
One must never let down their guard. Though kind-hearted, Minato was still a shinobi—and more importantly, the Hokage of Konohagakure.
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