Minato Namikaze froze.
At first, when Kai had gone quiet, he thought the man was simply mulling something over. The last thing he expected was a sudden, explosive strike at the ground.
His first reaction? Confusion.
But when Kai dragged out a pale, humanoid figure from the dirt, Minato's blood ran cold.
An enemy? Here?
His forehead beaded with cold sweat.
What a joke.
He might still be ranked as a Jounin, but his strength was already on par with a kage. Yet while he'd been chatting idly, someone had been hiding just meters away—listening in—and he hadn't sensed a thing?
If word of this ever spread, he'd never live it down.
The mood for friendly talks evaporated. In a flash, Minato appeared at Kai's side.
"Kai… what is this?" His voice was clipped, almost harsh. He couldn't bring himself to call it a "person."
Kai remained calm, as if he'd already anticipated the question.
If he'd chosen to act in front of Minato, then he had no intention of keeping secrets. Even allies needed a measure of sincerity—or someone like Minato, who practically embodied justice, would never trust him.
Yes. The fewer enemies, the better. Allies could be temporary, shifting with the tides. But sincerity was a tool, and Kai knew when to use it.
He took a slow breath.
"White Zetsu. A humanoid creature. The details are… complicated. Just know this—it isn't human. And it wasn't here for us."
His gaze hardened.
"This one was monitoring Obito. We just happened to get swept up because we're close to him. To avoid drawing suspicion, they stationed one nearby to watch us too."
Minato blinked, struggling to keep up.
Kai continued evenly, his voice low and steady:
"Remember how you asked what I was thinking about back in the tent? It was this. To be honest, I'd rather not get involved. The power behind this creature isn't my enemy—not yet. But since you've chosen to stand as my ally, I've been weighing whether I should intervene anyway."
Before Minato could respond, Kai casually flicked out a kunai and split the White Zetsu in half.
The bisected body fell limp, its pale flesh revealing strange, wooden fibers beneath.
"See for yourself," Kai said flatly. "This is what it really is."
Minato stared, his thoughts spiraling.
The implications were staggering.
What was this "White Zetsu"? Why was it watching Obito? And who was the power behind it that Kai didn't want to antagonize?
Forcing himself to look closer, he crouched beside the corpse. One glance was enough—though humanoid, it resembled living wood more than flesh.
His head throbbed.
Hidden Stone's relentless offensives were already driving him to exhaustion. Now there was… this.
Drawing in a long, steadying breath, he finally said, "Kai… tell me everything. You wouldn't have revealed this unless you'd already decided. So talk. My head's a mess right now—explain it to me."
There was helplessness in his voice.
Kai didn't refuse.
After a pause, he began speaking evenly, as if reciting a report:
"These White Zetsu answer to someone from my clan—Uchiha Madara."
Minato's eyes widened.
"Yes. That Madara. The man who fought the First Hokage all his life. He didn't die back then. Not completely. Though, he's close to death now."
"And Obito—he's Madara's chosen successor."
"Why? Because he's pure. Kind-hearted. You understand Uchiha nature, Minato. The gentler the heart before awakening, the more twisted the soul after. Madara knows this well."
Kai's voice darkened.
"I don't know what exact script Madara has written for him. But I do know this—it won't involve you, not even as the Yellow Flash. Madara's too weak now to bother. If his goal is to force Obito into awakening the Mangekyō… then only two sacrifices make sense."
"Kakashi Hatake. Or Rin Nohara."
Minato's face drained of color.
The words hollowed him out.
Finally, after a long silence, he muttered, "Madara has been dead for years. The First and Second Hokage confirmed it personally."
It wasn't distrust—it was disbelief. This was Uchiha Madara, the man who had once rivaled Hashirama Senju. Even now, Minato couldn't be certain he could defeat such a monster.
"Izanagi," Kai replied coldly. "The Uchiha's forbidden jutsu. A Mangekyō technique that lets you record your body's perfect state in advance. If you die, the technique triggers automatically. By sacrificing a Sharingan, you return to life, restored to that recorded state."
Minato's jaw tightened, his lips twitching.
Of course the Uchiha would have such a ridiculous ability.
Exhaling heavily, he finally asked, "…And how do you know all this?"
Kai didn't hesitate.
"I have special detection abilities. I've already killed White Zetsu inside the village. That's how I learned. And that same sensing ability—Kurama, the Nine-Tails, has it too. He understands White Zetsu far better than I do."
His tone shifted slightly, almost regretful.
"The Nine-Tails has lived for over a thousand years. Much of history was never recorded, but he knows it firsthand. Not just shinobi history—even the true nature of the Three Great Sacred Lands, Kurama likely understands better than anyone. After all, once… he was Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki's pet."
Minato stood frozen, speechless.
The more Kai revealed, the heavier the weight pressing on his chest. Hidden Stone. Kannabi Bridge. And now Madara and the White Zetsu.
His own head began to throb in unison with Kai's words.
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