Black Zetsu's mood was easy to understand.
If Black Zetsu and Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo hadn't shared the same mother, he would definitely have cursed the Sage of Six Paths harshly, asking how he could still be active more than a thousand years after his death!
For Black Zetsu, the appearance of the Sage of Six Paths was not good news at all; it was news that made him feel as if the sky were falling.
The Sage of Six Paths was the one who had sealed Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. Black Zetsu knew exactly what kind of person his mother was, and he did not believe the Sage would ever help resurrect her. He had to be on guard against Kaguya's revival. With the Sage involved, how could the Moon Eye Plan possibly succeed?
Black Zetsu wanted to hide in panic. He couldn't even figure out what had gone wrong. Where had Emiya Shihara found the Sage of Six Paths? He had clearly seen Emiya Shihara take the Sage's body with his own eyes!
Yet when Black Zetsu looked at the smile on Emiya Shihara's face, he forced down his fear and anxiety and carefully asked, "Emiya, didn't the Sage of Six Paths die a long time ago?"
He hurriedly added, "Emiya, you're the only one suited to carry out the Moon Eye Plan. No one else in this world can replace you. Even if the Sage of Six Paths were truly alive, it would be impossible…"
If possible, Black Zetsu would have liked the Sage to stay as far away as possible. He didn't want any contact between Emiya Shihara and the Sage of Six Paths.
"Death does not mean the extinction of the soul," Emiya Shihara said easily, deceiving Black Zetsu as he adapted the story of Hashirama Senju. "When Hashirama died, his obsession with Madara kept his soul from returning to the underworld…"
Black Zetsu immediately tensed. This situation was indeed plausible. With the bond between Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara stretching back decades, his obsession could indeed prevent his soul from returning to the underworld.
"So… the Sage of Six Paths has appeared?" Black Zetsu's mind was spinning. "Can the long-dead Sage still influence the living world?"
"Probably." Emiya Shihara nodded and said softly, "When Hashirama Senju was on the brink of death, he encountered the Sage of Six Paths. With the Sage's power, he briefly returned to the living world and told me not to linger here but to return to the pure land of the underworld as soon as possible…"
Black Zetsu felt a pang of pain. That unfilial son—how could he refuse to rest even after death? What crisis greater than Kaguya could there be?
Had the Sage already noticed his conspiracy? Did he realize Black Zetsu was trying to exploit Emiya Shihara's power? If Emiya Shihara returned to the underworld, who would Black Zetsu rely on then? Madara? Madara was arrogant and unreliable…
And after Emiya Shihara went back to the underworld, would the Sage tell him the truth about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki? After hearing that story, would Emiya Shihara still trust him?
A big question mark formed in Black Zetsu's mind. If that happened, would he lose Emiya Shihara again? Although Madara was less reliable than Shihara, there was no telling what would happen after Shihara met the Sage. This man was always so easily deceived…
No — he must not lose Emiya Shihara. He had to find a way to make Shihara return from the underworld again and do everything possible to regain his trust. He also had to extract information about the Sage of Six Paths — how the Sage could influence the living world, how much power he still had, and whether he posed a threat to Kaguya's resurrection.
The situation was truly dire.
If not for the Impure World Reincarnation technique developed by Senju Tobirama, Black Zetsu would have been desperate. He had a vague plan: retrieve the other half of Emiya Shihara's body and resurrect him once again after his return to the underworld.
The Sage of Six Paths was infuriating. Black Zetsu had finally persuaded Emiya Shihara to agree to the Moon Eye Project, finally taught him how to deceive, finally seen hope of resurrecting Kaguya — and then that unfilial son appeared and wanted to take Shihara away.
Yet to obtain information about that unfilial son, he could only watch helplessly as it all happened, as Emiya Shihara left him and surrendered to the Sage of Six Paths. This was Emiya Shihara — his favorite chess piece from ancient times.
He had thought that their reunion after millennia would make his plan perfect, but the Sage's appearance forced them apart again, potentially even destroying the trust he had built — and he could only watch. He even had to persuade Emiya Shihara to meet the Sage, because only Shihara could bring back information about him and ensure Kaguya's resurrection.
"That guy…" Black Zetsu's heart filled with uncontrollable fury. To call his feelings toward the Sage of Six Paths mere hatred was far too mild.
"What's wrong, Black Zetsu?" Emiya Shihara looked surprised, as if he had no idea of Black Zetsu's fear, worries, and frantic scheming.
"I'm just a little uneasy. What if the Sage of Six Paths changes his mind? And there's still the gap between the living world and the underworld. Even if he truly wants to help, everything has to be carried out here…" Black Zetsu gritted his teeth. "If something goes wrong in the future, only Madara can execute the Moon Eye Project. You've seen how arrogant he is even before awakening the Rinnegan. I'm worried he'll let it get out of control…"
Uchiha Madara's arrogance was innate. Even when Hashirama was alive, he looked down on others. After Hashirama's death, there was no one left in the world worthy of his respect.
"Then what should I do?" Emiya Shihara frowned. He ignored Madara's success in his previous life and said casually, "Next time I see him, I'll tell him about your presence. If anything goes wrong, you can guide Madara to execute the plan…"
Black Zetsu pondered. To avoid arousing Madara's suspicion, he had never appeared before him, only assisting from the shadows. He had always hoped that Emiya Shihara would guide Madara from the front while he remained hidden, waiting for Kaguya's resurrection.
But if Emiya Shihara left, he would be the only one left to guide Madara. Although he had already considered impersonating Madara's will when Madara awakened the Rinnegan, he couldn't do that now. Emiya Shihara knew his true identity. Such a blatant lie would inevitably cause consequences. Even a hint from Shihara about their ancient acquaintance would make Madara realize it was a deception.
And he couldn't possibly claim to be Kaguya's will either. Madara was too proud; he would never allow a god to rule him. He might even sabotage the Moon Eye Project.
"Emiya Shihara, the only one Madara will accept… is you." Black Zetsu looked at him hopefully. "Only with your status will Madara accept my guidance. Only with your presence will he accept our peace plan."
Indeed — only Emiya Shihara. He was the most trustworthy person in the entire ninja world. No one doubted his compassionate and kind heart. Even the Sage of Six Paths was far inferior to Emiya Shihara. Even someone like Uchiha Madara didn't think he was a bad person and always hoped to be with him.
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