The capital's skyline shimmered beneath a cascade of lanterns and fireworks. The Festival of Fire had reached its second night, but the city's jubilant air could not touch everyone equally.
High above the rooftops, hidden in a thick, unnatural mist, a shadow moved with calculated precision. Its form was tall and twisted — a black humanoid figure with serpentine limbs and an ever-shifting face.
Black Zetsu.
Its red, glossy eyes reflected the glow of the festival below as it whispered to itself.
"So... the boy, a direct descendant of my eldest nephew, Indra Ōtsutsuki... Keiji Uchiha. And that unknown creature lingering at his side..."
Its voice slithered through the shadows, full of malice and something deeper — frustration.
"He won the Land of Fire Youth Ninja Competition. Against all probabilities. Against my designs… my careful threads."
Black Zetsu's form coiled, each movement slicing the mist like a blade. Its mind raced, unraveling the web of events it had so meticulously planned.
"He did not merely lead the Uchiha Clan astray; he shattered the very wheel of fate I had set in motion a millennium ago. And in the chaos of his rebellion, the ritual to restore my mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, was fractured. Her return, once inevitable, now hangs in the balance."
A hiss escaped its lips as it leaned closer to the lantern-lit streets. The shadow below barely stirred the festival-goers, but Black Zetsu's wrath was focused entirely on one target.
"Keiji Uchiha and his aberrant pet have become a threat I can no longer ignore. They will be erased before they can tear apart the tapestry of destiny I have spent centuries stitching together, thread by bloody thread."
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The Unseen Puppeteer
Black Zetsu's gaze turned to the Hagoromo Clan — specifically the recent kidnapping incident. Its black tendrils flared faintly, unseen by any human eye.
"The second heir of the Hagoromo Clan… young Daiki. My design unfolds, not by my own hand, but through the grasping, petty fingers of underworld bounty hunters. A beautifully cruel manipulation, this. It will break the heir, shatter the lineage's stability, and in the ensuing chaos, the path for my mother Kaguya's glorious return will be paved."
The shadow coiled tighter, vibrating with rage.
"Then came Keiji—him!—and that unnatural creature at his side. They wrenched my prey from destiny's grasp. The cornerstone of my plan for the Hagoromo Clan … was demolished. The chaos I had so carefully cultivated… extinguished."
Black Zetsu's form flickered like ink in water. Its mind replayed every interaction — the tournament victory, the intervention during the kidnapping, the formation of the Hagoromo-Uchiha alliance.
"Every move of the boy… calculated… every step disturbing my grand design. His father, Madara… strong, yes… but he did not see the threads I wove. Yet this child, this Keiji… he's unraveling centuries of schemes."
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The Five Sacred Weapons
Black Zetsu's attention shifted, a wicked grin forming across its inhuman features. Its thoughts turned to the Hagoromo Clan's arsenal — the five powerful weapons entrusted across generations.
"The Amber Purifying Pot… the Seven Star Sword… the Banana Palm Fan… the Golden Canopy Rope… and the Crimson Gourd."
Each weapon glimmered in Zetsu's vision, as if it could see them all at once, even though they rested securely in Hagoromo Clan.
"With these instruments… I would have purged any obstacle. I would have destroyed the Hagoromo Clan entirely. And yet… that boy… the unnatural creature… they defied my plan."
It twisted in the mist, lashing a spectral arm across the night sky, shattering an unseen lantern into fragments of light.
"No longer a simple pawn in the revival of Kaguya. Now… he is the threat. The anomaly. The deviation."
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Calculating the Next Move
Black Zetsu's yellow eyes burned through the festival lights. It allowed itself a slow, deliberate smile, its voice low and poisonous.
"They will pay. The Uchiha clan … their rising heir… and the unnatural creature they call Gengar. They have meddled in affairs far beyond their comprehension. Their interference will be… rectified."
It coiled itself around the tallest tower of the capital's outskirts, staring at the faint glow of the Uchiha estate in the distance.
"I will not act hastily. No… patience, subtlety… these are weapons of their own. Let them enjoy the festival, bask in their fleeting victory."
Its shadow slithered along the rooftops, invisible to all, except the faintest whisper of a shiver in the air.
"I will strike when the moment is ripe. When the boy trusts the world and the phantom walks beside him… unguarded… then…"
The tendrils extended in multiple directions, almost as if marking potential trajectories.
"…Both will die. Both will vanish. Both… must be erased before my mother Kaguya rises and my plan completes."
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A Mastermind's Reflection
Black Zetsu paused, hovering above the festival's flickering lights. It let the chaos of celebration wash over the city like a cruel irony.
"How foolish mortals are… celebrating as though the world belongs to them. As if one tournament victory can change destiny.
They do not see what lurks beyond the veil.
They do not see me."
It hissed, a sound like cracking obsidian.
"Keiji Uchiha… son of the formidable Madara and the cunning Unohana. A spark of genius, undeniable, yet fatally naive in his trust. He has single-handedly wrenched the Uchiha clan's trajectory from its ordained path. Not only has he fortified the Hagoromo Clan, but he has also awakened alliances I had not foreseen… a variable I must now account for."
The shadow tightened, shrinking itself into the shape of a serpentine coil, as though gathering its malevolent essence for a single purpose.
"I am patient. I am eternal. And I will ensure that this boy, this Uchiha prodigy, his phantom … will never rise again."
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The Festival Continues
Far below, the festival roared on. Children chased each other under lanterns, merchants shouted over stalls, and fireworks bloomed in golden cascades.
No one noticed the shadow that slithered across rooftops — no one saw the red, calculating eyes that had watched Keiji win, watch him rescue the Hagoromo heir, watch him change the course of clans.
But the shadow was patient. Eternal. And it would wait.
"The boy does not yet understand the web he has stepped into," Black Zetsu murmured. "But soon… he will. Soon… both he and his phantom will taste true despair."
And with that, the figure vanished into the inky night, leaving only a ripple in the air and a faint pulse of malice.
Somewhere in the festival crowd, Keiji adjusted the strap of his armor, Gengar floating beside him. The boy smiled faintly at the glowing lights, unaware of the dark eyes that followed him from the shadows.
"Nothing can stop us now," he whispered.
And somewhere beyond the city, the shadow of Black Zetsu smiled too — patient, cunning, and ready.
"Let the child have his moments. Soon, all shall be revealed to him... in the most devastating way."
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End of the Chapter
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