"What is it?"
After a long silence, an angry voice rang through Black Zetsu's mind.
The power behind it was so overwhelming that his body trembled.
"Mother…" Black Zetsu forced down his fear and spoke carefully. "The situation in the shinobi world has become… complicated."
"What?"
Boom!
Before he could continue, a terrifying wave of power slammed into his mind.
Black Zetsu's soul shook violently.
"Mother, it truly isn't my fault," he hurriedly said, enduring the pain. "The situation has gone far beyond my control."
Silence.
A long, suffocating silence.
Kaguya seemed to be thinking.
"Speak," she finally said with a faint sigh. "Tell me everything that has happened in the shinobi world over the years."
"Yes…"
Black Zetsu drew a deep breath.
"After you were sealed, I began laying plans in secret. At first, everything went smoothly. The plan advanced step by step."
"But a few years ago, Konoha's Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, appeared out of nowhere and ruined everything."
"He first…"
Half an hour later, Black Zetsu finally finished recounting Uchiha Ren's rise.
"Interesting."
To Black Zetsu's surprise, Kaguya did not sound angry.
Instead, her voice carried a trace of fascination.
"Truly interesting."
"Mother?"
Black Zetsu was confused.
Shouldn't she be furious?
Why did she sound almost amused?
He had no idea what to say.
What he did not know was that Kaguya's heart was far from calm.
After her two rebellious sons, Hagoromo and Hamura, had ambushed and sealed her, she had waited for Black Zetsu to free her.
She had also wanted to see what kind of world those two traitorous sons would create.
Now it seemed—
everything had fallen apart.
Neither Hagoromo nor Hamura had managed to control the shinobi world properly.
In the end, it still had to be their mother.
But when Kaguya thought of the two Ōtsutsuki main family members who had died on Earth, her interest in Uchiha Ren grew even stronger.
Yes.
She was interested in him.
A man who had risen under Hagoromo and Hamura's watch, obtained a Ten-Tails, and killed members of the Ōtsutsuki main family—
Uchiha Ren was no ordinary shinobi.
The thought made even the sealed Kaguya feel a flicker of anticipation.
"Black Zetsu," Kaguya said calmly, "the Ōtsutsuki main family will likely send more people to Earth."
"The Fourth Great Ninja War is about to begin as well."
"The shinobi world is becoming more and more entertaining."
"Watching this unfold is rather enjoyable."
"Enjoyable? Watching?"
Black Zetsu almost froze.
He had come to beg his mother for help.
Yet Kaguya did not seem worried at all.
Was he the only one panicking?
For a moment, Black Zetsu felt deeply wronged.
"Black Zetsu, revive me as soon as possible."
Kaguya ignored his silent resentment and gave the order.
"The shinobi world has become so interesting. How could I possibly miss it?"
"I…"
Black Zetsu opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"There is actually another Ten-Tails in the shinobi world," Kaguya said, as if she already knew what he wanted to ask. "When Isshiki and I came to Earth, he also carried a Ten-Tails."
"What?"
Black Zetsu was stunned.
There was another Ten-Tails?
Wait.
Besides the Ten-Tails split into the nine tailed beasts…
and besides the Ten-Tails possessed by Uchiha Ren…
there was still one more?
Did that mean the shinobi world had three Ten-Tails?
"That Ten-Tails became what you know as the Shinigami and the Evil God," Kaguya said indifferently. "After I dealt with Isshiki, I left traces of that Ten-Tails behind."
"Bring me the Shinigami and the Evil God."
"Then I can revive."
"Ah…"
Black Zetsu's mouth fell open.
He almost wanted to cry.
So his mother had left a backup plan all along?
This scheme was far deeper than he had imagined.
In other words—
Kaguya had been playing on a level far beyond his imagination.
He had only seen a fraction of the board.
Even Hagoromo and Hamura had misjudged her.
Wait.
Did that mean they did not need to gather the tailed beasts to revive his mother?
After all these years of hiding and scheming, Black Zetsu finally felt a surge of happiness.
Mother was still the greatest.
"Go," Kaguya said calmly. "The shinobi world will return to my embrace."
In truth, there was something Kaguya did not say.
With her true strength back then, Hagoromo and Hamura should never have been able to seal her.
But in the final moment, she had seen glimpses of the future.
So she had gone along with it and laid her own plans.
Now, however, everything had changed.
Uchiha Ren's appearance had shattered her arrangements and even killed two members of the Ōtsutsuki main family.
Without question, the main family would send more people to Earth.
The peaceful days were ending.
The shinobi world would soon drown in blood and storm once again.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios