"No… it was you!"
Black Zetsu truly deserved his reputation as a schemer who had survived for thousands of years. After the initial shock passed, he quickly regained his composure.
After only a moment of thought, Black Zetsu immediately identified the person responsible for exposing his existence, his origins, and his entire plan.
Uchiha Ren!
There could be no other culprit.
Until today, Uchiha Obito had been nothing more than a foolish pawn, toyed with in the palms of both Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu.
And it was only after meeting Uchiha Ren that Obito betrayed Madara.
Therefore, it had to be Ren who told Obito the truth about everything.
But how had Uchiha Ren learned all of this?
Black Zetsu glanced suspiciously at Ren's eyes, which had already returned to their normal state, and a faint suspicion formed in his mind.
Could it be… a Mangekyō Sharingan ability similar to Uchiha Fugaku's? One that could observe the future or the past?
Yes.
Uchiha Fugaku had also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, after awakening it, Fugaku had kept it hidden in the shadows and never revealed it to anyone.
Moreover, Fugaku's Mangekyō abilities were not the type suited for overwhelming combat power, which was another reason he had managed to keep it secret for so long.
If Fugaku had not been the head of the Uchiha Clan, someone Black Zetsu constantly monitored to obtain first-hand information about the clan's movements, he might never have discovered the secret of Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Abilities like Fugaku's Mangekyō had appeared a few times in the thousands of years of shinobi history, and Black Zetsu had seen such powers before.
One of Fugaku's eyes could retrace events that had occurred in a location in the past, while the other could predict the future development of a particular event.
These two abilities were not overwhelmingly powerful in direct combat, but if used well, they could produce devastating surprise effects.
Unfortunately, Fugaku's personality was—
To put it kindly: gentle, cautious, and steady.
To put it bluntly: overly hesitant and indecisive.
After awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, that personality trait only intensified. He worried about everything, feared every possible risk, and in the end simply buried his head in the sand and chose to let events take their course—doing nothing at all.
Black Zetsu suspected that Uchiha Ren's Mangekyō Sharingan possessed abilities similar to Fugaku's, but even stronger.
Only that could explain how Ren knew the truth about his origins and plans.
"Heh. So what if you figured it out?"
Obito snorted coldly. Then he turned to Uchiha Ren.
"Teacher Ren, someone like him is far too dangerous. We should just kill him."
Although Obito hated the influence Black Zetsu had exerted over his life, what he felt even more strongly was fear of Zetsu's schemes.
When it came to playing mind games, Obito knew that even if ten versions of himself were tied together, they still wouldn't be a match for Black Zetsu.
So it would be better to simply kill him and end everything.
Black Zetsu merely snorted when he heard that, showing no reaction.
His combat strength might not be high, but killing him completely was far from easy.
At worst, he would only be sealed for a period of time. And in the future, there might still be another chance to rescue his mother.
But at that moment, Uchiha Ren shook his head, rejecting Obito's suggestion.
"There's no need to kill him," Ren said calmly.
"For now, just seal him inside your Kamui dimension. He might still prove useful in the future."
"Useful?" Obito blinked in confusion. "What could we possibly use him for?"
Ren looked at Black Zetsu and said meaningfully:
"To help us rescue Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
The moment those words were spoken, both Obito and Black Zetsu froze, staring at Ren in shock.
Ren continued explaining:
"If you think about it carefully, there isn't actually any fundamental conflict between us and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. On the contrary, we share a common enemy."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"There's no reason we can't form a united front."
Obito quickly reacted.
"Teacher Ren… the enemy you're talking about is the Ōtsutsuki Clan from beyond the heavens, right?"
Black Zetsu was even more stunned.
He never expected that Uchiha Ren even knew about the existence of the extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Even he, the manifestation of Kaguya's will, did not fully understand that mysterious clan.
Ren nodded.
"Strictly speaking, if Kaguya hadn't ambushed Isshiki Ōtsutsuki at the critical moment, this world might have ceased to exist thousands of years ago."
"In the end, the reason Kaguya used Infinite Tsukuyomi to create the White Zetsu army was to prepare for the arrival of the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
"And we face that same threat."
"Kaguya acted according to her own arrogant judgment. But if we possess the strength to stand on equal footing with her, we may be able to change her mind."
"After all, no matter how many White Zetsu there are, they can't compare to a single Six Paths–level or even Super-Kage–level powerhouse."
"And for us, Kaguya herself is an Ōtsutsuki. With her on our side, she could shoulder a significant portion of the pressure."
"When we cooperate, both sides benefit."
"When we oppose each other, both sides suffer."
Obito frowned slightly.
"Is the Ōtsutsuki Clan really that powerful?"
Ren thought for a moment before answering seriously.
"In the current shinobi world, there are fewer than five people who could survive ten moves against an Ōtsutsuki."
"And if we're talking about fighting to the death and enduring a hundred moves…"
"There isn't even one."
Obito's pupils shrank in shock.
"Not even you and Teacher Minato?"
"No."
Ren nodded firmly.
The Ōtsutsuki Clan existed on an entirely different level of life from humans. Without reaching Six Paths–level power, opposing them was impossible.
In the current shinobi world:
Minato Namikaze and Obito might survive by relying on their extreme mobility.
Orochimaru—often jokingly called a "cockroach that refuses to die"—might revive thanks to his endless survival methods.
As for Ren himself, he might be able to exchange a few blows with an Ōtsutsuki.
But if the battle continued to the end—
He would definitely die.
Even in the original storyline, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, those two legendary protagonists, were beaten like dogs by the Ōtsutsuki after losing their protagonist's halo.
That alone showed how terrifying the Ōtsutsuki truly were.
Therefore, if possible, Ren had no intention of abandoning Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, such a powerful combat asset.
After explaining everything to Obito, Ren turned toward Black Zetsu.
"So," he said calmly, "what do you think?"
Black Zetsu's eyes flickered.
"So you intend to release my mother when the Ōtsutsuki Clan descends upon this world?"
"More or less."
Ren nodded.
"But you won't have to wait that long. In about twenty years, new members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan will arrive in this world."
"And besides…"
"Isshiki Ōtsutsuki isn't dead yet."
Black Zetsu: "!!!"
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