"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
After his initial shock, Black Zetsu shouted in disbelief.
"Isshiki Ōtsutsuki cannot possibly still be alive!"
"My mother sacrificed him to the Ten-Tails back then! And at that time he hadn't implanted Karma in anyone to resurrect himself!"
"And if he were still alive, with his strength there's nothing he couldn't accomplish. This world might have already ceased to exist!"
As for the news that the Ōtsutsuki Clan would soon descend upon this world, Black Zetsu felt both that it made sense and that it was completely unexpected.
Several thousand years had passed since Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and Isshiki Ōtsutsuki first arrived in the shinobi world. It would only be natural for the extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki Clan to eventually come searching for them.
But the idea that they would arrive in less than twenty years caught him completely off guard.
After all, he had still not rescued his mother, Kaguya.
Even if his original plan had proceeded smoothly, it would still take more than a decade to revive her.
At present, Nagato had not yet fully adapted to the power of the Rinnegan, and therefore could not resurrect Madara Uchiha.
And with their current strength, they had no way to seize the Tailed Beasts from the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
On top of that, his entire plan had already collapsed.
Obito had betrayed him.
The feeling left Black Zetsu with a bitter sense of helplessness—like a man who wanted to fight back but lacked the power to change fate.
As for Isshiki…
Black Zetsu simply refused to believe he was alive.
After all, Kaguya and Isshiki were mortal enemies. When Kaguya attacked him, she had done so with the clear intention of killing him completely, without showing the slightest mercy.
The thought that such a terrifying enemy might still be lurking somewhere in the shinobi world was something Black Zetsu could hardly accept.
Uchiha Ren spoke calmly.
"Whether you believe it or not is your own business. I've said what I needed to say."
Ren had no intention of explaining further. In truth, he couldn't explain it even if he wanted to.
The arrival of the Ōtsutsuki Clan and the survival of Isshiki were details from Boruto, a story that existed beyond the original Naruto storyline.
Ren's own "youth" had ended with Naruto. He had never really watched Boruto—only seen a few short clips online mentioning characters and ridiculous abilities.
Things like "Uchiha Suplex" or "Ōtsutsuki Elbow Strike."
So even if he tried to explain, he wouldn't be able to say much with certainty.
It was easier not to explain at all.
Ren turned to Black Zetsu and continued.
"To me, your personal will isn't important. Your existence is too dangerous, so I will still restrict your freedom."
"The reason I'm telling you all this is simply to make one thing clear."
"There is no fundamental conflict between us."
"As long as you behave yourself for the next period of time, I will naturally cooperate with you when the time comes to rescue your mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
Black Zetsu fell silent.
There was nothing he could say.
Uchiha Ren had already made it clear that Black Zetsu's opinion didn't matter.
Moreover, Ren's appearance had completely disrupted his centuries-long plan. Under the current circumstances, cooperating with Ren might actually be the best option available.
Of course…
That was assuming Ren wasn't lying.
But how could he prove that Ren wasn't simply deceiving him? What if this was merely a delaying tactic?
Black Zetsu felt strangely lost.
He had lurked in the shinobi world for thousands of years, yet this was the first time he had encountered an Uchiha as complicated as Uchiha Ren.
He simply could not see through Ren's intentions.
"Alright. Runtu, put him into your Kamui dimension first. When we return to Konoha later, we'll have Minato add a few more sealing techniques."
Ren stopped paying attention to Black Zetsu and spoke to Obito.
"My name is Obito, not Runtu!" Obito protested indignantly.
"It's the same thing. If you don't like it, I can call you 'Sage Two' instead."
"…Then just call me Runtu."
Obito suddenly felt that "Runtu" actually sounded pretty good—aside from the fact that it wasn't his real name.
Although he vaguely suspected that "Runtu" carried some hidden insult just like "Sage Two," at least he still couldn't figure out what the insulting meaning behind "Runtu" was.
But the insult behind 'Sage Two' was painfully obvious.
If he couldn't understand the insult, then technically there was no insult.
Therefore, "Runtu" was acceptable.
Without further argument, Obito quickly absorbed the sealed Black Zetsu into his Kamui dimension.
In a sense, for someone like Black Zetsu who possessed no spatial abilities, this was effectively another layer of sealing.
Ren waved his hand.
The blazing flames surrounding them began to extinguish rapidly, fading away at a visible speed.
"Brother Ren! You—"
Yahiko, who had been waiting anxiously outside the wall of fire, immediately rushed forward in excitement while carrying the still-unconscious Konan, wanting to check whether Ren was injured.
But when he saw Obito standing beside Ren, Yahiko abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
His steps halted as well.
"Relax. He's not an enemy anymore," Ren explained.
"Sumimasen! I apologize for my earlier offense!"
Obito bowed deeply to Yahiko.
"My name is Uchiha Obito. Earlier… I saw a bit of my past self in you, so I couldn't resist testing your resolve and beliefs."
Now that he was no longer walking the path of extremism, Obito's personality returned to being quite pleasant. Unlike many Uchiha, he lacked the clan's usual arrogance.
Yahiko suddenly felt a little embarrassed by the sincere apology.
Fortunately, Obito hadn't done anything unforgivable to him.
"It's fine. Since Konan is safe, there's nothing to worry about."
Yahiko's personality was like that.
As long as his bottom line wasn't crossed, things could still be discussed and forgiven.
In contrast, Naruto Uzumaki—who could shout things like "Don't insult Obito!" even after learning that Obito had caused the tragedy of his own parents' deaths—was righteous to an almost absurd degree.
Sometimes Ren wondered if that version of Naruto could even be considered a normal human being.
"Alright, what's done is done," Ren said.
"Time is short. There are many things I still need to tell you."
Obito and Yahiko both looked at him in confusion.
Ren explained:
"I cannot remain here for long. So my plan is to secretly control Hanzo of the Salamander and gradually transfer his authority to you."
"In the future…"
"The fate of the Land of Rain will depend on you."
He paused before adding one final sentence.
"Tell Nagato to prepare himself."
"It's time for him to step out into the sunlight."
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