Chapter 57: A Life for a Life
Black Zetsu was not so easily fooled.
He had been devastated earlier, watching Stelle seemingly destroy the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. But in the quiet moments after Uchiha Setsuna's death, he had replayed the scene in his mind, and a sliver of doubt had taken root. He suspected he had been tricked.
This woman, Ida Stelle, was an anomaly—stranger and far more difficult to deal with than even Senju Tobirama. However, she seemed to care a great deal for the Senju, and that presented an opportunity. As long as he controlled Tobirama, he could surely pry the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan from her hands. Though he was loath to expose himself, the thought of giving up on a perfectly preserved pair of Madara's eyes was simply unbearable.
Having learned that Senju Tobirama was beginning a diplomatic mission to the Land of Lightning, Black Zetsu had shadowed him, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Uchiha Madara had slaughtered countless shinobi from Kumogakure, yet the Raikage, wary of Konoha's might, intended to settle for mere monetary and resource compensation. Black Zetsu sensed the simmering rage of the Gold and Silver Brothers, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who thirsted for Tobirama's blood and a full-scale counterattack on Konoha. He began to weave his machinations in the shadows, planning to use Tobirama as the perfect use against Stelle.
To his surprise, however, she never followed Tobirama to the Land of Lightning. The stage was set, but the lead actor was missing.
Forced to adapt, Black Zetsu devised a new plan. He would possess Senju Tobirama's body, drag him to the Konoha encampment at the border of the Land of Fire, and wait. When Ida Stelle inevitably arrived, he would hold Tobirama hostage to secure the eyes. The effect would be the same. She cared so deeply for the man that even his corpse would be a powerful bargaining chip.
He never expected her to deliver herself right to his doorstep.
Suddenly, his goal felt tantalizingly close. Of course, the plan would be most effective with a living hostage. Without a moment's hesitation, he revealed himself.
"Fine. I'll give you the eye," Stelle said, her voice devoid of warmth. She produced a sealing scroll, and with a puff of smoke, a small glass bottle appeared in her hand. She tossed it onto the ground before Black Zetsu without a trace of reluctance.
Suspended inside was a crimson eye, its complex pattern unmistakable. It was Uchiha Madara's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
After a careful inspection to confirm its authenticity, Black Zetsu demanded, "Where is the other one?"
Stelle produced another scroll and threw it down as well. "The other eye is in a laboratory northwest of Konoha. This scroll contains the method to bypass the seals. You can go and retrieve it now."
Black Zetsu's form rippled with fury. "What tricks are you playing? Do you think I won't snap his neck right now?"
The threat was venomous, yet the amorphous hand clutching Tobirama's throat didn't dare apply the slightest pressure. In his current state, the man was so fragile that even a gentle squeeze might extinguish his life. Black Zetsu was terrified Tobirama would kick the bucket before the deal was done, provoking Stelle into truly crushing the precious eye. He had even, in secret, applied a scavenged healing scroll to Tobirama's back to keep him breathing.
"I was, in fact, using the other eye for experiments," Stelle stated coldly. "At a time like this, I have no reason to lie, nor would I gamble with my teacher's life. With your abilities, you are more than capable of sneaking into that lab and taking the Sharingan long before I can return to Konoha. Am I wrong?"
A cold dread, like a drumbeat, echoed in Black Zetsu's core. She knows? How could she possibly know about my abilities?
"Now," Stelle said, taking a deliberate step forward, "can you release my teacher?"
Her gaze made his very essence crawl. More unnerving still were the seals she was forming—a different, complex pattern in each hand. She had merely brushed against him moments ago and had somehow managed to strip a layer from his being.
With a wet, tearing sound, Black Zetsu shot out of Senju Tobirama's body. He plunged directly into the earth, diving deep underground and streaking toward Konoha.
Tobirama was barely clinging to a single breath. Trading that fleeting life for one Sharingan was a victory. As long as the other eye was still in Konoha, he would find it eventually. More, he felt a primal certainty that if he hadn't fled then and there, Ida Stelle would have sealed him. If those impossibly complex fuinjutsu in her hands had connected, heaven only knew what the result would be.
This woman was too dangerous. Caution was survival.
He still had to save Mother. He absolutely could not perish here.
Once she was certain Black Zetsu was gone, Stelle knelt to examine Senju Tobirama's injuries. A single glance told her he was beyond saving.
No, he was beyond ordinary means of saving. The only reason he was still breathing was a proof of the sheer fortitude of his Senju bloodline. The only way to keep him alive now was to use her own creation: the improved Version 3.0 of the Reincarnation Jutsu.
It would bankrupt her, but Tobirama had provided her with an ocean of emotional energy. She would consider it a reward for her top donor. Still, the coming days would be lean. She would have to stir up some serious trouble to replenish her reserves.
She placed a hand on Senju Tobirama's chest. A pale green chakra, brimming with both overwhelming vitality and a predatory sense of plunder, flowed from her palm. One could almost see the life force being transferred from her body into his.
Honestly, Tobirama should have been able to handle this. With her constant presence and pointers, his strength had grown immensely. Logically, killing Kinkaku and Ginkaku and breaking through their encirclement should have been well within his capabilities.
But Black Zetsu was just too insidious. The Gold and Silver Brothers had consumed the Nine-Tails' flesh and wielded the treasured tools of the Sage of Six Paths. It was Tobirama against those two, plus a hundred elite jonin. All Black Zetsu had to do was trip him up at the most critical moment, forcing a single, fatal mistake.
Some mistakes, you simply couldn't afford to make.
It was also fortunate that the era of jinchuriki had not yet begun in earnest. Otherwise, Kinkaku and Ginkaku would have likely brought the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails into the fray.
Just as she was preparing to commit to the healing process, Tobirama's hand shot up and clamped around her wrist.
In the same instant, he disrupted her chakra network. The pale green light vanished.
"Tobirama-sensei, what are you doing?" Stelle gasped, startled by his sudden strength.
That was a healing technique! Her lifespan was absurdly expensive, costing a thousand mood points for a single day. Why else would she only ever exchange for two or three years at a time instead of a decade?
Stelle winced, her heart aching at the waste.
Senju Tobirama's voice was a low, ethereal whisper, laced with a disbelief that seemed to surprise even himself. "You said… the inheritor of the Sage of Six Paths' will has always existed. Is it possible… that another person's will also has an inheritor? One who has always been in this world?"
It was the first time he had spoken to her since her failed logout attempt, since he had dragged her back to Konoha. And this was what he chose to say?
"Huh?" Stelle was completely baffled, failing to see any connection between his imminent death and this philosophical tangent.
"Stelle," he pressed, his grip surprisingly firm, "do you think it's possible… that she herself is immortal? That she simply found some special method to keep herself alive?"
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]