HSU: Ch. 338

When it came to sneaking around and spying, Black Zetsu could be considered a seasoned expert. Even if you count only one cycle per year, he had gone through a thousand cycles.

To fully observe each generation of Indra's reincarnation, he had sneaked nearby more than once.

But there was always a premise. He only spied when people were fighting. Not just because everyone's attention was less focused at such times, but also because of Hagoromo.

Hagoromo valued Asura's descendants, because the philosophy he spread was passed along that line. Later, that attention shifted to Asura's chakra reincarnations.

What Black Zetsu expected was the descendants of Indra. Only Indra's line had a chance to awaken the Rinnegan. Later, this hope also centered on Indra's chakra reincarnations.

The reincarnations of the two brothers were always synchronized. Not "born in the same year, month, and day," but rather "reborn in the same year, month, and day."

And in the end, they would inevitably clash.

So spying on one always meant spying on the other.

Black Zetsu's stealth was trained exactly through this. His "opponent" was Hagoromo.

That was why he developed a style that prized stability above all.

When masters of this level gathered together and chatted, he usually kept his distance.

These "masters," once known as jonin, were now called Kage-level.

But this time was an exception. He couldn't wait any longer.

Fortunately, everything still went smoothly. Aside from Masashi, no one seemed to have noticed him.

Seeing that Masashi had even made a bit of space for him on purpose, Black Zetsu accepted the silent understanding and quickly sneaked up behind him. But after all, he was too used to being cautious. The moment he got close to Masashi, he forced himself to settle down again.

This was going to be a long negotiation.

Black Zetsu hid himself inside Masashi's shadow. As time passed, the shadow behind him stretched longer and longer, giving Black Zetsu more room to conceal himself.

Finally, darkness completely fell.

When the sun dipped fully below the horizon and the light of stars and moon ruled the sky, Black Zetsu felt the time was about right. He carefully separated a thin "string" from his arm and extended it through the ground toward Masashi's clothes.

Black Zetsu believed he was being very cautious.

As long as he made contact, he could establish a link with Masashi and begin communicating.

But he had still underestimated the people present.

Not everyone was deeply absorbed in conversation.

On Masashi's left sat Chiyo, who had the air of a bystander. Suna's main debater was Rasa, not her.

After Sasori left the village, the title of Suna's top puppeteer returned to the old woman beneath that seat. Chiyo didn't have many hobbies. She either played with puppets or went fishing, all involving strings.

Puppeteers differed from other ninjas in that their power depended largely on things outside their own bodies. So even when they aged, their strength did not decline much. But all puppeteers shared one flaw. They were sensitive to anything string-like.

Chiyo, who seemed half-asleep, noticed even in the night the thin black string stretching out from behind Masashi.

So she flicked her finger. A chakra thread shot diagonally forward, hitting the tip of Black Zetsu's extended "string," and the two connected.

"He-ya!" Chiyo shouted dramatically, suddenly raising her hand.

Black Zetsu had enough professional discipline not to scream, but he was pulled by Chiyo's chakra thread, and part of his arm was yanked out of Masashi's shadow.

At that moment, his only thought was, how does this old lady have such monstrous strength!?

Everyone present was a shinobi with sharp senses. They had only failed to detect Black Zetsu because it wasn't their specialty. Now that a mysterious hand appeared, they all simultaneously turned toward the space behind Masashi.

Masashi: "..."

Hadn't seen each other for a short while, and Zetsu was already being this obvious.

Alright... as friends, he could only help cover for him.

Without a word, he formed a hand seal.

The shadow behind him suddenly expanded, spreading into a circular zone several meters wide, and everything within it sank instantly.

Including Black Zetsu.

The force of the technique exceeded Chiyo's pull, and the chakra thread snapped at once. She calmly withdrew her chakra thread, while the others all stood up.

Before anyone could speak, familiar flashes of light began flickering within the circular shadow, the kind produced when explosive tags detonate.

But the light seemed... excessive.

Like dense stars in the night sky, sparks appeared all over the shadow's surface, then burst through the confines of the shadow technique.

Then came the sound.

Like the roar of a volcano, colorful flames erupted from the shadow in a mad rush, rising higher and higher with thunderous booms, shooting into the sky, piercing the darkness, and exploding into gorgeous emerald tassels and multicolored fireworks.

The explosions and firelight illuminated the faces below, each with a different expression.

The Suna side looked almost like they were enjoying the scenery. To be fair, because the village lived underground and for the sake of its secrecy, Suna didn't have a custom of lighting fireworks.

So outside of wartime, it was indeed rare for Suna ninjas to see fireworks at all.

The Ame ninjas, on the other hand, were not nearly as relaxed.

Although Black Zetsu had shown only an arm, anyone even slightly familiar with the Akatsuki immediately recognized who it belonged to. And of all places to sneak next to, it had to be behind the White Ghost.

Wasn't this basically handing them a ready-made handle to grab?

"I didn't expect to see this ninjutsu again in my lifetime." Chiyo smiled at Masashi. "Just as the rumors say, you truly inherited his techniques."

"Oh?" Rasa's interest was piqued as well, since he had never seen this particular technique from Masashi before. "You recognize this one?"

His knowledge was extremely broad. There shouldn't be many ninjutsu in the world that he didn't know. And Konoha, the land of secret techniques, had always been a primary research target.

"You've forgotten? The Second Hokage's Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, combined with Muzo's shadow techniques, they were quite famous in those days."

"So it was that technique." Rasa remembered now. That was ancient history.

Though those two were later reincarnated via Edo Tensei, that particular combination technique hadn't resurfaced.

It was a sneak-attack jutsu, very dependent on timing and environment.

"It seems the intruder has been eliminated," Rasa concluded, choosing not to pursue the ninjutsu topic further, because if they continued, certain subjects would be impossible to avoid. "But this intruder appears to be from Akatsuki, yes? I think I've seen intelligence on this individual. Representatives of Ame, we'll need an explanation."

"Ame has no direct connection with Akatsuki." Konan replied smoothly. "Akatsuki is merely a mercenary organization we hire. As you should well know, such groups cannot be fully controlled. Our relationship is limited to employment."

"Let's assume that's true." Rasa nodded. "But their actions are very suspicious. And considering Nagato and you both hail from Akatsuki, I have every reason to doubt your sincerity in these talks, unless Ame is willing to cooperate with Suna in eliminating the organization."

From Rasa's perspective, the request was extremely reasonable.

A third party had infiltrated without invitation. That was an act of hostility. If Ame wanted to prove their innocence, they should join in the cleanup.

"Fine." Konan agreed without hesitation.

She agreed so readily that she even looked... a little pleased.

"Then it's settled." Rasa made note of Konan's expression. "Once every Akatsuki operative within both our nations is eliminated, we'll resume negotiations."

"It seems the two of you have reached an understanding." Masashi found the outcome a bit absurd, but ultimately favorable to him.

"How do you feel about this result?" Rasa asked with a smile.

Though the original plan of using the desert to wipe out Ame's entire delegation had gone up in smoke, getting rid of Akatsuki, which had grown uncontrollably stronger through war, was a fine alternative.

"I have no objections. Konoha is willing to assist as well. After all, he chose to infiltrate from my side, didn't he?" Masashi nodded. "The ANBU I brought will cooperate with you to exterminate the organization."

Konoha attacking Akatsuki. Nothing wrong with that. Akatsuki had already taken on the nature of a terrorist organization.

Everyone present nodded in approval, smiling. Rasa even expressed high praise for Konoha acting as a responsible mediator.

Everyone shared only one wish, that Masashi would actually use only ANBU.

Inheriting Muzo's techniques meant inheriting Edo Tensei. He was essentially a second Muzo.

The neighboring Land of Earth still hadn't recovered. But regardless, the meeting was a success. No one left dissatisfied.

Suna and Ame each dispersed. Masashi remained seated, took the last green jujube from the table, bit into it, and slowly finished eating.

When he was done, he stood and disappeared into the forest.

Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags could kill most people in the world, but definitely not Black Zetsu.

If anything, the massive chain explosions only helped conceal his body.

Being a friend to this extent, Masashi absolutely deserved a thousand thumbs-up from himself. His figure flickered through the forest like a wraith. After traveling quite some distance, he found a cave.

Using Kagutsuchi, he created the effect of a campfire. In the firelight, his shadow stretched across the cave wall.

"Come out," Masashi said.

In the next instant, a dark figure burst out of the shadow, nearly tackling him to the ground.

Black Zetsu was still somewhat warm from being blown up, but he didn't care at all now. He grabbed Masashi and began shaking him wildly.

"You met Mother, didn't you? Didn't you?"

Faced with Black Zetsu's frantic behavior, Masashi didn't say anything. He just smiled and let him shake him back and forth.

He knew Black Zetsu would realize on his own.

Sure enough, after just a couple shakes, Black Zetsu froze. He had never mentioned anything about "Mother" to Masashi.

He cautiously slid to the side.

"Um, Masashi..."

Masashi very considerately stopped him from continuing, because he felt that if Black Zetsu spoke right now, the effect would definitely be terrible.

After all, he clearly hadn't thought things through.

"Don't worry. I'm not in a rush. Take your time, talk when you've figured out what you want to say."

Not only was he not rushing, he even had the leisure to prepare a late-night barbecue first.

He now had the qualifications to indulge in such idleness.

Today was the day things should be laid bare anyway.

Hearing Masashi's words, Black Zetsu actually began seriously thinking in place. He had been startled into confusion earlier and lost control for a moment.

"I think I got too emotional. But what I'm about to tell you... it may be beyond your imagination."

"Then hold on," Masashi said. "Looking at you, it's going to take a while. I'll grab some game first... Oh right, can you eat spicy?"

"I don't eat anything at all. Just hurry up. I need to regather my thoughts."

Masashi nodded and left the cave.

After a while, he returned, carrying a wild boar over his shoulder and a large bundle of firewood for making a fire. He set the unconscious boar aside, stacked the wood, rubbed his hands together, and took seasonings and cooking tools from a sealing scroll, then began preparing the meal.

Black Zetsu sat beside the fire Masashi started, hugging his knees.

Masashi focused on roasting the meat, though not being able to use charcoal was a great pity.

Wild boar meat was tougher than others, tender yet rich with gamey flavor. Especially grilled over charcoal, it would have been exquisite.

"Go ahead," he said, slicing a piece of meat with Wind Release, wrapping it in a washed leaf, and taking a bite. "Tell me about your Mother."

Crispy outside, tender inside. His cooking skills had not regressed. The seasonings had permeated beautifully.

"My Mother is the god of this world," Black Zetsu said. "She is the one who brought chakra to this world, the one who calmed the era of chaos and brought peace. People call her..."

"The Rabbit Goddess," Masashi said, his mouth shiny with grease. "She appears in myth, of course, that's mythology."

"It is also reality," Black Zetsu said. "Hagoromo, Hamura, and I, we are all her children. I am the youngest. As for Hagoromo, you call him the Sage of Six Paths, but in truth, he is the sinner who betrayed her."

"So your mother is both the Rabbit Goddess of legend and the Ten-Tails," Masashi said, looking at him. "We're old acquaintances. No need for nonsense. Just tell it like it is. I won't ask how you've lived so long or why you've been operating as a 'manifested will.'"

"Don't worry, I'm not hiding anything this time." Black Zetsu nodded. "You don't seem the least bit surprised about me or the Sage of Six Paths. Looks like you know more than I imagined. Did Hagoromo tell you?"

"No. I've only met him twice. He speaks vaguely and doesn't trust me."

"Of course. He only trusts Asura, because Asura inherited his 'teachings.'" Black Zetsu's tone carried a hint of mockery.

Though the thousand-year blood feud between the Senju and Uchiha was greatly his own doing, if one traced the origin far enough, Hagoromo certainly assisted in the disaster.

"Mythology is still just mythology. That's not Mother's true form. It's the distortion forged by the evil Hagoromo and Hamura to erase her existence from history. Everything began with a God Tree..."

He began telling everything he knew.

Though only in broad strokes, Masashi did not interrupt to show his presence. He quietly listened as Black Zetsu, for the first time, recounted Kaguya in the most detailed way he ever had.

Personal biases could not be erased, but this time, Masashi felt Black Zetsu was trying to speak as objectively as he could.

He spoke of Kaguya and the clansman who cultivated the God Tree with her, and gave a not-too-detailed but overall coherent picture of the Ōtsutsuki clan. Since he had never watched Boruto, Masashi now learned that Kaguya wasn't originally the boss.

She was the sacrifice.

Though to an Ōtsutsuki this wasn't death, it was clear that Kaguya had decided to rebel against this fate.

At that moment, she defied the traditions of the Ōtsutsuki clan and became a "traitor."

Her betrayed companion vanished into hiding somewhere, and the only thing certain was that they still remained somewhere in this world.

But even a clan like the Ōtsutsuki, who grow chakra fruit by sacrificing entire worlds, is still a social species that needs companions.

After consuming the chakra fruit, Kaguya merged with the God Tree, becoming the strongest being on this land. With this power, she pacified the chaotic era. And perhaps because she couldn't fully contain the God Tree's power, she conceived children under the blessings of the people. She poured all her humanity into her children. This was both her maternal instinct and her greatest consolation in the endless loneliness she foresaw.

But when she resolved to create the biological weapon "White Zetsu" as her helper to prepare for the inevitable pursuit from her former clansmen, it was her children who struck at her first. Though they looked like Ōtsutsuki, the two brothers considered themselves people of this world. Born with chakra, they understood it differently from their mother, and so they could not stand by as she prepared to destroy the world in this way.

While recounting this history, Masashi's mouth didn't stop chewing roasted meat, but he was certain Black Zetsu was holding back, not letting personal emotion muddle the explanation.

Then came Indra, Ninshū, and the long history of conflict between the Uchiha and Senju.

Black Zetsu also honestly admitted how he spent ages finding the stone tablet left by Hagoromo and how he spent even longer altering it.

Interestingly, when speaking of Indra and Asura, Black Zetsu still believed Hagoromo was biased toward the younger son and ignored Indra's thoughts. Thus, Indra's rebellion wasn't caused by his manipulation. He merely gave a push. Generation after generation, everything seemed like a repeating cycle. Even in his old age, Hagoromo ended up at odds with his own children.

"That's about it. This time, I didn't tell a single lie."

By the campfire, Black Zetsu ended his confession.

If he had lungs, he would've been panting. He hadn't paused once from start to finish.

He finished speaking just as Masashi was stuffed full.

Roast meat paired with a long story always makes one eat too much.

"You've held it in for this long, that's not easy," Masashi said. "Honestly, how did you endure it? Uchiha tempers aren't exactly good."

Not just "not good." They were terrible!

Even Black Zetsu sometimes felt it was a miracle he survived the wildly different tempers of Indra's reincarnations for generations.

As for the previous generation, although Madara didn't treat him too badly, since he was just a "manifested will," Madara, right before dying, stuck him with the job of a babysitter.

Everything after that was a nightmare.

"It's not important. It's all in the past," Black Zetsu said. "Did you learn the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack?"

Masashi tossed aside the meat, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

"Come on. Let's go somewhere else."

"Here won't do?"

"It'll collapse. And besides, I'm too full. I need to walk it off."

"You always have to make things so complicated..."

Black Zetsu followed helplessly as they left the cave, heading deeper into the forest.

They had long entered the Land of Rivers.

But the borders drawn by humans meant nothing to the endless forests.

When Masashi reached a relatively flat area, he didn't say a word. He just fired it off.

To let Black Zetsu see more clearly, he didn't use tailed beast chakra this time. He used his own.

The vacuum fists formed purely from his chakra was the same color as his Susanoo. Without looking carefully, one might think he had thrown Susanoo's fist.

A massive white chakra fist formed before Black Zetsu and flattened the hill ahead.

No doubt about it. It was the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack.

"Personally, I think it shouldn't be called that. Just call it the God Vacuum Strike," Masashi said, dusting off his hands. "By the way, why is it called the 'Eighty' Gods Vacuum Attack? What's the meaning behind it?"

"Indeed, the power you released is far from Mother's level. So you have seen her." Black Zetsu ignored the second question entirely.

He simply didn't care about that.

"Yeah, I've seen her," Masashi sighed. "You're so persistent it almost moved me to tears. Last time you were here, you were digging a base, right? Take me there. I'll take you to see your mother."

"I can go too?" Black Zetsu froze.

This was unexpected. He knew well the power of Kaguya, and he never imagined Masashi would offer to help him meet her instead of monopolizing the connection.

He hadn't even had time to make a request.

"What else? She's your mother. I'm not going to stop you from seeing her," Masashi said. "I connected with her through chakra. If we link our chakra together, you should be able to enter as well."