HSU: Ch. 337

Inside the tent, although Black Zetsu sounded serious, Kakuzu just felt that this thing wasn't serious at all.

Don't ask him why. It was just a feeling.

After all, you couldn't read its expression. That's the downside of not looking human.

"I can't really explain that feeling just with words." Kakuzu actually wanted to tell Black Zetsu what that thing was, but he had risked his life and still only half-understood it. Other than knowing it was something related to chakra, he couldn't make sense of it. So he gave a vague explanation. "You'll know when you run into it someday. Think of it as a farewell gift before you die."

"What? You make it sound so mystical. Isn't it just someone almost beating you to death?" Black Zetsu instantly lost interest, mainly because he didn't think much of Kakuzu. "Nothing to be ashamed of. Your power is at a mortal level. When you meet a real strong opponent, of course you die."

Kakuzu stared at Black Zetsu, seriously considering breaking his personal rule, killing this un-bountied thing.

Come to think of it... did this thing even have a heart?

Kakuzu thought it over and gave up.

Because its backer was Madara. And with Madara's legendary temper... If those people back in the day had told him his mission target was Madara, he would've refused instantly.

The only reason he accepted that mission was because they said the target was Hashirama. That made him think the assignment was "arranged" and thus doable.

Who'd have thought he was the one being arranged...

Truly, the past is too painful to recall.

"That thing looked like a fist, a fist made of chakra. Masashi wasn't going all out, so I can't tell you what his limit is. But that chakra isn't normal. It breaks all ninjutsu effects. His ocular jutsu locks onto your chakra, so you can't dodge that attack."

Out of respect for Madara, he told him what he knew.

If Black Zetsu said one more sarcastic thing, he really would break his rule just to prove a point. Honestly, he hoped Black Zetsu would go get itself killed.

He was very curious what this thing would look like when it died.

"You'd better evacuate the Akatsuki members as soon as possible. If Masashi wipes you all out, don't say I didn't warn you. He's here to mediate between Suna and Ame. With his personality, third parties are not included in his negotiations."

He decided that next time, he was done helping Nagato manage battlefield affairs. He'd pay close attention to the bounties instead. The moment Black Zetsu had a bounty on its head, he would break his rule and kill it during the initial price stage. Having said all that, he couldn't be bothered to stay any longer. He still needed to gather enough hearts.

Earth Grudge Fear wasn't too picky about hearts, as long as they matched the required nature transformation. But Kakuzu preferred to take hearts from people who had proficient nature transformations.

There was nothing left to harvest here, so he had to move elsewhere.

Those third-party organizations that had actively participated in the war earlier, those were good targets. In Kakuzu's mind, they were basically destined to be wiped out by the ANBU Masashi brought. So why not let four of their skilled members "donate" their hearts to him first?

Kakuzu turned and left, leaving Black Zetsu sitting alone on a tiny folding stool.

Motionless.

At this moment, Black Zetsu had almost stopped thinking entirely.

A chakra fist? Ninjutsu nullification? Ocular jutsu lock-on?

Why did that sound so much like his mother's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack?

Although he was hastily created by Kaguya before she was sealed, she had given him many memories. That was the only way to ensure he had the ability to free her.

Otherwise what, send a blank slate to kindergarten with her two rebellious sons?

So he was fully familiar with Kaguya's skill set.

Chakra manifested externally, nullifying all ninjutsu, that could only be Yin-Yang Release.

Plus an ocular lock-on technique. If you told Black Zetsu Masashi invented this all on his own, he wouldn't believe such a coincidence.

Oh, Masashi... Always saying he needed to "think more," when really he had already latched onto Kaguya's thigh!

And he even learned her exclusive Fist of Love!

Acting like friends in public while secretly sneaking off, that was exactly the kind of thing Masashi would do.

It all made sense. No wonder he suddenly awakened the Rinnegan.

Black Zetsu shot to his feet.

No, he needed to confirm this. This was too important.

If this was true, he had to know how Masashi made contact with Kaguya. He had spent a thousand years on the Eye of the Moon Plan, because he could only come up with one method, one that guaranteed she would return in full power.

As for this place...

Who cared about Ame or Akatsuki anymore? They could all do whatever they wanted.

Black Zetsu burst out of the tent like the wind.

He was frantic.

Hagoromo was also watching the shinobi world. If Masashi really stood on Black Zetsu's side now, that pus-dripping villain Hagoromo would definitely make a move.

Black Zetsu rushed out of the camp, ran along the terrain to the edge of a cliff, and performed a dramatic, stylish cliff-jump, sinking into the ground below with perfect fluidity.

This base was built all crooked anyway. Normally he would have to take a detour. Jumping was faster.

Once his body sank into the comforting earth, Black Zetsu sped underground toward the direction Konan had gone earlier.

Even though he technically didn't have a butt, even using his imaginary butt to think, he knew Masashi was definitely with Konan.

His underground travel wasn't any slower than a jonin sprinting at full speed on the surface, so he quickly reached the spot where Konan and Kakuzu had been.

Poking his head out, he immediately noticed two spots on the explosion-scarred ground that looked obviously different from the rest. Although they were also caused by violent blasts and showed marks of high-temperature flames, to him, they were completely unlike the surrounding areas.

Returning fully to the surface, he first examined the place where Konan had been captured, then went to the very conspicuous crater.

Jumping down to the bottom of the crater, he found lingering traces of chakra.

He was almost trembling with excitement.

Though it wasn't comparable to Kaguya's chakra, this really was the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack. Only that technique could leave behind such chakra.

I need to calm down. It just resembles it. These are only traces...

After convincing himself repeatedly, the master of emotional control, Black Zetsu, soon regained his rational state.

But looking at the small patch of soil still holding residual chakra, he thought for a moment, then extended his hand. His liquefied arm wrapped around the clump of dirt.

With what he knew of Masashi, that guy only confessed honestly when faced with solid evidence. And that was because they were familiar with each other. Otherwise, with his stubbornness, he'd never admit anything.

Preserving the evidence, Black Zetsu sank back into the ground from the crater floor and continued heading south.

---

Meanwhile, Masashi, completely unaware that his good buddy Black Zetsu was slacking off at the Ame forces' base, had already brought Konan to the Suna ninjas' base.

Or rather, Itachi had found it. He followed the markers.

Born for the ANBU, Itachi had essentially maxed out every ANBU skill.

His tracking ability was also top-tier.

The Suna base was actually quite well hidden, but he still found it with ease, and he didn't even alert a single Suna patrol unit. Nearly a hundred Konoha ANBU appeared right in front of the Suna base.

The Suna ninjas guarding the base, upon seeing the Konoha ANBU, mentally cursed out the patrol teams outside, then opened the entrance and sent out a reception squad.

At that moment, Masashi and Konan also "just happened" to arrive.

This instantly exceeded the base's hospitality capacity.

Masashi didn't make things difficult for the base commander. He entered with Konan, informed the senior-most Suna officer of his purpose, and then left.

He headed back north.

Just as he told Konan, he needed to find a place with beautiful scenery.

Unfortunately, in the Land of Wind, such places were rare, and any that did exist turned into densely populated areas, also known as cities. But effort pays off. In the region bordering the Lands of Wind, Rain, and River, he actually found one.

Mountains, water, and valleys.

Majestic peaks, glowing cliffs, lush forests everywhere. Bury a person here and no one would ever find them.

Whoops, wrong line. This scenery was refreshing and uplifting, perfect for good conversation and an all-night drinking session.

Only one individual was unhappy.

Black Zetsu, hiding underground.

He desperately wanted the negotiation to collapse so the two sides would beat each other until their brains turned to mush, then he could confirm whether Masashi truly knew the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack.

If he did, then he wouldn't forgive him for at least ten days to half a month.

On the mountaintop, Masashi directly set up a banquet. There were quite a few participants. Both sides brought large groups.

For the Ame side, Konan and the newly returned Kakuzu led the delegation. When Kakuzu came back, there was a little incident.

It wasn't caused by Masashi. Konan simply asked, "You're not dead?" which made Kakuzu frown. He suspected Konan was eyeing the savings he'd worked so hard to accumulate... only to blow them up with explosive tags.

On the Suna side, the leaders were the newly arrived Rasa and... Chiyo.

The old lady had clearly come for her grandson. But since Sasori wasn't here, she didn't say anything, though everyone could tell she was extremely disappointed.

However, when she saw Masashi, she immediately regained the refined demeanor expected of a Suna elder. Her eloquence was excellent, and her smile was pure kindness.

Masashi couldn't help comparing her to her younger self.

What a transformation. So drastic she was unrecognizable.

Just like Koharu back in Konoha.

As for Konoha, only Masashi himself was present. He had sent Itachi and the special-ops team to go "eliminate bandits." Anyone attempting to sabotage the peace talks, those were "bandits."

At Masashi's invitation, the negotiators from both sides took their seats.

Black Zetsu, waiting underground for a fight to break out, wasn't invited, of course, but he didn't care. To observe up close, he quietly positioned himself behind Kakuzu and continued lurking.

If anything happened, Kakuzu could block for him.

After all, he could die five times.

---

Compared to during the Chunin Exams, Rasa looked much more energetic. To be fair, the Fourth Kazekage had been in a pretty good mood for a long time after the exam.

Suna had regained its mission quota, and had managed to hitch a ride on Konoha's momentum just as it wished. Everything had improved across the board.

As for Konoha's dominant position, he didn't mind it at all.

Nothing in the world stays strong forever, and the same goes for the shinobi world.

When Konoha was first founded, it was also overwhelmingly powerful, but soon changed from "overwhelmingly powerful" to merely "the strongest," roughly equal to its rivals.

If not for the fact that one of its founding clans produced Masashi, then judging from the trends after the Third Great Ninja War, after just one or two more localized conflicts, Konoha would have fallen from the top spot and yielded the title of "strongest" to Kumo, whose strength had always been steady.

A village may rise because of one person, but it can also decline because of one person.

Their structures and systems were all more or less similar. What they competed over was talent.

But Konoha, despite having the most talent, was also the one most prone to taking its talent for granted. And no matter how exceptional a powerhouse is, aging will eventually strip them of their former deterrent force.

In Rasa's eyes, Konoha's "new generation" did not include anyone of the "one person can raise a village" level.

Therefore, the next era would belong to his youngest son, Gaara.

The seat of "strongest village," Suna had a chance. The timing simply hadn't come yet.

And in some ways, Suna's environment was the best.

The desert was a limitation, but it was also protection. To be honest, there wasn't much in Suna worth coveting. Compared to the cost of waging war, attacking Suna for plunder had never been profitable. Breaking even would already be lucky.

Only that bunch of lunatics in Kumo ever launched a war against Suna for such a reason. But they quickly realized it wasn't worth it and shifted to recruiting Suna to fight Konoha instead.

So he felt no jealousy at all toward Konoha's dominance. In fact, he wished for an even closer relationship.

A Kage suffers all the time. What's flattering Konoha in comparison? Don't joke. It's nothing compared to the crap he already deals with inside the village.

Thus, Rasa flattered Konoha with a clear conscience and zero pressure. Until he learned that Sasori had joined Akatsuki.

Suna's ninjas could bow their heads before Konoha. After all, they hadn't beaten Konoha in decades, and such absolute strength earned genuine respect.

But Ame? Since when do they count for anything?

There are some villages that, even without terrifyingly strong individuals, can rely on sheer size to be major powers respected by others.

And there are villages that, even with terrifyingly strong individuals, still receive no respect.

Because of Masashi, Suna and Ame were now seated at the negotiation table together. But Rasa still did not regard Ame as a village qualified to negotiate with Suna.

"Where is Nagato?" As the Kazekage, Rasa was the first to speak on Suna's behalf, and his tone was far from friendly. "Forgive my bluntness, but in Ame, only Nagato has the qualifications to speak with me."

Chiyo glanced at Rasa.

She felt...

The moment the Kazekage left the village, he became bold.

Had he gotten a little too full of himself?

She looked at Masashi and found that this man, currently the most sensational name in the shinobi world, did not show even the slightest intention of stopping Rasa, nor any displeasure. He even returned her a polite smile. Truly worthy of the nickname "White Ghost." Just as the rumors say, always able to portray bad intentions with such convincing elegance.

She chose not to dwell on it.

Though the White Ghost acted in incomprehensible ways at times, he was pure, undiluted Konoha-first to the core. In Konoha's evaluation, Suna and Ame weighed completely differently. And Rasa was not the hegemonic type of Kazekage like the Third. He was the "bottom-line" type.

A Kage's personality and philosophy of governance are things that can't really be hidden. They're essentially public information.

Rasa was exactly the kind of Kazekage Konoha liked the most.

The scene was lively, with sharp words flying back and forth. And the central topic was only one.

Sasori.

"Sasori is now a ninja of our village. We will not hand him over to Suna. Moreover..." Konan, facing one of the Five Kage, didn't soften one bit. "Right now, it's Suna who's at a disadvantage on the battlefield. Our ally hasn't even entered the war yet! If not for Konoha's mediation, you would be receiving our terms in Suna itself."

"Ally? You mean Akatsuki, or Orochimaru?" Rasa asked calmly. "As for who has the upper hand... stepping into the desert may very well be the beginning of your nightmare. Sasori has been away from that desert for too long. Personally, I would very much like this war to continue. After all, war is the most thorough way to resolve disputes."

As he spoke, he kept observing Konan's expression.

With Nagato absent, this woman was the highest authority in Ame.

But... disappointing.

Her strength was far inferior, yet her tone was bigger than Nagato's.

He was used to the "justice" Nagato always preached. Ame had always liked to practice a big-nation style of "justice." It was so in Hanzō's era, and it remained so in Nagato's. They never considered themselves aggressors, only victims and liberators.

The problem was that the first target Ame chose after taking this path was the Land of Iron, yet the Land of Iron had never harmed or oppressed the Land of Rain.

"If that's the case, then we have nothing to talk about. We'll meet on the battlefield." Seeing Rasa's attitude, Konan hardened her own tone. She believed that when facing Suna, who had lost to Ame, her village had every right to be tough.

But in the next moment, she felt a metaphorical stab in the kidney.

From someone who, theoretically, was on her side.

"I think we can talk," Kakuzu said. "There's nothing that can't be negotiated, as long as everyone brings sincerity to the table."

This woman is an idiot. A complete one.

Kakuzu cemented this conclusion in his mind.

"I heard your name even when I was young," Rasa said with interest. Although Kakuzu was also a missing-nin, what he had suffered... well, Suna had done similar things in principle.

So in his eyes, Kakuzu was a ninja of respectable character.

"To be honest, I don't think Ame is suitable for your future development. In Suna, you could have far better prospects."

"Let's focus on the real issue," Masashi tapped the table and glanced at Konan. "We're all adults here. We represent many people. I ask the representative of Ame not to speak out of irritation."

Konan almost lost her composure.

If Konoha hadn't interfered, Ame would already be launching a full-scale offensive against Suna.

Rasa, on the other hand, had similar thoughts.

At the moment, Rasa was also feeling regret.

Sending Baki to Konoha was partly to show weakness, establishing the narrative that Suna was the disadvantaged party. On the other hand, he had thought Konoha wouldn't mediate so quickly.

Who would've thought Masashi would fail to follow the usual script?

His preparations in the desert might end up going to waste.

"Since Masashi suggests we speak properly, let's discuss the actual matter. Sasori betrayed the village and murdered the Third Kazekage. I won't elaborate on the consequences of that." Rasa no longer looked at Konan. "If he had secretly joined Konoha, we might have turned a blind eye. But joining Ame so openly? That makes no sense. Unless Nagato himself appears, I find it difficult for us to reach any agreement."

"He can't come right now," Kakuzu replied. "We don't know where he is. The guy likes running off. But he definitely isn't in the Land of Rain or the Land of Wind."

"I trust your character, but I do not believe Nagato would abandon this war." Rasa said. "I need stronger evidence that he truly cannot attend for reasons unrelated to this conflict."

Evidence?

Where the hell am I supposed to find that?

Kakuzu felt he was taking a loss on this job.

And underground behind him, Black Zetsu had already started chanting internally. Fight, fight, fight...

"How about this, if he is around, I will give Suna every last coin I have in the Land of Wind." Kakuzu threw out a massive declaration.

He could say this because Nagato had told him he had other matters to attend to, and that once he returned, he would head out to fight the Kazekage.

And right now, the Kazekage was perfectly fine.

He already had a plan. If Nagato really caused him to lose money, then Nagato would have to pay him back with interest. Otherwise, he was done. He'd quit.

Everyone present froze upon hearing this.

Including Masashi, and even Black Zetsu hiding underground.

Especially Black Zetsu.

He was shocked. Kakuzu, who recognized only money, was showing such loyalty to Nagato?

"I believe your words," Chiyo chimed in. "Your credibility is better than that of many ninja villages."

Rasa thought it over. That was indeed true.

You could say Kakuzu had a difficult personality, but not that he lacked integrity. For decades, he had been the symbol of credibility in the black market.

"Please forgive my earlier rudeness. Let us continue negotiating."

"Very well."

Seeing both sides finally moving in the right direction, Masashi felt satisfied. He could now peacefully enjoy the fruit platter in front of him. He picked up a date and bit into it, but his eyes fell on the space behind Kakuzu.

Just as he expected. Black Zetsu had arrived.

His testing with the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack had confirmed all his assumptions.

He couldn't keep fooling Black Zetsu forever, right?

He respected the creature's desire to rescue its mother, at least to some degree.

At that moment, behind Kakuzu, Black Zetsu also realized that Masashi's gaze kept landing exactly where he was hiding. He knew he had been discovered again.

Strange. He had upgraded himself, yet he was still found so quickly.

Masashi's talent in this regard was truly abnormal.

After thinking for a moment, he slowly moved toward Masashi's position.

Since he's already discovered me... may as well come clean.

From Masashi's perspective, the "shadow" on the floor, the one that probably only he could see, was carefully circling around toward him.

He grumbled inwardly, but shifted his seat slightly so that Black Zetsu could hide behind him. He was very curious about what his good friend planned to do. Test him again, or continue pretending?