Chapter 199: The Confused Black Zetsu
"Invaders from different worlds will bring disaster to our ninja world."
"You've also encountered people from other worlds. You know their power is different from ours, and even their way of thinking diverges greatly. They're not easily controlled or manipulated."
"Black Zetsu, there's not much time left for you. As more and more outsiders cross into our world, chaos will inevitably erupt across the ninja world. If your plan remains incomplete, there might not be another opportunity..."
The current state of the ninja world was far from ideal.
"...Leaving so quickly..."
In the empty courtyard, Ryosuke watched Black Zetsu vanish into the ground with a hint of regret.
Although his words had been swift and urgent, Black Zetsu's retreat had been even faster. He hadn't responded or asked any questions, unlike before. Something had clearly shaken him. After learning about Ryosuke's ancestral return, Black Zetsu had fled like he'd glimpsed a long-forgotten, ancient beast. Even the important matter of exchanging information about other worlds had been completely ignored.
"But forget it," Ryosuke muttered. "I've already said what needed to be said. Whether or not this works now depends on how much filial loyalty he actually has left."
With that, Ryosuke turned and walked away from the courtyard. The aroma of green tea still lingered faintly in the air, but after being brewed three or four times, its flavor had faded, leaving it no better than plain boiled water. Its nutrition and efficacy had long since vanished. There was no point in drinking it alone any longer. Still, it hadn't been wasted.
Entering the house, Ryosuke strode to the back room.
On the wall in front of him—bare of any decorations or ornaments—hung an enormous vertical chessboard. Black and white pieces were scattered densely across its surface. Most of them were white. Fewer than ten black stones remained, surrounded on all sides.
Ryosuke eyed the remaining black stones, reached out, and plucked one from the board.
Then, without hesitation, he picked up a translucent, jade-like bead from a nearby ash urn and gently placed it where the stone had been. The piece embedded itself into the board, seemingly defying gravity as it stuck firm to the wall.
This wasn't Go, the classic game of strategy from Earth. Go didn't even exist in the ninja world. Ryosuke wasn't playing a game—he was using this board as a visual map of control and influence. Every piece represented a person or force in the current world.
Sarutobi Hiruzen. Shimura Danzo. The Fourth Raikage.
All had once been black pieces. All had left the board.
Even Sasuke, Black Zetsu, Sakata Gintoki, Kagura, Jiraiya, Nagato… they too had once been black stones. But as Ryosuke's power steadily increased, he brought them into his influence. They either became white stones—controlled allies—or left the board entirely.
White stones represented those still under Ryosuke's control. Black stones signified entities that could not be predicted or manipulated.
Now, the remaining black stones were surrounded—closely watched, slowly contained.
"Don't let me down, Black Zetsu"
He whispered this quietly, eyes fixed on the latest stone that had shifted from black to white. For the first time, Ryosuke felt a faint hope.
Today's encounter had been unexpected.
He never imagined Black Zetsu—who had spent centuries in the shadows, with a nature as evasive as mist—would come out and face him directly. Yet he had.
It was the perfect opportunity to resolve the dilemma Ryosuke had been struggling with for a long time: Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Ryosuke had always been conflicted about Kaguya.
On one hand, he desired strength. He wanted to learn Otsutsuki techniques and secrets—perhaps even inherit something from Kaguya's clan to further his power. That required her awakening.
But on the other hand…
Ryosuke had a position. A stance. He couldn't openly unseal her, not without going against the entire ninja world.
To Kaguya, every human was a traitor. Her rage was vast and ancient. Unleashing her would make Ryosuke an enemy of the world.
Besides, the seal's requirements were extreme. He'd have to forcibly gather all the Tailed Beasts. He could use someone who inherited both Asura's and Indra's powers. He could revive Uchiha Madara with Edo Tensei. He could even initiate Infinite Tsukuyomi.
But if he did all that—he'd become the world's villain. And that wasn't the role Ryosuke wanted.
Especially not when the Nine-Tails was sealed within Naruto.
Naruto… was his friend.
Hurting Naruto just to unseal Kaguya? Impossible.
And so… Ryosuke wanted to awaken her, but couldn't do it himself.
He'd been stuck.
Until now.
Black Zetsu had jumped out and made the decision for him.
Now, Kaguya's revival could proceed. Ryosuke could remain in the shadows, merely a "bystander." The blame would fall on Black Zetsu.
With a few simple reminders, Black Zetsu would take desperate action—blindly launching his plan.
And Ryosuke?
He'd become the hand behind the scenes. He could push Black Zetsu along, accelerating or slowing his movements at will.
As long as Ryosuke kept Naruto—and the moon—under his control, the moment of Kaguya's unsealing would always remain in his hands.
Still… he needed to figure out how to remove Naruto from the picture when the time came.
There had been a third option once: prevent Kaguya's revival entirely.
But that thought had only lingered when Ryosuke first arrived in this world—when he was weak, uncertain, and afraid. Back then, he'd considered completely sabotaging Black Zetsu's plans and erasing the possibility of Kaguya ever returning.
But now?
That version of him was long gone.
Once he tasted the power of chakra, once he began to walk the path of the ninja, his priorities shifted.
For Ryosuke… training always came first.
On the other hand, after leaving Konoha, Black Zetsu fell into an unprecedented state of fear.
"To see the future..."
The Byakugan—the so-called "supercilious eyes"—was a power innately possessed by the Otsutsuki clan. Although it paled in direct combat against the Rinnegan granted by the Chakra Fruit, its auxiliary and practical value far surpassed it.
But what kind of future had that man seen?
"Did I fail?"
This question—and countless others—tormented Black Zetsu's mind. Speculation consumed him. Thoughts swirled in chaotic waves, his once sharp judgment now teetering into madness.
"How is it possible? How is it possible? How is it POSSIBLE!?"
"Returning to the ancestors? That's absurd! He's lying! He has to be!"
"But if he were lying, why would he describe things so clearly—details only I would know?!"
In the silent, damp underground, only Black Zetsu remained. His black, mud-like form merged seamlessly with the earth around him. Mumbled words—confused, self-questioning, sometimes frenzied—echoed endlessly in the stale air.
This dark subterranean place was the only space where his terrified mind could find even a shred of peace.
Resurrecting Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—his mother—was his sole purpose, his only reason for existing. His life had no other direction, no other meaning. In the past, he had been confident—no, certain—that he would succeed.
Especially when manipulating those so-called "heroes" like puppets on strings. When they danced to his tune, he felt like a god. The shinobi world was his garden: some lands were to be tilled, others fertilized; beautiful flowers would bloom where he allowed them, while pests were weeded out without mercy.
Everything was under control.
But now...
Now there was someone who had never been part of his plans.
Someone beyond his manipulation.
Someone who might even be manipulating him!
"Ryosuke Hyūga…"
"No. His eyes—they're not the same as the Byakugan of the Otsutsuki."
He tried to rationalize, to deny.
When Ryosuke used his Byakugan, it didn't resemble the one burned into his memory. The aura, the form—it was different.
"Maybe it's because the Byakugan evolved after merging with the blood of this planet's natives…"
"Then... is that evolution good or bad? Could it surpass the Otsutsuki?"
"No! That's impossible! The weak genetic makeup of this world's inhabitants couldn't possibly elevate the Byakugan! No—his eye must have limits! Yes, that's it! That's the only reason he helped me release my mother. He needs her!"
"Then what should I do? Trust him? Of course not! He's just like those traitorous fools, Hagoromo and Hamura!"
In the cold and sunless depths of the earth, Black Zetsu muttered to himself, asking and answering his own questions in an endless loop.
According to Ryosuke Hyūga's plan, resurrecting Kaguya might put her in danger. After all, it was what that man wanted.
When she awakened, she would face Ryosuke directly—and only the victor would control the fate of the world.
Would Kaguya lose?
If he had never met Ryosuke, Zetsu would have scoffed at the very idea. But now...
That man was unreadable. Unpredictable. A depthless abyss that no plan could anticipate.
Even the timeline for his resurrection plan was uncertain.
Could it be that everything up until now had been orchestrated by him?
Still, if he delayed too long... just as Ryosuke had warned, the outsiders—those beings from other worlds—would upset the balance of the shinobi world.
And if this world fell... there would be no one left to revive Kaguya.
A flood of questions gradually gave way to silence. The chaos in Black Zetsu's voice faded. Cold calculation returned to his thoughts.
He was alone.
In this entire world, he had no "kin," no allies. No one to share his thoughts. Everything—his plans, his doubts, his fears—had to be solved within himself.
Finally, his body began to rise from the depths of the earth.
He had no answers—only more questions. But to stay trapped in a spiral of self-doubt would only drive him deeper into madness.
He couldn't afford that.
He had to choose, even if it meant gambling everything.
The choice to remain passive was no longer an option.
---
"You're back?"
In the Land of Water, within a temporary Akatsuki hideout near Kirigakure, Uchiha Obito looked up with a faint smirk as Black Zetsu returned.
"How strong is he? Is he really as terrifying as Nagato said?"
"...His strength is even more hopeless than you can imagine," came the cold reply.
Black Zetsu approached White Zetsu, who was resting with closed eyes. His tar-like form oozed toward him, staining the white body as they began to merge.
"...Tell me in detail."
Obito frowned.
But Black Zetsu didn't answer.
He simply closed his eyes.
He needed rest.
But as soon as he absorbed White Zetsu's chakra and processed what had happened in his absence, his eyes flew open.
"What happened in the Land of Rain?"
He turned to Obito, expressionless.
Instead of answering, Obito asked again.
"Answer my question first. Right now, the Ryosuke Hyūga situation is the most pressing."
"He knows our plan inside and out. He can predict the future."
Black Zetsu didn't hesitate.
"If he wanted to stop us, he would have already done it."
Then, without waiting for a reply, he asked once more:
"So... what happened in the Land of Rain?"
Obito shrugged, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Just some ordinary guy who got lucky and ended up as the temporary commander over there."
But even he couldn't hide the tinge of disbelief in his voice.
"Still... predicting the future? Are you serious?"
(End of Chapter)
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