"Speak!"Seeing that Black Zetsu remained silent, Obito frowned and tightened his grip.Black Zetsu's face turned red from the pressure. His eyes bulged, and he made strained, unintelligible sounds from his mouth. He clutched Obito's arms with both hands, his legs kicking wildly as his vision blurred. It felt like his windpipe was about to collapse. Breathing became more and more difficult."Hah… I must've underestimated you," Obito muttered. "Didn't expect you to be such a tough guy."He had thought Black Zetsu would cave immediately, but now it seemed this guy had more backbone than he'd anticipated.Black Zetsu nearly cried when he heard this. No, you idiot! You're crushing my neck—I literally can't speak! I have secrets, yes, but I can't share them if I'm unconscious or dead!Desperately, Black Zetsu waved his hands, trying to signal that he couldn't talk. But Obito, misunderstanding the gestures, assumed he was being mocked."Oh, challenging me now? You dare provoke the Black Hand?"With a furious growl, Obito's grip tightened further.Black Zetsu: "…"Fine, just end me now. I'm done.This man… this simple-minded beast… couldn't even tell the difference between a cry for help and a taunt.Two crystal-clear tears slid from the corners of Black Zetsu's eyes and dripped onto the back of Obito's hand.Mother… I've failed you. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. In the next life, I'd still want to be your child…"Uh… Lord Obito? You're choking Boss Zetsu. He can't talk like that…" a timid White Zetsu finally spoke up.Only then did Obito blink, realizing what was happening. He quickly loosened his hands.Black Zetsu collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. "Ahem… I think I just saw the gates of the Pure Land…"Obito scratched his nose, looking slightly awkward. "So… you couldn't speak. I thought you were being defiant."Black Zetsu: "???"He stared at Obito, filled with silent rage.Who would provoke you while being choked to death?! If I weren't so weak, I would've torn you apart by now!If not for White Zetsu's timely reminder, Black Zetsu genuinely would've died right then and there.Grateful, he turned toward White Zetsu with tearful appreciation. "From today onward, you're promoted to department head!""Really? I'm the boss now? Woohoo! I'm so happy!" White Zetsu beamed with joy. He danced around Obito, humming, "Today is such a good day—truly a blessing—AH!"Before he could finish his celebration, Obito suddenly struck, grabbing White Zetsu by the neck with lightning speed."You're being too noisy," Obito said coldly. "Go to hell."With a crisp click, White Zetsu's neck snapped, and he went limp instantly.Obito tossed the body aside like garbage, not sparing it another glance.Black Zetsu shuddered at the scene.He forced a weak smile and said, "O-Obito-kun… even if you kill him, you can't kill me, right?"Obito's lips curled into a grin. He patted Black Zetsu on the shoulder. "Of course not, old friend. I couldn't possibly bear to see you die."It was true—Black Zetsu was his walking treasury. His money was Obito's money. Obito had no intention of letting that cash cow die.If anyone in the world truly cared about Black Zetsu's survival, besides himself, it was probably Obito."Well then, old buddy," Obito said with a greedy gleam in his eye, "why don't you take me to your vault? I'd like to see how much profit you've made lately."Black Zetsu felt like the sky was collapsing.He had no choice.Even the Akatsuki members avoided Obito when he got like this—how could he, the weakest among them, possibly resist?It seemed he'd have to spend money to avoid a worse disaster."Fine…" he sighed. "Follow me."Hunched over, Black Zetsu trudged ahead like an old man who had aged a century.Underground VaultObito's eyes sparkled at the sight of the mountain of cash in front of him."Hehehe… So much money… and now it's all mine!"Without hesitation, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, warping the entire room's worth of banknotes into his Kamui dimension."W-Wait! Grandpa Obito, please!" Black Zetsu cried, grabbing onto Obito's leg. "Leave me something! Just a little bit!"Obito glanced down in annoyance and kicked him away like an annoying bug.Thud!Black Zetsu hit the wall headfirst and slumped over, unconscious.A short while later, the vault had been completely emptied."Hehehe… I'm rich! Filthy, stinking rich!" Obito roared with laughter.In his joy, he activated Susanoo and burst out of the underground base triumphantly.After who knows how long, a light rain began to fall from the sky.The cold raindrops hit Black Zetsu's face, slowly waking him from his stupor.When he saw the empty vault, he froze.Then, silently, tears mixed with the rain as they rolled down his cheeks.He dropped to his knees and pounded the ground with both fists."What… a f***ing joke!"After a long, bitter silence, Black Zetsu staggered outside into the drizzle.He stood still in the rain, head tilted back, letting the cold water soak him.Eventually, he opened his eyes and murmured, "It's over. Everything's gone. What's the point of living anymore…"With trembling hands, he pulled out a small black bottle.It was poison—gifted to him by Sasori of the Red Sand in case of emergency."I'm sorry… Mother… Maybe this is my fate…"He uncapped the bottle, poured the pills into his palm, and was about to take them—when—"Tsk. Black Zetsu, what the hell happened to you?"A familiar voice came from behind him, full of disbelief.Black Zetsu turned around slowly.There stood Ah Fei, wearing a sharp white suit, a cigar in his mouth, and a stunning beauty holding an umbrella over his head.Behind him stood rows of men in black suits and sunglasses—stoic, silent, and radiating power.Their sheer presence declared one thing: Ah Fei had become somebody.He stepped forward slowly, exhaling a puff of smoke. A cocky smile tugged at the corner of his lips."Long time no see, Black Zetsu."Black Zetsu blinked, stunned.He really… became rich?"If you came to laugh at me," Black Zetsu croaked, "you picked the perfect time."Ah Fei shook his head and waved his hands. "No, no. I'm here to help you make money.""Help… me?" Black Zetsu looked confused."That's right," Ah Fei said. "I heard from Boss Yunxiao that you need a fortune to save your mother. Since you're so filial, I've decided to acquire your company. I'll give you a job under me—and pay for your mother's treatment."Black Zetsu's breath caught. "Y-You're serious?""Of course," Ah Fei said, spreading his arms grandly. "I have more money than I can spend. At this point, money is just a number. I want to support people's dreams. You can call me the Philanthropist of the Ninja World."Tears welled in Black Zetsu's eyes."Thank you… From now on, you're my big brother!"He dropped to his knees and kowtowed deeply.Ah Fei grinned, savoring the moment.The once aloof and mysterious Black Zetsu… had finally become his little brother.And it felt great.
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