White Zetsu kept talking, "This is the Gedo Statue. It grew from the husk of the Ten-Tails. It holds terrifying power. If not for Madara's control and the restraints, its chakra would destroy the entire base."
Kaede Kanshi stood before the massive statue, staring at its empty, grotesque face. He remained silent for a long time.
Madara approached and spoke calmly, "This is the vessel for the Ten-Tails. I plan to use it to gather all the tailed beasts into one. Only then can I cast Infinite Tsukuyomi across the moon."
"And then what?" Kaede Kanshi asked without looking back.
"The world will fall into an illusion. No more war. No more death. Everyone will live in their ideal dream forever."
Kaede Kanshi slowly turned around.
"Have you ever thought about what happens if the dream breaks?"
Madara appeared briefly stunned.
"If something happens to you or to the Eye of the Moon, what happens to that peaceful world you created?"
Madara frowned slightly. "That won't happen."
Kaede Kanshi laughed. "You're so sure of that? Uchiha Madara... You talk about peace, but your plan relies on controlling others. That isn't peace; it's forced stagnation. You're just layering a beautiful lie over an ugly truth."
Madara narrowed his eyes. "You talk like you have a better way."
Kaede Kanshi didn't respond.
Instead, he turned toward the stone tablet at the back of the chamber. It was the one only those with the Rinnegan could fully understand.
Lines of ancient script shimmered faintly on its surface, written in a language much older than any known ninja writing.
Kaede Kanshi asked, "Did this tablet tell you about the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
Madara nodded. "It records the secrets of chakra, the Sage of Six Paths, the Ten-Tails... everything. Only someone with the Sharingan, Mangekyō, and Rinnegan can read it all."
Kaede Kanshi scanned the script again.
"But who wrote it?"
A ripple went through the shadows in the chamber.
A calm yet sinister voice echoed from the darkness.
"I did."
A mass of black ooze emerged from the wall. It twisted into a vaguely human shape. A single yellow eye glowed on its face.
"I am Black Zetsu," it said, stepping fully into the light. "And I wrote that stone tablet — not to spread the truth, but to manipulate it."
Kaede Kanshi's gaze sharpened. "So, you're the mastermind."
Black Zetsu replied slowly, "Not a mastermind. A witness... and an editor."
Madara stared at Black Zetsu. "What do you mean?"
Black Zetsu turned to him. "You thought that tablet was written by the Sage of Six Paths, didn't you? That it held the truth of the world? Fool. I changed its contents long ago — to guide you down a path of my choice. The Eye of the Moon Plan, the Gedo Statue, everything... was never your idea."
Madara's face grew dark, but he remained silent.
Kaede Kanshi looked at Black Zetsu with amusement. "You've been hiding for a long time, haven't you?"
"For over a thousand years," Black Zetsu admitted proudly. "Since the time of Hagoromo. My mission has never changed — to revive my mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
"So... all the conflicts, all the clans, the wars — you've been nudging things from the shadows."
Black Zetsu nodded. "The Uchiha and Senju, the split of chakra, the rise of ninjutsu — I guided it all."
Kaede Kanshi raised an eyebrow.
"And now?"
Black Zetsu slowly knelt before him.
"Now I believe... you are better suited to inherit the will of Kaguya."
(To Be Continued)