Chapter 449: The Nation of Akatsuki (Part 1)

"What do you mean?" After listening to Daniel Davis's words, Black Zetsu remained silent for a long time before speaking.

The information in Daniel's words was overwhelming, so much so that Black Zetsu struggled to process it. As a clone left behind by Kaguya Otsutsuki right before her sealing, Black Zetsu did not retain many of Kaguya's memories, only an obsession with reviving her.

"What I mean is simple. Give me everything you have, and I'll resurrect Kaguya," Daniel stated directly, revealing his intentions. In truth, today, regardless of whether Black Zetsu handed over the information or not, Daniel had no intention of letting him go. As for whether he would actually resurrect Kaguya in the future, that was still up for consideration.

Even if Kaguya were to be unsealed someday, it would only be after Daniel had achieved absolute power. To engage in any dialogue with Kaguya, one would need the strength to overpower her, similar to how Naruto's persuasive speeches only worked when his fists were stronger. The members of the Akatsuki organization, except for Itachi and Kisame, were all defeated before they joined.

"What exactly do you want?" Black Zetsu finally spoke after another long silence.

"The control of the one hundred thousand White Zetsus and Uchiha Madara's corpse," Daniel said bluntly. To him, Black Zetsu had only those two things of value. As for the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, even Obito knew about that, so there was no need to ask Black Zetsu.

Uchiha Madara's body had been in Black Zetsu's possession. The fact that Kabuto Yakushi later managed to resurrect Madara through the Edo Tensei was likely because Black Zetsu deliberately allowed Kabuto to find Madara's body, thereby disrupting Obito's plans.

"Why should I trust you?" Black Zetsu asked once again.

"The reason is simple—I am stronger than all of you. How about that? I've said all this out of respect for Kaguya being from the same clan as me. If talking things through doesn't work, then we can only resort to force." Daniel stood up from his chair as he spoke, the smile on his face fading.

"That guy has been making small moves all along. Black Zetsu, don't you find it a bit ridiculous? In front of these Rinnegan eyes, I can see every one of his tricks clearly." White Zetsu, standing by Black Zetsu's side after being scolded earlier, had been releasing spores in secret the whole time.

These spores were extremely hard to detect under normal circumstances. Even with the Byakugan, if one wasn't paying close attention, they could easily overlook them. In the original story, White Zetsu had temporarily immobilized several of the Five Kage at the summit with this technique.

However, against Daniel, this technique was useless. Even though his Rinnegan was just cosmetic lenses, he still noticed White Zetsu's actions. As for Black Zetsu, despite only being Kage-level at most, being Kaguya's will made him unpredictable, so Daniel remained fully alert, using the power of the Ope Ope no Mi.

Although the spores were stealthy, they couldn't escape detection within the range of the Ope Ope no Mi. In fact, if Daniel's Rinnegan were real, he could have noticed them too. While the Byakugan is excellent at seeing through objects and detecting chakra, it falls short of the Sharingan in terms of precision. If not for its advanced form, the Tenseigan, the Byakugan would hardly deserve its place among the Three Great Dojutsu.

"Attack." Realizing that their secret moves had been discovered, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu charged at Daniel. In truth, White Zetsu wasn't the only one making moves earlier—Black Zetsu had been trying to escape as well. Unfortunately for him, they were inside a mirror dimension, so his usual methods of silently slipping underground to flee were useless here.

"Looks like I always end up fighting in the end. It was the same with Nagato, Konan, and even Obito. And now, here we are again. Seems like I don't have the talent for talking my way out of things; I always have to resort to physical persuasion." Seeing the incoming attack, Daniel sighed, shaking his head slightly.

He had said so much to Black Zetsu earlier partly for amusement, hoping he could talk him into submission, and partly to test if he could pull off a Naruto-style "Talk no Jutsu."

"Wood Style, huh? Alright, let's play then. Wood Dragon Jutsu!" Seeing Black Zetsu manipulating several trees to attack, Daniel raised his left hand, sending five wood dragons flying out. Four attacked Black Zetsu, while one went after White Zetsu.

"Do you know why I said your plan wouldn't work? It's because you lack the strength to capture the Tailed Beasts yourself and have to rely on the Akatsuki. But I'm different. I could capture all nine Tailed Beasts by myself."

Watching Black Zetsu and White Zetsu struggle to dodge his wood dragons, Daniel smiled. From their movements, Daniel could tell that Black Zetsu specialized in long-range attacks, mainly using Wood Style, while White Zetsu was more suited to close combat. As the first White Zetsu, he was the strongest among the hundred thousand, but his immense chakra was limited by the inherent weaknesses of the White Zetsu.

Had it not been for these limitations, the ten thousand White Zetsus enhanced by Kabuto's use of Hashirama cells would not have been so easily defeated. Even in defeat, they inflicted significant losses on the Allied Shinobi Forces.

White Zetsu was somewhat similar to Naruto in this regard. However, if White Zetsu had the right body, things would be different. Konoha's famed Wood Style user, Yamato—also known as "Uzumaki Yamato"—was able to use the True Several Thousand Hands technique, a testament to the potential of Wood Style.

When Obito erupted into a rampage after Rin's death, slaughtering all the Mist Anbu present, it was White Zetsu covering his body that played a crucial role. This is the true way to use White Zetsu—direct combat is just a waste of potential.

White Zetsu's body contained vast amounts of chakra, but since he wasn't human, he couldn't use ninjutsu and was limited to physical attacks. If one were to use White Zetsu as a biological suit of armor, they could tap into his chakra reserves.

Of course, who controlled whom would be an issue, requiring cooperation or simply erasing White Zetsu's will, turning him into a tool.

"There's definitely potential in White Zetsu that can be exploited." While controlling the wood dragons to attack Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, Daniel contemplated the potential of White Zetsu's abilities.

"I've got you." At that moment, Black Zetsu's sinister laughter reached Daniel's ears. Looking down, Daniel saw black markings creeping up from his legs, quickly spreading toward his upper body.

"Black Zetsu, you really aren't very smart. I already told you, Kaguya and I are comrades. Did you really think you could control me? Did you really believe I didn't notice your approach? Your complicated Wood Style was just a cover to let your shadow sneak up on me."

Before Black Zetsu's laughter had fully subsided, Daniel's cold voice rang out. As he spoke, the black markings that had spread across his legs suddenly shook off, turning back into liquid—this was Black Zetsu.

Black Zetsu wasn't just adept at Wood Style; he excelled in mind control as well. He had taken control of Obito at a critical moment, forcing him to use the Rinne Rebirth technique to bring Madara back to life.

In terms of pure combat strength, Black Zetsu might not have been very strong, but in terms of mental abilities, as Kaguya's will, he was exceptionally powerful. There were few in the entire ninja world whom he couldn't control. Unfortunately for him, Daniel was one of those few exceptions.

"Slaughterhouse." As the black liquid tried to escape, Daniel used the Ope Ope no Mi to slice Black Zetsu into eight pieces, and he did the same to White Zetsu.

"Are you ready to comply with my demands now?" Daniel asked with a smile, looking at the dismembered Black Zetsu. "You better think carefully. You're the last hope for unsealing Kaguya. With you in my hands, if you don't tell me, Kaguya might never be freed."

After all, Kaguya had merged with the God Tree, making her immortal to some extent. Otherwise, she would have died long ago from being sealed for such a long time.

"Will you really save Mother?" Black Zetsu, now in several pieces, had no power to resist.

"I already told you. I need her help to deal with the people chasing me, so of course, I will save her."

"In that case, we can cooperate." Black Zetsu had lived in the ninja world for thousands of years and was a master manipulator—not easily fooled.

"Sorry, but you don't have the strength to cooperate with me right now. Let me be honest with you. If Kaguya hadn't been sealed, with her strength, she might have been the one calling the shots. But since she's sealed

, obviously I'm in charge. How to save her is entirely up to me.

Now, I'll give you one minute to think it over. Hand over what I asked for. I only want these things to increase my strength. Even without them, my plans won't be affected too much. However, to deal with my pursuers, I need to maximize my power. Reviving Uchiha Madara through Edo Tensei, while weaker than his original form, should still be enough to handle weaker enemies."

As Daniel spoke, another chair appeared behind him. He sat down calmly, waiting for the minute to pass.

"So, you're not going to tell me? Fine, then." Daniel pulled out a sealing scroll, ready to seal Black Zetsu's dismembered body. With Black Zetsu chopped into pieces, sealing him became much easier. And with his unique constitution, Daniel didn't need to worry about him starving to death. As Daniel began sealing Black Zetsu piece by piece, he spoke again.

"Alright, I'll tell you." Just as Black Zetsu was reduced to only his consciousness, he finally relented, realizing that, as Daniel had pointed out, if he were sealed, Kaguya would remain imprisoned forever. For now, he could only trust Daniel's words.

"Smart choice," Daniel smiled and nodded.

"Is that all? I hope you're not lying to me, or I won't revive Kaguya. In fact, if the pursuers get too close, I'll just leave this planet and let Kaguya, still sealed, face them." Daniel grabbed Black Zetsu's consciousness with his right hand and activated his Shambles ability.

"As expected, it's not working." Black Zetsu, as a fragment of Kaguya's will, didn't have a soul, which meant the Shambles technique had no effect. Illusions and mind control were also ineffective against Black Zetsu's liquid form. If he were human, Daniel could have used the Ope Ope no Mi to perform brain surgery, like the Chimera Ant Queen in Hunter x Hunter. But Black Zetsu was an entirely different case.

"Next, it's White Zetsu's turn." Unlike Black Zetsu, White Zetsu had once been human before being assimilated by the God Tree. This meant that White Zetsu had a soul and could be used as a sacrifice for Edo Tensei.

Edo Tensei works by exchanging souls, similar to the Soul Stone in Avengers. To interfere with it would require going up against the fundamental laws of this world, the "Great Ninja Way," which was no small feat.

"Turned into plants, huh?" White Zetsu's body had fully transformed into plant material, leaving no trace of its former humanity.

"So, this is where everything's been hidden." After dealing with Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, Daniel didn't immediately return to the Rain Village's tower but instead went to the location where Black Zetsu had hidden the White Zetsus and Uchiha Madara's corpse.

At that moment, the hundred thousand White Zetsus were still asleep, awaiting a special signal to awaken them. Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara's elderly corpse was encased in ice.

"Looks like you're lucky this time, but I can't Edo Tensei you just yet." Uchiha Madara, along with the First Hokage, Tobirama Senju, the Third Hokage, and the Fourth Hokage, couldn't be resurrected through Edo Tensei, as they all knew how to undo the technique.

As the Hokages of Konoha, there's no way they wouldn't have studied the Scroll of Seals. While Edo Tensei is powerful, if used recklessly, the consequences would be disastrous.

When Orochimaru first resurrected the First and Second Hokage through Edo Tensei, their souls weren't freed because the sacrifices were too weak, and Orochimaru managed to control them in time. However, during the second resurrection, even with White Zetsu as the sacrifice, Orochimaru was visibly nervous. He could barely control the Second Hokage, let alone the others. It was highly unlikely he could control the First Hokage.

"Now, Madara, you can finally reunite with your good friend, the First Hokage, and conquer the entire ninja world together," Daniel chuckled. If Daniel explained things clearly to Madara, the latter would probably be more than happy to use his Edo Tensei body to unify the ninja world.

Uchiha Madara, along with the former Kages of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, attacking their own villages and countries—it would be an interesting sight indeed.

"Let's start by researching the White Zetsu bio-armor." After collecting some of Madara's tissue for the Edo Tensei, Daniel took ten White Zetsus with him.

The existence of Yamato had sparked an idea in Daniel's mind. If successful, the White Zetsus could be used to equip the ninjas of the Rain Village.

With his vast knowledge of bioweapons, Daniel had long considered creating biological armor, but his progress had been slow. The viruses from Umbrella Corporation were all designed to modify bodies, not create armor.

"Now, it's time to take action." Daniel said as he quietly returned to his secret base inside Angkor Fortress and created a series of videos using the Red Queen AI.

"It's done." Returning to the tower via a secret portal, Daniel immediately saw Nagato and Konan.

"Hmm. Now we can proceed with the next phase of the plan. But before that, there's something you need to see." Daniel said as he pulled out a holographic projection device.

"These are some related materials for you to study." While Nagato and Konan were studying, Daniel went to visit Obito in the dungeon.

Although Nagato and Konan hadn't killed him, they hadn't let him go either. Obito was now imprisoned in a secret cell within the tower, his body bound by sealing techniques.

"You might want to watch this." Daniel pulled out a small projection device and played a clip.

"Obito, that idiot. He actually believed it. How adorable," Black Zetsu's voice mocked Obito in the recording. This footage had been doctored by the Red Queen.

Daniel wasn't here just to show this to Obito. He had another goal in mind—Madara's weapons.

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