Chapter 275: Confessions of a Yin-Yang Release Accident
Black Zetsu forced himself to calm down…
The entire village of Konohagakure, including the reincarnated Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito, had already been drained by Kazuki's ocular powers—completely wasted.
The good news was that Kazuki had actually dared to drag Kaguya down from the moon, which meant the Sage of Six Paths would naturally take notice.
"No matter how strong that guy is, he can't possibly surpass the Sage of Six Paths, who's spent a thousand years cultivating in the Pure Land. Not unless he gains Mother's power… Uchiha Kazuki will have to lie dormant under the sea for a while—he won't be able to move freely through the shinobi world…"
"Otherwise, the moment he shows up, the Sage of Six Paths will assume it's Mother who's escaped—and he'll strike hard!"
So reasoned Black Zetsu to himself, faintly realizing that he had caught up with Kazuki's train of thought.
That's it!
Kazuki must have predicted this outcome—that's why he had Senju Tobirama revived to provoke the people of Konoha, and stir up Uchiha Madara's thoughts…
All of it to supply him—currently immobilized in the deep sea—with a steady stream of power to stand against Kaguya!
From Black Zetsu's perspective, even the Sage of Six Paths had been outplayed by Kazuki.
The Sage, hiding in the Pure Land, had long been suspected by Black Zetsu—who had spent a millennium searching for traces of Asura's and Indra's chakra.
The only difference was that Black Zetsu had chosen to stay hidden, while Kazuki boldly pretended he wanted to seal Kaguya—forcing the Sage into hesitation. It was reckless, daring, and entirely without regard for consequences.
If the Sage hadn't been trapped in the Pure Land…
Black Zetsu would truly be afraid that Kazuki's unreasonable ocular power might bind even that rebellious child of Kaguya's—that would be real trouble!
The bad news, however, was that even though Kaguya wasn't in her full form, she was still far from being suppressed by Kazuki. Yet with her level of intellect, being alone with Kazuki made Black Zetsu worry she might get talked into confusion…
"In any case, whatever Uchiha Kazuki wants to do, I must be the one to oppose it!"
Black Zetsu took a deep breath and resolved inwardly: "Since he wants to quietly spend time alone with Mother in the depths of the sea, I can't let him go on like this. I have to find a way to disrupt his plans!"
"He wants Senju Tobirama to make Uchiha Izuna and Uchiha Madara start reflecting—then I must not let that happen! The White Zetsu network is under my control…"
"I need to help the unaffected Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna silently build their strength!"
"This way, even if they eventually encounter Senju Tobirama, they'll still have enough ocular power to perceive or resist Kazuki's jutsu. Even if emotions arise, at most they'll be newly bound—Kazuki won't gain too much additional power from them!"
Informed directly by Kazuki about his 'ocular technique', Black Zetsu now racked his brain, trying to use reverse logic to counter him.
The thinking was solid, and the strategy sound…
The only mistake—was that all of them, Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna, and even the Sage of Six Paths—had already been bound by Kazuki.
If Kazuki were to learn of Black Zetsu's plan, he might even give him a thumbs-up—then smile and ask: "Zetsu, when did you develop the illusion that I hadn't already bound their minds?"
Desperate to regain the initiative, Black Zetsu now set his sights on Obito.
For Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna—who didn't even know Kazuki's true identity—defeating him with their own strength…
Was simply far too difficult!
And with Black Zetsu's official status as a creation of 'Uchiha Madara's Yin-Yang Release', he couldn't communicate with them directly.
If it were just Uchiha Madara, perhaps something could still be done…
But with Uchiha Izuna in the picture too—and given his ambiguous attitude toward the Eye of the Moon Plan—Black Zetsu feared slipping up and accidentally dragging Kaguya into the mess.
So, there was only one viable candidate left for communication: Uchiha Obito!
"If I merge with Obito… if I make him my Jinchūriki…"
A gleam of excitement flickered in Black Zetsu's eyes: "Then I can personally shield his mind—try to offset or weaken Uchiha Kazuki's bindings!"
"I can even give Obito the power Mother left me—let him grow stronger and stronger before Kazuki notices!"
Black Zetsu did, in fact, have some assets to work with.
It could control Uchiha Obito's body—even in his weakened state, he still carried the power of the Ten-Tails…
It had once stood behind Uchiha Madara, plunging its claw through his chest to summon Kaguya…
In direct combat, Black Zetsu was useless—but as a military strategist embedded inside someone's body, using its one-time key power to nurture Obito's chakra and ocular strength… that, it was perfectly suited for!
So then…
The problem before it now was: how to explain its identity to Uchiha Obito?
It was a nice idea!
But every time Black Zetsu imagined having to meet Obito in the form of a pitcher plant—or as that little shadowy humanoid…
Its heart filled with reluctance. There was even a trace of fear.
If Uchiha Obito had only liked it because of the skin that once looked like Uchiha Rin…
Then it would become the most ridiculous clown in shinobi history—one laughed at for centuries.
It had already made a fool of itself enough…
But on the other hand, if Obito still treated it the same as before—even knowing its true form…
Wouldn't that mean Uchiha Obito had truly fallen for its soul?
Even though it didn't have a soul.
These mixed feelings of gain and loss kept gnawing at Black Zetsu.
"That guy… in Obito's heart, he might rank just below me…"
Black Zetsu's head started aching again as it thought about the interactions between Kazuki and Obito, and how Obito treated Kazuki.
Could it really confess to Obito—that Kazuki was the mastermind behind everything, and it had all been an elaborate game?
Absolutely not!
Black Zetsu clearly remembered the moment that puppet version of Uchiha Rin had died—how Kazuki stood right there and calmly absorbed Obito's soul power, even copying his Mangekyō technique…
If Obito—still bound by Kazuki—was emotionally hit again like that, wouldn't it just empower Kazuki even further?
In that case, the Kaguya sealed within Kazuki would suffer all over again!
What's more, now that Black Zetsu no longer had Rin's physical form, as it recalled all the stories between Kazuki and Obito…
It couldn't find a single weak point to attack Kazuki with.
After rising to a high position, Kazuki had taken the initiative to reconcile with Obito, offering him gifts and jutsu, even playing the role of a considerate 'big brother' to help Obito with his romantic struggles…
Even during the war, Kazuki had deliberately avoided Obito's position on the Iwagakure battlefield to avoid suspicion.
And regarding the key point that Ōnoki deliberately tried to kill Uchiha Obito because of his rising fame…
On the surface, Kazuki had always tried to avoid letting Uchiha Obito rise to fame. It was Obito who had stubbornly begged for it, wanting to impress Uchiha Rin, and Kazuki had reluctantly agreed.
Even then, Kazuki had arranged for Might Duy to accompany him to the exam—so that the taijutsu master's brilliance would overshadow Obito.
And after Obito was injured, Kazuki had slaughtered ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi—wasn't that revenge?
So, whether it was to avoid overly stimulating Obito or to persuade him effectively, Black Zetsu realized it could only tell a lie!
It had to shift the blame away from Kazuki and pin it on someone who didn't matter to Obito—like Uchiha Madara. Then, once a united front was quickly established, Black Zetsu could possess Obito and cut off Kazuki's ocular control… quietly strengthening him in secret.
"Yes… That's the plan!"
A light sparked in Black Zetsu's eyes.
"I don't have to make Obito oppose Kazuki… I could even send him to rescue him!"
Kazuki was hiding within a seal—not only to confuse the Sage of Six Paths, but also because of that jet-black Nine-Dragon Coffin used to suppress Kaguya. There had to be more to it!
The more Black Zetsu thought about it, the more sense it made.
Kazuki's actions always served multiple purposes. That coffin, which looked like part of some kind of barrier… might very well be a ritual formation to help him extract power from Kaguya.
If Obito were sent to rescue him, Kazuki's plans would naturally be disrupted.
Strangely enough—
Now that he no longer had to tarnish Kazuki's image in Obito's heart, Black Zetsu actually felt relieved, and his confidence started to rise.
"Am I… actually feeling glad right now?"
Black Zetsu took a deep breath, forcing Kazuki's image out of his mind. He muttered to himself, "No, it's not that I'm afraid of him… I'm just thinking about the best way to defeat him!"
"Yes, exactly—that's all it is!"
After a moment of self-reassurance, Black Zetsu quickly launched into a mental brainstorm, composing a persuasive little speech that might convince Obito…
He was no longer the third son of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—
But a fool created by Uchiha Madara using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and shaped through Yin-Yang Release, originally meant to monitor Obito but who, by accident, had fallen in love with him…
Having fallen for Obito, he hadn't wanted to hurt him—but had been forced to obey under the control of the wicked Uchiha Madara!
And not only that…
Black Zetsu even considered that his body, as Kaguya's child, contained special chakra capable of nurturing Obito's ocular power and bloodline—maybe that could be explained away as an ability of the Mangekyō Sharingan!
In that case, everything would fall perfectly into place…
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