Chapter 192: Black Zetsu

The office fell silent. Chiyo looked at Rasa with a grave expression.

The two of them simply stared at each other for a long while. Finally, Chiyo slowly withdrew the vigilance in her eyes and asked coldly,

"Where is that child, Sasori, now?"

Seeing this, Rasa knew Chiyo had made her choice.

No matter which world it was, Sasori was always Chiyo's soft spot.

"Sasori has joined an organization called Akatsuki. Orochimaru is also a part of that group. Sasori even turned himself and the corpse of the Third Kazekage into human puppets."

"..."

At that moment, Baki was too shocked to speak. He could only gape at the two elders and the Kazekage.

"I agree. I will help Gaara become the Fifth Kazekage."

Hearing this, Ebizō couldn't say anything either. However, he still voiced his concern without hiding it.

"Kazekage-sama, having a Jinchūriki become Kazekage… the instability of Shukaku within him is a serious issue."

Gaara, who had been shocked at first, now wore a cold expression.

Being made Kazekage, this was something Gaara never expected. But he didn't believe it was out of love for his father. To him, this was just another form of being used.

"I will take care of Gaara's problem. As for the rest, I'll leave it to you two elders. Baki, you'll lead the Anbu and assist them. Temari, Kankurō, Gaara, you three stay behind."

"Yes!"

Chiyo, Ebizō, and Baki all wore complex expressions as they slowly began to leave.

Baki even thoughtfully handled the corpses of the two elders.

Once the three of them left, only Rasa's family was left in the office. Rasa looked at his three "discount children": Temari, Kankurō, and Gaara.

The three of them looked at their father in return, their eyes filled with confusion, sorrow, and coldness.

"Alright, you all heard what I just said. Temari, Kankurō, you're Gaara's older sister and brother. Once Gaara becomes Kazekage, you must fully support him."

"Eh!?"

Kankurō was immediately thrown into confusion. Looking at his younger brother, there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

Temari hesitated, then spoke.

"Father!"

"Don't worry. I've already absorbed a large portion of Shukaku's chakra from Gaara. On top of that, I've reinforced his seal. Even if Gaara uses his 'Feigned Sleep Technique,' Shukaku won't break free so easily anymore."

Upon hearing this, Kankurō let out a breath of relief. Temari's expression grew more complicated as she looked at Gaara. Gaara's face remained cold, as he had never dared to say anything in protest to his father.

Seeing this, Rasa understood: because of him, Gaara never had that pivotal battle with Naruto. As a result, his inner wounds remained unresolved.

If Rasa weren't the Kazekage, he might have welcomed the idea of Naruto and Gaara becoming friends. But given his current role, he couldn't allow the future Kazekage to become the Konoha Hokage's fanboy.

Fortunately, Rasa had his own method to help Gaara overcome his emotional barriers.

All he needed was…

Just as Rasa was about to speak, his sensory perception picked up on a startling presence.

'Interesting... You've come to me on your own.'

"Stay here and don't move. I'll be right back."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Rasa's figure vanished, leaving the three siblings staring at each other in confusion.

---

Sunagakure.

Though they were outsiders, Sasori and Konan entered the village as if it were completely unguarded, passing through its defenses without resistance.

Looking at the sand-covered landscape before him, Sasori's voice came from beneath his puppet shell, low and cold.

"How dull. It's been twenty years, and Sunagakure hasn't changed a bit."

Walking beside him, Konan spoke slowly.

"I didn't expect that even after leaving Sunagakure for so long, you'd still have a spy planted here."

"Just a precautionary measure."

Sasori replied indifferently.

Konan didn't pursue the subject further and directly asked,

"Zetsu, can you sense the Kazekage's location?"

From the yellow sand behind them, a green Venus flytrap slowly rose from the ground.

As it opened, Zetsu's form was revealed. His expression showed a hint of confusion as he spoke.

"Strange... I can't sense the Kazekage's chakra at all. Looks like this Kazekage is hiding more secrets than we thought. To be able to completely block Zetsu's sensing..."

"No matter."

Sasori's gaze turned toward the tallest building in the center of the village.

"As Kazekage, there are only a few places he could be. We just need to search them one by one. But be careful not to expose our presence."

"Don't worry."

Konan replied coldly.

"Gathering intelligence is my specialty. You're the one who should be cautious, don't let anyone who knows you spot you."

With that, Konan's body turned into countless sheets of paper and flew off into the village.

Sasori gave a cold snort at the sight, then began moving, his puppet body clanking as he headed toward the places locked in his memory.

Watching them leave, Zetsu's body was overtaken by Black Zetsu, who now dominated White Zetsu's consciousness. Staring at Sunagakure in the distance, he fell into deep thought and muttered,

"What is going on? The only technique that can revive someone from an Edo Tensei state is the Rinne Rebirth... but without the Rinnegan, how did the Fourth Kazekage pull it off? And that was definitely Mother's Kama... but ever since she fused with this world, the Kama should've lost its functionality..."

Just as Black Zetsu was drowning in a sea of confusion, a voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"If you want answers, why not just ask me directly?"

Black Zetsu's pupils shrank instantly. His body shot backward as he turned around, only to see the very man he had just been obsessing over standing behind him, smiling.

"Impossible... You actually..."

Instinctively, Black Zetsu tried to activate Mayfly to escape, but Rasa's next words made him pause.

"No need to be afraid. I'm here to propose a collaboration."

"Collaboration!?"

Black Zetsu froze, but indeed didn't try to run again. With a guarded expression, he stared at the man before him and asked in a cold tone,

"What do you mean?"

Rasa's expression was calm.

"Exactly what I said. But before we continue this conversation, can you guarantee that everything I say here won't be sensed by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki?"

!!!

Black Zetsu's face suddenly showed panic. For Rasa to mention that name... could it be,

"Of course I can. That Hagoromo guy may have strong sensory abilities, but he's not omniscient. As long as there's no chakra presence, he can't detect anything..."

"And you? Is it because of Kaguya's power that Hagoromo can't sense you either?"

!!!

Black Zetsu's round eyes widened in shock, then filled with fury.

"You... How do you know about Mother's existence? Who the hell are you!?"

But Rasa didn't answer. He only asked,

"Now, do you think we have grounds for cooperation?"