Chapter 41: Akatsuki's Attention, Black Zetsu's Speculation

While Izayoi and the sisters were capturing a beautiful moment.

In the Hidden Rain Village, where heavy rain poured down, inside a steel structure, a figure was conversing with a colorful thought manifestation.

"Sasori, what's the matter?"

"Leader, have you ever been to the Land of Rivers? Or, apart from the other five Pains, do you have any other clones?"

"Why do you ask?" Tendo Pain asked expressionlessly.

"Answer me."

"No."

"Good, I believe you."

Sasori of the Red Sand nodded solemnly and said, "Deidara and I encountered someone in the Land of Rivers. That person could summon meteorites and used repulsion and attraction just like you."

Hearing this, Tendo Pain's expression finally showed a slight change. "Who is he?"

"I don't know," Sasori of the Red Sand shook his head. "That guy was wearing a black robe, had long white hair, and wore a pure white mask without eye holes. His perception was incredibly strong."

"He suddenly approached us, first summoned a meteorite to intimidate us, then threatened me to hand over the Puppet Technique and the method of creating Human Puppets, but he had no intention of killing us."

"So you suspect it was me," Tendo Pain said indifferently.

"I can't rule out that possibility."

Sasori of the Red Sand stared at Tendo Pain's Rinnegan and suddenly let out a low chuckle. "Such rule-like abilities, I've only seen them on you so far. If it's not you, then it means there's another person in this world who possesses eyes like yours, or at the same level as yours."

"It seems this Shinobi World isn't as boring as I thought."

After saying this, Sasori of the Red Sand's thought manifestation slowly shrank and disappeared.

Tendo Pain stood still for a few seconds, then extended his hand with the ring from his sleeve.

In the next moment, the character "Zero" on the ring emitted a faint glow.

A few minutes later, a creature that looked like a black trench coat draped over a pitcher plant, with a face and body divided into black and white halves, emerged from the ground.

"Leader, what are your orders?" Black Zetsu asked in a hoarse voice.

"Send your clones to investigate someone…"

Tendo Pain relayed all the information Sasori of the Red Sand had just provided to Black and White Zetsu.

"Nani?!"

White Zetsu exclaimed in surprise, "Besides the Leader, there's actually someone else in this world who can use Almighty Push and Universal Pull?"

"It's possible that it's a Secret Technique capable of manipulating repulsion and attraction, but the likelihood is small," Tendo Pain analyzed. "He wore a pure white mask without eye holes, likely not to show off his perception but to prevent others from seeing his eyes. He targeted Sasori specifically to obtain his Puppet Technique and the method of creating Human Puppets. If the eyes beneath his mask are like mine, it's likely he aims to create the Six Paths of Pain."

"Investigate this person. If his eyes are indeed the Rinnegan, he must be found and killed before he can compete with me for control over the Gedo Statue."

"Understood."

Black and White Zetsu nodded, then used the Mayfly Technique to sink into the ground and disappear.

Half an hour later, Black and White Zetsu and Uchiha Obito began a discussion in the Kamui Dimension.

"A mysterious person who can use Almighty Push and Universal Pull?"

Uchiha Obito stared at Black Zetsu, who represented Uchiha Madara's will, and asked, "Do you think it's possible that, aside from the Rinnegan, there are other Secret Techniques that can manipulate Attraction?"

"I think Nagato's analysis makes a lot of sense," Black Zetsu replied.

"So, you're saying there's a lucky individual who inherited the Rinnegan and the Six Paths Technique from a previous era, after the original possessor died?" Uchiha Obito instantly grasped Black Zetsu's meaning, though his expression remained hidden beneath his mask.

Black Zetsu remained silent, but his mood was heavy. He didn't believe that anyone other than Nagato possessed the Rinnegan.

After all, for the birth of the second Rinnegan, Black Zetsu had spent a thousand years, both openly and covertly, manipulating Indra Otsutsuki and his successive reincarnations.

He was also certain that Otsutsuki Hagoromo had not passed down his Rinnegan.

If he had, it would have been impossible for no one to inherit and use the Rinnegan's power over the past millennium.

If someone had used the Rinnegan's power, Black Zetsu wouldn't have had to wait until the era of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama.

But abilities like Repulsion and Attraction weren't something that could be controlled by just any Secret Technique.

The moon in the sky was created by Attraction.

White hair, a mask without eye holes, and a perception so strong it could replace eyes...

Black Zetsu already had a guess in his mind.

If nothing unexpected had happened, that mysterious individual came from... the moon.

Could it be that Hamura Otsutsuki's eyes also possessed such abilities? Black Zetsu thought to himself.

He had been born too late, arriving just as his mother was sealed away.

In a peaceful Shinobi World, Otsutsuki Hagoromo had only acted when he embarked on his journey of atonement, while Hamura Otsutsuki had married and taken concubines, expanding his family.

Fearing them, Black Zetsu dared not get too close.

He only knew that after Otsutsuki Hagoromo ceased to be the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Hamura Otsutsuki had taken a portion of their clan and moved to the moon.

At first, the two branches of the clan had maintained contact.

This had allowed Black Zetsu to learn one thing: somewhere in the Shinobi World, there existed a spatial passage connecting the Earth and the moon.

This spatial passage wasn't created by Otsutsuki Hagoromo, but by Hamura Otsutsuki.

The other's Byakugan could also evolve, but it wasn't the Rinnegan.

Aside from creating spatial passages, what other abilities this unknown Eye Technique possessed, Black Zetsu didn't know.

The thought of that branch on the moon re-establishing contact with Earth, and the emergence of a terrifying individual who could use Repulsion and Attraction to summon meteors, made Black Zetsu curse inwardly.

Damn Hagoromo and Hamura, even after a thousand years, you two unfilial sons, aside from the reincarnations of Asura and Indra, still have unknown contingencies.

"Sasori's Human Puppets can retain the Kekkei Genkai and Ninja Techniques of the deceased. If that guy also has the Rinnegan and wants to create the Six Paths of Pain, he would likely hunt down individuals with powerful Kekkei Genkai," Black Zetsu said to Uchiha Obito after cursing his two elder brothers in his mind. "I'll have the White Zetsu Clones keep an eye on the strong individuals in the Shinobi World. Once we detect his presence, we'll notify you and Nagato immediately."

"Good," Uchiha Obito nodded.

Apart from this, they had no other choice.

After all, that mysterious individual was far too cautious.

Precisely because of this, they needed to eliminate him as quickly as possible.

Flight, Repulsion, Attraction, and the ability to summon meteorites—even without the Rinnegan, that mysterious person posed a significant threat.

Such a dangerous existence, if it couldn't be turned to their side, had to be dealt with in advance. Otherwise, it might become a major obstacle to their plans.

(End of Chapter)