Black Zetsu's Open and Honest Talk

The Land of Whirlpools, Snake Pit Village.

Orochimaru is adapting to his new body in the underground base of Snake Pit Village.

That's right, it's Akira Hyuga's body.

This wasn't the first time Orochimaru had changed bodies, but it was definitely the smoothest one. Before Orochimaru entered Akira Hyuga's body, Akira Hyuga's soul was already in a state of disarray.

Therefore, Akira Hyuga's body offered no resistance to the arrival of Orochimaru's soul.

After entering Akira Hyuga's body, Orochimaru adapted slightly and began a new experiment.

Orochimaru injected Kimimaro Kaguya's cells into this new body.

Kimimaro Kaguya and Akira Hyuga. One is from the Kaguya Clan, representing the Sage Body of Hamura Otsutsuki; the other Hyuga Clan, representing the Sage Eye of Hamura Otsutsuki.

The union of their bloodlines did indeed elicit a somewhat delighted reaction from Orochimaru.

However, Orochimaru quickly realized something was wrong: Kimimaro Kaguya's bloodline was of a higher level, Akira Hyuga's bloodline was far too weak.

His body experienced severe rejection after the first injection of Kimimaro Kaguya's cells.

This scene reminded Orochimaru of the countless First Hokage's Cells.

He endured the physical pain as he said, "I see. It seems the Tsuchikage was right."

Kabuto Yakushi had just injected Orochimaru with Kimimaro Kaguya's cells, asked curiously, "Lord Orochimaru, what are you thinking about?"

Kabuto Yakushi Orochimaru was recently recruited by Orochimaru. Orochimaru didn't care who sent Kabuto Yakushi as a spy; he was confident he could control Kabuto Yakushi.

Orochimaru essentially trained Kabuto Yakushi as an experimental assistant. Besides being an experimental assistant, Kabuto Yakushi also served as Orochimaru's all-around assistant in both his daily life and work.

Orochimaru still had expectations of Kabuto Yakushi and was willing to explain things to him.

"I once used several S-rank Ninjutsu treasured by Konoha to trade for some information from the Tsuchikage."

At this point, Orochimaru excitedly stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, but his body hadn't fully adapted yet, and his tongue wasn't as long as it used to be.

After hearing only half of Orochimaru's statement, Kabuto Yakushi became even more curious. What information could be worth several S-rank Ninjutsu?

And judging from Orochimaru's expression, he seems to think he made a huge profit in that deal.

Orochimaru didn't keep anyone in suspense. After he finished licking, he continued, "The Tsuchikage told me the ultimate secret of the Ninja World."

"The ultimate Yin Release of the Uchiha, combined with the ultimate Yang Release of the Senju, can achieve the Yin-Yang Fusion, realizing the Kōten Taisai that the old man once spoke of."

Kabuto Yakushi a beat, and he continued, "So, the Kaguya Clan's Yang Release can also be combined with the Hyuga Clan's Yin Release to achieve Yin-Yang Fusion?"

The light emanating from Kabuto Yakushi's eyes at this moment was somewhat similar to that of Orochimaru just now.

This is a yearning for the truth, and it's also what Kabuto Yakushi values most about Orochimaru Yakushi.

Compared to Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi lacked that ambition.

Kabuto Yakushi continued, "Lord Orochimaru, are you about to achieve the Kōten Taisai?"

While enduring the pain in his body, Orochimaru shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. I underestimated the Kōten Taisai."

"Not all Yin Release and Yang Release can be fused. Kimimaro's Yang Release wasn't enough, and Akira Hyuga's Yin Release was far, far too inadequate."

Orochimaru has now gained a new understanding of the Yin-Yang Fusion through his own experience.

If he hadn't possessed immense strength and mastered Yin Release techniques, he would have been devoured by Kimimaro Kaguya's cells long ago.

Orochimaru was suppressing Kimimaro Kaguya's cells entirely through his overwhelming power.

However, suppressing it is enough; that's the magic of Chakra. If this continues, Orochimaru will eventually be able to adapt to Kimimaro Kaguya's cells.

Unfortunately, Orochimaru's ultimate goal was not to transplant Kimimaro Kaguya's cells; he wasn't after the Shikotsumyaku).

Orochimaru wanted the Yin-Yang Fusion, but although the experiment had only just begun, Orochimaru already knew that it would ultimately fail.

Orochimaru was not discouraged by the failure; he considered this experience invaluable.

Furthermore, Orochimaru felt that with his own soul present, this body could also be used to conduct some experiments.

Furthermore, once the amount of cells injected into Kimimaro Kaguya reaches a certain level, Orochimaru believes that the strength of this living being will surely reach a level that satisfies him.

After a while, the pain caused by the injection of Kimimaro Kaguya's cells finally disappeared.

Instead, it gives you a wonderful feeling of ease and power.

"Hehe, hehe." Orochimaru let out a hearty laugh.

A few days later, after Orochimaru had fully adapted to the body, he asked Kabuto Yakushi, "Kabuto, is Black Zetsu still outside?"

Kabuto Yakushi replied, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru, he has been lingering in the village and refuses to leave."

Black Zetsu had been here for many days, but Orochimaru had been busy preparing for the Living Corpse Reincarnation and hadn't seen him. Only now did he remember him.

Kabuto Yakushi asked, "Lord Orochimaru, what is Black Zetsu here for?"

Orochimaru shook his head and said, "Compared to that, I'm more curious about his body."

Kabuto Yakushi's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Does Lord Orochimaru mean you want to capture Black Zetsu for research?"

Orochimaru laughed and said, "If it were the old me, I would have had that thought, but my dealings with the Tsuchikage have taught me that there's no need to push things to the extreme."

"Everything can be discussed. Since Black Zetsu took the initiative to contact me, he must need something from me, so we have a basis for cooperation."

"No matter what he comes to discuss, just add one condition to his list: he must actively cooperate with my research on his body."

"If he really had ill intentions, this request would reveal it."

Kabuto Yakushi nodded thoughtfully. He was becoming increasingly curious about the Tsuchikage, Lord Orochimaru had mentioned him twice in just a few words.

What kind of person could both tell Lord Orochimaru the ultimate secret of the Ninja World and change Lord Orochimaru's way of doing things?

Orochimaru very naturally took Kabuto Yakushi with him to see Black Zetsu.

Black Zetsu was somewhat surprised to see Orochimaru beside Kabuto Yakushi, as his intelligence did not include such a person by Orochimaru's side.

This made Black Zetsu feel uneasy, because things had slipped out of his control from the very beginning.

Upon seeing Black Zetsu, Orochimaru calmly asked, "What are you?"

Black Zetsu wasn't angry when he heard this, because he knew Orochimaru didn't mean to insult him in any way.

He grinned at Orochimaru and said, "I'm just a normal ninja, except I was born with a mutation."

"Originally, I shouldn't have survived, but I was fortunate enough to meet a benefactor who saved me from being one person to being two."

"Yin and Yang are separated. One is me, I am Black Zetsu, and the other is my twin brother, called White Zetsu."

Orochimaru remained silent, simply gazing calmly at Black Zetsu.

Black Zetsu paused for a moment, then said, "That noble person does have some things in common with Lord Orochimaru."

"You were all once members of Konoha, and then you chose to leave. You were all very close to Hokage position."

"That lord is Madara Uchiha, who, along with Hashirama Senju, ushered in the era of the ninja villages and was known as the Asura of the Ninja World."

After saying this, Black Zetsu and Orochimaru exchanged a smile for a moment.

Black Zetsu had prepared his explanation before arriving; he had no intention of hiding Madara Uchiha.

He even hoped that Orochimaru would expose his lies and eventually discover that he was actually created by Madara Uchiha using Yin Release.

He will only believe the truth if Orochimaru discovers it himself.

At that time, regardless of whether Orochimaru executes the Moon Eye Plan, his only target for defense will be Madara Uchiha.

Little did they know that their mother was waiting to possess them.

Orochimaru didn't believe a word Black Zetsu said. No matter how Black Zetsu explained, Orochimaru didn't care. All he cared about was Black Zetsu's body.

The first conversation between the two men, each harboring ill intentions, began in this harmonious and friendly atmosphere.

"What are you doing here?" Orochimaru didn't intend to expose Black Zetsu's lie, but asked directly.

Black Zetsu grinned and said, "Lord Madara left behind a grand plan that can bring peace to the Ninja World. I wonder if Lord Orochimaru would be interested in hearing about it?"

"Speak," Orochimaru said calmly.

Black Zetsu said, "Lord Madara once absorbed Hashirama Senju's cells, upgrading his Mangekyō Sharingan into the Rinnegan."

"Lord Madara summoned a monster called the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path using his Rinnegan."

"Lord Madara said that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path can absorb all the Chakra of the nine Tailed Beasts and become the Ten-Tails."

"By becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, one can rule the Ninja World and ultimately combine with the moon to cast an ultimate Genjutsu on the entire Ninja World: Infinite Tsukuyomi."

"In the Infinite Tsukuyomi, everyone can live the life they desire, and from then on, there will be no more conflict in the entire Ninja World."

Orochimaru inwardly scoffed at the Moon Eye Plan.

First, he has no interest in peace itself, and second, he has no interest in that illusory peace.

What he cares about is the truth, the essence of Chakra.

Seeing that Orochimaru remained silent, Black Zetsu continued, "If Lord Orochimaru is willing to continue Lord Madara's plan..."

"Not only can I become the ruler of the Ninja World, but I can also tell Lord Orochimaru how to use the Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku to achieve the legendary Tenseigan."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. Here they come. As expected, the Kaguya Clan and the Hyuga Clan are distant relatives, and they can also Yin-Yang Fusion.

Very good. Regardless of whether they will cooperate with Black Zetsu later, Orochimaru felt that this one piece of information was enough.

Black Zetsu indirectly confirmed the correctness of what Yichen said.

Although he felt he had gained enough, Orochimaru was still very interested in Black Zetsu's body.

Regardless of whether Black Zetsu Madara Uchiha, Orochimaru was very concerned about the fact that Black Zetsu could live directly using Yin Release.

He used Yin Release to perform the Living Corpse Reincarnation, thus achieving so-called immortality.

It now appears that Black Zetsu is in better condition. This has greatly increased Orochimaru's research desires.

Orochimaru then said, "Cooperation is fine, but I need to study your body, and you need to cooperate with me unconditionally."

Black Zetsu paused, expecting Orochimaru to ask questions like, "Why did you do this? What benefits do you get from it?"

Who knew that Orochimaru had absolutely no interest in anything other than his body, and didn't even bother to ask a perfunctory question.

This not only rendered Black Zetsu's prepared excuse useless, but also gave Black Zetsu a bad feeling about their future cooperation.

Both Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha were people whose muscles far outweighed their intelligence.

Black Zetsu was able to hide his secrets from them not because he was so powerful, but because those two were simply not cut out for scheming.

Let's not even talk about Obito Uchiha; he's Xian'er.

Madara Uchiha is similar; let's not even mention his ridiculous Moon Eye Plan, let's talk about other things.

All the contingency plans left behind by Madara Uchiha have become a joke.

Neither Nagato, who had received the Rinnegan, nor Obito Uchiha as his representative, took his resurrection seriously.

Even Madara Uchiha was able to escape the Impure World Reincarnation only by relying on his strength.

In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Madara Uchiha's only highlight was his strength; his other abilities, such as intrigue, charisma, and leadership skills, were completely absent.

From beginning to end, he fought the entire Ninja World alone; he only did one thing: confront them head-on.

Black Zetsu was used to fooling Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha, but he couldn't fool Orochimaru, who was particularly good at brainwashing people.

Orochimaru did not follow Black Zetsu's guidance at all; Orochimaru didn't even ask himself what he could gain.

Orochimaru showed absolutely no interest in the Moon Eye Plan.

Black Zetsu had no choice but to agree to Orochimaru first, and then look for an opportunity to rescue his mother.

Yichen, far away in Iwagakure, was unaware that the protagonist of Black Zetsu's story of rescuing his mother had changed his target again.

At this moment, Yichen is instructing three disciples of Team Seven.

Yichen happened to obtain a Kikaichū from the Aburame Clan in the Land of Fire, and he gave it to Kamizuru Tsuruhime.

Of course, the Kikaichū was already dead by then. Yichen handed it over to Kamizuru Tsuruhime only so that Kamizuru Tsuruhime could see how powerful the insects of the Aburame Clan were now.

Kamizuru Tsuruhime's training doesn't require much intervention from Yichen. Although her family has lost its long-standing beekeeping tradition, the relevant records are still available.

The Kamizuru Clan simply couldn't turn these secret techniques into combat power.

Under her tutelage, the Little Bee of Kamizuru Tsuruhime have become increasingly capable. Originally, apart from some basic training, they were unable to undergo other training programs.

However, as the Little Bee's basic skills improved, many training exercises that were previously impossible became possible.

Yichen simply created a clone to spar with Kamizuru Tsuruhime and then ignored her.

Next was Haku. Yichen was very satisfied with Haku's progress. Whether it was his Chakra reserves, Taijutsu, Water Release Ninjutsu, Ice Release Bloodline Limit, or combat ability, Haku satisfied Yichen.

At this time, Haku, who had graduated just over a year ago, less than two years ago, was already qualified for the selection of Special Jonin based on his basic skills alone.

Although Haku's basic strength is not as good as that of Jonin, considering the powerful combat ability of Ice Release, even Jonin might not be Haku's match.

Yichen also created a Shadow Clone, engaging in various sparring sessions with Bai.

Seeing Bai's rapid progress, Yichen frowned.

Haku's strength has reached a bottleneck. If he cannot quickly become Jonin, it will be difficult for him to make any significant progress in the short term.

However, Bai always carried out C-rank mission under his protection, which didn't mean much to him and didn't allow him to advance in his career.

"How can we give Bai a chance to improve his strength?" Yichen pondered.

Like Deidara, Haku was a genius, an outstanding individual whose achievements were unmatched by his peers.

They rarely feel pressured by their peers, but even if they feel the gap in ability between different age groups, it doesn't have much effect.

After thinking it over, Yichen could only think of practical combat. However, he briefly reviewed the current situation in the Ninja World in his mind.

The Iwa ninja have basically completed the clearing of the Land of Hot Water and the northwestern part of the Land of Wind. In the short term, Yichen will not be able to find any other suitable place to practice his skills.

We can't just pick Great Ninja Village to start a war just to satisfy Haku's need for real combat skills.

Yichen rubbed his temples, then suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, it seems that Rasa has annexed Rōran. Why don't we go and Rōran a look?"

Rasa's annexation of Rōran was carried out in secret; he feared interference from the Iwagakure and did not publicize it.

Since Rasa hasn't made it public, Yichen can pretend he doesn't know and recklessly enter Rōran to cause trouble for the Sunagakure.

Even if Yichen wiped out Sunagakure in Rōran, it would only be a conflict between the two sides, and it would be impossible for it to escalate into a war.

This is completely different from Yichen's surprise attack on Shisui Uchiha in the Land of Fire.

Thinking of this, Yichen's furrowed brows finally relaxed.

Then Yichen turned his gaze to the last person in Team Seven, Fujii Kusaka.

Fujii Kusaka has changed the most recently; since she switched to Yin Release, Fujii Kusaka entire demeanor has changed.

Previously, because her Fire Release lacked offensive power, Fujii Kusaka lacked confidence and acted somewhat timidly.

But now, Fujii Kusaka exudes a heroic spirit, Yichen even sees some of the shadow of Kawakita in her.

A hint of sharpness had also appeared in the young girl.

Yichen smiled slightly. Fujii Kusaka was originally quite talented. Although she couldn't compare to Shiro, she was still a genius.

With Katsuya's help, Fujii Kusaka learned to transform her special flame into a soul attack.

To this end, she created many attack methods unique to her.

Yichen had already witnessed the power of her attacks, and Yichen felt that once Fujii Kusaka perfected them further, she would have a chance to add a secret technique to Iwagakure, similar to Kanako's Paper Style Jutsu.

Using Shadow Clone was not suitable when facing Fujii Kusaka, Yichen went directly to her in his true form and engaged her in a battle.

After an afternoon of training, Yichen said, "Alright, that's enough for today. Tomorrow we'll carry out a mission out of the village together. This time we're going on a long trip, so prepare well tonight."

"Yes." The three disciples were all somewhat excited, as they could tell from Yichen's words that this mission was not simple.

For the three who were practically sick of performing C-rank mission, being able to carry out a high-level mission was definitely something to celebrate.

The next morning, Yichen led the three of them away from the village.

Yichen's first destination after leaving the village was the mansion of the daimyo, the capital of the Land of Earth.

Yichen hadn't been to the capital for a long time, so when he arrived uninvited and appeared directly in front of the Yichen Daimyo's Mansion, the Daming was quite surprised.

The daimyo looked at Yichen and asked curiously, "Tsuchikage, I wonder if you've come here for some reason? Is another war about to break out?"

The daimyo had become somewhat arrogant in recent years due to the successive victories of Iwagakure, and thought that Yichen was about to start another war.

So when the daimyo asked the question, he was not only not nervous, but also a little excited.

Yichen was somewhat speechless. He said, "Your Excellency misunderstands. The village is currently in a period of accumulating strength and has no plans to launch a war against other countries."

Daming was somewhat disappointed, and the excitement on his face disappeared.

Yichen said, "Your Excellency, this is one of the first batch of Guardian Ninja trained by the village for you: Fujii Kusaka."

Daimyo had heard of this name before. When he heard that Yichen was going to take Fujii Kusaka as his apprentice, he even allocated funds to express his support.

The daimyo then looked at this future Guardian Ninja he was meeting for the first time.

At this opportune moment, Fujii Kusaka stepped forward, bowed deeply to the daimyo, and said, "Fujii Kusaka greets the daimyo."

The lord nodded repeatedly and said, "Alright, alright, get up."

Fujii Kusaka stood up and stepped aside.

The Daimyo looked at the still-child Fujii Kusaka and asked, "Tsuchikage, what is Fujii Kusaka's strength now? Genin or Chunin?"

Yichen smiled and said, "Genin or Chunin, it's just a ranking system used by Iwagakure. Your Majesty's guards don't use this ranking system."

"If you want to know Kusaka's strength, why don't the daimyo send a few of his guards to Kusaka with him?"

Daimyo's eyes lit up, and he turned to look at the guard leader, Kenosuke, who was standing to the side.

Kenosuke nodded and immediately signaled a guard to go down and spar with Fujii Kusaka.

As the leader of the daimyo's guards, Kenosuke is not weak in himself, and he also has good judgment.

Although he had heard about the shortcomings of Fujii Kusaka's earlier Fire Release, he also felt that it would be difficult to cultivate a ninja like Fujii Kusaka into a skilled one.

However, even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to underestimate Yichen, this Tsuchikage.

Putting aside strength, Yichen was the Tsuchikage who led the Land of Earth and the Iwagakure to the position of the Ruler of the Ninja World!

Yichen's choice to bring Fujii Kusaka over at this time clearly indicates his confidence in Fujii Kusaka abilities.

Therefore, the person chosen by Kenosuke was not an ordinary guard, but the captain of a guard squad of the daimyo, who would be considered an elite Chunin even Chunin Iwagakure.

Among the daimyo's many guards, fewer than ten are truly stronger than this man.

Yichen nodded to Fujii Kusaka, and then Fujii Kusaka and the guard opposite her came to the door and stood on either side.

Yichen and Daming adjusted their seats so they could see the two people outside the door.

Once the daimyo and Yichen were seated, Fujii Kusaka and the guard immediately began their battle.

The guard did not underestimate his opponent; instead, he first tested the waters with Kunai and Shuriken.

Fujii Kusaka immediately began Hand Seals. With her already good talent and Fujii Kusaka Yichen's guidance, her Hand Seals speed was absolutely outstanding among Chunin -level players.

Soon, Fujii Kusaka unleashed a Fire Release. However, this Fire Release was different from the regular Fire Release.

When Fujii Kusaka unleashed her Fire Release, there was no overwhelming heat; instead, it gave off a chilling and uncomfortable feeling.

Although the guard had heard that Fujii Kusaka's flames weren't very hot, he didn't dare to take them head-on and instead chose to dodge.

After dodging the Fire Release attack, the guard threw a piece of Substitution Wood at the Fire Release, trying to test the temperature of the flames.

However, Fujii Kusaka's flames were more flexible and unpredictable than ordinary flames. Although the dragon-like flames did not actually harm the Substitution Wood, they suddenly turned as if they were alive.

The flames quickly engulfed the unresponsive guard. This ability to change to some extent at will is precisely the power of Yin Release.

The guard was startled, but the next moment he realized that his body was not burned, and even his clothes were intact. He even felt a cool sensation.

As expected, Fujii Kusaka's Fire Release jutsu couldn't hurt anyone due to its low temperature.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly yelled, then released the Kunai he was about to use to retaliate and covered his head with both hands.

At this moment, Yichen reached out and used the Myriad Manifestations Banshō Ten'in to pull the guard out of Fujii Kusaka's flames.

The guard who was pulled out cried out in pain for a while before he returned to normal.

Yichen looked at the daimyo and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Kusaka has just mastered a new ability and can't control it freely yet."

The daimyo was overjoyed. He waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright."

As he spoke, the daimyo ordered someone to take the guard to get treatment, while simultaneously signaling to Kenosuke to send out even more capable men.

The daimyo is now eagerly anticipating Fujii Kusaka's next performance.

The daimyo knew the strength of that guard, but he didn't expect that the young Fujii Kusaka could defeat him with a ninjutsu that seemed to be only C-rank.