On the outskirts of Konoha, deep within the forest.
Zetsu's body slowly emerged from the trunk of a large tree.
His sharply divided black-and-white body, paired with a black robe patterned with red clouds, looked especially eerie beneath the sunlight.
"What a... unsettlingly prosperous place." White Zetsu spoke first, his voice teasing, though a hint of tension could be heard beneath it. "Konoha had just gone through the Konoha Crush Plan, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki's battle, and even sent quite a few ninja to assist Sunagakure. Yet look at Konoha now—everything is orderly, and it seems even more vibrant than before."
Black Zetsu silently observed as ninja continued expanding buildings beyond Konoha's walls in the distance.
Even from here, they could vaguely see that the village had become more prosperous than before.
Hearing White Zetsu's words, Black Zetsu replied coldly, "Indeed. Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, Sasori and Deidara—the organization's strongest forces have suffered losses one after another in such a short time. Yet Konoha has not suffered the slightest loss."
By now, Black Zetsu had concluded that Konoha and Naruto were behind Akatsuki members being captured alive one after another.
"But the problem is..." White Zetsu tilted his head. "Even if Naruto Uzumaki became Hokage, how could he know so much about Akatsuki? Whether Sasori and Deidara's disappearance had anything to do with him is still uncertain."
"That is precisely the crux of the matter." Black Zetsu's voice grew more solemn. "I believe the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki did it. His sources of intelligence are terrifyingly precise, as though... there are no secrets in this Shinobi World to him."
Black Zetsu paused, deep suspicion flashing through his eyes. "That red giant that appeared in Sunagakure—the nature of that power, that form of Chakra—reminded me of an Uchiha secret technique, Susanoo.