Black Zetsu Hunted by a Cat

"You have no idea how dangerous this operation was. I single-handedly withstood attacks from Uchiha Yaowan and the Fourth Raikage, while simultaneously toying with them using Kamui..."

On the pedestrian path that Konoha couples especially like to stroll along, Obito up Rin, who had just finished work, and tried his best to boast about his performance in this operation.

Listening to Obito's flawed explanation, Rin didn't expose him, but covered her mouth and occasionally chuckled in agreement.

"Snort."

Just as Obito was recounting the crucial plot point of how he single-handedly subdued the Fourth Raikage, a girl's cold snort rang out, particularly noticeable in the quiet alley.

"Who?"

The sudden sound startled Obito, who turned around repeatedly, trying to find the source of the sound.

Obito had spun around in place without finding anyone, thought it was his imagination. But when he turned around, he found a girl suddenly appearing in front of him.

"Great-Grandma?"

Startled, Obito used the light to make out the person's face and instinctively called out their nickname.

"Who's your great-grandmother?! Why don't you learn anything good from that guy?!"

Uchiha Hikari was furious when he heard this, and immediately wanted to roll up his sleeves and show Obito the special care that comes with being an elder.

"No, no, no, I meant there's a grandma flying in space!"

Feeling threatened, Obito disregarded logic and began rambling incoherently with his eyes closed.

"Alright, that kid wants to see you."

Seeing Obito's helpless Obito, Hikaru didn't want to argue with an idiot. After saying this in an annoyed tone, he vanished from Obito's sight in Body Flicker Technique.

My head hurts.

I never want to see anyone from the Uchiha Clan again.

"Have they left yet?"

Obito opened his eyes a crack, trying to find his great-grandmother.

"They're gone."

Lin nodded obediently.

"Phew, that scared me to death! I really don't want to see this jinx..."

Upon learning that the other party had truly left, Obito breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest, clearly quite shaken.

Seeing Obito's expression, Rin's lips curled into a smile as she looked at Obito: "I didn't expect you to be so afraid of light, Obito."

"What are you talking about? I'm not afraid, I'm just respecting my elders. Think about it, that's an ancestor from the Warring States period. Of course I have to give way to him. If we really fight, I can only use one hand—"

Once he was sure the light was gone, Obito immediately straightened up and patted his chest, boasting about his achievements.

But before he could finish his last sentence, a wild cat suddenly leaped out of the bushes, hissing and chasing after a black object.

"I can do push-ups with one hand to show that sir!"

Hearing the noise, Obito thought it was Hikaru returning and hurriedly lay down on the ground to change his mind.

"..."

Lin gave an awkward but polite smile.

"Seriously, where did this stray cat come from...?"

Obito finally understood the situation and muttered something as he got up from the ground.

"Alright, Obito, go find Kazashiro Bai. It's so late, he must have something important to tell you."

Lin was worried that she would burst out laughing, so she whispered a reminder to Obito to keep track of the time.

"Ah, okay, I'll head over now, Lin. Take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, Obito, this is a village, and there are ninja from the Internal Affairs Department patrolling here. Nothing will happen."

Rin reassured Obito, then smiled and said goodbye.

As Rin watched Obito run off into the distance, her smile faded, replaced by curiosity.

"Strange, what that cat was chasing just now didn't seem to be a living thing."

Rather than describing it as some kind of living organism, it was more like a mass of black, unidentified substance.

That's right, the one being chased by the stray cat is Black Zetsu.

"I never imagined I'd misjudged him. That kid named Obito is even better at Dojutsu than that guy from Yaowan."

Black Zetsu, who leaped to the top of the Uchiha's private telephone pole, remained undetected under the cover of night.

Having barely escaped the wild cat's pursuit, he muttered to himself his purpose.

Looking for a new proxy.

Unlike Jigen, who is limited by certain restrictions and cannot exert his full strength, he simply doesn't have much power to begin with.

Kaguya gave birth to him at a crucial moment when he was being sealed away.

There was practically no power left for him.

This also means that Black Zetsu has no other special skills besides being an excellent escape and intelligence gathering expert.

Although he took Madara's Rinnegan with him before leaving, without a suitable host, the eyes were practically useless.

"That kid seems to really like girls with face paint on."

Black Zetsu thought of Rin, and also of Kazashiro.

"No, that Hokage seems to be more important to him."

He died in an instant; Yaowan betrayed them.

Black Zetsu desperately needs an unlucky soul to step forward and use the Rinne Rebirth technique to revive Madara.

Then Madara will take action to collect the Tailed Beast and revive Kaguya.

"That guy named Hikaru is strong too, hmph, it's just a pity that idiot Fugaku, despite all my guidance, he remained unmoved..."

"Meow!"

Black Zetsu was muttering under his breath about Fugaku being utterly hopeless when he suddenly heard a cat hissing behind him.

"Not again?!"

Turning around, Black Zetsu saw the persistent green cat again.