Black Zetsu: Could He Be an "Outsider"? (Asking for Monthly Votes)

"How could such power... be possible?"

The more Samui imagined that terrifying scene, the paler her face became.

It was no wonder Atsui and the others had mistaken this place for somewhere else. The area was simply too vast; as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but barren, level ground.

But from a god's-eye view, one would discover that the entire area resembled the insides of a meat grinder. The ground was stained a shocking dark red, as though "livestock" had been ground into pulp and flesh here not long ago.

Everything within a radius of several thousand meters had been swept away.

The entire area within that radius had become a wasteland where not even a blade of grass could grow.

Even the earth's surface had been plowed into depressions several meters deep.

How could humans possibly possess such power?

How could humans possibly accomplish something like this?

Samui could not imagine how it had been done.

She had seen far crueler and bloodier sights before.

But she had never seen any scene like this, where the lingering terror and stench of blood hung so heavily in the air.

It was as if she could smell the blood gushing from bodies torn apart by a hurricane, hear the howls and terror of those Kumogakure shinobi before their deaths.

This terrifying power, enough to alter the terrain itself, simply did not seem like something humans could possess.

Even Ōnoki's Dust Release did not have such a horrifying attack range.

How could someone with such terrifying strength have been completely unknown before now?

Samui looked toward the distant, deep, dark hollow, and a bold guess gradually surfaced in her mind.

Unless that person had appeared out of nowhere.

"Sis, what... what do we do?"

Atsui asked helplessly at her side. The other two Chunin were equally at a loss.

The three of them had found many Kumogakure Forehead Protectors, and even one or two Konoha Forehead Protectors.

But there were no corpses. There were simply no corpses—neither Kumogakure shinobi nor Konoha shinobi.

Only that thick, choking stench of blood continued to fill the air, impossible to disperse, while the soil beneath their feet was stained crimson.

No matter how foolish they were, the three of them knew where those corpses had gone.

"..."

Gazing at the bottomless hollow in the distance, Samui fell silent for a moment before withdrawing her gaze. She let out a breath and calmly said, "Don't do anything unnecessary. Go back and report to Lord Raikage."

Though her instincts told her that the truth was right there, she calmed herself and made the most rational decision.

If that "monster" with such terrifying power was still there, then it was not something the four of them could provoke.

The four figures vanished into the night. Even after they left, no living creature dared approach the area.

It was like a traveler walking through a forest who came upon prey torn apart by a beast, a corpse that had been gnawed clean.

Even if the predator had long since eaten its fill and departed, the traveler would still be intimidated by the lingering savagery in the air—enough to make even greedy wild dogs and jackals stay far away.

Only when everything around them had fallen into dead silence did a pitcher-plant-like thing emerge halfway from the crimson soil.

The enormous pitcher plant slowly opened, revealing a yin-yang face that was half black and half white.

White Zetsu, along with Black Zetsu attached to White Zetsu's body.

"What a terrifying human," White Zetsu remarked. "Good thing I pulled you back in time and you didn't rush out. Otherwise, we would've become fertilizer too."

Black Zetsu said nothing. Looking at the scene before it, it could not help falling silent.

That person's appearance had truly caught it by surprise.

Even while hiding deep underground from afar with the Mayfly Technique, it could still sense the terrifying aura of that attack.

Though that attack was probably still inferior to Super Shinra Tensei, Black Zetsu could tell that person had likely been in a weakened state.

If that person could return to their peak, they might truly be enough to rival Madara in life.

And those eyes...

Remembering the pair of blue eyes it had seen from afar, Black Zetsu grew even more anxious, even fearful.

For something like it, which possessed no great strength and could only rely on tricks, the most frightening thing was the unexpected.

In its memories spanning over a thousand years, the Rinnegan should have been the pinnacle that these inferior humans could attain. Even that bastard Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had been no more than that in life. The stronger Rinne Sharingan had only ever been possessed by its mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

But now, why had eyes appeared that were no weaker than the Rinnegan, yet completely unheard of?

There seemed to be only one possibility.

"An Outsider..."

At the thought of that final possibility, ripples spread across Black Zetsu's surface. Its body was trembling in fear.

Had one of the "same clan" from its mother's memories—an "Outsider"—actually appeared in the Ninja World?

That was it. Eyes that even its mother had never possessed could only belong to an "Outsider"!

"No! This is the opportunity I waited a thousand years for. No matter who it is, no one will stop me from helping Mother regain her freedom!" Black Zetsu's hollow eyes narrowed slightly. "Obito and Nagato must begin collecting the Tailed Beasts immediately!"

If this Rinnegan had not been what it had waited a thousand years for, then given Black Zetsu's cautious nature, it would likely have hidden away by now—at the very least, it would have waited until it confirmed the Outsider's identity before showing itself.

Unfortunately, it could not. This was its best, and final, opportunity.

With that thought, Black Zetsu gave the distant hollow one last look, then controlled White Zetsu to merge into the earth and swim toward the Land of Rain, making the same rational choice as Samui.

Even knowing that secrets lay hidden there, it could not possibly risk itself.

Let others scout the way, then reap the rewards at the critical moment—that was its nature.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside Konoha Hospital was extremely oppressive.

"A blue-eyed monster, robes formed from azure Chakra, the Ninja Sect, hurricanes that could be unleashed without hand seals, an Abyss that sealed monsters..." After listening to Hyuga Yunchuan's account, Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.

If these words had not come from such a good child as Yunchuan, with Akamichi Chodo at the side to confirm them, he would likely have dismissed them as an absurd legend.

As if recalling something, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the boy before him and asked, "You said you saw a 'building' inside that Abyss?"

"Yes, I'm certain!" Some color had returned to Hyuga Yunchuan's pale face. "But I couldn't see inside the building. Something was blocking my Byakugan."

At that, Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his beard thoughtfully, his gaze flickering.

Could the place that sealed a monster which had likely survived from the age of ancient legends contain some secret knowledge or hidden techniques?

If it was true, if he could obtain them...

[Ding!]

[Your lies have been judged as [Turning Fiction into Reality] [Cicada Escaping Its Shell] [A Leaf Blinds the Eye] [Luring the Enemy into the Trap]. Samui, Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, Akamichi Chodo, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and others have experienced intense emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of [Half-Believing, Half-Doubting]. You have obtained 6000 Reality Points.]

[Remaining Reality Points: 16694]

Hearing the prompt in his mind, Hyuga Yunchuan's heart stirred slightly, and a smile rose within him.

The fish had taken the bait.

Black Zetsu was there too? What an unexpected delight.