Chapter 298: Rather than searching for Indra...
"Uchiha Heijue, why are you here now, then?"
Once his initial emotion passed, Akaseki scrutinized Black Zetsu.
After all—
Akaseki had not forgotten his real business!
He was here because he suspected Madara Uchiha was nearby. Yet Black Zetsu had appeared at precisely this moment, and he had deep ties to the Uchiha Clan—
This was probably no coincidence.
"That's a long story—" Black Zetsu began to grow nervous.
Making his identity seem plausible had gone fairly smoothly, but now he also had to justify what he planned to do next, so that Akashi Uchiha would at least stay out of his way. Better yet, he might even be useful!
"Take your time, then," Akaseki said, staring at him, clearly unwilling to let him gloss over it.
"Lord Indra—"
Black Zetsu had barely begun when Akaseki interrupted him. "You should call him 'Father.'"
Akaseki's tone was kind and certain, as though he had bestowed a tremendous honor upon this servant born into the household.
Black Zetsu: !!!
For Mother's sake—I'll endure it!
"Father wanted to set things right and rebuild Ninshu, but my power alone was nowhere near enough. So I felt that the first thing I needed to do was free Father." There was some genuine emotion in Black Zetsu's words; only the "target" was entirely wrong.
"Ancestor Indra is still alive?" Akaseki asked in surprise. After all, even the Sage of Six Paths was dead, with only an echo of his chakra remaining—
"Father's chakra has reached a state of eternal existence. As long as his body is freed from its seal, he can certainly be revived. And back then, Father was sealed inside the God Tree—" Black Zetsu said with certainty.
"The God Tree? What exactly is that?" Akaseki asked,