"The administrator" had run into "the bar." The dispute over permissions between Director Yamada and Black Zetsu quickly came to an end.
Through this successful probe, Black Zetsu also dispelled most of the unease he had been harboring.
Feeling that he had regained the initiative, the aloe man fully revealed his riddle-speaker nature. When he spoke again, he carried his lofty, mysterious air to the very end.
"You are a smart man, but the world visible above sea level is merely the tip of the iceberg of truth.
"In the eyes of those who truly matter, the armed clashes between the Five Great Shinobi Villages are nothing more than tedious children's squabbles... Director Yamada, you know absolutely nothing about real war."
"From the sound of it, 'you people' hardly seem to belong to this era."
"Curious? I'm afraid you'll have to uncover the truth for yourself."
The corners of Black Zetsu's mouth lifted slightly beneath his black robe, but he was not mocking the young man before him... On the contrary, now that he had complete control over their cooperation, he found Director Yamada—whose expression had remained calm as a still lake until now—even more satisfactory.
After all, what they were about to do would directly infringe upon the core interests of every Shinobi Village!
If they had encountered someone who made a fuss over every little thing, the plan would inevitably face all sorts of difficulties as it progressed. Director Yamada's current performance was clearly more in line with the interests of this temporary alliance.
"Actually, it isn't that hard to guess—you silently breached Konoha's outer detection and defensive barriers, deceived every Anbu agent watching around my residence, and are even so familiar with numerous key figures, including the Hokage. Your origins must have deep ties to Konoha.
"But