Black Zetsu, Uchiha Madara, and Tsunade Arrive

His silence was, in effect, an admission.

Even though these four "Blood Qi pillars" weren't as awe-inspiring as the "Blood Cocoon" that had formed last time, they were still incredibly powerful for someone like Netero who was witnessing this for the first time... In fact, Netero felt a bizarre sense of dejection as the Sun-Earring Boy grew stronger in fits and starts.

"He's always like this," a Youyou breeze blew into the practice room through the window, causing the two men's white hair to sway softly.

Zeno remained silent for a while, then glanced deeply into Roy's bedroom and said, "This isn't the first time. You'll get used to it."

Netero's old eyes gleamed with a deep light. After his initial shock, he slowly sat down, his gaze sweeping from Roy's bedroom across the dimly lit room, finally reaching the second floor. He chuckled and said, "You're quite composed, but some people might not be."

Zeno raised an eyebrow and followed Netero's gaze...

On the second floor of the Zoldyck Family Ancient Castle, in that spacious bedroom, the door opened, only to be firmly blocked by a tall figure. Behind him came the sound of Kikyo gently singing a lullaby to Killua Zoldyck as he took a nap.

Beside him was a small bed, plush toys, and a few cartoon ornaments hanging above the bed. Silva her beautiful silver hair flowing down her back, stood with her arms crossed, silently looking towards Roy's bedroom from the huge floor-to-ceiling window. Inside, Kikyo's electronic eyes flickered as she soothed Qi while watching his back. She didn't know why, but she felt... her man had been frequently distracted lately. Was it because taking care of the child was too tiring, or was it because she was demanding too much during her ovulation period?

Neither... Kikyo turned her fair neck, and as her electronic eyes flashed, several complex snowflakes appeared. Among the Nen user, although she wasn't the kind of "combat-oriented" person specifically responsible for "combat," she was, after all, the daughter-in-law chosen by the Zoldyck and the current matriarch of the world's number one assassin family. In terms of "reconnaissance," she was second to none, and naturally, she also sensed those "Blood Qi pillars" that were constantly impacting the sky!

Roy... how did you suddenly turn silver-haired?

"Err..." Huaizhong Qi opened his mouth and gnawed his fingers. There were a few sparse silver hairs on the top of his head, and he lowered his head to grab his little hand with Kikyo Qiu. It was reflected in Kikyo's field of vision, making the woman confused and confused... Like Silva, she was always distracted from time to time. Ever since she married into the Zoldyck, women have always thought about growing silver hair, even if there is only one. Now more than ten years have passed, and she finally got her wish. Not only was the newborn Qi with silver hair, but her eldest son also turned into silver hair. However, Kikyo was not as happy as she imagined. Instead, she fell into deep confusion. From time to time, she would stare at Qi in her arms, and she once doubted whether she had the need to give birth to him... If only she had known earlier that Roy could transform!

But the wheels of time only roll forward, never backward.

"Hiss~" Qi closed his eyes and fell asleep. Kikyo got up, put on his coat, gently placed him on the small bed, slipped on his slippers, and slowly left the bedroom. He came to Silva's side, took his arm, rested his head on Silva's shoulder, and asked, "Don't look anymore, wait a little longer, tomorrow will be here soon, won't it?"

Tomorrow... right tomorrow... Silva his hawk-like gaze and sharp, sword-like eyes, expressionless, exhaled two long streams of gas from his nostrils, pushed Kikyo aside, and turned to walk towards his study. "Tonight, I'll sleep in the study by myself."

"Even if you don't tell me, I won't take it!" Kikyo stamped his foot and shouted at Silva's departing figure, "I can hold back."

Silva continued walking without turning his head, "It's me,"

"I can't help it!"

Finally, this day had arrived, a day that came much sooner than he had imagined!

Silva was breathing heavily, a raging fire burning within him. When the moment finally arrived, he suddenly realized that he was... even more unsettled than he had imagined!

He hadn't felt this way in ages. The last time was twenty years ago, in his battle against Zeno, the battle in which he successfully defeated his father, earned his grandfather Maha's approval, and succeeded as head of the family. Now, twenty years later, he stood in the same place Zeno had once stood. What would he do? What would Roy do?

In short, he won't lose!

Silva lowered his hands, then suddenly clenched his fists, the air in his palms exploding with a piercing sonic boom, which he then abruptly extinguished...

The man didn't even turn his head.

With a loud "bang!", the study door slammed shut, leaving Kikyo alone in the empty corridor, amidst the chaotic flashing of static on the electronic eye.

"Sigh... these kids are all stubborn in their own way. Jager was like that before, and now Silva and Roy are the same," in the dimly lit room of the Zoldyck Family Ancient Castle, where Nen Qi steamed, Betty Zoldyck, with her ponytail, emerged from Maha's body. Her bright eyes, filled with the marks of time and hardship, pierced through the thick walls, glancing at the second floor, then glancing again, before turning her head to glare at Maha, saying, "Really... they've all taken after you..."

His Maha, unkempt body slumped in the rocking chair, which creaked and groaned as it rocked. He chuckled, offering no rebuttal, but instead cast a glance at Roy's bedroom, a thoughtful glint in his shrewd eyes.

Betty 'Zoldyck eyes moved, she leaned into his arms, put her hands on his chest, and asked softly, "What else did you find?"

"Is it because they feel Roy is progressing too fast and they're worried he'll be negatively affected by [nature]... or..."

Maha reached out and put his arm around Betty's waist, slowly shaking his head. "He is the sun, a part of nature, so how could he be harmed?"

"Then what are you worried about?"

Maha didn't answer. He stretched out his withered hand and ran it up Betty's back, his gaze distant. After a moment, he said solemnly, "I'm worried he's lost himself."

The old man narrowed his eyes, recalling the Orochimaru, Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, and others he had just seen in the [Mind Space], and said quietly, "[Dreams] are unfathomable. Neither you nor I can dream for him... You saw it today, that child's dream even included resurrection. In the future, whatever people or events he encounters in his dreams, even... life-threatening dangers, he will have to face them all alone. I mean, if..."

Maha paused, then said gravely, "If he experiences life and death in his dream, and this is reflected in the real world, it might cause him completely irreversible effects and harm."

Betty Zoldyck was startled, straightened up abruptly, and stared at Maha, saying, "You mean, someone's trying to harm Roy in his dreams!"

"Just guessing..."

2

"What guess! Jager then, you also called it a guess, and what happened?"

Betty shook off Maha's grasping, withered old hand, and began pacing anxiously around the room.

As he walked, he nervously muttered to himself, his hands clasped together. "Conjuration are particularly prone to getting lost between [illusion] and [reality]. Jager was tricked into using [The Game] back then. What if Roy..."

"Maha," Betty suddenly stopped in her tracks, "This won't work, you have to think of something!"

The rocking chair creaked and swayed...

Maha stared blankly, remained silent for a long while, then sighed helplessly, "There's no way."

"He can only rely on himself; after all, it's his own dream."

"And we," the old man said slowly, glancing out the window at the blazing sun baking the ground and radiating heat, "Can only pray that others don't target him, that's all."

After he finished speaking, a long silence fell over the dimly lit room.

"Mommy~"

In the world of Hokage, near Konoha, in a secluded forest, a blurry, dark shadow awoke with a start, clinging to the shadow of a large tree... It sat bolt upright, a cold sweat beading on its jet-black forehead...

Another nightmare. This is one of countless nightmares Black Zetsu has had since Kaguya was sealed away, over the centuries. In each dream, his mother, tears of blood streaming down her face, glares at him with her Byakugan, demanding how much longer he must wait. Black Zetsu is filled with dread, almost suffocating under the weight of the nightmare. "Zetsu, are you going to betray me like your two brothers?"

His mother's words were still vivid in his mind. Mentioning his two older brothers, Black Zetsu, through the thick darkness and by the moonlight, huddled in the shadows of the trees, gazing at the bright moon. That was the prison where his mother was sealed, and also the place guarded by his beloved second brother Otsutsuki Hamura.

Now, a thousand years have passed. The eldest brother is dead, and the second brother must have died long ago as well... Black Zetsu, half-hidden in the shadows of the trees and half-gazing at the starry sky, slowly shook his head and said, "Of course not, Mother. Please believe me, I have been working hard and have never slacked off. Soon... I will release you."

Like a mayfly, the person slowly sank into the ground, freely traversing the land using the [Mayfly Technique], and soon arrived at a mysterious underground space, which was an underground bunker dug deep underground by the Uchiha Clan in preparation for war.

Unfortunately, that generation of Uchiha were either dead or swept into the dustbin of history...

The remaining young Uchiha, such as Uchiha Fugaku, the Uchiha Yashiro, and even... the most senior Uchiha Clan elder, Uchiha Setsuna... could never have imagined that, right on the outskirts of Konoha, at the edge of the Sensory Barrier's coverage, such a hidden fortress lay hidden, and that someone who should have been dead... was clinging to life...

You've arrived...

At the top of the fortress, Black Zetsu slowly peeked out. The moment he appeared, a weak, aged voice echoed... like a candle flame placed in a cold wind, easily extinguished by a sudden gust... It sent chills down one's spine, making one feel uneasy...

Black Zetsu was already used to hearing this voice. He emerged completely from the ground, flipped over, and slowly landed. What he saw was a withered body covered in tubes connected to a giant Chakra, which slowly channeled chakra into it. A hint of mockery flashed deep in Black Zetsu's eyes. He reached into his robes, pulled out several scrolls, opened them, and presented them one by one to the "mummified corpse" for him to examine.

"As per your instructions, Master, there are currently three members of the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan who can be considered as key individuals for observation."

Black Zetsu's hoarse, sinister voice, accompanied by the unfurling of a scroll revealing several portraits, slowly proclaimed, "These are Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Shisui, and the one I reported to you about last time... Uchiha Jin!"

Upon hearing "Uchiha Jin" twitched its ears and struggled to open its eyes. Strangely, one of its eyes was missing, leaving only the black eye socket, sending chills down one's spine.

He said weakly, "Bring it closer."

Black Zetsu obeyed and stepped forward, unfurling the scroll. The scroll, bearing the Uchiha Jin, " revealed a handsome face that resembled Fugaku by three parts and Mikoto by seven parts, staring calmly at him.

The "mummified corpse" paused slightly, and through that youthful face, it seemed to vaguely see its younger brother—the brother who died at the hands of Senju Tobirama, the brother who gave its eyes to it before dying, the brother who, even in death, didn't forget to warn it to protect the Uchiha clan...

The "mummy" stood hunched over, its voice hoarse as it murmured, "Uchiha Izuna..."

I was stunned for a long time... a very long time...

A moment later, perhaps due to emotional turmoil, or perhaps because he hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time, the "dried corpse" coughed violently. After a long while, he finally let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the golem behind him to increase his Chakra output and stabilize his body. Then, he looked up at Black Zetsu and asked, "Does he have a younger brother?"

"Yes," Black Zetsu said, narrowing his eyes as he recalled a glimpse he had once glimpsed, "His younger brother is Uchiha Itachi, the current head of the Uchiha Clan and the youngest son of Uchiha Fugaku."

"Weasel..." the "mummy" murmured the name, then gave a weak laugh, its voice hunched over.

"It's good to have a younger brother."

"It's good to have a younger brother... So it'll be him... Let's proceed according to the original plan."

"I want to watch him fall into the deepest Hell."

"Having experienced the loss of loved ones... awakening-"

"Mangekyō!"

Black Zetsu unfurled the scroll belonging to Obito, glanced at Madara, and said, "Not choosing him? He looks like an idiot, easy to control."

Madara glanced at me with an unquestionable air and said, "Remember, you are merely a wisp of my will. All you need to do is... obey!"

Black Zetsu bowed and said, "Yes, Lord Madara."

Then, a mocking glint flashed in his lowered head, and... he vanished into the ground.

In the dimly lit underground bunker, only the "dried corpse" and a silent demonic elephant remained, savoring their solitude.

Once Black Zetsu's shadow disappeared, the "mummified corpse" peered through the layers of rock towards the location of Konoha.

Today, Konoha is as peaceful and tranquil as ever, seemingly unaffected by the Third Shinobi World War—almost too calm... except for the Fugaku, whose door was being loudly knocked on by someone!

"Knock knock knock..."

"Knock knock knock..."

Two unexpected guests arrived at the Uchiha Clan's residence, specifically in the small courtyard belonging to Uchiha Fugaku!

Hearing the door open, Uchiha Fugaku, who was sitting at the dining table in the living room after his night shift, drinking tea and waiting for Mikoto to prepare breakfast before going to sleep, frowned, got up, went to the entrance, opened the door, paused for a few seconds, and said, "Tsunade..."

Produce