Black Zetsu

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Black Zetsu (黑绝)
Alias(es)	Sage Black Zetsu 105 170
Species/Race	Special life-form born from Ōtsutsuki Kaguya’s will 92 383
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Mount Myōboku; serves Manji in the first cycle and unknowingly follows his fabricated system in the second 99 199 452
Occupation/Role	Former mausoleum caretaker; historian; host-enhancing sage; political adviser; second-cycle enforcer of the established storyline 36 58 102 130 458
Status	Alive at his latest documented appearance; rescued from Obito and confronted by Manji in the Void 500 503
First Appearance	Released by Kaguya immediately before her sealing 23

Power Progression

The first-cycle Black Zetsu learns an auxiliary Sage Art through cultivation. His second-cycle counterpart begins without that training and later receives a complete inheritance through Manji’s system 102 405 458.

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
First cycle — approved for Sage Art training	99	Manji permits him to cultivate Mount Myōboku’s Immortal Art as part of preparations against the Ōtsutsuki threat.
First cycle — Mount Myōboku Immortal Art mastered	102	Achieved after one year of cultivation, in Ninja Era 231. Develops Immortal Art: Fusion Technique, which strengthens a host but provides no direct offensive power by itself.
First cycle — combined Sage Art support demonstrated	209	Attaches to Mu, adding Mount Myōboku’s Immortal Art to Mu’s Yatagarasu Sage Art and guiding him between their combat applications.
Second cycle — complete Mount Myōboku inheritance acquired	458	Rewarded for killing Uchiha Tai. Receives knowledge of natural-energy absorption and balancing, Sage Mode, sensory techniques, toad-power resonance, Goemon, and Toad Confrontation Chant.
Second cycle — independent Sage Mode demonstrated	499	Activates Sage Mode against Obito, gaining enough perception and strength to escape the edge of Kamui. The system estimates approximately three minutes of remaining use during the battle.

Background / History

First Cycle: Capture and Service at Mount Myōboku

Kaguya launches Black Zetsu as her final hope before Hagoromo and Hamura seal her. He immediately realizes the danger when he encounters Manji, who stops his escape 23.

Manji confines him to Mount Myōboku, where the mountain’s barrier prevents his departure. An additional seal carrying Manji’s chakra allows Manji to immobilize and imprison him instantly. Black Zetsu spends hundreds of years guarding and sweeping the Toad Mausoleum before pleading for a different assignment. Under questioning, he promises never to resurrect Kaguya 36.

He later works alongside Fukasaku in the History Archive, recording warfare and identifying likely reincarnations of Indra and Asura. Years under Manji’s influence give him an independent personality and judgment beyond his original purpose as Kaguya’s resurrection instrument. Nevertheless, he retains sympathy for his mother and explains her attachment to Manji 58 92.

First Cycle: Senju Tsuru

After mastering his auxiliary Sage Art, Black Zetsu enters the human world and attaches to Senju Tsuru, who has spent more than a decade unable to refine chakra. His assistance lets Tsuru produce chakra and walk on walls; detaching immediately removes those gains 102 104 105 106.

Within three months, the pair become both master and disciple and close friends. Black Zetsu teaches Tsuru about cultivation, clan history, politics, and governance. He initially discourages a premature bid for clan leadership, arguing that Tsuru needs experience and public support 107 115.

Following the death of Tsuru’s father and Tsuru’s failed Sage assessment, Black Zetsu pushes him toward taking power. He exploits Tsuru’s wish to protect the Senju and avenge his father, then constructs the alliances that bring the clan to dominance 127 130.

Black Zetsu breaks the Uchiha–Hagoromo alliance, persuades the Fuma Clan to attack the Uchiha, and recruits the Sarutobi and Shimura clans against the isolated Hagoromo Clan. At Mount Kikyo, his power enables Tsuru to overwhelm Uchiha Sha. When Tsuru subsequently proposes exterminating the Uchiha, Black Zetsu stops him, privately fearing that such an act would cross Manji’s limits 130 131.

He remains with Tsuru until the latter’s peaceful death. His years of governing expose him to suffering that archival records had conveyed only abstractly, and he returns to Mount Myōboku determined to make Manji take the human world’s deterioration seriously. There, he discovers Kaguya sitting beside Manji and is astonished that she is no longer sealed 132 133.

First Cycle: Mu and the War with Konoha

Black Zetsu introduces historical heroes to Indra and Asura, drawing on his knowledge of their descendants’ lives. His description of Uchiha Fox’s relationship with Uzuki Senju provokes objections, and he apologizes for speaking out of turn 170.

Manji later sends him to the Land of Earth while Fukasaku and A-Fei travel to other lands. Black Zetsu guides Mu to a buried stone tablet containing the Yatagarasu Sage Art 199 200.

During Konoha’s invasion, he advises Mu and lends him power against Madara and Tobirama. Their fusion lets Mu alternate between Yatagarasu techniques and Mount Myōboku combat methods. After Iwagakure drives Konoha’s forces out of the Land of Earth, Black Zetsu warns Mu against invading the Land of Fire because Hashirama’s strength exceeds their previous opponents’ 208 209 216.

When Kaguya and Hikari disappear from Mount Myōboku during the later war crisis, Black Zetsu is unsettled and joins Manji and Fukasaku in dealing with the aftermath. He subsequently reunites with the reincarnated Tsuru and suggests sheltering at Mount Myōboku 337 339.

Second Cycle: Transmigrator and System Missions

In the second cycle, Black Zetsu contains a transmigrator’s consciousness. He laments receiving an almost powerless identity and doubts whether he can endure the thousand-year wait required by the original storyline 369.

He is disturbed by deviations from the plot, including Lin Xiaoxiao’s unexpectedly powerful chakra. Later, Uchiha Fox detects and attacks him; Black Zetsu escapes underground, but Fox notices that this counterpart lacks the Mount Myōboku natural-energy aura he remembers 383 405.

Black Zetsu’s system assigns him to maintain Indra and Asura’s reincarnation cycle and steer the Uchiha–Senju conflict toward Konoha’s founding. To sustain that conflict, he possesses the Gray River Clan chief, kills an Uchiha envoy, stages attacks attributed to both rival clans, and supplies false intelligence to each side 417 421.

Manji secretly issues another system mission: eliminate Uchiha Tai, a transmigrator accompanying Madara. Black Zetsu initially avoids a direct attack because of Madara’s possible retaliation. Instead, he forges letters in Tai’s handwriting, manufacturing evidence that Tai is reporting Madara’s movements to Tobirama and Hashirama 452 453 456.

He eventually confronts Tai, reveals that he is also a transmigrator, and kills him by piercing his chest and grasping his heart. The system rewards him with the complete Mount Myōboku inheritance and orders him to continue misleading Madara toward the Infinite Tsukuyomi. A subsequent warning that failure could strip away his accumulated rewards makes him markedly more cautious 458 459.

Second Cycle: Obito’s Rebellion and Manji’s Revelation

Black Zetsu stands beside Madara during Obito’s rescue and rehabilitation, believing the plot has returned to its expected course. His intended next step is for Obito to inherit the Eye of the Moon Plan after Madara’s death 493.

Instead, Obito confronts him with knowledge of his identity as Kaguya’s will. Both recognize the other as a transmigrator. Black Zetsu offers cooperation and knowledge, but Obito demands submission and a Cursed Seal rather than an equal alliance 497 498.

A-Fei sides with Obito, whose dual Kamui and Wood Release overwhelm Black Zetsu’s ninjutsu, sealing techniques, and Sage Mode. Black Zetsu attempts concealment and reconstruction to escape, but Obito disrupts the attempt and nearly draws him into the Kamui dimension 498 499 500.

Manji intervenes from the Void and removes Black Zetsu through Kamui’s spatial barrier. During their subsequent conversation, Manji identifies himself as the world’s Observer, or Heavenly Dao, and reveals that he gave Black Zetsu his system. The revelation leaves Black Zetsu shocked and terrified 500 503.

Appearance

• Humanoid body: The text explicitly distinguishes his humanoid form from a simple lump of mud 126.
• Pitch-black, ink-like substance: His body can spread across a host’s torso or contract to a single hand, where a small face remains visible 104 105 106.
• Flexible form: He can twist around attacks, merge with earth, and break his body into chakra particles 405 498 500.
• Sage Mode markings: Orange-red markings appear across his body, with toad-like markings around his eyes 499.
• Visible injuries: During the fight with Obito, black material leaks from his wounds; by the rescue, he is missing his left arm 499 500.

Personality

The first-cycle Black Zetsu begins fearful and dispirited under Manji’s confinement. He is deferential toward Manji, but his later gratitude for being allowed to train accompanies a genuine development of independent judgment 36 92 99.

His historical work and life with Tsuru reveal concern for human suffering. He is also blunt, knowledgeable, and occasionally tactless: he dismisses fabricated clan ancestry and makes an unwelcome claim about Uchiha Fox’s romantic feelings 58 110 132 170.

Compassion does not prevent ruthless political calculation. He manipulates Tsuru’s grief, dismantles enemy alliances, and supports destructive campaigns, while carefully stopping short of actions that would violate Manji’s wishes 127 130 131.

His second-cycle counterpart is strongly motivated by power rewards. He prefers forged evidence and indirect pressure when powerful opponents make direct action risky, yet taunts and kills Tai once he can act safely. System penalties and Obito’s superior strength expose the fear beneath his confidence 452 458 459 499.

Abilities & Skills

Immortal Art: Fusion Technique

An auxiliary Mount Myōboku Sage Art that operates through attachment to a host 102.

• Amplifies strength, perception, reaction speed, chakra control, and nature transformations 102 106.
• Helps the host refine chakra and absorbs natural energy on their behalf 102.
• Can turn someone without a cultivation foundation into a powerful ninja; Tsuru is its clearest demonstration 102 106 130.
• Provides Tsuru with protection against genjutsu and ordinary sealing techniques while attached 120.
• Can empower animals: Black Zetsu possesses an ordinary warhorse and boosts it to speeds faster than a ninja 122.
• Limit: The borrowed power disappears completely when he detaches. His initially cultivated Sage Art has no direct offensive capability 102 106.

Possession and Bodily Control

Black Zetsu can attach to living beings and influence or take over their movements 120 122 421.

• Forces Tsuru’s body into evasive movements when Tsuru cannot react quickly enough 120.
• Suppresses the Gray River Clan chief’s consciousness and uses his body and authority as a disguise 421.
• Restricts his visible coverage to a host’s hand to avoid attracting attention 106.

Mayfly Technique and Concealment

His earth-merging movement allows rapid underground travel and escape 104 132 405.

• Evades Uchiha Fox’s Great Fireball by retreating into deeper earth without leaving a detectable chakra trace 405.
• Uses Chakra Concealment, supported by a natural-energy barrier, to make his presence faint during the fight with Obito 499.
• Limit: He cannot use Mayfly to carry Tsuru directly out of danger 120.

Mount Myōboku Sage Mode

In the second cycle, Black Zetsu independently activates Sage Mode rather than functioning solely as a host’s auxiliary power source 499.

• Gains heightened strength and perception and weakens Kamui’s suction enough to break free from its edge 499.
• Uses Frog Call to attack Obito’s hearing and sense of balance 499.
• Natural energy slowly repairs his injuries, but cannot keep pace with the damage Obito inflicts 500.
• Limit: During this battle, the system estimates roughly three minutes of use and a head-on success rate below 17% against Obito’s nearly complete Kamui 499.

Ninjutsu and Sealing Techniques

His second-cycle counterpart demonstrates offensive and defensive techniques across all five basic elemental natures 498 499.

Type	Demonstrated techniques or applications
Black chakra	Tendrils erupting from the floor and walls; a defensive coating over his body 498 499
Earth Release	Earth Flow Rampart; Earth Dragon Bullet 498 499
Fire Release	Majestic Destroyer Flame; Flame Bullet 498 499
Wind Release	Pressure Damage 499
Water Release	Water Formation Wall; Water Severing Wave 499
Lightning Release	Lightning Binding, forming lightning-wreathed chains 499
Sealing	A clone deploys the Four Symbols Seal, briefly slowing Kamui’s spatial distortion before Obito removes the sealing formula 499

Reconstruction and Longevity

• Exists across centuries without needing food; Manji identifies him as someone capable of living as long as himself 36.
• Is recognized as a special life-form with an immortal trait and high chakra affinity 383.
• Uses Time-Limited Reconstruction to break into chakra particles and attempt escape through cracks in stone 500.
• Limit: Obito’s expanded Kamui drags those particles back and forcibly interrupts reconstruction 500.
• Unverified claim: He tells Obito that destroying his body cannot permanently kill him while chakra remains in the world; the confrontation does not establish whether this is true 497.

Historical Knowledge and Political Strategy

His long work as a historian gives him knowledge of clan secrets, cultivation, national governance, and past reincarnations 58 104 107.

• Corrects Tsuru’s mistaken understanding of the Hagoromo Clan’s origin 110.
• Builds alliances and exploits distrust to isolate military opponents 130.
• Advises Mu on combat threats and the risks of extending the war into Konoha’s homeland 209 216.
• Forges handwriting, coded reports, drafts, and corroborating circumstances to make false accusations credible 452 453 456.

System

• True source: Manji fabricates and controls Black Zetsu’s system; Black Zetsu initially believes it is an independent source of power and missions 452 503.
• Purpose: Preserve the established storyline, maintain Indra and Asura’s reincarnation cycle, and remove disruptive transmigrators 417 458.
• Reward structure: Offers additional abilities and cultivation knowledge. The complete Mount Myōboku inheritance is explicitly awarded after Tai’s death 452 458.
• Proposed rewards: A reincarnation mission lists increased chakra reserves, improved Mayfly concealment, and “Cycle Observation,” which would vaguely sense reincarnated chakra’s direction; receipt of these rewards is not shown in that passage 417.
• Penalties: Threatens loss of additional powers, permanent slumber, reduced authorization, or confiscation of accumulated rewards for disobedience and serious deviation 417 452 459.
• Combat assistance: Assesses Obito’s threat and recommends survival tactics, but supplies no forced escape when Black Zetsu requests one 499 500.

Relationships

• Ōtsutsuki Kaguya — His mother and the source of his existence. Originally devoted to resurrecting her, he develops independent judgment in the first cycle while retaining sympathy for her 23 92 133.
• Manji — First-cycle captor, superior, and cultivation patron; second-cycle hidden system controller and eventual rescuer. Manji reveals the system’s true origin only after saving him from Obito 36 99 131 500 503.
• Senju Tsuru — First-cycle host, disciple, and close friend. Black Zetsu enables his cultivation, advises his rule, remains with him until death, and later welcomes him after reincarnation 106 107 130 132 339.
• Fukasaku — Fellow historian and trusted colleague. They share concern over warfare and later undertake Manji’s intervention mission 58 132 199.
• Shima — Provides an intelligence-network safety net during his first-cycle journey into the human world 105.
• Mu — First-cycle protégé and combat partner. Black Zetsu helps him obtain Yatagarasu Sage Art and supplies Mount Myōboku power against Madara and Tobirama 200 209.
• Uchiha Madara — Second-cycle manipulation target. Black Zetsu is ordered to steer him toward the Infinite Tsukuyomi without provoking fatal suspicion 458 459 493.
• Uchiha Tai — Fellow transmigrator whom Black Zetsu frames and kills to fulfill a plot-preservation mission 452 453 456 458.
• Uchiha Obito — Second-cycle intended pawn who exposes his identity and becomes a dangerous enemy. Obito’s dual Kamui nearly defeats him 497 498 499 500.
• A-Fei / White Zetsu — First-cycle associate and second-cycle defector. During the confrontation with Obito, A-Fei abandons Black Zetsu and strengthens his opponent through fusion 122 199 498.

Notable Quotes

“I dare not do anything! I am not capable of anything! I will never resurrect Mother again.” 36

“Sigh, fate... I personally feel it exists in the unseen, but once it encounters sufficiently powerful energy, fate can be easily altered.” 132

“Another variable trying to disrupt the storyline has been eliminated.” 458