The Sage of Six Paths' Younger Brother

The next day, the Canopy Screen appeared right on schedule, as unfailingly as ever.

[In the footage, at Minato Namikaze's shout, countless twisted arms recoiled like a retreating tide.]

[A huge, indistinct figure in a Reaper's robe appeared faintly behind Minato.]

[The icy power of death it radiated brought every one of Mahito's movements to an abrupt halt.]

[Primal fear seized his soul!]

["What is that thing?! That figure?! The dagger in its hand targets the soul! I absolutely cannot let it touch me!"]

["No!!!" Mahito let out a scream of terror unlike any before.]

[He instinctively backed away, trying to escape the Reaper's gaze.]

[Even within his own domain, Mahito felt his Idle Transfiguration checked and threatened as never before by the absolute law of death!]

[Minato Namikaze panted softly as he watched Mahito, who had temporarily lost the will to fight from sheer terror and could barely stand.]

[In a low voice, Minato said, "It seems your 'changes' cannot defy a true 'ending.'"]

[Minato Namikaze tightened his grip on his Flying Thunder God Kunai. His gaze remained sharp. "Do you still want to continue?"]

[Mahito stared hard at Minato Namikaze, weighing his options.]

[At last, Mahito spoke, his voice shrill and venomous. "Minato Namikaze, I'll remember you!"]

["Enjoy what little time you have left! Nine Nether will find you. Dead or alive, your soul will become part of our collection!"]

[With that, Mahito dispelled his domain, melted into the shadows beneath the surrounding trees, and vanished completely.]

[The Reaper behind Minato Namikaze then began to fade. He had not actually completed the Reaper Death Seal.]

[But the mere instant of its summoned presence had been enough to intimidate Mahito, whose very existence was rooted in the soul.]

[Minato Namikaze did not pursue him. He stood where he was, swallowed two Soldier Pills, then looked toward Konoha, where the Nine-Tails was wreaking havoc.]

["Kushina is still waiting for me! I have to get back." Minato Namikaze vanished on the spot.]

Watching this, the people outside the Canopy Screen grew puzzled again.

They had assumed Mahito, the Nine Nether Assassin sent by Danzo, had gravely wounded Minato Namikaze, leading to his death when he sealed the Nine-Tails.

But the footage clearly showed that apart from using some Chakra, Minato Namikaze had barely been hurt. Mahito's strange technique had not touched him, either.

So people across the Shinobi World began speculating about what had caused Minato Namikaze's death.

Many considered the likeliest explanation to be that Shimura Danzō had sent another assassin to make a second attempt on Minato Namikaze's life.

[Yet after Minato Namikaze vanished, the Canopy Screen remained unchanged. It continued to show the battle-scarred patch of grass.]

"Is this thing broken?"

"Yeah, why isn't it moving?"

Just as everyone began talking, something finally stirred on the Canopy Screen.

[At the edge of the ravaged battlefield, the ground softened and rippled like a swamp.]

[Before long, a strange creature shaped like a pitcher plant rose silently from the soil.]

[One half of its body was pale white, while the other was pitch-black.]

But the small line of text above its head stunned everyone in the Shinobi World.

[Akatsuki Organization member Zetsu (younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths)]

[In the footage, White Zetsu spoke lightly, with the curiosity of someone enjoying the spectacle. "Wow! That was brutal."]

["Obito really took a beating. He nearly got himself killed, didn't he?"]

["And Minato Namikaze really is as absurdly fast as the rumors say~"]

[The white half tilted its "head," as though reviewing a performance.]

[Black Zetsu's voice was low, raspy, and cold. "Shut up. Minato Namikaze isn't merely fast."]

["He saw through the nature of his opponent's ability in an incredibly short time and devised the most effective counterattack."]

["His instincts in battle and his understanding of Space-Time Ninjutsu far exceeded our expectations."]

[White Zetsu said, "Huh? But Obito got away, and that Mahito didn't kill Minato Namikaze either."]

["The plan's gone off course. What do we do next?"]

[Black Zetsu said, "Hmph. It doesn't matter. Obito's failure was always a possibility. If anything, this is better."]

[White Zetsu asked, "Better? Why?"]

[Black Zetsu looked in the direction Minato had vanished. "That Nine Nether Assassin named Mahito said he was helping Konoha."]

["That means someone within Konoha wants Minato Namikaze dead, too."]

["They'll be in more of a hurry than we are. All we need to do is sit back and watch."]

["Besides, this crushing defeat will make Obito's hatred all the purer."]

["As Madara Uchiha's successor, he needs a defeat he'll never forget to sever his ties with the past."]

[Black Zetsu's gaze finally settled on a pool of blood where Obito had vanished.]

["Minato Namikaze's victory has, in fact, ensured our plan's ultimate success."]

["He is an opponent worthy of respect, but nothing more."]

["The wheels of history will crush every hero who tries to stand in their way."]

[With that, Zetsu slowly sank underground as if slipping beneath dark water, leaving no trace behind.]

The footage on the Canopy Screen ended there.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had felt a measure of relief when he saw Minato Namikaze force Mahito to retreat.

As long as Danzo had not killed Minato Namikaze, there was still room to salvage the situation.

After all, Minato Namikaze had faced no shortage of assassination attempts as Hokage. If every one of them were thoroughly investigated,

many of Konoha's senior officials from that time might have to be replaced.

But what shocked Hiruzen even more was the half-black, half-white creature on the screen. It was the younger brother of the legendary Sage of Six Paths, who had founded the Ninja Religion!

The wrinkles on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face seemed to deepen. The tobacco in his Pipe had long since gone out. He braced both hands against the windowsill, trembling slightly.

"The Sage of Six Paths? The legendary god of creation had a younger brother? Zetsu?" The revelation shook him.

But a more frightening question followed: "If all this is true... where is Zetsu now? What does he want? What else is he manipulating?"

He immediately issued a stern order. "Summon every Jonin at once! Have them search for any information on Black Zetsu and the Akatsuki Organization, whatever it takes! This takes priority over every other mission!"