Black Zetsu walked into the temple and released the second seal on the Coffin. With a bang, the lid loosened, scattering years of accumulated dust.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Naruto choked on the dust and coughed, unable to suppress the fear inside him.
A coffin lay sealed inside a temple in the wilderness. If the person who had brought him here hadn't been his trusted Black Uncle, Naruto probably would have turned tail and run!
Despite his fear, Naruto couldn't contain his curiosity. What kind of gift is Black Uncle going to give me? Don't tell me it has something to do with the person in this coffin. Black Uncle is honest and down-to-earth, but he does have a surprisingly twisted sense of humor...
Black Zetsu opened the Coffin.
Naruto approached it, pressed his palms together, and muttered charms to ward off evil, including "Begone, evil spirits." Then he opened his eyes and plucked up the courage to look inside.
An old man with long hair lay peacefully in the coffin. His body had clearly been embalmed, and he wore plain yet elegant black burial clothes. His eye sockets were empty, and his hands, as withered as dry twigs, rested on his chest.
The longer Naruto looked, the stranger it seemed.
"This old sage... I feel like I've seen him somewhere. But where?"
He racked his brains, but ultimately came up with nothing.
Black Zetsu thought to himself, Of course you've seen him... as a statue, at the Valley of the End!
These were Madara's remains.
After Madara died in the cave, Black Zetsu had hidden his body.
In his previous life, Black Zetsu had deliberately guided Kabuto Yakushi to discover Madara's body so that Madara's appearance would follow naturally.
But now, Black Zetsu had a new plan.
He could have