While the survivors of the Three Great Shinobi Villages and Kirigakure's Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, headed to Konoha, Qingyun used Sun and Moon Shine Together to travel from the Flying Fortress to Ryūchi Cave. There, he learned that Nagato Uzumaki had destroyed Kumogakure and that many members of the Akatsuki had died.
"So Black Zetsu and the others have already moved their plans forward?"
After hearing Orochimaru's account, Qingyun frowned. He suspected that Black Zetsu's decision to revive the Ten-Tails ahead of schedule had something to do with him having Sakura absorb the Six-Tails not long ago.
After Sakura absorbed the Six-Tails, Qingyun had sensed its fragments of will being refined by the Northern Darkness Divine Art within her as well. That meant the Six-Tails could never again revive in the shinobi world.
Even if the Akatsuki captured Sakura, the Ten-Tails Husk would be unable to absorb the energy within her to awaken itself. Black Zetsu was therefore worried that Qingyun would keep killing tailed beasts. Once too many were lost, reviving the Ten-Tails would become impossible.
At that point, unless Black Zetsu obtained a new God Tree Fruit, Madara Uchiha would lose his chance to attain Six Paths power and subsequently cast Infinite Tsukuyomi. That was why Black Zetsu had rushed to begin the Ten-Tails' revival ahead of schedule, destroying Kumogakure first.
What Qingyun had not anticipated was that Black Zetsu's plan went far beyond destroying a single village. He had struck all Three Great Shinobi Villages at once, gathering every tailed beast outside Konoha. Then he would reincarnate the former jinchūriki of the various tailed beasts and absorb the fragments of tailed beast chakra left within them, reviving an Imperfect Ten-Tails first.
"All right. In that case, return to the Flying Fortress for now. Afterward, see if you