By the end of the gathering, Shimura Danzō still had not arrived. Presumably, something unexpected had come up that he had to deal with; that sort of thing sometimes happened in the Anbu. So even though he never showed up, no one blamed him for breaking their agreement. They understood the responsibilities he shouldered.
After agreeing on a time to bring their students together, they left one by one. Kazemori Masaki paused as he watched Kagami Uchiha say goodbye and leave, feeling an urge to tell him his suspicions.
But remembering how pleased Kagami Uchiha had been with his clan's recent situation, Kazemori Masaki hesitated, unsure whether to tell him. Kagami remained optimistic about his clansmen. He would certainly want to believe their change for the better was genuine rather than suspect ulterior motives.
I should observe things myself first and wait until I have solid evidence. Right now, there's nothing I can fault Uchiha Setsuna for. Kagami wouldn't believe me, and saying anything would only strain our relationship.
With that thought, Kazemori Masaki decided to meet Uchiha Setsuna sometime soon and see just what he was plotting. If his aim really was what Masaki suspected, then Black Zetsu was finally beginning to move.
In terms of fighting strength alone, Black Zetsu was hardly outstanding. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he had only managed to hold off the ninja led by the Fifth Mizukage by borrowing the power of Wood Release, and Chōjūrō had eventually taken him down in a single blow. If Kazemori Masaki's guess was right, Black Zetsu's Wood Release had also come from Madara Uchiha's research into hashirama cells. The current Black Zetsu could not possibly have learned Wood Release yet, which meant his fighting strength would be even lower.
Still, that only meant Black Zetsu