After the air raid began, Black Zetsu led the others out to assess the situation. But as soon as they reached the door, the relentless explosions and cries of pain brought them to a halt.
Black Zetsu hesitated briefly, then told the others to stay inside while he slipped out alone to see what was happening.
The moment he poked his head out, he saw a barrage of kunai raining from the sky and immediately ducked back down. A strike to the head would not kill him, but he still wanted to avoid pointless damage.
Only after the commotion above gradually subsided did Black Zetsu surface again. Yet barely had he emerged when he saw a golden figure sweep past like a whirlwind. The people nearby immediately collapsed, their bodies twitching faintly. They did not look capable of getting up.
Before Black Zetsu could get a clear look, the golden figure seemed to notice him and darted toward him. In less than a breath, Black Zetsu felt a blade slash through his head. Only with his attacker so close did he finally make out his face.
It was a young man of seventeen or eighteen, with a resolute face and sharp eyes. A hint of surprise entered his gaze as he looked at Black Zetsu, but he had no time to dwell on it before disappearing from Black Zetsu's sight again.
Black Zetsu's head had been split in two. An ordinary person would certainly have died, but Black Zetsu had nothing to fear. He could not truly die, because rather than a living creature, he was a spiritual entity given physical form. His spirit existed alongside Kaguya Otsutsuki, much as a tailed beast would be reborn somewhere after dying. Unless Black Zetsu suffered an attack that could pulverize him completely,