Black Zetsu and Madara

In the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation, Black Zetsu, the unremarkable owner of Tasty Ramen, warmly welcomed his customers.

"Haha, boss, have you heard? Our village chief went out and brought back a woman from the Uzumaki Clan as his wife." The villager felt proud too. He could not speak for elsewhere, but people here were happier than anywhere else. Just look at how many shops had opened.

"That impressive? Hasn't he only been visiting the Uzumaki Clan for a few days?" Black Zetsu had received some useful news. Uchiha Mu was out of the village, so he planned to check on Madara Uchiha. Madara was an important pawn of his, and naturally, he kept a constant eye on him. Even a Transformation Technique and a slight change in chakra could not fool him.

"Of course! That's Uchiha Mu, the shinobi who founded our village. By the way, boss, your ramen is delicious." The villager was immensely proud.

This was authentic Otsutsuki Ichiraku... made by Black Zetsu. As the mastermind behind the shinobi world, he had kept a low profile for a thousand years and knew everything from astronomy to geography. A mere bowl of ramen was child's play.

Now that Uchiha Mu had disrupted his plans, he had no choice but to put himself in danger to get close to Uchiha Mu and Madara Uchiha. He knew Madara well enough: unless he entered the village of the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation, he would never see him.

Although Madara was still in his prime, he had already settled into taking life easy. While waiting for his eyes to change, his favorite pastime was strolling around the village, which gave Black Zetsu an opening. Of course, as a crafty old schemer, Black Zetsu would never expose himself. He simply used his superb cooking to draw Madara closer.

As a powerhouse from the old era, Madara naturally wanted to experience the new-era village Uchiha Mu had founded. He had heard they were even developing something that would let people communicate over long distances. These were certainly novel experiences.

One day, while waiting for the Hashirama Cells to produce changes, he visited Black Zetsu's shop, mainly because it was so popular. Until White Zetsu revealed himself to Madara, no one could see through White Zetsu's transformation abilities or Black Zetsu's disguises.

With just a few little tricks, Black Zetsu had firmly established himself here. Not only was the food delicious, but the portions were generous and filling. For a monster who had lived a thousand years, money meant little, and he could gather plenty with hardly any effort.

Even if he had none, White Zetsu's abilities made obtaining money exceptionally quick. After taking over this shop, he finally saw Madara stroll in. Although Madara's appearance had changed completely, Black Zetsu would never mistake him.

"What would you like, sir?"

"Beef ramen." Madara was curious about this shop. How had it become so popular? Of course, another reason for his strolls was to determine whether darkness lurked in the village Uchiha Mu had founded.

"Coming right up. Please wait a moment."

The flavor was outstanding, and Madara soon became a regular, stopping by for a bowl every other day.

"How's business here?"

"It's good, but the other shopkeepers try to squeeze me out," Black Zetsu said. He had initially considered blaming gangs or something similar, but security here was excellent, and Uchiha Mu's clones patrolled the village. He had abandoned that excuse. Competitors, though, were a good choice. They had ample reason.

"Your food is good. They're jealous of you." Madara sighed. This world would never be free of strife, not even in the village Uchiha Mu had founded. He grew melancholy once again.

"It can't be helped. Self-interest brings out negative emotions in people," Black Zetsu said casually.

"I see. I'm finished. I'll come again." With that, Madara left the shop and watched the passing pedestrians, lost in melancholy. From time to time, he chatted with the owner to learn what people "at the bottom" truly needed. But could any of this be changed?

As long as self-interest existed, everywhere in the shinobi world would be the same. Hadn't his travels through the shinobi world made that perfectly clear? Filth was everywhere. That was why he had begun to believe the Eye of the Moon Plan was the ultimate answer.

Yet the information from the tailed beasts revealed contradictions. It was truly difficult to tell whether the information on the Stone Tablet was genuine. He felt lost. If only his younger brother were still alive. He would surely give him the answer.

Inside his shop, Black Zetsu leisurely cooked noodles for the next customer. He was very patient. There was still some time before Madara awakened the Rinnegan. All he needed to do was wait patiently and occasionally impress the darkness of the shinobi world upon him.

As for Uchiha Mu, he would certainly approach him. The man knew about his mother and might well know everything. Such an unstable factor had to be eliminated. But he needed to prepare carefully before approaching him. He knew that Uchiha Mu possessed the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu.

"Excuse me, do you know what it feels like to poop?" an ordinary villager asked someone eating noodles.

"Pfft-" The diner sprayed noodles all over the table.

"Sorry about that. Your meal is on the house." Black Zetsu immediately dragged the erratic fellow back. Even he could barely handle this White Zetsu. Every last one of them kept asking people what pooping felt like, day after day. They were practically becoming famous for it.

Naturally, Uchiha Mu's clone learned about this. As a transmigrator who had read the original story, he knew exactly what this shop represented. But he had no intention of acting rashly. Black Zetsu was a crafty old schemer, after all. He would not make a move until he was absolutely certain.

Uchiha Mu knew perfectly well which was more dangerous: letting Black Zetsu operate right under his nose or letting him work behind the scenes. Besides, he was contributing to the village's GDP here.

He pondered how to keep Black Zetsu under control. He would approach Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. If she could be reasoned with, he would consider releasing her and giving her freedom. But if she could not, she could stay inside the moon.

Since Black Zetsu's sense of time was different from that of ordinary people, he had already begun preparing for the long game. Money was merely a worldly possession, and he did not care about it. Gathering information here and approaching the two Uchiha, however, interested him.

While life remained peaceful in the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation, the members of the Hyuga Clan in Konoha looked like red-nosed clowns. A woman from their main family was actually sharing a husband with a woman from the Uzumaki Clan. She had utterly disgraced the Hyuga Clan.

They were holding a meeting, intending to kill this disgraceful woman, recover her Byakugan, and expel her from the clan.

Seeing everyone discussing the matter heatedly, Hyuga Tenka spoke up. "Wake up. Even if Uchiha Mu doesn't act, you're no match for Lingnai."

"How is that possible?"

"Haven't you read the intelligence? Uchiha Mu captured the Seven-Tails and made it Lingnai's summoning beast. With its vast reserves of chakra, she's also gained the ability to fly. Can you deal with an enemy who can fly? With Gentle Fist? Or Rotation?" Hyuga Tenka had witnessed Uchiha Mu's true strength. He did not want to provoke him again.

His words left the members of the Hyuga Clan speechless. Gentle Fist did have ranged attacks, but their opponent could fly. In this era, that was an ability they had no answer to. The only way to force her to fight them was to attack her village.

But what would that lead to? Without question, Uchiha Mu would wipe them all out. None of them dared provoke someone of his strength. They promptly decided that what they did not see would not trouble them, and henceforth shut out any news about Hyuga Lingnai.