Black Zetsu emerged beside Madara and asked solicitously, "Lord Madara, are you all right?"
Madara said impassively, "I won't die!"
Black Zetsu earnestly urged him, "Lord Madara, the Three Great Sage Lands all have legacies spanning over a thousand years. Their strength is extraordinary, and on their own territory, they are invincible. Even the Sage of Six Paths had to treat them with respect. You really shouldn't have gone there so rashly..."
"Oh?" At that, Madara asked, seemingly casually, "Black Zetsu, I only created you a few decades ago. How do you know what happened over a thousand years ago?"
Black Zetsu's heart lurched. He immediately realized he had misspoken and said cautiously, "Well, throughout your absence, I spent every moment preparing for your return. Gathering information like this was naturally part of that..."
Madara pressed him. "Then why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Black Zetsu gave an airtight reply. "As the saying goes, seeing is believing, while hearsay is unreliable. I wasn't certain whether those rumors about the sages were true. Besides, I am your will, and I know your personality. Even if I had told you beforehand, you would still have been eager to try... Knowing that you had Flying Thunder God as a fallback, as well as the healing power of Hashirama cells, I knew your life wouldn't be in danger, no matter what happened. It was because I had faith in you that I didn't inform you in advance!"
Madara's lips curled upward. "Hmph. Let's say that's how it was, then..."
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
Every wound on Madara's body healed. He flexed his hand, still shaken. *If Susanoo hadn't cushioned the blow, I probably would have melted the instant that acid hit me, without even a chance to use Flying Thunder God. Katsuyu's true body is