One word summed up Black Zetsu's mood lately: numb.
He had just persuaded Uchiha Kagami to awaken his Mangekyo and travel the world, only to turn around and discover that Hashirama Senju had decided to sell off the tailed beasts-with intel on [Black Zetsu] thrown in as a bonus.
What?
Black Zetsu couldn't fathom Hashirama Senju's thinking. Why wouldn't he keep such powerful weapons of war for himself?
Why give them away?
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't understand it. All he could do was watch Hashirama Senju take the Tailed Beast Scroll away and then leave Watanabe Ichiro, his plan B, to guard it.
That wasn't bad either. Seeing his two targets together made him happier the longer he looked.
Mm, that means my plan is more than halfway done. Now I just need to find a way to make Watanabe Ichiro awaken the Mangekyo and the Rinnegan.
Hehehe, my Mother-Saving Plan is practically complete~
His cheerful mood instantly hit rock bottom when he remembered that this "Five Kage Summit" was being held to distribute the tailed beasts.
I need to find a way to sabotage this meeting.
Black Zetsu raced underground toward the Conference Hall.
But he had barely begun eavesdropping when a [Black Zetsu] with the exact same presence and appearance as his suddenly appeared!
Who is this?
Why does he look exactly like me?
Black Zetsu was dumbfounded. He even wondered whether Kaguya had given birth to another child while sealed away, but...
This one wielded powerful Wood Release and could fight Hashirama Senju on equal footing.
Aaaah, why is this guy so strong?!
Am I the only useless one among Mother Kaguya's children?
Am I the only one who has nothing but a body full of melanin?
With practically no combat strength, Black Zetsu retreated from the battlefield in misery. His body couldn't withstand attacks of this magnitude. He could only hide away and play the scheming bastard, waiting for another chance to appear.
By the time he returned to the battlefield, an enormous red giant had risen from the ground.
He felt someone's gaze settle on him.
A red base with a black pattern!
Is that a red Rinnegan?!
No!
Its presence was still that of a Mangekyo. It merely looked similar.
Could it be...
Black Zetsu recalled his earlier theory-the offspring of the Uchiha and the Senju might be able to skip the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan stage and advance straight to the Rinnegan.
It was only a guess, but if the theory existed, it was worth a try.
Even if it failed, he would simply start over!
Under that gaze, he lost his nerve again and fled far away.
But my tailed beasts...
He wailed inwardly. He had made a little progress toward the Rinnegan that barely counted as progress, only to turn around and find that almost all the tailed beasts were gone. It was agonizing.
Black Zetsu's face scrunched up. Nearly a thousand years of loneliness hadn't hurt as much as these past few days. He was utterly drained.
What a coward.
Watching Black Zetsu's marker hiding far away in the system, Watanabe Ichiro offered that silent assessment.
This guy was ridiculously timid. When he had activated Susanoo earlier, he had planned to hit Black Zetsu when he approached. But the guy had only glanced over from a distance before immediately fleeing. He was as slippery as a loach in water, and just as hard to catch.
Fine, then. It might be difficult to put him through some physical punishment, but inflicting psychological damage would be easy enough.
Just wait a little longer. I'll give him something big.
Inside the makeshift new meeting room.
Tobirama Senju leaned wearily against his chair. The seat beside him was empty. The delegations from every nation had been properly dealt with, and Watanabe Ichiro had forced anyone who thought otherwise to accept that things were "proper."
The "Five Kage Summit" had concluded in a rather inglorious fashion. Five Kage had arrived; afterward, there were almost "no Kage" left.
Hashirama Senju, the Hokage, had died in battle. The Raikage and Mizukage had been killed, and the gravely wounded Tsuchikage and Kazekage wouldn't live much longer either.
Watanabe Ichiro suddenly remembered the "Five Kage Summit" far in the future, when they already used things resembling projections and televisions. Had those devices been intended to prevent precisely this sort of incident? It gave him a strange sense of dislocation across time and space.
"Ichiro, does this [Black Zetsu] have anything to do with you?"
Tobirama Senju suddenly spoke.
"Teacher? Why would you say that?"
His words startled Watanabe Ichiro, but he continued pretending to be distracted. After a brief pause, he responded with a perfectly natural question.
He was used to zoning out around reliable people, either sorting through the System Inventory or browsing the system Shop. He slacked off regularly, but only the exceptionally observant Tobirama Senju knew about that habit.
Thus, Watanabe Ichiro's behavior was no different from usual.
Watching him, Tobirama Senju suppressed his suspicions.
"Nothing. I was just a little curious."
Previously, Watanabe Ichiro had suggested publicly passing off Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha's fight as an attack by [Black Zetsu]. And now [Black Zetsu] had actually appeared at this meeting...
Of course, [Black Zetsu] might have heard the public announcements that Konoha was selling tailed beasts with intel included and followed them here. But before this meeting, everyone had known [Black Zetsu] only as someone Madara Uchiha chased around everywhere.
Caution was the normal response to an enemy they knew so little about. Few people would immediately pin accusations on an unknown enemy and make him take the blame.
Watanabe Ichiro's actions made it seem as though he understood [Black Zetsu]'s behavior and knew his temperament and reactions.
Moreover, Watanabe Ichiro usually kept a low profile, yet this time he had volunteered a suggestion. Tobirama Senju could hardly avoid becoming suspicious.
"Teacher? Where are we going next?"
Seeing that he had fallen silent, Watanabe Ichiro yawned and asked. His expression was tired and his gaze unfocused, as if he would go right back to daydreaming if Tobirama didn't speak.
Tobirama Senju is far too perceptive. Good thing my acting is convincing, or my disguise would have been exposed.
"Sigh."
Tobirama Senju sighed helplessly, holding his forehead.
This guy slacks off every day. No matter how I look at it, there's nothing unusual about him. Besides, now that he's awakened the Mangekyo, what could Konoha possibly have that he'd covet?
Forget it. I've probably been too busy lately, and my brother's death has put me on edge.
I personally brought Uchiha Ichiro back from the border of the Land of Lightning. He's lived in Konoha since he was four.
If he were a spy or an undercover agent intending to harm Konoha, he'd have acted when he became the Uchiha Clan Head. If he stayed undercover any longer, he'd practically be infiltrating his way past the Hokage to become Konoha's boss.
Besides, he remembered that mysterious technique Watanabe Ichiro had used on him with his Mangekyo active when he was gravely wounded.
It had healed his fatal injuries instantly. Apart from speaking a single sentence, Ichiro hadn't moved at all. Tobirama had never seen anything like it.
Moreover, Watanabe Ichiro had seemed unaffected even after maintaining Susanoo for so long, yet using that unknown Technique Formula just once had left him clutching his eyes and recovering for quite a while. Its cost had to be considerable.
Noticing Tobirama Senju's unconscious glance at his eyes, Watanabe Ichiro grew tense. He hadn't yet come up with a story for his Mangekyo's ability.
"By the way, Teacher, my Mangekyo..."
Watanabe Ichiro took the initiative and began hesitantly, but his voice trailed off as though he didn't want to say it.
"Does that technique cause serious damage to your eyes? Is there any way to alleviate it? Is there anything I can do to help?"
Tobirama Senju noticed Watanabe Ichiro's hesitation and didn't press him about his Mangekyo's special ability.
"...There's no way to alleviate it. Even you can't do anything..."
The Mangekyo supplied by the system couldn't replenish its ocular power. Once depleted, it would be useless. The best fate for those eyes was therefore to preserve enough ocular power to activate [Izanagi] and keep them in the inventory as two lifesaving safeguards.
Hearing this, Tobirama Senju fell silent for a moment. He was genuinely touched that Watanabe Ichiro had used such a precious Technique Formula on him, but that categorical insistence that nothing could be done made him feel as though his research capabilities were being questioned.
"Then let's go. We're returning to Konoha."
I refuse to believe that, with Madara Uchiha's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in my possession, I can't develop a medicine to address the Mangekyo's side effects!
Before you continue