"That thing..."
The Sage of Six Paths' gaze grew grave. "I sensed my mother's presence from it."
At this, Dragon Scales Lin Ze's eyes flickered, and he feigned shock as he said:
"You mean..."
"That's right."
The Sage of Six Paths said slowly, "Black Zetsu is very likely a contingency Mother left behind. In all my years alive, I never knew it existed. Only three years ago, when the you in the shinobi world forced it to use its full strength, did I detect those fluctuations of Mother's power."
"For the past three years, I've been searching for its hiding place, but I've found nothing."
"It's as though it vanished completely."
At this point, a rare note of gravity entered the Sage of Six Paths' voice.
As Kaguya's eldest son, he knew all too well how terrifying his mother was.
Back then, he and his younger brother Hamura had barely managed to seal their mother by joining forces. Now, a thousand years later, the seal must have loosened somewhat.
If Black Zetsu really was a contingency his mother had left behind, it had only one objective-
To resurrect Kaguya!
"So you infused Six Paths power into Nagato's Rinnegan because you wanted to..."
Dragon Scales Lin Ze put on the appearance of someone who seemed to have understood something.
"A contingency."
The Sage of Six Paths admitted it openly. "The reincarnations of my two sons, Indra and Asura, are both in the shinobi world now. But they're still too young and lack strength. Besides... I'm not sure whether Black Zetsu has already tampered with them."
"But you're different."
He looked at Dragon Scales Lin Ze. "Your other half has already reached super Kage level in the shinobi world, and has even been called the 'God of Shinobi.' His strength, judgment, and