Kyoichi was waiting for news from the front line.
Black Zetsu wouldn't be easy to catch, so he'd set up a complete net of surveillance. Every clone he could spare had been deployed. His real body had recalled the Konoha shadow clone to absorb its chakra—along with the Ten-Tails chakra it had stored.
He'd lost some chakra in the process, but most of it was safely reclaimed.
Now…
He just had to wait.
Meanwhile, Tsunade and the others were still finishing off the White Zetsu.
There were far too many.
Not the full "100,000," but at least 10,000. To be honest, Kyoichi had every reason to suspect that the creation of so many White Zetsu had been closely tied to the Third Mizukage.
If Kirigakure's ninja—and the Third Mizukage—hadn't provided chakra, then with only Madara's reserves, the number of White Zetsu produced would have been five or six times fewer.
So—
If Madara had such deep resources, Kirigakure definitely contributed.
Of course…
You couldn't really blame Kirigakure for this.
Not every village had someone like him—a transmigrant—who knew future events, could deduce causes from outcomes, and piece together the entire sequence of events.
Without him…
Even Konoha wouldn't have suspected that Uchiha Madara was never actually dead.
Nobody would imagine that a man "dead" for decades had actually been alive underground the whole time, plotting to overturn the entire shinobi world.
Not even Tobirama.
In fact…
That was the part Kyoichi found most baffling.
Tobirama was always cautious of the Uchiha. Yet somehow he didn't track Hashirama after meeting Madara, nor did he go back later to confirm the corpse.
Maybe it was an information gap—Tobirama probably had no idea Izanagi existed.
But still—
How do you not at least stab the corpse one more time to be sure?
This alone showed how important "finishing blows" were.
Kyoichi sighed internally.
"There are so many of these things… Kyoichi, aren't you worried that other villages might secretly keep some cells?"
Nagato asked, uneasy.
He wasn't from Konoha, but after everything Konoha had done for him, he felt a faint sense of belonging and goodwill toward the village. And from another perspective—
The reason the shinobi world was peaceful now was because Konoha stood strong enough to deter the entire world.
If other villages grew stronger, chaos might return—and a Fourth Great Ninja War could break out.
Nagato wanted none of that.
He yearned for peace.
Kyoichi considered it, then shook his head.
"Even if they acquire some cells, they won't be able to use them. Cultivating and handling these cells requires massive amounts of experimental data and medical expertise. None of them have that level of skill."
"Is that so…?"
Nagato thought for a moment. He didn't question further.
He realized—
Maybe Konoha made these experiments look too easy, which made him think the jutsu themselves were simple.
Kyoichi smiled.
"There's still some risk, but compared to the danger these things pose right now, it's negligible. Even if complications arise later, they're within our ability to handle."
"That's true… I was overthinking."
Nagato nodded lightly.
Konoha was incredibly strong. Just seeing how easily Kyoichi defeated Madara proved that. Nagato hadn't witnessed the fight itself, but through his sensory ability—
He could tell the battle between Kyoichi and Madara had been earth-shattering, beyond anything he had ever seen.
Unfortunately…
He didn't get to see it with his own eyes.
Silence fell.
The battle with the White Zetsu was nearing its end—only clean-up remained. Ōnoki and the others had long moved to other fronts.
Kyoichi was about to sit and rest.
But—
Suddenly, he received a wooden tag.
"What is it?"
"They found him. Let's go!" Kyoichi didn't have time to explain.
Black Zetsu's concealment ability was terrifying. The opportunity to catch him lasted only an instant. In a mere moment, he could slip deeper underground and become impossible to locate again.
So—
He had to seize the chance.
In an instant, Kyoichi used Flying Thunder God and brought Nagato to another location.
The moment Nagato arrived, he felt overwhelming pressure crush down on him.
Were they in the ocean?
The deep-sea pressure made it hard to breathe.
But—
One second later, Kyoichi shielded him with Sage Chakra.
Then—
Their submerged speed skyrocketed.
Even for Kyoichi, staying underwater for long was difficult. This had to be quick—solve it, seize Black Zetsu, and get out.
He had sensed Black Zetsu.
As expected, the creature was carrying a White Zetsu—likely the original one, whose physique was very different from the others. They were diving from shallow waters into the deep, hoping the pressure would force Kyoichi to retreat.
But—
Once the real Kyoichi arrived, his speed surged. Black Zetsu immediately panicked.
"How did he get here this fast?! Did Madara completely fail?!"
White Zetsu complained.
He had assumed that even if Madara couldn't win, he'd at least last longer. But they hadn't even gotten far—yet Kyoichi's real body had already arrived.
Ridiculous.
"You know him. He must've fought head-on, burning through his own life force. Win fast, lose fast—I'm not surprised."
Black Zetsu remained calm.
From the moment Madara chose that path, Black Zetsu had mentally prepared himself for every outcome—even the worst-case scenario.
But—
He did not expect Kyoichi to find him so quickly.
And worse—
He wasn't alone.
Black Zetsu recognized the chakra beside Kyoichi instantly.
Nagato.
The Rinnegan wielder.
His mind raced, analyzing Kyoichi's intentions.
Then—
A chilling possibility hit him.
He didn't bring the Rinnegan user just for show… He intends to seal me.
That was dangerous.
Black Zetsu had stayed calm because he believed Kyoichi had no way to deal with him. Even if caught, he could burrow deeper and drag things out. Sealing him with normal jutsu was nearly impossible.
But the Rinnegan…
The Rinnegan could unleash Chibaku Tensei. And while ordinary Chibaku Tensei couldn't seal him—
What if these two possessed the Ten-Tails' chakra?
Konoha had cooperation with every village. Gaining Tailed Beast chakra wasn't hard. The Gedo Statue was also in Kyoichi's possession.
Before, Black Zetsu would never have believed anyone could know this much.
Now…
He couldn't take the risk.
He forced White Zetsu to accelerate.
But—
How fast could they go?
White Zetsu was already burning itself out, fleeing at full speed—yet Kyoichi closed in anyway.
What could he do?
He was desperate too!
"You stop him."
Black Zetsu detached from White Zetsu and sank into the deeper seafloor.
He understood:
Kyoichi detected him only because he was attached to White Zetsu.
Without White Zetsu—
Kyoichi would never find him.
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