In the depths of the forest, Rinjin stood frozen beneath a tree, staring at the two figures who had just landed before him.
Black Zetsu and a masked man in black stood side by side, their attention fixed on the immobilized Rinjin.
A sly, sinister grin crept across Black Zetsu's face.
Ever since Rinjin had outmaneuvered him back in Kirigakure, Black Zetsu had been watching him closely.
After a series of investigations, he'd uncovered a hidden flaw behind Sakuho Rinjin's seemingly invincible exterior:
A weakness for genjutsu.
As Black Zetsu savored his secret triumph, the masked man beside him spoke in a low, muffled voice.
"Master, should I begin now?"
"Do it!" Black Zetsu nodded.
At the order, the masked man swung the massive scroll from his back and began unrolling it in front of the motionless Rinjin.
Inside his mindscape, Rinjin lounged atop the monstrous beast, lazily tugging at the cat's ears.
"Rinjin, the guy outside just pulled out a huge scroll—looks like he's about to do something to you," came the voice of Matatabi.
Unfazed, Rinjin nodded.
"Let him try. I'm actually curious what Black Zetsu thinks he's discovered. By the way, kitty, can you loosen the jutsu a bit so I can talk?"
Matatabi nodded. "Want me to break the whole thing?"
"No need."
Back in reality, Rinjin's eyes snapped open.
He still couldn't move his body, but he could feel his mouth.
A playful smirk curled his lips as he watched the masked man fussing with the scroll.
"Hey, old man, you messed up that last stroke!"
"Who said that?!" The masked man jerked his head up, locking eyes with Rinjin's mischievous gaze.
"Where did I go wrong?" the masked man asked, flustered.
"That stroke by my right foot—the one before the 'chase' character you wrote."
Rinjin exaggerated a pout, raising his brows and gesturing at the scroll.
"Man, you really are hopeless. Can't even draw a proper Soul-Body Separation array," he sighed, shaking his head.
What kind of clowns was Black Zetsu working with?
A simple sealing formation, and this guy still couldn't get it right.
...Wait a second.
Why would Soul-Body Separation require a scroll that big? What the hell are they up to?
He shot Black Zetsu a sidelong glance and called out,
"Hey, Black Ghost! Isn't your Soul-Body Separation Technique a bit much?"
The corners of Black Zetsu's mouth, stretched across White Zetsu's face, curled upward.
"For you, bigger is better! Seed-boy!"
"Seed-boy?" Rinjin echoed, puzzled.
Black Zetsu didn't bother explaining. Instead, he snapped at the masked man:
"Focus! If you don't pull out this soul, you'll regret it!"
The masked man nodded frantically, his brush racing even faster across the scroll.
After a long while, he finally stood up, revealing a scroll covered in dense, bizarre symbols.
"M-Master, it's ready."
Black Zetsu nodded and stepped back. "Begin."
The masked man put away his brush and rapidly formed hand seals.
The scroll rose into the air, glowing blue as a complex array materialized, enveloping Rinjin.
Suddenly, an overwhelming suction pulled at Rinjin's soul.
He felt himself wrenched from his body and drawn into the scroll.
Only a weary sigh lingered in the air.
"What's the point..."
As Black Zetsu watched the soul vanish into the scroll, his face split into a triumphant grin. He rushed forward to seize the scroll—
But a pair of massive hands shot out, clamping down on his wrist.
He looked up.
Rinjin's face twisted into a wild, feral grin, lips peeled back to reveal razor-sharp teeth.
Black, oily threads writhed between the fangs.
His eyes were now pits of pure darkness, no whites, no pupils—
The monster was loose.
With Rinjin's soul gone, the beast in his subconscious had finally seized control of his body.
A bone-deep chill shot up Black Zetsu's spine—if he'd had one.
He didn't, but that didn't stop the terror from sinking in.
"No! This can't be! The seed didn't devour Sakuho Rinjin's soul?! Two souls—how can there be two souls in one body?!"
He stared at the monster before him as if facing his worst nightmare, mind racing.
He'd figured it out:
The seed had been suppressed!
The immortal, indestructible seed—suppressed!
The soul he'd just captured was Rinjin's original soul, not the seed's!
While his thoughts churned, the inhuman monster opened its gaping maw.
It had taken over Rinjin's body—now, nothing could hold it back.
In the sealed space, Rinjin's eyelids drooped, a mocking smile on his lips.
Go on!
Go wild!
Use my body—tear this world apart!
Let those schemers see what true terror means!
At first, he hadn't planned to let this thing out.
The masked man's genjutsu was child's play—Matatabi could break it in a heartbeat.
But when he saw the Soul-Body Separation seal, he changed his mind.
Why keep suppressing the "monster" when he could let it loose for a bit of fun?
Besides, who told Black Zetsu to kill Tsunade?
Whatever happened to this world wasn't his concern.
If the moon vanished, if "Mother" was gone, only Black Zetsu would mourn.
If the Divine Tree toppled, if the Ten-Tails got cooked in a pot, only Uchiha Madara would weep.
So go wild!
Go absolutely wild!
Back outside, Black Zetsu tried to break free, to run—
But the monster's ironclad grip held him fast.
Meanwhile, the monster's head began to swell rapidly—
Partial Multi-Size Technique.
It had watched Rinjin use this jutsu countless times.
In its last shreds of sanity, it knew: this was its favorite move.
"ROAAAAR—!"
A thunderous roar shook the forest.
Everyone fighting the White Zetsu clones instinctively turned, eyes wide in shock.
Amidst the trees, a head towering above the canopy let out a bone-chilling howl, jaws lined with fangs.
With a savage snap, it lunged at the black-and-white creature below.
CRUNCH!
The upper half of Black and White Zetsu vanished into those jaws.
Crunch, crunch—
The gruesome sound of chewing echoed through the silent woods.
Far away, in the Iron Country's Mountain Graveyard, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path suddenly convulsed and collapsed, unleashing a sky-shaking wail.
It might only be the Ten-Tails' husk, but it felt the agony—
A vital part of itself had just been devoured by another seed.
And it would never return.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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