What happened with White Zetsu was something no one expected. Even Chiriku, after finding out about Black Zetsu, never thought this would happen.
Because Black Zetsu had been hiding so well. Or rather, Black Zetsu didn't do anything at all—he had been ready to remove the restrictions from the very beginning.
From the moment Obito started doubting him, Black Zetsu had already prepared for everything. There was very little he could do.
The appearance of Shanks completely destroyed Black Zetsu's plans of over a thousand years. All his schemes collapsed. When this great era began, Black Zetsu knew he might be doomed.
Not doomed forever, but… maybe it would take a few thousand more years until this era settled down.
So from the start, Black Zetsu already had a plan.
"Here will do. This is in the Land of Waves' territory. No one should show up here."
On the other side, Obito brought Black Zetsu to a large sea market in the waters of the Land of Waves.
This kind of sea market was pretty much like a big cruise ship.
But because of technical limits, these sea markets only existed where the sea was calm.
To develop its economy, the Land of Waves had built several such markets on the sea.
"I didn't expect Itachi's genjutsu to be this terrifying. Even I got caught in it."
Black Zetsu spoke weakly. A hit on the mental level like that isn't something you can shake off easily. Itachi's power far surpassed his expectations. And at that time, he had walked right into the trap set by Itachi and his group, or else he wouldn't have fallen for the genjutsu.
As for Obito? He and Obito were never really "comrades."
"Our deal ends here. I hope I never see you again in the ninja world."
Obito said coldly.
This was the last deal between him and Black Zetsu.
"You noticed something was wrong a long time ago, didn't you?"
Black Zetsu stared at Obito. He never expected that the fool who once lost his mind over a "girl," becoming their puppet, would grow to this level.
Black Zetsu felt a bit unwilling in his heart, but… that was all it was.
Looking at things as they were now, Obito would actually make a better teammate for him.
"After all… people always grow."
"Back then, I became your puppet because of my own stupidity.
Because of Rin, I did a lot of things. But I don't regret it. I've wronged a lot of people, but I'll pay the price I owe."
"If I'm wrong, then I'll turn the wrong into right."
Obito didn't answer Black Zetsu's question directly. Instead, he spoke with firm resolve.
This was what he truly thought.
He had let Rin down, let Kakashi down, and even let down his teacher, Namikaze Minato…
Obito had done too many stupid things in his life.
But he still had a chance to make up for it.
Obito wouldn't deny his mistakes, but in this new era, he would respond to the past in his own way.
"To do what you're talking about, you need the strength for it. Do you have that?"
Black Zetsu stared at Obito, but Obito felt no pressure. Whether he had that power or not didn't matter.
As this era moved forward, Obito felt how small he really was. Not just him—Black Zetsu, Uchiha Madara, Nagato, Itachi… all of them seemed so small in front of this great era.
This endless war started all because of that man. Yet now, in this new era, no one blamed him for it.
Even Obito didn't.
The man who once hated evil and despised war couldn't bring himself to hate Shanks.
What he saw in this war wasn't hatred, but… the end of thousands of years of the shinobi world. That man had brought a full stop to the history of the shinobi world.
Obito didn't have Shanks' strength or will, but in this era, he too had to give an answer for everything that happened in the past few decades.
"I'm not interested in that."
Obito shook his head, refusing.
"The power of the Sage of Six Paths… Do you know why the sages appeared? That's the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
I thought the sages had all been killed by him, but I didn't expect they hid in the dark side of history."
"Look at how strong the sages are now. Look at the power of Ashura and Indra. Are you really willing to give up this chance?"
"With the Sage's power, you can do anything you want."
Black Zetsu offered his final olive branch. This was his last chance. If Obito really gave this up, there was nothing more he could do.
"You think I'll believe you, Black Zetsu?"
"Of course not. But… everything I said is true.
Whether you can get the Sage's power in the end, or end up killed by me, that's something for later."
Black Zetsu's pitch-black body showed no expression, but his words carried a certain resolve.
Obito didn't trust him, and he didn't trust Obito either, but that didn't matter.
Because they both needed that power—the final power, the one that even the sages of the Earthly Sage Kingdom feared.
"So… what's your decision? Work with your enemies, or go on your own?"
Hearing Black Zetsu's words, Obito felt a ripple inside. The Sage's power was tempting, no doubt.
But the Black Zetsu in front of him was just as dangerous.
Everything comes with a price. Could he afford this price?
…
Obito looked at his own hands, hands stained with blood. He had dragged himself into the abyss with these hands, pushed himself to lose everything.
And now, one of his enemies was standing right before him.
But Obito couldn't bring himself to truly hate—what he hated more was his own stupidity.
"I will kill you and Uchiha Madara."
"I'll also find a chance to take both of you out… After all, that kind of power isn't enough to share."
Hearing Obito's reply, Black Zetsu also spoke.
At that moment, neither of them hid anything—they showed exactly what was in their hearts.
In an era like this, even hatred could be covered by ambition.
That was true for Obito, and true for Black Zetsu as well.
"Then, let's start preparing our plan. With just the two of us, we can't expect to make it big in this era."
"The sea market in the Land of Waves happens to have the people we need, but recruiting them will take quite a few benefits."
Obito said.
"Even though I don't have any real benefits in hand, don't forget—I know quite a bit about the real history.
Poneglyphs are priceless in this era."
Black Zetsu merged into Obito's shadow as he spoke.
"And my own strength isn't bad either. No matter what, I carry the top-level traits of the God Tree."
Hearing that, Obito was taken aback.
He had learned part of Black Zetsu's background back when he was with the Revolutionary Army, but what he didn't know was that Black Zetsu actually had traits from the God Tree.
Thinking about it carefully, Black Zetsu's very existence was strange. He wasn't the same as the "karma" used by other members of the Otsutsuki clan.
"Karma" was a jutsu the Otsutsuki used to pass on their power, including resurrection—something even more extreme than Orochimaru's "curse mark."
Black Zetsu, however, was the most special kind of "karma."
He was called "karma" because his role was to revive Kaguya.
It was just that something went wrong at the time, and Black Zetsu ended up like this. But the reason he could become what he was came entirely from the God Tree traits he carried.
Some of the original chakra fruit's traits.
"I see… so you really aren't simple.
In that case, I'll just disguise myself as a Devil Fruit user."
Obito said calmly.
With Black Zetsu's special nature, pretending to be a Devil Fruit user was no big deal.
But in that moment, another thought crossed Obito's mind—turning Black Zetsu directly into a Devil Fruit.
He didn't know if it would work, but no matter how you looked at it, Black Zetsu carried the God Tree's top-tier traits.
If those powers were treated like a special kekkei genkai, then it meant Black Zetsu could be turned into a Devil Fruit.
Of course, Obito didn't show any hint of this idea—or his malice toward Black Zetsu.
That kind of thing didn't need to be hidden at all.
"The White Zetsu riot will happen soon—at most three months before all the White Zetsu in the ninja world lose control. We have to move fast."
"Don't worry.
If it's really like you say, then the White Zetsu riot won't break out that quickly. Since they already have their own independent will, they know how to use their identities to their advantage."
Obito spoke calmly. His path from weakness to strength made him understand that powerless feeling all too well.
In the short term, a small number of White Zetsu might riot, but it would quickly die down.
The White Zetsu would use their identities to get more Devil Fruits, and then use the power of those fruits to find their place in this world.
That was a necessary sacrifice. Without an organized uprising, they would be crushed and wiped out by this era.
Whether it was Marines, pirates, ninjas, or samurai, the White Zetsu were no match for them.
If they had lost control from the start, that would be one thing. But White Zetsu had been around for months now. The ones that survived on the battlefield, and the ones staying near certain pirates, had already seen what this era was like.
They had seen its spirit and its intelligence, so… White Zetsu wouldn't act rashly.
"Let's hope so."
"Relax. In this era, even idiots will grow a brain. If you ask me, the best time will be when the World Government launches a full attack on the New World."
Obito wasn't wrong.
After the new era began, it was as if everyone, from ordinary people to sages, had grown wiser — sharper minds, better judgment, greater courage…
Just look at the people in Konohagakure. The chains of the old era had already been broken.
And now, as the chains deep within White Zetsu's bodies slowly loosened, some of them began to realize they were no longer under control.
— Crescent Moon Island, a very wealthy country in the Land of the Moon.
And because it was so wealthy, the Land of the Moon had a lot of White Zetsu.
Their biggest use here wasn't for war — the country's income was more than enough to join the World Government without trouble.
Even before this, the Land of the Moon had a good relationship with the Land of Fire.
After the new era started, Crescent Moon Island became an important trading hub for the World Government.
So it was common for people there to buy White Zetsu from the black market as household servants.
The Marines also liked using White Zetsu as sparring partners.
After all, they had at least the strength of a genin, so they were perfectly fine for training.
Strong enough, no real danger, and even if they got killed, it wasn't a big deal — you'd just spend some more money.
And Crescent Moon Island had plenty of money to spare.
Don't be fooled by it being just an island — they could easily take out tens of billions in funds.
Yes, tens of billions.
The Land of the Moon was that rich, and its prince, Getsuman, was basically the type who had nothing except money.
Because of this era, even the coup that was supposed to happen here had been suppressed.
The old ministers who had planned the coup gave up after the ruler joined the World Government, choosing instead to enjoy their wealth and comfort.
No matter how arrogant they were, they had no will to go against the World Government.
For now, Crescent Moon Island was completely at peace.
But under the moonlight, a white shadow slipped into the royal palace from outside.
This White Zetsu moved so quietly that it was almost impossible to notice — especially in the long-peaceful Land of the Moon.
The palace guards were extremely lax.
In one of the palace rooms, the prince of the Land of the Moon, Getsuman, was sleeping soundly, his round belly rising and falling with each breath.
Under the moonlight, the window moved. A cool breeze drifted in, carrying a few leaves into the room.
The next moment, a white blur flashed by, and under the moonlight, a kunai was aimed straight at the prince's head.
But in the very next moment—
"Clang!!"
Sparks flew as another white shadow leapt out from the darkness.
"How is that possible…"
The White Zetsu who came to assassinate froze for a moment. The next second, sensing danger, he instinctively raised his arm.
"Bang!!"
With a dull thud, the White Zetsu was kicked straight out of the window.
At that moment, Getsuman woke up.
"Hinoman, what's going on?"
Getsuman asked.
By the window, beneath the gecko carving, a "White Zetsu" dressed in fine clothes turned around and spoke gently.
"It's just the wind, sir. It blew the window open."
Hinoman replied softly. He was also a White Zetsu, Getsuman's personal servant, and the name "Hinoman" was given to him by Getsuman.
"Is it going to rain?"
"Seems like it. I'll go bring the clothes in, sir."
Hinoman asked for permission. Getsuman didn't mind and waved his hand.
"Thanks for the trouble, Hinoman."
"It's my duty, sir."
Hinoman closed the window and stepped out of the room. The next moment, his figure vanished from under the gecko carving.
"So, it's not just me…"
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