If they didn't make a decision quickly, the consequences could be dire.
But before they could even finish their discussion, Kaede appeared before them.
At his side stood Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
"My lord!"
Tsunade, Mei Terumi, and Orochimaru dropped to one knee instantly, bowing their heads in respect.
"These are your followers, Kaede? They do look far stronger than the ones I once relied on," Kaguya remarked softly, her gaze sweeping across them.
"Yes. They are elites from the great clans. In my absence, they have managed things well," Kaede replied.
"At least better than what I had," Kaguya said with a trace of bitterness.
Back then, she had treated her people well. Yet once they gained power, even her own sons—Hagoromo and Hamura—betrayed her.
"Don't dwell on the past. It's behind you now. Just live freely here. You may not be revered as a goddess anymore, but does that matter?" Kaede smiled.
"It doesn't. I never sought divinity. I only wished to guard against invaders. I believed my children would never betray me… but I underestimated their hearts," Kaguya's voice trembled with pain.
She had given them everything, only to be repaid with betrayal.
"Enough. That time is gone," Kaede said firmly. He turned to his subordinates. "Tsunade, Orochimaru—this is Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. From now on, she will live here. You will show her the utmost respect. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my lord," they answered in unison.
Feeling the weight of Kaguya's power for themselves, they nodded earnestly.
Rain Village.
After his talk with Obito, Black Zetsu intended to seek another opportunity to infiltrate Kaede's territory and search for flaws.
But as he left the ruins of Ame, he suddenly froze.
An all-too-familiar presence washed over him.
His mother's chakra.
"This… this is impossible. Mother's presence?!"
He was dumbstruck.
Kaguya should still have been imprisoned on the moon. Without Yin–Yang Release and the power of the Tailed Beasts to revive the God Tree, her seal could not be undone.
Even if it had been broken, she would not have regained her strength so quickly.
And yet—her power emanated from within Kaede's stronghold.
Could it be? Had Kaede freed her?
Doubt clawed at him.
If it was truly Kaguya, then his plans were complete. He no longer needed to struggle.
But if it was Kaede's scheme, then everything—the Eye of the Moon Plan, all his manipulation—was nothing but Kaede's design to release her himself.
Black Zetsu wavered, torn between rushing forward and waiting in the shadows.
But Kaguya made the choice for him.
That night, atop a great tower, she stood beside Kaede.
"You've freed me. Now recall Black Zetsu. Though I don't care what he's done in Akatsuki, he'll only stir up trouble if left unchecked," Kaguya said.
Kaede chuckled. "So you left him as a backhand all along? A clever move."
"Yes. At your urging, I created him. I hadn't thought I'd need him. And yet… I gave him too little power. All he could do was lurk and scheme."
Her eyes narrowed with scorn.
"I thought a few centuries—perhaps a thousand years—and he would succeed. But no. It took him five thousand years. Without you, I might have remained sealed forever."
Kaede nodded. "Don't blame him. To gather the Tailed Beasts' chakra is no simple task. After Madara spread the God Tree's power across the world, humanity descended into endless wars. Greed, bloodshed, ambition—how could a weak shadow like Zetsu act openly in such chaos?
If not for me, perhaps he would still have succeeded… in another year or two."
Kaede knew the truth. In the original future, Black Zetsu's plan had nearly worked. But Hagoromo's hidden safeguard, woven into Indra and Asura's souls, had undone everything.
"Yes," Kaguya admitted. "I saw it long ago—their greed. Once given power, they slaughtered each other for more. Their corruption tainted me as well."
She raised her hand, and her chakra rippled through the void.
Across the land, Black Zetsu felt the irresistible call.
His mother was summoning him.
Though weaker than five thousand years ago, Kaguya's power was still vast. And to Black Zetsu, it was absolute.
At last, mother and child would meet again.
(End of Chapter)
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