Cliché plot. Stiff acting. Characters panned.
Watching Black Zetsu pretend to be deep and all-knowing, Uchiha Sogetsu felt very, very tired.
The Spectator path let him police his mind perfectly—call up any feeling, any mask, on demand. So he did. Shock and conflict flickered across his face; his eyes filled with wariness and doubt. Every micro-change, every muscle twitch, Black Zetsu drank in like finest wine.
Good. That's the look.
The Uchiha were exactly as it remembered—no growth, easy to herd. A few lines, and they became docile tools for its goddess-mother's return. Uchiha Madara had been like this. Uchiha Sogetsu would be the same.
Satisfied, it pressed on.
"How do you know our secrets?" Sogetsu's voice lowered, body coiled to strike at any breath.
"'Secrets'? Heh… only to you." Black Zetsu sounded utterly at ease, toying with his stance. "As for how I know… someone told me."
In truth it was only a clot of yin chakra—no flashy ninjutsu, barely any direct offense. The price bought near-immortality. Even most seals couldn't end it. A thousand years of hiding sharpened its teeth.
"Someone told you?" Sogetsu already knew the "answer," but he followed the script anyway.
"Want to know who?" It dangled another hook. "The Stone Tablet hides more than Mangekyō trivia. The secret there can overturn the ninja world. Want it, Uchiha Sogetsu?"
Riddlers are the worst. Worse still is knowing the story yet sitting through the scene. If only there were a skip button… Sogetsu shaped his features into keen curiosity. "What secret?"
"Heh. Answer my first question." Black Zetsu's smile widened, victory certain. "Do you crave power?"
Silence answered. Black Zetsu didn't hurry. It had time. Eternity, if needed.
"I want power," Sogetsu rasped at last, as if choosing cost him blood. "I want the Mangekyō."
Hooked.
The Uchiha were too easy. This move never failed.
"Legend says a 'god' dwells in the Mangekyō," it purred. "Two eyes. Two divine arts. Change the land with a glance. Rival a nation. I can help you awaken it—if you can pay the price."
Yes—there's always a price.
Sogetsu clenched his jaw. His face twisted with struggle, brow knotting like he wrestled himself raw inside.
"Hesitation is normal," Black Zetsu soothed, adding weight to the scales. "But the ninja world is cruel. The weak are meat. No one cares if you're 'right.' If you're strong enough, you change the rules."
"But…" Doubt flickered—perfectly staged.
"Then let me gift you one truth," it whispered, drifting close to murmur in his ear. "You know his name—the clan's strongest, the legend himself—Uchiha Madara. He's still alive."
Oh, wow. I'm so shocked.
Sogetsu's expression shattered on cue. "What did you say—Uchiha Madara? Impossible! He's… alive?!"
"Want to see?" Black Zetsu finally bared the knife. "Come with me. Use your own eyes."
Sogetsu stood "stunned," the name pounding in his skull. Co-founder of Konoha. Rival to Hashirama. The Uchiha's ultimate. A legend made flesh.
Beside that, Sannin and Five Kage were pebbles on the road.
"Come." Black Zetsu's grin stretched as it passed him, voice dripping lure. "Don't you want to behold the legend's aura for yourself?"
"I—" Sogetsu's foot slid forward… and stopped.
"What's wrong? Afraid?" It turned, needling him. "If that's your limit, give up now."
"What do you mean?"
"The Mangekyō doesn't bow to cowards."
The taunt hit its mark. The polite mask "tore."
"Who are you calling scared?!"
So green, Black Zetsu chuckled inwardly. One poke and you flare. That soft face fools the villagers—but not me.
It crooked a finger. "Then come, Uchiha Sogetsu."
"Where is he?" Sogetsu frowned. "I can't be gone long."
"No need." The smile sharpened. "Uchiha Madara waits in the Forest of Death."
Bold old man. Hiding under Konoha's lamp, life about spent, still playing games in the shadow of the village's woods. A shame, really—if not for the next step, tipping this to Hiruzen could have made things deliciously chaotic.
He shelved the thought and nodded. "Fine. I'll see this 'legend' for myself—Uchiha Madara."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios