Black Zetsu immediately infiltrated Konoha.
This was effortless for him, no one could sense his presence.
Arriving at the Uchiha Compound, he entered the underground of the Kaga Shrine and found the Uchiha Stone Tablet.
This was the Stone Tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, one of the few things the Sage left for Indra’s lineage.
It recorded the method to awaken Rinnegan, as well as the method to bring peace to the Shinobi World.
The so-called method of peace was to use “love.” This “love” was not romantic love in the narrow sense, but benevolence.
Black Zetsu had altered this portion of the content to read “Infinite Tsukuyomi” centuries ago.
Black Zetsu restored the Stone Tablet’s inscription, reverting it to preach peace through “love and mutual understanding.”
“This method contradicts Madara’s ideals.
He will never follow this approach.”
Black Zetsu had observed Madara for decades, his understanding of the man’s temperament matched Madara’s own self-knowledge.
“The means to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi must fall into Madara’s hands.”
Black Zetsu prepared to leave Konoha Village to set the next phase of his plan in motion.
Halfway there, he spotted a Ninja Tool Manufacturing Factory at the village edge.
“Hmm…”
In the ninja world, most attention focused on Tenji of the Land of Ancestors.
Madara, however, fixated on the legend’s latter half: the Rabbit Goddess using the Infinite Tsukuyomi to create a million soldiers.
Madara knew of the Tsukuyomi, it was an exclusive genjutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Over a thousand years, very few within the Uchiha Clan could cast the Tsukuyomi, yet records of it remained.
But what was the Infinite Tsukuyomi?
An enhanced version?
“Is this the truth from a thousand years ago?” Madara asked.
“More or less,” Yang replied.
Madara fell into deep thought.
After a long pause, he spoke.
“The Uchiha Clan’s records should mention it.”
The Uchiha ancestor was Indra.
The era between Indra and Kaguya Otsutsuki spanned mere decades, it was impossible for no records to exist.
These accounts would certainly have passed down into the Uchiha Clan’s Ancient Texts.
His mind made up, Madara said, “Yang, pack up.
We’re heading out.”
“Where to?” Yang asked.
Madara’s voice carried hidden weight.
“To find clues of the forgotten era.”
Over the centuries, the Uchiha Clan had migrated everywhere, their traces littered the ninja world.
Madara intended to hunt down potentially lost Ancient Texts to verify history from a millennium ago.
If he could obtain content related to Rinnegan from them, all the better.
Packed and ready, Madara set out on his archaeological journey once again.
That night, Kakuzu rested in his bedroom.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
He hurled a kunai into the shadows.
*Swip!*
A dark figure caught the weapon and stepped into the light.
It was Black Zetsu.
Physical attacks were meaningless against him.
“Who are you!” Kakuzu demanded, his voice tight.
Time to test his acting skills again.
He was well-practiced.
From Tobirama and Hashirama to even Madara, heavyweights who held immense sway over the ninja world had all fallen for his performance.
“Don’t be so tense,” Black Zetsu said, his tone relaxed.
“Kakuzu.” This story is hosted at g.com.
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, feigning surprise.
“You actually know my true identity!”
Black Zetsu had survived in the ninja world for a thousand years and possessed vast intelligence.
Knowing his identity was expected, the surprise was mostly an act.
In reality, Kakuzu overestimated Black Zetsu’s knowledge.
Black Zetsu knew many things, but he was no god.
For instance, he initially had no idea about Kakuzu’s identity.
But Kakuzu had once used the Earth Grudge Fear right in front of him.
Black Zetsu happened to know that Takigakure possessed this secret technique, so he followed the trail and uncovered Kakuzu’s identity.
To con someone, you first had to intimidate them.
Black Zetsu understood this principle well.
“You wanted the Earth Grudge Fear that could grant immortality,” Black Zetsu continued.
“After killing the higher-ups of Takigakure, you stole the technique and became a Rogue Ninja of Takigakure.
Am I right?”
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes.
“Since you know my alias, it’s not strange that you know this.”
He said the words, but his mind raced.
‘Black Zetsu’s intelligence isn’t is missing the important catalyst.
It completely lacks any mention of the assassination attempt on Hashirama.’
‘Does he not know?
Or is he deliberately not mentioning it?’
Doubtful, Kakuzu decided to proceed with caution.
If a conflict broke out, he wouldn’t fear it.
After all, the Black Zetsu from the canon timeline had very average combat power, without possessing a White Zetsu, his fighting ability was even worse.
“Why would someone like you even appear before me?” Kakuzu studied Black Zetsu’s expression, though all he saw was a patch of pitch black.
Black Zetsu smiled.
“Someone like me?
In your eyes, what kind of person am I?”
He skipped past Kakuzu’s origins, smoothly shifting to the next topic.
That told Kakuzu one thing: Black Zetsu was fishing for another leverage.
It made sense.
Black Zetsu spent most of his energy monitoring Hashirama and Madara.
Kakuzu was merely an inconspicuous minor character in the shinobi world, so naturally, Black Zetsu paid him no attention.
The information gathered using the Earth Grudge Fear as a clue contained numerous holes.
Yet what Black Zetsu stated was the accepted truth among Takigakure’s higher-ups.
So Black Zetsu believed it to be the truth as well.
The real truth?
Other than Kakuzu himself, not a single soul in this world knew it.
Using this fragmented knowledge to fool Kakuzu exposed a massive flaw.
But nothing could be assumed with absolute certainty.
If Black Zetsu knew the truth and deliberately spun a lie, every deduction above collapsed.
In that case, Black Zetsu was an master of acting.
Either way, this was an old monster who had existed for over a thousand years, Kakuzu had to stay on guard.
Kakuzu kept his guard up.
“I don’t know who you are.”
Black Zetsu nodded.
“To keep the conversation going, it seems I have no choice but to explain my identity.”
A secret like that would only surface at the very last moment, there was no way he would just say it out loud.
“The earth beneath your human feet is me,” Black Zetsu said.
“What?” Kakuzu froze.
“What I mean is, I am the will of this planet.”
Kakuzu stared blankly.
Black Zetsu really knew how to play games.
In canon, he had disguised himself as the will of Madara, now, right in front of Kakuzu, he posed as the Will of the Planet.
The absurdity nearly made Kakuzu laugh out loud.
Of course, over twenty years of ninja experience had trained Kakuzu to keep his emotions completely hidden.
If an expression ever crossed his face, it concealed an ulterior motive.
Seeing Kakuzu freeze, Black Zetsu assumed he had succeeded and laughed mentally.
After all, in Black Zetsu’s eyes, Kakuzu was just a ninja who loved making money.
His mindset matched everyone else’s in this era, so deceiving him would not be difficult.
An ancient being trying to trick another ancient using that ancient’s own understanding of history usually enjoyed a high success rate.
Too bad the latter was a Transmigrator.
Black Zetsu might have fooled the canon Kakuzu, but this Kakuzu was different.
Even without cheats, a Transmigrator’s mindset in this quasi-medieval society made him a unique existence.
“How do you prove you are the Will of the Planet?” Kakuzu deliberately feigned skepticism.
Given his persona, he could not simply believe.
Black Zetsu had anticipated this.
He casually recited a few events occurring in the other major nations.
Intelligence traveled slowly in the current shinobi world, the events Black Zetsu mentioned would only be verified days later.
“I will come to you again.”
Black Zetsu knew a single meeting was not enough to recruit Kakuzu.
After leaving an impression, he departed Konoha.
Kakuzu stared in the direction Black Zetsu had gone, lost in thought.
Mentally, he laughed like mad.
‘Black Zetsu knew Madara wouldn’t be easily fooled, so he wanted to switch to a different pawn to assist…
Bold move.
A thousand years of wisdom is not to be underestimated, but coming to me of all people…
Hahaha…’
On the other side, after leaving Konoha, Black Zetsu arrived at the location of the Uchiha Clan Compound from a thousand years ago.
A millennium ago, Indra lost his battle against Ashura and fell off a cliff.
A woman saved him, and later, he started a family with her.
Three generations later, their descendants multiplied, gradually establishing the Uchiha Clan.
“Indra’s only descendants are the Uchiha, while Ashura’s descendants include the Senju and the Uzumaki.
This is ‘love’.”
Standing on the ruins of the compound, Black Zetsu smiled.
He then found records Indra had left for his descendants within the ruins.
Words carved into a Stone Tablet lay fragmented.
The Uchiha hadn’t taken them when they migrated, and they had lain dormant here ever since.
“It even mentions the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Indra, that brat, investigated a lot behind my back.” Black Zetsu glanced at the Stone Tablet and sneered in disdain.
Hagoromos never told Indra about the era of Kaguya.
Yet, through mere fragments and clues, Indra had uncovered most of the truth.
That intellect alone was terrifying.
“But in the end, these will just become my tools.”
Black Zetsu chuckled darkly, added a few lines to the Stone Tablet’s records, and left behind the method to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
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