Chapter 296: Exposing Black Zetsu
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
A meteor shower descended from the sky, covering the entirety of Konoha.
If that two-kilometre-wide meteorite had fallen directly to the ground, the resulting shockwave would have instantly destroyed the city of Konoha.
In comparison, Dan shattering the meteorite into countless fragments seemed like a better solution.
But it wasn't much better.
"Watch out above, the meteorites are falling!"
"Take cover under buildings, don't stay in open areas!"
"Help!"
Chaos erupted in Konoha, with screams and shouts echoing everywhere.
Boom, boom, boom!
The meteor shower rained down, piercing rooftops and windows, knocking over trees and power poles, and crushing villagers on impact.
In less than ten seconds, Konoha was riddled with holes, turning into a beehive.
Buzz.
Within the village, several towering Susanoo rose from the ground as Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan users stepped in, using their Susanoo to shield the villagers.
Kakashi's ANBU, along with Hiashi Hyuga's police force, moved through the meteor shower, risking their lives to rescue people.
The Four Kage of the ninja world, as well as Konoha's former Hokage, also used their abilities to save many villagers.
"Ora ora ora!"
The massive Star Platinum appeared in front of Marissa, shattering the falling meteorites one by one. It acted as a solid wall, protecting Marissa's mother and brother behind her.
Tsunade looked up at Dan in the sky and couldn't help but curse:
"That damn bastard, he obviously had better ways to stop this disaster, yet he chose the worst possible method."
"Dan might have his reasons…"
Samui instinctively defended her man.
Never mind.
At this moment, Tsunade couldn't bother to criticise Dan anymore. She refocused on Samui and said, "Come with me. Let's get you and your children to the shelter first, then we'll discuss it."
This meteor shower would undoubtedly result in an unimaginable number of casualties and injuries in Konoha.
Once Samui and her children were settled, Tsunade, as the head of Konoha's medical department, and her medical team would have their hands full.
"Looks like the situation isn't too bad."
In the air, Dan glanced down at Konoha and muttered to himself.
Dan could actually eliminate or move the meteorite to ensure no casualties and no injuries in the village.
However, even for him, it would come at a significant cost.
Dan couldn't accept that.
He wasn't the type of person like Minato Namikaze, willing to sacrifice his life without hesitation to save the village.
Qualities like nobility and selfless sacrifice had never been associated with Dan.
Under the premise of not harming himself, he had made what he considered the optimal solution.
At least the village was saved, right?
However, the more crucial reason Dan conserved his strength was that he had a tough battle ahead.
That fight would be the key.
Thinking this.
Dan looked into the distance, his Rinnegan vision extending to a hillside several kilometres outside Konoha.
The next second.
Whoosh.
Dan's figure instantly disappeared from his spot.
"Blasting the Tengai Shinsei with one punch, interesting."
Madara watched the meteorite in the distant sky shatter into countless pieces and fall towards Konoha, his usually cold face showing a hint of surprise for the first time.
"As expected of... Uchiha Dan."
Kisame swallowed hard, recalling the despairing and suffocating pressure he felt when facing Dan.
"What a pity."
Black Zetsu sighed.
If only Dan could be used by him. That man's body was the perfect sacrificial vessel, providing ample nourishment for his mother's perfect resurrection.
While the three had different expressions, an extremely dangerous presence suddenly descended.
Swish.
Dan appeared out of thin air above the hillside, surveying the three on the ground, his gaze settling on Madara, and then he spoke:
"So it was you."
Only Uchiha Madara could summon the Tengai Shinsei.
"He's here!"
The moment Kisame saw Dan, his hair stood on end, and he instinctively retreated into the forest.
Black Zetsu, equally startled, immediately sank into the ground, vanishing without a trace.
In the blink of an eye.
At the scene, only Madara and Dan were left.
They were the strongest of the Uchiha clan from two different eras, both having awakened the legendary Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths.
Their gazes met in mid-air.
Finally.
Madara retracted his Susanoo, crossed his arms, and spoke first:
"To be honest, when I heard that a Uchiha ninja had awakened the Rinnegan, I didn't believe it. No one knows better than I how difficult it is to obtain those eyes.
I didn't expect that even the Uchiha clan, who chose to bow down to Konoha, had someone who wasn't just a spineless weakling."
Back then.
Madara, feeling betrayed for not becoming Hokage, left Konoha in a rage, intending to lead the Uchiha clan away.
However, the clan, accustomed to a peaceful life, refused to follow their leader's words.
So Madara left in anger, no longer considering the Uchiha as his kin.
I have only seen this man named Uchiha Dan.
Even the usually arrogant Madara couldn't help but show a hint of admiration.
Just by having the same Rinnegan, Dan had earned Madara's attention.
In response to Madara's "compliment," Dan smiled. Since the other wanted to talk, he wasn't in a hurry to fight.
Fighting was so boring.
It was better to toy with Madara a bit.
To be precise, to toy with Madara and Black Zetsu, the old dog.
"You're pitiful."
Dan looked down at Madara with a tone of pity, starting to bait him.
"What do you mean?"
Madara's brows furrowed, his powerful aura exploding, and his eyes filled with killing intent, locking onto Dan.
How dare someone call him pitiful.
If Dan couldn't explain satisfactorily, Madara wouldn't hesitate to strike and kill him right here.
Madara would show Dan that even among Rinnegan wielders, there was a vast difference in power.
Seeing Madara take the bait, Dan's eyes flashed as he continued:
"That guy named Black Zetsu is your subordinate, right? To be precise, it's a manifestation of a part of your will, isn't it?"
Just as he finished speaking.
Whoosh.
Black Zetsu, who had vanished, suddenly re-emerged from the ground, speaking in a deep voice:
"Madara-sama, don't waste time talking to this Uchiha Dan. He's a notorious schemer, skilled in fabricating lies and manipulating people."
Sensing danger, Black Zetsu tried to intervene.
However, Black Zetsu's words only piqued Madara's curiosity.
"That's right, I created it. So what?"
Madara glanced at Black Zetsu, then indifferently questioned Dan.
"You're wrong."
Dan shook his head, revealing the truth, "It's not a product of your will. It deliberately made you believe you created it."
Upon hearing this, Black Zetsu's expression changed. Fortunately, it already had a black face, so it wasn't too obvious.
"You're spouting nonsense! Madara-sama, he's trying to sow discord between us. Don't listen to his nonsense," Black Zetsu hurriedly urged.
"Shut up."
Madara impatiently glared at Black Zetsu, then turned to Dan, intrigued, "Evidence? You don't expect me to believe such an absurd claim just because you said it, do you?"
Madara Uchiha was extremely arrogant.
After selecting Obito as his successor, he created Black Zetsu in front of Obito before his death, ensuring it would assist Obito and also serve as a means of monitoring him.
In creating Black Zetsu, Madara had felt secure enough to die.
And now, Dan was claiming that Black Zetsu wasn't his creation.
There was no way Madara would believe this.
But as Dan continued, Madara's confidence began to waver significantly.
"That's why I said you're pitiful, being used as a pawn without realizing it. Listen carefully, I have three things to tell you about Black Zetsu."
Dan looked at Madara with increasing pity and slowly raised three fingers.
"Speak."
Madara, barely containing his fury, wanted to hear just how absurd Dan's next statements would be.
Unexpectedly, the first thing Dan said shocked him.
"First, the White Zetsu you cultivated using the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue were actually buried underground more than a thousand years ago. They are humans from the ancient times who fell under the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Dan stared at Madara and slowly spoke.
Upon hearing this, the one most surprised wasn't Madara, but Black Zetsu.
It took two steps back in shock, its face filled with uncertainty.
Dan was completely correct.
Those White Zetsu were deliberately led to Madara by Black Zetsu, making him naively believe he had created them.
Fortunately, Madara appeared unmoved and seemed not to believe Dan.
"As I said before, where's the evidence? I'm losing my patience." He said coldly, ready to end the conversation and resort to force.
Dan didn't explain anything, nor did he address Madara's doubts. He continued his story:
"Speaking of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, the second matter concerns the tablet at the Naka Shrine.
Indeed, most of the tablet's contents are true, including the method to awaken the Rinnegan, which you and I have verified.
Except... the last part about the Eye of the Moon Plan. Black Zetsu deliberately added that after altering it to lure you into its trap."
"What are you saying? That tablet was left by the Sage of Six Paths, and only the Rinnegan can decode it. How could I have the ability to alter it?"
Black Zetsu interrupted Dan, defending itself in a deep voice and vehemently denying Dan's "slander."
At this moment.
Kisame emerged from the forest, no longer hiding.
The reason he worked for Tobi or Black Zetsu was because, as a ninja, he was tired of this false world and was attracted by the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi described by the two.
It was a new world without war, where everyone's dreams came true and where there was peace and beauty.
It was also Kisame's spiritual support.
So he cared deeply about the truth of this matter. If... it was all a lie, everything he had done so far would lose its meaning.
"I've heard enough of these boring lies."
Madara shook his head, still not believing Dan. As he raised his hands to form seals, immense chakra surged out of his body.
He was ready to act.
Dan remained unhurried, pointing a finger at Black Zetsu:
"Lastly, the true identity of this guy."
Upon hearing this, Madara paused his seal formation.
Black Zetsu, in a panic, quickly said to Madara:
"Madara-sama, I am the embodiment of your will; you know this better than anyone.
This Uchiha Dan is mixing lies with some truth to make you doubt me and achieve his goal of sowing discord.
Don't fall for it!"
What Black Zetsu never expected was that Madara said nothing, just stared intensely at Dan.
It seemed.
Dan had piqued his curiosity.
Dan no longer kept him in suspense, stared back at Madara, and revealed the final and most explosive piece of information:
"Black Zetsu is indeed the embodiment of someone's will, but that person is not you, but the previous Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, also the mother of the Sage of Six Paths—Kaguya Otsutsuki, known as the Progenitor of Chakra."
As these words were spoken.
Black Zetsu shuddered and took several steps back, unable to hide its inner panic despite its efforts to conceal it.
After all, Dan had exposed all its secrets.
Dan wasn't finished yet.
"Back then, the Sage of Six Paths and his brother defeated their mother together.
The two used the Chibaku Tensei to create the moon, sealing her body and dividing her chakra into nine parts, becoming the nine Tailed Beasts.
Black Zetsu is a consciousness separated from Kaguya Otsutsuki. It has been lurking in the Ninja World for over a thousand years, waiting to find a suitable sacrifice, manipulating them into becoming the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, and then using them to resurrect its mother at a critical moment.
Uchiha Madara, with the Rinnegan, you are the sacrificial pawn chosen by Black Zetsu."
Dan exposed Black Zetsu's entire conspiracy right in front of it, leaving nothing out.
Kaguya Otsutsuki, the Ten-Tails, Black Zetsu.
These keywords exploded in Madara's mind like thunder, constantly shaking his soul.
"You say I'm... a sacrifice?"
He spoke slowly, his eyes filled with an astonishing killing intent. He then glanced at Black Zetsu as if asking—
Is everything Dan said true?
It's over.
Black Zetsu's heart sank, realising that the situation was beyond salvage.
It also knew that no matter what it said, Madara would no longer believe it, as the seed of doubt had been planted in his heart.
Madara would use all means to extract the truth from it, and those means might be unbearable for Black Zetsu.
Damn it.
That damned Uchiha Dan had ruined its plans.
What terrified Black Zetsu the most was—how Dan knew all these things?
It had always believed itself to be the greatest manipulator in the Ninja World, deceiving everyone, but now it realised that Uchiha Dan had long seen through its secrets.
"I'm asking you, answer me, now!"
Madara's eyes glinted sharply as he barked at Black Zetsu.
"Hehehe."
Black Zetsu laughed, openly mocking and showing contempt for Madara.
At this point, it had no need to continue acting.
No more pretence.
(chapter ends.)