"Whoa… the white-haired guy actually made a move!" a voice exclaimed, full of undisguised glee.
The speaker was none other than Shimizu's sworn enemy, White Zetsu—Tobi. He was currently peering into the distance, having clearly witnessed the sudden explosion of Lightning Release.
The poor "White Zetsu Tobi" who had been targeted by that surprise attack was likely as good as dead.
"Could it be that Madara's dirty trick is actually going to work?" Tobi muttered, disbelief creeping into his tone.
"At least it's more reliable than the idea you gave him," Black Zetsu replied flatly.
"Hey, that's slander," Tobi shot back immediately. "What was wrong with my suggestion? Think about it—if you kill off all of the white-haired guy's friends, he'll naturally fall into darkness, sink into despair, and start searching for even the faintest glimmer of light…"
"And then, as long as we show up at the right time—"
"He'd kill you first," Black Zetsu cut in.
"He doesn't even have proof that I was behind it. Why would he attack me?"
Black Zetsu's tone carried a hint of mockery. "You think he's the type to care about evidence?"
"How can he not? People should at least be reasonable!" Tobi protested.
"In this world, strength is the only real logic."
Come to think of it… whenever that white-haired guy attacked him, he never bothered with reason at all.
Why was it that humans always talked about being reasonable, yet solved everything with brute force?
"…Humans are way too complicated," Tobi sighed.
Black Zetsu gave him a suspicious look. "You really weren't human… were you?"
"I'd like to know that myself…" Tobi said helplessly. Then his thoughts shifted to the task Madara had given him. "By the way, if Madara's plan actually succeeds… wouldn't that be bad for us instead?"
After all, their objective was to eliminate Shimizu Uzuki, while Madara had set his sights on him, intending to bring him under his control.
Those goals clearly conflicted.
So why was Black Zetsu still having him fully cooperate with Madara's plan?
Tobi narrowed his eyes and immediately questioned him. "You're plotting something again, aren't you?"
"Madara can play however he likes… we'll just go along with it," Black Zetsu said indifferently.
"Huh? That's not how your script was written before, is it? When he wanted someone from the Uzumaki clan, you found one for him without hesitation. Then he asked for new Sharingan, and you satisfied that request too…"
Tobi didn't know exactly what Black Zetsu wanted from Madara, or what he intended Madara to accomplish.
But whatever it was, it definitely wasn't limited to these trivial matters. Logically, he shouldn't have entertained such distractions.
Yet when Madara acted outside the original plan, Black Zetsu didn't seem bothered at all. On the contrary, he repeatedly told Tobi to take those actions seriously.
Could it be that the current situation also suited Black Zetsu's intentions?
"The process of the script can change a little… as long as the final goal is achieved," Black Zetsu said calmly, as if everything was still under his control.
"…Fine, fine. You're the boss. Your call."
But then Black Zetsu suddenly asked, "Since when did you start caring so much about Madara's affairs?"
"Of course I care! I'm the one running around executing all these terrible ideas. You two just talk, but I'm the one wearing myself out doing the work, you know?!"
So that was it—he was venting his frustration from having to handle all the groundwork and cleanup for everything related to Madara.
"…Once he's done playing around and tastes failure again, he'll naturally return to the path I've laid out for him," Black Zetsu said.
"But what if he actually manages to pull something off?" Tobi's imagination kicked in, and he began laying it out enthusiastically. "Think about it—right now the Nine-Tails is rampaging, and Kumo and Konoha are united against a common enemy. Then, under the combined influence of the Nine-Tails' killing intent and Madara's Sharingan genjutsu, the white-haired guy defects and assassinates the Raikage…"
"That would definitely cause a split between Konoha and Kumo. Then, as the culprit, the white-haired guy would be forced by pressure to become a missing-nin. At that point, Madara appears at just the right moment, saves him from danger, and finally brings him under his control…"
"If the white-haired guy joins Madara, it won't be so easy for us to deal with him anymore."
"Because if he dies unexpectedly, not only could it affect Madara's own plans… but Madara would definitely suspect me—and eventually, he might even start suspecting you."
"So what do you think, Black Zetsu? Is there even a one-in-ten-thousand chance that things could play out like that?"
It sounded somewhat plausible, but Black Zetsu showed no concern at all for such a scenario. "There is no 'what if.'"
"Huh?! So you're looking down on Madara now?"
"I have never underestimated Madara. He is the only one capable of carrying out my plan."
"Oh? Then I guess you're the one underestimating the white-haired guy." Tobi let out a low whistle.
"In my eyes, Shimizu Uzuki is already a dead man."
"But he's not dead yet." Tobi pointed toward the distant burst of brilliant blue lightning. "Look at him—he's still jumping around just fine, and he's getting harder to deal with by the second."
"Madara once used Sharingan genjutsu on him. Although the suggestion failed at the time, it left behind a 'backdoor' that's only now beginning to take effect. Even if Shimizu Uzuki doesn't yet understand the root cause, he'll figure it out eventually."
"Do you really think someone like him, once he learns the truth, would willingly submit to Madara? That he'd serve him?"
Black Zetsu's meaning was clear. Once Shimizu Uzuki realized that his abnormal behavior had been caused by Madara's interference, he would only turn his blade against Madara and seek ruthless revenge.
He might very well become a missing-nin, but there was no way he would ever become Madara's pawn.
And if, by some slim chance, things did go otherwise, Black Zetsu would personally intervene—doing whatever it took to expose Madara's actions and reveal the truth to Shimizu Uzuki.
At that point, Madara and Shimizu Uzuki would become irreconcilable enemies, utterly incapable of coexisting.
So the idea of recruiting Shimizu Uzuki was nothing more than Madara's wishful thinking.
"…When you put it that way, it actually makes a lot of sense." Tobi rubbed his chin, as if struck by sudden realization. "Man, you're pretty ruthless, Black Zetsu."
As expected, Black Zetsu was the more insidious one—always setting people up behind the scenes.
Madara was still too naïve…
For a moment, Tobi found himself worrying about his own future. After all, he was effectively dealing with a tiger.
"Oh, right, Black Zetsu—we had an agreement. I help you accomplish your grand plan, and you'll keep your promise."
"You're worried I'd deceive you?" Black Zetsu asked.
"You're all master schemers, planning ten steps ahead. I'm not like that… I'm just the one doing the dirty work."
"You're not going to screw me over, are you?"
The bluntness of the question left Black Zetsu momentarily at a loss. He could only respond stiffly, "Why would I do that to you?"
"In that case… how about we merge?"
Black Zetsu didn't react at all.
Was that a refusal?
There was no way Black Zetsu would reject him.
He must be embarrassed.
"…So? Merge?" Tobi pressed again.
Still no response.
There was a saying—silence meant consent.
Could it be… that Black Zetsu had finally decided to face his true feelings and go along with them?
The thought made Tobi feel oddly shy.
"Tobi, what are you muttering to yourself about?" A deep male voice suddenly came from behind him. "What do you mean by 'merge'?"
...
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