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Senju Tsuru looked at Black Zetsu. Years of confusion showed in his cloudy eyes. Finally, he asked the question he had kept inside for so long.
Black Zetsu looked at the old man on the couch. Tsuru was so weak that even breathing seemed difficult, but he still wanted answers. Black Zetsu sighed quietly and said, "Fate... Personally, I do believe it exists somewhere in the unseen flow of things. But once a strong enough force interferes, fate can be changed with ease."
"A strong enough force? You mean power?"
Tsuru frowned. He looked thoughtful.
Black Zetsu decided to explain as simply as possible.
"Think about an ant. Rain, changing seasons, and finding food are all part of its fate. But if something stronger steps in, everything changes. You could put the ant in a box, give it food, or crush it with one finger. To the ant, that would be fate it could never fight."
Tsuru became silent.
Black Zetsu's words were simple, maybe even blunt. After a moment, Tsuru understood. A relieved smile appeared on his wrinkled face.
"So, Sage, I am that ant. The reason I was able to change my fate is because some powerful force interfered with my life, correct?"
Tsuru raised his eyes and looked at Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu did not answer. His silence was answer enough.
"Then who was it?"
Tsuru's eyes filled with interest. "I need to thank him myself. Truly, I ought to kneel at least once."
After spending half his life chasing this answer, he wanted to know where that unseen protection had come from. If possible, he wanted to meet that person.
Black Zetsu shook his head. His voice was steady, but there was a hint of helplessness. "That, I really cannot tell you."
"Hahaha..."
Tsuru laughed instead.
After so many years together, he knew Black Zetsu's nature well. If Black Zetsu would not talk, there must be a reason he could not share.
"So there is still a Sage above the Sage."
Tsuru stroked his white beard and teased him.
Black Zetsu was not upset. He spoke quietly, "There are always people stronger than others. Stop chasing big answers and focus on what is right in front of you. Sometimes, knowing too much only makes you less happy."
"True enough!"
Tsuru nodded firmly and rubbed his thin fingers over his beard, clearly agreeing.
........
"Shinobi Year 310. Senju Tsuru passed away at the age of one hundred. His lifespan was so long that even the Uzumaki Clan, known for their vitality, could not help but respect it."
A faint wind swept dust across the mountaintop.
Black Zetsu stood there quietly, looking back at the Senju Clan grounds below.
He had spent decades with the Senju Clan, but compared to his own long life, those years were not very many.
Still, the years he spent guiding Senju Tsuru from an unknown to clan leader, helping him steady the clan and change the Shinobi world, felt especially real. Those memories left a mark on him.
"I wonder how Fukasaku will record this part of history. When I get back, I must take a look."
Black Zetsu murmured.
He did not leave immediately.
Instead, he sat on the mountaintop and looked out for a long while. His eyes lingered on the Senju Clan grounds, then moved over the mountains and fields, taking in the shinobi world one last time.
"What will this land look like a few hundred years from now?"
His murmur disappeared into the wind.
Only then did he rise, turn around, and leave.
After spending so long in the shinobi world, seeing clan conflicts, schemes, betrayals, and endless ambition, Black Zetsu felt that the outside world was not nearly as interesting as he had once imagined.
But one concern still weighed heavily on his heart.
"I need to go back and remind the Great Sage. The shinobi world really is one rotten mess..."
In the past, when he worked with Fukasaku to compile history, the suffering of ordinary people existed only on paper. Terms like "people eating one another" and "the people have no way to live" had been nothing more than cold phrases written with ink.
But after living with Senju Tsuru, helping him govern, and seeing the world up close, Black Zetsu finally understood the truth behind those words. The shinobi world's foundation was already badly decayed.
Even under the strong Senju Clan, life was still hard. For people without a clan to protect them, things were even worse.
If this chaos kept going, the shinobi world would become a real hell before long. He needed to report what he had seen and make the Great Sage notice.
Black Zetsu moved, sank into the earth, and used the Summoning Technique to return to Mount Myōboku.
When he landed, he was on a quiet path near the foot of the mountain. The sight in front of him left him frozen in surprise.
Warm yellow streetlights lined the mountain road. Silver utility poles ran through the forest like a web. In the distance, railway tracks crossed the land, and deeper in the mountains, tall buildings rose up among busy construction.
The smell of steel and concrete mixed with the scent of mountain grass and trees. This was no longer the old, quiet, sage-filled Mount Myōboku he remembered.
"This... really changed a lot."
Black Zetsu murmured as he looked over the unfamiliar scene. Still stunned, he stepped onto the stone path next to him.
"I clearly remember Mount Myōboku looking nothing like this. In just these years, it has changed this much?"
Just as Black Zetsu continued forward, a familiar figure suddenly leapt out from the shadows beside the path. A hearty laugh rang out at once.
"Well, well! Black Zetsu, it really is you! You're finally back! We've been waiting so long our eyes nearly dried out!"
Black Zetsu looked up and recognized him. He smiled warmly, stepped forward, and teased, "After all these years, I missed you too. But your eyebrows are even whiter now, aren't they? Has running Mount Myōboku alone tired you out?"
"It's been manageable. Besides, now that you're back, you can finally help share the load."
Fukasaku Sage waved a hand.
Black Zetsu looked around again, noticing all the new and strange buildings. He sounded curious. "Still, Mount Myōboku has changed so much. Did Gamamaru invent even more odd things while I was away?"
Fukasaku nodded repeatedly, then hurried him along. "Yes, and that story is far too long to explain in a few sentences. The Great Sage is waiting for you in the main hall right now. You should go report to him first."
Black Zetsu felt his heart tighten. He did not wait. "Good. I'll go now."
But as soon as he finished speaking, Fukasaku reached out and stopped him. A knowing smile appeared on his face.
"Wait, Black Zetsu. There is someone else waiting to meet you too, someone you would never expect."
Black Zetsu raised an eyebrow, his heart filling with confusion.
When Black Zetsu left Mount Myōboku, Kaguya had not yet appeared, so he knew nothing about that matter. He assumed this was some new figure who had joined the mountain during his absence.
He scratched his head and said with a smile, "Oh? Now I'm really curious."
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