Suppressing his doubts, Black Zetsu followed the direction indicated by Fukasaku, weaving through the bluestone paths in the forest, turning left and right, until he finally arrived in front of the Sage Hall.
He raised his hand toward the White Zetsu standing by and said, "Please inform the Great Sage that Black Zetsu has returned and requests an audience."
White Zetsu bowed in acknowledgment, but before he could even speak...
A steady and familiar voice came from inside the hall, echoing leisurely through the chamber, carrying a hint of gentle amusement, "Is that Black Zetsu? No need to report. Just come in."
Hearing that familiar and composed voice, a long-lost wave of emotion surged within Black Zetsu. After being apart for decades, this voice still filled him with both reverence and closeness.
He steadied himself and stepped into the Sage Hall.
The first thing he saw when he looked up was Arisu seated high on the immortal platform, dressed in flowing green robes, an ethereal aura surrounding him, his presence even more unfathomable than before.
Shifting his gaze slightly, he saw Otsutsuki Kaguya seated on a nearby seat.
"Greetings, Great Sage."
Black Zetsu quickly bowed, but just as his words fell...
His mind suddenly shook violently.
'Wait! Who!?'
'Who did I just see?!'
'Kaguya!?'
'Wasn't she sealed away?'
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The figure he had glimpsed earlier became completely clear.
Black Zetsu suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with extreme shock and confusion, staring fixedly at Kaguya, unable to recover for a long time.
Arisu took in his loss of composure completely, a smile curling at the corner of his lips as he said teasingly, "What's wrong, Black Zetsu? You greet me but not your mother first?"
Kaguya merely glanced at Black Zetsu indifferently, her expression calm, not saying a single word.
To her, Black Zetsu had never been a blood-related child, just a manifestation of her will, a tool created to revive herself.
Her feelings toward Black Zetsu weren't even as deep as what she felt for Arisu.
Black Zetsu was completely thrown into confusion. He looked blankly at Arisu, then at Kaguya, his voice somewhat stiff, "Sage, this… what is going on?"
Arisu leisurely peeled the orange in his hand while joking, "Kaguya, even you're not greeting him? Black Zetsu was the most important step in your revival plan back then."
Kaguya curled her lips, looking at Arisu with slight annoyance, "Now, hasn't Black Zetsu already become your man?"
Only after saying that did she turn her head to look at Black Zetsu, her tone flat as she instructed, "Black Zetsu, from now on, don't cause trouble for Arisu anymore."
Hearing this, Black Zetsu's expression tightened.
Deep down, he felt secretly relieved.
Luckily, over these years, he hadn't stubbornly clung to the plan of reviving Kaguya. If he had insisted back then, now he would instead be blamed by Kaguya for causing trouble for Arisu.
Just thinking about it made him unable to hold it together.
If he had gone through countless hardships to revive Kaguya, and instead of thanking him, she scolded him, "Why are you causing trouble for Arisu?!"
Black Zetsu immediately bowed respectfully and replied, "Understood!"
Watching this scene, Arisu couldn't help but chuckle.
He knew best that Kaguya had long grown extremely indifferent to familial bonds. Her two sons, Hagoromo and Hamura, had disappointed her completely.
As for Black Zetsu, this incarnation of her will, she only saw him as a tool, with not even the slightest trace of motherly affection.
"Ah, a mother and child meeting should be a happy occasion. Why make it so stiff, like ruler and subject, so distant?"
As he spoke, Arisu stepped down from the immortal platform, broke off a segment of the peeled orange and handed it to Kaguya, then gave another segment to Black Zetsu, stuffing the rest into his own mouth.
"Thank you, Sage."
Black Zetsu accepted it with both hands and began to eat it lightly.
Arisu looked at him and spoke gently, "Black Zetsu, you handled this trip to the human world very well. I am very satisfied."
"You have directly passed the Sage assessment. Your white robe and credentials will be sent to you by White Zetsu. Go back and rest well."
"Thank you, Sage!"
Black Zetsu's face instantly filled with joy. Compared to unexpectedly seeing Kaguya, the good news of passing the assessment and officially advancing made him far more excited.
He immediately bowed and took his leave, turning to exit the hall.
After Black Zetsu left, Kaguya looked at the smile Arisu couldn't quite hide and spoke softly, "You seem quite happy today."
Arisu smiled faintly and replied, "You noticed?"
Naturally, he was happy.
Now that he had already uncovered the secrets of the Otsutsuki spacetime treasure, finding Isshiki's alternate dimension was only a matter of time.
With Kaguya's chakra as a medium, he could freely enter and exit her Amenominaka space. Once he found the small Ten-Tails, combined with the Dragon Vein chakra, he could cultivate a new chakra fruit.
Even if the Ten-Tails required a sacrifice, Hamura's remains were still there. Not to mention that Gamamaru was accelerating biological research... by then, recreating an Otsutsuki body wouldn't be difficult.
Arisu put away his smile, his gaze settling on Kaguya as he slowly asked, "But you, Kaguya... when you heard that Black Zetsu had returned, your expression hasn't looked very good. Why is that?"
"…Sigh."
A soft sigh escaped Kaguya's lips. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of unmistakable loneliness crossed her face.
She raised her eyes to look at Arisu, her Byakugan now filled with genuine reluctance.
"Back then, you said that once Black Zetsu returned, you would send me back. Now that he's really back… does that mean I should leave?"
Hearing this, Arisu's brow lifted slightly.
He did remember.
In truth, he should have sealed Kaguya away long ago, back when he obtained the Otsutsuki spacetime treasure.
But he hadn't.
He needed Kaguya's power to help him explore the Otsutsuki alternate dimensions. He didn't want to fumble around blindly in Kaguya's space like Sasuke did in Boruto.
"What? You don't want to leave?"
Arisu slowed his tone, his gaze fixed on Kaguya.
Kaguya nodded heavily, her fingers lightly gripping the corner of her clothes.
"I want to stay here. I don't want to return to that muddled, sealed place, and I don't want to be a restrained shell again."
She paused, then looked at Arisu, a hint of sly insight flashing in her eyes.
"Besides, you would never let me go. You need me to deal with the future attacks of the Otsutsuki clan, don't you?"
Arisu nodded slightly, then waved his hand casually, admitting frankly, "Since you've already seen through it, just keep it in your heart. No need to say it out loud."
Looking at his candid expression, Kaguya took advantage of his seemingly good mood and felt like teasing him a bit.
She first smiled faintly, then leaned in a little closer, speaking half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Hagoromo is your disciple, Indra is your disciple, and now even Black Zetsu has become your subordinate."
Kaguya slowly raised her slender finger and gently tapped her cheek, the smile on her lips deepening.
"You've turned my son into your person, and you've taken my grandson under your command too. Now… do you also want to turn me into your person?"
The moment these words came out, Arisu's expression instantly turned cold.
He naturally understood the implication behind Kaguya's words.
"Heh, Kaguya, don't try to be clever with me here."
Arisu let out a cold laugh. "Do not cross the line. The fact that you can stay here is already my mercy."
After saying that, Arisu directly dismissed Kaguya.