Black Zetsu reacted extremely quickly.
Almost the instant Katsu's words fell, his entire body suddenly shrank into the ground, turning into fine grains of soil as he frantically fled underground.
Katsu's eyes turned cold.
The next second, he quickly formed hand seals, his mouth already filled with Fire Release chakra.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A huge fireball carrying the force to destroy heaven and earth slammed into the ground where Black Zetsu had just appeared.
BOOM!
The violent explosion instantly sent smoke and shattered rocks flying into the sky, while the scorching wave of heat burned all the leaves around them.
The ground was blasted into a charred crater, flames flickering through the smoke.
However...
Black Zetsu's Hiding in Surface Technique was incredibly fast.
In the blink of an eye, that black shadow had completely disappeared into the deeper layers of earth, without leaving even a trace of residual chakra behind.
Katsu stood where he was, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Katsu?"
Senju Mio's voice came from behind.
She rushed over almost immediately, her face slightly pale as her hands instinctively grabbed his sleeve.
"What happened? Why did you suddenly use such a powerful Fire Release? What happened?", Senju Mio hurriedly asked.
Katsu did not answer immediately.
He only stared at the charred ground, remaining silent for a long time.
His thoughts were in a mess.
'Black Zetsu...'
'This world actually has Black Zetsu too.'
'Is he sent here by Lord Arisu?'
But after carefully sensing him, Black Zetsu did not possess that Mount Myoboku senjutsu aura that was familiar down to his bones.
There was no natural energy.
So... it should not be.
Perhaps, in this world without Arisu, Black Zetsu was nothing more than a rat hiding in the darkness.
Katsu slowly shook his head and gave Mio a calm smile. "It's nothing. There seemed to be something strange just now. I was only testing it."
He raised his head and looked toward the sky.
The sunlight was glaring.
Yet he was thinking...
'I wonder what Mount Myoboku without Arisu is like...'
After a few seconds of silence, Katsu withdrew his gaze and said softly to Mio, "It's getting late. I have to go back."
Senju Mio was clearly reluctant to part.
She stepped forward, gently hugged him, buried her face against his chest, and said in a muffled voice, "Then... we'll see each other again next time?"
Katsu raised his hand and touched her hair, his tone gentle. "We will."
The two eventually parted.
Mio left in the direction of the Senju clan, looking back at him from time to time.
After watching her leave, Katsu did not immediately return to the Uchiha clan grounds.
He turned around, his figure blending into the forest as he began searching everywhere.
The entrance to Mount Myoboku.
Having lived in the Pure Land for so long, he was not completely unfamiliar with Mount Myoboku.
At the very least, he clearly remembered that Senju He in his previous life had a pretty good relationship with Black Zetsu.
He had even often taken Senju He to Mount Myoboku to visit.
Perhaps he could also find a way to Mount Myoboku.
Katsu moved silently through the forest, the Sharingan slowly turning in his eyes.
Katsu traveled through the forest for a long time before finally discovering an inconspicuous small pool in a low-lying area concealed by vines and huge rocks.
The surface of the water was eerily still, reflecting the tree canopy and sky above without a single ripple.
He crouched down and slowly activated his Sharingan.
His blood-red pupils rotated as he tried to see through the truth beneath the surface.
However...
He could see nothing.
The Sharingan's perception completely failed here, as if it had been entirely cut off by an invisible force.
Katsu's pupils narrowed slightly, but the corners of his mouth lifted faintly.
He had found the right place.
Without hesitation, he went straight into the water.
The cold pool water instantly enveloped his body.
Katsu quickly formed hand seals, completing them entirely according to the sequence from his previous life's memories.
Arisu in this world was not the master of Mount Myoboku.
Therefore, the barrier and system here were naturally far less complete than in his previous life, with many more obvious flaws.
Katsu silently recited in the water, "Summoning Jutsu."
The next second... White smoke suddenly erupted.
When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had completely changed.
A huge, primitive and wild forest full of life stretched out before him.
Towering ancient trees rose into the clouds, while the air was filled with such dense natural energy that it was almost condensed into a tangible substance, the power of senjutsu.
This place was different from before. There were no tall buildings and hardly any signs of modernization.
Everything was still in its most primitive state.
Katsu stood there, his face showing a trace of emotion.
How advanced Mount Myoboku had been in his previous life. Yet now it was in such an undeveloped state...
This made him even more certain of his judgment.
If Arisu existed, Mount Myoboku absolutely could not be like this.
His figure flashed, and he began quickly moving through this primitive forest.
Before long, several sharp chakra signatures locked onto him.
"Stop!"
Two young toads appeared at the same time, blocking his path.
The one on the left, with slightly darker skin and a serious expression, was Fukasaku. The one on the right, with a somewhat rounder body and sharp eyes, was Shima.
Katsu stopped and looked at these two familiar faces, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
He remembered clearly from his previous life that one worked in Mount Myoboku's historical records department, while the other worked in the intelligence department.
But what were they doing in this life?
He did not give them a chance to ask anything and spoke coldly, "Take me to meet your Great Immortal."
At this moment, Katsu was almost certain...
Arisu did not exist.
If Arisu really existed, given his personality, he absolutely would not have allowed him to break in here so easily.
He would probably have been warned, or even directly erased, the moment he first had the thought.
And now, he was standing here.
Fukasaku and Shima were both stunned for a moment.
The two young toads instinctively exchanged glances, obvious surprise and wariness flashing in their eyes.
'This human... seems very familiar with Mount Myoboku?'
Not only did he know that there was a "Great Immortal" here, even the tone he used sounded as if he knew this place like the back of his hand.
Katsu looked at them calmly, his gaze almost completely fearless.
Thanks to the abilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan, he was not afraid of being killed.
Even if he were completely overwhelmed at this moment, as long as his eyes remained, he still had a chance to turn things around.
Unless the opponent was Arisu.
Fukasaku's expression darkened first, his voice stern. "The Great Immortal of Mount Myoboku is not someone you can see just because you want to!"
Shima immediately followed, her tone equally hostile. "Human, leave while you still can. Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude."
Hearing this, Katsu gave a light cold laugh.
"In that case..."
He raised his hand, his fingertips slowly curling as chakra began quietly circulating within his body.
"Then I'll force my way in."
The instant his words fell, his entire aura suddenly changed.
At this moment, Katsu was frantically testing the waters.
If he could really confirm with absolute certainty that Mount Myoboku's strength was not very great, then he could force his way inside and make them teach him senjutsu.
With the Mangekyo, he was not afraid of being turned to stone by senjutsu.
Even if they forcefully poured natural energy into his body, he had a way to use the power of his eyes to resist it by force, or even turn it back on them.
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged glances, a trace of gravity flashing through their eyes at the same time.
This human did not look very old, yet he already dared to say the words "force my way in" on Mount Myoboku's territory.