"Black Zetsu?!"
Obito froze, then asked in disbelief:
"You're saying everything on the Uchiha stone tablet… is just a lie created by Black Zetsu?!"
"But isn't Black Zetsu supposed to be the embodiment of Madara's will?!"
Obito had always been wary of Black Zetsu—but only because he believed it was Madara's will made manifest.
He never imagined—
That Black Zetsu was the true mastermind.
That even Madara himself… was just a pawn.
This completely overturned everything he thought he knew.
Ren nodded.
"Black Zetsu is the embodiment of someone's will."
"But not Madara's."
"It belongs to the legendary Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
"…Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?!"
Obito's mind reeled.
He knew of the Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—an ancient figure said to have once ruled the world.
But beyond that—
Nothing.
This was the first time he had even heard her full name.
"Wait!"
Something clicked.
"You said my arrogance resembles the Ōtsutsuki… and that I carry their blood…"
"…Does that mean—?"
Ren nodded.
"You're right."
"The Sage of Six Paths' true name is Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki—Kaguya's son."
"And he had a younger brother—Hamura Ōtsutsuki, ancestor of the Hyūga Clan."
Obito stood stunned.
"…How do you even know all this?"
Ren tapped his eye.
"I told you—my eyes can trace origins."
"As long as something existed, it leaves traces."
"With enough traces—I can reconstruct the past."
"And with enough information—I can infer possible futures."
Obito stared at him, a hint of envy flashing through his eyes.
"…What an incredible ability."
If he had such eyes—
Maybe things would have been different.
But he quickly steadied himself.
"So what you see is only possibility, not certainty."
Ren narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Of course."
"The future is never fixed."
"It's like grains of sand—endlessly branching."
"All I can do is guide it."
He paused, then added casually:
"Do you remember sparring with Kakashi?"
"I once observed the possible outcomes."
"I analyzed 14,000,604 possible futures."
Obito swallowed.
"…And?"
Ren raised one finger.
"You won once."
Silence.
"That's the gap."
"Kakashi had near-infinite margin for error."
"You… didn't."
"…Was that really necessary?" Obito muttered.
Ren waved it off.
"Back to the point."
"Even Hagoromo and Hamura didn't know this—"
"Kaguya had a third child."
Obito stiffened.
"…Don't tell me…"
"Yes," Ren said calmly. "Black Zetsu."
"Though… she didn't exactly get it right."
"…Explain everything."
Obito's voice was tense.
Ren continued:
"It all begins with the Ōtsutsuki Clan—an extraterrestrial race."
"They travel in pairs across the cosmos, seeking worlds with life."
"They plant a Divine Tree, which absorbs a planet's life force and produces a chakra fruit."
"By consuming it—they evolve."
Obito's expression changed.
"The Ten-Tails…?"
Ren nodded.
"The Ten-Tails is the Divine Tree's seed."
"The reason they travel in pairs…"
"Is because the Ten-Tails requires an Ōtsutsuki sacrifice to mature into a Divine Tree."
"One becomes the offering."
"The other guards the process."
"And in this case—"
"Kaguya was meant to be the sacrifice."
Obito understood immediately.
"…Something went wrong."
Ren continued:
"Yes."
"Although Ōtsutsuki can resurrect using a method called Karma, Kaguya betrayed her partner—Isshiki Ōtsutsuki."
"She caught him off guard—"
"And fed him to the Ten-Tails instead."
"After that… she stayed on this world."
"But peace didn't follow."
"The Ōtsutsuki Clan would eventually come looking."
"Kaguya feared that day."
"So she prepared."
"She consumed the chakra fruit—gaining immense power."
"She became the origin of chakra on this world."
"She ruled as the Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
"She created her sons—Hagoromo and Hamura—to fight beside her."
"And…"
"She cast a limited Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"To turn humans into White Zetsu—a disposable army."
"…Wait."
Obito's face darkened.
"You're saying Infinite Tsukuyomi… turns people into White Zetsu?"
"Yes."
Obito's expression twisted.
He knew White Zetsu all too well.
His own body—
Was partially made from it.
And Madara's base housed thousands of them.
So all those White Zetsu—
Were once human?
The realization hit hard.
Ren continued:
"Kaguya knew White Zetsu alone wasn't enough."
"They could only delay the Ōtsutsuki."
"So she didn't convert everyone—only those who resisted her."
"Her true hope… was her sons."
"But she made a fatal mistake."
"She treated humans as insects."
"And her sons… as tools."
"She told them nothing."
"But her sons weren't like her."
"They grew up in this world."
"They saw humans as companions—not livestock."
"So when they discovered the truth—"
"They turned against her."
Obito frowned.
"…They betrayed their own mother?"
Ren shook his head.
"To them—"
"She wasn't a mother."
"She was a tyrant."
"In the end, they fought for months."
"And sealed Kaguya within the moon."
"But before being sealed—"
"She created Black Zetsu."
"To free her one day."
"And the Infinite Tsukuyomi—"
"Is the key to her revival."
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