Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 178: Moon
"Where are we going?" Madara asked for the second time. He was tired of walking without knowing where they were headed.
He was still following Raiken and not far behind them, Black Zetsu had also followed silently without being invited, maintaining a safe distance from Madara and Raiken.
"Looks like Zetsu is curious too," Raiken said, not bothering to look back.
"I should kill that traitor right now," Madara replied. He had wanted to kill Black Zetsu, but Raiken had stopped him.
"Relax," Raiken said. "You might actually like where we're going."
Madara huffed and stayed quiet, focusing on the path ahead instead of the dark figure following them. He understood why Raiken had stopped him from killing Black Zetsu. Black Zetsu was their link to Kaguya, and that connection was more valuable than revenge.
Honestly, Raiken hadn't told Madara the whole truth.
He wanted to kill Black Zetsu himself. Because of Zetsu, so many people had died in the war, maybe even millions, though he couldn't be sure.
But he held back because he had a feeling that if they tried to kill Black Zetsu, the creature might escape. That would make it harder to negotiate with Kaguya Otsutsuki later.
He also suspected that Black Zetsu was connected to Kaguya's Karma power.
Every Otsutsuki had something called a Karma, a tattoo-like seal that could be implanted into someone, slowly changing their DNA and turning them into an Otsutsuki. Black Zetsu was created at the last moment. It was Kaguya's final act before she was sealed, pouring her remaining power into something that could help her escape.
Black Zetsu might not even be a real person. It could just be the physical result of Kaguya's last act, a clone of her. That would explain why killing it felt wrong. You couldn't destroy a Karma by attacking its surface; you had to trace it back to its source, which was sealed on the moon.
He believed Black Zetsu didn't have a soul. It was just the last bit of Kaguya's power, unlike White Zetsu, who did have a soul.
If he remembered right, the Naruto plot was a bit messy. Unlike Attack on Titan, where the author planned the ending from the start, Naruto's story wasn't as clear.
In fact, Naruto was developed based on reader and fan reactions. For example, at first Itachi was a villain and the only one with Susanoo, but later that changed and he became a dark hero.
Kaguya Otsutsuki was introduced because Madara was too strong for Naruto and Sasuke to beat. Even though Kaguya was overpowered, she fought awkwardly.
So by that logic, Black Zetsu might just be a clone of Kaguya.
If Kaguya became their ally, having her knowledge and a DNA sample from the Otsutsuki Clan would make the next war against them easier.
After ten minutes, Raiken finally stopped in front of a strange stone.
"What is this?" Madara asked as he studied the stone.
"The path to the moon," Raiken replied, raising a finger toward the sky where the moon hung above.
Madara looked at the moon, then at the stone, and finally at Raiken.
"The moon," he repeated slowly. "Why are we going to the moon?"
"I told you about Hagoromo and Hamura," Raiken said. "After they sealed their mother, Hamura left Earth and made the moon his home. His descendants have lived there ever since, and we're going to visit them."
Madara stared at him for several seconds.
Then Madara closed his mouth, which had been hanging open, and gave a slow nod.
"Fine," Madara said, agreeing to visit Hamura's descendants.
Behind them, Black Zetsu's eyes shifted from the stone formation to the moon above. His mother was sealed inside the moon.
.....
Author Notes: This book has completed, you can read the ending on my patreon.
-patreon.com/zorojurown