Chapter 519: Black Zetsu's "Sincere" Proposal
Land of Whirlpools, Snake Den Village.
In the underground base of Snake Den Village, Orochimaru was adapting to his new body.
That's right: it was the body of Hyuga Meian.
This wasn't the first time Orochimaru had changed bodies, but it was by far the smoothest. Before Orochimaru entered Hyuga Meian's body, Meian's soul was already in tatters.
Therefore, Hyuga Meian's body offered no resistance to Orochimaru's soul.
After entering the body, Orochimaru adapted slightly and then began a new experiment.
Orochimaru injected Kimimaro Kaguya's cells into this new body.
Kimimaro Kaguya and Hyuga Meian. One from the Kaguya clan, representing the Sage's Body of Hamura Ōtsutsuki; one from the Hyuga clan, representing the Sage's Eyes of Hamura Ōtsutsuki.
The combination of these two bloodlines did indeed produce a reaction that delighted Orochimaru.
However, Orochimaru quickly discovered a problem. Kimimaro Kaguya's bloodline was of a higher grade; Hyuga Meian's bloodline was too weak.
The first time he injected Kimimaro's cells, his body showed a severe rejection phenomenon.
This scene reminded Orochimaru of the countless First Hokage's cell experiments he had conducted.
While enduring the pain from his body, he muttered, "So that's how it is. It seems what the Tsuchikage said was correct."
At his side, Kabuto Yakushi, who had just injected Orochimaru with Kimimaro's cells, asked curiously, "Lord Orochimaru, what have you realized?"
Kabuto had only recently been brought under Orochimaru's command. Orochimaru didn't care which spy organization Kabuto had been sent from; he was confident in his ability to handle him.
Orochimaru was fully cultivating Kabuto as a lab assistant. Besides that, Kabuto also served as Orochimaru's all-around assistant in life and work.
Orochimaru still had expectations for Kabuto and was willing to explain.
"I once traded several S-rank ninjutsu from Konoha's archives for a piece of intelligence from the Tsuchikage."
At this, Orochimaru excitedly stuck out his tongue to lick his lips. It was just that his body hadn't fully adapted yet, and his tongue wasn't as long as his original one.
Hearing Orochimaru stop halfway, Kabuto became even more curious. What kind of intelligence could be worth several S-rank ninjutsu?
And looking at Orochimaru's expression, it seemed he felt he had gotten the better end of that deal by far.
Orochimaru didn't keep him in suspense. After licking his lips, he continued, "The Tsuchikage told me the ultimate secret of the shinobi world."
"The ultimate Yin Release of the Uchiha, combined with the ultimate Yang Release of the Senju, can achieve a union of Yin and Yang, creating the 'Creation of All Things' that the old man used to talk about."
A thought struck Kabuto, and he picked up the thread, "So, the Yang Release of the Kaguya clan can also be combined with the Yin Release of the Hyuga clan to achieve a union of Yin and Yang?"
The light shining in Kabuto's eyes at this moment was somewhat similar to Orochimaru's just now.
It was a thirst for the truth, which was the very thing Orochimaru valued most in Kabuto.
It was just that, compared to Orochimaru, Kabuto lacked that same level of ambition.
Kabuto continued, "In that case, Lord Orochimaru, are you about to achieve the 'Creation of All Things'?"
Orochimaru, while still enduring the pain wracking his body, shook his head. "It's not that simple. I thought the 'Creation of All Things' was too easy."
"Not all Yin Release and Yang Release can be fused. Kimimaro's Yang Release is insufficient, and Hyuga Meian's Yin Release is far, far too lacking."
Through this personal experience, Orochimaru now had a new understanding of the Yin-Yang union.
At this moment, if not for his own powerful strength and sufficient mastery of Yin Release, he would have long since been consumed by Kimimaro's cells.
Orochimaru was relying entirely on his immense power to suppress Kimimaro's cells.
But being able to suppress them was enough. That was the miracle of chakra. If this continued, Orochimaru would sooner or later be able to adapt to Kimimaro's cells.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru's ultimate goal wasn't to transplant Kimimaro's cells; he wasn't after the Shikotsumyaku.
What Orochimaru wanted was Yin-Yang fusion. But, although the experiment had only just begun, Orochimaru already knew it would ultimately be a failure.
But Orochimaru wasn't discouraged. This experience was also incredibly valuable.
And, Orochimaru felt, with his own soul present, this body could still be used for some experiments.
Furthermore, once the injection of Kimimaro's cells reached a certain amount, Orochimaru believed this body's strength would definitely reach a level that satisfied him.
After another while, the painful sensation from the injection of Kimimaro's cells finally faded.
It was replaced by a light, powerful, and wonderful feeling.
"Heh heh... heh heh," Orochimaru let out a burst of cheerful laughter.
Several days later, after Orochimaru had fully adapted to this body, he said to Kabuto, "Kabuto, is that Black Zetsu still outside?"
Kabuto replied, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru. He has been lingering around the village, refusing to leave."
Black Zetsu had been here for many days, but Orochimaru had been busy preparing for his Living Corpse Reincarnation and hadn't seen him. He had only just now remembered.
Kabuto asked, "Lord Orochimaru, what is that Black Zetsu here for?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "Compared to that, I am far more curious about his body."
Kabuto's eyes lit up. "Lord Orochimaru, you mean... you want to capture Black Zetsu for research?"
Orochimaru smiled. "If it were the old me, I would indeed have that thought. But my few trades with the Tsuchikage have made me understand that things don't need to be done to such an extreme."
"Everything is negotiable. Since that Black Zetsu came to me on his own initiative, he must want something from me. That means we have a basis for cooperation."
"No matter what he's here to talk about, I'll just add one more condition to his: he must actively cooperate with my research on his body."
"If he truly harbors ill intentions, I'll be able to tell from that request."
Kabuto nodded thoughtfully. He was becoming more and more curious about this Tsuchikage. Lord Orochimaru had mentioned the Tsuchikage twice in just a few short sentences.
What kind of person could both tell Lord Orochimaru the ultimate secret of the shinobi world and change Lord Orochimaru's way of doing things?
Orochimaru very naturally brought Kabuto along with him to meet Black Zetsu.
When Black Zetsu saw Kabuto beside Orochimaru, he was a little surprised. His intelligence had no record of such a person by Orochimaru's side.
This gave Black Zetsu a very bad feeling, as things were already slipping from his control right from the start.
Upon seeing Black Zetsu, Orochimaru asked flatly, "What... are you?"
Black Zetsu didn't get angry. He knew Orochimaru's words held no insulting intent.
He grinned at Orochimaru. "I'm just a normal shinobi. I was just... mutated at birth."
"Originally, it was impossible for me to survive. But I was fortunate enough to meet a great benefactor. He took action and turned me from one person into two."
"A separation of Yin and Yang. One is me, I am Black Zetsu. The other... you could call my twin brother, is named White Zetsu."
Orochimaru didn't speak, just stared calmly at Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu paused, then said, "That benefactor shares some common ground with you, Lord Orochimaru."
"You were both once members of Konoha, and then you chose to leave. You both came very close to the position of Hokage."
"That man is the one who, together with Hashirama Senju, started the ninja village era... the man called the 'Shura of the Shinobi World,' Lord Madara Uchiha."
After saying this, Black Zetsu and Orochimaru smiled and stared at each other for a long moment.
Black Zetsu had prepared his speech before coming. He had no intention of hiding Madara Uchiha.
He was even looking forward to Orochimaru exposing his lies and eventually discovering the "truth" that he was a being created by Madara Uchiha's Yin Release.
Only a "truth" that Orochimaru discovered for himself would be one he believed.
At that time, regardless of whether Orochimaru carried out the Eye of the Moon Plan, the target of his vigilance would only be Madara Uchiha.
He would never know that "Mother" was still waiting to be revived.
As for Orochimaru, he didn't believe a single word Black Zetsu said. No matter how Black Zetsu explained, Orochimaru didn't care. The only thing he cared about was Black Zetsu's body.
The first conversation between these two, each harboring their own ill intentions, began in this harmonious and friendly atmosphere.
"What did you come for?" Orochimaru had no intention of exposing Black Zetsu's lies and asked directly.
Black Zetsu grinned. "Lord Madara left behind a grand plan capable of bringing peace to the shinobi world. I wonder if Lord Orochimaru would be interested in hearing about it?"
"Speak," Orochimaru's tone was still calm.
Black Zetsu said, "Lord Madara once assimilated Hashirama Senju's cells, upgrading his Mangekyou Sharingan to the Rinnegan."
"Using the Rinnegan, Lord Madara summoned a monster called the Gedo Statue."
"Lord Madara said that the Gedo Statue can absorb the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts and become the Ten-Tails."
"As long as one becomes the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, they can rule the shinobi world and, finally, combine with the moon to cast an ultimate genjutsu on the entire world: the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"In the Infinite Tsukuyomi, everyone can live the life they've always dreamed of. From then on, the entire shinobi world will be free of all conflict."
Inwardly, Orochimaru scoffed at this "Eye of the Moon Plan."
First, he had no interest in peace itself. Second, he had no interest in that kind of illusory peace.
What he cared about was the truth, the essence of chakra.
Seeing Orochimaru remain silent, Black Zetsu continued, "If Lord Orochimaru is willing to continue Lord Madara's plan..."
"Not only can you become the master of the shinobi world, but I can also tell Lord Orochimaru how to use the Byakugan and the Shikotsumyaku to achieve the legendary Tenseigan."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. There it is. As expected. The Kaguya clan and the Hyuga clan were indeed distant relatives and could also achieve a Yin-Yang fusion.
Very good. Regardless of whether he cooperated with Black Zetsu later, this piece of information alone was enough for Orochimaru.
Black Zetsu had just indirectly confirmed the correctness of what Ishiro had told him.
However, although he felt he had gained enough, Orochimaru was still very interested in Black Zetsu's body.
Whether Black Zetsu was created by Madara Uchiha or not, the very fact that Black Zetsu could exist, living purely on Yin Release, made Orochimaru extremely intrigued.
He himself used Yin Release to perform the Living Corpse Reincarnation, achieving a so-called "immortality."
But looking at it now, Black Zetsu's state was undoubtedly superior. This sent Orochimaru's desire for research soaring to infinity.
Thus, Orochimaru said, "Cooperation is possible. I want to research your body. You must cooperate with me unconditionally."
Black Zetsu froze. He had expected Orochimaru to ask questions like, "Why do you want to do this?" or "What's in it for you?"
Who knew that, apart from his body, Orochimaru had zero interest in anything else. He didn't even bother to ask a perfunctory question.
This not only made all of Black Zetsu's prepared excuses useless, but it also gave him a very bad feeling about their future cooperation.
Both Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha were people whose muscles were much bigger than their brains.
The reason Black Zetsu could hide his secrets from them wasn't because he was so brilliant, but because those two were truly not cut out for scheming.
Never mind Obito Uchiha; that guy was a "Genius."
Madara Uchiha was about the same. We don't even need to talk about that joke of an "Eye of the Moon Plan." Let's talk about other things.
All those backup plans Madara Uchiha left behind became a laughingstock.
Neither Nagato, who had the transplanted Rinnegan, nor Obito Uchiha, who was his spokesperson, gave a damn about resurrecting him.
Even Madara's ability to break free from the Edo Tensei was based purely on his own power.
In the Fourth Shinobi World War, Madara Uchiha's only highlight was his power. Everything else—conspiracy, charisma, the art of managing subordinates—was completely non-existent.
From beginning to end, he was one man fighting the entire shinobi world. He only did one thing: brute force.
Black Zetsu was used to fooling Madara and Obito, but he couldn't fool someone like Orochimaru, who was a grandmaster of brainwashing others.
Orochimaru didn't follow Black Zetsu's line of thinking at all. Orochimaru didn't even ask what he would get out of it.
What Orochimaru showed was a complete lack of interest in the "Eye of the Moon Plan."
Black Zetsu had no choice. He could only agree to Orochimaru's terms for now and look for another opportunity to save his mother.
...
Far away in Iwagakure, Ishiro had no idea that the protagonist of "Black Zetsu's Quest to Save His Mother" had just switched targets.
At this moment, Ishiro was guiding his three disciples of Team 7.
On his recent trip to the Land of Fire, Ishiro had obtained an Aburame clan Kikaichū. Ishiro gave this insect to Kamizuru Tsuruhime.
Of course, the Kikaichū was long dead. Ishiro gave it to Tsuruhime merely to show her how powerful the Aburame clan's insects had become.
Tsuruhime's training didn't require much intervention from Ishiro. Although her family had lost the bees they had cultivated for generations, all the related data was still there.
The Kamizuru clan was just unable to turn these secret jutsu into combat power.
Under Tsuruhime's care, her little bees' abilities were becoming more and more outstanding. Originally, aside from some basic training, she couldn't conduct other training projects.
But as the bees' fundamental strength increased, many training exercises that were previously impossible could now begin.
Ishiro just split off a clone to spar with Tsuruhime and then left her to it.
Next was Haku. Haku's progress made Ishiro very satisfied. Whether it was his chakra volume, taijutsu, Water Release ninjutsu, Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, or his combat ability, Haku satisfied Ishiro.
At this point, just over a year after graduating, not even two, Haku's basic strength alone was already enough to be selected as a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
Although Haku's base strength was still less than a Jōnin's, considering the powerful combat applications of Ice Release, even a Jōnin wasn't necessarily Haku's match.
Ishiro likewise split off a shadow clone to engage in various spars with Haku.
Watching Haku's rapid progress, Ishiro frowned.
Haku's strength had hit a bottleneck. If he couldn't quickly become a Jōnin, it would be difficult for him to make another qualitative leap in a short time.
However, Haku was always under his protection, performing C-rank missions. This was meaningless for him and wouldn't allow him to improve.
"How can I give Haku a chance to increase his strength?" Ishiro fell into deep thought.
Haku, like Deidara, was a genius. He was a prodigy whose peers could barely hope to catch up to.
It was difficult for them to feel pressure from those in their own age group. But as for the age gap... even if they felt a difference in strength, it wasn't very effective.
After thinking for a while, Ishiro could still only come up with "actual combat." But as Ishiro reviewed the current situation of the shinobi world in his mind...
Iwa had basically completed the cleanup of the Land of Hot Water and the northwest of the Land of Wind. In the short term, Ishiro couldn't find any other suitable places for Haku to train.
He couldn't just declare war on a major ninja village for the sake of Haku's combat training, could he?
Ishiro rubbed his brow, and suddenly thought of something.
"That's right... Rasa seems to have annexed Loulan. Why not go to Loulan and take a look?"
Rasa's annexation of Loulan was done in secret. He was afraid of Iwagakure's interference, so he hadn't made it public.
Since Rasa hadn't announced it, Ishiro could just pretend he didn't know and unscrupulously enter Loulan to find trouble with the Suna shinobi.
Even if Ishiro killed every Suna shinobi in Loulan, it would just be a "conflict," not an escalation to war.
This was a completely different matter from his surprise attack on Shisui Uchiha in the Land of Fire.
At this thought, Ishiro's furrowed brow finally relaxed.
Then, Ishiro turned his gaze to the last member of Team 7: Fujii Kaoru.
Fujii Kaoru had changed the most recently. Ever since switching to practicing Yin Release, her entire temperament had changed.
Before, because her Fire Release had no offensive power, Kaoru had lacked confidence and was somewhat timid in her actions.
But the current Fujii Kaoru exuded a heroic aura. Ishiro could even see a bit of Kawakita's shadow in her.
The little girl now had a sharp edge.
Ishiro smiled faintly. Fujii Kaoru's original talent was already good. Although she couldn't compare to Haku, she was still a genius.
With Katsumata's help, Kaoru had learned to convert her special flames into a spiritual attack.
To this end, she had created many attack methods unique to her.
Ishiro had already witnessed the power of her attacks. He felt that after Kaoru perfected them a bit more, she would hopefully add another secret jutsu to Iwagakure's arsenal, similar to Kanako's Paper Release.
Against Fujii Kaoru, a shadow clone wasn't appropriate. Ishiro used his main body and engaged in a round of sparring with her.
After an afternoon of training, Ishiro said, "Alright, that's all for today. Tomorrow, we will go on a mission outside the village. This will be a long trip, so prepare well tonight."
"Yes, sir!" The three disciples were all a bit excited. They could tell from Ishiro's words that this mission would not be simple.
For the three of them, who were sick of C-rank missions, being able to go on a high-level mission was indeed something to celebrate.
...
Early the next morning, Ishiro left the village with the three of them.
Ishiro's first destination after leaving the village was the Land of Earth's capital, at the Daimyo's mansion.
It had been a long time since Ishiro had come to the capital. When Ishiro arrived uninvited, appearing directly in front of the Daimyo's mansion, the Daimyo was somewhat surprised.
The Daimyo looked at Ishiro and asked curiously, "Lord Tsuchikage, is there something you need? Are we going to war again?"
The Daimyo had become a bit arrogant in recent years due to Iwagakure's successive victories, and he thought Ishiro was here to start another war.
So, when the Daimyo asked, he wasn't nervous at all, but rather a little excited.
Ishiro was speechless. He said, "Lord Daimyo, you misunderstand. The village is currently in a period of accumulating strength. We have no plans to launch an external war."
The Daimyo was a little disappointed, and the excitement on his face vanished.
Ishiro said, "Lord Daimyo, this is one of the members of the first class of Guardian Shinobi the village has trained for you: Fujii Kaoru."
The Daimyo had heard this name. When he heard that Ishiro was going to take Kaoru as his disciple, he had even specially allocated funds to show his support.
Thus, the Daimyo looked at this future Guardian Shinobi, whom he was seeing for the first time.
Fujii Kaoru timely stepped forward, gave the Daimyo a deep bow, and said, "Fujii Kaoru, I greet you, Lord Daimyo."
The Daimyo nodded repeatedly. "Good, good. Rise."
Fujii Kaoru stood up and stepped back to the side.
The Daimyo looked at Kaoru, who was still a child, and asked, "Lord Tsuchikage, what is Fujii Kaoru's strength level now? Genin? Or Chūnin?"
Ishiro smiled. "Genin or Chūnin, those are just Iwagakure's ranks. Lord Daimyo's guardians do not use this ranking system."
"If you want to know Kaoru's strength, why not have your lordship send out a few guards to spar with her?"
The Daimyo's eyes lit up. He turned his head to look at his guard captain, Kinosuke, who was standing by.
Kinosuke nodded and immediately signaled for a guard to step down and spar with Kaoru.
As the Daimyo's guard captain, Kinosuke's own strength was not weak, and he had a discerning eye.
Although he had heard about the weakness of Fujii Kaoru's Fire Release, and he also felt it would be difficult to train such a ninja...
He wouldn't dare underestimate Ishiro, the Tsuchikage, even if he had ten times the courage.
Never mind his strength; this was the Tsuchikage who had led the Land of Earth and Iwagakure to the pinnacle of the shinobi world!
For Ishiro to choose this moment to bring Kaoru over, he was clearly confident in her strength.
Therefore, the person Kinosuke selected was no ordinary guard, but a guard squad leader. In Iwagakure, he would be an elite among Chūnin.
Among the Daimyo's many guards, there were less than ten who were decisively stronger than this man.
Ishiro nodded at Fujii Kaoru. Kaoru and the opposing guard went to the doorway, standing on opposite sides.
Ishiro and the Daimyo adjusted their seats so they could see the two outside the door.
Once the Daimyo and Ishiro were seated, Kaoru and the guard immediately began their match.
The guard was not careless. He first chose to test her with kunai and shuriken.
Fujii Kaoru, however, immediately began to form hand seals. Already talented, and with Ishiro's guidance, her hand-seal speed was absolutely outstanding among the Chūnin level.
Soon, Kaoru unleashed a Fire Release jutsu. But this jutsu was not the same as a conventional one.
When Kaoru's Fire Release was cast, there was no wave of heat. Instead, it gave people a sense of chilly discomfort.
Although the guard had heard that Kaoru's flames were not hot, he didn't dare to take the hit. He chose to dodge.
After dodging the fire jutsu's path, he even threw a substitution log at the fire, wanting to test its temperature.
However, Kaoru's flames were far more flexible and changeable than ordinary flames. The dragon-shaped fire, while indeed not doing much to the substitution log, suddenly twisted as if it were alive.
The flames rapidly surrounded the guard, who couldn't react in time. This ability to change shape at will, to a certain extent, was precisely an ability of Yin Release.
The guard was startled, but the next moment he found that his body wasn't burned. Even his clothes were perfectly fine. He even felt a wave of cold.
Just as the rumors said. Fujii Kaoru's Fire Release temperature can't hurt people.
Just as he was about to sigh in relief, he suddenly cried out. He dropped the kunai he was about to use for a counterattack and clutched his head with both hands.
At this moment, Ishiro directly extended his hand. A Banshō Ten'in (Universal Pull) yanked the guard out of Kaoru's flames.
The pulled-out guard continued to cry out in pain for a good while before he returned to normal.
Ishiro looked at the Daimyo and said apologetically, "My apologies. Kaoru has only just mastered her new ability and can't yet retract it freely."
The Daimyo was already bursting with pleasant surprise. He waved his hand, "It's fine, it's fine."
As he spoke, he had someone take the guard for treatment, while also signaling for Kinosuke to send out someone even stronger.
The Daimyo was now incredibly excited to see what Fujii Kaoru would do next.
He knew the strength of that guard. He never expected that the young Fujii Kaoru could defeat him with just one jutsu that seemed to be only C-rank.
(End of Chapter)
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