The lab was quiet. The dim glow from the chakra seals cast long shadows across the cold stone floor. Strange jars sat neatly on a long table.
Sealing scrolls floated in the air, humming softly. In the center of the lab, Madara's body floated in a large glass tank, sealed with thick chakra lines.
The Orochimaru clone hummed as he worked. He scribbled a note onto a scroll and adjusted a dial on the tank. He looked very pleased.
"Stable chakra… no muscle decay today. Finally." He said.
Then, without warning, the shadows twisted near the wall. A thick black ooze seeped from the stone. It stretched upward like black ink. Single Yellow eye opened.
"You've been very quiet lately," said Black Zetsu. His voice was cold and sharp. "Too quiet."
The clone paused. His shoulders tensed for only a second. Then he gave a lazy smile.
"Quiet is good, isn't it? Means fewer mistakes." The clone said.
The air grew heavy. The tank bubbled faintly. Chakra from the seals made a soft pulse in the background.
Black Zetsu's eyes narrowed. He moved slowly, pacing around the lab.
"Your progress has slowed. Madara's body should be rejuvenated by now. Edo Tensei should've started sooner. Why hasn't it?"
The clone scratched the back of his head, chuckling. He glanced quickly at a small seal-camera hidden in the wall, and Kakashi's eyes were watching.
"Actually," the clone said with a grin, "I was going to show you something today. A new breakthrough."
He reached for the fake chakra seal Kakashi had given him. His fingers moved quickly, pressing it into the tank's control node.
The runes flashed. A soft red glow spread across the glass. Chakra surged inside. Madara's body twitched slightly, one hand curling. The reaction looked real.
"There! Chakra response at forty percent," the clone said. "Beautiful, right?"
Zetsu stopped. His glowing yellow eye stared at the tank.
"Hmm… Convenient timing." Black Zetsu glanced at the Orochimaru clone, Then he stepped closer. The glass fogged from his breath as he leaned in.
His hand touched the surface. Slowly, he moved along the edge, examining the flickering seals.
The clone stood near the table, his body loose and casual, but a drop of sweat rolled down his cheek. No matter how confident he is, he still has to be on guard toward this fossil.
Zetsu stepped back. The yellow eye narrowed again.
"Strange….It feels real. But something's missing."
He turned. His face was only inches from the clone now.
"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"
The clone kept smiling.
"What would I even gain from lying to you? You're terrifying."
Black Zetsu didn't answer right away. He simply stared.
Far away, deep beneath Konoha, Kakashi sat in a different lab, watching the scene through his chakra-linked seal camera. His eyes were calm, but it could be seen he was very focused.
He saw Black Zetsu's suspicion. He saw the clone's bluff. He saw the faint twitch in Madara's fingers, perfectly timed.
Inside, Kakashi was both impressed and concerned.
'He's very good under pressure,' Kakashi thought. But Black Zetsu is smarter than I gave him credit for.
Black Zetsu turned his back on the clone and walked slowly to the charts pinned on the wall.
"Chakra channels spiking…" he muttered.
The clone followed and tapped one graph with a long finger.
"See this curve? That only happens when Madara's internal systems start syncing. It's new. Happened last night."
Black Zetsu tilted his head. He stared at the curve, then at the clone.
A long silence followed.
Finally, Black Zetsu stepped back.
"Very well. But if I don't see full activation soon…" He let the words hang in the air. "I'll deal with it my way."
And just like that, his form melted back into the stone, sliding into the wall like black ink returning to shadow.
The room fell silent again.
The clone stood completely still for a minute. Then he let out a long breath.
"That was too close…"
He wiped the sweat off his face and looked up at the camera seal. He waved lazily and whispered, careful not to be heard by any hidden White Zetsu spies.
"You saw that, right? He nearly chewed through the walls."
Back in Konoha, Kakashi leaned forward, arms folded on the desk. He gave a small smile.
"You did well," he said softly. "But now it's time to tighten the plan."
His thoughts moved quickly.
Black Zetsu is too dangerous. The bluff won't hold forever. We'll need to move him away… distract him.
He pulled out a blank scroll and marked a note with dark ink.
"Step 3: Move Zetsu away from the core chamber. Stage containment leak?"
His eyes flicked to the side of the screen, watching the faint chakra lines around Madara's tank.
You're not coming back as his weapon, Kakashi thought. You're going to be mine, or nothing at all.
Back in the Kirigakure lab, the clone walked around the tank, checking seals, acting casual again. He adjusted a valve and muttered:
"Just another normal day in the lab of lies…"
He walked over to his desk, rolled up the fake chakra chart, and stuffed it into a hidden drawer.
The clone sat back, feet up on the desk.
"So," he said to the air, "how about we fake a containment breach next week? That'll get Mr. Goo-Spook all flustered."
He chuckled to himself. But his golden snake eyes were serious.
"I'll keep stalling. Just promise me he stays sealed. If Madara wakes up early… I'm not hugging him back to sleep."
Back in Konoha, Kakashi heard the words through the seal. He nodded, even though no one could see him.
"I promise," he whispered.
Then he looked down at his notes again.
A war with the Akatsuki and possibly Black Zetsu was coming.