"Damn it! Damn it!"
Black Zetsu trembled like a leaf, his body shaking violently as he darted aimlessly through layers of earth like a madman. His mind was consumed by pure, paralyzing panic!
This was the first time since his birth from Mother Goddess Kaguya and receiving his sacred mission that Black Zetsu had ever felt such genuine fear and unease.
"Damn those stinky toads! How did they get out?!"
"And in such large numbers too!"
"Worse yet, they're blocking the path!"
His mud-like body rolled and twisted on the ground like a writhing mass, endless thoughts surging through his mind until his nerves nearly snapped.
In a moment of daze, swarms of croaking toads seemed to flood his vision like an unstoppable tide, pushing him almost beyond endurance.
"Aaaaaaah!"
A piercing scream tore from Black Zetsu's mouth.
But with this single outburst, the terrified creature finally managed to calm himself slightly.
It wasn't real!
The swarm of toads he'd just seen were all illusions!
Even the maddening chorus of toad croaks had been fake!
The only reality was his current situation—trapped between rocks!
"What just happened?"
Black Zetsu froze instantly.
He couldn't understand why this was happening to him.
As Kaguya's creation, theoretically he shouldn't feel fear, didn't require sleep, and certainly wouldn't lose his nerve from mere setbacks.
He'd started with clumsy tricks, failing again and again, until his schemes grew sharper and more ruthless. That process had hardened his heart into something like iron.
And yet...he'd just hallucinated.
It was as absurd as pigs flying—it made absolutely no sense!
Slowly pulling his body free from the iron-rich crevice, Black Zetsu curled inward into a dark black sphere, trying his best to regain composure.
This was truly incredible.
Black Zetsu realized he clearly had serious issues with his mental state.
His earlier panic might have already given away his location. Plus, there was no telling what trouble his abandoned group of White Zetsus might cause.
Madara Uchiha, who created this batch of White Zetsus, and even Black Zetsu himself—who knew them best—couldn't predict their behavior. Everyone agreed that these White Zetsus were essentially brainless.
Still, Black Zetsu's own breakdown was also a major problem.
Thinking it through repeatedly, he finally concluded the core issue—he feared failure far too much.
After all, this plan represented his most promising chance at success following millennia of patient scheming.
Now, the God Tree's remains hidden on the moon—the [Six Paths Demonic Statue]—had already been summoned to the Ninja World through Madara Uchiha's secret jutsu. While using the God Tree's power extended Madara's life during his final years, under Black Zetsu's covert guidance, a new generation of White Zetsus had also been created. Meanwhile, Hamura's descendants among the Otsutsuki clan on the moon had shown no obvious signs of aggressive response, as if those rebellious heirs had all perished long ago.
Thus, this mission absolutely could not afford failure—success alone was acceptable!
Black Zetsu had already sacrificed too much. It had even broken the principles it had adhered to for thousands of years by appearing before Madara Uchiha, hoping to manipulate Indra's reincarnation more effectively up close.
But this time, it completely lost control.
Though all it saw were statues, Black Zetsu still recognized the unmistakable stench of Mount Myōboku clinging to the cave's air.
Only those hidden hands lurking in darkness—specifically, living ninja frogs from Mount Myōboku—could emit such a foul stench mixed with natural energy!
"They must die! They all must die!"
Black Zetsu's amorphous form began bubbling and quivering violently, like boiling water, as murderous intent and hatred intertwined within, making its torment even worse.
Yet how could it deal with those ninja frogs?
At this very question, Black Zetsu, which had previously been so excited, quickly calmed down.
It was certain that relying solely on White Zetsu's strength would be woefully insufficient. Though they theoretically had taijutsu capable of matching a chunin, their lack of knowledge prevented them from fully utilizing their strength, making even experienced mid-level chunin potentially difficult opponents.
Moreover, White Zetsu's greatest specialty—their shape-shifting camouflage—was practically useless against the ninja frogs of Mount Myōboku. It might not work at all or worse, could easily expose their presence, since Sage Chakra or natural energy could completely nullify White Zetsu's transformation techniques.
So, after careful thought, Black Zetsu concluded that the only viable solution was to let others do the killing—and the sharpest blade currently in the Ninja World was none other than the most powerful and influential Ninja Clan Capital Corporation.
"Frame, infiltrate, gain trust, and lead the way."
Once this train of thought opened, evil schemes began bubbling within him, and soon, a preliminary, feasible plan began taking shape.
"Huh! So you're here!"
Just then, a group of oddly-shaped White Zetsus appeared around Black Zetsu, cackling and shrieking wildly: "Black Shit shat himself out of fear!"
"Black Shit took a dump!"
"Black Shit!"
"Shit!"
Before long, various ridiculous nicknames were slapped onto Black Zetsu while the White Zetsus reveled in their mockery like a celebration. As for the mission assigned by Madara Uchiha, they had long since forgotten about it completely—it was already a miracle that these plant-men managed to trace Black Zetsu's scent. One couldn't expect too much from these mindless beings.
After being carefully crafted by a team of jonin, the official report jointly issued by the survey units across the ten central districts of the Land of Lightning's occupied territories was finally published!
This report openly claimed that all the recent disasters occurring at various mines across the ten central districts originated from Mount Myōboku, the habitat of summoned beasts, and Jiraiya, as their contract summoner, bore potential responsibility.
Apart from some minor protest from Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, the report barely made any real impact.
Although some individual Konoha ninjas had known that The Third's three apprentices each separately signed Summoning Contracts with the so-called Three Great Summoned Beast Holy Places, allowing them to call upon powerful giant summoned beasts during battles, their understanding stopped right there. They knew very little about these so-called holy places or the secrets behind them.
Therefore, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi merely made a semi-public request that the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation should not act against Jiraiya, his apprentice who was currently traveling across the ninja world, and then expressed no further opinion.
After all, in the eyes of ninjas, whether it be the so-called Summoned Beast Holy Places or summoned beasts like monkeys, ninja cats, or ninja hounds, ultimately they were nothing more than combat assistance partners for ninjas—nothing particularly significant, and naturally, they wouldn't focus excessively on such trivial matters.
In fact, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi even secretly instructed both his Anbu and Danzo's Root Division that if they discovered Jiraiya's whereabouts, they must immediately report and urge him to return to the village to avoid being captured by the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation.
As for whether the chain of mine accidents in the ten central districts was truly, as reported, caused by Mount Myoboku's Ninja Frogs, it simply didn't matter at all.
Most importantly, Hyuga Soushu had already ordered the Standing Ninja Army to relocate to Snow Country's coastline. Additionally, he now commanded another three hundred conscripted ninja from Sunagakure.
Furthermore, a new round of Privateer Fleets were being formed urgently.
To attract sufficient numbers of ronin ninjas and other forces to participate, Hyuga Soushu directly issued an amnesty decree: anyone who arrived at the designated gathering point, joined the privateer fleet, and registered as an official Privateer Ninja would be forgiven for any past crimes regardless of severity, and all participants could enjoy the privilege of purchasing ninja tools at reasonable prices.
This amnesty decree instantly shattered the long-maintained tacit rules within the ninja world, completely overturning the fugitive Rogue Ninja pursuit order previously upheld by the Four Great Hidden Villages.
Kumo was hardly affected; aside from the rebellion led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku during the First Great Ninja War, Kumogakure had never encountered another Rogue Ninja since. Therefore, this amnesty decree would have little impact on them.
However, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and especially Konoha were a whole different story. Konoha had always been renowned precisely for its large number of highly skilled Rogue Ninjas, so this news caused tremendous shock within Konoha headquarters.
Sakumo Hatake openly expressed dissatisfaction regarding this order, yet after sending a letter to Hyuga Soushu, he received only a vague and indifferent reply saying that such actions were regrettably necessary.
In response to this, Sakumo Hatake felt quite melancholic but found himself helpless.
Meanwhile, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi took a firm stance, publicly declaring refusal to accept this so-called amnesty decree and stating that any Rogue Ninja daring to appear within Konoha's jurisdiction would certainly be relentlessly pursued!
This meaningless yet technically sound statement earned enthusiastic cheers from many Konoha ninjas lacking sufficient critical thinking skills. After all, humans naturally admire strength; strong leaders tend to gain approval easily regardless of whether their promises are achievable, a detail the cheering crowd completely ignored.
After the Third Mizukage's public declaration spread, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and even Takugure openly announced they would tolerate no rogue ninjas within their territories.
Yet none of this changed anything.
Within half a month, more than twelve hundred Ronin Ninjas who had accepted recruitment into privateer fleets were mobilized. Although these privateer ninjas were mixed in quality—clearly a ragtag force—they were absolutely sufficient for harassment and as cannon fodder.
Therefore, Hyuga Soushu once again issued orders, commanding the privateer fleets to set sail in batches toward the Bloodline faction-controlled islands.
As for whether they could plunder enough resources or obtain what they desired, that was entirely up to their own fortune.
After all, could Hyuga Soushu possibly set a minimum profit expectation for robbery?
The previously silent New Mist Ninja Clans' ninjas also began to take action.
After the Third Mizukage went into hiding and retreated into seclusion, transferring all power into the hands of Master Genzu and his elder council, the Hidden Mist Village headquarters, the stationed army led by Fuguki Suikazan, and the Powerful Clans had divided the Land of Water into three parts and were striving to expand their respective control.
Although the Hidden Mist headquarters and the stationed forces had encountered some disputes over authority, they were ultimately both supporters of the Bloodline faction, so their conflicts were limited to small-scale confrontations, without even using Explosive Tags.
However, one commonality between them was launching attacks against regions controlled by the New Mist clans, hoping to seize enough territory to prepare for future battles to assert their rightful authority.
Thus, before Hyuga Soushu officially decided to deploy troops, the New Mist clan's ninjas had been stuck in a passive position, constantly under attack.
But everything changed in the blink of an eye.
With news of the Standing Ninja Army's mobilization spreading through the Land of Water, the Bloodline faction reacted as if under siege, immediately withdrawing its invading forces and beginning to focus heavily on fortifying territorial control—especially the Hidden Mist Headquarters, which, aside from political status, severely lacked fresh military reinforcements.
At this point, the various ninja clans of New Mist were finally able to catch their breath and regroup. After once again receiving military supplies and equipment from the company, they prepared themselves anew for battle.
Then, like locusts, the privateer fleets once again descended upon every island across the Land of Water.
Although previous brutal battles had left the region nearly deserted, such desolate environments were just the kind of places broke Ronin Ninjas loved.
After all, without risking their lives in fierce combat, having a chance to scavenge through ruins brought joy—even if only for a short time—to these penniless Ronin Ninjas.
But human hearts are never content.
With the coastal towns reduced to rubble, privateer ninjas began launching surprise attacks on settlements and ports guarded by Bloodline faction ninja. Though repeatedly repelled, as long as losses remained manageable, these determined raiders continued their relentless assaults. Learning from their earlier defeat—when their fleets were lured inland and destroyed en masse—the now-wiser privateers generally struck quickly and withdrew at once.
As a result, waterway transportation between Water Country's many islands was cut off in record time. Despite their small numbers, these aggressively ambitious privateer fleets had nearly complete control, leaving only a few limited inland sea routes still open.
At Hidden Mist's headquarters, Master Genzu couldn't shake the feeling that something sinister lay beneath this sudden surge of aggression.
"Make peace with Fuguki Suikazan!"
With no other choice, Genzu made a difficult decision: "We'll agree to any demand he makes, as long as he returns the Ninja Force to our village!"
"This..."
The gathered Mist Elders exchanged uneasy glances.
It wasn't that they hesitated over giving up power—after all, you needed to survive to enjoy authority, something these seasoned veterans understood all too well.
But here was the problem—would Fuguki Suikazan even accept?
"What if he demands leadership?"
One of the Mist Elders asked.
"Then he becomes The Fourth!"
Master Genzu slowly pushed himself up, gripping his cane tightly. "Also, I'll go see The Third right away. If he still refuses to come out, then we must force him to hand over the Jinchuriki!"
"No need. I've already arrived!"
Hardly had Genzu finished speaking when the Elder Council's chamber doors swung open forcefully.
The Third Mizukage strode in slowly, hands clasped behind his back, escorted by a tight circle of Hidden Mist Anbu.
"You—"
The gathered Mist Elders instantly froze in shock.
Before their secret meeting, they had arranged strong outer defenses staffed entirely by their own loyalists. Yet not a single warning came—no one noticed until the Third Mizukage had already entered!
What did this mean?
A cold dread gripped the council members.
Especially when they noticed the bloodstains on the blades of those Anbu surrounding the Mizukage. Suspicion turned into deep unease.
"There's no need to rush or panic."
The Third Mizukage, hands still behind his back, scanned the room calmly. "Please, everyone, sit down. Let's talk."
After all, even garbage still has some use before being discarded.
That was why Madara Uchiha had no intention of starting a massacre just yet.
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