If Black Zetsu had hair, it would likely be standing on end like a spooked cat's fur right now.
'When did he get here!?'
Years of combat instinct made him manipulate the White Zetsu half to unleash the Wood Release: Cutting Technique, stabbing directly into his own body.
Sharp wooden spikes pierced through Zetsu's body, protruding from his back to impale the Naruto standing behind him.
Against most opponents, this move would be unreactable.
Once struck by the Wood Release Spikes, even a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki would have their Chakra continuously drained.
Wood Release's inherent advantage against Tailed Beasts was simply too strong.
Unfortunately-
Crack!
The sharp wooden spikes struck Naruto's unprotected chest, producing a crisp shattering sound.
The attack didn't even pierce his skin, let alone draw blood.
And Naruto seemed to have anticipated this outcome, not even bothering to dodge.
When the first strike failed, Zetsu didn't hesitate, immediately employing another Wood Release Ninjutsu.
Countless vines, thick as wrists, sprouted from the ground, twisting and coiling around Naruto's body.
He wasn't sure how long this could restrain Naruto, but he only needed an instant's opening.
While Zetsu couldn't create entire forests like Hashirama with a single hand seal, his Wood Release was no less potent than a certain 'architect's'.
And these vines also possessed the ability to absorb Chakra.
Although the efficiency...
Naruto felt the minuscule amount of Chakra being drained.
How to describe it?
It was like trying to drain an Olympic-sized swimming pool with a drinking straw.
The amount being siphoned was less than his natural regeneration rate, only causing an annoyance, like a mosquito bite.
Most Ninjas, once trapped by Wood Style and unable to break free immediately, would lose strength as their Chakra dwindled.
Without Chakra Enhancement, the physical strength of most Ninja remains within human limits.
This is why many Ninjas, if caught off-guard without Chakra Defense, would fall prey to seemingly trivial attacks.
No specific Uchiha powerhouse possessing the Rinnegan is being singled out here.
Naruto tore through the vines as if they were tissue paper, offering no more resistance.
Eventually, he grew tired of even using his hands, simply walking forward and letting the vines snap against his body.
In that time, Zetsu had already managed to sink back into the earth.
However, things didn't proceed as he'd hoped.
Even though he had completely concealed his presence and burrowed deep into the soil, the feeling of being preyed upon, of imminent danger, didn't diminish in the slightest.
This time was fundamentally different.
Just as Zetsu was frantically tunneling away underground, a nightmarish head suddenly emerged from the earth ahead, blocking his path.
"Had enough running? If so, it's time to talk business."
As he spoke, Naruto's arm forced its way through soil and rock, grabbing Zetsu's distinctively black-and-white head.
The next moment, Zetsu experienced the agony of countless rocks and soil grinding rapidly against his face.
It felt like being sanded with the coarsest grit paper.
Naruto, completely unfazed, hauled himself out of the ground.
Unlike Zetsu, who used Chakra to 'merge' with the earth, Naruto achieved a similar effect through brute force alone.
"Akatsuki usually operates in pairs. Seems even with a new leader, your methods haven't changed, huh?"
Zetsu, now dragged from the earth, attempted one last counterattack, making the White Zetsu half 'sprout' several large venus flytrap that snapped towards Naruto.
But this time, Naruto seemed to have lost interest in humoring him.
Thwack!!!
A simple, untechnical punch nonetheless blasted a massive hole clean through the swelling White Zetsu's body.
Despite this grievous wound, the White Zetsu's clone showed no signs of dying, its flesh already rapidly healing with each breath.
"Fascinating structure. Two distinct consciousnesses in one body," Naruto mused, squatting before Zetsu, his casual remark causing Black Zetsu's expression to shift dramatically.
For the first time in a millennium, Black Zetsu felt the threat of true death.
Naruto had seen right through his hidden truth with a single glance.
"Let's talk. Where is this Uchiha Madara now?"
Chains extended from behind Naruto, instantly binding Zetsu into a tight bundle, leaving only his regenerating head exposed to the air.
Further struggle was futile.
Black Zetsu lifted his head, looking at the man who had repeatedly thwarted his plans, old and new hatred surging within him.
"Tch… You think I'll talk if you ask?" Clinging to a final shred of hope, Black Zetsu posed the question.
'Everything is for Mother's revival.'
To his surprise, Naruto looked at him with an expression of sheer disbelief, as if to say, 'Are you seriously asking that?'
"Of course not."
'According to Konan, this Venus Flytap had been colluding with that Uchiha Madara for a long time, their shadows lurking behind many conspiracies.'
"Tell me his whereabouts, and I'll make your death quick."
"Is that so..."
Hearing this, Black Zetsu adopted a resigned expression, then spoke as if giving up entirely.
"Then save your breath. I won't say anything."
"Ah... figured as much." Naruto wasn't surprised… this response was expected.
He slowly drew the long sword from his waist. Before striking, he asked one final question.
"Just one more thing I don't understand-"
Black Zetsu shifted his gaze from the blade, seemingly awaiting the question.
"We should be meeting for the first time, right?... So why does it feel like the hatred radiating from you is about to overflow?"
As the last word left his lips, Mushoukou became a wisp of cutting wind, instantly reducing Zetsu to countless fine particles of dust.
Shing-
The blade returned to its sheath. Seemingly still unsatisfied, a spiral of crimson-purple flame ignited in Naruto's hand.
"Perfect chance to test this..."
The flame spiral, resembling a miniature tornado, appeared and began violently sucking everything nearby into its center.
Anything caught in it was invariably shredded into imperceptible ash.
Zetsu's remains were no exception.
Not only were they torn to dust, they were also compressed together at the spiral's core before vanishing completely.
It was as if a portal to another space existed there.
After grinding everything to nothing, the spiral, suddenly devoid of Naruto's Chakra support, began to 'consume itself' uncontrollably before finally dissipating into nothingness.
As for the things it had swallowed-
Even Naruto himself didn't know where they ended up.
"What should I name this move..." Naruto muttered to himself, stroking his chin as he walked out of the forest.
Apart from the large hole in the ground, no trace remained.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Naruto's figure reappeared from the shadows nearby.
"It's really dead this time."
He carefully scanned the area with his Observation Haki, confirming no omissions, before finally leaving, satisfied.
If Black Zetsu were truly an ordinary living creature, his ambitions might have indeed ended right here, cut short by Naruto's hand.
"Haaah-"
Further away, a Black Zetsu possessing only half a body seemed to jolt awake from a nightmare, gasping for air like a human.
Only this could soothe the terror in his heart.
'Thank goodness!'
'Thank goodness I had prepared a backup plan.'
As the physical manifestation of his mother's will, Black Zetsu wasn't bound by the weaknesses of ordinary biology. Neither decapitation nor being torn to pieces could kill him.
He could even actively split himself into multiple parts, each capable of acting as the main consciousness.
It was precisely this ability that allowed him to survive.
That technique Naruto used at the end, that unseen Ninjutsu, had truly and utterly annihilated his other half on a material level.
'What was that? It felt somewhat similar to Mother's [All-Killing Ash Bones].'
If he hadn't been cautious, splitting himself beforehand and leaving a part behind as a contingency during each outing, he might have truly been finished this time.
But even with his life spared, his confidence in the original plan was shaken.
'The plan must change.'
'Obito, as he is now, stands no chance against that monster.'
'Furthermore, that kid has already gathered several Jinchuriki around him. Picking them off one by one is no longer feasible.'
'Damn it! Why did a monster like that appear in this world!? This shouldn't be! This is merely Mother's garden!'
Fuming internally, countless secrets and histories of the Ninja World flashed through Black Zetsu's mind.
'Is there a way... to bypass that kid? Do I really have to wait another hundred years for him to die of old age...?'
Suddenly, an ancient rumor resurfaced in his thoughts.
'If... if that's true, then perhaps it's worth a try!'
With this thought, Black Zetsu summoned another White Zetsu's clone, merged with it, and quickly burrowed back into the earth.