Not long before the clash between Danzo Shimura and Hanzo, in a shadowed corner not far from the valley—
Two figures hid within the darkness.
One wore a spiral mask.
The other was half-black, half-white.
They watched the battlefield unfold in silence.
"Hmm… Hanzo actually kidnapped Konan to threaten Nagato and Yahiko," Black Zetsu remarked, glancing sideways at the masked man. "You have to admit—he's a very pure kind of shinobi."
There was a trace of mockery in his tone.
The masked man—known publicly as Uchiha Kenji—didn't catch it.
"All the better," he said coldly. "The deeper Nagato feels this world's darkness, the closer he'll come to the truth."
Black Zetsu nearly laughed.
Darkness?
If this brat ever learned the real truth of the world, he'd understand what true despair meant.
For now, in Black Zetsu's eyes—
He was just a boy forcing tragedy into poetry.
"They're here."
Kenji's posture sharpened.
At the valley entrance, two figures appeared.
Orange hair.
Red hair.
Yahiko and Nagato.
Behind the mask, Kenji smiled faintly.
Black Zetsu straightened as well.
They had waited long for this.
But—
The next moment—
Both of them froze.
"What…?"
Kenji's voice turned sharp.
"Why would Hanzo attack Danzō?!"
This was not the script.
This was not how the world was supposed to move.
"Is he trying to protect them?" Kenji muttered, brows tightening. "Impossible. A ruler like Hanzo wouldn't risk everything for a few brats."
He couldn't piece it together.
But Black Zetsu—
After several moments of quiet analysis—
Saw something else.
"…Perhaps," he said slowly, "Hanzo is thinking further ahead than we gave him credit for."
Kenji turned.
"What do you mean?"
The Long Game
"In the short term," Black Zetsu explained, "cooperating with Danzō benefits Rain."
"But profit comes with risk."
"Danzō is the darkness of Konoha. To work with him is to bargain with a tiger."
"Many of Konoha's policies restricting Rain's development came from him."
"If Hanzo sides with Danzō now, Rain gains immediate leverage. But once Konoha regains its footing… Rain would pay a far heavier price."
Kenji listened in silence.
Black Zetsu continued.
"And more importantly—Konoha's internal politics."
Kenji frowned. "What does that have to do with this?"
"Everything."
"If Konoha's leadership were a tiger," Black Zetsu said, "Danzō would be its claws."
"Remove him… and what remains is a toothless beast."
"Soft."
"Compromising."
"Predictable."
"A Konoha governed solely by Hiruzen Sarutobi and his like would prioritize balance over aggression."
"And in the long run, that benefits Rain."
Kenji absorbed the thought.
It made sense.
But—
"There are rumors," he said slowly, "that the Third Hokage is stepping down. The Fourth Hokage will be either Orochimaru or Minato Namikaze."
"What if the new Hokage takes a harder stance?"
Black Zetsu gave a faint snort.
"There is no real contest."
"Orochimaru has already lost."
"The Fourth Hokage will almost certainly be Minato."
"Why?" Kenji demanded.
"Because Hiruzen changed his stance."
"Minato lacks foundation. Compared to Orochimaru, he is easier to manage."
"He has fewer loyalists. Less political capital."
"A Hokage in name."
"But the old guard retains control."
Kenji's expression darkened.
"So the Third wants a puppet."
"More or less."
"Even if Minato ascends, the will of Konoha's leadership will still be Hiruzen's will."
Black Zetsu paused.
"Hanzo likely understands that."
"If Danzō dies, Konoha weakens strategically."
"If Danzō lives, Rain remains constrained."
"A calculated sacrifice."
Kenji clenched his fists.
"Disgusting," he muttered. "Their political games are revolting."
Black Zetsu was about to respond—
When something caught his attention.
"Wait."
Kenji followed his gaze.
Nagato—
Burst into smoke.
"Shadow clone?" Kenji said sharply.
Black Zetsu's eyes narrowed.
"He never formed seals during the fight. That means the clone was prepared earlier."
"Perhaps they anticipated Danzō's goal."
"So the real Nagato…" Kenji murmured.
"…is still at the Akatsuki base."
Kenji looked toward Yahiko and Konan retreating into the distance.
Then made his decision.
"Let's follow them."
If the real body remained behind—
Then that was where the true opportunity lay.
And in the Rain—
Opportunities never came twice.
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