Black Zetsu entered the temple. The second layer of seals on the coffin loosened. With a heavy thud, the lid shifted, and years of accumulated dust scattered into the air.
"Cough, cough, cough…" Naruto choked on the dust, the fear inside him impossible to suppress.
A desolate temple in the wilderness, holding a sealed coffin… If anyone other than the trustworthy Uncle Black had brought him here, Naruto would have turned and fled instantly.
But mixed with the fear was a burning curiosity. What kind of gift is this? It can't be… related to whoever's in the coffin, right? Uncle Black is a good guy, real honest, but… he's got a weird sense of humor sometimes…
Black Zetsu opened the coffin lid.
Naruto approached, clapped his palms together, and muttered a charm to ward off evil spirits. He took a deep breath, then screwed up his courage and peeked inside.
Lying peacefully within was an elderly man with long hair, clearly embalmed. He wore simple yet dignified black burial robes. His eye sockets were hollow, and his hands, brittle as kindling, rested on his chest.
The longer Naruto looked, the stranger he felt.
"This old sage… I feel like I've seen him somewhere before. But where?"
He racked his brain but came up empty.
Of course you've seen him, Black Zetsu thought to himself. In statue form. At the Valley of the End.
It was Madara's corpse.
After Madara died in the cave, Black Zetsu had secretly preserved the body.
In the previous timeline, to orchestrate Madara's grand re-entrance, he had deliberately guided Kabuto Yakushi to discover the corpse.
But this time, Black Zetsu had a new plan.
He could have performed the Impure World Reincarnation on Madara himself. But he didn't, for three reasons.
First, Madara knew how to break free from the Edo Tensei. The control was not absolute.
Second, Sasuke knew the past and the future. If he told Madara that Black Zetsu did not represent his will, but Kaguya's… even if Madara didn't fully believe it, he would be on guard. Black Zetsu pulling a backstab like before would be nearly impossible.
Third… was Sasuke's current power and his terrifying growth rate. Even a reincarnated Madara might not accomplish much against him.
So, after ambushing Kabuto, Black Zetsu had begun formulating this new idea. He spent a month refining it. And now, he had brought Naruto here to perform a jutsu.
CLANG! He slammed the coffin lid shut.
"Naruto. Sit down."
"Eh? S-Sit? On top of the coffin? Isn't that disrespectful to the dead?"
"Don't ask questions. Just do as I say."
"O… okay…"
A million questions swirled in his mind, but Naruto chose to trust the man who had taken care of him for so long.
Besides, Uncle Black is the Pervy Sage's friend. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me.
Shwoop. Black Zetsu closed his eyes. A viscous, ink-black substance oozed from under his feet. It flowed up the coffin, seeping through its seams and invading the interior.
The nature of Black Zetsu's power was ambiguous.
He was a manifestation of Kaguya's will. And Kaguya's will was, in a sense, the will of the God Tree.
If the God Tree's power was a vast ocean, then Black Zetsu's power was a single drop of ink. A tiny drop, but enough to stain the entire sea.
Sssss… The ink-like fluid, now inside the coffin, attached itself to the remains of Uchiha Madara.
BOOOOOOM…!
Outside, lightning split the sky. A fierce wind howled, rattling the temple's rotten door on its hinges.
The eerie, sinister atmosphere terrified Naruto even more.
"U-Uncle Black…"
Gurgle… gurgle gurgle…!!
The inky fluid filled the coffin's interior. Uchiha Madara's corpse began to dissolve rapidly, becoming one with the ink.
Sssht!
The fluid seeped back out through the coffin wood, forming pitch-black patterns on the surface. They crawled up Naruto's legs.
"Guh—AAAAHHH…!!!"
Naruto was instantly pinned. He couldn't move. Couldn't speak.
Black Zetsu opened his eyes.
"Orochimaru… In that future, he took the Ōtsutsuki clan's divine technique, the 'White Karma,' and developed it into the 'White Cursed Seal.' He used Hashirama's power as the medium and granted it to Sasuke. A truly remarkable technique. But… since it originated from the Ōtsutsuki, as Mother's child, there's no reason I can't use it too, is there?"
"This past month, aside from playing house with this brat… I've been researching every single moment. And I have succeeded."
"The original form of this technique is the Ōtsutsuki's 'Black Karma.' Unlike the White Karma's pure power transfer, the Black Karma is an inheritance of both will and power. It is the Ōtsutsuki clan's orthodox reincarnation technique!"
The black curse markings climbed from Naruto's feet, spread over his entire body, then surged violently toward the back of his neck.
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM…!!!
Naruto's shirt tore open, revealing the Eight Trigrams Sealing Formula on his stomach.
GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE…!! The crimson chakra of the Nine-Tails erupted, violently resisting the invasion of the black curse marks.
Kurama's roar echoed in Naruto's mind: "NARUTO…!!! WAKE UP! This thing… it's doing something terrible to you!!"
But Naruto could no longer hear him.
Black Zetsu smirked. "Oh, Nine-Tails. You broke through the interference seals I set. But how can your mere will possibly oppose the will of 'Uchiha Madara'? Submit!"
Sssht…!!
As the black curse marks spread, the Nine-Tails' chakra manifesting on Naruto's body gradually dissipated. The Eight Trigrams Sealing Formula faded from his abdomen.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAH…!!"
The black markings climbed to the back of his neck and rapidly concentrated.
Naruto's eyes rolled back into his head. He screamed, a raw, tearing sound.
"That's right… This technique uses Uchiha Madara as the vessel. But the highest authority… belongs to me, the 'caster.' As long as this technique exists, even if Madara learns the truth one day, he still won't escape my control!"
Zzzzt…!
As the black markings converged, a pure black cursed seal materialized on the back of Naruto's neck.
"Correct. This is the original form of Orochimaru's cursed seal. Only the vessel has changed from Orochimaru to Uchiha Madara. And… I've added a few of my own touches. To distinguish it, let's give it a new name."
—Black Cursed Seal: Uchiha Madara!
ZZZZT…!!
Before it could fully settle, the black seal suddenly flared. Half of Naruto's golden hair turned pitch black. Three tomoe spun to life in his previously blue right eye.
Black Zetsu's eyebrow twitched in surprise. Oh? Has Madara's formidable will already manifested?
Naruto's face was split. One side was slack and vacant. The other was twisted with a sinister, domineering arrogance. The Sharingan glanced coldly over its shoulder.
—"Black Zetsu. To revive me like this… You'd better have a damn good explanation… or I will kill you."
The words fell. The Sharingan and the black hair receded, flowing back like a dark tide into the cursed seal on his neck. Naruto's vision went black. He toppled from the coffin and hit the ground, unconscious.
"HA HA HA HA HA…!!!"
Black Zetsu's wild, triumphant laughter echoed through the crumbling temple.
—"You, Madara, and you, Naruto… you will both become pawns for my Mother's revival!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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