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Naruto's eyes snapped open.
Black oozed from the nape of his neck, a living stain spreading across his right side, dyeing his blond hair jet black. Left eye, ocean blue. Right eye, absolute black. His entire aura shifted—dark and tyrannical.
His gaze, cold as glacier ice, fell on the black ooze lurking behind him. "Black Zetsu." The voice was not Naruto's. It was lower, sharp with command and a century of arrogance. "Explain yourself. Now."
Madara's consciousness, anchored in the Black Cursed Seal… is even stronger than I anticipated, Black Zetsu thought, its form rippling slightly. The boy slept for a month after the ritual, yet Madara's will surfaced first. No—Naruto's consciousness is completely suppressed. He can't wake up. Fine. Whether the boy or the master ultimately rules this body, control over the seal remains with me. For now… I'll play along.
"Lord Madara," Black Zetsu oozed, its voice dripping with false apology. "I had no other choice…"
Thud!
He vaulted off the stone coffin slab. He strode forward, looking down as if Black Zetsu were an insect. "Kneel. Who gave you permission to stand in my presence?"
Damn this arrogant brat! Always lording it over everyone. I'll endure it… for now.
Black Zetsu's form shifted. It bent one knee, then the other, pressing low against the damp cave floor in a posture of exaggerated submission.
Madara stared down. "This 'choice.' Elaborate."
"Obito failed to control Nagato," Black Zetsu began, launching into its prepared script. "He revealed the truth about that night. Rinne Tensei is now impossible."
His expression didn't change. "Failure breeds failure. If Rinne Tensei was off the table, why not use Edo Tensei?"
"Edo Tensei… was created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju," Black Zetsu simpered. "To use that man's filthy technique to restore your glorious self… it would be a defilement!"
"Hn." A cold, disbelieving sound. "Is that all?"
"Not… entirely." Black Zetsu paused for effect. "To be frank, your descendants have produced… a rather troublesome existence."
Madara's eyebrow, the black one, twitched upwards. Interest flickered in his mismatched eyes. "Oh? My descendants? Who? And what makes this one so 'troublesome'?"
Sasuke has lived two lives. His current power likely matches, if not surpasses, Madara at his peak, Black Zetsu calculated swiftly. I must choose my words with extreme care.
"His name is Sasuke Uchiha," it said, voice measured and smooth. "One of only two survivors of the Uchiha clan massacre in Konoha. He left the village for revenge, awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan at the Valley of the End, and later… received aid from a man named Orochimaru. He gained the power of Hashirama Senju. Since then, he has made waves across the ninja world. The Akatsuki, formed by Obito and Nagato… has been nearly wiped out by Sasuke Uchiha alone."
Madara's gaze lowered, a storm brewing in those eyes. "So the Uchiha are gone after all. They should have followed me. Their own doing." A beat. "You said two survivors. The other?"
"Itachi Uchiha. Sasuke's elder brother. Also a Mangekyō wielder. He carried out the massacre… as Konoha's inside agent."
"Tch. Just Tobirama's style, through and through." A cold mutter. His focus snapped back instantly. "Both brothers awakened the Mangekyō… Meaning this Sasuke holds the potential for the Eternal Mangekyō." He didn't dwell on it. "This 'Orochimaru.' Who is he?"
"A student of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Like Tobirama, obsessed with forbidden jutsu and cellular research…"
"Hah. A cheap copy of Tobirama."
A dismissive smirk. He filed the name away, unimportant.
"Why does this Sasuke Uchiha oppose Obito and the Akatsuki?"
"Because… after his defection, Itachi infiltrated the Akatsuki as Konoha's spy. Sasuke likely blames the organization for his brother's path… hence his enmity."
"And Obito? He just let some fledgling cause this much chaos?"
"Ah…" Black Zetsu sighed, a sound of manufactured regret. "Obito hoped to turn Sasuke into a weapon. Instead, he lost the weapon and the hand that held it. To be perfectly honest, Lord Madara… Obito is now a commander without an army."
Madara's next question was ice. "The tailed beast hunt?"
"We've reached the Eight-Tails. Two attempts… both ended with its escape."
"Trash!"
His head snapped up, his stare boring into Black Zetsu. "So. This 'Sasuke Uchiha.' He is your justification for resurrecting me in this… vessel?"
"It was the only path left!" Black Zetsu insisted. "Edo Tensei could never restore your true, peak power!"
The explanation, finally, seemed to satisfy him. He reached back, fingers probing the source of the dark stain on his neck. "This technique. Its origin?"
"It is called the 'Black Cursed Seal,'" Black Zetsu said, a note of pride entering its oily voice. "My masterpiece! It allows your will to perfectly merge with this body—indistinguishable from true resurrection! As the seal unlocks, your former strength will return to you, step by step!"
Madara focused inward. He felt it. The seal wasn't just a prison for his will; it was a reservoir, a vast deposit of power waiting to be mined. More than that… it seemed to hold a trace of his very soul, replicating even the ocular power he'd wielded in life, much like Edo Tensei claimed to do.
The corner of his mouth finally twitched upwards. A faint, dangerous smile.
"To create such a technique, Black Zetsu… you truly are an extension of my will." The smile vanished. "But."
The air grew colder.
"To house my will… in the body of a runt this pathetic? What were you thinking!?"
Black Zetsu didn't flinch. "The runt is named Naruto Uzumaki. He is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."
"!"
His head jerked slightly. He looked at his own palm—smaller, younger than he remembered. "This boy… is the Nine-Tails' container?"
"You can verify it yourself."
"…"
Madara slowly clenched his fist. He closed his eyes.
Within the space of his consciousness, a dark, damp sewer materialized. A massive cage of corroded metal bars. And behind them, a creature of pure, simmering malice—a fox with nine lashing tails, its eyes blazing with hatred and profound wariness.
Madara's consciousness manifested before the cage. "Nine-Tails." His mental voice echoed with cold amusement. "Who would have thought I, Madara Uchiha, would end up sharing a hole with you. Can you even comprehend this level of humiliation?"
"ROOOOOAAAAAARRRR—!!!"
The Nine-Tails' fury exploded! It slammed against the bars, the sound a physical weight of pure rage.
"INSOLENT BEAST!"
Flick.
In the mental realm, three black tomoe spun to life in his right eye. Instantly, the Nine-Tails' furious charge collapsed into a whimper. The great fox shuddered, pressing its belly to the grimy floor, tails tucking in submission.
Back in the real cave, he opened his eyes. "It is true." A flicker of confusion. "But the Nine-Tails… it's pitiful. Only half of what it was."
"Thirteen years ago," Black Zetsu explained. "The previous jinchūriki went into labor. Obito released the fox, attempted to mimic you, and controlled it to attack Konoha. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, stopped it… and sealed away half of the Nine-Tails' power."
"Mimicking me, but failing at every step. Unable to succeed, yet perfectly capable of sabotaging everything." Madara's contempt was absolute. "Calling him 'trash' is too generous."
Well, at least we agree on Obito's worthlessness, Black Zetsu thought, pleased.
"You may stand," Madara said, already moving on.
Black Zetsu rose fluidly, betraying nothing. "Lord Madara. What are your plans?"
A dark, hungry light ignited in his eyes. "This Sasuke Uchiha. Where is he? Your description has… piqued my interest. I find myself eager for a meeting."
Kabuto is still alive. My intelligence on Sasuke, and his on me… flows both ways. He hunts me through Orochimaru's networks. A confrontation between Madara and Sasuke now would ruin everything, Black Zetsu's mind raced. But this version of Madara is pure battle lust. If I reveal Sasuke's true, current strength… he won't retreat. He'll charge in faster. Best to pretend ignorance of Sasuke's recent… activities at the Five Kage Summit.
"Lord Madara… I'm afraid I do not know his current location…"
"Tch." A sound of irritation. "Very well. But this 'Naruto' vessel is weak. Pathetically so. Is he truly of Uzumaki blood? I can barely tap into the power this Black Cursed Seal holds."
"The majority of his chakra is constantly spent suppressing the Nine-Tails. It leaves him… depleted."
"Then he must grow stronger. Quickly. Only then can my power flow freely from this seal." His gaze turned outward, toward the cave entrance. "Black Zetsu. The nearest major hidden village. Which is it?"
"You intend to…?"
"I need to stretch my legs. To remember what battle feels like. Speak. I grow impatient."
"This is a nameless country between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Whirlpools. The nearest major village… is the Hidden Mist Village."
A slow, predatory smile spread across his face. A smile of pure, bloodthirsty anticipation.
"Kirigakure. Good." The words were a promise of carnage. "Let's turn it into a true Village of the Bloody Mist."
His laughter echoed through the cave.
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