Just as she was escaping, Yumeko seemed to notice something.
Yumeko suddenly stopped and locked eyes with the strange figure hidden among the shadows of the trees.
Black Zetsu had originally been lurking in the darkness, silently observing the battle at the Ninja Sect. When he saw Yumeko escape the battlefield at an astonishing speed with a powerful aura, his green eyes instantly widened, revealing an extremely rare look of shock.
"This is...?!"
Black Zetsu's heart was thrown into turmoil.
'This woman... wasn't that Yumeko who had always obediently acted as a mother? How could she possibly possess such powerful chakra?!'
'That power was even far beyond that of the two brothers at present!'
"This is completely different from the plot!!"
Black Zetsu roared wildly in his heart, his thoughts thrown into chaos.
He had planned for countless years precisely to push forward the grudge and reincarnation between Indra and Asura, yet the woman before him, who should have been an "ordinary mother," had suddenly displayed powerful strength that did not belong to the original plot at all. This made him feel unprecedented unease and confusion.
Just as Black Zetsu was shocked, Yumeko also completely confirmed the other's identity.
"It's Black Zetsu! The true mastermind behind Naruto!!"
Almost at the same time, the system notification sound that had been absent for a long time suddenly rang out in her mind, [Ding! A new host candidate has been detected, Black Zetsu (special life form)]
[This individual possesses an extremely high chakra affinity and a special immortal characteristic. Binding with it will yield enormous benefits.]
[Would you like to immediately bind Black Zetsu as the new host?]
The system's cold mechanical voice echoed in Yumeko's mind, making her already flustered mood even more complicated.
She stared fixedly at Black Zetsu in the distance, actually freezing for a moment.
Black Zetsu also seemed to sense something. His narrow eyes narrowed slightly, and for the first time, he felt deep wariness toward this "wife of the Sage of Six Paths."
'Could she be a fellow transmigrator?!'
———
In the forest behind the mountain, the atmosphere suddenly became strange and tense.
Yumeko looked at Black Zetsu in the distance. The system notification was still echoing in her mind, yet a burst of wild joy suddenly surged through her heart.
"Black Zetsu... can actually be bound?!"
At this moment, she seemed to have grasped her last lifeline.
Although she had behaved obediently on the surface all these years, there had always been a heavy weight hanging over her heart.
What she feared most was that after the plot involving Indra and Asura completely ended, that terrifying observer, Arisu, would turn against her and erase her directly.
After all, he had once explicitly said that he "wouldn't leave any opportunities for transmigrators with systems."
Even if Arisu had agreed to spare her at the time, who knew whether he would change his mind?
With that man's attitude of standing above everything and his ruthless methods, Yumeko had never truly dared to relax.
Moreover, her Chakra Mother Goddess System was deeply life-bound to her two sons.
Once Indra and Asura died, her strength would most likely disappear along with them. By then, she would completely lose her ability to protect herself.
"Rather than waiting to die... I might as well bind Black Zetsu!"
A trace of determination flashed in Yumeko's eyes.
If she could turn Black Zetsu into her host and make use of its strange immortal characteristic and its influence over the plot, perhaps she could gain another trump card.
She could even... use Black Zetsu to threaten that observer, making him afraid to act recklessly.
Thinking of this, Yumeko took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the tension in her heart, and silently issued a command to the system.
At the same time, Black Zetsu also sensed a strange fluctuation coming from her. That feeling instinctively made him sense a trace of danger, yet he could not explain what it was.
In the forest behind the mountain, the atmosphere became increasingly strange and oppressive.
The instant Black Zetsu met Yumeko's gaze, the alarm bells in his heart rang loudly.
Without hesitation, his body twisted, turning into a mass of black shadow that quickly burrowed into the ground and instantly fled the scene.
Seeing Black Zetsu flee, Yumeko no longer hesitated and immediately issued a command to the system in her mind, 'Bind! Bind Black Zetsu immediately!'
[Ding! Attempting to bind...]
[Ding! Binding successful!]
As the system notification sounded, on the other side, Arisu had already finished observing the battle between Indra and Asura.
A strong killing intent surged in Arisu's eyes. His figure instantly broke through the air, appearing in the sky around Yumeko almost in the blink of an eye.
His plain white robe moved on its own without any wind. Arisu looked down from above, his gaze cold as a blade as he locked onto Yumeko without hiding it at all.
Yumeko looked up at him, and a complicated meaning of "just as I thought" flashed in the depths of her eyes. She had long expected that this day would come sooner or later.
She forcibly suppressed the fear in her heart and pretended to remain calm as she raised her head. Her voice carried a trace of surprise as she asked, "Lord Observer? We haven't seen each other in so many years. Why did you suddenly come here... What are you here for?"
Seeing her pretending not to know anything, a cold smile slowly appeared on Arisu's handsome, aloof face.
Arisu gave a soft laugh, his voice low yet carrying undisguised killing intent.
"Of course... to send you on your way."
As his voice fell, terrifying pressure instantly erupted from Arisu, enveloping the entire rear mountain.
The air seemed to freeze, and killing intent pressed toward Yumeko as if it were tangible.
Facing Arisu's terrifying killing intent, Yumeko not only showed no fear, but slowly revealed a somewhat smug smile.
"Lord Observer, I'm afraid you can't kill me!"
Arisu's brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes. Looking down at her from above, he asked coldly, "What do you mean?"
Yumeko's smile grew brighter. She raised her head and looked straight at Arisu's handsome, aloof face.
"You should have sensed it, right? Black Zetsu was just nearby."
There was a hint of smugness in Yumeko's voice at having survived the crisis.
Arisu's gaze shifted slightly, and he nodded lightly.
He had indeed sensed Black Zetsu's hidden aura just now. He simply hadn't paid it any attention.
Seeing this, Yumeko's smile deepened as she continued, "I've already bound myself to Black Zetsu. Now its life is connected to mine. If you kill me... Black Zetsu will die with me too~"
After saying this, she deliberately drew out the last syllable, her eyes shining with a mixture of slyness and nervousness.
The air instantly fell silent.
Arisu stared at Yumeko's smiling face. His expression remained calm, but a clear trace of surprise and cold fluctuation flashed through the depths of his eyes.
His fingers tightened slightly beneath his plain white robe. Arisu seemed to be assessing this sudden variable.
Arisu's brows drew tightly together as he said coldly, "You promised me that you wouldn't continue interfering with the plot!"
Yumeko retorted, "You also promised me that you would spare my life and let me live until the Windy Legend, but what are you doing here now? To kill me?"
In the forest behind the mountain, killing intent filled the air, yet because of Yumeko's words, the two fell into a brief stalemate.