Deep within the forest, shadows surged like a tide.
Black Zetsu huddled among the roots of an ancient tree, its dark body almost merging with the darkness.
Its yellow eyes flickered with an unsettled light, fixed intently on the unconscious Madara in the distance.
"I finally managed to revive Madara, and he couldn't even withstand a single move..." Black Zetsu's body trembled involuntarily, revealing its extreme inner turmoil. "With a monster like Chiaki Setsuna around, does Mother really have any hope of being revived?"
Just then, it suddenly heard Setsuna say he would investigate the 'mastermind behind the scenes'.
Black Zetsu's body stiffened abruptly.
"Could he be talking about me?" The thought had barely formed before it immediately comforted itself. "Even Madara didn't know my true identity. How could Chiaki Setsuna possibly..."
Tap.
A light sound. A foot gently stepped on the tree root where it was hiding.
Black Zetsu looked up stiffly and saw Setsuna's indifferent gaze looking down at it.
"Ah—!" Black Zetsu let out a shriek as if seeing a ghost. Its dark body instantly twisted and distorted, trying to seep into the tree trunk to escape.
However, Setsuna merely reached out and grabbed it.
Squelch.
Black Zetsu froze in mid-air, like a cat grabbed by the scruff of its neck.
"Who is the person behind you?" Setsuna asked very calmly.
"I... I am Madara-sama's will!" Black Zetsu's voice was shrill and trembling. "Madara-sama is the one who..."
"No." Setsuna cut it off directly. "You are the will of Otsutsuki Kaguya."
With his current strength, there was no need to hide anything.
Black Zetsu's body solidified abruptly, like black jelly.
"You... how do you know..." Black Zetsu's voice became distorted and garbled. Its dark body writhed frantically, its heart filled with utmost terror.
Setsuna said indifferently, "Right now, I'm asking the questions. You are not."
Black Zetsu immediately deflated, slumping in Setsuna's hand like a puddle of mud.
It stammered timidly, "A year ago, when Nagato resurrected Kitsuchi, the Chakra from the Rinnegan awakened a powerful being who claimed to be a member of Mother's clan. He said he would help me revive Mother..."
Setsuna narrowed his eyes. "Is he a monk with a diamond-shaped mark on his chin? Calls himself Jigen?"
"How do you kno—" Black Zetsu's startled cry was cut short. Setsuna's indifferent gaze warned it not to waste words.
"Yes, that's him," Black Zetsu quickly changed its tune. "His condition doesn't seem very good. Over the past year, he had his subordinates clone the Kage from various villages and used those clones as sacrifices for the Edo Tensei."
"Not just Uchiha Madara. Those Edo Tensei bodies were also deployed. By now, the Jinchuriki remaining in other Ninja Villages have probably all been captured."
Black Zetsu cautiously observed Setsuna's reaction but found him very calm, as if these matters were no big deal.
Setsuna suddenly asked, "Do you know why his condition isn't good?"
Black Zetsu shook its head blankly, 'How could I possibly know something like that?'
Setsuna smiled and said, "Jigen is just a host. His true self is called Otsutsuki Isshiki. He was originally your Mother's superior. A thousand years ago, when they came to this planet, your Mother ambushed him."
"Isshiki's true body was severely injured. Over the past millennium, he could only survive by parasitizing Jigen. Now you should understand why his condition isn't good, right?"
Black Zetsu asked in shock, "Are... are you telling the truth?"
This time, Setsuna was uncharacteristically patient. "If your Mother hadn't betrayed the Otsutsuki Clan, why would she fear the arrival of her clan members?"
Black Zetsu's mind was thrown into disarray. In the memories Mother left it, there was indeed fear towards the Otsutsuki Clan.
Setsuna's voice suddenly softened. "I'm just an ordinary human. Even if I were to harm your Mother, at most I'd just reinforce the seal. But Otsutsuki Isshiki… he wants to eat your Mother."
Black Zetsu's body stiffened. Although it really wanted to retort, 'You call yourself an ordinary human, you monster?!'… It had to admit Setsuna's words made sense.
Moreover, now that it was captured, it had absolutely no room to bargain.
Black Zetsu tentatively asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Setsuna smiled. "I want you to help Nagato completely resurrect Uchiha Madara."
"Huh? What?" Black Zetsu felt its mind go blank.
…
The morning sun streamed through the glass windows but couldn't disperse the heavy atmosphere in the conference hall.
The Continental Conference had resumed. Representatives from various nations wore expressions of varying degrees of anxiety.
A slammed his fist on the conference table. The solid wood surface instantly cracked with spider-web patterns.
Veins bulged on his forehead. His voice was like thunder. "Kumogakure was attacked last night. The attackers were actually the Edo Tensei of the previous three Raikage! They stormed straight in and captured the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki."
"The situation in Iwagakure is similar," Onoki said with a deep frown. "The First and Second Tsuchikage captured Roshi."
Yagura tapped the table lightly. "Kirigakure's Six-Tails Jinchuriki was also captured."
The representative from Takigakure said with a tearful face, "We didn't have former Kage, but the Edo Tensei of the First Hokage attacked and captured our Jinchuriki."
A Ninja feigned confusion and asked, "Who on earth invented the Edo Tensei anyway? Isn't it just causing harm?"
The Third Hokage, attending as an observer, looked very awkward.
He knew very well that if it weren't for Setsuna's immense prestige, they wouldn't be beating around the bush. They'd be naming the Second Hokage directly.
Amidst the noisy discussions, Setsuna gently set down his teacup.
The clear sound of porcelain meeting wood instantly silenced the conference room.
Setsuna said, "Last night, while investigating the mastermind, I have grasped the general situation."
All eyes focused on this young Hokage. The Fourth Raikage eagerly pressed, "Who exactly is behind this?"
Setsuna looked around at everyone and spoke slowly. "The enemy is named Otsutsuki Isshiki. His goal is to collect all the Tailed Beasts, then recombine the Nine Tailed Beasts into the Ten-Tails, and finally become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki."
"Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki?" This unfamiliar term made the Jonin present exchange puzzled looks.
Onoki couldn't help but ask, "Does such a creature as the Ten-Tails really exist?"
Setsuna nodded, his gaze deep. "The Sage of Six Paths was the original Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki."
The conference hall immediately erupted.
"The Sage of Six Paths? Isn't that just a myth?"
"Could the legends be true?"
Setsuna gave a slight nod. "Not only is the Sage of Six Paths real, but our enemy is an even more distant mythological figure… an alien who has lived for over a thousand years."
The room erupted into an uproar again. If not for Setsuna's immense prestige, they would have thought he was making up a story to fool them.
"Chairman-sama, how should we respond?" The leader of Takigakure asked, trembling.
"Everyone, there's no need to panic," Setsuna said with calm composure. "An enemy emerging from myth is nothing to fear. I will handle this personally. If myth is destined to be written, then I shall tread upon his corpse to step into that myth."