Chapter 73: The Script Plays Out As He Wishes
The plot was clichéd. The acting was stiff. The characters were poorly received.
Looking at Black Zetsu—who feigned profound mystery while claiming to possess all the secrets of the world—Uchiha Kazuki felt utterly exhausted by the performance.
His Audience pathway abilities allowed him to perfectly control every aspect of his mind and emotions, enabling him to feign any expression or reaction he desired at precisely the appropriate moment.
Just like now.
Complex emotions and calculated shock flashed across his face in carefully measured succession, followed by deep suspicion and pronounced wariness toward Black Zetsu filling his eyes with apparent authenticity.
Such intricate emotional shifts, such subtle facial micro-expressions—all were carefully observed by the ever-dutiful Black Zetsu.
Excellent. That's precisely the expression I was hoping for.
As expected, the Uchiha clan remained exactly the same as it had always known them—without any improvement whatsoever. Still so laughably easy to manipulate and deceive!
With just a few carefully chosen words and vague promises, these single-minded fools could be transformed into obedient idiots, happily becoming tools for its ultimate goal of resurrecting Mother Kaguya.
Uchiha Madara had been like that. And now Uchiha Kazuki appeared no different.
Black Zetsu was secretly extremely pleased with itself, growing increasingly satisfied with this strategic decision. Bringing Uchiha Kazuki directly into the picture would significantly accelerate the timeline for the 'Eye of the Moon Plan' by years.
"Why do you know the forbidden secrets of our Uchiha clan?"
Uchiha Kazuki asked in a deliberately low, guarded voice. His eyes filled with visible vigilance, his muscles tensing as if he might explode into violent action at any moment.
"Secrets? Heh heh heh... they're only secrets to you."
Black Zetsu remained remarkably calm, showing absolutely no sign of panic or concern. It seemed to completely ignore Kazuki's threatening posture, speaking instead with clear amusement:
"As for how I know these things... well, someone told me, of course~"
Although Black Zetsu was essentially just a mass of highly concentrated Yin-attribute chakra given sentience, it fundamentally lacked the ability to use conventional escape techniques—let alone possess any meaningful direct offensive capabilities.
But in exchange for those limitations, it had been granted an incredibly powerful life force that made it virtually impossible to kill permanently. Even most sealing techniques could rarely contain or restrain it completely for long.
It was precisely because of these unique properties that Black Zetsu had successfully survived for over a thousand years, waiting patiently.
"Someone... told you?"
Although Kazuki already knew the answer perfectly well, he still continued playing along with Black Zetsu's predetermined 'script' exactly as expected.
"Want to know who that person is?"
Black Zetsu pondered internally for a strategic moment, then threw out the next piece of 'bait' with calculated precision:
"The secrets hidden and recorded on the stone tablet at the Naka Shrine go far, far beyond a mere Mangekyō Sharingan. It contains knowledge capable of completely overturning the entire established order of the shinobi world. Do you want to know these secrets, Uchiha Kazuki?"
The riddle-obsessed storyteller routine is genuinely annoying.
But what was even more irritating was that Kazuki already knew the entire plot from his metaknowledge—yet he still had to sit here and patiently watch this tedious performance play out.
If only there were a button to skip these awful cutscenes.
Uchiha Kazuki thought to himself with internal exasperation, while externally feigning curious interest:
"What secret?"
"Heh. Answer my first question first, Uchiha Kazuki."
Seeing his target take the bait so readily, Black Zetsu's lipless mouth curled slightly upward in satisfaction. Confident it had complete control of the situation, it slowly repeated:
"Do you desire power?"
Hearing this question, Uchiha Kazuki suddenly fell into deliberate silence.
Black Zetsu wasn't in any particular hurry and didn't press him further. It had survived for over a millennium—waiting a few more minutes wouldn't hurt its plans whatsoever.
"I... I want power."
After a long moment of calculated silence, Uchiha Kazuki—seemingly struggling with internal conflict—gritted his teeth and spoke in a hoarse, desperate voice:
"I want the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Perfect! He's completely taken the bait!
The Uchiha clan is far too easy to control. This manipulation tactic works every single time without fail.
Black Zetsu was thoroughly pleased with itself and eagerly continued its rehearsed speech:
"Legend speaks of how the Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha clan harbors the power of the gods themselves. With just the unique eye techniques contained in both eyes, a wielder can permanently change entire landscapes with a single technique—power capable of rivaling entire nations. I can help you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan... but naturally, there are conditions. What price are you willing to pay?"
Yes, everything comes at a price!
How could anyone possibly obtain such immense, world-shaking power without paying an appropriately heavy cost?
Uchiha Kazuki visibly gritted his teeth, allowing a conflicted expression to dominate his face. His brows furrowed deeply, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle between ambition and morality.
"It's perfectly normal for you to hesitate at this juncture."
Black Zetsu decided to apply additional psychological pressure, emphasizing each word with deliberate care:
"But you absolutely must understand this fundamental truth—the shinobi world is cruel beyond measure. It's a vicious dog-eat-dog environment where only the strong survive. Nobody cares about your notions of right or wrong, justice or morality. As long as you're powerful enough, you can change everything according to your will!"
"But..."
Uchiha Kazuki's eyes flickered with apparent uncertainty, clearly appearing to waver in his resolve.
"Then allow me to tell you something else—consider it a complimentary gift of information."
Black Zetsu's grin widened unnaturally as it slowly approached, leaning close to whisper directly in Kazuki's ear:
"You should have heard stories about him as well... the absolute strongest member of the Uchiha clan throughout all of history. That legendary shinobi who stood equal to the God of Shinobi himself—Uchiha Madara is still alive!"
"What?! That's... that's absolutely impossible!"
Uchiha Kazuki's face displayed perfect shock and disbelief, his performance flawless.
"What did you just say?! Uchiha Madara?! How could he possibly still be alive after all this time?!"
"Want to know the truth?"
Black Zetsu, believing the psychological moment was absolutely perfect, finally revealed its true intentions with confidence:
"It's simple, really. Come with me right now. See the truth for yourself with your own eyes."
Uchiha Kazuki's expression remained frozen in apparent shock, seemingly still desperately trying to process the earth-shattering revelation.
Uchiha Madara—one of the two legendary founders of Konohagakure. A powerhouse who stood as an equal to the First Hokage himself. The absolute strongest Uchiha in recorded history. A living legend!
Compared to him, even the legendary Sannin and the current Five Kage are nothing but insignificant insects!
"Come with me now."
Black Zetsu's unnatural grin widened further as it walked confidently past Kazuki, its seductive voice drifting back over its shoulder:
"Don't you want to see the legendary shinobi Uchiha Madara in person? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"I..."
Uchiha Kazuki's feet twitched as if to follow, but then he deliberately stopped himself.
"What's wrong? Are you too scared after all?"
Black Zetsu took several more steps forward, then turned back around. Seeing Kazuki still standing frozen in place, it deliberately spoke with mocking provocation:
"If that's truly all the courage you possess, then I strongly advise you to abandon this foolish idea right now."
"What... what do you mean by that?"
Uchiha Kazuki appeared genuinely taken aback by the accusation.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan is not a power that cowards and timid, hesitant people are qualified to wield."
Black Zetsu's hollow eyes flashed with clear mockery, and its deliberately obnoxious voice became even more infuriating and condescending.
"Who are you calling a coward?!"
Uchiha Kazuki instantly reacted with apparent rage, as if the gentle, kind mask he usually wore in public had been violently torn away to reveal raw emotion beneath.
Heh. He's still far too inexperienced and green after all. Couldn't even maintain composure after just one simple insult.
That gentle, innocent face might successfully fool the naive people of Konoha—but how could it possibly deceive someone as experienced and cunning as me?
Black Zetsu, fully believing it had successfully seen through Kazuki's carefully constructed facade, beckoned confidently with one finger:
"In that case, follow me immediately, Uchiha Kazuki."
"Where exactly is he located?"
Uchiha Kazuki frowned with apparent concern. "You should be aware that I can't be away from the village for extended periods without arousing suspicion."
"Heh. It won't take long at all."
Black Zetsu's smile somehow deepened even further, becoming almost grotesque:
"Lord Uchiha Madara has been hiding in the Forest of Death this entire time, waiting quite patiently for this meeting."
Tsk. Uchiha Madara certainly has audacity, I'll give him that!
He's practically on his literal deathbed, barely clinging to life—yet he still dares to play this "hiding in plain sight" strategy, concealing himself directly within Konoha's own Forest of Death.
What I slightly regret is that if it weren't for the carefully planned events that need to unfold, informing Hiruzen Sarutobi of Madara's presence would make things quite entertainingly chaotic, wouldn't it?
Lost briefly in these amusing thoughts, Uchiha Kazuki mentally filed away the information, then nodded with apparent resolve:
"Alright then. I'll go with you to meet the legendary Uchiha Madara himself!"
[End of Chapter 73]
Author's Notes:
This is absolutely brilliant—we're watching Kazuki completely manipulate Black Zetsu while Black Zetsu thinks it's manipulating him!
Key Revelations:
Kazuki's True Abilities:
Using Audience pathway powers to perfectly fake emotions
Already knows the entire plot but has to play along
Internally mocking Black Zetsu's "clichéd performance"
Deliberately taking the bait to advance his own plans
Black Zetsu's Perspective:
Completely confident it's manipulating another "stupid Uchiha"
Thinks Kazuki is just like Madara—easy to control
Has no idea it's being played
The Irony:
Black Zetsu: "I'm manipulating this naive Uchiha!"
Kazuki: "This is so tedious, wish I could skip the cutscene"
Both think they're in control
Only one actually is
What's Coming:
Meeting with the dying Uchiha Madara
Kazuki already knows Madara's location
More manipulation on multiple levels
The question: what's Kazuki's REAL plan?
This is like watching a chess game where one player doesn't realize they're playing checkers!