Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 38: Black Zetsu
"Otsutsuki?"
Black Zetsu froze in shock the moment he heard the name spoken aloud by White Zetsu. A name he had not heard for centuries suddenly resurfaced and it shook him to his very core. His entire body stiffened, his shadow-like form trembling with unease.
The Uzumaki and Uchiha were plan to adopt this name. Apparently, they were planning to name their new descendants Otsutsuki. Any child born from the union of Uchiha and Uzumaki would bear this clan name.
To most, it might have been nothing more than a symbolic gesture between two clan, even Madara think that they got the name in Naka Shrine, he himself knows about Otsutsuki Clan there. But to Black Zetsu, that name was not just some relic of forgotten history. No, it was his mother. It was the true and original clan name of his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki.
The Otsutsuki clan had long since splintered and scattered. Their once-great lineage was fragmented and they adopted a new clan name. Hamura descendants sealed themselves away on the moon, though some of his branch members later returned to earth, creating a new clan name. Some of these offshoots became the Kaguya clan, inheriting bone manipulation abilities, while others inherited Byakugan.
Hagoromo line fared no differently. His two sons had gotten two different power, Indra received the Sage eyes, while Asura carried the Sage body. However their lineage also abandon the Clan name Otsutsuki.
Indra descendants in particular had completely abandoned the Otsutsuki name. This change began with Otsutsuki Kazutaka, who was furious with both his grandfather and uncle after his father, Indra Otsutsuki defeat. Driven by anger and a thirst for revenge, Kazutaka swore to sever ties with the Otsutsuki name forever. When he married Uchiha Keiko, he cast aside his clan name and adopted her surname. From that point onward, their children and all future descendants carried the name Uchiha, severing any public ties to the Otsutsuki heritage.
The Senju lineage diverged in a different manner. The last known heir of the Otsutsuki bloodline within them was a woman named Otsutsuki Sumiko, the other Senju name had due to fight with Uchiha Clan. Later, she married Senju Satoshi, the sole heir of the Senju clan. Because Satoshi could not abandon his clan name, and because Sumiko love for him outweighed her pride in her lineage, she willingly cast aside the Otsutsuki surname. Their children carried the Senju name, burying yet another branch of Kaguya bloodline beneath a different legacy.
Only one clan still dared to carry the name of his mother, the Kaguya clan of Kirigakure, shrouded in mist and blood. They were violent and savage, obsessed with combat and destruction. They traced their heritage back to Hamura Otsutsuki. Those born without the Byakugan, burdened with Hamura guilt for imprisoning his mother, chose to carry Kaguya name as both remembrance and penance. It was Hamura himself who decreed this, hoping that by naming his descendants after her, he could alleviate some small measure of the guilt that haunted him.
For nearly a century, however, the name Otsutsuki had been buried, recorded only in ancient scrolls and forgotten texts for example Naka Shrine, dismissed by the living as irrelevant. But now, suddenly and inexplicably, it was returning and being used again.
The very idea that an heir born of both Uchiha and Uzumaki blood might once again bear the Otsutsuki name sent waves of unease and suspicion through Black Zetsu. His eyes narrowed as he sank deeper into the shadows.
"Do they know?" he whispered to himself, his voice a rasp of doubt and fear. "Do they suspect… something?"
The question echoed within him, over and over, gnawing at his mind and he decided to find out why they decided to use Otsutsuki names.
Black Zetsu traveled to Konoha in search of Uchiha and Uzumaki members, but unfortunately, they did not provide the answers he wanted.
"Do you know, my salary has increased?"
"Yes, I didn't know the Sharingan's power was tied to our salary."
He found no useful information there, so he turned his attention to another Uchiha family.
"Son, you need to awaken your Sharingan to at least two tomoe, otherwise no woman will want to marry you," said an Uchiha woman to her teenage child
"I know, Mom, but I don't know why my eyes are stuck at one tomoe," replied the boy.
Because the clan leader had recently increased the salaries of several people, everyone now realized that it was not years of service in the Uchiha Police Force that determined someone salary. Instead, it was the strength of their Sharingan.
This news caused unrest. Most members who had yet to awaken their eyes, or whose Sharingan had only one tomoe, became afraid. Mothers worried that their children would face difficulties finding marriage partners if they could not advance their dōjutsu.
From the shadows, Black Zetsu also took note of this.
"Another piece of rubbish information. Who cares about money? I need to know why they chose the Otsutsuki name," he muttered before leaving.
Disappointed with what he had gathered, he decided to observe the higher-ups of the Uchiha instead.
"When would be the right time to recruit civilians into our force?" Fugaku asked calmly, his gaze fixed on his grandfather, one of the Uchiha Clan elders.
"Likely within one or two months," replied Yashiro. "We must first construct the necessary buildings, and ensure that the rest of the Uchiha understand why we wish to recruit civilians. Once that foundation is laid, we will begin recruitment and allow them to serve as police officers."
Fugaku hesitated, then spoke again. "Grandfather, is this truly the correct path? For generations, the Police Force has been ours alone. To allow civilians into an institution created by second Hokage and was given to us Uchiha Clan, does this not dilute our strength and pride?"
Yashiro leaned back. "We all share the same reluctance, Fugaku. This decision does not come easily. But when we considered the matter carefully, it became clear that the benefit outweight risk, accepting civilians will ultimately benefit us. It will expand our influence and extend our authority throughout the village."
From the shadows, Black Zetsu observed in silence. Once again, he did not find the answers he sought. Instead, he stumbled upon yet another unsettling secret.
"The Uchiha want to hire civilians? What is happening to this clan?" he thought bitterly.
Determined, he decided to search for Uzumaki Raiken instead.
He soon found Raiken sitting with three other Uchiha, drawing a symbol on the ground. Once they finished, one of the shinobi at Raiken side suddenly formed the Boar hand seal.
A crimson barrier flared to life. At that moment, Black Zetsu instincts screamed danger. Centuries of surviving in the shadows told him his position had been exposed.
He felt the presence of an attack closing in. But before it could reach him, Black Zetsu had already fled, retreating to the top of a distant mountain, nearly six kilometers away from his previous hiding spot.
One of Black Zetsu greatest abilities was his survival instinct. If his stealth could be rated at one hundred, his escape skill would be one thousand. Only someone with incredible speed, such as the Third Raikage could hope to catch him.
"Huh? What happened?" Black Zetsu muttered, confusion mixing with unease.
He turned his gaze back toward his former hiding place. The ground where he had concealed himself had been completely destroyed.
"How did they know?" Black Zetsu whispered in shock.
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