New Year's Eve was approaching.
Families reunited.
People reflected on the hardships of the past year and gathered to welcome the future.
Many would choose to enjoy a delicious barbecue under the moonlight, basking in the beauty of the night sky.
Even at this time of year, the Akatsuki granted its members a temporary reprieve.
And so, at the entrance of a cavern deep within the Land of Rivers, a peculiar, humanoid figure emerged.
Yes.
A being.
It merely resembled a human form—calling it such was only a technicality.
The figure was half black, half white, with a head encased by a pitcher plant-like structure. The white half seemed visibly drained, its eyes completely shut.
One could only guess what White Zetsu had endured.
How much energy had he expended trying to save Obito?
How many Hashirama cells cultivated from the God Tree had been wasted?
At this point, White Zetsu had yet to undergo the enhancements of Yakushi Kabuto's experiments.
The Akatsuki had not yet reached the stage of mass-producing 100,000 White Zetsu.
For now, they merely served as an intelligence network, gathering information on the Tailed Beasts across the major hidden villages.
But no one had anticipated the severity of Obito's injuries this time.
After so many days of recuperation, he had only barely regained the ability to move.
"Obito is such a failure," Black Zetsu thought bitterly.
"He's accomplished little, yet his ability to attract trouble has improved significantly."
Tired.
"Zero Zero Seven…" Black Zetsu muttered with a sigh.
He could tell that Obito no longer intended to revive Madara Uchiha as originally planned—he sought to carry out the Infinite Tsukuyomi on his own.
In principle, there was nothing inherently wrong with that.
After all, Obito already knew the necessary steps. The new world only had room for a single god to guide it.
What purpose would Madara serve in that vision?
But Black Zetsu was well aware that Obito alone was insufficient.
The shinobi world would soon educate him on that reality.
So, there was no rush.
Yet, what disturbed Black Zetsu was the fact that a single member of the Uchiha Clan had managed to push Obito to such a state.
Troublesome.
"Since when did the Captain of Konoha's Police Force become this powerful?"
"I've never even heard of this man."
"Mother's fate truly is filled with misfortune…"
But soon, the Akatsuki's phase of capital accumulation would be complete, and the grand plan would move forward.
Thousands of years of waiting.
Black Zetsu could afford to wait a little longer.
With reverence and anticipation in his eyes, he looked up.
It had become a habit—every night, he would stare at the moon for at least an hour.
Then.
"What the—?!"
Tonight, Black Zetsu's gaze was met with a shocking sight.
"Is the moon… twitching?"
Trembling.
Convulsing.
As if struck by an immense force.
At this moment, the moon was erratically shifting in the sky.
"Is there something wrong with the Six Paths Chibaku Tensei that sealed Mother?"
This was the first thought that crossed Black Zetsu's mind.
He watched in astonishment, then quickly knelt, his posture one of reverence, as though he were about to witness his mother's return.
The most devoted son in the shinobi world—no one could match his filial piety!
Even in weakness, he had spent a millennium preparing for his mother's revival.
One could only wonder if Uchiha Itachi would feel ashamed upon witnessing such unwavering dedication.
"Could it be… Mother's power is returning? Is she trying to break the seal?"
Black Zetsu was anxious, yet exhilarated.
But logic dictated that this was impossible.
The Six Paths Chibaku Tensei did not merely imprison the Ten Tails' husk; it extracted all of its chakra, splitting it into the current nine Tailed Beasts.
In other words, unless the Tailed Beasts were reassembled, Mother's strength could not be restored.
That was the foundation of the God Tree's power.
A more plausible explanation was that something was happening with the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon.
Perhaps someone was even attacking the moon with brute force.
Black Zetsu was nothing if not intelligent.
Had he not been, Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito, and even Nagato would never have been so easily manipulated.
Regardless of the cause, one fact remained clear:
The more the moon was damaged, the weaker Mother's seal would become!
Black Zetsu knew this well.
Even if the Tailed Beasts were collected successfully, Mother's resurrection would not be instantaneous.
Rather, he would first manipulate the Ten Tails' power to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, absorbing the shinobi world's chakra, allowing Mother to be reborn in an incomplete form through the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki.
That would be only the first step.
After all, the Rabbit Goddess, the progenitor of chakra, would never rely on the lowly flesh of another.
True resurrection would only be achieved once all scattered chakra was reclaimed, a power surpassing the Six Paths Chibaku Tensei was obtained, and her original body was freed.
That was the real goal.
And now, with the moon acting as the core of the Six Paths Chibaku Tensei, any destruction inflicted upon it would undoubtedly weaken the seal.
No matter how one looked at it, this development boded well for future plans.
"Good brother, whoever you are, Black Zetsu thanks you!"
Black Zetsu murmured with heartfelt sincerity.
"So, good brother, please—continue!"
"If you could just shatter the moon entirely, it would save me the trouble of collecting the Tailed Beasts myself."
At that moment, he was unaware of the true cause of the moon's disturbance.
But he would soon come to understand.
For in the Land of Fire, outside a concealed cave entrance, a lone figure stood.
Bai Ye.
Fist raised, he struck the space before him once more.
"Ready?" he grinned, his right fist brimming with power.
What had come before was mere warm-up.
"The finisher is here."
Boom!
A golden dragon coiled around his arm, power surging through him like a torrent.
The Eight Inner Gates? Irrelevant.
That technique merely forced one beyond their limits, sacrificing all potential at once.
But for one who had already surpassed human limitations, such a Forbidden Technique was unnecessary.
Roar!
The golden dragon surged.
And Bai Ye's fist was unleashed.
The cataclysmic force obliterated the pathway connecting the Earth to the moon, severing the unnatural link with sheer power alone.
Even without looking up, he knew the moon's condition.
The attack had not simply shattered the passage—it had struck the moon itself.
A seismic tremor erupted.
In the vast expanse of space, within the very heart of the moon, a sealed figure stirred.
Long, flowing hair. Pale skin. Horns adorning her head. A regal yet eerie presence.
Her eyes opened.
Cold and emotionless.
"Who… dares… disturb my slumber?"
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