Somewhere deep within the Mountains of the Hidden Rain, a strange space shimmered into existence.
The interior of the cave was large, dark, and filled with a cold mist. A massive statue of a humanoid figure stood in a circle, its head bowed, and one by one, shadowy projections of the Akatsuki members appeared on the fingers of the massive Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
They were only astral projections, but even in this illusory state, the atmosphere was heavy.
Pain stood at the center, motionless, his eyes closed. The rings of his Rinnegan faintly glowed in the dim light.
To his right, Konan hovered silently, her blue hair and paper wings still, like a statue carved from sorrow.
To Pain's left, the ghostly figure of Kisame Hoshigaki smirked with arms crossed.
"Another lovely gathering in the dark," he chuckled.
"Shut it," growled Hidan from the opposite side. "I hate standing still for this crap."
"You say that every time, un," Deidara muttered, his long blond bangs covering one eye. "But here you are. Again."
"I'm here to bathe in blood and offer sacrifices to Jashin-sama, not to gossip with a bunch of ghosts!"
"You can start with yourself, heretic," Kakuzu snapped, barely sparing Hidan a glance. "Do us all a favor."
"Tch, I dare you to try-"
Suddenly, a shifting sound echoed through the chamber.
A swirl of black and white emerged from the stone floor. From the center of the cave, a strange figure rose, half-black, half-white, its body made of tendrils and roots.
"Zetsu's here," Konan said softly.
"Hey, plant!" Deidara called, waving lazily. "You're late again. Got lost growing roots, hmm?"
Zetsu said nothing.
"Deidara… still as loud as ever." White Zetsu's face twisted into a half-smile.
"We don't answer to art critics." Black Zetsu, ever grimmer, simply muttered.
"You-!" Deidara scowled.
"Shut up, Deidara," Sasori said sharply, his voice coming from within his lifeless puppet body. "You embarrass yourself every time."
Deidara's head snapped toward his partner. "Sasori-danna! Just because we're partners doesn't mean I won't blow you up and show you what real art is, hmm!"
Sasori, impassive, didn't respond.
Pain finally opened his eyes, the Rinnegan glowing. His voice echoed through the chamber.
"Enough."
Silence fell immediately.
"Zetsu. Report."
The strange being nodded.
"There's been a disturbance… one worth mentioning," Black Zetsu said slowly. "Konoha has begun systematically raiding all of Orochimaru's hidden laboratories. They've made significant progress."
"Continue." Pain's brow furrowed slightly.
Zetsu's expression darkened, and his voice grew more cautious.
"There was a team… one of high interest. Hatake Kakashi was leading the operation, but with him was Uchiha Sasuke… and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
The entire chamber fell into stillness.
Even Kisame, normally so smug, lifted his head with interest.
Tobi, who appeared as a projection with his orange swirl mask, remained oddly silent.
But it was Itachi whose reaction was the most telling.
His eyes opened, just slightly, and he turned his head toward Zetsu. Calm on the surface, but deep down, a shock pulsed through his chest.
Sasuke…? With Kakashi? In Anbu?
He said nothing, but Itachi's mind was spinning. So Kakashi finally acknowledged his strength… Good. That means… he's progressing. Faster than I thought.
Zetsu continued.
"And there was someone else. Someone strange. With them was Orochimaru…"
"What?" Kisame raised a brow. "The snake bastard joined them in raiding his own labs?"
"Orochimaru would never rob himself. That makes no sense." Sasori's mechanical voice hissed from his puppet.
"Exactly," Zetsu nodded. "It wasn't the real Orochimaru. He looked the same, but his chakra was too weak. His hands weren't sealed either. Our conclusion, a clone. Possibly artificial, but with significant knowledge."
"That is troubling," Konan said quietly.
"Could be a defector," Kakuzu said. "Or a weapon."
"And it's working with Konoha. That's the issue." Zetsu's black half added,
Pain raised his head slowly, his tone full of godly arrogance.
"Let them have their snake. It makes no difference. Konoha can gather all the power they want, but they will still kneel before the power of God."
"That's reassuring." White Zetsu gave a lopsided smile.
But, Black Zetsu cursed silently. 'Fool. The Rinnegan has made you blind. There are things moving outside your view…'
Out loud, he nodded.
"There is one more thing," Zetsu added. "All our White Zetsu units infiltrating Konoha have been captured. We've lost contact."
This drew frowns from multiple members.
"Captured?" Pain asked a slight twitch in his tone. "All of them?"
"Yes. Even the ones deep underground. We suspect Konoha has developed new sensory barriers or chakra-hunting seals."
Tobi the intern finally moved.
"A shame!" he said in a cheerful tone.
With no further discussion, Pain gave a short nod. "Continue observing. Report anything that changes."
Zetsu sank into the ground and vanished.
….
Meanwhile… somewhere far away…
A hidden chamber, lit by dim torches, revealed another presence.
Tobi or Obito stood in front of a spiraling portal, his orange mask glowing faintly in the flickering light. Black Zetsu and White Zetsu emerged from the wall behind him.
"They seem to disdain the Orochimaru clone theory," White Zetsu said.
"Let them. It changes nothing." Obito gave a single nod.
"He's cooperating with Kakashi," Black Zetsu warned. "And this Kakashi… is more than he seems. His chakra is not the same. It's… different. Growing."
"So?" Obito replied, voice dismissive. "Kakashi's always been clever. A fake Orochimaru doesn't scare me."
"Maybe not. But you weren't the one watching the lab raids." White Zetsu laughed.
"It doesn't matter. Let them scavenge the snake's toys. Nothing they find can stop the Eye of the Moon Plan." Obito said as he turned his back on them.
Black Zetsu said nothing.
Inside, he raged.
Fools. All of them. Pain, Obito…
He stared at Obito's back, and for a moment, his goo-like skin twitched with hidden thought.
This one… He's deviating. Too soft. Too emotional.
Black Zetsu had once considered giving Madara's corpse to Orochimaru for resurrection if Obito strayed too far from the plan. But now that plan was useless. This clone wasn't the real Orochimaru, but it might be enough.
Because even a fake Orochimaru… wouldn't be able to resist the body of Madara Uchiha.
And Black Zetsu?
He only needed a sliver of ambition.