Inside Konoha, Emiya Shirou didn't care about anyone's prying. He had long anticipated Tobirama's secret surveillance. Given Tobirama's character, it was impossible for him to let go of any opportunity to make Konoha stronger.
However, over a thousand years ago, Shirou had already placed himself in a very clever position, making everyone believe his existence was truly harmless, and forcing Tobirama to use roundabout ways to win his favor.
Everyone would only believe one thing: that Emiya Shirou wanted a better future for this world. Even Black Zetsu, who always wanted to subvert the ninja world, wasn't worried that Shirou would want to harm it; it was only worried that he would ignore it.
Similarly, this was also Black Zetsu's most difficult problem. It very much hoped that Shirou could learn to be a little bit bad, to no longer hold onto so-called high morals, and to devote himself wholeheartedly to the dark cause of reviving Kaguya.
Unfortunately, when it quietly came to Konoha, what it saw was Shirou summarizing medical records, which gave it even more of a headache.
Those ordinary people could just die... why did he have to waste his energy saving them?
"You're back?" When Shirou saw Black Zetsu appear, his pen did not stop. "Black Zetsu, wait a moment, I'll finish writing these first..."
Black Zetsu could only wait helplessly. Only when Shirou put down his pen could it speak. "Wei Yuan, we have a greater cause to accomplish."
"It doesn't conflict," Shirou said, carefully rolling up the scroll. "Anyway, these small matters won't waste my time. I will continue to do them in the future. Speaking of which, what about that person named Madara Uchiha?"
He had long known Black Zetsu would bring him up. "I've heard some news about him. His reputation in the village is not very good. Many people are afraid of him."
"Madara Uchiha is just like his ancestor, Indra," Black Zetsu immediately took over. "He has always firmly believed that only power can bring rule and stability. A person like this is naturally not very popular in the eyes of the weak.
Oh, right," it continued, "now Madara wants to see you, because he wants to get some information from you."
"What information?"
"How to awaken the Rinnegan," Black Zetsu's voice became somewhat sinister. "A stone tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths for the descendants of his eldest son, Indra."
While silently cursing the Sage, it had to use his name to continue deceiving Shirou. "The Sage predicted that the path of Ninshu might not be entirely correct. On the stone tablet, he guided Indra's descendants on a path to awaken the Rinnegan. He hoped that after the collapse of the Ninshu order, they could use their power to rebuild the ninja order. Of course," a hint of hatred appeared in its words, "at the end of the stone tablet, he left the method to revive Mother Kaguya. Perhaps the Sage believed that if neither Asura's nor Indra's paths could bring peace, the world would ultimately still need the existence of the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya."
Of course, this was a lie. The stone tablet left by Sage was never for reviving Kaguya; on the contrary, it was to warn the Uchiha to be careful of her revival. That monster!
He wanted to completely block the possibility of Kaguya's revival! To revive Kaguya, the Uchiha bloodline was necessary, so Black Zetsu had no choice but to modify the content on the stone tablet.
"Is that so?" Shirou nodded thoughtfully, seeming to completely trust Black Zetsu's words.
He certainly wouldn't speak up for the Sage, but just sighed along with the flow. "What does this count for? A child grows up, and after a long time, finally understands his mother's greatness. After he spreads chakra and causes the world to become dilapidated, he then remembers the omnipotent mother he relied on since he was a child?"
Black Zetsu's heart felt a bit sad hearing this. If its mother Kaguya heard Shirou's words, perhaps she would also forgive that rebellious son of hers.
Alas... this fellow Emiya Shirou... even the warmest words can pierce the heart.
"Forget it," Shirou casually evoked Black Zetsu's emotions, then stopped dwelling on the matter. "Since the Sage left behind a way to revive the Rabbit Goddess, it seems we don't have to go to too much trouble..."
"But Madara Uchiha doesn't know all this," Black Zetsu finally got to the point, its voice gradually becoming serious. "Because the Sage hid the news of Kaguya's revival on the stone tablet, I have some suspicions that he might be..."
"The Sage of Six Paths really knows his children," Shirou interrupted, as if lost in the lies. "I have met Indra, and I have also met Madara. They possess an arrogance that is difficult for ordinary people to match."
He sighed and took the initiative to patch up Black Zetsu's story. "If these proud children really knew that they ultimately need their ancestor to clean up the mess, unless the world truly reaches its end, they would absolutely not want to do so."
This fellow Black Zetsu isn't even good at lying... and it still needs me, the one being deceived, to help supplement its lies...
Shirou had already figured out its intention. It must be that it wanted him to deceive and hide the matter of Kaguya's revival from Madara.
Wait... this little trick... don't come and teach me how to deceive Madara, okay?
Shirou sighed and said softly, "If we want Madara to help us revive the Rabbit Goddess, we must hide the truth from him..."
"That's right!" Black Zetsu nodded with pleasant surprise and quickly persuaded Shirou not to have any more moral purism. "Wei Yuan, sometimes hiding the truth and telling a white lie to someone who needs help is not a bad thing."
"How strange," Shirou's expression was a bit melancholy. "The ninjas of this era are also teaching me to learn to deceive and hide. It seems that in this era full of lies, honesty is also a sin..."
Black Zetsu felt a bit guilty. "This is the absurdity of the world," it quickly comforted him, carefully guiding him into the abyss of evil.
"Wei Yuan, this has never been your fault. Everything we do is to put this world back on the right track. The moment Kaguya is truly revived, you will no longer have to hide yourself. At that time, you will no longer have to touch lies and deception. You can be your truest self again. You can truly change this absurd world."
"I understand," Shirou looked at Black Zetsu and couldn't help but sigh, nodding as if in resignation.