"Long time no see, Wei Yuan... Lord."
Black Zetsu's address changed subconsciously, a note of hesitation creeping in. He wanted to say more but didn't dare, settling for a reserved greeting. He could see that Emiya Shirou had changed. It felt like a thick, miserable barrier had been erected between them.
The Sage of Six Paths? he thought frantically.
It has to be because of the Sage of Six Paths.
If Shirou has changed, it's because he met him in the Pure Land. What the hell did that bastard instill in him?
"I saw the Sage of Six Paths," Emiya Shirou said, his voice flat. He hadn't forgotten the promise he'd made to Black Zetsu.
"The Sage... did he say anything?" Black Zetsu asked, his own voice tight with nerves. He quickly fell back on the story he'd used to deceive Shirou before. "Does he still believe that humanity's destiny should be in its own hands, not Kaguya's?"
Black Zetsu had long ago prepared his excuses for Mother Kaguya's... less savory actions, like turning humans into White Zetsu.
His argument was simple: if Kaguya decides humanity's destiny, she also decides their punishment. He was confident he could convince Shirou that this was a god's responsibility, no matter what the Sage had said.
He knew Shirou would believe it.
And in a way, Shirou knew he was supposed to fall for it. But this time, he had a much better story of his own. The reanimated man was quiet for a moment, his eyes lifting slightly as the aura around him grew chillingly still.
"I don't know."
"I may have failed your trust, Black Zetsu."
"I don't think the Sage of Six Paths will help us anymore."
"I used my own chakra to travel from the Pure Land to the crack between life and death where he resides. There... I saw countless lost souls."
"I liberated them," Shirou continued, his voice hollow. "I sent their souls back to the Pure Land. From them, I learned so many tragic stories..."
Black Zetsu sighed internally.
Emiya Shirou... still a good person, even after death.
That was probably why he'd always trusted him. Only a genuinely good person like Shirou made it so he didn't have to live in constant fear.
"But..." Shirou's tone shifted, turning cold. "While they were suffering in the living world, while their souls were lost, that so-called god was just... wandering. The slaughter of shinobi, the lost souls in the underworld... none of it was on his radar. I don't understand what a god like that even cares about."
Black Zetsu knew exactly what the Sage of Six Paths was thinking.
It's obvious, isn't it? He's guarding against Kaguya's revival!
But he couldn't tell Shirou that.
He could, however, sense where Shirou's thoughts were heading, and it gave him an idea about the Sage's current state. Logically, if the Sage still had any real power, he wouldn't just sit by and watch the world burn. He'd interfere.
This could only mean one thing: the Sage's remaining power was too weak to affect the living world. He was only Kaguya's son, not a pure Otsutsuki. Of course he'd have a limited lifespan.
This is a good thing!
Shirou's disappointment in the Sage was the exact opportunity Black Zetsu needed. He knew Shirou wouldn't lie to him.
Besides, if Shirou really knew the truth about Kaguya, the first thing he'd have done upon returning would be to question him, or even try to seal him away—not ramble on about the Sage of Six Paths.
So that's it! He's disappointed in the Sage's inaction.
Sensing his chance, Black Zetsu moved in, speaking ill of the Sage with a veneer of praise. "Don't be disappointed, Wei Yuan. Perhaps in the Sage's eyes, the world isn't bad enough to need Kaguya's return just yet?"
"No." Shirou shook his head. "I once told Madara that this era wasn't so bad. I was clearly wrong. Just as Madara said, the conflict between shinobi has only intensified. This era is hopeless."
His gaze fell on Black Zetsu. "In the Pure Land, I saw stories even darker than the ones from forty years ago. The world is full of conflict and lies. Compared to back then, it has completely fallen into an abyss."
Shirou gestured to the man beside him. "You see Yakushi Kabuto? After Danzo used him and his adoptive mother, he tricked them into killing each other. That boy who once followed me, who deceived me just to get my power... he's finally become as evil and twisted as the rest."
"That's not your fault!" Black Zetsu said quickly, absolving him of any guilt.
He instinctively brought up their own history. "The Akatsuki, the organization we're in now, once tried to bring peace to the world, just like you. But we grew too strong, and Danzo destroyed us..."
"Wei Yuan," he continued, his voice low. "You can't change someone whose heart is full of darkness, just like you could never change Tobirama Senju's prejudice against Madara. Everything that's happened only proves one thing: our plan is the right one. Humans, driven by their own selfish interests, can't save themselves. Only a true god can change all this."
"But..." Shirou sat on the edge of an experiment table, propping his chin on his hand. He seemed calmer than ever. "Will Lady Kaguya really save this world?"
"I'm only worried about one thing. If we revive her, will she just be like her son? Will she sit high in the heavens, waiting for humanity to fix itself, turning a blind eye to all the suffering?"
"How could she?" Black Zetsu scoffed, moving to Shirou's side.
His voice became a hoarse, gentle whisper. "A great mother sees everyone as her child. Wei Yuan, you have always been the person most like her. When I see you, it's like I see her shadow. Only you possess the same great love as Kaguya."
Shirou looked up, his expression unreadable.
"Wei Yuan," Black Zetsu said, extending his hand in a familiar invitation. "Since the Sage of Six Paths is unwilling to act, then we don't need to pay him any mind. Let's finish this ourselves."
After a long silence, under Black Zetsu's nervous and surprised gaze, Shirou reached out and tightly grasped his hand.
Then, a smile spread across Shirou's face. It was a sad, broken thing. "You know, Black Zetsu... this feels just like when I was first resurrected. Back then, I didn't know about Lady Kaguya. I thought the world was a lost cause, and I desperately chose to believe in Asura."
The smile on his face was ugly, tinged with despair and a dead stillness. His voice was as lifeless as ash. "And now... I can only choose to believe in you, just like I did back then."
"Wei Yuan, don't despair..." Black Zetsu said, remembering the last time he'd seen Shirou so broken. The sight made him feel a pang of sadness.
Damn you, Hagoromo! Black Zetsu cursed the Sage of Six Paths in his mind.
That bastard is long dead, but he still almost ruined my pawn.
It's one thing not to save the world himself, but he had to go and tarnish Kaguya's image in Shirou's mind!
He made my pawn change so much... he's as dejected as he was when he was first brought back!
The Sage and his son Asura were both fucking useless.
Still... despite everything... a wave of relief washed over Black Zetsu. As long as he had regained Shirou's trust, nothing else mattered. He could work on restoring his confidence later.
"Speaking of which," Shirou said, his brow furrowed as he looked at the black robe with red clouds that Zetsu was wearing. "Have you joined the Akatsuki too? Why are you wearing the same clothes as Orochimaru?"
He continued, his voice full of genuine confusion. "Orochimaru told me the Akatsuki's leader is a man named Pain, a Rinnegan user who wants to rule the world. He said Konoha ordered him to infiltrate the group to destroy their conspiracy. He needed to get intelligence on the Rinnegan to defeat Pain, which is why he resurrected me..."
"Lord Emiya Shirou," White Zetsu finally cut in, unable to hold his tongue. "It seems you've been deceived by Orochimaru. He defected from Konoha a long time ago. He's not a Konoha ninja anymore!"
"And," he added, "Akatsuki is the organization we're using to collect the Tailed Beasts. We have no intention of ruling the world."
"Hmm?" Shirou's brow remained furrowed. "But Orochimaru told me he was ordered to defect and join Akatsuki. He didn't seem to be lying..."
The expressions on both Black and White Zetsu's faces turned ugly.
That bastard Orochimaru... could he really be a spy sent by Konoha?