If the one Obito Uchiha encountered was truly a will created by that "Outsider," then many things suddenly made sense. But if that were the case, did that not mean Nagato had already been targeted?
No, more precisely, it was those Rinnegan that had been targeted. Even Black Zetsu felt a headache coming on.
Root was already hard enough to deal with. The enemy was not only a will like itself, but the original body was still alive.
"No, that's not right." Black Zetsu suddenly realized something, its thoughts racing. "If that 'Outsider' truly had all of its power, there would be no need to let a will act outside."
A being on the same level as Mother could directly seize the Rinnegan in Nagato's eyes, and no one in the entire Ninja World could stop it. Yet since the incident in Land of Hot Water, that existence had never appeared again.
This instead suggested that, like Mother, it was in a state where it could not act personally. The more Black Zetsu thought about it, the clearer everything became, and a sense of wild relief followed.
That was right. That "Outsider" must be unable to act in person for some reason.
"Madara." Realizing this, Black Zetsu looked at Obito Uchiha again and asked, "Did you see anything strange inside the Underground Palace?"
Something strange? Obito Uchiha frowned, his expression troubled, then seemed to recall something. He reached into his clothes and took out a tattered Scroll.
"This is the text from the stone tablet at the entrance of the Underground Palace." He explained calmly. "Nagato told me to make a copy of it, said it might be useful."
Black Zetsu quickly raised a hand and took the Scroll. With experience spanning over a thousand years, it could instantly understand the contents.
What it saw was the same secret that Fourth Raikage and the others had once seen. Its heart filled with fear.
That being was an Otsutsuki who had arrived in the Ninja World even earlier than Mother. It had even been hunted down by Mother and another Otsutsuki to the brink of death.
This was clearly a feud of life and death. Black Zetsu did not doubt the authenticity of the text at all, because many details, though not remembered, felt deeply familiar.
Only someone who had survived from that era could know such things. Otherwise, Zetsu could not possibly know about Mother or the "Outsider."
Even the origins of Otsutsuki Clan and the rules of the main and Branch Family were recorded in detail. Not even Hamura and Hagoromo could have known this much.
"But now it seems my guess was correct." While fearful, Black Zetsu felt somewhat relieved. "That one survived by sheer luck, even beyond its own expectations."
"However, I cannot rashly approach Nagato. Right now, the only advantage is that he is in the open and I am in the dark." Its thoughts turned cautious. "I must keep a low profile for now and never expose my existence, or I will surely be hunted down and erased."
"But I cannot do nothing either." With that, Black Zetsu's thoughts shifted again, and it looked at Obito Uchiha with a heavy expression.
"Let's go."
"Where to?" Obito Uchiha asked in surprise.
Black Zetsu said nothing, only answering in its heart. Of course, to find another pair of Rinnegan.
Hmph. This kind of thing was something it had plenty of experience with. Since Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju were already dead, the Chakra of Indra and Asura must have reincarnated.
Just like before, within the Uchiha Clan and the Senju clan. Even if it lost those Rinnegan in the end, there had already been one successful case.
There could be a second. At worst, it would wait a few more decades.
After waiting a thousand years, a few decades meant nothing, as long as it was not discovered.
At this moment, on the battlefield in the Land of Moon, a new wave of attacks began. The sounds of battle echoed again across the land.
"Those people from Konoha have started attacking again." Inside the Kumogakure camp, Samui frowned slightly as she looked at the frontline reports.
"What's wrong?" Yugito Nii, sitting nearby, asked when she noticed the expression. "Has Konoha made another move?"
"It's the same as the previous times." Samui shook her head, though her brows stayed tightly knit. The recent offensives from Konoha had been extremely frequent, making her feel that something was off.
This was already the third attack organized by Konoha within a single week. Each one was a serious drain on their resources and manpower.
Yet Konoha continued launching attacks without hesitation, as if they did not care about losses at all. This reckless behavior had already begun to shake morale on the Kumogakure side.
"Could it be that Ryuji Hyuga is about to make a move?" Yugito Nii asked in a low voice.
Hearing that name, Samui's gaze flickered slightly. She had already heard a rough account from Yugito Nii and the others about what happened in the Underground Palace, and it was even more bizarre than she had guessed.
A Abyss thousands of meters deep, the man eating giant gate of the Underground Palace, chaotic battles between multiple factions, a stone statue with ten tails, ten powerful Ninja Tool, and a madman who slaughtered countless people. And then there was that person who shone inside the Underground Palace, showed overwhelming strength, openly provoked Raikage before leaving, and still walked away safely.
"For now, we still don't know Konoha's true purpose." After thinking for a long time, Samui spoke calmly. "We can't rule out that this is intentional on his part, but we can't tie our own hands just because of a few words."
"It's a pity that Iwagakure suddenly had trouble." Yugito Nii sighed. "Raikage had no choice but to rush back to the village. Otherwise, how would Konoha dare to act so arrogantly?"
"It hasn't reached the point where Raikage needs to personally oversee things yet." Samui smiled and offered some reassurance. "From the intelligence you provided, Ryuji Hyuga is just taking advantage of that Ninja Tool. It won't have a major impact on the overall situation."
That flying Ninja Tool might look powerful, but its attack strength would certainly weaken as the distance increased. As long as they prepared properly against aerial attacks, even if he flew over, it would be meaningless.
In fact, it could even be an opportunity to cut him down and kill him outright.
"Oh, right." As if remembering something, Samui looked at Yugito Nii. "How is the analysis of the two Ninja Tool obtained from the Underground Palace going?"
"Speaking of that, one of them is the 'God Beating Whip' that I used before." Yugito Nii's unease eased a little as he explained. "The other one was taken away by Raikage. It's called the 'Arm of Thunder.'"
"It concentrates all of the Lightning Release Chakra in the body into the arm, then compresses and releases it in a focused burst." He spoke with some admiration. "The local power far exceeds what Raikage usually achieves with ninjutsu and Taijutsu."
Thinking of the arm guard that covered from the shoulder to the knuckles, wrapping the upper and lower arm, even Yugito Nii felt a bit envious. That Ninja Tool suited Raikage perfectly, far better than her compatibility with the God Beating Whip.
"It seems Raikage's strength will increase by quite a bit again." Samui sighed. "I really wonder what kind of person could forge such powerful Ninja Tool."
It was far superior to the strange and inexplicable seven ninja swords of Kirigakure. Just looking at them was enough to give anyone a headache.
A lightning blade that looked like a crude lightning rod. A blunt blade that was nothing more than a hammer and an axe. A cleaver that regenerated by absorbing blood but broke easily.
A long blade that claimed to pierce and stitch everything, but was really just a needle and thread. An explosive blade wrapped in countless Explosive Tag. Only the greatsword Samehada and the twin blades Hiramekarei were passable.
And yet Kirigakure treated these things like treasures, nurturing seven people known as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. In the end, they were still wiped out by a single Konoha Genin.
pata… pata…
The sudden sound snapped Samui out of her thoughts. "It's raining," Yugito Nii said at just the right moment.
Samui turned to look at the tent window, where raindrops pattered against the clear surface. Outside, heavy lead colored clouds covered the sky, dimming the light.
In the distance, thick smoke from the battlefield rose and merged with the dark clouds above. The glow of ninjutsu and Explosive Tag explosions still could not light up the whole sky.
"It's raining…" The steady drizzle seemed to weigh on Samui's heart as well, leaving her with an unexplainable sense of unease and pressure in her chest.
Inside Konoha Outpost in the Land of the Moon, the mood was tight like a bow pulled to its limit. Rows of tents lay under a dark sky, rain tapping on the canvas with a fine, steady hiss. The air carried the raw smell of mud, soaked leather, and a mixed feeling that held both unease and expectation.