Chapter 358: The Fake Black Zetsu Betrays, The Real Black Zetsu Returns
After returning to the Akatsuki base, Nagato, prompted by Shinichi i's reminder, decided to personally question Bayakushi, already sensing that something was off about him.
But after hearing Bayakushi's explanation, Nagato fell silent.
"That Black Zetsu was Hyuga Fuji's spy? And sending you to retrieve Shisui's Sharingan was actually a trap?"
Nagato was momentarily stunned.
Bayakushi, however, was in a foul mood and didn't feel like explaining further. Seeing this, Nagato simply took his leave.
After waiting for some time and seeing no sign of the second Black Zetsu returning, Nagato took out the small Black Zetsu sphere he had been secretly studying for months.
If the previous Black Zetsu was a spy for Hyuga Fuji, then what was this one?
Holding the small sphere in his palm, Nagato stroked his chin in thought.
There was no way Hyuga Fuji would be so bored as to create two Black Zetsus just for him to choose between. Now that it had been proven the previous one was a spy, that meant it was fake—and this one was the real Black Zetsu?
Hmm… thinking back, when this Black Zetsu first appeared, it had warned him to leave, saying Hyuga Fuji was likely coming—an act of goodwill.
Later, in its discussions, it had shown a far more detailed and intimate knowledge of Madara compared to the spy Black Zetsu—details that only someone who had spent a long time with Madara could know.
Some of Madara's habits were things Madara himself might not even have been conscious of. If this Black Zetsu were fake, where would it have gotten such information?
It seemed that once a person formed a hypothesis, they would unconsciously seek out evidence to support it.
Nagato admitted he had made that mistake.
Because he had assumed the real Black Zetsu would be the first to refute any insult to Madara, he had mistakenly believed the spy Black Zetsu was the real one…
But under those circumstances, the real Black Zetsu would have prioritized Madara's will, doing whatever it took to carry out Madara's orders. So if he hesitated slightly in order to prove himself, that wasn't unreasonable, was it?
A single mistake had led to his "ally" being sealed away for months. If not for the fake Black Zetsu's betrayal, this one might have been trapped forever.
Uh… should he release it?
Nagato stared at the Black Zetsu sphere in silence for a moment, then made his decision. He gently placed it in a corner, planning to pretend it didn't exist.
One Black Zetsu was already useless. He might as well act like this one wasn't even there.
Nagato thought to himself, feeling a bit awkward.
"Don't ignore me!"
The real Black Zetsu, having been carried around by Nagato all this time, had seen everything. After suffering in silent despair, it now realized this was its chance to return—and it wasn't going to miss the opportunity.
The sphere began shaking violently, hopping up and down, making it impossible for Nagato, with his keen perception, to simply ignore it.
After some deliberation, Nagato ultimately decided to unseal it.
As the real Black Zetsu regained its form, it and Nagato stared at each other in silence.
After a long pause, seeing Nagato's cold expression, Black Zetsu finally forced out an unreadable smile.
"I don't blame you, Leader. That impostor was just too cunning—always a step ahead of me!"
…Wasn't that just a roundabout way of calling him blind and saying he lacked judgment?
Nagato thought, feeling somewhat exasperated. But since he had indeed been in the wrong, he chose not to argue.
However, there was something he was curious about, so he asked directly: "Why is your chakra essence similar to mine?"
Over the past few months, he had kept Black Zetsu with him, trying to analyze its chakra nature, which seemed even higher than his own.
But Hyuga Fuji's chakra shouldn't be superior to his, and neither should Uchiha Madara's—especially now that he was the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. So why did Black Zetsu's chakra seem more refined than his own?
Hearing the question, Black Zetsu immediately understood Nagato's concerns and answered decisively:
"Lord Madara created me using the power of the Gedo Statue and the inheritance of the Sage of Six Paths recorded in the Uchiha's stone tablet. You've only been the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki for a few months—how could you possibly see through me? Lord Madara's understanding of Yin-Yang Release far surpasses your imagination!"
Filtering out Black Zetsu's typical habit of praising Madara, Nagato nodded thoughtfully.
So that was it… the Uchiha's historical records really did contain the Sage of Six Paths' inheritance.
After a moment, Nagato returned to the present. Seeing that Black Zetsu still seemed somewhat uneasy, he said directly:
"Since you're back, tell me Madara's real plan."
If the other Black Zetsu was fake, that meant seeking out Bayakushi and aiming for Kaguya's power had likely been Hyuga Fuji's scheme all along.
Judging by Bayakushi's devastated state after Black Zetsu's betrayal, it was highly likely that a treasure left behind by Jigen had fallen into Hyuga Fuji's hands.
And that treasure was probably the very reason Hyuga Fuji had infiltrated both the Akatsuki and Kara.
The Lunar Ōtsutsuki clan's sacred relic… could it have been something left behind by Ōtsutsuki Hamura? Something that enhanced the power of the Tenseigan?
Nagato speculated.
But then Black Zetsu's response completely caught him off guard.
"No, that part was true."
Black Zetsu shook its head. "Finding Bayakushi and seeking Kaguya's power was indeed Lord Madara's plan!"
What kind of joke was this? His mother was right here. And from the looks of it, she wasn't restrained at all. If there was a way to use Bayakushi to restore her strength, why would he stop it?
Not only should he not stop it—he should push even harder to ensure Bayakushi's plan succeeded, bringing his mother back to full power!
However, something still troubled Black Zetsu… what was Second Brother's true intention?
The second Black Zetsu was his spy, meaning it had been Second Brother who instructed Nagato to seek out Bayakushi and Kaguya's power.
So was he hoping for Kaguya's resurrection, or did he want someone else to steal her power, leaving her in a weakened state that wouldn't threaten the shinobi world?
Black Zetsu sighed inwardly.
He couldn't tell. He truly couldn't tell!
Nagato, surprised by the unexpected answer, stared at Black Zetsu. "It's true?"
"Yes… Bayakushi is a threat to Hyuga Fuji as well. And since Lord Madara is in his hands, discovering the orders Madara left me wouldn't have been difficult."
Black Zetsu carefully explained, "If Hyuga Fuji planned to infiltrate the Akatsuki by impersonating me, he would have done everything possible to make it convincing. So knowing about Madara's plan wouldn't be unusual."
Nagato nodded slightly. "I see."
Seeing that Nagato believed him, Black Zetsu finally relaxed and continued,
"There's one more thing. Remember how I told you earlier that White Zetsu was working for Hyuga Fuji? Lord Madara was deceived long ago—we need to be cautious of White Zetsu's intelligence-gathering capabilities!"
With this statement, Black Zetsu added another layer of protection to his identity.
"Even if we go by the fake Black Zetsu's story, the White Zetsu that was with him may have been captured—but the others wouldn't have been taken down so easily. You should have thought about that…"
Hearing Black Zetsu's slightly "aggrieved" and "accusatory" tone, Nagato replied calmly, "I'll be more careful from now on."
The fake Black Zetsu had its own reasoning that had eliminated his suspicions about White Zetsu, so if he wanted to argue, he could have simply repeated that explanation.
But this Black Zetsu was the real one. His words were both a warning and a way to vent his frustration over being sealed away for so long. There was no need to be petty about it.
And so, the real Black Zetsu was reinstated in the Akatsuki.
(End of Chapter)