Uchiha Madara? Heh, I once had the "privilege" of searching for him in the afterlife alongside Tobirama Senju. We didn't find him, though.
Kakuzu showed no surprise at Black Zetsu's revelation. Instead, he skillfully shifted the blame onto Tobirama—after all, the dead couldn't refute him. Not to mention, Black Zetsu couldn't use the Edo Tensei to verify the story.
"Hm? Kakuzu, as far as I know, your relationship with Madara wasn't exactly amicable."
Kakuzu paused, narrowing his eyes at Black Zetsu.
"So what? He's not in any condition to kill me now."
"Indeed, I can sense that Uchiha Madara's current state is far from his peak," Black Zetsu replied, nodding thoughtfully. "However, according to my knowledge, before he disappeared, Madara managed to tear off a piece of Hashirama Senju's flesh."
"He's now hiding in the shadows, waiting quietly…"
Kakuzu didn't respond. Instead, he adjusted his expression and listened intently. Truth be told, he couldn't figure out why Black Zetsu was sharing all this information. Wasn't Madara supposed to be Black Zetsu's chosen candidate for reviving Kaguya? Could it be that Black Zetsu wanted Kakuzu to provoke Madara? That didn't make sense.
At last, Black Zetsu revealed his intentions.
"Kakuzu-sama, I've already explained that both the Senju and Uchiha clans are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. Uchiha Madara's actions serve a singular purpose—to restore the glory of the Sage of Six Paths' era."
"And you, my dear Kakuzu, are the one I place my hopes on—the one who can revive the God Tree."
As Black Zetsu spun his web of words, Kakuzu couldn't help but admire the creature's storytelling abilities. Essentially, Black Zetsu depicted the God Tree and the Sage of Six Paths as two opposing forces, unable to coexist. Yet, Black Zetsu cleverly avoided casting either side as good or evil.
Finally, the bait was set.
"Kakuzu-sama, I know you have two loves in life: money and immortality. You've spent centuries savoring the pleasures that wealth can bring. But as far as I know, you are not truly immortal."
Those words struck a nerve. Furious, Kakuzu grabbed Black Zetsu by the neck.
"Are you courting death?"
Black Zetsu's implication was clear—Kakuzu could still be killed. And the one capable of killing him might very well be Uchiha Madara. According to Black Zetsu, only by reviving the God Tree could Kakuzu achieve true immortality.
As much as Kakuzu hated to admit it, Black Zetsu's words made sense. The creature's persuasion worked its way into Kakuzu's thoughts. After a long, tense moment, Kakuzu finally released Black Zetsu. He slumped onto the ground, his expression tired yet contemplative.
If nothing else, Black Zetsu had a point—Madara would have to be dealt with eventually. True, Madara was weak now, lying dormant underground. Kakuzu could strike while the iron was hot and eliminate him. But the plan had too many flaws.
For one, Black Zetsu would never reveal Madara's exact location. For another, even if Kakuzu found him, could he guarantee victory?
Sure, Kakuzu had Hashirama's cells and the power of Wood Release, but even his Wood Release was weaker than Yamato's. Taking on Madara with that? Laughable.
And beyond Madara, Kakuzu had other concerns—like the extraterrestrial threats set to arrive in a few decades. It was a headache just thinking about it.
Ultimately, it all boiled down to strength.
Kakuzu took a deep breath and glared at Black Zetsu.
"I'll start integrating a new batch of Hashirama cells immediately!"
He began drafting a letter to Konoha, intending to ask Danzo to send over more cells. But before he could finalize the plan, Black Zetsu stepped in, shaking his head.
"You're too impatient. Do you realize what you're dealing with? These are the cells of Hashirama—the power of the God Tree itself."
"Right now, you've barely assimilated 1% of its potential. Let me be clear: by my estimation, this is already the limit of what the human body can handle. If you push further, the cells will backlash."
Black Zetsu's words sobered Kakuzu. He had a point—Hashirama's cells weren't something to integrate recklessly. Overloading himself could lead to catastrophic consequences, where his body couldn't contain the cells' power, leaving him forced to suppress them instead.
"Then what do you suggest?" Kakuzu's eyes glinted coldly as he grabbed Black Zetsu by the head.
"Tell me what I should do next!"
"Wait! Wait!" Black Zetsu flailed helplessly, feeling as though his head might detach from his body at any moment.
Privately, he fumed. Was this Kakuzu's idea of asking for advice? He was practically a bandit!
If Kakuzu had known what Black Zetsu was thinking, he would have smirked and said, "It doesn't matter. Even if we don't get along, we're still comrades, aren't we?"
Realizing Kakuzu's mounting impatience, Black Zetsu quickly waved his hands in surrender.
"There's another way to strengthen your control over Hashirama's cells: Sage Arts."
At the mention of Sage Arts, Kakuzu's thoughts wandered. Long ago, he had asked Hashirama about the path to learning them.
Hashirama had suggested that Kakuzu try his luck across various places in the ninja world. Who knew? Maybe Kakuzu could become the next chosen one. Over the years, Kakuzu had indeed been tirelessly searching for ways to learn Sage Arts.
Relying on memories from his past life and exploration in this one, Kakuzu deduced there were likely three ways to locate a Sage Art sanctuary.
The first method was being chosen by fate. Hashirama, for instance, had inexplicably mastered Sage Arts. Then there was Jiraiya, who, driven by love, ended up in Mount Myoboku through reverse summoning.
The second method. In the original timeline, when Pain heard about Mount Myoboku, he wasn't even surprised and prepared to head there immediately. It was clear that those who wielded the Rinnegan might have the ability to find their way to such sanctuaries.
Unfortunately, Kakuzu wasn't a child of destiny, nor did he possess the Rinnegan.
That left the final method: sheer luck.
Perhaps one day, while wandering around, he might just stumble upon the doorway to a Sage sanctuary. The odds of that happening, though, were probably one in a million.
But Black Zetsu was different. This guy had spent eons lurking underground and knew a great deal about the world's secrets.
Kakuzu's gaze grew sharper as he looked at Black Zetsu. Grabbing his head, Kakuzu shook it furiously in the air.
"Spit it out! Where is it?"
Black Zetsu had already experienced Kakuzu's bandit-like demeanor. He didn't plan on arguing anymore.
Hurriedly, he pointed to the ninja world map hanging in Kakuzu's room.
"There, right there! I only discovered this two days ago."
"Typically, the spatial gate to a Sage Art sanctuary remains open for no more than a week, so you'll need to act fast—"
Thud!
Kakuzu hurled Black Zetsu far away.
"Damn it! You knew this and only told me now? That's two whole days wasted!"
"Time is money, you idiot! Do you even realize how much you owe me now?"
"If I miss out on the Sage sanctuary because of this, I swear I'll come back and kill you."
With that, Kakuzu threw on his coat, performed a Body Flicker Technique, and vanished from the room.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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