Watching the drama unfold between Obito and Zetsu, Kazuki smiled softly—and silently released the freeze placed on Obito's body, allowing him to complete his heartfelt farewell without interference.

And so—

From deep within Uchiha Obito's body, surging torrents of chakra burst forth—not Isshiki's, but a thick, mud-like mass—

Black Zetsu.

And for the first time, the formless Black Zetsu now bore eyes—faintly marked with the pattern of Kamui's Mangekyō Sharingan.

After their transformations, Momoshiki and Urashiki fixed their eyes on Black Zetsu, both narrowing their gazes simultaneously.

It was obvious.

Judging from the aura radiating from Black Zetsu—so similar to Kaguya's—this mud-like product of Yin-Yang Release was clearly one of Kaguya's pawns left behind in the Shinobi World.

"Forget about Isshiki… He's probably dealing with whatever techniques Kaguya left behind inside that ninja's body. Let him handle it on his own—for now, let's kill Uchiha Kazuki first."

Momoshiki said coldly, "Isshiki… he's not that incompetent."

After transforming, Urashiki's demeanor had changed drastically. Gone was the charming, refined tone—replaced now by violent rage: "Kill them. Kill them all!"

But what was truly bizarre—

After expelling Black Zetsu, Uchiha Obito's body began transforming rapidly into Isshiki's form. However, its movements were wildly unnatural—as if the left and right sides of his body each belonged to a different camp, locked in a clumsy, internal brawl…

Black Zetsu stared at the body of the man he once knew best—now turning into something unrecognizable—and felt his mind cracking.

Obito, how could you be so foolish?!

How dare you try to reverse-possess an Ōtsutsuki?! Who do you think you are?!

How am I supposed to save you now…?

"Stand back. The fight is about to begin. Don't let Uchiha Obito's efforts go to waste…"

Kazuki said calmly. "We'll talk about your part later."

Black Zetsu sharply turned around and met Kazuki's gaze.

But what he saw there was nothing like the tone Kazuki had just used—there was a smirk at the corner of his mouth. A mocking, playful smile.

In an instant—

Black Zetsu felt as if it had plunged into an icy abyss, frozen to the core, down to the marrow.

There was no solid evidence…

But that mocking glint in Kazuki's eyes was something Black Zetsu recognized all too well.

The first time it had seen that smile—was when Kazuki had explained his dōjutsu to it.

And in that moment—

Black Zetsu finally understood.

Kaguya… had never defeated Kazuki.

Kazuki had always been the undefeated mastermind in the shadows.

Within Kazuki's eyes, Black Zetsu saw that all-too-familiar mockery and manipulation—alongside the figure it yearned for day and night: Kaguya!

After a millennium of separation, through the Kamui Mangekyō gifted to it by Uchiha Obito, Black Zetsu now clearly saw Kaguya's presence within Kazuki...

From that moment onward, it understood—more clearly than ever—just how gravely mistaken it had been all along!

It had actually believed Kaguya had won.

Perhaps it was due to bloodline suppression... perhaps due to a flaw in the preparation...

As the progenitor of chakra, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya theoretically did have a chance of turning the tables against Kazuki. After all, for the Ōtsutsuki clan, planting trees was just one aspect of their existence—parasitism was the true key to inheritance…

And with Kaguya having taken over Kazuki's body, Black Zetsu had nearly confirmed this theory. It had almost popped the champagne on the spot.

In Black Zetsu's understanding, Kazuki would never surrender his body to Kaguya.

To let an Ōtsutsuki control one's own body was tantamount to suicide—bringing a wolf into the fold. The only logical conclusion was that Kazuki had become Kaguya's vessel...

Given Black Zetsu's abilities in mental manipulation, this analysis seemed quite sound from a jutsu-based standpoint.

Even in the original timeline, when the moment was right, it had managed to control Obito—once the Ten Tails' jinchūriki—and even pierce Uchiha Madara's heart, disrupting his chakra flow and summoning Kaguya…

If Kaguya had truly seized control of a body, then no matter how powerful Kazuki was, Black Zetsu couldn't imagine any scenario where the man could reverse it…

After all, Kazuki was merely a descendant of the bloodline—not a pureborn Ōtsutsuki.

Yet in that moment of eye contact, Black Zetsu saw Kaguya's current state!

In total darkness, she was pacing back and forth, visibly uneasy, her face etched with anxiety and distress…

But that anxiety didn't stem from a fear of death. Rather, she looked like a guilty wife nervously brainstorming excuses for her beloved husband—her panic and regret overwhelmed everything else...

And that plunged Black Zetsu into the depths of despair!

It finally understood why Kazuki had dared to give up control of his body, allowing Kaguya to temporarily take over the fight…

Kaguya hadn't won at all.

It was clear now—Kazuki had been in complete control all along, with Kaguya thoroughly and effortlessly subdued.

Thoughts raced like lightning through Black Zetsu's mind.

'I... I get it now! That whole scene where Kaguya was getting beaten down by Urashiki and Momoshiki—it must've been staged by Uchiha Kazuki on purpose! After Kaguya faced that humiliation, Kazuki easily dealt with those two Ōtsutsuki himself. At that point, Kaguya probably lost even the last shred of will to resist!'

'Damn it! That has to be it! Maybe Kazuki wanted her to take over his body in the first place…'

Rarely did Black Zetsu curse even in its own mind, but the crude thought didn't relieve its trembling—it only deepened its fear.

At this moment—

Though Momoshiki, having devoured Kinshiki, was brimming with arrogance… and though Urashiki, having absorbed his treasure tools, exuded might…

To Black Zetsu, the outcome of this battle had already been decided.

'Now that Uchiha Kazuki has returned to the stage, whether it's Kaguya, Urashiki, or Momoshiki—their fates are sealed… That guy, that guy, that guy—he's absolutely certain of victory!'

'Whatever twists lie ahead in this fight… they're nothing but theatrics.'

'The entire performance is just a means to stir the emotions of the ninja world's elites—so he can feed off them. Perhaps even the Ōtsutsuki are part of his harvest!'

Black Zetsu, lost in a whirlwind of frantic calculations, had finally found its answer.

And at that moment of realization, though its body—composed of Yin-Yang Release—lacked a physical heart, it still felt an unbearable agony, as if its chest had been wrenched apart. It could barely breathe.

He lost. Everything was lost.

The millennium-long plan to resurrect his mother had just been utterly, irrevocably defeated. There would be no more chances…

And to make matters worse, Black Zetsu wasn't just worried about Kaguya now—he had to worry about one particularly foolish Uchiha Obito as well!

Back when Obito had first begun studying forbidden life techniques...

Obito had tried to hide the truth by telling Black Zetsu that it was for the purpose of saving Kazuki in the future. That explanation had annoyed Black Zetsu so much they even had a minor argument over it.

Never had Black Zetsu imagined…

That something it had once said to strengthen Obito's resolve—that his Mangekyō would burn away his own life in order to heighten its power and fully harmonize with Kaguya's chakra—would actually make that idiotic boy do something so reckless!

Obito, after all, was fighting against Ōtsutsuki Isshiki—a man even Kaguya feared!

And yet, under those circumstances, Obito still diverted a portion of his life force to resurrect Black Zetsu, even surrendering much of his eye power. How could he possibly survive something like that?

It was clear now—Obito had chosen to sacrifice himself to help Black Zetsu and Kazuki.

In essence, by reviving Black Zetsu at the cost of injuring himself, he had crippled Isshiki's combat effectiveness through self-harm…

Black Zetsu's thoughts were racing.

'No… Obito being able to resist at all—it's really because Uchiha Kazuki is helping him! And with Kazuki's capabilities, if he truly wanted to save Obito, then given how pitiful Isshiki's condition is right now, he could've done it without any risk!'

'But he didn't… Instead, he let Obito revive me and sacrifice himself. Is he trying to force Obito to his death!?'

But then, reconsidering, Black Zetsu shook off the idea.

Would Kazuki really kill Uchiha Obito?

Black Zetsu didn't think so.

After all, people like Might Duy—who burned himself out for Kazuki; Shisui—who depleted his eyes for him; Yashiro, and even the walking wounded like Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna, all fighting desperately in this war—they weren't going to die either…

Just as Kazuki had said himself: he draws power from the emotional surges within people's hearts. To him, every strong individual is a valuable source of energy…

Why would he tear down his own fortress walls? Of course, only as long as it didn't break the script he had written.

As the one who had seen Kazuki's true nature earliest, Black Zetsu had to admit: his 'older brother' wasn't one to kill lightly.

Even though, in Black Zetsu's eyes, Kazuki loved to manipulate and toy with people's hearts...

His behavior always followed a pattern shaped by his dōjutsu: first, give. Then, help. Only after that would he reclaim—and never by draining them dry, but by creating a positive feedback loop.

And that's where the real question arose—

Why didn't Kazuki save Uchiha Obito this time?

Wouldn't that have been the perfect way to make that foolish boy feel eternally grateful—flooded with powerful emotions for Kazuki to harvest?

There was no reason for Kazuki to pass that up…

Putting himself in Kazuki's shoes, Black Zetsu searched for an answer.

And suddenly—his entire body began to tremble.

If he gave up on harvesting Obito's emotional power, there could be only one explanation:

Kazuki was after a far greater power.

In this game, both Black Zetsu and Obito might seem like marginal pieces. To the now ascended Ōtsutsuki Kazuki, they were no longer priority targets…

But here's the thing—

Black Zetsu still had a connection to Kaguya.

And now, Black Zetsu finally understood what Kazuki wanted.

'He… he wants me to choose between Kaguya and Obito!!'

Black Zetsu screamed silently within himself: 'He even wants me to make that choice right in front of Kaguya! That's it—this must be his plan! Obito and I no longer serve any use to him, but Kaguya hasn't been with him long—her full potential hasn't been tapped yet…'

'Obito's just the hostage bound to Isshiki… and I'm the one who must betray Kaguya if I want Kazuki to offer Obito salvation!'

---

I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. patreon.com/TitoVillar

---