"See? You're getting all worked up again."

Kazuki tilted his head and let out a laugh, then gestured for Black Zetsu to sit beside him. "You're making me sound like some kind of villain... But honestly, if you're bold enough to yell at someone like me, isn't it because deep down, you know I wouldn't actually hurt the people around me?"

"Am I wrong?"

Black Zetsu's expression stiffened. He realized that what Kazuki said was, in fact, true.

The reason he dared to yell at someone as powerful as Kazuki came down to one core truth: Kazuki—this existence who seemed both an enemy and a relative—had always treated him fairly well.

From Black Zetsu's perspective, if Kazuki wanted to play it safe, the most rational thing to do with someone like him—someone who had always been secretly opposing him—would be to eliminate the threat outright.

Even now, that still held true.

During the battle centered around the Black Water Nine-Dragon Coffin, starting from the moment Uchiha Obito—enhanced by Black Zetsu—launched a reckless attack and stole the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path mid-battle, it was clear that Black Zetsu had never been an honest player.

From a purely rational standpoint, Kazuki getting rid of him would've made perfect sense—even Black Zetsu himself wouldn't argue with that.

But his instincts told him otherwise—that Kazuki wouldn't hold this against him.

From that angle, although Black Zetsu would never admit to having a brother like Kazuki… Kazuki did carry the air of an older brother—always watching him pull his little tricks again and again, yet never once getting angry.

Dragging his feet a little, Black Zetsu finally sat down next to Kazuki.

"You really think I'm that strong?"

Kazuki glanced at the figure beside him, then sat cross-legged and faced him with a cheerful smile—but a trace of gravity lingered in his eyes: "No. I'm not strong… What you call 'strength' is based solely on the scale of the shinobi world. From a power perspective, the upper limit is Kaguya—who had devoured a Chakra Fruit nurtured by natural energy and Isshiki's body."

"While I've already surpassed the Kaguya of that time, and my combat skills are leagues above hers, giving me a much greater actual combat strength… it's still far from enough."

Kazuki didn't hide his strength. On the contrary, he spoke with a tone laced with faint concern: "You have to understand… battle technique alone means nothing when facing enemies on a higher plane. No matter how much combat experience you have—even the most formidable in this world—you still wouldn't be able to defeat Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo."

"At her peak, Kaguya existed on a power level above mine. So you should realize this: those Ōtsutsuki pursuers who once terrified Kaguya would pose the same threat to me. I have no certainty that I can defeat them."

"Besides… things have gotten even more complicated now."

Black Zetsu froze for a moment, then instinctively began to process it—nodding despite himself.

Kazuki was right…

Technique only becomes decisive when both sides are roughly equal in strength.

But if an Ōtsutsuki shows up—someone who has devoured entire planets…

Then even the most refined techniques become a joke. Utterly meaningless.

And as for this 'complication' Kazuki referred to—Black Zetsu, being no fool, quickly grasped what it implied.

In the past, for the Ōtsutsuki clan, the only problem regarding this planet was the loss of a Chakra Fruit.

But now, the situation had escalated: casualties. And not just one of them.

So, if the Ōtsutsuki clan sends reinforcements to the shinobi world again, it won't be someone merely stronger than Momoshiki and Urashiki—it will be beings several levels above them in power.

As a race capable of colonizing planets across the universe, Black Zetsu couldn't fool himself into hoping that the next ones would only be slightly stronger than the last.

That would be far too naïve.

It would be like when Uchiha Obito first made his mark—his enemies weren't just some veteran jōnin from Iwagakure. It was the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, who personally stepped in—determined to eliminate a growing threat at the root.

The idea of some 'one-by-one lineup' nonsense—like characters queuing up to die, as if it were a cultivation novel—even the shinobi villages wouldn't do something so idiotic.

So how could a clan like the Ōtsutsuki, who drain energy from entire worlds, act dumber than a bunch of hidden villages?

No—Kazuki's concern, once explained, sounded all the more reasonable.

"I know what you're about to ask. You're wondering… why don't we just run, right?"

Kazuki met Black Zetsu's eyes and said softly, "Running is pointless. Why didn't Kaguya run back then? Why didn't she build a bunker on another planet or create her own pocket dimension?"

"It wouldn't matter. If a warrior arrives whose power level surpasses even mine, then every hiding method becomes a joke. The only thing that might work… is getting stronger. As much as possible."

Kazuki raised a finger and said solemnly, "Let's assume that Urashiki and Momoshiki's combat power is defined as one—they're the first wave of pursuers…"

"Then, to play it safe, let's say the Ōtsutsuki clan will send reinforcements with a combat power of four or even five. My goal is to raise my strength in one go to at least six—preferably seven."

Black Zetsu stared blankly at him, as if hearing something out of a fantasy.

Come on, bro… isn't that aiming a little too high?

But still, such extreme caution… was oddly reassuring.

"Right now, with my current strength, if we take Momoshiki as a baseline of one, I'm somewhere between two and three. If I absorb the entire shinobi world's natural energy, I could reach four."

Kazuki shifted his hand gestures from four to seven as he explained, "If I then claim the Sage of Six Paths' Pure Land power, I'll be close to five. After that, I plan to borrow one of the Ōtsutsuki clan's space-time artifacts to travel to an alternate dimension and acquire a separate source of chakra—hopefully reaching six."

Black Zetsu inhaled sharply.

"That artifact… maybe we could just hide in another dimension?"

"I haven't figured that part out yet," Kazuki replied, tapping the top of Black Zetsu's head with a crisp smack.

"And what's with this escape-artist mentality of yours? Crossing dimensions isn't that simple… If it were, wouldn't we have already run into Ōtsutsuki from other timelines? Why would they even bother planting God Trees in the shinobi world? Wouldn't it be easier to just pluck fruits from another space-time?"

"That's why—if traversing dimensions to seize power doesn't work—returning to just level five won't cut it. We can't place our hopes on the Ōtsutsuki holding back."

Black Zetsu nodded heavily in agreement.

Kazuki continued slowly, "But I do have another way… I told you about my dōjutsu, but not all of it. When I absorb the emotional energy from a target's spirit, if it breaks past a certain threshold, it triggers a rapid surge in power."

"I call it… Final Bond."

"Final Bond is extremely difficult. It requires deeply corroding a target's mind—across multiple angles and dimensions. It's not something that can be achieved through simple threats or intimidation."

"Do you get what I mean?"

Black Zetsu let out a long breath.

Truth be told, Kazuki's honesty was strangely… comforting.

After all, who else in the entire shinobi world knew the secrets of Kazuki's dōjutsu?

He'd even revealed this second stage to him!

And now, with that knowledge, Black Zetsu could finally understand why Kazuki hadn't simply steamrolled the shinobi world. Why he kept pushing them into despair—only to offer them hope—over and over again, in a never-ending cycle…

This was raising a gu—a process meant to complete Final Bond.

As expected, behind every action lies logic and intent. The only reason it hadn't made sense until now… was simply a lack of information.

"Zetsu, you know this... The power within the shinobi world—ordinary mortals are just one part of it. What truly matters are the few Ōtsutsuki… and of them, the one with the highest probability of allowing me to complete Final Bond is Kaguya."

"But we haven't spent enough time together yet. I'll need a little help from you."

Kazuki brought his thumb and forefinger close together, leaving only a narrow gap between them.

"It won't be anything too demanding."

Black Zetsu blinked.

Kazuki's words carried far more meaning than they appeared to on the surface…

For example—what exactly had Kazuki done to Kaguya during this time, to have already progressed to the verge of Final Bond?

One had to remember: it took Kazuki years of manipulating the entire shinobi world just to cultivate mortals as viable sources for Final Bond.

What must Kaguya have gone through to reach that point so quickly? Black Zetsu didn't even dare to imagine...

Sigh... there's no helping it. This is for the sake of resisting the Ōtsutsuki...

Black Zetsu quietly apologized to Kaguya in its mind: 'Forgive me for this temporary indignity. No matter how rebellious Kazuki might be, compared to the ruthless Ōtsutsuki, he would never endanger your life…'

---

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

---