So-called prophecies were completely unreliable—especially when they came from half-baked figures like the White Snake Sage and the Toad Sage.
If Black Zetsu knew that the White Snake Sage believed he had been scheming all this time to revive Uchiha Madara, it would probably laugh out loud.
Did it want to revive Uchiha Madara?
Not at all.
It saw Madara as nothing more than the best possible vessel to revive its mother—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. Reviving Madara was irrelevant; bringing Ōtsutsuki Kaguya back was Black Zetsu's lifelong goal!
"Work with me, Yakushi Kabuto!"
"You possess the greatest talent in the entire shinobi world. No matter what you want to accomplish, you'll need allies, won't you?"
Black Zetsu had naturally sensed the White Snake Sage's gaze—but so what? If it had the ability, it could come and try to kill him.
As a creation of Yin–Yang Release, even Keizumi's Heaven's Punishment Flame hadn't managed to destroy him. Right now, Black Zetsu was extremely confident.
Confident that in the entire shinobi world, no person—or even summon—could truly kill it.
Unless, of course, they also wielded Yin–Yang Release.
"Black Zetsu… White Zetsu…"
"Members of the Akatsuki."
Kabuto wasn't unfamiliar with them. He had followed Orochimaru and worked with Sasori—if nothing else, he could be considered well-informed. He had even sat in on Akatsuki meetings as an outsider.
"So, after Orochimaru-sama, the Akatsuki intends to recruit me?"
Kabuto's eyes flickered. He knew the Akatsuki well, but for the moment, he couldn't see why there was any need for cooperation.
"No, no, no—not cooperation with the Akatsuki. Cooperation with me."
"Or rather… cooperation with Uchiha Madara. With Madara-sama."
Black Zetsu let out a sinister chuckle. It had already seen through Kabuto—this man had ambition. It didn't know exactly what that ambition was, but as long as he had it, there was a basis for cooperation.
"Uchiha Madara?"
"Isn't he already dead?"
Kabuto frowned. Was this grotesque creature trying to toy with him?
Everyone in the shinobi world knew that Uchiha Madara had died in the battle at the Valley of the End at the hands of Senju Hashirama.
"Madara-sama is indeed dead. But who says the dead can't be brought back?"
Black Zetsu continued its eerie laughter. It didn't elaborate further—it was gambling. Gambling that Kabuto still held some emotional attachment to Orochimaru, and that the idea of revival might move him.
In truth, Kabuto's heart did pound violently upon hearing those words.
But not for the reason Black Zetsu expected.
The first person Kabuto thought of was Yakushi Nonō—the orphanage director, the woman he regarded as his mother, whose surname he had inherited.
"You… can bring the dead back?"
Kabuto's mouth went dry, his voice turning hoarse.
"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!"
"You've been involved with the Akatsuki before—even if only as an outer member. You should know their leader possesses the Rinnegan, right?"
"The Rinnegan is said to be the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. With those eyes, one can use a technique called the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!"
"As long as you first use Impure World Reincarnation to summon the person you want to revive, then have them perform the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, anyone can be brought back to life!"
Black Zetsu's grin grew wider and wider. It wasn't afraid of Kabuto's demands being difficult—what it feared was Kabuto having no demands at all.
From Kabuto's reaction alone, it was obvious—there was someone he desperately wanted to bring back.
"Reviving the dead can't come without a price, right?"
"Even if the Akatsuki leader has the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, I don't believe he can revive people without paying a cost."
Kabuto wasn't as easy to fool as Obito. Having spent years with Orochimaru experimenting with forbidden techniques, he knew full well—every forbidden jutsu came with a price. The only difference was how great that price was.
A technique that manipulated life and death? There was no way the cost would be small.
"Indeed, the price is immense—so immense that it requires the Akatsuki leader to sacrifice his own life to revive someone."
Black Zetsu didn't try to deceive Kabuto with nonsense about creating a new world. This one, despite his youth, clearly wasn't as brainless as Obito.
"Then how do you intend to convince the Akatsuki leader to sacrifice himself?"
"And why would he sacrifice himself to revive someone he doesn't even know?"
Kabuto looked at Black Zetsu, convinced that it was painting him an impossible fantasy.
Not to mention, what this creature truly wanted to revive was probably Uchiha Madara. Reviving Yakushi Nonō was likely nothing more than an empty promise.
"What the Akatsuki leader can't do doesn't mean Madara-sama can't!"
"After all, those Rinnegan don't even belong to the Akatsuki leader!"
To gain Kabuto's trust, Black Zetsu directly revealed information that even Nagato himself didn't know.
What did Nagato actually know?
Nothing more than the ability to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and that the statue could absorb the tailed beasts' power—eventually growing into a terrifying existence capable of destroying a nation in a single blow.
He still naively believed he could use the Ten-Tails to intimidate the shinobi world into peace.
But how could he know that his entire life had been scripted by someone else? No matter how carefully he tread, he would never reach the other shore.
"The Akatsuki leader's Rinnegan… doesn't belong to him?"
Even someone like Kabuto, accustomed to conspiracies, was shaken by this revelation.
Back when Orochimaru was still alive, he had heard from him that the Akatsuki's three founders were Jiraiya's students. The one named Nagato had possessed the Rinnegan even when Orochimaru and Jiraiya first met him as children.
It was precisely because Orochimaru coveted the Rinnegan—and was curious why it had appeared in Yahiko's group—that he had joined the Akatsuki.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru had failed before he could succeed…
"Those are Madara-sama's eyes—of course they don't belong to him!"
"To nurture those eyes for Madara-sama, the Akatsuki leader's body is already on the verge of collapse!"
"Rather than letting him die pointlessly, it's better to have him use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive Madara-sama. Then Madara-sama can revive whoever you want!"
Black Zetsu continued to tempt Kabuto.
In its second plan, Kabuto was absolutely essential.
In fact, in the current shinobi world, Kabuto might be the only one capable of helping it complete—and even perfect—that plan.
After all, with Orochimaru dead, Kabuto was now the only person who had mastered Impure World Reincarnation.
"So… what do I need to do?"
Kabuto's snake-like pupils flickered.
The offer was well-crafted.
And he was tempted.