After all—
the members of the Ōtsutsuki main family were anything but harmless.
Once they discovered Earth's exact location, they would descend upon it like a swarm of locusts, one wave after another, never ending.
More importantly, after two members of the main family had already been killed by the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, there was no way the clan would let the matter rest.
Their pride would never allow it.
Which meant one thing.
The experts arriving this time would be far stronger than those who had come before.
Just thinking about it made Black Zetsu furious.
Hagoromo and Hamura had betrayed their own mother to seize control of the world.
And now they were inviting even greater danger to Earth.
It was beyond ridiculous.
"Hagoromo and Hamura are definitely still alive."
Kaguya's cold voice echoed within Black Zetsu's mind.
"Once someone reaches Six Paths-level power, true death becomes extraordinarily difficult."
"Hamura and Hagoromo have undoubtedly been making preparations of their own."
"What?"
Black Zetsu's expression changed dramatically.
Kaguya continued calmly.
"There is no need to panic."
"The current Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, is not someone to be underestimated."
"Hamura and Hagoromo will not reveal themselves easily."
Although she sounded composed, Kaguya herself felt somewhat frustrated.
She had escaped from the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei through the contingency plans she had left behind.
But she had not returned at full power.
Far from it.
At her current level, she could not confidently defeat Uchiha Ren.
she could not confidently defeat the arriving members of the main family.
And she certainly could not casually confront her two sons.
Because of that, even after reviving, she had no choice but to remain hidden inside Black Zetsu and wait patiently for the perfect opportunity.
"I understand, Mother."
Black Zetsu finally relaxed slightly.
"Good."
Kaguya paused before speaking again.
"However, the current situation is far more complicated than you think."
"The one called Ōtsutsuki Isshiki should also be hiding somewhere."
"He is waiting for his chance."
"What?"
Black Zetsu froze.
"Another one?"
His mind went blank for a moment.
The shinobi world was becoming increasingly unfamiliar.
As someone who had been scheming since the era of the Sage of Six Paths, Black Zetsu had once believed he understood every secret hidden within the world.
Nothing escaped his notice.
Yet after Uchiha Ren appeared, everything had changed.
The shinobi world no longer resembled the one he knew.
New variables kept appearing.
New monsters emerged one after another.
"Back then, Isshiki and I arrived on Earth together."
Kaguya's voice grew colder.
"To cultivate the Ten-Tails and harvest a Chakra Fruit, he intended to sacrifice me."
"So I struck first."
"I severely injured him."
"If my memory is correct, he still has not fully recovered from those injuries."
"He should be hiding somewhere, waiting for the right moment."
A trace of pride appeared in Kaguya's voice.
In terms of status, she had originally been beneath Isshiki within the clan hierarchy.
Yet after arriving on Earth, she had nearly killed him.
Status?
Rank?
Those things meant nothing before absolute power.
"I see..."
Black Zetsu nodded tiredly.
For the first time in centuries, he felt exhausted.
The shinobi world was still the same shinobi world.
Yet at the same time, it felt completely unfamiliar.
For a brief moment, a disturbing thought surfaced in his mind.
Could he and Kaguya truly prevail against all the enemies surrounding them?
For the first time, Black Zetsu felt uneasy.
At the same time.
Inside a mysterious dimensional space.
"What?"
Hamura's eyes widened.
"Mother escaped from the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei?"
"That's impossible!"
His voice was filled with disbelief.
According to all logic, without the revival of the Ten-Tails, Kaguya should never have been able to break free from the seal.
And yet reality had proven otherwise.
Not only had she escaped—
she was now hiding within Black Zetsu.
It was an outcome neither he nor Hagoromo had anticipated.
After a long silence, Hagoromo finally sighed.
"We underestimated Mother."
"She left behind preparations we never discovered."
"If I'm not mistaken, she used the Shinigami and the Evil God to return."
His expression grew serious.
Unlike most people, Hagoromo knew those entities existed.
He had always assumed that after Kaguya's sealing, the Shinigami and the Evil God had become nothing more than remnants left behind for the world to use.
Now he realized how wrong he had been.
They had never belonged to the world.
They had always belonged to Kaguya.
They were her contingency plan from the very beginning.
A backup prepared thousands of years in advance.
The mere thought sent a chill down Hagoromo's spine.
The only good news was that Kaguya had already been forced to reveal that hidden card.
Had Uchiha Ren not disrupted the world's destiny, that trump card might have remained concealed forever.
Now that it had surfaced, they could finally begin making preparations against it.
"We cannot remain passive any longer."
Hamura's expression darkened.
"The main family is approaching."
"Mother has escaped."
"Isshiki may still be alive."
"And Uchiha Ren continues to grow stronger."
The balance that had existed for a thousand years was collapsing.
Everything was moving toward an unpredictable future.
Hagoromo slowly closed his eyes.
Then, after several seconds, he opened them again.
A sharp light flashed within them.
"Then we prepare."
"No matter who ultimately stands at the center of this storm…"
"The future of this world will be decided soon."
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