Deep within Mount Myoboku, immortal mist drifted through the air, and distant croaks of frogs echoed faintly.
Arisu stood quietly atop the immortal platform. His eyes suddenly shifted to the side, landing on Black Zetsu, who was hurrying over while holding a bamboo scroll.
A thought suddenly became clear in Arisu's mind...
Recently, Mount Myoboku had been buried in complicated affairs. Whether it was patrolling the ninja world, gathering intelligence, or handling the mountain's various chores, manpower had already been increasingly scarce.
And in this world, there just happened to be something perfectly suited for the task.
White Zetsu.
Now that Arisu possessed the Rinnegan, he already had the ability to summon. Even the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path sealed on the moon could easily be summoned down to the mortal world.
If he summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to Mount Myoboku and used it as a foundation to mass-produce White Zetsu, then those White Zetsu, naturally skilled in concealment and intelligence gathering, could take over the miscellaneous duties from the toads.
From that point on, no movement in the entire ninja world would escape his notice.
With the thought settled, Arisu raised his eyes and looked at Black Zetsu, who had already walked up to him, and slowly spoke, "Black Zetsu."
Black Zetsu's body paused. He respectfully placed the bamboo scroll he was holding onto the ground and lowered his head, quietly waiting for instructions.
Arisu's tone was calm, but it carried a faint, indescribable meaning.
"Do you… miss your mother, Kaguya?"
Black Zetsu suddenly froze.
These past years he had lived in Mount Myoboku and received Arisu's daily guidance. He was no longer the obsessive will that existed only to revive Kaguya.
Gradually, he had developed an independent personality of his own. He gained a sense of right and wrong and was no longer merely an extension of Kaguya's will.
He was Black Zetsu.
Simply Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu slowly straightened his body, first bowing respectfully toward Arisu before speaking honestly and obediently.
"I naturally still thinks of Mother in my heart."
"It's just that Mother took the wrong path back then. She acted selfishly for her own benefit, betrayed the Great Immortal, and committed a grave mistake. Such actions are truly disgraceful."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, the corner of Arisu's mouth lifted slightly into a faint smile.
"You are quite honest."
Arisu raised his eyes and looked toward the distant mist-covered horizon, and a trace of long-lived melancholy entered his voice.
"To tell the truth… I also miss her."
"I've lived through endless years. Among those who could truly understand my state of mind, aside from the White Snake, there was only her.", Arisu spoke slowly.
The hatred from when Kaguya stabbed him in the back had long faded under the erosion of endless time.
Love, hate, anger, obsession... things like these, to an existence like Arisu who had transcended the ninja world, were ultimately nothing more than passing clouds.
Black Zetsu lowered his head and said nothing, quietly waiting for Arisu to continue.
Arisu withdrew his gaze and looked back at Black Zetsu, his smile gentle.
"You were born from Kaguya's will. You should understand her thoughts better than anyone."
"Why don't you tell me how Kaguya viewed me back then?"
Black Zetsu fell silent for a moment, as if recalling ancient thoughts buried deep within his bloodline. Then he slowly spoke, his voice sincere.
"Back then, Mother respected you and was also attached to you."
"She hated the greed and betrayal of humans in this world, yet she never hated you. In Mother's eyes, you were never the same as those ordinary people."
"Later on, Mother always regretted trying to kill you back then. In truth… she was only a frightened woman with no-one to rely on."
"She thought more than once that if she had not betrayed you back then, the two of you could have stood side by side, resisting the Otsutsuki clan from beyond the heavens together and ruling this planet together."
"Toward you, Mother's heart was full of guilt and remorse. During the years when she gave birth to Hagoromo and Hamura, she often thought of you alone."
"Even until the moment she was sealed, Mother still held one wish in her heart... that she could turn hostility into peace with you and guard this world together once more."
"So that's how it was…", Arisu listened quietly, and a complicated emotion flickered deep in his eyes.
No wonder Kaguya looked as if she wanted to say something back then.
But at that time, he had only focused on launching killing attacks against her.
Even so, even if he understood it now, Arisu would never rule Earth together with Kaguya.
After being stabbed in the back once, Arisu would never trust Kaguya a second time.
Arisu gently waved his hand, interrupting Black Zetsu's words. His tone returned to its usual calm.
"That's enough."
"Black Zetsu, Mount Myoboku has been short of manpower lately, and there are many affairs to handle. I intend to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path here."
"From now on, you will be responsible for using the statue as a foundation to refine and produce White Zetsu to help share Mount Myoboku's duties."
Black Zetsu's entire body trembled, and shock instantly filled his face.
No one knew better than him what the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was.
It was the core key to reviving Mother Kaguya, the very foundation of Black Zetsu's lifelong obsession.
Yet the Great Immortal in front of him had no hesitation in handing such an important object over to him and even ordering him to personally manage it and cultivate White Zetsu?
Seeing Black Zetsu standing there stunned, Arisu naturally knew what he was thinking.
"What, you don't dare accept it?", Arisu asked slowly.
Black Zetsu suddenly came back to his senses. He immediately dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead heavily against the ground as he spoke with respect and determination.
"This subordinate obeys the Great Immortal's decree!"
"The Great Immortal treats me with complete trust. How could Black Zetsu betray that?"
"Good."
Arisu nodded slightly, his eyes calm and without waves.
Naturally, Arisu himself had no fear of Black Zetsu harboring any ill intentions.
With his current strength, let alone the fact that Black Zetsu had no way to revive Kaguya yet... even if such an opportunity truly appeared, he could easily crush everything before it even began.
With a thought, Arisu closed his eyes, and the vast power of the Rinnegan quietly surged around him.
There was no earth-shaking roar, no dazzling burst of light.
The void twisted slightly, and a massive and ferocious statue descended into the immortal land of Mount Myoboku...
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Black Zetsu raised his eyes and looked at that familiar yet cold gigantic body. At the tip of his nose lingered a long-lost aura that belonged to Kaguya. Countless complicated emotions flashed through his eyes.
Arisu also slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the ugly yet solemn Demonic Statue of the Outer Path before him, his fingers pausing slightly.
The statue was already an empty shell. Its chakra had long since dissipated completely. Yet the aura that belonged solely to Otsutsuki Kaguya was still clearly recognizable.
Arisu's gaze turned distant and hazy. It was as if, through that cold statue, he once again saw the goddess from those years long past, dressed in magnificent robes and possessing unparalleled beauty.
"It's just… that was a very, very long time ago."
Arisu let out a soft sigh, so quiet it could barely be heard, and it disappeared into the immortal mist of Mount Myoboku.
———
[Mount Myoboku, Hall of Historical Records]
Bamboo shadows swayed quietly, and the faint scent of ink filled the air.
Although Mount Myoboku had undergone many reforms in recent years and lightweight paper had already replaced most scrolls and bamboo slips,
Arisu, out of nostalgia, felt that history recorded this way had more flavor.
He still specifically ordered that the Hall of Historical Records must record the history of the ninja world using bamboo slips.
Fukasaku Sage held a brush in his hand, carving the years onto the bamboo slips stroke by stroke. His writing was vigorous and orderly.
"Year 70 of the Ninja Calendar: Uchiha Katsu crossed the river in white robes and shattered the Senju defense line, reversing the situation of the ninja world in one decisive battle."
"From that point on, the Uchiha swept away their previous decline. The offensive and defensive positions of the ninja world were reversed."
"The situation changed from the Senju attacking and the Uchiha defending to the Uchiha launching fierce offensives while the Senju desperately defended."
"The Uchiha clan migrated south as a whole, relocating their clan lands to the banks of the Naka River and constructing the Naka Shrine, primarily worshiping the Sage of Six Paths as well as the ancestors of the Uchiha clan."
"From Year 70 of the Ninja Calendar to Year 90 of the Ninja Calendar, the flames of war between the two clans burned continuously without rest."
"The Senju clan, with the full support of the Sarutobi and Uzumaki clans, relied on bloodline ties, sealing techniques, and enormous amounts of chakra to defend their borders."
"Although Uchiha Katsu possessed overwhelming battle power, he was never able to advance any further."
"A stalemate of war continued for a full twenty years."