Chapter 398 398: Brothers, Lies, and Soul Imprints
"You... you're certain?"
Black Zetsu blinked hard, staring at Kazuki's sincere expression, and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you serious?"
Black Zetsu had assumed that, given Kazuki's cautious nature and how he never fought battles unprepared, his plan would be to first sacrifice Kaguya—to obtain both Gaia's Will and the Ōtsutsuki God's Remnant Shell—before facing the true threats among the Ōtsutsuki.
But Kazuki's words said otherwise.
Sacrificing Kaguya was the last resort.
Before that, he would stand at the front of the line, burning himself away first...
And that changed everything.
From Black Zetsu's perspective, Kazuki, whose power now surpassed Kaguya's, was still unwilling to force her into becoming a mere filter-like tool. Instead, he even chose to share that power with her...
He would charge into battle himself, only letting Kaguya take the risk if there was truly no other option...
There was nothing to nitpick about it.
Even for someone like Black Zetsu—setting aside their shared history—purely from a pragmatic standpoint, he had to admit this was the best possible approach, all things considered.
Even if there were some method to make Kazuki into the filter and thus allow Kaguya to obtain supreme power, Black Zetsu wouldn't consider it. He could only agree with the logic Kazuki presented.
And the reason why...
After removing his idealized perception of Kaguya, Black Zetsu didn't believe she could truly wield such immense power. She couldn't even fully bring out the strength from consuming the Chakra Fruit…
Let alone go even further beyond.
In contrast, Kazuki—Black Zetsu had watched him claw his way up from the very bottom, building a solid foundation step by step, until he achieved the strength he now possessed…
It had no choice but to admit:
Entrusting this power to Kazuki, believing that his willpower could overcome the influence of those two supreme forces—he was the only one in the shinobi world Black Zetsu could truly feel secure about.
"You promise... swear to me you're not lying..."
Black Zetsu closed its eyes, took a deep breath, then suddenly snapped them wide open. The surge of emotion it couldn't conceal caused even the Kamui that Obito had left within it to flicker into view: "If what you say is true—I accept."
After speaking, a strange sense of irony passed through Black Zetsu's mind.
What was the point of making Kazuki promise anything? Even if Kazuki was lying, what could Black Zetsu possibly do about it?
But still, it wanted that promise from Kazuki.
Because Kazuki was simply that kind of person. Whether it was with Obito, Black Zetsu, Kaguya, Senju Tobirama, or anyone else…
Once he gave his word, he didn't seem to go back on it.
The only exception—was when he sealed himself away and resurrected Senju Tobirama, choosing to endure suppression in the Blackwater Nine-Dragon Coffin alone, in place of the so-called Sage of Six Paths…
But if you asked Senju Tobirama—would that count as betrayal?
No. It would be loyalty beyond words.
"I promise."
Kazuki nodded naturally, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Honestly… I just feel a little guilty. Pulling you into this wasn't really to deepen Kaguya's Soul Imprint."
"It's just that... I wanted someone who could understand me, to accept what I'm doing—and to take part in it. That way, the weight of guilt and remorse I carry might feel a little lighter."
"That might make me despicable... but in the face of an uncertain future, I can't help but feel lost. To keep moving forward, no matter the cost—I need something like this to hold my heart together."
It seemed Kazuki was once again voicing his true thoughts.
This time, Black Zetsu froze for a moment, then nodded with rare sincerity.
Hearing it put this way, it understood Kazuki even better.
Even Black Zetsu, from the very beginning, had thought of Kazuki as a rebellious outcast who had surpassed the Sage of Six Paths—someone walking a lonely, thorn-ridden path that no one else could truly understand. It was only natural that such a journey would come with a deep, inexpressible sorrow.
After all, humans are creatures who ultimately crave recognition.
"Ka—"
Black Zetsu started to speak but shook its head and rephrased its words: "Brother… I don't think you've done anything wrong. Honestly, I've just been misunderstanding you all this time."
"Given the current situation, your preparations couldn't have been more thorough. Those past misunderstandings… they were because neither I nor Kaguya were on your level yet."
"We hadn't reached your perspective, and we failed to see that the real threat doesn't lie in the degraded Ōtsutsuki like the Sage of Six Paths—but in the pursuers from the future."
"Brother, I support what you're doing. If we manage to win in the end and Kaguya ends up blaming you… then let me take the fall for it!"
The words were shocking, but Black Zetsu meant them wholeheartedly.
It didn't want Kazuki—who had climbed so high and sacrificed so much—
Someone who had done all of this for Kaguya—to end up estranged from her.
Black Zetsu, who had busied itself in the shinobi world for a thousand years yet achieved nothing of value, finally wanted to do something meaningful—even if that something was just serving as the glue between family members.
It simply wanted to help.
"Zetsu… I appreciate the sentiment."
Kazuki's exhausted face softened into a light, relaxed smile. It seemed much of the weight pressing on his heart had lifted after Zetsu's words.
He tapped a finger against Zetsu's forehead and said, "You're still just a junior. Let the adults handle their business—don't go worrying yourself over it."
Black Zetsu rolled its eyes in irritation.
Junior? It was the former mastermind behind the entire shinobi world…
Still, despite what it thought inwardly, a pleased little chuckle escaped it nonetheless.
After opening its heart to Kazuki and having such a candid conversation, most of Black Zetsu's former worries had vanished. It no longer stood in opposition to Kazuki but was now firmly in the same trench, a comrade-in-arms, a true brother.
There was a real sense of family in the air.
"I haven't told Kaguya about my identity, Zetsu…"
Kazuki said quietly, "Remember: you don't know me. You came to me only because you were forced to betray Kaguya while trying to seek help from Uchiha Obito. That's the role you're playing."
"As for the details… improvise when the time comes."
Black Zetsu gave a slight nod.
Why hadn't Kazuki told Kaguya who he really was? Black Zetsu didn't care.
With Kazuki having already laid out his reasoning and vision for the future so clearly, fussing over such minor, peripheral details would only be tedious.
It was all just part of the plan.
When it came to freely improvising and deceiving Kaguya, Black Zetsu still felt a slight moral discomfort—but in terms of actual difficulty, it was unexpectedly easy.
To put it bluntly, tricking Kaguya was far easier than fooling those self-righteous reincarnations of Indra...
"All right, Zetsu. Start brewing your emotions."
Kazuki slowly closed his eyes and spoke softly, "When I open them again, Kaguya will be observing our conversation. That's when the real performance begins."
"Oh, and don't worry about Obito… I know he's the shinobi you chose. I won't let Isshiki lay a finger on him."
"My chakra is protecting Obito."
A warm feeling rose in Black Zetsu's chest.
Truth be told, it had wanted to ask about Obito's safety for a while now... but Kazuki had been focused on high-level matters—planetary consciousness, the God of the Ōtsutsuki clan—far above mundane concerns.
Things involving Kaguya's safety and transcendent levels of power.
Compared to that, bringing up Obito again would have sounded like household squabbles—utterly trivial.
And yet, Kazuki still went out of his way to put Black Zetsu's mind at ease.
"Don't worry, Brother. I know exactly what to do!" Black Zetsu replied resolutely, already envisioning its character persona and scripting out a performance designed to utterly shatter Kaguya's spiritual resolve.
And in that moment, even the unease Black Zetsu had been feeling began to melt away. To its surprise, it realized—
It had thought it would struggle to immerse itself in this emotional role, but in practice... it was surprisingly easy. Ideas were flowing effortlessly.
Could it be that—deep down—it truly did have thoughts of abandoning Kaguya in order to save Obito?
Otherwise...
Why was it thinking so clearly and sharply?
Black Zetsu glanced secretly at the solemn Kazuki, standing there with eyes closed. A pang of guilt welled up inside.
The one it had once suspected of disloyalty was, in fact, the most loyal of all. Even after reaching a level far beyond the average Ōtsutsuki, Kazuki was still willing to give his life to protect Kaguya.
And yet it—who prided itself on loyalty—had perhaps already nurtured some improper thoughts in its heart because of its bond with Obito...
'I'm truly worthless…' Black Zetsu cursed itself inwardly and sighed.
But even so—
Black Zetsu had to admit it simply couldn't stand by and watch Obito die.
That bond—warped as it might have been—mattered deeply to Black Zetsu.
So much so that it might determine whether it could be considered a true, independent "person," rather than just a hollow construct existing in the world.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> /TitoVillar
---