Chapter 62: Proactive Black Zetsu

Black Zetsu, full name Kaguya Otsutsuki Black Zetsu.

He is the third child of Kaguya Otsutsuki, besides Hagoromo and Hamura, gender unknown, belonging to the noble Otsutsuki clan.

It is said that many children of the Otsutsuki clan have a tradition of persecuting their parents.

However, unlike his two disobedient brothers who joined forces to seal Kaguya, Black Zetsu is a true filial child who has lurked in the ninja world for millennia, striving toward a single goal.

That goal is to collect the Tailed Beasts to revive the Ten-Tails and free Kaguya from her seal.

In the original storyline, after millennia of effort, Black Zetsu almost achieved his wish.

Unfortunately, the disobedient Sage of Six Paths was one step ahead. While Black Zetsu was striving to rescue his mother, the Sage of Six Paths was already contemplating how to seal Kaguya again.

Otherwise, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto's process of dealing with Kaguya Otsutsuki wouldn't have been so smooth.

Upon learning that Black Zetsu was targeting him, Byakuya was somewhat puzzled.

He remembered Black Zetsu appearing when Uchiha Madara committed suicide, but now he was showing up early. Could it be that Uchiha Madara had already committed suicide?

If that was true, then it meant that Obito had completed his transformation.

However, despite the confusion, Byakuya wouldn't completely trust the plot from his memories. After all, since his appearance, many changes have occurred in his mind.

For example, during this period, the Akatsuki organization did not attract the attention of Hanzo and Danzo Shimura at all.

Danzo did not collaborate with Akatsuki members until he set his sights on the Rinnegan but Nagato hasn't revealed the Rinnegan yet.

However, now that Black Zetsu has set his sights on Byakuya and is so interested in him.

Should he take advantage of this opportunity to turn the tables on Black Zetsu? If he could get Black Zetsu to join the Akatsuki, the rewards would certainly not be few.

Although Black Zetsu's achievements are lacking and his raw power may not match elite Jonin, he is still Kaguya's third child. This Black Zetsu could grant some rewards to Byakuya.

It would be great if he could get a chakra fruit, but it's a bit of a dream.

---

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day when the envoy from Hanzo arrived to visit.

In line with the principle of "know thyself, know thy enemy, a hundred battles, a hundred victories," Byakuya also went to meet the so-called envoy of Hanzo. The other person was a middle-aged man with a single eye, and judging from his chakra level, he appeared to be a high-ranking ninja.

However, in his memory, there was only one single-eyed high-ranking ninja from the Amegakure.

That person was also an envoy for Hanzo and brought good news to the Akatsuki in the original timeline/anime.

Simply put, Hanzo consolidated the nation's diplomatic affairs and outsourced them to the Akatsuki, inviting senior Akatsuki members to meet with foreign envoys.

If Yahiko had thought carefully at the time, he should have known that this kind of thing was unreliable, but he still agreed to it. Ultimately, the Akatsuki faced a mass murder.

However, from the final result, Hanzo of the Salamander was the ultimate loser.

So, while accompanying the single-eyed high-ranking ninja, Byakuya's mouth twitched slightly, but the other party behaved very politely. Byakuya couldn't even provoke him actively.

After all, you don't hit a smiling face.

The reason why the single-eyed high-ranking ninja was so respectful was also very simple. First, Hanzo had issued strict commands, and second, it was related to the strength of the Akatsuki.

After entering the Akatsuki base, he silently calculated the number of Akatsuki members.

After discovering that there were dozens of ninjas waiting in the base, his attitude became much more serious, because the meaning represented by a few ninja groups and a ninja organization of over a hundred people was completely different.

After learning of Hanzo's intention to cooperate with the Akatsuki, Yahiko's smile grew even brighter. Sure enough, Hanzo of the Salamander did not disappoint him.

Even though he had been disheartened for a long time, Hanzo of the Salamander was still a hero of the Land of Rain, understanding what was best for his country.

After accepting the personal letter, Yahiko turned to the single-eyed high-ranking ninja and invited him to further explore the Akatsuki and began explaining the organization's principles.

The single-eyed high-ranking ninja did not refuse. It was, after all, part of his mission.

However, after listening to Yahiko's principles, the single-eyed high-ranking ninja frowned directly and his eyes showed signs of doubt.

Were the principles of the Akatsuki too far-fetched?

In the Land of Rain, a land filled with warfare, famine, and disasters, why would such idealistic principles emerge? How could people possibly understand each other?

Yahiko also noticed the doubt in the single-eyed high-ranking ninja and wasted no words, taking him directly to visit a nearby village where the Akatsuki's principles had brought about results.

Upon seeing the healthy villagers, the single-eyed high-ranking ninja dispelled his doubts about the Akatsuki's principles.

He looked at Yahiko with a newfound respect. This was exactly the kind of talent lacking in the Land of Rain. If Hanzo of the Salamander could truly cooperate with the Akatsuki...

In a few years, the Land of Rain would surely be vastly different from now.

Thus, in the following days, the single-eyed high-ranking ninja began actively asking about the specifics of the Akatsuki's principles. He wanted to relay all these principles to Half-Zou.

Facing the inquiries of the single-eyed high-ranking ninja, Yahiko naturally spoke openly.

If he could convince the Hanzo's envoy here, the likelihood of persuading Half-Zou would also increase significantly. The Akatsuki needed an official status within the Land of Rain.

Moreover, for the Land of Rain, if the Akatsuki and the Amegakure could coexist peacefully, the country could reduce some sacrifices, and the lives of its people would suffer less turmoil.

Meanwhile, on another front, Black Zetsu found Byakuya resting in the forest.

After investigating the Assistant of Hokage and learning that it was Danzo Shimura who contacted Byakuya, Black Zetsu decided to approach Byakuya himself to discuss cooperation.