Chapter 90: Obito and Black Zetsu

With Tobi's help, Obito quickly returned to the Land of Grass.

Looking at the pitch-black underground passage ahead and feeling the cold body in his arms, Obito's heart was filled with anxiety.

On one hand, he hoped that Madara could revive Rin.

On the other hand, years of education and common sense told him that Rin was already dead and couldn't die again. Even the legendary Six Paths Sage probably couldn't bring back the dead.

Rin's death was also somewhat absurd—dying at Kakashi's hands.

Kakashi, who had always claimed to protect Rin, along with Minato-sensei, the fastest in the ninja world, always seemed to arrive too late to rescue his disciples.

He couldn't protect himself, let alone Rin!

Obito kept complaining in his heart, blaming his friends, blaming his teachers, blaming this cruel world… and blaming himself deeply.

If it weren't for him, Rin might have retired long ago and wouldn't need to continue dangerous missions.

If he hadn't fantasized about becoming Hokage, he might have returned to the village long ago. Although he couldn't have the strength to protect Rin, he could have been Rin's scapegoat during missions.

Now, even though he possessed strength surpassing a Jōnin, and awakened the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, time was running out, and the lost things could not be compensated for.

After reaching the end of the passage, Obito raised his head and pushed open the thick stone wall.

"Old man Madara, I ran out and came back again. This time I want to ask you for a favor..." Obito calmed his mood on one hand and pondered his words carefully, his tone full of pleading.

But when Obito walked into the underground space, he saw Madara sitting on a stone chair, asleep.

"Old man Madara?"

Obito felt something was wrong. Although Madara often slept, today Obito had clearly gone out himself. Madara would at least mock him, how could he sleep peacefully?

Just as Obito was about to step forward to wake Madara, Black Zetsu emerged from the underground and said emotionlessly, "Obito, just as you left, Lord Madara has already died."

"Madara is dead?"

Obito felt as if he had been struck by lightning, muttering to himself, "This is impossible. Isn't he the self-proclaimed Asura of the ninja world, the strongest Uchiha in legend? How could he die like this?"

"Lord Madara is dead." Black Zetsu stared expressionlessly at Obito.

Taking a step forward, Obito confirmed that Madara's power had indeed cooled, and his heart had stopped beating halfway.

To him, Madara was not only the hope of saving Rin, but also a senior Uchiha he had been with for several months, teaching him how to become a strong ninja.

Activating his Sharingan, Obito stared firmly at Black Zetsu, who was familiar yet strange before him, and asked with a vigilant tone, "Who killed Madara? Was it you or other ninja outside? Who are you exactly? Tell me quickly!"

Facing Obito's questioning, Black Zetsu remained expressionless and calmly explained, "I am the will created by Lord Madara, born to assist you in achieving the Eye of the Moon Plan. As for how Lord Madara died? His life had reached its end long ago. For years, he had been relying on the Outer Path's reincarnation jutsu to prolong his life. After grooming a suitable successor, he chose death voluntarily."

"Madara chose death voluntarily!?" Obito frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

While Madara had always spoken to him about the beauty of the Eye of the Moon plan, he had never disclosed its specific details. Now that Madara was dead, why continue with the Eye of the Moon plan?

Thinking this through, Obito turned to Black Zetsu and asked, "What exactly is the Eye of the Moon plan meant to accomplish?"

Black Zetsu, who had been waiting for this question, immediately took over and explained, "The Eye of the Moon plan is a massive genjutsu that covers the entire ninja world. To achieve it, one must capture the nine Tailed-Beasts to use as the Outer Path's reincarnation jutsu's power source. Madara's plan was to gather the nine Tailed-Beasts first, then use the Outer Path's reincarnation jutsu and the power of the Rinnegan to resurrect himself in his prime, allowing you to then execute the Eye of the Moon plan together."

As Obito listened with a furrowed brow, he quickly noticed the key words 'Rinnegan' and 'resurrection'.

Hope surged within him—there truly existed a jutsu to resurrect the dead. If that were the case, did Rin also have a chance to be revived?

Black Zetsu noticed Obito's expression and nodded, saying, "Obito, you want to resurrect the girl next to you, right? The Rinnegan does indeed possess the ability to revive the dead. However, to wield this power, you must gather the strength of the Tailed Beasts. If you strive to achieve the Eye of the Moon plan, when you resurrect Madara, there's no reason you can't revive another ninja as well. But this plan is even more difficult than you imagine. Are you prepared?"

Obito glanced at Rin beside him, then at Madara not far away, and nodded firmly.

Having lost hope in life, he had found a new purpose—to strive to revive his beloved. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Wasn't the timing of Madara's and Rin's deaths too coincidental?

Recalling his experiences with Madara these days, it seemed Madara had always wanted to groom him as his successor. Could Rin's death be related to Madara?

Or was all of this caused by the mysterious little black creature before him?

In the next moment, Obito pushed aside these tangled thoughts. Madara had intended to groom him for Hokage; he couldn't have harmed him.

Even if it was Madara's conspiracy, he had no way to take revenge.

Madara was dead, Rin was dead, and now he was alone. The once colorful world had returned to black and white.

Taking a deep breath, Obito instructed Tobi to cover his face and turned to Black Zetsu, asking, "What should we do next with Madara's will? Should we directly take the Rinnegan and then gather the Tailed Beasts?"

"Just call me Black Zetsu. After Madara's death, you are the new Madara Uchiha."

As Black Zetsu corrected Obito's address, he offered his advice:

"However, let's hold off on using the Rinnegan for now. The Rinnegan is not something you can handle at this moment, and you don't have the capability to gather the Nine Tailed Beasts on your own. Even if you manage to capture one or two Tailed Beasts by chance, you won't be able to secure the crucial Eight Tails and Nine Tails.

Kurama, the Nine Tail's Jinchuriki is Kushina, a Jonin of Konoha. Her husband is your teacher, Minato Namikaze. I suggest you wait until Kushina passes away before making a move. Time is on our side.

You also need to adapt to Tobi and the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Upon hearing Kushina's name, Obito's eyes flickered with a hint of struggle, but he quickly hardened his resolve, as if he had already made a certain decision.