The true past

"Kurama, do you know anyone like him?" I asked, glancing at the strange figure. He looked ancient, almost otherworldly.

"No, I don't have any recollection of someone like this," Kurama replied, his voice steady but uncertain.

"Alright, I'll get the answers myself," I said firmly.

I replayed the events from the book I had read and pieced together every detail I could remember. A figure with a black-and-white combination, with plant-like features growing around his face... Then my gaze fell on his clothing—a familiar pattern.

"The Akatsuki," I muttered, narrowing my eyes. Realization struck me. "Zetsu."

The figure tilted his head, a mocking grin spreading across his face. "Oh, you've got sharp perception. You even know my name. Did Orochimaru or Itachi tell you about me?"

"Why the hell are you here?" I demanded, my tone sharp.

"Nothing," Zetsu replied casually, his tone dripping with indifference.

"If you're not going to talk, then I'll make you," I said coldly, surging forward. I closed the distance, but before I could land a blow, Zetsu sank into the ground, evading me effortlessly.

"An escape artist," I muttered under my breath, frustrated by his slippery tactics. Something felt off, though—his presence, his abilities... they felt strangely familiar. Almost like my Wood Style.

Not willing to let him escape, I slammed my hands together. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

The ground rumbled as a massive forest erupted, sprawling across nearly a hundred meters. Thick, gnarled roots shot out, tangling and ensnaring Zetsu before he could retreat any further.

I approached, my katana gleaming as I pressed it against his neck. "Start talking," I ordered, my voice low and dangerous.

"Do you really think I'll tell you anything?" Zetsu shouted defiantly.

I smirked coldly. "I can get the information voluntarily or involuntarily. It's your choice."

As I studied him closely, a strange energy radiated from him—hatred, immense and suffocating. It was unlike anything I'd felt before.

"Who made you like this?" I asked, my tone quieter now but still sharp. "Who gave you so much hatred?"

Zetsu squirmed in the tangle of my Wood Style, but he stopped resisting when he felt the cold steel of my katana against his neck. His black half chuckled darkly while the white half remained eerily silent.

"Hatred?" Zetsu's black half muttered with a twisted tone. "You wouldn't understand, boy. You're just scratching at the surface of a world far older and darker than you could comprehend."

"Try me," I replied, my crimson eyes narrowing. "Who are you really working for? Who's pulling the strings? And why do I feel your connection to my Wood Style?"

Zetsu's eyes narrowed in response, his black half smirking. "You're sharper than most, I'll give you that. But even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it. You're just a puppet in a game you can't see yet."

"You're not answering my question," I said, pressing the blade just enough to draw a thin line of black liquid from his neck. "I'll ask again—who made you, and what are you doing in my land?"

Zetsu grimaced but maintained his mocking demeanor. "Fine, since you've got me in this mess… I'll tell you something small—something you might be able to chew on." He paused, his black side tilting his head slightly as though sizing me up. "My existence is tied to the history of your world—the Sage of Six Paths, the great wars, the birth of ninjutsu itself. You think your clan's history here is old? It's just a ripple in the ocean compared to what I know."

I narrowed my eyes further, not loosening my grip. "You're stalling."

"Am I?" Zetsu sneered. "Then know this—your precious Wood Style, your clans, your entire world... it all began because of her."

"Oh, you mean Kaguya? I know about her... and honestly, I feel pity for her," I said, my tone calm yet firm. "Her own children sealed her away."

"You know about her?" Zetsu asked, his voice laced with disbelief as his black-and-white features seemed to stiffen.

"Yeah. Kurama told me everything—about her and her children, and what led to her downfall," I replied casually.

Zetsu muttered under his breath, "You've grown close to the Nine-Tails…" His expression darkened as he fell into silent contemplation, realizing that his plans might be harder to execute than expected.

"Yes, we've been close for a while now," I confirmed, narrowing my eyes. "But don't change the subject. If I'd been around in her time, I would've tried to save her. It's a shame… but it happened ages ago."

Zetsu stared at me, his black half frozen in shock, while the white half remained unnervingly still. "You… pity her?" he muttered, his voice laced with disbelief. "Do you even realize what you're saying? She's the very reason your world spiraled into chaos! The progenitor of chakra… the so-called goddess you seem to pity… was trying to control everything."

I crossed my arms, unfazed. "I know the story—Kurama told me. But I also know there's more to it than just power or control. She was betrayed by the people she loved most—her own sons. I'm not saying she was perfect, but that doesn't mean she deserved to be sealed away for eternity."

Zetsu's black half hissed, visibly rattled. "You're naive, boy. You speak as though you understand her pain, but you couldn't possibly comprehend what she endured. Her loneliness, her suffering—no one stood by her side."

"And what do you think you're doing?" I shot back, my tone sharp.

Zetsu flinched, his composure slipping for just a moment. "You don't understand—"

"No, you don't understand," I interrupted, stepping closer. "I may not have been there, but I know loneliness. I know what it's like to be hated, to be isolated for something you didn't choose. If I had been there, I would've tried to save her—tried to stop her from becoming what she did."

Zetsu stared at me silently, his gaze unreadable. The forest around us grew unnaturally still, the only sound the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze.

"You… you're different," he finally said, his voice quieter than before. "You see things no one else does. But even so, your pity is misplaced. Kaguya cannot be saved—her fate is sealed."

I clenched my fists. "We'll see about that. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that no fate is set in stone. Not hers, not mine, and certainly not yours."

Zetsu chuckled darkly, though there was less confidence in his tone now. "Big words, boy. But remember this—you may pity her now, but the day will come when you'll have to face the truth. And when that day comes, you'll see whose side you're really on."

"Oi, you still haven't said what your relationship with her is," I asked, pressing for answers.

"My relationship?" Zetsu paused, his voice softer than before. "It's... like a mother and son bond, I suppose," he said, a flicker of emotion crossing his face—so faint it was nearly invisible to the naked eye.

"I see," I replied, my tone shifting to one of understanding. I bowed slightly, a gesture of respect. "Sorry for not being there to help you and her."

Zetsu froze, his usually smooth and calculating demeanor faltering. For the first time, there was a flicker of something that could only be described as surprise—or maybe even vulnerability.

"You… bowed?" he muttered, his voice unsteady, as if he couldn't process what he was seeing. "You're apologizing to me?"

I straightened up and looked him straight in the eyes, unwavering. "Yeah, I am. I don't care who you are or what you've done. I can see it—you care about her. Even if you're twisted up inside from all the hatred and loneliness, it all started from wanting to help your mother, didn't it?"

Zetsu remained silent, but his white half twitched uncomfortably while his black half seemed to blend deeper into the shadows, as if trying to hide his reaction.

"I've been through enough to know that hate doesn't come from nowhere," I continued. "It grows out of pain. You may be my enemy, but I can respect where you're coming from. If I had the power to change things back then, maybe you and Kaguya wouldn't have ended up this way."

For a moment, the air between us felt heavy—like two completely different worlds were colliding, yet somehow understanding each other. Zetsu's voice finally broke the silence, though it was softer this time.

"You're strange, Naruto Uzumaki," he muttered. "No one has ever spoken to me like this. To her like this. Your words… they mean nothing. And yet…"

He trailed off, his expression—or what little of it could be seen—lost in thought. "But you can't change what's already been set into motion. This world will inevitably return to her, no matter how much you struggle."

I smirked slightly, my tone steady and full of resolve. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I can't change the past. But I sure as hell can change the future. You'll see. If there's even a chance to save someone—to stop them from being consumed by pain—I'll take it. I'll save your 'mother,' too, if that's what it takes."

Zetsu stared at me for a long moment, silent once again, before he slowly began sinking back into the earth. "Your ideals are foolish, boy. But… you are unlike any human I've ever met."