Chapter 360: Summoning the Will in the Darkness; Cooperating with Black Zetsu [HN]

Three days later.

Inside the temporary laboratory at the Moon base, the energy lock of the Tenseigan continued to fluctuate periodically.

Although the energy impacts had not grown stronger, they had never stopped either, like a sword hanging over their heads.

Chiya stood with his hands behind his back before the observation window, looking at the desolate surface of the Moon outside.

Purple light flowed through his Rinnegan as he wondered what was on his mind.

Mirai and Chimi quietly stood behind him.

They could feel the almost tangible pressure radiating from their father.

“Father,” Chimi said softly, breaking the silence. “About the will in the darkness…”

Chiya slowly turned around and looked at Chimi.

“Do you have a way to draw him out?”

Mirai nodded vigorously, a hint of mischief appearing on her face.

“Yes! We know he’s been operating in secret and watching the Shinobi World, especially keeping an eye on everything related to Aunt Kaguya. As long as we create bait he can’t refuse, he’ll definitely show himself.”

“Bait?”

“Yes.”

Chimi took over, her gaze calm and intelligent.

“A possibility involving Mother’s resurrection that is realistic enough and tempting enough. Black Zetsu is a product of Aunt Kaguya’s will, and resurrecting Aunt Kaguya is the sole purpose of his existence. Once he senses that a practical method of resurrection far beyond his expectations has appeared, he definitely won’t be able to hold himself back.”

Chiya immediately understood his daughters’ plan.

They intended to use Black Zetsu’s obsession with Kaguya, along with the information Chiya had just obtained from the Tenseigan’s disturbance, information beyond Black Zetsu’s knowledge, to lure out the figure hiding in the shadows.

“What do you need me to do?”

Chiya asked directly.

Mirai and Chimi quietly discussed it for a few moments before Chimi explained the entire plan to Chiya.

The core of the plan was to use Chimi’s ability together with Chiya’s precise control over energy fluctuations to simulate a strange energy ripple at a specific location.

It would resemble a consciousness summoning and point toward Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.

The ripple had to be subtle enough to remain hidden, but not so subtle that Black Zetsu, who was extremely sensitive to Kaguya’s presence, would fail to notice it.

They chose a location near the Valley of the End.

It was where the Sage of Six Paths and his brother Indra had once fought, and its long history and complicated energy field made it convenient for concealment and manipulation.

…

Several days later, Valley of the End.

Night had fallen, and the waterfall roared.

Chiya stood alone atop the statue of Uchiha Madara, his clothes fluttering in the night wind.

His eyes were closed, and the power of his Rinnegan was completely restrained.

Natural Energy, however, flowed slowly around him like a gentle stream, following his will.

Following Chimi’s instructions, he was not releasing chakra.

He was “weaving” a frequency.

It was an extremely ancient and vast frequency that carried the aura of the Ōtsutsuki’s origin while also mixing with the power of the Rinnegan’s creation of all things.

The fluctuation spread outward like a stone dropped into still water, rippling through the invisible levels of spirit and energy.

Mirai and Chimi hid in the distance.

Using the microscopic barrier Chimi had created to completely isolate their presence, they held their breath and watched carefully.

Chimi held a glowing sphere in her hands, formed from countless tiny energy runes.

It continuously monitored the spread of the energy ripple.

Time passed second by second, and the sound of the waterfall seemed to become the only melody.

Suddenly, the glowing sphere in Chimi’s hands flickered slightly.

An extremely subtle dark energy reaction appeared at the edge of its monitoring range, almost completely blending into the surrounding environment.

“He’s here.”

Chimi spoke softly, her gaze sharp.

Mirai also clenched her fists nervously.

Atop the statue, Chiya opened his eyes almost at the exact same moment.

His Rinnegan instantly activated and locked onto the seemingly empty shadow.

“Since you’re here, why keep hiding?”

The shadow began to writhe like a living creature before slowly forming into an abstract black human figure.

It was Black Zetsu.

His hoarse, cold voice carried undisguised suspicion.

“Uchiha Chiya… that fluctuation you released just now… what was it? Why does it carry her presence, yet feel so… different?”

Chiya looked down at him indifferently.

“I’m trying to communicate with her.”

“Communicate?”

Black Zetsu’s voice rose, filled with disbelief.

‘Mother was sealed and imprisoned by Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Hamura, and her consciousness was scattered. How could you possibly…’

He looked at Uchiha Chiya again.

“This joke isn’t funny…”

“Just because others can’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t.”

Chiya interrupted him, his tone carrying absolute confidence.

“I found Kaguya’s body. Her consciousness isn’t inside it. You must know the details.”

“What?! You found Mother’s body?!”

Black Zetsu completely lost his composure, his black form violently fluctuating.

“You went to the Moon?”

Chiya did not answer directly.

Instead, he asked, “Tell me, Black Zetsu. What conditions are required for Kaguya’s consciousness to fully awaken?”

Black Zetsu stared at Chiya, seemingly judging whether his words were true and what his intentions were.

‘How does Uchiha Chiya know about Mother?’

Black Zetsu could not understand.

After a long while, he finally spoke in an even hoarser voice.

“It requires a massive amount of power, enough to shake the Shinobi World, to serve as a coordinate and a vessel. It also requires the ritual of Infinite Tsukuyomi to be recreated. Only by gathering the power of the God Tree again can we break through the seal and recall Mother’s consciousness from the scattered fragments of space and time, allowing it to merge with her body again!”

What he described was undoubtedly the path he had planned in the original story.

Gather the Tailed Beasts, revive the Ten Tails, and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Chiya slowly shook his head, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

“Too slow. And it would create unnecessary chaos and waste.”

“What do you mean?”

Black Zetsu was confused.

“What I mean is…”

Chiya’s figure vanished from the statue like a ghost.

The next moment, he appeared directly in front of Black Zetsu, almost face to face with him.

The pressure radiating from his Rinnegan was enough to make one’s heart tremble.

“If all we need is a massive amount of energy and precise coordinates, why insist on using the Tailed Beasts and the God Tree?”

Black Zetsu’s mind shook violently at Chiya’s sudden approach and the meaning behind his words.

“You… you have another method?!”

“Come with me.”

Chiya did not explain further.

He simply reached out and placed a hand on Black Zetsu’s black shoulder.

Space instantly twisted.

Kamui activated.

Black Zetsu felt the world spin around him.

The next moment, he was already inside a special gray space.

It was Chiya’s Kamui Dimension.

And not far in front of him stood a beautiful woman with white hair and white robes.

She was protected by layer upon layer of powerful sealing formulas and floated in midair.

That familiar face.

That vast chakra fluctuation, as immense as a sea of stars.

“Mo… Mother!!!”

Black Zetsu let out an almost frenzied roar.

His black form trembled violently, nearly losing its human shape.

His wish of a thousand years.

The very meaning of his existence.

At this moment, it had appeared before him in a way that was completely beyond his expectations.

He suddenly turned toward Chiya, his voice distorted by excitement.

“You… you really did it… How did you do this?! The seal… their seal…”

“Their seal is not flawless.”

Chiya calmly watched Black Zetsu lose control.

“Do you believe now that I have the ability to cooperate with you?”

Black Zetsu forcibly suppressed his boiling emotions and stared at Chiya.

“Cooperate? How do you intend to cooperate?”

“I need all your knowledge concerning Kaguya’s consciousness, as well as your experience in guiding it back.”

Chiya spoke calmly.

“In return, I will provide the massive amount of energy needed to resurrect her, far beyond what the Tailed Beasts can provide, along with absolute power to ensure the ritual succeeds.”

“Energy far beyond that of the Tailed Beasts?”

Black Zetsu calmed down somewhat and raised the most important question.

“Other than recreating the Ten Tails, I can’t think of any energy powerful enough to shake a seal of that level and summon the consciousness!”

Chiya raised his hand and pointed toward the sky.

Although there was nothing there, his words carried unquestionable power.

“Above the Moon is a complete Tenseigan left behind by Ōtsutsuki Hamura. Its energy level should be quite high. Wouldn’t that be more efficient than wasting time capturing those scattered Tailed Beasts?”

Black Zetsu froze.

He knew about the existence of the Tenseigan, but he had never imagined that someone would dare target it.

“The Tenseigan…”

Black Zetsu muttered to himself as his mind raced.

The method proposed by Uchiha Chiya truly bypassed the complicated path he had planned for a thousand years, the path that relied on the Tailed Beasts and Infinite Tsukuyomi.

It was more… direct and violent.

But the risks were equally enormous.

Could the power of the Tenseigan be safely guided?

And how would the remaining energy deficit be filled?

“What do you think? Will you continue clinging to your old plan, whose success rate is unknown and which will take a long time, or will you cooperate with me and take a faster and more powerful new path?”

Chiya’s voice carried a hint of temptation.

“Black Zetsu, you’ve waited for so many years. Don’t you want to see your mother resurrected sooner and with greater certainty?”

Black Zetsu looked at Kaguya’s body, so close yet beyond his reach.

Then he looked at Uchiha Chiya, whose strength was unfathomable and whose methods seemed endless.

He had already noticed Uchiha Chiya back when Chiya went to the Rain Village to fight its leader, Hanzo.

At first, he had thought Chiya was merely an anomaly among the Uchiha in terms of ideology.

But every step Chiya took afterward caught Black Zetsu off guard.

During the Third Shinobi World War, Chiya had swept across the battlefield and suppressed an entire era.

Even Uchiha Madara, one of his former pawns, had been defeated by Chiya with ease.

Chiya had almost completely destroyed all of his plans.

Now he even knew Black Zetsu’s secrets.

And Kaguya’s body was here as well.

‘Who exactly is he?!’

‘Why does he know Mother’s name? Why does he want to help me resurrect Mother?!’

Reason told Black Zetsu that cooperating with this man was no different from making a deal with a tiger.

But his emotions and thousand year obsession made it impossible for him to reject this seemingly closer shortcut.

After a long silence, Black Zetsu’s hoarse voice finally sounded again, carrying a desperate determination.

“Uchiha Chiya… you win. I… agree to cooperate.”

He raised his head, his pitch black face turned toward Chiya.

He would not give up any hope.

“I will give you all the information I know about Mother’s consciousness coordinates and the secret method for guiding her consciousness back. But you must guarantee that you will solve the energy problem! And resurrecting Mother must be our top priority!”

“Of course.”

The curve of Chiya’s lips widened, and a glint of control flashed through his Rinnegan.

“Welcome aboard, Black Zetsu. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation.”

He extended his hand.

A chakra sphere containing special contract runes slowly appeared.

“To ensure our mutual ‘sincerity,’ sign this contract. It won’t restrain your will, but it will ensure that the information we share is truthful and effective, and that we won’t betray each other before the objective is achieved.”

Black Zetsu stared at the runes.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally extended his black arm and touched them.

A flash of light appeared.

The contract was established.

Inside the Kamui Dimension, an alliance that crossed opposing positions and schemes, yet had a strangely identical objective, had finally been formed.

Far away at the Valley of the End, Mirai and Chimi sensed the energy fluctuation caused by the contract through the hidden monitoring point Chimi had left behind.

They finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“The first step succeeded.”

Chimi spoke softly.

Mirai clenched her fists, hope shining in her eyes.

“Great! With Black Zetsu’s help and Dad’s power, we can definitely awaken Aunt Kaguya faster and save a lot of time!”

The will in the darkness, this double edged sword, had finally been grasped by Chiya through absolute power and information far ahead of its time.

And the journey to awaken Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was about to enter an entirely new stage.