For a moment, Hirofumi Ito's heart was a mess of feelings he couldn't quite sort out.

A thousand years of scheming. All of it, every single move across a millennium, just to rescue one's own mother.

And now, the moment Black Zetsu learned that rescue was actually possible, it had dropped to its knees without hesitation. Willing to give up its own life for it.

Could someone like that truly be called a villain?

Everyone present went quiet.

Hashirama Senju, almost without thinking, released the seal on the Four Red Yang Formation.

But when the barrier came down, Black Zetsu didn't move. No attempt to flee. No jutsu. Nothing. It simply stayed there, kneeling in complete stillness, forehead pressed hard against the ground.

"Black Zetsu..." Hirofumi walked toward it as he spoke. "There's no need for this. I said I would help you rescue your mother, and I meant it — I won't go back on my word. To be honest, as someone's child myself, I have a lot of respect for what you've done.

"If I were in your position, I would have done the same.

"In this world, it's hard to say who's truly right and who's truly wrong. Everyone carries their own dreams and their own pursuits. Everyone keeps moving forward toward whatever it is they've envisioned.

"That's true of me. It's true of you. It's true of every single one of us, and it's precisely because of that, that we are living, breathing people.

"Sometimes the line between good and evil comes down to a single thought. One thought makes a Buddha, one thought makes a demon — just like my two teachers. Their ideologies were different, but at their very core, they both shared the same dream: to bring peace to this world."

He reached down and helped Black Zetsu to its feet.

"If you're willing, then from today onward, you are a member of the Hidden Leaf Village. You have my word on your mother — I will bring her back. And as for the Otsutsuki Clan, don't worry about that. There is much you'll come to understand in time. Whatever else may be said, you were born of this Shinobi World. That makes you one of us, doesn't it?"

Black Zetsu stood there, staring at Hirofumi Ito with a dazed look on its face.

"Arigatou... Hokage-sama!"

In that moment, Black Zetsu's heart was flooded with something close to overwhelming joy. The plan had failed, but the mother could still be brought back. And more than that, the mother would be protected, because the Shinobi World was destined to stand against the Otsutsuki Clan.

In truth, there had only ever been one thing Black Zetsu cared about in this entire existence: its mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki. As long as it could see her again,

Black Zetsu didn't care if the world was turned upside down. Didn't care if it was destroyed. Didn't care if every last person in it died.

The only thing that mattered was its mother.

Just as Black Zetsu looked up at Hirofumi Ito with that deep, wordless emotion, Madara Uchiha appeared without a sound directly behind it.

The corners of his mouth split into a wide, vicious grin.

"Kehehehehehehe... Black Hand!"

BOOM!

Black Zetsu was driven straight into the dirt.

Madara Uchiha watched it crumple and let out a satisfied "kehehehehe." Then came one kick. Then another.

"Kehehehehehehe... you miserable little wretch!

"So you think you can trick me?!

"You think you can trick me?!

"My will, am I?!

"Had me spinning in circles, didn't you?!

"Made me become a Rogue Ninja back then, didn't you?!

"Eye of the Moon Plan, was it?!

"Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, was it?!

"Rinne Rebirth, was it?!"

Every single line landed with a brutal kick straight into Black Zetsu.

"You absolute bastard! You dare deceive me?! Today I'll show you what the Black Hand really means!"

"Madara Uchiha-sama! Stop, please stop! I know I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! I'll never deceive you again! Madara-sama!"

At that moment, White Zetsu quietly slipped out from inside a nearby tree trunk.

"My, my... it seems Madara-sama's constipation still hasn't been cured. Otherwise, why would the temper be quite this explosive? Black Zetsu is really having a rough time of it..."

Hashirama Senju stared at the thing that had just popped up beside him. Its entire body was pale white, so pale it was almost unsettling, and it wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. Its appearance was rather strange, too. And it had just suddenly emerged from inside a tree.

"What on earth are you?"

"My name is White Zetsu... I know who you are. You're the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju-sama! Oh, by the way, do you know what it feels like to take a dump? Madara-sama seems to be a bit constipated, which is probably why the temper is looking a little volatile. Do you think you could come up with something to help Madara-sama with the constipation?"

White Zetsu hadn't bothered to lower its voice, which meant every single person present heard that entire exchange with perfect clarity.

Hashirama Senju scratched his head and ambled over to Madara Uchiha's side with that familiar, good-natured look on his face.

"Madara~~~~ are you constipated?! Want me to grow a little wooden stick to help you..."

"Shut your mouth, you idiot!"

BOOM!

Hashirama Senju went flying.

White Zetsu, meanwhile, cheerfully sidled up next to Black Zetsu.

"Black Zetsu~~~ what happened to you?! Did Madara-sama take it out on you because the constipation has him all backed up?! You look like you're in so much pain, don't tell me you're constipated too?! What does taking a dump actually feel like?! Oh, and... Black Zetsu, do you even have one of those?!"

Black Zetsu looked at White Zetsu through gritted teeth.

"Shut your mouth, you idiot!"

BOOM!

White Zetsu went flying too.

Hashirama Senju had only just landed when a thud sounded right beside him and White Zetsu dropped down next to him.

"Oh! You pale little thing, you can fly too?"

"Hashirama Senju-sama... can you tell me what it actually feels like to take a dump?!"

...

With everything settled, the group made their way back to the Hidden Leaf Village.

They had barely set foot inside when a thunderous boom rang out from the direction of the Research and Development Department building.

The entire R&D building was blown to rubble.

Smoke and dust surged high into the sky.

And then, from somewhere within that billowing cloud, came Orochimaru's unmistakable laughter.

"Kehehehehehehe... I did it! I DID IT!"

Everyone exchanged looks. Even Black Zetsu, stepping into the Hidden Leaf Village for the very first time, felt something cold run through it at that sound.

Good lord. The unhinged people in this village are terrifying.

A moment later, Orochimaru walked out of the smoke, covered head to toe in ash and grime, but the expression on his face was barely-contained excitement, a long tongue flicking back and forth across it.

➤ Next: I Did It, Old Snake!

Chapter 218 - I Did It, Old Snake!

At that moment, Orochimaru still looked visibly unhinged.

That long tongue of his kept flicking back and forth, back and forth...

"Heheheheheh... I did it! I did it!"

Hirofumi Ito stared blankly at the scene before him. Behind Orochimaru, the R&D Department building had been reduced to a smoking pile of rubble. He swallowed hard.

"Uncle Snake... did you just build an atomic bomb?!"

Orochimaru froze. Only then did he notice that a whole crowd of people had materialized in front of him, including one strange-looking fellow who was dark as soot, and another equally strange-looking fellow who was pale as a sheet...

But Orochimaru felt that was beside the point.

"An atomic bomb?! No, no, no — what I've made is far more powerful than any atomic bomb!

Hirofumi, do you remember those three corpses you gave me? And those three Otsutsuki that were sealed away?

I have been running experiments at a furious pace ever since...

Using cells from the First Hokage, cells from Madara Uchiha, and cells from the Otsutsuki Clan — I have successfully cultivated the very first generation of clones!

Now, this Otsutsuki clone still has certain flaws. The fusion of three cell types can bring the clone's body to a state of equilibrium, but it cannot create an entirely new life...

To put it plainly: I used these cells to build a brand-new vessel. A vessel without a soul.

There is also one other critical issue — while the cell fusion can produce a body, that body cannot give rise to the Rinnegan.

It is nothing more than an incomplete Otsutsuki shell.

But that isn't the most important part...

These are only first-generation clones. We keep iterating. More powerful versions will follow.

What matters most is this, Hirofumi, do you remember what you once told me about the Chakra Fruit?!"

Hirofumi's expression shifted, surprise edging into excitement.

He hadn't expected Orochimaru to actually pull off an Otsutsuki clone. It wasn't perfect, but it was still a massive leap forward.

And now Orochimaru was bringing up the Chakra Fruit...

Had he actually made a breakthrough there too?!

Hirofumi ventured a careful, probing question.

"Uncle Snake... don't tell me..."

Seeing Hirofumi's face, Orochimaru's excitement surged. That long tongue stretched even longer, lashing through the air in front of him.

"Heheheheheheheh... Exactly! The physical structure of the Otsutsuki Clan is entirely different from that of people in our Shinobi World, and the energy within their bodies is unlike anything we possess. After countless experiments, I have finally succeeded in extracting that energy!

Concentrate enough of it together, and it forms what they call a fruit...

I have fully extracted everything from the corpse of Urashiki Otsutsuki. The reason the R&D building just exploded? An energy burst during the compression process.

I never imagined the Chakra Fruit's energy would be this ferocious.

Just the ambient bleedoff was enough to level that entire building.

And this Chakra Fruit is absolutely edible.

Eat it, and a person of our Shinobi World can evolve down an entirely unknown path!

Heheheheheheheh... this is a monumental breakthrough!"

He wasn't done.

"Hirofumi! That still isn't the most important part! The most important thing is, I discovered that this same type of energy exists inside the clones as well. It isn't nearly as pure as what the Otsutsuki Clan possesses, but it's there.

And that has given me a whole new idea.

Mass-produce the clones. Extract the energy from them. Use it to manufacture a weakened version of the Chakra Fruit. If we can pull that off, we will never need another Otsutsuki corpse again. Unlimited Chakra Fruits, for everyone!"

Silence.

Everyone present stood there completely stunned. Even Hirofumi Ito.

Was Orochimaru actually this terrifying?!

Not only had he produced an Otsutsuki clone, he was already scheming to use those clones as a production line for Chakra Fruits. All you could say was... what else would you expect from Uncle Snake?

At this point, "genius" no longer seemed sufficient. "Madman" was starting to feel more accurate.

Orochimaru reached into his robe and produced a Scroll of Seals. He unfurled it, thud, and a glass container appeared on the ground. Inside it sat a single vivid red fruit.

A Chakra Fruit.

The Chakra Fruit born from Urashiki Otsutsuki.

Orochimaru gazed at it the way a priest gazes at something sacred.

"Hirofumi. The energy inside this fruit is monstrous. Ordinary people cannot withstand it, only someone approaching the level of the Otsutsuki Clan could survive what's packed inside.

For ordinary people, the weakened version made from clones would be more appropriate...

Right now, the number of people in the entire Hidden Leaf Village who could actually eat this fruit is vanishingly small. Probably only the First Hokage, Madara Uchiha, you, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki.

Anyone else? One bite past their limit and they would simply explode."

Hirofumi no longer had any mental bandwidth left to worry about whether Orochimaru was being a little dark about it.

He was too busy feeling the excitement crashing through him. He never imagined Orochimaru would actually research this thing into existence.

Right now, the Hidden Leaf Village's single greatest combat force was Madara Uchiha, no question. He had already awakened the Rinnegan. Second place was Hashirama Senju, though Hashirama's Rinnegan was still just a hair's breadth from opening.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had both transplanted each other's cells, Naruto had even received a Sharingan transplant on top of that, but for either of them to awaken the Rinnegan, that would still take time.

Energy fusion wasn't something you could rush.

As for himself, Hirofumi could feel it. His own was close.

And his situation was more complicated than the others. Multiple energies were continuously merging inside his eyes. When they finally awakened, whatever emerged probably wouldn't be a pure Rinnegan.

So the conclusion was obvious.

Feed this Chakra Fruit to Madara Uchiha. That was the optimal move.

Because if Madara Uchiha consumed it, there was a very real possibility he would evolve into a true Six Paths Madara.

➤ Next: Madara Uchiha Activates Six Paths Mode