Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 224
🕑 Added 2025-03-13 16:26:11 +0000 UTCBlack Zetsu had seen all kinds of people, but he felt that Masashi was particularly shameless. No matter how the conversation went, he alway
Black Zetsu had seen all kinds of people, but he felt that Masashi was particularly shameless.
No matter how the conversation went, he always made himself sound reasonable.
"So, everything was my fault?" He was genuinely angry now. He decided to strike back. "Fine! Even if I did something wrong, are you saying you're completely blameless!? You talk about trust and friendship, but your actions are as ruthless as that tyrant who herded innocent people into chambers and poisoned them with gas! "
"… What the hell!?" Masashi was stunned and immediately said, "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Black Zetsu found this utterly baffling. "What are you even saying?"
"I am Voldemort." Masashi tested again.
"If you keep this up, I'm going to get mad for real! Speak properly! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Black Zetsu was furious.
Masashi looked at Black Zetsu suspiciously.
"Wait, hold on. Let me think…" After a moment of thought, inspiration struck. He spread his arms wide and tilted his face upward as if basking in imaginary sunlight, and exclaimed, "Praise the sun!"
"???"
Black Zetsu started wondering whether he should just lose his temper and beat up this bastard in front of him.
"Are you done messing around?" Even his voice was shaking.
Masashi wanted to test another phrase, but he sensed that if he pushed any further, Black Zetsu would actually lose it.
"I'm not messing around… Hey? Don't leave! Why do you get angry so easily?"
Catching the furious Black Zetsu before he could sink into the ground, Masashi quickly showered him with good-natured persuasion, finally calming his rising temper.
"Let go of me!" Black Zetsu was still fuming. Plus, Masashi had a habit of slinging his arm around others' shoulders, which he found deeply uncomfortable.
"I'll treat you to some ramen. We're both grown men—what's there to be upset about?" Masashi laughed heartily, patting Black Zetsu on the shoulder repeatedly.
Each pat made Black Zetsu's head bob up and down.
"That's more like it. See? You agree with me, don't you?"
Agree, my ass! It's because you keep slapping me!
Shrugging Masashi's arm off, Black Zetsu widened the distance between them.
After a moment's hesitation, he suddenly felt that he had distanced himself too much, which made him feel a little guilty. It wasn't fair to Masashi as a friend. So, after some internal struggle, he scooted a bit closer.
"Um… about something…" Black Zetsu chose his words carefully. "Those two kids in your team—do you know who they really are?"
"Oh, you've seen my students?" Masashi looked slightly proud. "It's actually three of them—three. So? They're pretty good, aren't they?"
"I know there are three. I was referring to the two—one with blond hair and the other with black hair."
"Oh, those two? I've trained them since they were little. They're incredibly talented. This trip is just to toughen them up."
"You remember what I told you last time, right? Indra and Asura's chakra reincarnates endlessly, and they always appear together. The last generation was Madara and Hashirama." Black Zetsu fixed his gaze on Masashi, watching his expression closely.
"Yeah, I remember. But there's something I don't get."
"What?"
"If, according to you, Asura had the power of the tailed beasts but could only fight Indra's ancestor to a draw, then why did things flip when it came to Madara? Did the Nine-Tails slack off or something?"
"..." After all that explanation, that's what you focused on?
I swear, I can actually hit you.
Really, I will hit you.
Don't think just because you're stronger, I won't try! If you fight back, I'll end our friendship right here!
"Can you focus on the main point? I was talking about chakra!"
For a thousand years, he had honed his skills in deception and manipulation. But now, he suddenly realized—arguing was also a craft.
Before meeting Masashi, he never even had the chance to practice arguing. Who would take him as a friend?
Even looking toward the future, someone willing to befriend a being like himself would probably—no, definitely only be the bizarre individual standing before him.
Since they were both weirdos, what choice did he have?
He could only endure…
"Chakra, huh… fine," Masashi chuckled dryly. "You're not about to say it's my student, are you? I can understand Sasuke, but Naruto? That kid's from the Uzumaki clan."
"Do the Senju even exist anymore?" Black Zetsu asked coldly. "Others may not see it, but they can't fool me."
"Look at you, all smug." Masashi grinned. "Even if those two kids are their reincarnations, isn't that a good thing? Just imagine—teaching a lesson to our ancestors. Sounds exciting already. Wait, that reminds me of something."
He thought for a moment, then smacked his thigh.
"If the Uchiha disappear, and the Uzumaki stop existing like the Senju, won't the future just be one big internal Hyūga clan war? What a mess. Are these two kids here just to make sure history cleans itself up?"
Black Zetsu didn't even hesitate—he turned and started sinking into the ground.
"Hey! What's with that temper of yours?" Masashi swiftly grabbed Black Zetsu before he could escape. "I was just talking, why are you getting all worked up?"
"Are you ever going to have a serious conversation!?" Black Zetsu snapped. "If not, I'm leaving!"
"Fine, let's talk—talk until we drop." Masashi sighed. "Go on. I'm listening."
"If you keep messing around, I really will leave." Black Zetsu huffed, then asked, "The Uzumaki boy is Asura's reincarnation. The Uchiha boy is Indra's reincarnation. Do you still remember what's written on the stone tablet?"
"Yeah, opposing forces merging into one, creating all things in the universe," Masashi recited. "If someone obtains both Senju and Uchiha powers, they awaken the Rinnegan."
"No. It's about acquiring Asura and Indra's chakra. For an Uchiha, this grants the Sage's eyes; for a Senju, the Sage's body. A pure Uchiha or Senju alone gets nothing."
Black Zetsu's voice turned eerie. "Don't you want the power of the Sage of Six Paths?"
Only an idiot wouldn't.
But these two brats… he had watched them grow up. He still desired power, but he couldn't bring himself to go as far as he did in his first life.
"Man, talk about luck…" Masashi sighed. "Why didn't our ancestor give me some chakra?"
"He didn't, but you can take it yourself. I can help you," Black Zetsu said, staring at Masashi. "It's not difficult."
"Black Zetsu," Masashi's expression grew serious, dropping his usual playful tone. "Forget the kids for a second. Just from the way you're talking… this method of yours doesn't sound very harmonious, does it?"
"What does it matter? The only thing that matters is holding power in your hands," Black Zetsu replied.
Whether Masashi was a true ally or not—he realized, he didn't really need to struggle with that question.
Once his mother returned, she would crush everything with her invincible power.
Asura and Indra's chakra were both the key to freeing his mother and the only force capable of opposing her. This was Hagoromo's final countermeasure.
For a thousand years, he had nearly unraveled all of Hagoromo's plans.
Now, the Rinnegan was already in play, and the reincarnations of Asura and Indra had become obstacles.
Masashi was an Uchiha, and Uchiha always pursued power.
If they could extract Asura and Indra's chakra from this generation's hosts and implant it into him… then Hagoromo's countermeasure would be useless.
Because Hagoromo would never acknowledge Masashi.
Just as he never acknowledged Indra all those years ago.
By then, under the overwhelming power of Infinite Tsukuyomi, Masashi would remain—only to be at the mercy of his mother's will.
This was the best fate he could arrange for Masashi.
---
Completely unaware of Black Zetsu's internal monologue, Masashi, driven by the idea that you couldn't meet someone without getting something out of them, wanted to keep chatting with Black Zetsu.
He was undoubtedly a major villain, but in some ways, his "humanity" was actually better than that of most people.
Although he really disliked how Masashi's conversations tended to go off on wild tangents, he still exercised patience and engaged in the chat.
Naturally, the conversation turned to ocular techniques.
"You awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Black Zetsu was extremely curious. He had been certain that Masashi could never obtain it. "That shouldn't be possible."
"No Mangekyō—so what? You think the only way to get a Sharingan related ocular ability is through the Mangekyō?" Masashi was annoyed just thinking about it. "I just gained a new ability, that's all."
"That still doesn't make sense..." Black Zetsu fell into deep thought.
He was the ultimate expert on the Sharingan in this world. From Indra's time to the formation of the Uchiha clan, he had been watching, recording every experiment and research outcome related to the Sharingan.
The Sharingan was the kind of power that peaked at its very inception.
Later generations of Uchiha obtained powerful ocular abilities passively through the Mangekyō, representing the pinnacle of Yin Release.
Indra, on the other hand, actively developed his own ocular ability through imagination.
Masashi's ocular power was far superior to the countless three-tomoe users throughout history, yet still inferior to Indra's.
Logically, he should be stuck in the middle—stronger than a three-tomoe Sharingan but lacking the creative ability to generate new techniques.
Creation was a power that only came with the ultimate mastery of Yin Release.
"Let me see it," Black Zetsu said.
Seeing is believing—no point in talking when a direct look would be more convincing.
"Sure, watch closely."
Masashi activated his Sharingan, staring at Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu stared back, waiting patiently.
After a while...
"Aren't you going to use it!?" Black Zetsu snapped.
They'd just been staring at each other for ages, and this guy hadn't done a thing.
"I already used it. You didn't notice?" Masashi said.
This guy was really irritable these days... Must be dealing with a lot of work stress. Poor thing.
"You used what, exactly!?" Black Zetsu was even more irritated.
Are you messing with me!? Do you want me to talk badly about you in front of Mother!?
"I really used it. The effect is about to expire. Try touching me," Masashi urged.
The biggest downside of this ocular ability was its short duration, high energy consumption, and cooldown time.
While it could be a lifesaver in critical moments, the only person capable of seriously threatening him now was Nagato, so he hadn't had a chance to use it much.
Black Zetsu gave Masashi a doubtful look, then reached out and poked him.
"Huh?" He was surprised to find that his finger stopped just before making contact.
So, he poked again.
And again.
"This is interesting," Black Zetsu was intrigued and slapped him.
Smack!
The sound echoed as his palm landed squarely on Masashi's body.
"Take it easy," Masashi grumbled, rubbing his arm. "Well, that's it. The effect ended."
"That's it?" Black Zetsu was deeply disappointed. "What kind of trash ability is this?"
"Hey, let's not be rude, okay? Trash? This is my absolute defense, alright?"
"Really? Doesn't seem like much." Black Zetsu sneered.
"This technique... I'm not entirely sure what it is. You could say it's a kind of force field. But the duration is too short. I think it's incomplete."
"Even your ocular ability is weird." Black Zetsu couldn't help but complain.
"And the Mangekyō abilities aren't weird?" Masashi retorted.
Black Zetsu scoffed and ignored him.
"You've seen a lot. Any ideas on how to fix it?" Masashi asked.
"You just said it's incomplete. What do you expect me to do?" Black Zetsu responded instinctively before suddenly having a realization. "But... if you had both Asura and Indra's chakra, you might be able to fix it."
"Can you not get ideas about those two kids?"
"They're not even yours. Why are you so worried?"
"You don't appreciate my kindness. I'm just concerned you'll get yourself killed, okay?"
"Are you joking? Those brats?"
"They're Asura and Indra—you can't just see them as normal people."
"Why not? You think chakra reincarnation makes them invincible? Without proper growth, they're nothing."
They went back and forth for a long time. Eventually, Black Zetsu grumbled, "Once they grow up, they might not even acknowledge your kindness. You might not even get to be clan leader."
Hearing this, Masashi lit up with joy.
"You said it! If Sasuke refuses to be clan leader, I'll hold you responsible!"
"???"
For once, Obito was right—this guy was annoying.
"The sun's almost up," Black Zetsu said, standing up. "I'm leaving. I'll be setting up a base here. If you need me, find me yourself."
"Konoha wasn't built in a day. You're just setting up a small outpost—what's the rush? Want to watch me train them?"
"I'm not interested in dealing with kids. And what do you mean by setting up a small outpost?"
"It's just an expression for starting something new. I could explain, but I'll keep that mystery to myself—my last bit of stubbornness."
"You're just rambling nonsense again," Black Zetsu sighed.
After thinking for a moment, he reconsidered. While Masashi was keeping a close watch on Asura and Indra's reincarnations, it wouldn't hurt to start observing those two brats ahead of time.
"Fine. I'll go with you."
"That's the spirit! You just lack entertainment in your life. That's why you're so nihilistic. You need to—"
"I don't need to know anything," Black Zetsu cut him off. "Can you stop talking? You've been going on all night. I exist to fulfill Madara's dream."
"Even real brothers have their own lives. Madara's already in the Pure Land. Why are you still so fixated? Loosen up! Enjoy life! You're you, after all."
"Heh."
Black Zetsu turned away with a cold laugh.
But deep down, his feelings were complicated.
"Alright, I'll stop nagging. Let's go. I'll show you something interesting," Masashi said, a little exasperated but unsurprised.
Black Zetsu had been persistent for a thousand years. It wouldn't be easy to change his mind.
No rush. Step by step.
Masashi firmly believed that Black Zetsu, despite his unique form, was no different from humans. He just had never considered having dreams of his own.
Pulling Black Zetsu along, Masashi started heading back.
On the way, he proudly began recounting his legendary training experiences.
