Chapter 567: Black Zetsu: No One Understands You Better Than I Do

After nearly half a month of unconsciousness, Uchiha Madara, whose body had successfully completed its self-repair, slowly awakened. What met his eyes were grayish-brown rock walls, with flickering oil lamps hanging on them. Amidst the swaying light, his scattered consciousness gradually returned to his body.

"An unfamiliar ceiling."

It was not just the primitive ceiling above his head; everything around him made Uchiha Madara feel like a stranger. The fresh, earthy scent at the tip of his nose allowed him to judge that he was currently underground.

He lowered his head to glance at the simple hospital gown he was wearing and the stark white sheets and quilt cover beneath him; his brows furrowed slightly.

This place, which resembled a dungeon, was definitely not Konoha.

Could it be that, just like Hashirama, he had been captured by that strange man?

Once this thought arose, Uchiha Madara subconsciously refined the chakra within his body, but the result made him breathe a slight sigh of relief.

There was no imprisonment as he had imagined; chakra flowed wantonly through his meridians, and the scars from being pierced by the black rods had vanished without a trace.

"Where exactly is this place?"

The doubts in Uchiha Madara's heart only grew; where on earth was he?

If he had truly been captured, then the enemy was far too bold—they simply did not take him seriously.

The more he thought about it, the angrier Uchiha Madara became. He rolled off the bed, but stumbled after taking only a few steps.

"How long have I been lying here?"

The unfamiliar sensation in his legs left him somewhat at a loss. Could it be that he had been unconscious for a very long time?

"Tick-tock~ tick-tock~"

Just as he was pondering, a series of footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door. Uchiha Madara's gaze sharpened, and he quickly turned back to the bed, feigning that he was still unconscious.

Due to his ignorance of his current situation, he decided to remain still and see exactly who had locked him in such a cold and damp place.

"Creak~"

Accompanied by the sound of the door opening, a sturdy, dark shadow walked in carrying a stack of clothing. Uchiha Madara quietly opened the corner of one eye, and by the dim firelight, a familiar face appeared in his field of vision.

Hashirama!

Uchiha Madara almost jumped up, but he forcefully suppressed the agitation in his heart and chose to continue observing.

"Hoo~"

The next second, Uchiha Madara felt the quilt on his body being suddenly lifted, which startled him into tensing his entire body. Fortunately, the other party's attention was not on him, so he was not exposed.

"A human body is truly troublesome."

The familiar voice of Hashirama Senju rang in his ears, yet the tone made him feel extremely strange.

He was not Hashirama!

With just one sentence, Uchiha Madara saw through the true identity of the Hashirama Senju before him; this was an impostor wearing the skin of his dearest friend.

Once he realized the other party was a clone of Hashirama Senju, Uchiha Madara no longer intended to keep up the pretense. He secretly clenched his fists, preparing to finish off this detestable impostor in one blow.

"Eh?"

At the very moment he was about to strike, the clone standing beside him suddenly made a sound of surprise, which made Uchiha Madara's heart tighten.

Had he been exposed?

Black Zetsu looked suspiciously at the clean, tidy sheets beneath Uchiha Madara, blinking his eyes with slight bewilderment.

He didn't actually defecate; was he constipated?

"This won't do!"

As he spoke, he reached out directly toward Uchiha Madara's waistband.

It won't do if he doesn't follow the schedule for excretion!

This action scared Uchiha Madara, who was feigning unconsciousness, quite badly. What was this clone trying to do?

Could it be that during his period of unconsciousness, he had already lost the chastity he had guarded for so many years?

For a moment, Uchiha Madara's heart was in chaos, but the pants being slowly pulled down forcibly dragged him back to reality. If he didn't act now, his dignity might be unsalvageable.

"Pervert, go to hell!"

Regardless of why the other party's movements were so practiced, he kicked out fiercely at the chest of the clone who was offending him. His scarlet eyes widened, and cold, obscure ocular power poured out instantly.

"Huh?"

Black Zetsu, who hadn't yet pulled the pants down past the hips, was startled by this sudden turn of events. When did this Indra reincarnate wake up?

"Thud!"

Uchiha Madara, having fused with the power of Hashirama Senju, was not to be trifled with when in a fit of rage. Black Zetsu only felt a pain in his chest as his entire body was sent flying backward, slamming heavily against the solid wall.

"Pfft!"

Vomiting a mouthful of blood mixed with viscera, Black Zetsu's sternum suffered a comminuted fracture as expected. However, the fortunate thing amidst the misfortune was that the broken bones did not pierce his internal organs, so his life was temporarily out of danger.

"You detestable bastard, what did you do to me while I was unconscious?"

Clutching his waistband tightly, Uchiha Madara walked up to Black Zetsu, glared at the other party's pale face, and gritted his teeth as he interrogated him.

"Cough, cough, cough... no need to thank me."

If it weren't for Third Uncle nursing you through all your filth and waste until now, you brat would have long since rotted into a world-class pile of dung.

"I thank your lemon!"

Seeing that the clone was still being stubborn, the infuriated Uchiha Madara raised his leg and delivered a few more kicks, only feeling slightly relieved after kicking the other party's pale, large face into a pig's head.

"Tell me, where is this, and how many of you are there?"

The reason Uchiha Madara didn't directly take the life of the clone before him was to gather intelligence; otherwise, the single act of the other party trying to pull down his pants would have been enough to make him die eight times over.

"Mmm... mmm... I... I am... Gin."

The incredibly aggrieved Black Zetsu struggled to open his mouth, which had swollen into the shape of a sausage, and used an indistinct voice to defend himself.

"Yo~ your mouth is quite tough; in that regard, you are somewhat similar to Hashirama."

The pale explanation did not earn Uchiha Madara's understanding; instead, it won the clone a round of head-to-toe torture.

"Slap!"

"Are you going to talk or not!"

"I..."

"Bang!"

"I'll give you one last chance!"

"You..."

"Clang!"

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Under a round of indiscriminate torture, Black Zetsu, holding his head, could only raise a white flag with tears streaming down his face.

"Huh? You're talking already?"

Uchiha Madara smacked his lips, still feeling unsatisfied, and reluctantly lowered his fists.

Pulling over a brand-new wooden chair from the side, he sat with his arms crossed, looking down at the bruised and swollen clone.

For some reason, seeing the clone wearing Hashirama Senju's face trembling and kneeling before him gave him a rare sense of pleasure, and the corners of his mouth could not stop curling upward.

"Speak quickly, or you'll have a bitter juice to swallow."

"This is the Mountain Graveyard in the Land of Iron."

Black Zetsu looked at Uchiha Madara with lingering fear and cautiously revealed their current location.

The Land of Iron?

How did he end up back here after going in a circle?

Uchiha Madara's brows furrowed slightly. Could it be that the clone's lair was in the Land of Iron?

"How many more accomplices do you have?"

"There is only me here."

Black Zetsu replied truthfully, but upon seeing Uchiha Madara's expression turn gloomy, he hurriedly added,

"I was the one who saved you from the battlefield, wasn't I?"

Uchiha Madara, who had originally thought the clone before him was trying to play some trick, felt nothing but a giant sense of bewilderment upon hearing Black Zetsu's words.

"You? Saved me?"

Looking the aggrieved Black Zetsu up and down, Uchiha Madara's eyes were full of suspicion.

Those clones wanted his life; how could they possibly have kindly saved him?

"It's true, believe me, I am different from them."

Seeing that Uchiha Madara not only failed to bow down on the spot to thank him for saving his life but was instead full of skepticism, Black Zetsu was suddenly filled with indignation.

So the beating I just took was for nothing?

"Halt! Don't try to deceive me; hurry up and confess the intelligence of your organization!"

How could the naturally suspicious Uchiha Madara easily believe Black Zetsu's one-sided story? He immediately put on a stern face and glared with his scarlet Sharingan.

Organization intelligence?

Black Zetsu felt his vision go black. This question was too difficult; it would have been better to quiz him on the secrets between Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara.

Wait!

A bold idea sprouted in Black Zetsu's mind. His expression tightened, his gaze changed from timid to sharp and spirited, the previous sneaky temperament was swept away, and his speech became sonorous and powerful.

"To tell you the truth, I awakened my original memories during the previous battle, and through this, I broke free from the shackles imposed upon me by that man."

"Huh?"

Uchiha Madara, who had originally wanted to use his Sharingan to torture him further, was stunned upon hearing this. This answer was simply too inconceivable, leaving him unable to accept it for a moment.

This clone had become a secondary account for Hashirama?

"You say you've awakened Hashirama's memories? Then let me ask you, what is Hashirama's favorite food?"

"Ramen."

Because he was addicted to rolling dice, Hashirama Senju only dared to go to cheap, filling ramen shops when he ate out.

"What is Haxi-lama's hobby?"

"Gambling a couple of rounds~"

"What color are Haxi-lama's underpants?"

"Green."

"Which hand does Haxi-lama use to hold it when he goes to the bathroom?"

"I don't use my hands!"

"Hiss."

After a round of rapid-fire questions, Uchiha Madara looked at the clone answering fluently and couldn't help but gasp.

Many of the questions he had just asked were secrets known only to him and Hashirama Senju; unless the person himself were present, it would be impossible to answer them.

Even if information from Hashirama Senju's brain had leaked, the enemy could not possibly have recorded such trivial details as which hand he used to hold himself while using the bathroom.

"You should believe me now, right?"

Looking at the shocked Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu knew he had bet correctly.

As a professional mastermind, Black Zetsu had maxed out his proficiency in the skill of peeping.

Ever since the generation of Indra, he had kept a close watch on every reincarnation, recording their every word and action day and night.

This generation was naturally no exception; even if Uchiha Madara asked him which foot Hashirama Senju stepped with first every day when leaving the house, he could answer clearly.

If that were the case, wouldn't he be...

Uchiha Madara wore a complex expression; this clone, who had awakened the original's memories, was in a sense another real Haxi-lama.

"Sorry."

Recalling his own actions just now, Uchiha Madara couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt.

"It's fine, it's fine. As long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, otherwise the beating I took would have been for nothing."

Seeing that he had successfully deceived Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu breathed a sigh of relief, touched his lips that were starting to swell, and waved his hand very magnanimously.

"Although I awakened the original's memories, I also have my own will. You can call me Erzhuzi."

In order not to let his abrupt behavior arouse unnecessary suspicion, Black Zetsu took the initiative to expose secrets, shaping himself into a clone possessing Hashirama Senju's memories rather than a manifestation of Hashirama Senju's own will.

"Hm?"

Sure enough, hearing Black Zetsu's explanation, Uchiha Madara frowned imperceptibly.

No wonder the tone and temperament of this clone were so different from the close friend in his memories; it turned out that while the other party had awakened Hashirama Senju's memories, he had not lost the self-will he had possessed since his birth.

"In that case, you should have information on that man, right?"

Since he was a clone with his own will, it meant he held secret information about Jigen.

"I don't know."

Black Zetsu shook his head gently, which made Uchiha Madara's already furrowed brows knit even tighter, and a few more traces of suspicion appeared in his eyes.

"Before I awakened the original's memories, my consciousness was controlled by that man. I couldn't control myself and could only let him manipulate me."

Before extinguishing the soul fire of Number Six, Black Zetsu had read the other's memories and found them to be completely blank.

In this body that had not absorbed the corresponding Tailed Beast chakra, there was no such thing as self-consciousness; the only driving force was the orders issued by Jigen.

"If it weren't for the help of the original's memories that awakened at the moment of near-death, I might still be doing evil just like the other clones."

"I really thank him so much."

Black Zetsu spouted nonsense with a calm expression, yet it made Uchiha Madara believe him even more deeply, and the suspicion in his eyes gradually melted away.

"I should thank you too."

Uchiha Madara touched his chest, which had been pierced, his tone subconsciously softening; he had completely believed that this clone was one of his own who had defected.

"He was the one who made me do it."

Pointing at his own head as if it were a serious matter, Black Zetsu replied solemnly.

"Hu, come back to the Hidden Leaf Village with me. I will ensure your personal safety."

Raising his head to look around, Uchiha Madara fixed his gaze on Black Zetsu's face; since this clone had betrayed that man to save him, he deserved his protection.

Black Zetsu shook his head.

"Are you trying to harm everyone?"

"What do you mean by that?"

He hadn't expected Black Zetsu to refuse so decisively, and what he said left him confused for a moment.

The Hidden Leaf Village was his home base; not only were his subordinates strong and numerous, but the entire village supported him fully. Returning there would have a hundred benefits and no harm.

"Have you forgotten that man's power?"

"This..."

It was fine not to mention it, but Uchiha Madara instantly recalled Jigen's terrifying methods. Even he, who already possessed the power to kill Kamen Riders in seconds, had been easily handled by the other party in a few rounds.

"There is strength in numbers."

"That kind of gap in strength cannot be made up for by numbers."

In the face of absolute power, human-wave tactics appeared so pale.

"Then I can't just not go back, right?"

Uchiha Madara thought of his Hokage position, which he hadn't even sat in long enough to warm the seat, and felt a mix of emotions. Was he going to become the shortest-serving Hokage?

"That's right. Not only can you not go back, but you should also cut off any connections that need to be cut."

In order to keep Uchiha Madara in his own hands, Black Zetsu had gone to great pains.

"You have already become that man's target. Going back now will only harm your friends and family in the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Then what should I do? Erzhuzi."

"In order to save everyone (Mother), please become stronger!" (End of chapter)