To get close to Byakuya, Black Zetsu considered many methods.
For example, deliberately creating a dangerous situation and then rescuing Byakuya himself, thereby shaping an authoritative image in front of Byakuya...
However, after careful consideration, Black Zetsu abandoned these ideas.
He simply didn't have the ability to put Byakuya in jeopardy, and the ninja who could endanger Byakuya were beyond his capability to deal with.
Ultimately, he had inherited longevity from his mother, not strength.
If he possessed the powerful strength of his two brothers, he would have long ago revived the Ten-Tails and freed his mother from her seal.
But these grievances couldn't be blamed on his mother; the blame lay squarely on his unfilially brothers, Hagoromo and Hamura.
Clearing his mind of distractions and confirming no other ninjas around, Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows and slowly appeared before Byakuya.
Byakuya immediately noticed Black Zetsu and asked sharply, "Who are you?"
Byakuya had sensed Black Zetsu's presence long ago, but seeing Black Zetsu reveal himself so easily still surprised him. He had expected Black Zetsu to observe him for a while longer before revealing himself.
Entering his performance mode, Black Zetsu spoke softly, "Who I am is not important. What's important is that I know what you want, and your current situation is very dangerous."
Byakuya snorted coldly, his expression wary. "You're a sneaky one. Do you really know what I want? But hiding your identity is futile. Once I capture you, I'll naturally know everything."
Before he finished speaking, Byakuya formed hand seals with both hands.
Dozens of paper shurikens condensed and flew toward Black Zetsu's position, hitting his body. After hitting Black Zetsu, the paper shurikens transformed into explosive tags, blossoming into a splendid explosion.
After the smoke cleared, Black Zetsu appeared before Byakuya unscathed.
Seeing this scene, Byakuya's expression grew serious.
After a brief hesitation, Byakuya began to use sealing jutsu. Golden chains emerged from his body at tremendous speed, shooting towards Black Zetsu.
Just as the chains were about to capture him, Black Zetsu slowly raised his palm. Using the Wood Release: Cutting Technique as cover, his true body was directly submerged into the ground and reappeared before Byakuya a few seconds later.
Seeing that his attempt with the Adamantine Sealing Chains had no effect, Byakuya's face became extremely serious, his gaze piercingly cold.
"First Hokage's Wood Release? Are you a ninja from Konoha?! No, Wood Release has been lost in Konoha for a long time. Which faction's ninja are you exactly?"
Black Zetsu was pleased with Byakuya's expression, feeling a hint of apprehension himself.
If he couldn't intimidate Byakuya, the negotiations ahead would be difficult to continue.
Calmly walking up to Byakuya's side, Black Zetsu, with a profound and mysterious expression, said, "Byakuya, we are not enemies. After venting out, can we sit down and talk properly?"
After a cold snort from Byakuya, he sat on a large rock nearby and asked, "State your purpose. A strong one like you wouldn't randomly come looking for me."
"I've already said before, I'm here to help you."
"I don't need your help. I'm living well now. Soon I'll get everything I want, all by my own strength."
"Is that so?"
Black Zetsu smiled knowingly, "Then why are you here now, instead of in the conference room accompanying the envoy from Hanzo?"
Byakuya glanced at Black Zetsu, his eyes filled with caution. "How do you know about the envoy from Hanzo?"
Pausing for a moment, Byakuya continued, "Even if you know, so what? I just can't stand the atmosphere in the conference room, so I came out for some fresh air! The Akatsuki will eventually recognize me as their leader!"
"Reality seems to differ from your imagination."
Black Zetsu's smile became more unrestrained as he slowly sat down beside Byakuya, his voice carrying a hint of enchantment.
"If you were truly confident about becoming the leader of the Akatsuki, you wouldn't collude with ninjas outside the Akatsuki, nor would you secretly cultivate subordinates independent of the Akatsuki.
Your actions have exposed your uncertainty. You don't even have confidence in becoming the leader of the Akatsuki, let alone fulfilling your deepest desires.
So, during such an important meeting with Hanzo's envoy, you can only sit here alone..."
Byakuya listened attentively, curious about how he appeared in Black Zetsu's eyes.
From those words, it was evident that Black Zetsu had investigated him beforehand and had done his homework seriously before coming.
But how did Black Zetsu know his deepest desires?
Even Byakuya himself didn't know that. Right now, apart from making the Akatsuki grow stronger, he didn't have any other wishes.
"What exactly did Black Zetsu imagine when investigating me!?"
Nevertheless, to cooperate with Black Zetsu's performance, Byakuya still displayed a nervous demeanor.
Halfway through Black Zetsu's speech, as if provoked, Byakuya hastily stood up, staring fixedly at Black Zetsu and said in a deliberate tone, "How much do you really know about my secrets?"
Black Zetsu calmly replied, "I don't know all your secrets, but I know far more than you imagine. Now that I've revealed so many secrets, you should be able to trust that I have no malicious intent. Otherwise, I wouldn't even need to meet you. With this information alone, I could make your life miserable."
A hint of panic flashed in Byakuya's eyes, then he regained a calm demeanor. "I... I believe in your abilities, but I don't need your help. I can achieve my dreams on my own."
"Is that so?" Black Zetsu countered once again. "It may be easy to rebuild the fallen Uzushiogakure, but those ninjas who caused its downfall haven't perished. Once they learn of Uzushiogakure's reconstruction, what will they do? How much can the Akatsuki, which you expect to help you, really assist you? Are they truly willing to help you?"
After listening to Black Zetsu's consecutive counter-questions, Byakuya fell into a brief silence.
So Black Zetsu believed his ideal was to rebuild Uzushiogakure? Even Black Zetsu knew about his Uzumaki lineage. But he never thought of rebuilding Uzushiogakure. Did Black Zetsu misunderstand something?
Seeing Byakuya fall silent, Black Zetsu was quite satisfied. He directly brought out his trump card and said, "Byakuya, don't even think about using Konoha's help to rebuild Uzushiogakure. If they really had that intention, they wouldn't have sat back and watched Uzushiogakure fall. And do you really know who the Hokage assistant you trust is?"
"Of course I do..." Byakuya silently thought to himself, revealing Black Zetsu's identity. However, in reality, Byakuya looked puzzled, eagerly awaiting an answer.
Without hiding anything, Black Zetsu directly stated:
"The Hokage assistant you're in contact with is Danzo Shimura, a hawkish figure in Konoha. Besides Konoha's interests, he doesn't care about anything else."
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BONUS CHAPTER!
500 PS = 5 Bonus Chapters!
1000 PS = 10 Bonus Chapters!