Chapter 793: Tobirama: Sister-in-Law Understands Me!
Faced with Lux’s curiosity and that of his sister-in-law, Tobirama naturally saw no need to hide anything now.
"The main purpose, of course, is to lure out Black Zetsu!"
This was the most important reason why Tobirama had decided to host the World’s Greatest Ninja Championship early.
At this point, the three major villages—Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure—had already been destroyed. Tobirama himself had also reached a peace agreement with Madara of Parallel World 2, and mid-tier powers like Sunagakure weren’t even worth mentioning.
One could say Tobirama was very close to unifying the entire ninja world.
Yet, before unification was complete, Parallel World 2 Tobirama wanted to eliminate the threat of Black Zetsu entirely—no matter what it took!
He was no longer young, unlike the ambitious, youthful Tobirama of Parallel World 1. He had become more cautious, calmer, and even more ruthless.
Tobirama wasn’t sure how long he would live. Most likely, he wouldn’t survive as long as Hiruzen or Danzō.
So he constantly thought about removing one more threat for the next generation before he passed on.
Currently, there were three major threats capable of posing great danger to Konoha across the ninja world.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was one, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki another, Black Zetsu was half, and the evil Uchiha Madara was the other half.
Madara had made peace with Konoha, and with Lux as a witness, there wasn’t a major issue. Besides, Tobirama lacked the strength to confront him directly.
Kaguya was safely sealed on the moon, so she wasn’t a threat for now.
Isshiki was the greatest threat, but he always hid in another dimension—Tobirama could do nothing about him.
After careful consideration, only Black Zetsu remained as a viable target.
But Black Zetsu was even more cunning and cautious than Tobirama himself. He always hid in the shadows, and his true form almost never appeared.
The entire ninja world was like a vast ocean, and Tobirama couldn’t possibly search it inch by inch.
The only way was to lure Black Zetsu out voluntarily!
Yet, the sly Black Zetsu had hidden for thousands of years. In terms of patience, he was unmatched in the ninja world.
He wouldn’t take even the slightest risk.
Luring him out was like trying to grab the sky.
Unless they could offer bait that Black Zetsu desperately desired and couldn’t resist.
The most irresistible bait for Black Zetsu would be saving his "mother," Kaguya. Thus, the only bait that could truly lure him out were two things: the Ten-Tails and the Rinnegan.
First, Tobirama could indeed obtain the Ten-Tails. The Gedō Mazō was on the moon; the remaining eight Tailed Beasts could be captured one by one by Tobirama; as for the Kyuubi, he could make it stir slightly inside Mito’s stomach and extract a portion of its chakra.
All of this could be arranged—it just required time and some minor effort.
But even if the Ten-Tails were successfully reassembled, it couldn’t be used to lure out Black Zetsu!
Black Zetsu wasn’t stupid. He himself lacked the power to control the Ten-Tails, let alone steal it from Tobirama’s hands.
In comparison, the Rinnegan was clearly the most suitable bait.
It was small, easy to snatch; and it was the only key tool Black Zetsu needed to rescue Kaguya—the very "dream eye" he had sought for thousands of years but never obtained!
If the Rinnegan were used as bait, combined with the right plan, it would be highly possible to lure Black Zetsu out!
Even if Black Zetsu knew there was risk involved, for the sake of obtaining such a crucial Rinnegan, he might still take the gamble...
As for how to create a "plausible" opportunity for Black Zetsu to obtain the Rinnegan, that’s where the ninja championship came in!
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"So, you’ve made the Rinnegan the grand prize for first place in this ninja championship?"
Lux sipped the warm tea prepared by Mito. This matched his expectations. That damn Tobirama—no matter his age—still had a heart as black as a dirty rag.
"Exactly!"
"The Rinnegan as the grand prize isn’t meant to be given to the winner at all—it’s bait to lure out Black Zetsu."
"Only through a plausible scenario—publicly handing the Rinnegan to someone else—can we create the perfect opportunity for Black Zetsu to steal it!"
Tobirama knew better than anyone.
As long as the Rinnegan remained in his possession, Black Zetsu would 100% never dare to steal it. But if the Rinnegan were given to someone else, Black Zetsu might dare to take the risk.
Black Zetsu lacked the courage to attack Tobirama, but he had plenty of courage to attack others!
"So, you’re really going to give the Rinnegan to the first-place winner?"
"Only borrowing it—not giving it!"
"Playing such a dangerous game—how can you be sure a Konoha ninja will win?"
Tobirama’s calculation was ruthless, but when it came to the Rinnegan, there was no 100% guarantee of victory.
What if the Rinnegan fell into unexpected hands—or even into Black Zetsu’s grasp?
Then the problem could become much bigger.
"I have full confidence in Kagami’s strength! And even if the winner isn’t from Konoha, that’s fine."
Tobirama remained calm.
Whoever won didn’t matter.
Tobirama only needed to fairly and openly hand the Rinnegan to someone else.
Whether that new target was easy to attack or not, and whether the attack would succeed, were problems Black Zetsu would have to consider.
Tobirama just needed to lure him out—and kill him.
Besides, if the champion was a Konoha ninja, it would naturally boost the village’s reputation and showcase the strong momentum of Konoha’s new generation.
If it was taken by a ninja from another village, it could also serve as an opportunity to discipline Konoha’s own ninja, making it easier for him to plan his next round of "devil training."
Either way, he wouldn’t lose.
In short, this was just a ninja championship. He wasn’t fighting himself, and the final outcome wouldn’t change the grand trend of Konoha unifying the ninja world.
"Good, as long as you know what you’re doing."
"But to borrow the Rinnegan from Madara, the price must’ve been steep, right?"
"How could he possibly agree?"
Lux grew curious. The relationship between Tobirama and Madara was extremely bad. Even though they had temporarily made peace, they were still like water and fire.
It was hard to imagine Madara willingly lending his Rinnegan to Tobirama as bait.
"This... Of course, I convinced him with logic..."
Tobirama’s expression darkened slightly, his answer hesitant, as if recalling some painful and humiliating memories.
To borrow this Rinnegan from Madara, he had to pay an unimaginable price!
It was truly agonizing!
"What kind of logic? Logic about feet? Or the Pythagorean theorem?"
"Huh?"
Tobirama froze. Though he didn’t understand, his instincts told him those weren’t good words.
But forced by circumstance, Tobirama had to briefly explain the open transaction between himself and Madara.
Including providing technical and financial support for Izuna’s resurrection experiments, sharing Tenseigan data, guaranteeing fair treatment for Uchiha ninja... and so on.
Why "and so on"?
Of course, there were other "dirty" deals too shameful to speak of.
In short, Tobirama indeed paid a tremendous price to borrow this Rinnegan from Parallel World 2 Madara.
Besides, for Madara, he was also pleased that Tobirama wanted to deal with Black Zetsu.
After all, Black Zetsu’s existence continued to threaten both the Senju and Uchiha clans. His plan to save his mother was always based on the corpses and blood of these two clans.
In fact, Tobirama accused Black Zetsu of being the cause of Izuna’s death.
He claimed that Black Zetsu had deliberately interfered, leading to Izuna’s demise.
Otherwise, why did Tobirama, at their second meeting, ask innocently, "How’s Izuna?"
As a master swordsman, Tobirama knew exactly how long his blade was and how sharp it was. He knew whether a single strike could kill Izuna.
It would only severely wound Izuna—not decapitate him—so medical ninjutsu should’ve been able to heal the injury, right?
Thus, Izuna’s death was indeed highly suspicious.
Whether intentional, or due to Black Zetsu’s underhanded manipulation behind the scenes.
Tobirama didn’t care whether this theory was true or not—as long as he could pin the blame on Black Zetsu!
After all, as long as no one could prove it wrong, it was sufficient.
Moreover, Parallel World 2 Madara had also seen the Black Zetsu from another world and witnessed the Infinite Tsukuyomi illusion.
Toward the Black Zetsu who dared to deceive him, Madara also deeply hated him and wanted to destroy him.
If he weren’t busy with his resurrection experiments, he would’ve come personally to capture Black Zetsu.
Now that Tobirama wanted to eliminate Black Zetsu, Madara naturally had no reason to refuse.
Especially since he could gain many benefits for free. That’s why he lent Tobirama one Rinnegan as bait.
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"Tch, it seems your sacrifice wasn’t small!"
Lux knew Tobirama well. In Parallel World 1, he groveled before Madara.
Considering that the relationship between Tobirama and Madara in Parallel World 2 was even worse, Tobirama here must’ve had a much harder and more humiliating time groveling before Madara.
This man was truly pitiful...
"Sacrifice? Tobirama, what exactly did you sacrifice? Did Madara make things difficult for you?"
Mito felt a little sorry. She regarded Tobirama like her own younger brother. Besides, Madara in some ways was also their shared enemy, so she couldn’t help but sympathize.
"It’s fine. It doesn’t matter. For the sake of the village, none of it compares."
Tobirama suppressed his bitterness and waved his hand, pretending it was nothing.
All that was in the past.
That small humiliation, compared to his determination to protect the village and unify the ninja world, meant nothing.
Don’t forget—most of Danzō’s ninjutsu resilience was learned and inherited from Tobirama.
"Ah! I should’ve gone with you. For Hashirama’s sake, he might’ve—"
"Sister-in-law, you’d better not meet that man. He’d only get angrier if he saw you."
Tobirama knew perfectly well. If he actually brought Mito to persuade Madara, the outcome might’ve been even worse—let alone borrowing the Rinnegan.
"Alright... I just want to say, this village isn’t yours alone. Don’t carry everything by yourself. Even if I’m not as strong as your brother, I’m also willing to contribute to protecting the village."
"Thank you, sister-in-law! I understand..."
Tobirama’s heart was deeply touched.
Yes, after Brother is gone, only my sister-in-law truly understands me!
"Ahem—!"
Lux’s light cough startled Tobirama. He didn’t know why he felt guilty, but he quickly straightened up and became serious again.
"Back to the Rinnegan issue. Aren’t you worried Black Zetsu will see through this trap?"
"He won’t."
Tobirama was very confident.
His trap had only one flaw: this Rinnegan was borrowed from Madara, and Madara was still alive!
If Black Zetsu knew that, he might not fall for it. Unfortunately, there was no way he could possibly know.
Because this time, Black Zetsu—who normally held all informational advantages—was actually the one lacking information.
He didn’t know Tobirama and Madara had already visited another dimension and learned of his conspiracy.
He didn’t know Lux was supporting them from behind.
And Madara, currently on the moon, was the one blind spot Black Zetsu and White Zetsu couldn’t monitor.
Due to this information deficit, Black Zetsu would most likely assume that Madara had fused the Rinnegan early, but was later defeated by Tobirama—who possessed the Tenseigan—in Kirigakure.
Tobirama then seized the Rinnegan and turned it into a championship prize, so he could legally hand it over to a Konoha ninja.
As long as Black Zetsu didn’t know Madara was still alive, and didn’t know about the current cooperation between Tobirama and Madara,
He wouldn’t be able to see through this trap.
Besides, even if he did suspect something, faced with the only chance to obtain the Rinnegan, Black Zetsu might not be willing to give up.
This was an open strategy!
Moreover, Black Zetsu, who considered himself highly intelligent and believed he controlled everything in the ninja world, never truly regarded ninja or humans as equals.
"To go through all this trouble—just for Black Zetsu? If it’s only for Black Zetsu, there’s actually a simpler way."
"Huh? There’s another way?"
Tobirama was shocked. He had gone to such great lengths to capture Black Zetsu.
Now he was told there was a simpler method?
Could this really be solved differently?
(What? Was my approach wrong?)
Tobirama couldn’t accept it.
"Never mind. Playing around like this is fine too. Maybe it really can lure out Black Zetsu."
Lux didn’t tell Tobirama that to capture the hidden Black Zetsu, Naruto—with his Sage’s Eye—only needed to look at him.
He didn’t want to overly discourage Parallel World 2 Tobirama’s morale.
Fine, causing a little commotion like this had its benefits. Consider it early preparation for future unification.
"But you’d better be more careful—don’t let this plan actually fail."
Lux casually warned.
Parallel World 1 Tobirama paid a heavy price after his plan failed—he nearly got completely used by Black Zetsu.
But considering that Parallel World 2 Tobirama had already obtained the Tenseigan and possessed power on par with Six Paths-level, he shouldn’t lose.
And even if his plan failed, Lux could clean up the mess—so no big problem.
"Understood. I’ll try my best to be as cautious as possible."
Tobirama nodded in agreement. He wasn’t underestimating the threat, because the opponent was a cunning schemer who had once manipulated both his brother and Madara. He deserved to be faced with full strength.
"Tobirama, so this ninja championship is just to lure out that Black Zetsu?"
Mito beside him asked again.
She might understand, but it was hard to imagine that an enemy named Black Zetsu was so important to both Tobirama and Madara.
He must be incredibly troublesome.
Later, she’d also need to prepare to step in.
(Hmm—should I borrow a bit of the Kyuubi’ chakra?)
(Recently, the Kyuubi inside me seems tamer.)
(Strange...)
Tobirama continued explaining: "The main goal is certainly to deal with Black Zetsu, but it also conveniently achieves other purposes—"
By hosting the World’s Greatest Ninja Championship, Tobirama could achieve many objectives:
- Disciplining the slightly arrogant Konoha ninja.
- Indirectly discovering young genius ninja from other villages.
- Using the opportunity to trap the daimyō of various nations.
- Paving the way for Kagami to legally inherit the Hokage position in the future.
- Eliminating remnants from the three destroyed villages hiding in the shadows.
- Opening new financial revenue streams for the village.
- And more...
So many secondary goals.
A strategist’s heart was dirty—and Tobirama was no exception.
The "losses" he’d suffered from Madara, he would surely repay tenfold through this ninja championship.
Tobirama never engaged in losing deals!
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As Tobirama and his sister-in-law Mito continued whispering, a sudden roar erupted from below the spectator stands—seemingly, a very popular participant had just taken the stage.
"Hey, Tobirama, your favorite student is up on stage!"
Lux took another sip of warm tea, watching the spectacle with great interest.