Mastermind of the Akatsuki

After spending a few days together, Naruto and Black Zetsu became close friends, sharing everything with each other.

This outcome was anticipated by Black Zetsu. With an orphan like Naruto, who lived alone, it only took a little show of kindness for him to trust someone wholeheartedly.

All of this was thanks to the upper echelons of Konoha. Without them, it would have been quite challenging to approach the reincarnation of Ashura.

Every reincarnation of Ashura naturally possesses an optimistic mindset and a powerful affinity for others.

No matter how gifted Indra's reincarnations might be, they ultimately fall to the power of "companionship." This was the reason why the original Indra lost to Ashura, and it was also the favoritism shown by Kaguya Otsutsuki.

That ungrateful child, who betrayed his mother, chose to live among humans.

He repeatedly interfered in the competition between Ashura and Indra, causing his plans to fail time and again—a truly heinous crime, unforgivable in nature.

However, things were about to take a turn.

This time, he was not relying on Indra's reincarnation. Instead, he had found more like-minded subordinates to carry out the Eye of the Moon plan, even recruiting the reincarnation of Ashura into it.

With this thought in mind, Black Zetsu looked at the peacefully sleeping Naruto, a subtle smile forming on his lips.

After a dreamless night, Naruto opened his sleepy eyes, softly greeted the kunai pendant with a few "good mornings," and quietly began to prepare breakfast.

Breakfast was merely a bowl of instant noodles.

Living alone and never having learned to cook, Naruto relied on instant noodles for all his meals, occasionally going out to fish to improve his diet.

Today, he had woken up early; usually, he didn't even eat breakfast.

Seeing this scene, Black Zetsu furrowed his brows. It was no wonder Naruto was shorter than his peers; he wasn't eating properly.

If this continued, would he end up malnourished and weakened in combat?

That wouldn't do since it could jeopardize the Eye of the Moon plan and, in turn, affect his mother's rescue.

With that in mind, Black Zetsu said to Naruto, "Naruto, is this all you eat every day? This lack of nutrition won't do as you'll end up even smaller than the others."

Naruto chuckled, "I don't know how to cook anything else, and instant noodles are really tasty and easy to make. If you weren't stuck in that pendant, you'd probably like them too!"

Black Zetsu was momentarily taken aback; he wanted to refute Naruto but couldn't find the right words.

As the last descendant of Kaguya Otsutsuki, he was fundamentally different from his two brothers, who inherited most of their mother's power—a force capable of destroying the world.

He, on the other hand, was merely a product created by his mother's Bloodline Net, a more unique creation.

Due to his special body structure, he only needed to rely on photosynthesis to meet his life requirements. His understanding of food was limited to what he had learned from past Ashuras and Byakuya.

He had no idea what instant noodles actually tasted like, but other kids didn't seem to treat their meals as casually as Naruto did.

Remaining silent, Black Zetsu watched as Naruto finished his noodles and went to the bathroom. Taking advantage of the Anbu outside being distracted, he quickly took a sip of the noodle soup, and his eyes lit up.

This instant noodle was indeed delicious; no wonder little Naruto ate them every day.

For the past thousand years, Black Zetsu had been tirelessly working to lift his mother's seal, completely forgetting to take a look at the bustling Shinobi World. He wondered if his mother, sealed on the moon, would appreciate it.

After Naruto returned from the bathroom, Black Zetsu reattached himself to Naruto's body, whispering a few words into his ear.

Naruto picked up the kunai pendant from the table, put it around his neck, and stepped outside.

To be honest, Naruto didn't want to go out since the outside world was full of malice towards him. However, under Black Zetsu's strong insistence, he forced himself to step out of the door.

Walking alone down the street, he felt the cold, indifferent gazes of passersby upon him, which made him extremely anxious.

But Black Zetsu, now inhabiting Naruto, was very excited. He looked at the bustling crowd and the dazzling array of goods, mentally noting their appearances.

Spotting a wooden comb, Black Zetsu said in Naruto's ear, "Naruto, I'm interested in that comb over there. Go ask how much it costs."

Naruto hesitated, looking at the comb. "Oldman Black, I have very little pocket money, and the owner might not even sell it to me."

"Just try it! You won't know unless you ask!"

Impatient with Naruto's indecisiveness, Black Zetsu urged him on.

Hearing this, Naruto steeled himself and approached the vendor to inquire about the price. When the vendor noticed it was Naruto asking, his expression turned even more indifferent. "Hey kid, are you thinking of stealing something?"

"I'm not…" Naruto shook his head. "I came here to buy something."

"Buy something? Are you interested in this comb?" The vendor glanced at Naruto, then coldly continued, "This comb is really cheap—only a thousand ryo. Can you afford that?"

"A thousand ryo?!" Naruto was taken aback, stunned by the price of the comb.

His monthly living expenses were only fifty thousand ryo (approximately fifty thousand yen), and this comb cost a thousand ryo. Was the vendor trying to cheat him?

Upon hearing the vendor's price, Black Zetsu frowned as well.

While he was unsure about the prices in the Shinobi World, he could tell from Naruto's expression that he was being taken advantage of.

This made Black Zetsu quite unhappy. How dare anyone bully his subordinate!

Feeling dejected, Naruto left the street and ended up in a nearby park, where a few children his age were playing ninja games.

As soon as they saw Naruto approaching, they stopped their game, staring at him with eyes that seemed to say, "You're a freak; get out of our park."

With the kids watching him, Naruto had no choice but to leave again. Wandering around, he finally made his way to the riverbank.

This was the only place without other adults or children, completely belonging to him alone.

Sitting on a large stone by the shore, Naruto scratched the dirt with a stick, murmuring, "Why is it different from what Grandpa Hokage said? Why do they always bully me?"

Seeing Naruto in such a pitiful state, Black Zetsu several times felt like telling him to fight back.

The ninjas he had encountered before, whether they were Ashura's reincarnation or Byakuya, had countless ways to bully others and would never allow themselves to be harassed.

Even the kindest Obito would get angry when it came to core interests.

But Ashura's reincarnation, Naruto, was different as this was a complete insult to the Otsutsuki bloodline. The Otsutsuki were inherently proud individuals.

Once he calmed down, Black Zetsu recalled Byakuya's advice and said to Naruto, "It takes two hand to clap, Naruto. You should reflect on your own issues."