Black Zetsu felt a surge of complicated emotions.
As Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's will, born solely to resurrect his mother, he should have been devoid of sentiment. His purpose was simple—bring Kaguya back to the world.
Yet now...
His heart was in turmoil.
There was sadness.
There was joy.
"Bittersweet" barely scratched the surface of what he was feeling.
For a being that had lived over a millennium, Black Zetsu had never expected to feel this conflicted.
Even though he had deceived Emiya Shigen all along, he was still deeply moved by the man's sincerity.
Shigen, despite his despair over their failed plans, had apologized to Black Zetsu.
An apology!
A rare, genuine apology—offered to a creature who had never been anything more than a manipulator.
Was this what it felt like to be seen as a true companion?
For thousands of years, Black Zetsu had wandered through an endless night, unable to find anyone who shared his burden. He had deceived countless people, yet only Shigen had ever treated him as an equal.
In this cold, dark world... Shigen was the only flame that had ever warmed him.
And now, that precious flame flickered with despair.
Shigen was a genius beyond compare—a man who had nearly changed the world with his own hands. In the ancient era, he had done what no mortal should have been able to do: he stood on equal footing with gods.
Yet here he was...
Broken.
Defeated.
Even so, he had apologized.
All because he believed he had failed to help Black Zetsu achieve their shared goal of resurrecting Kaguya.
If Kaguya knew what Shigen had endured, she—sentimental as she was—might have shed tears for this man.
Of course...
Black Zetsu also felt a spark of joy.
Because, in truth, the very thing that had driven Shigen to despair...
Was a trivial issue for him.
The answers Shigen sought—the secrets of how to resurrect Kaguya—were things Black Zetsu could reveal with ease!
"There's no need to despair over such minor obstacles."
Black Zetsu couldn't suppress the eerie smile spreading across his face. His raspy voice softened as he tried to comfort Shigen.
"The answers you've been searching for..."
"They've been by your side all along."
As soon as he said that, his heart sank.
Wait.
What did I just say?!
What the hell am I doing?!
Black Zetsu's mind spiraled into chaos.
Wasn't he supposed to keep Shigen quiet and ensure that ancient secrets weren't revealed in this era?
So why was he suddenly spilling more secrets?!
What's wrong with me?!
"..."
Before Black Zetsu could recover, Shigen's head snapped up in shock.
His eyes locked onto Black Zetsu with disbelief.
"Black Zetsu... You're telling me..."
"..."
Crap!
Black Zetsu couldn't think fast enough to backtrack.
He was cornered.
I can't lie my way out of this.
Inwardly cursing his own blunder, Black Zetsu resigned himself to the inevitable.
"Indeed..."
"I am the will of the Goddess of the Rabbit, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
As the words left his mouth, Black Zetsu felt all his carefully crafted plans crumble.
He had no choice now.
He had to trust Shigen.
Just as Shigen, in his despair, had once chosen to trust Asura...
Even if Black Zetsu regretted this later, there was no turning back now.
It was too late.
Forcing himself to stay calm, Black Zetsu kept repeating the same thought to soothe his nerves:
Shigen is trustworthy.
He's the only one worth trusting.
"..."
Shigen, meanwhile, sat frozen in shock.
His expression...
Was one of pure disbelief.
What the hell?!
What are you doing, Black Zetsu?!
I was just trying to bluff my way into earning your trust...
Why are you revealing your entire backstory?!
This guy's been alive for over a thousand years, and he's still this gullible?
Shigen couldn't help but recall his interactions with Black Zetsu back in the ancient era.
Back then, Shigen had loudly proclaimed his desire to destroy the ninja sects, purely to earn Black Zetsu's trust. He never expected Black Zetsu to take those words to heart and actually insist on obliterating the entire sect.
In truth, Shigen had only ever wanted to manipulate Black Zetsu's grudge against the Sage of Six Paths. He had used stories of faith in the God Tree and the Rabbit Goddess to pull Black Zetsu into his plans.
But Black Zetsu had taken it all at face value.
Now, a thousand years later...
It happened again.
Shigen had casually spoken a few heartfelt words...
And Black Zetsu had gone and spilled his biggest secret.
This guy's still so easy to fool!
Seriously?!
It's been a thousand years, and he hasn't grown at all?!
Shigen felt both amused and concerned.
Had he gotten too good at manipulating Black Zetsu?
Was that why Black Zetsu had just blurted out the truth about being Kaguya's will?
For a moment, Shigen felt a pang of guilt.
Black Zetsu had been too honest.
So honest that Shigen almost didn't have the heart to keep deceiving him.
But...
What would happen when Black Zetsu eventually found out the truth?
When he realized Shigen had been playing him from the very beginning?
Would Black Zetsu feel betrayed?
Or...
Would he feel utterly devastated?
Probably both.
For now, though...
Black Zetsu was still apologizing.
"I truly regret..."
"I've hidden my true identity for so long."
Black Zetsu bowed his head, his raspy voice filled with remorse.
He wasn't just confessing.
He was trying to explain why he had kept his identity hidden. He even started crafting a backstory to justify his actions, carefully omitting details about Kaguya's rebellion against the Sage of Six Paths.
Instead, Black Zetsu painted Kaguya as a misunderstood savior, hoping to appeal to Shigen's good heart.
"Wait, wait..."
Shigen hurriedly waved a hand, feeling overwhelmed.
"No need to apologize..."
He was starting to worry that this was getting out of hand.
If he accepted Black Zetsu's apology too easily, it might raise suspicion.
After all, a man who had been lied to for over a thousand years wouldn't simply forgive so quickly—even if that man was as kind as Shigen.
So, Shigen knew he had to pretend to struggle.
He needed to appear conflicted.
He had to look like someone grappling with the revelation that their trusted companion was, in fact, the will of an ancient goddess.
Only then would Black Zetsu fully trust him.
After all...
People value what they've fought to earn more than what's freely given.
Maintaining relationships was never easy.
"Just... give me a moment."
Shigen took a deep breath and put on a troubled expression.
"Black Zetsu..."
His voice trembled slightly, as if he were deeply wounded.
"I never expected this..."
"This revelation... It's... too much..."
"Please... I need some time to think."
Black Zetsu remained silent.
He could see the pain on Shigen's face.
In his eyes, this reaction was perfectly normal.
And so, Black Zetsu waited...
Confident that Shigen would eventually come around.
After all...
Hadn't he always?