After Uchiha Kei posed his question, White Zetsu looked visibly confused and scratched his head.
"Why do we have to listen to Black Zetsu? Uh, I don't really know. We've just always followed him since the moment we were born. As for him controlling us... my head itches... feels like I'm about to grow a brain... Um, he can possess us and control us that way—does that count as direct control over us White Zetsu?"
At those words, a glint flashed in Uchiha Kei's eyes. He followed up, "So Black Zetsu can't control you from a distance. You only follow his orders, and if he wants to force you to do something, he needs to possess you, right?"
White Zetsu still looked like he was trying to evolve: "Uh, yeah, I think so? Wait, no, that's definitely right. Huh? That's weird. Why do we have to listen to him anyway?"
At that moment, White Zetsu wore the astonished expression of someone discovering a new continent.
Seeing this, Uzumaki Kikyo and Uchiha Naori both had subtle expressions—they'd just realized that White Zetsu seemed to be rather... mentally vacant.
Forgive them for calling it "vacant." Saying he was a total idiot would've felt a bit too rude.
But for Uchiha Kei, this exchange confirmed something that had long been debated in his past life: whether Black Zetsu had absolute control over the White Zetsu.
The original story never gave a clear answer. The White Zetsu were weird, yes, but obedient. As biological weapons created by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, they never showed any signs of betrayal. So whether it was Black Zetsu, Obito, or Madara, whenever they gave commands, the White Zetsu would simply obey without hesitation.
Still, no concrete evidence ever showed Black Zetsu had direct control. Even as their leader, his influence seemed more command-based than mechanical.
Now, Uchiha Kei could confirm it: Black Zetsu didn't have absolute control. The White Zetsu were engineered to follow orders from those with the proper authority, and that obedience was hard-coded into their creation. But it wasn't enforced. If a White Zetsu ever did betray that trust, Black Zetsu would have no choice but to track it down and destroy it.
Of course, that had never happened.
But as the saying goes—just because something has always been a certain way, doesn't make it right.
White Zetsu never betrayed anyone. But that didn't mean they couldn't.
What if you presented the right temptation? What if they realized they *could* betray?
Would they still stay loyal to Black Zetsu?
Uchiha Kei wanted to find out.
He asked again, "If Black Zetsu can't force you to obey, why do you follow his orders? What's in it for you? Can he let you taste poop or all those other flavors?"
"No, he can't," Uchiha Kei said before White Zetsu could answer. "All he does is possess you and use you up. Neither you nor the others get anything good from him."
With those devilish whispers, White Zetsu's dim brain began to follow Kei's logic. He nodded in deep agreement.
"Yeah... why do we listen to Black Zetsu? He can't even let us taste poop."
Uchiha Kei smiled and continued to gently lead him: "Exactly. You don't have to follow him. He may be your leader, but he brings you nothing. No happiness, no joy. You're all Zetsu—why should you be taking orders from him?"
White Zetsu kept nodding. Uchiha Kei went on, slamming Black Zetsu's faults and gradually convincing the simple-minded creature that rebelling was not only justifiable—it was the right thing to do. Official source ıs novel•fire.net
And White Zetsu, though lacking comprehension, felt like Uchiha Kei made a lot of sense.
Thus, Uzumaki Kikyo and Uchiha Naori witnessed the entire process of Kei conning a dimwit. And honestly, they were speechless.
They weren't against tricking enemies—but Zetsu was *so* dumb that it bordered on criminal. It was like scamming someone whose brain hadn't finished loading.
And when Kei finally revealed his grand pitch—declaring himself the rightful leader of White Zetsu, one who could let them taste every flavor imaginable, even poop—that scammer vibe hit maximum level. It was all-consuming.
White Zetsu was stunned, dazzled. He felt like Uchiha Kei truly got it. Maybe Kei really was the one they should follow.
For the record, Kei had wanted to claim the Uchiha were also descendants of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—just like Black Zetsu—and therefore had the same right to command Zetsu.
Unfortunately, White Zetsu had no idea who Kaguya Ōtsutsuki even was. These blank-headed biological puppets were only ever meant to follow orders. They were clueless about real secrets.
So when Kei mentioned her, he got nothing but a pure, dumb, confused look in response.
Anyway, after being thoroughly swindled, this idiot Zetsu came to believe that only by following Uchiha Kei could they have a future—and that only by becoming his loyal dog could they taste things they'd never imagined.
As a reward for defecting, Kei let the Zetsu taste something sweet.
Using a Genjutsu-enhanced version of the Intestinal Taste Technique, he simulated pure sugary flavor in the creature's fictional digestive tract.
It was so sweet it could make a grown man cry. But to White Zetsu, it was perfection—something they had never experienced before. The entire being trembled with delight.
"Amazing! Amazing! So this is sweetness?! It's incredible! This is what sweet really means! Hahaha! I felt it—I *tasted* it! You're amazing, Lord Kei!"
White Zetsu was thrilled.
Then Kei stopped the sensation, letting the sweetness fade.
If the Zetsu wanted to taste it again, they'd have to prove their loyalty—either by recruiting others or using their comrades as offerings.
In short, Kei's mission for this Zetsu was to trick other White Zetsu into surrendering or dying for the cause. Bring enough of them over, and more sweet flavors would follow.
The Zetsu agreed instantly. To mark this first successful recruit, Kei gave it a name: Big White.
Simple and blunt, but Zetsu names were basically placeholders anyway.
And so, Big White set off with fiery resolve, ready to begin a new life as the Shinobi World's ultimate brain-dead con artist.
Of course, Kei wasn't going to just take its word. He had Uchiha Naori leave a secret technique mark on it.
This Uchiha secret used Sharingan ocular power to embed a seal in the target. If the target ever tried to reveal sensitive information, the seal would trigger automatically.
This technique dated back to the Warring States Period—used to control outsiders and traitors.
Even now, the Uchiha clan retained these ancient methods. And sometimes, they still came in handy—like now.
The seal was undetectable unless activated. If Big White ever betrayed them, it would auto-detonate, ensuring Kei's secrets stayed buried.
It was mostly a backup plan—meant to prevent Black Zetsu from discovering anything. Despite Big White's sincere defection, its intelligence left a lot to be desired. It swore it would be subtle in persuading other Zetsu, and that it wouldn't attract suspicion.
And honestly, with so many White Zetsu around, as long as it was careful, it really might avoid detection.
But who could guarantee that?
Kei had to be cautious.
Still, if Big White succeeded—if it kept operating under the radar—then someday, when Madara's successor launched the Fourth Great Ninja War and summoned the White Zetsu army...
Uchiha Kei could suddenly step forward, raise a hand, and—
All one hundred thousand Zetsu might bow and shout: "Hail the true King of Zetsu!"
And then turn around and obliterate Black Zetsu and Madara's heir on the spot.
Now *that* would be a sight worth waiting for.