Chapter 99: Six Paths. [Bonus]

The Ancient Kingdom of Rōran. Orochimaru and Black Zetsu stood near the Dragon Vein. Not far from them were several guards of the Rōran Kingdom. At this moment, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu had fused together into a half-black, half-white entity. White Zetsu's right eye socket housed a Rinnegan, its power suppressed by the Hashirama cells infused within him. Orochimaru cast a subtle glance at the Rinnegan before quickly forming hand seals to activate the Dragon Vein. Though he had sent a snake clone to mislead Shimura Danzo and the others, he wasn't certain how long the ruse would hold. If Arakawa Zenkichi arrived before the portal was open, Orochimaru would have no choice but to face him. Suddenly, Black Zetsu's face changed. "Zenkichi is almost here. Hurry!" But Orochimaru merely smiled, his voice laced with pride. "Relax. We'll make it." As he finished speaking, golden light erupted from the Dragon Vein, and immense chakra surged outward in waves. "So the Dragon Vein is active... how interesting." Zenkichi felt the shift from afar, a slight smile tugging at his lips. His body transformed into golden light and raced toward the disturbance. He had already arranged everything in his world. Leaving it temporarily posed no risk. Now, guided by the energy of the Dragon Vein, he would descend into another time and space—to see what surprises awaited him there. --- Shinobi World No. 2 — The Ancient Kingdom of Rōran Blinding light poured from the Dragon Vein, and Orochimaru emerged, his expression unreadable. Without wasting a second, he vanished at top speed, darting off into the distance. Black Zetsu had not yet emerged, but Orochimaru had no intention of waiting. Zenkichi was close behind—every second mattered. Some hours later, the Dragon Vein shimmered again, and Black Zetsu surfaced. He immediately slipped into the earth and vanished without delay. Truth be told, he didn't want to see Orochimaru again. The way Orochimaru looked at the Rinnegan unnerved him—he always feared the man would try to take it. After leaving Rōran, Black Zetsu found a thriving oasis within the Land of Wind. Many small towns dotted the oasis, nurtured by its rare water supply. Disguised as a civilian, Black Zetsu wandered into one of the settlements to gather intel on this strange version of the world. To his growing surprise, he soon discovered that twenty years had passed—and Zenkichi didn't exist in this timeline. "This... this is fantastic!" Black Zetsu's voice trembled with excitement. A world untouched by Zenkichi's rule? Truly a blessing. Meanwhile, Zenkichi stepped out of the Dragon Vein and arrived in the ancient land of Rōran. Listening to the locals speak of a Dragon Vein anomaly, a curious smile appeared on his face. "Not just time travel... space travel, too?" "This is a whole different world." "I've arrived. I've seen. Now I'll conquer." "Two shinobi worlds... double the victory." Intrigued, Zenkichi decided to explore further. --- Elsewhere... Orochimaru appeared near Konohagakure in the Land of Fire. Using genjutsu, he manipulated several Konoha shinobi and extracted detailed information about this timeline. "Incredible... So in this world without Zenkichi-kun, I still betrayed Konoha?" "I even joined Sunagakure in launching the Konoha Crush Plan... and killed Sarutobi-sensei?" He chuckled bitterly. "I thought Zenkichi-kun's interference had caused the rift between me and Sarutobi-sensei. But it seems... that was always my path." Releasing the genjutsu-bound Konoha shinobi, Orochimaru left quietly, determined to find the other version of himself. "He has twenty more years of experience. That alone will make him vastly different." "If I rely on my own instincts, it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack." "Unless..." After some thought, he formed hand seals and summoned a large blue serpent with the Summoning Technique. --- At the same time... Black Zetsu from Shinobi World No. 1 met his counterpart from this world. Zetsu No. 1 had used the White Zetsu network and their plant root system, which spanned underground across the world, to contact this world's version of himself. These underground roots acted as high-speed transmission channels for information and movement. Black Zetsu No. 2 looked at his counterpart in disbelief. He struggled to process what he was seeing. "I'm the mastermind behind the shinobi world. So why... is there another me?" Black Zetsu No. 1 calmly spoke. "I know you have questions. Let me explain what happened in my world. Afterward, things might become clearer." He recounted everything. When he finished, Zetsu No. 2 frowned deeply. "Your story is nearly identical to mine—up to one point." "The only difference is... in my world, Zenkichi doesn't exist. And that changed everything." "Before he showed up, our experiences were practically the same." Zetsu No. 2 looked conflicted—then somewhat pleased. "I sympathize with your situation." "Since we're the same, just from different timelines, I'll help you." "When I resurrect my mother, I'll send her to your world too. She'll save yours as well." At that, Black Zetsu No. 2's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Two Kaguyas—double happiness!" "Thankfully, Zenkichi isn't in my world. If he was, saving Mother would be impossible." He grinned, basking in his supposed good fortune. But Zetsu No. 1 hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I have bad news." "Orochimaru and I weren't the only ones who came through the Dragon Vein..." "...Arakawa Zenkichi is here too." Zetsu No. 2: "..." Zetsu No. 2: ??(◣д◢)?? What?! Zenkichi came to this world too?! Zetsu No. 2 glared at his counterpart, suspicion thick in his gaze. "Wait... don't tell me you brought him here?" "No," Zetsu No. 1 said firmly. "Zenkichi controls our world. He discovered the Dragon Vein's secret on his own. He was coming either way." "Now's not the time to point fingers. We need to focus on how to stop him." "There's only one being who can beat him—our mother." "Uchiha Madara won't be enough. To face a man who turns into light itself, we need the power of the Six Paths." --- Thanks for the Powerstones.