Summary: He was a man underneath all the vines, a person with a past just like anyone else. As the members of Akatsuki slowly fall, he remains firmly rooted. This is the story of a life. This is the story of Zetsu. Zetsu-centric,eventual spoilers.
Note: Hello. This has been waiting to be written for a very long time and I got a muse today. So I just started typing, typing and typing. Basically I think Zetsu is an undervalued character and this is my lame attempt to give him a backstory from his birth to current events in the manga. You're in for a long and rather unhappy ride. People who know me are thinking: what about Itachi ½ and Lost? Itachi ½ and this story will definitely continue to receive rather swift updates. Lost will continue slower because I kind of lost interest a while ago, but I write it for my readers. So without further ado, the story I've been itching to publish: this is Zetsu. Do R&R, give the plant some love and me suggestions (and betas…) Chapters are much longer from here out: if you understand the title mad points for you.
Prologue: The Arrival
The word birth is usually associated with happiness, the joy of a new couple basking in the happiness of a child. The scurrying for baby clothes, a flurry of showers and the swelling pride of becoming a mother and father tend to accompany the fateful announcement of pregnancy.
This is not what happened for Zetsu's birthing. The word that is usually associated with Zetsu's birthed was strained. Rumors of a strange child birthed by modestly prominent shinobi spread through the Village of Grass. The proud parents, Jin and Ayumi Masaki and the bustling baby, a boy. The rumors started when the midwife emerged from the Masaki humble abode looking perplexed and a bit pale. Ayumi was infamous for her subtle beauty and Jin for his hardworking spirit. As such the two brunettes were expecting another brown haired kin perhaps with Jin's strong chin. Thus, they were silently stunned when the midwife delivered them a bundle with green hair. Ayumi stifled a gasp when her son opened a pair of striking yellow eyes.
"A demon lurks within this child," the midwife warned. Jin glared the older woman into submission, fingering the kunai on his belt.
"I will hear no such talk ever again. And if I even hear one inkling from you otherwise…" Jin's voice hung on the air. The midwife stiffened noticing the visible discomfort in the usually stoic shinobi. Jin looked to his stirring son in his wife's arms unsure what to think himself. Ayumi was not paying attention to Jin at all; she instead stared into her son's haunting orbs.
"Zetsu, we'll call him Zetsu."
But despite the best efforts of the parents…the rumors never really stopped.