A/N: Hey, it's been a long while and I apologize. Life simply got in the way and I chose to focus on other things for a few months.
Anyway, because of my infrequent update schedule, I'm having to reread some of what I wrote previously to make sure no details are missed or no retcons have been made.
Zetsu's arc is part of the major reasons why I decided to rewrite the fic. I talked big game about him being a master spymaster only to make up reasons as to why the cloning process backfired on him as it did.
This one here will be more clear on it.
I'll ask you all to be patient since this arc will take a while to set up and get through. I want to flesh out how all sides participate since I don't want to take out any important factors.
With that being said, have a nice read and if you wanna support my work, I got a Ko-Fi (link on my profile).
Without Further Ado!
Chapter 7: The Name's Uzumaki, Zetsu N. Uzumaki
The Village Hidden in the Leaves had always been a beautiful sight at sunset, but never more so than on the eve of October tenth.
Following the Fourth Shinobi World War, what used to be a day of sadness and mourning for those fallen to the Kyuubi's attack twenty-five years ago, had been turned into a time of celebration. Both as a way to honor the fallen heroes of the war and as a way of atonement toward one whom they had wrongfully scorned for years.
The Will of Fire Festival had become a national holiday for families and loved ones to reinforce their bonds, let go of past grievances, and look forward to a brighter future together. Furthermore, while the festival found its roots in the Land of Fire, it had quickly spread to the rest of the Elemental Nations, from the furthest peaks of the Land of Lightning to the arid deserts of the Land of Wind and even remote islands like the Crescent Moon Kingdom.
Overlooking the great military village was a mountain decorated with six stone heads, each one carved in remembrance of the Hokages, old and new, who led and protected their home. From atop the fourth Hokage's head sat a man. Dressed in a dark orange short shirt kimono and matching pants, the man shrugged the blue haori he wore over the ensemble, folded it neatly, and set it to the side.
His cerulean blue eyes gazed down at streets bathed in an orange glow, at the food and entertainment stands being set up in anticipation of the festivities, at the families touring the decorations, at the couples basking in the joyous ambiance, at the children living the time of their lives as they chased one another around the marketplace.
Even after everything he had gone through in these streets, all the hardships and obstacles he had surmounted to earn the people's acknowledgment, the man had never stopped thinking of this place as his home.
"Yo. Dobe." a stoic voice said behind him.
"Whaddaya want, Bastard?" the blond man's words were uttered by reflex as if the use of such an insult was naught less but an affectionate greeting for the two.
The man behind him, one with a far less colorful appearance and demeanor, huffed with a smirk and sat next to him. The large black cloak he wore was taken off and put to the side, revealing a shirt and pants of the same color. Peculiarly, one of the sleeves was tied at the elbow with the rest of the limb missing from there. But what was even more peculiar were the man's eyes. His right eye possessed a red iris with what looked like three spinning tomoes surrounding the pupil, while his left eye was even more bizarre. Lacking an iris, the eye's sclera was a glowing purple, with concentric circles topped with nine tomoes surrounding the pupil.
"It's your birthday," Sasuke replied while looking down at the village alongside his companion, "didn't know why you'd spend it up here."
"Awww… Sasuke, never knew you cared."
"I don't, Naruto," Sasuke shot down almost instantly, before the infuriatingly smug smirk that his clan was infamous for made its way to his face, "but Sakura and the others have been on my back the entire day about your whereabouts, and I needed some peace," he looked at the blond with a raised brow, "I thought brooding was my shtick."
The blond before him chuckled good naturally, "Look at you, twenty-five but complaining about married life like an old man," his words earned him an eyeroll, but no verbal response.
"Hn," the ravenette rolled his eyes but came closer to the blond, "there's actually another reason I came here," he said and raised a hand to Naruto's ear.
"Hm? Something from Kakashi-sensei?" the blond man listened as his friend whispered something.
His cerulean blue eyes widened.
…
"WOOOOOOOOOOO!" A scream of joy reverberated over the village as the blond man sailed over it, performing cartwheels in mid-air.
Sasuke let out a rare smile at his friend's excitement. Naruto's antics never got old, even as the man launched himself off the Hokage Monument, bearing a smile that could very well cramp his facial muscles.
As the ground approached, the man maneuvered his body to land on a nearby electric pole, switching his pace up to a faster series of small jumps between the buildings of the main street of the village, figuratively and literally bouncing off the walls of the entire district.
Children gawked and pointed at the display, while the nearby adults didn't give much of a reaction other than some curiosity at the man's exuberant laughing. Most citizens on the street were very much accustomed to the wild movements of most Shinobi.
"I'M GONNA BE AN UNCLE!" Naruto's announcement echoed throughout the streets garnering a lot of attention from the villagers.
Even from such a large distance, the Uchiha could still spot the familiar silhouette of his friend bouncing off the walls, randomly hugging passersby and tossing children into the air before catching them.
It was such a typical 'Naruto' thing to do that Sasuke couldn't help but snort in amusement.
It was refreshing to see that, despite everything that happened in the past, his friend retained that very same happy-go-lucky attitude that had annoyed him and everyone else to no end when they were children (and even today to some degree).
In a way, both men had been two sides of the same coin. Both were forged in tragedy, both were determined to grow strong for selfish reasons, and as he'd found out later on, both were destined to walk opposing paths, and eventually fight to the bitter end.
Fortunately for him, the one characteristic he'd always underestimated was Naruto's mule-like stubbornness when it came to defying fate itself.
Snapping out of his musings, the ravenette looked down once again at the village and vanished in a swirl of leaves.
He reappeared not a second later near his friend, only to quickly dodge a tackle from the blond. Naruto grinned as he gave chase in an attempt to embrace his best friend, while the Uchiha used his superhuman reflexes to dodge any and all physical affection.
He didn't need to do it for long, however.
"Come onnnnn you big lug, give your bro some suga-Ayayaah!" a painful ear pinch cut off the Uzumaki mid-sentence as his entire body seized in pain.
"Damnit Naruto! I don't need the entire village to know!"
"You ain't exactly hiding it Sakura-ow ow owwww!"
Sasuke chuckled as he caught sight of the perpetrator. Dressed in a large red robe to accommodate her round belly, Sakura Uchiha, née Haruno, cut a fierce sight even with her unique pink hair and matching pink slippers.
The Uchiha male looked on at his wife, who, even in her heavily pregnant state, berated the (arguably) strongest man on the planet for his obnoxious public display.
…
It was still so… surreal to him.
These were two people he'd tried to murder in the past, and when it came to the blond, had almost succeeded on several occasions. And yet, despite all the trials he'd put them through, they've never stopped thinking of him as their comrade.
Sakura's love for him never faded.
Naruto refused to sever their bond.
Hell, even when he'd made plans to leave and wander the world in self-imposed exile as a form of repentance. The Uzumaki had hunted him down like a bloodhound and dragged him back once more.
'You think this is a movie or something? I ain't got time for this!' a frustrated Naruto had yelled at the time, utterly done with his so-called 'edgy ass'.
"How far along are you? Wait, don't tell me! I can guess by your size-owwwww"
"Are you calling me fat? Idiot! That lack of tact is exactly why you're still single!"
"Oh come on! I got all my life ahead to settle down! Let me enjoy my youth!"
"And now you're sounding like Gai and Lee! I swear Naruto if you start wearing green pajamas, I…"
Sasuke tuned out the rest of their bickering.
Heh… these two would never change.
…
…
For some reason, a foreboding feeling nagged at him.
All of this… It was too good to be true.
His sins were forgiven…
His dreams were at hand…
His future was secured…
His happiness had almost reached its peak…
…
So then why did he feel so afraid?
…
…
…
RUMBLE
As if invoked by his thoughts, the Earth itself began to tremble, and the Uchiha's head spiked with pain as an immense power surge appeared.
Sasuke clutched his left eye and immediately turned to glare at the source. Both Naruto and Sakura had also stopped in their tracks, their bodies reflexively tensing from the titanic wave of energy.
All around them, the previously jovial atmosphere had all but been replaced by one of dread and panic, as Chuunin and Genin alike mobilized for crowd control while the higher ranks took up battle stations, searching for any sign of an enemy.
With his greater eyesight, the Uchiha was able to make out a feminine figure floating high above the village.
Flowing white hair billowing alongside a large robe of the same color. The woman possessed regal and soft features that could very much be called unearthly beautiful.
But what alarmed him the most was the third eye glowing red in the middle of her forehead.
"The Hell? Kaguya?" Naruto sputtered in shock, while Sakura mirrored his expression.
Sasuke could understand the surprise. They had personally sealed that monstrous self-proclaimed goddess years ago after all, and in a pocket dimension to boot.
"Everyone!" The three turned to see their old teacher, now village leader, decked out in full military gear and sporting a deathly serious expression as opposed to his usual aloof one.
All around him they spotted several cloaked figures, each of their faces hidden behind white animal masks, as well as many of their lifelong comrades, all with all manner of weaponry or battle items drawn out.
"Our priority is civilian evacuation and damage control!" the masked man barked, while looking at his subordinates, before turning to his three former students.
"Sakura, you need to join the others in the bunkers," and before the pink-haired woman could retort, he switched his gaze to Naruto and Sasuke.
"You two… go wild"
Just as the silver-haired man spoke, everyone tensed again as their enemy's power briefly skyrocketed and a dense ball of blackish energy began forming above her.
Immediately, Naruto's body was wreathed in golden flames as black markings appeared all over his body. With a roar, he rocketed up to meet the mad 'goddess', intent on stopping her attack.
Sasuke, not one to be outdone, let a purple aura enshroud him and expanded upwards into the form of a giant armored figure.
As the ethereal warrior raised a giant glowing sword and braced itself for the oncoming fight, Sasuke screamed the name of his technique.
"SUSANOO!"
~~ The Beginning of the End~~
Above Pennsylvania, 5th of August 2000
"That's… strange…" the goddess of the Moon muttered to herself as she rode her chariot in the night sky.
While it was essentially her job, Artemis would never deny how much she loved it. Flying above the clouds and under the many stars that dotted the sky, feeling the chilled breeze caress her skin and run through her hair and having one of the best views of the Earth below her.
Sure some people (like her little brother) would argue that the world looked better in the day but she scoffed and turned her nose up at those comments. The world beneath her looked much like the sky, dotted with numerous lights from mortal towns and cities. However, unlike some megalopolises like New York were more bothersome due to the intense light pollution that made both the sky and the ground hard to admire, the countryside was a far more relaxing sight to look at during the night.
This was one of the reasons she'd accepted a recent request from her favorite sister. Keeping an eye out on Athena's child was of no issue to her, especially when the child in question was an adorable little girl.
From her vantage point, everything below seemed relatively microscopic. It should be impossible for anyone to distinguish anyone from this distance. Even among the gods, Artemis' eyesight (alongside her other senses) was only rivaled by her twin brother.
After sensing the group she was shadowing, her silver eyes glowed and immediately formed a close image of the five individuals, much like a hawk picking out a field mouse.
What she saw was relatively normal for the five travelers. The three demigods were behaving much like regular children their age. The man -Naruto- was as obnoxiously jovial as ever, almost reaching Apollo-levels of annoying.
And yet… something seemed off about them…
Their actions were a tad stiff. The man's laughter seemed a tad forced and even little Annabeth's cheerful actions seemed a tad repetitive.
The changes wouldn't be visible to anyone else. Someone might even say there were none. But her instincts honed from millennia or tracking and hunting prey, of learning and memorizing each and every behavioral tic they possessed, were nagging at her.
Curiously enough, only the son -Zetsu as she had learned- was consistent in his behavior.
Additionally, their route had deviated ever so slightly from the one they had been on previously. While Artemis doubted that they knew the exact location of the Camp, she would wager they had a general idea of its whereabouts. In that case, they would have kept close to the East Coast, which had been the case up until a few weeks ago.
So then why was she seeing them near Harrisburg? That was further inland than before.
It didn't make any sense!
Hmmm…
'Unless…'
No, no… convoluted conspiracies were her sister's territory.
Hmm, speaking of Athena, it has been a while since she'd had a cup of nectar with her.
Well… couldn't hurt to tell her about this development.
Campfire near Harrisburg, same time
'Ze-Five, you're overdoing it. I need 50% less attitude. Grace might act tough but she ain't a Yakuza grunt. Ze-Four, less broody, more sassy, Castellan ain't one of Tsukuyomi's kids. Ze-Six, you're actually doing good. Keep it up. Ze-Seven, I know we all hate the jokes but try to make some shittier ones, the last few were too good for the old man's standards,' the figure of Zetsu's human form thought as he looked at the other people with him.
'Got it, Ze-Three.'
To any outside observer (like a certain Moon goddess), the scene around the fire was an ordinary one. A whiskered adult blond male looked over the smaller teenagers and children around him as they all sat down for a relatively normal night of camping.
But as the other four campers around the fire all shifted their body language slightly, each adjusting to the advice given to them, it revealed a far more eerie reality.
None of the campers present were 'real' people.
Well, René Descartes' first philosophical principle of 'I think, therefore I am' might have applied to them, as each possessed their individual thoughts and mannerisms, but the blunt truth of the matter was that each of them was a clone of the original Zetsu, a mere extension of his will. Despite their misgivings about their situation or their desire for a destiny separate from the original, it was simply not to be. The biological failsafe coded into their very lineage factor ensured as such… aaand prevented the possibility of another 'Reign of Zetsus' incident.
Not that the clones wanted it to happen again, but you know… they wouldn't try too hard to stop themselves if it came down to it.
But in any case, their current mission was an easy one, albeit dreadfully boring. Ze-One had opted to have Ze-Three to Ze-Seven play decoys and take away their pursuers' attention, while Ze-Two would infiltrate the Olympians' stronghold and wring it dry for information.
The issue lied with Ze-Two. While the other clones knew Olympus was originally a mountain in Greece, they had no idea if the 'gods' had kept the original mountain as their home, or created a bigger replica to inhabit.
Even then, a heavily guarded and populated mountain was still a significant surface to cover for one clone, especially if they had to remain unseen. That meant the need for greater numbers, and while [Shadow Clones] could help with recon, they were also expensive in terms of chakra consumption.
Thus, Ze-Two needed to consume the necessary biomass to multiply, without getting caught.
Which, depending on Olympus' level of security could be either manageable or downright tedious. He'd assume it would be the latter. While the Taoists back in the day did have the Rat Zodiac's ability to share vision with every living creature in an immense radius, this land had both advanced leaps and bounds in technology and was renowned for its espionage agency. Ze-Three assumed these two factors would translate into a much more challenging infiltration mission for his senior clone.
Hell, that wasn't even counting Olympus was only one of the Greeks' strongholds. If Atlantis or the Underworld were anywhere near the size of that mountain, then Ze-Two had his work cut out for him if he wanted to map those places as well.
Especially the Underworld. If there was anything they learned about warfare with a Pantheon in the past, it was the necessity of targeting, disabling or outright destroying their Underworld first and foremost.
That, or sicc Lord Shinigami on their Death 'gods' if another Yama situation came to be. The old spirit would certainly enjoy the meal.
Eh… decisions for later…
It might seem pragmatic of him, but the clone had no doubt that, while no one wanted to start anything, both the Original and the Sage would rather be prepared for a full-out war than be caught off guard.
But no matter... For now, Ze-Three would play his part.
Olympus Athena's Temple, later that night
A temple was and always has been both a monument to the deity's glory and a reflection of their influence. It was a place of communion for the worshippers, one where they could feel safe and protected in faith. It stood to logic that the gods' residences on Olympus would apply this principle.
In Athena's case, hers looked like a grander version of Harvard University's library, one built in flawlessly carved white marble and surrounded by an English garden (although it looked to be the size of a park).
Unlike many of the Olympians' homes, the Wisdom goddess opened part of her home to the public, with a section of the library containing copies of all the knowledge that the goddess had seen fit to share with others.
As Artemis came before her sister's home in her adult form, her silver eyes spotted the handmaidens taking care of the garden or the entryway, while other citizens sat around on benches or under the many trees that peppered Athena's garden, each with a book in hand. Upon noticing her, many stopped their activities and turned to bow towards her as she passed by.
It made the goddess of the Moon smile at the peaceful atmosphere. While many of their family used their name and power to spread their influence for selfish reasons, her sister was among the few who genuinely cared for the betterment of her subjects and followers. This in turn garnered her far more respect and reverence among the mortals. Where Artemis was admired by young women and hunters of all ages, every occidental intellectual worth their salt knew and had a high opinion of the goddess of Wisdom.
As she approached the entrance, the large marble doors swung open to allow her entry. As soon as she stepped in, the distinct sound of fluttering paper reached her ears and guided her through the main hallway up to the last, larger, and fancier door at the end of the path.
As she approached, the doors swung open as a disheveled and frantic-looking handmaiden clambered out. The woman balked in surprise at the sight of the Huntress in front of her and almost dropped the stack of papers she was carrying if it weren't for the goddess' swift intervention.
"L-l-lady A-a-artemis," the servant stuttered in shock and shame at having committed such a faux pas in front of an Olympian, the favored relative of her mistress no less.
Artemis frowned lightly at the servant's earnest attempts at apologizing and her jittery disposition. She looked physically and mentally fatigued. The Huntress nodded in acceptance and helped the woman straighten her attire, while telekinetically moving the heavy stack of paper from her hands to the side.
"Calm yourself," the goddess smiled disarmingly and it seemed to work, as the woman's shoulders sagged in relief, "I wish to thank you for your hard work. I understand my sister demands much but am happy to see she has such loyal followers. Please, take the rest of the day off, I'll talk to my sister."
The handmaiden nodded hesitantly, seemingly reluctant about abandoning her previous orders, but she knew better than to go against an Olympian to their face. So, her lips curved into a grateful smile as she bowed once more and walked away.
Artemis glanced at the stack of papers and sifted through them, noticing they were all written in foreign languages, most notably Japanese and Korean among others from the East.
Curious about her sister's work, the goddess of the Moon pushed open the door and went in to confront her, only to stop at the entrance of Athena's central office.
Books, documents, and papers of all sorts flew around the room, one the size of a small football field, as they were stacked, picked, and handled by the multitude of handmaidens running around, pushing stacked trolleys and carrying sacks of scrolls. To Artemis, it reminded her of an average day in Hermes' temple. It would have been comical had it not been for the noticeable signs of fatigue she could pick out on the servants' faces. They had obviously been at this job for hours longer than usual.
At the center of all the organized chaos was the goddess of Wisdom. Clad in an attire reminiscent of a librarian, both comfortable and professional, the deity's heels clacked as she paced around her desk, simultaneously reading a book while other documents floated around her, all being analyzed and treated at inhuman speed.
Her gray eyes glowed intensely as they took in information at a faster pace than anyone on Olympus could keep up with.
A sight that would leave mortals and minor gods in awe, however, only made the Huntress frown.
Despite how she looked, Artemis knew Athena was overworked. Her sister had the tendency to put up an almost impeccable front, but the minute twitches on her face, the fact a few strands of her black hair stood stubbornly outside of the otherwise well-coiffed bun, and of course, the state in which she found her servants… All of this pointed to the goddess of Wisdom slowly being overwhelmed by whatever was occupying her.
But of course, Athena couldn't show weakness. She couldn't take her time. She couldn't let go of her Zeus-damned hubris for one second…
Them-damnit…
"Sister," the goddess of the Moon stopped before her sister and frowned at her, "is this a bad time?" she asked, making the wiser sibling pause in her work.
Without looking up from her documents, Athena uttered a simple "Yes" before going back to her reading.
Artemis sighed in annoyance, before gaining a determined look.
Turning her back on her sister, the Huntress went to each servant and whispered to them, taking their workloads off their backs and promptly sending them away. While many were noticeably hesitant, one glance at her cold silver eyes forced them to comply.
Athena didn't seem to notice this, too absorbed in her work to see that the entire room, save for the two sisters, had been vacated.
Seeing this, the goddess of the Moon closed the doors and turned to her sister. She got in her face and swiftly pulled the book away from the goddess of Wisdom.
Naturally, the studious goddess didn't take that kindly. Her gray eyes turned in anger and annoyance at the perpetrator, only to meet her sister's silver orbs.
Athena opened her mouth to speak, but as her sister raised a brow at her, she decided otherwise and sighed in exasperation.
"What is it, sister? Can't you see I'm busy?" Athena spoke with annoyance.
"That's one way to put it…" Artemis raised a brow at her sister's attitude but chose not to comment on it.
"What's on that vast mind of yours 'Thena?"
While the affectionate nickname might have triggered a violent reaction from anyone else, Athena and Artemis' sisterly bond made it so both enjoyed occasionally teasing the other, much like regular mortal siblings.
Athena sighed to herself, "It's the usual… Pre-scheduling the preparations for this year's Winter Solstice, checking the new quests and potential prophecies with your brother, mapping out this week's events, re-checking the security system, inputting-" the smartest goddess on Olympus rambled on, before her sister chose to cut her off.
"What was that about security? Didn't you already do the weekly check-up?" Artemis narrowed her eyes at the detail.
For a moment there, the goddess of the Moon witnessed her sister being uncharacteristically hesitant in her speech.
"I did… but…" Athena spoke while Artemis leaned in, now curious.
"It's illogical of me I know, but I can't explain it Arty, something's been nagging at me for a week," the older goddess furrowed her brows, visibly frustrated with herself over the issue at hand, which made her sister raise her own brows in surprise.
"A surprising statement coming from you," Artemis said before adding, "I noticed some of the papers were written in foreign script. Is this about your request?"
At the change of subject, Athena's features became calm and calculating and she paced back to her desk.
"Yes, anything to report?"
The Huntress thought for a bit before shrugging her shoulders, "Nothing much. Your daughter seems to be in good hands. They've recently made camp near Harrisburg."
Athena stopped in her tracks at the information, and her eyes glowed briefly.
"Harrisburg?" she said after a few minutes of silence, tone colored with disbelief, which worried her sister.
"Yes, the different route puzzled me as well-"
"That's impossible" Athena breathed.
Artemis tilted her head, "Sister?"
"Artemis, I can feel my daughter. I just re-checked. I know she's nowhere near Pennsylvania. She's in New Jersey," the goddess declared with conviction.
"...!"
To say the Huntress was shocked is an understatement. She stood stock still in silence, as she attempted to process the revelation. She had complete confidence in her abilities, as did her sister. Her tracking had never failed her before so that only left one logical conclusion.
She'd been tricked, she'd been hoodwinked and she'd been, quite possibly, bamboozled.
"How did they do it?" she breathed out, more curious than insulted by the revelation of the deception.
The smartest Olympian looked pensive for a moment, "I do have… several hypotheses…" she paused and turned to Artemis, "sister, please try to feel for any of the others and tell me what you see," she said, deciding to test something.
The Huntress nodded and concentrated for a few seconds, before she sighed in annoyance, "I still see the same thing I've been seeing for the last few days. They're still in Harrisburg…"
Athena narrowed her eyes at the answer, before firing off her questions.
"Did you notice anything about them? How are they interacting with their environment? Are their behavioral patterns consistent? Was there anything to note about-"
"Thena! Please! One question at a time!" Artemis cut off her sister with a fond smile while the latter's cheeks briefly flushed a golden color. It was adorable how similar both Athena and Annabeth were to each other. The Huntress had quickly discovered upon her first meeting with the little demigoddess that the child was just as curious as the goddess of Wisdom.
Nevertheless, she pondered the questions and formulated her answers.
"Well, there was a-" Artemis stopped suddenly as the world around her briefly became muted as her ears picked up a peculiar sound.
Ba-dump
Ba-dump
'Who's heartbeat is this?' she thought. She was sure the room was vacant, so that could only mean-!
"... Sister? Arty?" Athena waved her hand in front of her sibling's eyes when she noticed the goddess stop suddenly.
Before she could say anything, however, Artemis teleported in a flash of silver, only to reappear a few feet away behind a bookshelf.
The goddess of the Moon moved her head rapidly, checking every nook and cranny around her and even taking a few occasional whiffs as she seemed to be searching for something.
"Arty what is going on?" the goddess of Wisdom looked a tad annoyed at her sister's erratic behavior.
But upon noticing Artemis' grave look as she came back to her side, the goddess replaced her annoyance with worry.
"Nothing I… I thought I heard someone there…" said the Huntress, but even she didn't seem convinced by her words.
Filing that information for later use, Athena continued her conversation with Artemis.
Now though, her words were chosen carefully, as her gray eyes darted every once in a while around the room.
What just occurred had done nothing but send her mind into high alert. There was obviously something afoot here and it would forever shame her if she'd somehow managed to let an intruder slip past their security.
She'd have to pay Hephaestus a visit.
Somewhere under Olympus,
Inside a smoothly carved cavernous room, located midway between the busy streets of the golden city and the burning forges at the base of the mountain, a small figure crawled about on the walls and ceiling. Illuminated by a glowing rock on the ground, the entirety of the room's tangible surface was inscribed with what looked like a detailed map of the city above.
As the figure traced a new line, it abruptly stopped. Yellow dot-like eyes blinked in the darkness of the room, as their owner received an influx of memories.
The [Shadow Clone] in the goddess of Wisdom's office had just dispelled itself in a hurry, narrowly escaping the goddess of the Moon's gaze on them.
'That's not good…,' Ze-Two thought, his face furrowing in frustration before it relaxed, 'but also not unexpected. Those two were bound to find out sooner or later. The smart one tracking her kid is not out of the norm, Gekka-O always did the same to watch over his kids… as numerous as they are.'
'As for the bratty one…'
Original would no doubt be a little annoyed about his clones' performance. That or they'd just underestimated how observant the Huntress could be.
That was a dangerous line of action. They couldn't afford to be careless, much less take uncalculated risks, which was the reason for Ze-Two's use of the [Shadow Clone] technique.
It was fast, it was efficient, and most importantly, it allowed for instant transmission of data.
Only one problem though…
'I can't keep up with the chakra consumption,' the clone thought, visibly tired.
He's been producing several clones everyday and dispelling them at random intervals, working and noting down the information with very little time for rest or anything else, and since the core of the technique was to halve your chakra reserves at each use…
It was too much effort for not nearly enough results.
Even with dozens of [Shadow Clones], Olympus was still a massive surface to cover, and that didn't even include its other territories, which Ze-Two hoped to be able to scout out. Add to that the hassle of gathering biomass, while remaining undetected from the extensive network of surveillance devices through his use of underground pipelines and [Mayfly], while sifting and sorting through his scouts' data?
He could only do so much as a single full-blooded duplicate of the Original. He needed more…
More of himself…
The solution to the matter was obviously to gather more biomass at a faster rate, but that was easier said than done.
It had taken him days of scrounging around for food like a common rodent and devouring every half-eaten plate left by Olympus' residents, just so he could gather enough biomass for one fully-grown body.
It would take him weeks to assemble a workforce large enough for his needs.
'Unless…' a sudden idea sprung up in his mind.
Ze-Two's eyes shifted on the walls, scanning over the drawn map, before they rested on a wide section at the eastern section of the golden city.
Demeter's Potager…
It was a risky idea, one that could very much blow his cover, but…
'If her stuff is anything close to the Taoists' Peaches of Immortality, then that could work…'
He knew that 'divine' fruits held properties that far surpassed anything mortals could find on Earth. If Demeter's stuff held even a fraction of the Peaches from the Jade Emperor's garden, then he'd only need a couple of them.
In the darkness of the room, Ze-Two narrowed his glowing yellow eyes, and made a decision.
With a swift activation of [Mayfly], the ground shifted and became muddy under the Spymaster's feet. As the clone disappeared into the earth below, the ground turned solid again, leaving no trace of the clone's presence.
Extra scene: The Best Way to Bond
Makepeace Lake, Atlantic County, New Jersey
While the Zetsu clones were occupied with their game of 4D chess against two goddesses, the original, still in his blond disguise, laid under a tree awake and looking back at the rest of his travel mates.
The real group of travelers had continued their road north while keeping close to the shore, and had now reached a small woodland at the edge of a lake. A good spot to spend the night, even if there were a bit too many mosquitos for the three demigods' liking.
But the reason for the Uzumaki's lack of sleep didn't have anything to do with blood sucking insects or the infiltration of Olympus, those issues weren't on his mind right now.
As time passed and he started hearing his father's audible snores, he got up from his position and made way to the man's side. He nudged him and prodded him a few times at first, then wound up his foot and delivered an earth-shattering kick to Naruto's side.
CLANG
'As hard as iron, that's Pops for ya,' he winced slightly at his bruised foot before his healing factor kicked in and fixed it.
The Sage continued sawing logs, none the wiser of what just occurred.
Seeing this, Zetsu's disguise shimmered as a sinister glasgow grin appeared on his face.
'Heh, it's one of those nights,' he thought as he turned and made his way to the demigods' prone figures.
"Hey. Wake up," he said plainly while gazing down at Luke. When the teen didn't answer, the Uzumaki shrugged, wound up his foot for the second time that night, but stopped before he could make contact.
Instead he nudged Luke's side, on a spot he knew was ticklish for the teen.
The sleeping demigod snorted loudly as he jolted awake, eyes wide and confused before they focused on the person intruding his slumber.
"Zetsu?" the boy yelled, before remembering where he was, "what do you want?" he continued whispering harshly.
The way Zetsu looked back at him unnerved him, with eyes both cold and intense. For a second, the teen thought he'd seen two rows of razor-sharp teeth where the other blond's mouth would be, but as he blinked the sleep from his eyes, the sight that greeted him was a more normal, if not just as unnerving, grin.
During the time he knew him, he realized that grin only meant trouble.
"Wake up the others, we're gonna have fun," as soon as he said this, the Uzumaki turned around and walked back to a bag at the side, shuffling in it as he retrieved some items.
"Huh?"
"Just do it," Zetsu didn't turn around from his work, while the demigod furrowed his brows in annoyance.
'What does the jerk want now?' he thought, briefly pondering the benefits of ignoring his fellow blond and going back to sleep. Just as he turned to do so, however, he caught sight of the adult of the group in deep sleep.
The son of Hermes felt his inner prankster surge out as the situation finally became clear to him.
Heh… threatening him with a good time. He just might take back half the mean things he'd thought about the guy.
With that he nodded to the Uzumaki and set out to wake the others, making sure to poke Thalia with a wooden stick, just in case the demigoddess literally and figuratively jolted awake.
"Huh? Luke? Wazzit?"
"Hmmmm."
His best friend and surrogate little sister both groaned as they woke up, sounding and looking more like the undead at that moment.
Before they could ask anything, Zetsu came back and dropped a bundle of colorful items to the ground in front of them.
Luke blinked at the sight of the objects before a veritable Hermes-like smirk bloomed on his face. Annabeth and Thalia mirrored him as the youngest demigoddess stifled a few giggles.
Hours later
Naruto's eyes blinked open as the first rays of the sun tickled them.
'Damn, another one of those nights,' he groaned and adjusted his legs, raising his pelvis to the sky as he balanced on his head and feet. As he did so, several frogs, birds, and even water snakes jumped off of his body, having taken to spending the night on him.
CRAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAK
The critters practically bolted away as several sounds similar to firecrackers rang out from the man's back. As Naruto finished popping his entire spinal cord, he sat up and started doing the same to his joints.
CRACK
CRACK
CRACK
'Haiyaaaa, I'm starting to feel like my age,' the man groaned while rubbing his back. Oh, what he wouldn't give for some ramen right now…
He blinked, however, as he noticed he wasn't in the same location he had slept in last night. Looking around, he noticed the hastily constructed raft under him, floating in the middle of the lake.
Looking overboard, he was able to see his reflection in the water. A big red nose greeted him, alongside various doodles and glitter littering his face, all topped off by a cringe-inducing rainbow wig covering his hair.
He blinked, his mind trying to comprehend what he was looking at. But as his ears picked up the distant childish giggling from the shore, he couldn't help but let it infect him.
"BehahahahAHAHAHA!" his laughter boomed across the lake as the man fell back on the raft and kicked his feet in the air, giggling to himself.
'Ahhhh… the kiddos' first prank. This takes me back,' he wiped a fake tear from his eyes, as pride swelled up in him.
Not only at the young demigods for managing to pull a classic on him, but at his son as well.
He knew Zetsu had a… difficult time socializing with others, but the boy was also among the only people on this planet to know about his body's tendency to simply 'turn off' every once in a while to compensate for the many sleepless nights he had sometimes. It was a peculiar quirk, a sleeping disorder born from the torture he'd put his body through over the years… or at least that's what his sister Saiken had said.
But ehhh, the important thing was that Zetsu indirectly shared this information with others, which could only mean one thing.
His boy was starting to trust Annie, Luke, and Thalia. Enough to bond with them over a good old practical joke!
That was great! Perfect even!
…
But then, he couldn't just let this go, could he? Papa Toad wasn't about to let some tadpoles show him up!
Looking over at the shore, he saw the three demigods laughing and pointing at him. Curiously, his son was nowhere to be found.
Hmmm… well would you look at that. Fortunately for Zetsu he'd learned thousands of years ago to book it after he'd done it (it being the prank).
Unfortunately for the other kiddos, they hadn't quite grasped that lesson yet. Oh well, fortunately for them, he was more than eager to play teacher right now.
So, he cleared his throat, took the time to practice, and pick out the right vocal octave for maximum disciplinary effect.
"YOU DISRESPECTFUL LITTLE SNOTS!"
A/N: Not much to be said here. I debated about whether to show the Demeter scene here or later, but I think this rounds up to a good chapter overall. Hope y'all liked this one.
I'll see about updating the reading next.
See you guys soon! (I hope)