WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 176, "Blockade the A-Un Gate," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
With the Boruto anime bringing back the God Tree, fans are getting flashbacks of when Kaguya tried to bring it to life in the Naruto series and drain the planet's chakra. This time it's Victor and Deepa, the Kara terrorist duo, who are trying to gain immortality, and as Naruto and his council in Konoha now realize, there are remnants left from that war that could still haunt them today. With Orochimaru's Hashirama Cell also falling into the wrong hands in this arc, let's dissect another element of that great battle: White Zetsu, and how he almost helped Kaguya win the war.
White Zetsu was one of Kaguya's first victims in the Infinite Tsukuyomi when she drained the planet to feed herself the chakra fruit eons ago. Thankfully, she was stopped and sealed away by her son Hagoromo, the Sage of the Six Paths, but White Zetsu would emerge years later from the tree husk for Madara to manipulate. However, the fallen Uchiha warlord was being played by Black Zetsu, who was imbued with the will of Kaguya, and together, the black and the white conspired.
Before Madara died, he worked up a plan with White Zetsu, who'd then help corrupt young Obito along with Tobi, another victim of the tree. He'd even case Obito with his white fluid-like body after his body was crushed saving Kakashi, and help him get to a brawl where he'd see Kakashi murdering his beloved Rin. Little did Obito know this was all planned to turn him evil as Rin had a Tailed Beast inside her to destroy Konoha. White Zetsu was merely treating Obito like a pawn, and in time, it would help him become a leader in the Akatsuki, even going as far as to help him masquerade as Madara.
White Zetsu, which also came off like a Venus Flytrap, would move through the Earth and devour any dead member too to protect the Akatsuki secrets. Interestingly, Obito felt he had a best friend and a messenger, which did make him more of a sympathetic character. But as time went along, White Zetsu would use various clones to gather intel by watching fights between the likes of Naruto and Pain, and Sasuke and Itachi, all to strengthen Madara's plans. It was simply working Obito so he could resurrect Madara too and also, so they could weaponize Sasuke.
White Zetsu didn't just want Sasuke's eyes -- it wanted to help him destroy all the Kages. All of this was a facade because while Obito was being played by Madara, Madara was being played by Black Zetsu. Eventually, when White Zetsu tried to trick Sasuke, the former Konoha shinobi would use the Susanoo and the Amaterasu flames to kill White Zetsu, but by then the damage was done. White Zetsu convinced Sasuke that Naruto had to die, left the nations in disarray due to intel relayed to the Akatsuki, captured beasts like the Two Tails and helped Obito resurrect Madara. Unfortunately, Madara was then used to revive Kaguya, who would have destroyed the world once more if it weren't for Naruto, Kurama and Sasuke.