"Ah... it's finally over..."
Sasuke sighed deeply.
'Using the Rinnegan to perform the resurrection Ninjutsu might offer a chance to resurrect Madara, but to what end?'
'Resurrect him, torture him, and kill him again?'
'Wouldn't it be better to ensure Madara remains dead, forever buried and forgotten?'
'Wrong!'
'In the eyes of the world, Uchiha Madara had already died long ago, relegated to the annals of history.'
'Now that Nagato and Obito, who could have helped Madara, are both dead, Madara no longer has any chance to realize his ambitions. All that remained for Madara was regret and eternal silence.'
'Perhaps this was the best form of revenge against Madara.'
With this realization, Sasuke turned to the black-robed figure and asked, "Do you know the location of Madara's death from his memories?"
"I do."
The black-robed figure asked in confusion, "Why are you asking this?"
Sasuke spread his hands and said, "There's a chance Madara has left some contingency in place. By going to the location of his death and destroying everything there, we can eliminate any remaining threats at the root."
After a pause, Sasuke added, "Once everything's wrapped up, I'll go wherever you want, do whatever you want, just as I promised before. Even if that means... marriage!"
"Alright!"
The black-robed figure replied with a trembling voice, nodding slightly.
However, before they could proceed, a pitch-black shadow darted past in a flash.
"Something's wrong!"
The black-robed figure turned, trying to track the shadow, but it had already disappeared underground.
The spatial barrier had reached its limit after containing Obito's abilities, leaving no way to stop or track the intruder.
Moreover, the shadow hadn't used a Space-Time Ninjutsu but instead burrowed through the earth.
Within moments, it had vanished completely, leaving no trace behind.
"Damn it! Nagato's Rinnegan and Obito's Sharingan have been taken!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration.
'Someone actually took advantage of the situation and sneaked in… It seems that they were well prepared.'
'Whoever it was, they had knowledge of Nagato's hidden location. This wasn't the work of just anyone. Could it be that my quest for vengeance wasn't over after all? Were there more enemies lurking in the shadows?'
"Sorry, I forgot about that guy's existence."
The black-robed figure said solemnly.
"That guy? You know who it is?"
Sasuke caught on immediately.
The black-robed figure nodded and explained, "In Uchiha Obito's memory, there's a figure who was always by the side of the aged Uchiha Madara, a pitch-black entity named Black Zetsu. After Uchiha Madara's death, Black Zetsu has been monitoring Obito's every move on his behalf."
"I think Black Zetsu's ultimate goal is also to revive Uchiha Madara. By taking away Nagato's Rinnegan and Obito's Sharingan, I guess Black Zetsu wants to find other suitable people to continue to complete the resurrection of Uchiha Madara."
"Sure enough, he had a contingency plan all along." Sasuke muttered.
"So, is it still possible to track down Black Zetsu now?"
The black-robed figure shook her head slightly, "He didn't use a Space-Time Ninjutsu to escape, just an Earth Release Ninjutsu, so it's impossible to pinpoint his location."
"If that's the case, it won't be easy to find Black Zetsu..."
Sasuke's frustration was palpable. Just as he thought things were wrapping up, a new complication arose.
'This Black Zetsu is really annoying.'
"But I do have an idea."
The black-robed figure offered.
Sasuke perked up immediately, "What's the idea?"
The black-robed figure explained, "No matter where Black Zetsu goes, his ultimate goal remains Uchiha Madara's resurrection. So, all we need to do is get to Uchiha Madara's death location first."
"Your plan is to wait for him there? That's not a bad idea, but I don't think it's reliable."
Sasuke said, mulling it over, "Although I don't know the mechanics of resurrection, but there's no guarantee Madara's body hasn't been moved. And if Black Zetsu can perform the revival remotely or transfer Madara to another location, we'd be wasting our time."
The black-robed figure waved her hand and said, "Don't worry. I have an ability that can lock onto the soul of the deceased. As long as there's a sign of resurrection, I can track the location. The only condition is that I need part of the deceased's body… any tissue or even bones will do."
"If that's the case, then this might actually work."
Sasuke said, his eyes lighting up.
'Since Madara aimed to resurrect himself, he would likely have taken measures to preserve his body. Even if not in perfect condition, having lived so long, there should still be remnants, at least bones that haven't yet weathered away.'
"But what if Black Zetsu hid the body somewhere we can't find?"
Sasuke asked with concern.
The black-robed figure pondered for a moment before replying, "The place where Uchiha Madara died is very hidden. Only Obito and Black Zetsu would know about it. I doubt Black Zetsu considered the possibility of someone extracting Obito's memories, so the body is probably still there."
"In that case, let's move quickly."
Sasuke urged.
Time was of the essence. Every second counted if they wanted to gain the upper hand.
"Follow me!"
A dark green portal appeared before the black-robed figure. She stepped through first, with Sasuke following close behind.
This green portal can only teleport to places the black-robed figure has been to. However, in order to capture the Biju, they had gone to many places. After choosing the nearest landing point, the two of them arrived at the place where Madara died in less than two hours.
The location resembled Nagato's hideout… a remote, overgrown area that seemed untouched by humans for years.
'Do all powerful Shinobi enjoy hiding in deserted places?'
'They must really value their lives!'
Shaking off the thought, Sasuke continued forward with the black-robed figure.
At a large boulder, the black-robed figure came to a stop.
Immediately afterwards, the massive rock was hurled several meters into the air as if weightless.
Seeing this scene, Sasuke couldn't help but admire the black-robed figure's strength. Every move she made exuded unparalleled power and composure.
Beneath where the boulder had been was an opening to a subterranean passage.
Descending into the tunnel, Sasuke was greeted by the pungent stench of decay… an unmistakable sign of decomposing flesh. The deeper they ventured, the stronger the odor grew.
At the very end, they found themselves in a relatively spacious cavern.
There, seated upon a stone chair, was an elderly man with white hair.
Even in death, his aura was commanding.
However, swarms of insects ignored his dignity, crawling across his body and feasting on his decaying flesh. Parts of the body had already deteriorated to the point where bare bones were visible.
'There is no need to think too much… This must be Uchiha Madara.'
Sasuke couldn't help but sigh, "To think the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan would meet such an end."
Not only did Madara lack a proper burial, but the scene also reeked of desolation and despair.
'However, judging by the positioning of the corpse, it seemed Madara had died while still clinging to the hope of resurrection… his posture exuding determination, as if ready to rise and command once more.'
'If I hadn't encountered her… Madara might have succeeded.'
'But now, Madara's chances of a comeback were as good as gone.'