The Five Great Shinobi Villages had now stationed their forces in the Hidden Cloud Village, standing together in full alliance.
At this point, was there really a need for secrecy?
Keeping things hidden any longer would be outright disrespectful.
"Take a look at this."
As if he had anticipated this situation, the Third Raikage handed out some documents.
"This is one of our Cloud Village's secret locations—an island that is constantly moving. The Rinnegan we sealed away, along with the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, are on that island.
I doubt even Uchiha Madara would ever think to look there."
The others took the documents and read them in silence.
After a long pause, Onoki let out a deep breath, his expression complex as he stared at the Third Raikage.
Impressive.
The Cloud Village had such a well-hidden place under their control?
An island that was always moving—no wonder no one could find it!
How could anyone track something like that?
And the island itself wasn't just any ordinary landmass—it was on the back of an enormous turtle.
Just how big was this turtle?
It had to be bigger than even a Tailed Beast.
Where in the world did the Cloud Village find a creature like that?
The other Kage, Yagura and Rasa, were both envious.
Tsunade, on the other hand, was surprised but not envious—unlike the others, she knew that Konoha had its own secrets.
The Three Great Summoning Lands alone were something no other village could match.
"It's best to stay cautious," Tsunade warned. "Takuya said that the Rinnegan belongs to Uchiha Madara. While he's in Edo Tensei form, that's one thing. But if he truly revives, he may be able to sense its location.
At that point, even Turtle Island won't be safe."
Him again…
Sitting to Tsunade's left, Senju Tobirama rolled his eyes.
He was seriously starting to suspect that his granddaughter had been brainwashed by that brat, Takuya.
The Third Raikage chose to ignore the statement.
"With all five of our villages gathered here, we have our strongest forces in one place. We will break Uchiha Madara's ambitions!"
As for the Rinnegan?
The Third Raikage still had his own plans.
Even after dealing with Madara, he intended for the Cloud Village to keep control of the Rinnegan.
After all, once this crisis was over, the Five Great Shinobi Villages would go back to being rivals.
It would be foolish to hand everything over now.
Tsunade saw this but said nothing.
The others also kept quiet.
Meanwhile, in a Remote Cave…
For once, Uchiha Madara's expression wasn't calm.
There was a trace of anger beneath his usual composed demeanor.
The actions of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were outright defiance.
First, they had taken Nagato's Rinnegan and split it between the Stone and Cloud Villages.
Then, just as he reclaimed one of the Rinnegan, the Five Kage had moved all the remaining Tailed Beasts and Jinchūriki into the Cloud Village, fortifying it with elite shinobi.
They were deliberately forcing him to go there himself.
Madara felt disrespected.
"If we can't locate it… then I will go to the Cloud Village and take it myself. Prepare for my resurrection."
He didn't care where the Rinnegan was hidden.
As long as it was still in this world, he would find it eventually.
Right now, his Edo Tensei form was strong enough to deal with anything in his way.
Once he resolved this little nuisance, he would retrieve his Rinnegan and proceed with the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"Yes, Lord Madara."
On the surface, Black Zetsu remained calm.
But internally, he was ecstatic.
After waiting for so many years, the moment had finally arrived.
Despite the obstacles, everything was falling into place.
As far as Black Zetsu was concerned, no one in this world could stop Uchiha Madara—except, perhaps, that troublesome Yagami Takuya or any lingering countermeasures from the Sage of Six Paths.
Senju Hashirama?
He was a relic of the past.
As for the Five Great Shinobi Villages?
Black Zetsu didn't even consider them a threat.
Now that Uchiha Madara was personally taking action, whatever trump cards they had would be rendered meaningless.
With all eyes on the Hidden Cloud Village, tension spread across the entire shinobi world.
The movements of the Five Great Shinobi Villages couldn't be hidden from everyone—every faction was watching closely.
Everyone wanted to know what the alliance was planning.
Of course, the smaller villages had no idea about Uchiha Madara's return.
At this point, the Cloud Village was sealed off like a fortress.
If it weren't for the immense effort it would require, Tobirama would have loved to implement Konoha's defensive measures here.
Unfortunately, that wasn't feasible.
Even if Konoha was willing to make the investment, the Third Raikage would never allow it.
And yet, despite all their precautions, Black Zetsu still managed to slip into the Cloud Village—bringing someone with him.
That someone was Uchiha Madara.
Madara was more than capable of brute-forcing his way inside.
But if they could make things easier, why not?
While everyone expected him to attack the village head-on, Madara had already infiltrated it in silence, preparing for a devastating surprise attack.
"This is your battlefield, Lord Madara. I will look for an opportunity to seize the Tailed Beasts and Jinchūriki."
Madara ignored Black Zetsu.
His gaze was fixed on the brightly lit Raikage's office.
"So… this is where I shall dance?"
With that, he began walking toward the office.
His footsteps were steady and unhurried.
Rather than a warrior marching into battle, he looked like a traveler taking an evening stroll.
At the Same Time…
Inside a resting chamber, Tsunade groaned in frustration.
"Another meeting? Ugh, this never ends."
She ran a hand through her messy hair, yawning as she prepared to get dressed and head to the Raikage's office.
But before she could move, Takuya pressed a hand on her shoulder.
"I don't think we need to go to the office."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because…"
Takuya pointed outside.
"Our enemy is already here.
Right now, inside the Cloud Village.
And he's heading straight for the Raikage's office.
Actually—no, the fight has already started."
Takuya wasn't relying on luck.
His White Zetsu clone had been monitoring the village for any disturbances.
When a mysterious figure appeared and calmly walked toward the Raikage's office, there was no doubt.
This was their target.
"…You mean—"
Tsunade's golden eyes narrowed.
"Uchiha Madara… is already inside the village?"
Indeed.
With his slow, arrogant stride, Madara was walking through the streets like he owned the place.
It was impossible not to notice him.
The patrol teams spotted him immediately.
"Stop right there! Who are you?"
One of the shinobi squinted, then his expression changed drastically.
"Captain! That's Uchiha Madara!"
The patrol team had already been briefed—everyone knew what Madara looked like.
Madara?
The squad leader's face paled.
"Send the signal! Now!"
Whoosh!
A bright flare shot into the sky, exploding like fireworks.
Its light illuminated the Cloud Village, casting a crimson glow over the rooftops.
At that moment, the entire Cloud Village erupted into chaos.
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01.
DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING