Chapter 231: Joining Forces
After realizing Uchiha Madara was not a living person, Jigen's eyes instantly showed a trace of disappointment.
Although the Kāma seal didn't necessarily have to be placed on a living person, if he wanted to unseal it later and turn the target into his vessel, the host had to be alive.
Otherwise, reincarnation would be impossible.
If not for this limitation, Jigen would have completed his resurrection more than a thousand years ago.
Now it meant that, even though Uchiha Madara was clearly a very suitable vessel, he still could not be used.
"Did I disappoint you?"
"Let's talk about cooperation now."
Uchiha Madara had already learned the truth about this world—the Divine Tree, the Chakra Fruit, the Ōtsutsuki clan… and even the power that transcended gods.
All of this had opened up an entirely new world for him.
At this moment, not only did he quickly accept everything, but he also had new ideas of his own.
"Since you've already begun to move in this world, I suppose you also know its current state—Uchiha Dali has basically taken control of the entire shinobi world," Madara continued.
"Mhm. That's why my plan isn't to clash with him right now, but to first find a suitable vessel.
I originally thought you could serve as a qualified one, but I didn't expect you not to be alive."
"Although I'm not alive, I can help you continue searching for your vessel. But in return, what can you offer me?"
Madara slowly folded his arms.
Although the man before him made him feel a certain apprehension…
In a one-on-one fight, he might not be this man's match.
Or, to be more direct—there was no way he could be his match.
However, since he was an immortal being, what reason did he have to fear the other man?
"Once I cultivate the Ten Tails again, plant the Divine Tree, and let it bloom and bear fruit, you'll receive a share of the Chakra Fruit.
After that, we'll keep repeating the process—traveling to other planets in the universe, planting more Divine Trees, and harvesting more Chakra Fruits.
Eventually, we'll use the power we obtain to continuously evolve, step by step ascending to the supreme throne of divinity."
Jigen's words completely swayed Uchiha Madara.
If he could become the supreme god, then maintaining absolute peace on a planet would be no trouble at all.
With just a thought, he could bring the dead back to life, create all things, or destroy all things.
If dissatisfied, he could destroy the entire planet, recreate it, and then establish survival rules for the new inhabitants.
Of course, becoming a god meant there would be no limit to what he could do.
That was the true reason Madara's heart was moved.
Strength brought miracles—if he possessed enough power, everything would be possible!
If he could obtain the Chakra Fruit, he would no longer need to be troubled by so-called ideals.
"Your words are very tempting.
In that case, let's cooperate. But before that, I need you to do something for me."
Madara made a request of Jigen.
A sharp gleam flashed in Jigen's cold gaze, but he said nothing.
"My eyes—you'll have to retrieve them for me," Madara said.
"Your eyes?"
"The Rinnegan.
They're in the possession of someone named Uzumaki Nagato. Those eyes were originally mine—I lent them to him so he could carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan. Unfortunately, he's now been won over by Uchiha Dali.
With my current body's strength, I can't fight the whole of Konoha."
Madara was surprisingly forthright.
After all, right now he intended to use Jigen's overwhelming power to help him reclaim his Rinnegan.
If he boasted too much, he might fail to convince the other man.
"Rinnegan…"
Jigen murmured, "No wonder I sensed a faint trace of Kaguya's aura on you. It's very weak, but it seems you're also a descendant of that woman."
"Me?"
Madara was slightly startled by Jigen's words.
But he didn't deny it. Instead, he murmured, "So, that guy didn't completely lie to me."
The "guy" he referred to was naturally Black Zetsu.
In the Uchiha clan's Naka Shrine, the stone tablet recorded the clan's history and certain secrets.
It was said that the Uchiha clan's ancestor was Indra.
In truth, Indra's full name was Ōtsutsuki Indra, the eldest son of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo—the Sage of Six Paths.
In other words, the Uchiha clan was indeed descended from the Sage of Six Paths.
And according to the information Madara had learned earlier, Hagoromo himself was the son of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Therefore, the Uchiha clan was naturally also descended from her.
Jigen, however, didn't strike at Madara for being Kaguya's descendant.
He simply nodded as if nothing were unusual. "I'll retrieve those eyes for you.
But not right now. I still have some important matters to take care of. Wait here for me for a while.
At the earliest, I'll come back for you tomorrow."
Without caring about Madara's reaction, Jigen vanished right before his eyes.
Madara didn't know that in the next moment, Jigen had returned to Kara's headquarters, located in another dimension.
When he landed, he staggered and almost fell to the ground.
Clutching his chest, he gasped heavily.
"Damn it…
It seems this body is nearly at its limit. I must find a suitable vessel as soon as possible.
Still, that man's words… can be used for a while longer.
When the time comes, I'll kill him too. In short, as long as they're descendants of that cursed woman Kaguya, every last one of them deserves to die."
As he spoke, a cold glint filled Jigen's eyes, his killing intent impossible to hide.
The reason he hadn't struck at Madara just now, unlike how he slaughtered Black Zetsu's clone, was because his body could no longer bear the strain.
He had retreated early to hide and avoid letting Madara discover his weakness.
Another reason was that he intended to use Madara's strength to accomplish his own goals.
Once he found a suitable vessel, that would be Madara's death date.
As these thoughts passed through his mind, Jigen gradually caught his breath.
Casually, he walked toward a passageway leading underground.
Meanwhile, in Konohagakure—
Uchiha Dali was meeting with leaders from other small nations.
Now that the shinobi world had been unified, every nation's leader had come to pay respects to this great man.
Neither Dali nor anyone else knew that, at this very moment, Uchiha Madara had already joined forces with Jigen, who was controlled by Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
The two were about to join hands and stir up a new storm in the shinobi world, shattering its hard-won peace.
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