"It worked, Setsuna succeeded, Madara-sama."
Inside Uchiha Madara's secret base, Black Zetsu suddenly appeared and reported the good news to Madara, who was leaning back in his chair.
"Just as you predicted, Uchiha Yōwan has awakened his Sharingan and is heading toward the base."
Even Black Zetsu, who had been watching the whole event unfold, couldn't hide his joy.
After so many years, this was the closest he had ever been to the end of the plan.
All that remained was to find a way to control Nagato and use him to resurrect Uchiha Madara. Then, with Madara's overwhelming power, collect the Tailed Beasts—and once that was done, kick the old man aside and show him what it really meant to be the mastermind behind everything!
Once you're dead, I'm gonna kick your corpse a few times just to vent!
His gaze subtly drifting toward Madara's withered body, Black Zetsu could barely restrain the urge to start stomping on that face.
"Hm."
Madara barely reacted to the good news, as if it was all within expectations.
"Madara-sama, it seems Setsuna may have other intentions..."
Seeing that Madara only nodded and didn't reveal the next step, Black Zetsu couldn't help but start badmouthing Uchiha Setsuna.
In his view, Madara had set up too many backups: there was Nagato, Yōwan, and Setsuna. This redundancy was a serious obstacle to Black Zetsu's still-hidden betrayal.
After Madara's death, he would have to split his attention among all three, just to prevent them from going off-script.
Seeing that Madara still said nothing, Black Zetsu added more detail, telling him that Setsuna seemed to have his eye on the Three-Tails.
"It doesn't matter. Setsuna's hatred for Konoha will serve as the fuel that drives him forward after my death."
Madara absentmindedly brushed his hand along the blade of the scythe beside his left hand, then looked at Black Zetsu with a touch of disdain.
"Besides, without Setsuna acting as a counterbalance, you—a useless piece of trash—would never be able to keep an eye on that young kid, Uchiha Yōwan."
Once again called a "useless piece of trash" for no apparent reason, Black Zetsu was fuming inside.
Damn it, why can't I keep my mouth shut?
Black Zetsu mentally slapped himself twice, cursing his own loose lips.
Ignoring the now-silent Black Zetsu in front of him, Madara continued speaking to himself:
"In terms of loyalty, Setsuna is no less trustworthy than you, this artificial being. You can trust him completely. If Yōwan ever shows thoughts he shouldn't..."
"So, trash should stick to doing trash work. As for Setsuna, let him be—for now."
You're the trash! Your whole family's trash! I'm the son of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, the very creator of ninja history! You're all just pawns in my game! I'll @#￥!%￥#%!@ you one day!
Called trash yet again, Black Zetsu felt miserable. In his mind, he was already fantasizing about how he'd use a little whip to torment Madara once the old man outlived his usefulness.
"Alright, trash—back to where you belong. The real player is about to take the stage."
Sensing Yōwan's approach, Madara impatiently waved Black Zetsu away.
Despite the humiliation, Black Zetsu demonstrated more patience than most ninja, and with a head full of curse words, he burrowed into the ground and vanished.
...
After the campfire dinner, Takeshi stood up, stretched lazily, and was just about to head back to his tent when a sharp eagle's cry caught his attention.
A sleek messenger hawk landed precisely on his shoulder, tilting its head to indicate he should take the scroll from its leg.
This method of communication... from Dad?
Frowning, Takeshi reached out and pulled the scroll from the hawk's leg. But before he could open it, the hawk took off again, flapping its wings and soaring back into the night sky.
That urgent?
Unclear what had happened, Takeshi quickly unrolled the scroll and skimmed through the message.
To his surprise, the sender wasn't his father at all—but rather Yamanaka Akira.
The note said he and Shimura Ikku were tracking a missing-nin who had defected from the village and were currently near the Kirigakure battlefield. They urgently needed Takeshi's support.
After verifying that the cipher was correct, Takeshi crushed the paper in his hand, his expression darkening as he began turning over the situation in his mind.
By regulation, he was no longer part of Root's organization and now operated openly as a Konoha jōnin squad captain. He shouldn't be answering a request like this.
But Takeshi wasn't sure whether this had his father's fingerprints on it.
What puzzled him even more was: what kind of missing-nin would force two jōnin-level Root operatives to ask a thirteen-year-old kid for help?
The whole thing reeked of suspicious intent.
Kirigakure battlefield...
Missing-nin...
An emergency distress message...
Don't tell me—
I'm being handed Minato's script?!
For a brief moment, Takeshi's mind felt unnaturally clear.
This could very well be Madara's plot—to lure him away, then send someone to attack Rin, pushing Obito over the edge into darkness.
Madara, you old bastard... still clinging to your plan after all this time, and now you're setting up Akira and Ikku too?
But if I order Kakashi and Obito to stay put and not leave the camp, that would blow your plan to hell, wouldn't it?
Of course, the safest play here would be to ignore the message completely, pretend it never arrived.
But...
What if Akira and Ikku actually die because I didn't come?
He often complained about their heavy-handed methods, but Takeshi knew deep down they truly cared about him. They had been by his side for years.
"Well, whatever. I'll just go. I promised Kabuto I'd introduce him to these two fine teachers anyway. And I've got Flying Thunder God—if it gets bad, I can just warp right back."
Muttering to himself for reassurance, Takeshi turned and headed in another direction, finding Kakashi, who was packing up his ninja tools.
"Kakashi, the ANBU has a mission. I'm going in person. You, Obito, and Rin stay in the camp. Do not leave under any circumstances. Got it?"
Stopping in front of Kakashi, Takeshi's tone was serious. He stressed that none of them, especially Rin, were to leave the camp no matter what.
"Is it dangerous?"
Seeing how serious Takeshi was, Kakashi frowned, a hint of worry flashing through his eyes.
"It's fine. I've got other ANBU comrades there too. And besides, like Minato-san, I've got the Flying Thunder God technique. Who knows—maybe I'll be back before you even wake up."
Noticing that his tone had alarmed Kakashi, Takeshi tried to sound more relaxed. He patted Kakashi's shoulder lightly, and before the boy could say anything, he vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
"Don't you dare die, Yamanaka Akira, Shimura Ikku!"
Speeding through the silent forest, Takeshi could only pray that his hunch was wrong, and that the two Whip Tailed Beast Jinchūriki had merely happened to end up near the Kirigakure battlefield.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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