"A new reward?"
Ren looked at his panel in mild surprise, but he quickly nodded to himself.
This time, he had practically turned the Land of Rain upside down, so getting a reward really wasn't strange at all.
And for the current Ren, rewards were more or less all the same anyway.
After all, he had already stopped being human.
In fact, he could barely even be considered a "person" anymore.
Still, free points would never go out of style. As the ultimate stat monster, he had long since stopped asking for anything else. If his numbers were high, then he was strong.
Even those so-called gimmick-based monsters would probably do nothing but cry in front of him.
Take Obito Uchiha, for example.
That guy had probably been beaten to tears by Ren, hadn't he?
[Mission Complete: Investigate the Truth of the Land of Rain]
[Mission Rating: S]
[Reward Obtained: 10 Free Points]
[Mission Complete: Save Jiraiya]
[Mission Rating: S]
[Reward Obtained: 10 Free Points]
[Due to exceptionally high mission completion and outstanding final results, special reward obtained]
[Special Reward 1: Free Points Doubled]
[Special Reward 2: White Zetsu Cultivation Technique]
At first, Ren didn't pay much attention to the rewards.
But the moment he saw White Zetsu Cultivation Technique, he paused involuntarily.
"This thing actually exists?"
No one understood better than Ren what White Zetsu represented.
Sure, they were defective in the head, and their combat ability wasn't that impressive, but their traits were among the most abnormal in the entire shinobi world!
Their bodies could perfectly accommodate Hashirama Senju's powerful Yang Release cells, and there was even a high chance they could use the Sharingan as well.
That kind of compatibility was downright absurd.
Even if someone got injured, there was no need to overthink it. You could just harvest materials directly from them.
They were the perfect backup bodies, and at the same time, ideal experimental subjects.
The only troublesome part was…
"Weren't White Zetsu originally the result of Kaguya Otsutsuki hanging everyone on the Divine Tree back then? So what kind of method am I getting here?"
Ren muttered inwardly, but soon shook his head.
The exact method could wait until later. He could study it slowly when the time came.
But just obtaining White Zetsu Cultivation Technique was already a massive profit!
Whether he used them for Edo Tensei or as casting material for the Samsara of Life Technique, they were all perfect.
Now that Ren could already use the Samsara of Life Technique with ease, then the next step would be…
"Using the Samsara of Life Technique on Edo Tensei!"
If Samsara of Heavenly Life could do it, then Ren saw no reason why the Samsara of Life Technique—something that, like it, could summon souls and reignite the flame of life—couldn't do the same.
The only problem was that Ren only had two living White Zetsu left on hand.
After all, even if Black Zetsu wanted them to monitor Obito, he couldn't exactly stuff too many inside him.
Ren either planned to catch a few more, or use this newly obtained reward to try cultivating them himself.
Either way, his range of options had expanded greatly.
And that meant he could do even more of the things he wanted to do!
"Alright, let's go."
After glancing at Jiraiya, who was still stuck in a state of speechless silence, Ren shrugged and spoke directly.
"We still have a lot to do. Now's not the time to relax. Whatever else there is, we can talk about it later."
"Yeah…"
Jiraiya opened his mouth, but in the end, all he could do was let out a bitter laugh and nod.
"We really should head back. I just never thought my reputation in your eyes would be this terrible. And I never thought I'd actually be this bad…"
"Didn't Orochimaru already tell you how bad you were a long time ago?"
Ren glanced at Jiraiya and shook his head.
"Sure, he was speaking with his own bias, but you really do have a lot of problems. People should be confident in themselves. Believing in yourself is far better than believing in some prophecy.
"Take me for example. Did those toads ever prophesize anything about me? And am I any worse than that so-called Child of Prophecy?"
Worse?
Jiraiya shook his head.
Ren was probably even more terrifying than the Child of Prophecy.
It was frustrating, but it was also the truth.
And although Ren's changes to the shinobi world weren't exactly the kind Jiraiya had once imagined, they had undeniably brought peace.
"Could it be… I was wrong?"
Jiraiya felt a little lost. Looking at Ren's back, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Could it be… he's the real—"
"Oh, right. Do you want to change my opinion of you? Your reputation too?"
But just as that terrifying thought formed in Jiraiya's mind, Ren suddenly spoke, snapping him back to reality.
"Uh… what do you mean?"
"It's simple. Forget everything you saw and heard today. Especially the part about Konan."
Ren smiled warmly as he patted Jiraiya on the shoulder, his tone gentle and pleasant.
"Otherwise, I'll make sure every entertainment venue bans you from entering, and Root will throw you straight into prison.
"Root may specialize in restoring memories, but it's equally good at making people lose them.
"Senior Jiraiya, you wouldn't want to offend Konoha's second-in-command—the most powerful Hokage's aide in the village—over such a tiny matter, would you?"
"…"
Jiraiya pressed his lips together.
He suddenly remembered Ren's earlier words.
You should learn to respect authority.
And judging by experience, this guy absolutely meant what he said. If Jiraiya refused, he'd probably be doomed for real.
"What are you talking about? Konan? Isn't she just a member of the Akatsuki?"
After a painful nod, Jiraiya immediately forced out a stiff smile.
Only when he saw Ren nod in satisfaction did he finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
But the thought he had just had completely vanished in that instant.
"This dark? No way in hell this guy's some kind of savior…"
"Damn it. Konoha actually sent this many people?"
In the Land of Rain, Black Zetsu quietly emerged and continued observing the situation as he searched for Nagato's location.
But no matter how long he searched, he still hadn't found any trace of him.
On the other hand, he had more or less figured out the overall situation in the Land of Rain.
There were search teams everywhere.
Konoha shinobi everywhere.
That alone made Black Zetsu breathe a little easier.
Clearly, Nagato hadn't been found yet.
That was good news.
"That White Zetsu… what a waste…"
The White Zetsu who had given its life to protect Nagato really did make Black Zetsu feel a little regretful. Losing such a decent specimen like that was a pity.
The birth of White Zetsu had always been somewhat random.
Or rather, aside from a few with genuinely useful abilities, the rest were all more or less the same.
Especially in terms of intelligence—ninety-nine percent of them were idiots.
For one like that to appear, one capable of shielding someone and successfully protecting such an important target, its intelligence was obviously not low.
Black Zetsu could only lament missing out on a pretty good White Zetsu.
But it was nothing more than regret.
There were close to a hundred thousand of them.
Losing one wasn't a big deal.
"I still need to find Nagato as soon as possible. Without him, a lot of things are going to be troublesome."
Black Zetsu muttered to himself, then once again slipped underground.
Although he had already been searching for days, he had remained patient the whole time.
And this time, his luck seemed to be pretty good!
"Hey, black one. I think we found something."
At that moment, the white half of his split face suddenly spoke.
"To the north, one of my clones found traces of chakra. About ten meters underground. Ordinary people probably wouldn't notice it, but there's a faint trace of Nagato's chakra there."
"Ten meters underground? Faint?"
Hearing that, Black Zetsu's spirits immediately rose, and he quickly changed direction.
There was no way to know for sure, but it would never be wrong to go check.
No matter how tiny the clue was, he refused to miss it.
He moved quickly, especially underground, where the Mayfly Technique granted by the White Zetsu body gave him even greater mobility.
Before long, he arrived at the location.
And immediately, he sensed that faint chakra.
Beyond the chakra itself, he also clearly understood why Ren hadn't found the place.
"He sealed himself inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path…"
When the Demonic Statue lacked chakra, it was naturally easy to detect.
But now that it had recovered and absorbed a considerable amount of Tailed Beast chakra, the situation was completely different.
Even sensing this place from afar, all one would detect was the aura of nature itself.
Black Zetsu inwardly praised Nagato's luck.
If the Demonic Statue had been in its complete form, that vast, almost endless natural power would certainly have been noticed by Ren.
But in its current state, things were different.
Unless someone dug ten meters into the ground, it would not be easy to find.
Black Zetsu quietly let out a sigh of relief, then immediately approached, intending to wake Nagato.
As someone born from Yin-Yang Release itself, he had no need to worry about whether his chakra would be blocked by the Demonic Statue.
Sure enough, once his chakra was recognized, the hidden Demonic Statue finally "opened," and he saw Nagato concealed within its mouth.
"Finally found you…"
Black Zetsu let out a breath, but the moment he clearly saw Nagato's current state, he sucked in cold air.
Nagato looked utterly miserable.
His aura was weak, his body withered, and he sat inside the Demonic Statue looking like a man on the verge of death.
If the statue hadn't been continuously using chakra to keep him alive, he probably would have already breathed his last!
The sight made Black Zetsu feel a chill of fear.
He couldn't help asking in a low voice, "Are you alright?"
"I won't die for now."
Nagato weakly shook his head, nearly grinding his teeth as he hissed, "That damned Obito Uchiha. He was the one who led Minato Namikaze here, which caused Jiraiya and Ren to investigate the Land of Rain together!
"And then that bastard got beaten by Ren and threw me away to save himself. Damn him!"
Obito Uchiha had brought them here?
Black Zetsu clearly hadn't expected that at all.
He stared blankly at the pitiful Nagato, and for a moment, didn't even know what to say.
After a while, a surge of rage welled up in him.
Obito Uchiha…
Good for nothing. Ruining everything!
"What about the Land of Rain now? What about Ren and the others?"
"Nagato's pale face showed a trace of worry.
"Konan shouldn't have been exposed. When Ren and the others came, she happened to be out on patrol. How is she now?"
The concern on his face looked painfully genuine.
Seeing that, Black Zetsu immediately signaled to the White Zetsu at his side, and only after waiting a moment did he reply.
"Don't worry. She's fine. She's been actively cooperating with Konoha's search teams this whole time. But I heard she's already heading for Konoha."
"Konoha?"
Nagato's already pale face turned even uglier as he clenched his fist.
"At a time like this, going to Konoha… isn't she afraid something might happen?"
"She's probably worried you were captured and taken back there."
Black Zetsu quickly spoke to reassure him. By now, he had truly relaxed.
"That's why she went—to check for herself. After all, you've been hiding here this whole time. But don't worry. I'll have White Zetsu notify Konan.
"More importantly, we need to move you out of here as soon as possible. We have more important things to do."
Now that Nagato was alright, Black Zetsu finally felt at ease.
At the very least, the Rinnegan was still in their hands, which meant the Demonic Statue could continue operating properly.
What he feared most was Nagato getting captured and the Rinnegan falling into Ren's hands.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario had not happened.
And to prevent any such accident from happening later, Nagato absolutely had to be moved out of this cursed place!
"That's right. There are more important things to do…"
Nagato clenched his fist, his face full of hatred.
But while he spoke, he was also carefully observing Black Zetsu.
When he saw that Black Zetsu didn't seem to notice anything unusual, he quietly let out a breath of relief.
As long as Black Zetsu noticed nothing, then everything was still on track.
After all, the mission he carried now was an extremely heavy one.
Ren had revived Yahiko right before his eyes.
Not through Edo Tensei.
That shock had shaken Nagato to his core.
Yahiko had been confused at first, but after learning about everything that had happened, he had slowly adapted.
Though just thinking about Ren and Konan's situation gave Nagato a headache, there was no denying that these past few days had been the happiest he'd had in years.
How many years had it been?
Even he couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy.
He knew exactly who had given him all of this.
And he also knew what he needed to do.
More than ever before, he wanted to see a beautiful future come to pass!
Konan going to Konoha had already been arranged in advance.
Yahiko would go with her too. After all, Konoha was the safest place for him right now.
Once things here settled down a bit, the two of them would come back.
Honestly, Nagato would have preferred that they simply stay in Konoha.
No matter how one looked at it, Konoha was the safest place.
But clearly, they weren't willing to abandon him.
They still wanted to fight alongside him.
That left Nagato feeling warm inside, and it only deepened his resolve.
He absolutely could not betray the trust those people placed in him!
"Take me somewhere safe. We need to properly seal all that Tailed Beast chakra."
Thinking of that, Nagato took a deep breath. His gaze still carried anger.
"I'll remember both Obito Uchiha and Ren."
"Don't worry. There'll be a chance to take everything back."
Black Zetsu nodded. He didn't even realize he had completely ignored Obito in his thoughts.
Clearly, he hated that man too.
But soon, he thought of something else and added, "Still, don't rush to leave just yet. There are too many Konoha ninja outside right now. We need someone to draw their attention away first. That'll make retreating much easier."
"Oh?"
Nagato frowned slightly and asked, "What are you planning to do?"
"Don't worry. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha have already set out."
As Black Zetsu controlled White Zetsu to send messages, he answered casually, "Those two are going to Konoha. Even if something happens here, with Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju dragging him down, there's no way he'll be able to rush over immediately."
"Ah… that feels good."
Around noon, inside the Senju clan's ancestral residence, Tsunade was secretly drinking at home.
After being busy for so many days, she had decided she deserved a proper rest.
In her opinion, being Hokage was absolutely not a job for normal people. Heaven knew why there were so many damn troublesome things to deal with all day long.
It made it hard even for her to find a suitable place to slack off!
"And all the izakaya have spies everywhere. Damn it. Why can't I learn the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
She downed a mouthful of sake and immediately felt much better.
But soon, she tilted her head and looked outside.
"Now that I think about it, that bastard Ren and Jiraiya have been gone for so many days. Why aren't they back yet?"
Ren and Jiraiya had gone to the Land of Rain to investigate Obito Uchiha, and several days had already passed. No one in Konoha knew exactly what had happened over there.
According to the reports, all Tsunade knew was that Ren and Jiraiya had fought members of the Akatsuki in an abandoned underground tunnel in the Land of Rain.
After that, more troops had been dispatched from Konoha to the Land of Rain for a large-scale search.
She knew nothing else.
"But with Ren there, things probably won't go too badly… right?"
The moment she thought of Ren, Tsunade's expression turned a little strange.
There was no denying it.
He was Konoha's future.
At such a young age, his charisma and personal strength were practically maxed out. Even his intelligence and political skill were far beyond ordinary people.
Of course, he also had plenty of problems.
For example, he was a shameless skirt-chaser.
But compared to everything else about him, that flaw really seemed insignificant.
Besides, the shinobi world had always been one where the strong ruled.
Who could dislike someone like that?
"If only… he weren't my student."
Tsunade took another sip.
Truthfully, she knew herself that she wasn't especially hung up on the teacher-student thing.
It was just that when facing him, she always felt a little restrained.
That complicated state of mind genuinely irritated her.
Especially because that bastard loved calling her "Teacher."
That alone made Tsunade want to explode.
"What an asshole…"
"Teacher, skipping work is one thing. But sitting at home cursing people out by yourself doesn't look very good, does it?"
Just as Tsunade muttered to herself, a voice suddenly sounded behind her, making her body tremble slightly.
She turned her head and found that Ren had somehow already walked up beside her.
Her eyes widened instantly.
"Y-you're back?"
"Of course. Once things were handled, naturally I came back."
Ren smiled as he walked over to her, then sat down beside her without the slightest hesitation.
"Drinking again. How many times have I told you not to drink? Why won't you listen?"
"None of your business…"
Tsunade instinctively shifted away from him, but quickly realized that reaction seemed a little strange, so she immediately put on a stern face.
"Are you trying to turn the world upside down? I'm your teacher!"
"Yes, yes, Teacher."
Ren raised an eyebrow, and the smile on his face only widened.
That perfunctory response made Tsunade a little dissatisfied, though at least on the surface, they were still maintaining the teacher-student relationship.
"How did things go in the Land of Rain? Nothing went wrong, did it?"
Watching Ren sit right next to her, Tsunade pressed her lips together before finally asking helplessly.
"You made such a huge commotion. Fighting, sending people there to search… was it that troublesome?"
"Not really. Everything was under my control. Though there's something I haven't told you before, Teacher."
Ren shrugged, then continued.
"In truth, our infiltration of the Akatsuki has gone very deep. We've basically figured out their internal situation too.
"And the source of it all—the one truly responsible—is Obito Uchiha. It's that man, the one who colluded with Danzo, who created countless tragedies."
Tsunade frowned slightly in confusion.
But as Ren continued explaining, her brows drew together.
In truth, Ren wasn't lying.
Nor was he exaggerating too much.
He merely concealed the parts that needed to be concealed. Everything else was true.
And those truths alone were enough to make Tsunade realize quite a few things.
"So you're saying Jiraiya's disciples were bewitched by Obito Uchiha and eventually led onto a path hostile to Konoha?"
Tsunade found it hard to believe.
Could one Obito Uchiha really be this destructive?
"That's what it looks like for now, and I've already confirmed part of it."
Ren nodded. He wasn't making any of this up.
"Obito Uchiha took advantage of the moment Nagato was at his most broken and reshaped his thoughts and will all over again. He may even have used the Sharingan to influence him directly.
"Though Nagato has the Rinnegan, those eyes were never his to begin with. It takes time for him to fully master them. So it's possible Obito found an opening to exploit."
"That would make sense. The danger posed by Obito Uchiha really isn't small…"
Tsunade nodded.
She trusted Ren completely. That was beyond question.
"And Obito Uchiha's objective is the Ten-Tails. By now, they've collected most of the chakra they need. I'm afraid a great war isn't far off."
Ren nodded and continued, "But that isn't a bad thing for us. The shinobi world needs to change, and we need an era of greater peace.
"Don't forget, both the stone tablet and the roots point to the Otsutsuki Clan. They're likely the greatest threat of all.
"If we use this opportunity to clean up the shinobi world's problems, that's absolutely not a bad thing.
"Besides, we have the advantage of intelligence. This time, we'll definitely win. And we'll definitely usher in a beautiful future!"
"You… don't get too confident."
Hearing Ren's words, Tsunade actually agreed with him deep down.
In fact, she herself longed for that kind of future.
But she also didn't want Ren becoming overly confident. At that point, it would turn into arrogance—and arrogance was the last thing a shinobi could afford. It got people killed.
"I know, Teacher."
Ren nodded.
Then, all of a sudden, he reached out and wrapped an arm around Tsunade's waist.
Her eyes widened immediately, but before she could speak, Ren continued,
"That's why I'm going to prepare thoroughly this time. Your abilities need to advance another step, Teacher, and Hikari needs that too.
"On top of that, the Uchiha need a full evolution as well. Indra and Asura's feud led to centuries of war.
"But now we already understand the true root of conflict, and the enemies we'll face in the future will be even more terrifying. I plan to let them change too.
"Especially Sasuke. He's already obtained Itachi Uchiha's eyes, and he's awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan himself. His growth absolutely can't be underestimated."
Tsunade did not answer immediately.
Of course, she admitted Ren wasn't wrong.
Sasuke's growth had indeed exceeded expectations. Going even further wasn't impossible.
But right now, Tsunade didn't want to talk about any of that.
Her mind seemed to drift back to what had happened in the office before.
Her gaze stayed fixed on Ren's hand.
"You're… being far too impudent…"
"Oh, and Naruto too!"
Tsunade had finally managed to force the words out through gritted teeth, but before she could finish, Ren cut her off again.
"That kid has ridiculous potential too. And he's got Uzumaki blood. If he's trained properly, I believe he won't lose to Sasuke.
"Besides, there's still a lot worth learning from the Uzumaki clan. That kid's road ahead is probably still a long one."
"You…"
"Oh, right. This time I also revived Yahiko. That further guarantees Nagato won't betray us. And I intend to use it for further experimentation too. Like with Minato Namikaze and Kushina."
At this point, Tsunade had figured it out.
This bastard had absolutely no intention of giving her any chance to speak at all.
And worse, his hand was growing more and more brazen.
The fatal part was that Tsunade realized she didn't actually hate it.
She just couldn't quite let herself relax.
Finally, she raised her head with a stern face and looked straight at Ren.
She had intended to scold him, but when the words reached her lips, they came out differently.
"So you're saying you actually prepared all of this long ago and just never told me? And the Akatsuki were already leaning toward our side?"
"Uh…"
Ren froze for a second, then nodded.
"More or less. But that was for secrecy. After all, the Akatsuki may have infiltrators inside Konoha too.
"And besides, you could also say that our relationship is one way in front of outsiders—you're my teacher—but in private…"
"What do you mean?"
Tsunade's eyes widened, her thoughts in complete disarray.
"You little bastard, what nonsense are you saying? I am your teacher!"
"Tsunade-Teacher."
Ren nodded and leaned even closer until he was pressed right against her.
"To me… you're much more than just my teacher…"
As he spoke, Ren fully pulled her into his arms, and the momentum of his heavier body pressed her down onto the tatami.
Tsunade's body stiffened, and her breathing turned noticeably uneven.
Looking at Ren so close to her, the scene in the office, and everything that had happened on that little boat, seemed to replay as vividly as if it were yesterday.
Tsunade raised a hand to his chest, clearly intending to stop him.
But in the end, she didn't put any strength into it.
As she watched him draw closer and closer, she seemed to finally give up and stopped trying to avoid him.
In fact, she simply lifted both arms and wrapped them around his neck.
Then she leaned close to his ear and whispered softly,
"You really are beyond saving…"
"And… not here…"
On the surface of a barren planet in the depths of space, Urashiki Otsutsuki stood staring at everything before him, deep in thought.
As one of those sent to search for Isshiki Otsutsuki and Kaguya, he had at least been diligent over the years.
Unfortunately, he and Momoshiki Otsutsuki had never been the same kind of people.
Those two had deliberately left him behind and gone searching on their own.
As for their purpose, Urashiki understood it perfectly well.
"The Divine Tree and its fruit, huh? They really will stop at nothing…"
The Otsutsuki had no feelings.
Even among their own kind, they constantly competed with one another in secret.
Especially because Isshiki Otsutsuki's strength had always made the others uneasy.
Based on their observations, Isshiki had a real chance of becoming the second Otsutsuki God!
That was something the other Otsutsuki definitely did not want to see.
Because every one of them wanted to become that "god" themselves.
That was why internal conflict was inevitable.
Urashiki knew that very well.
"This place seems impossible too. But that chakra definitely came from this direction."
Shaking his head, Urashiki carefully examined everything around him.
There was no greenery left on the planet.
Only the traces of ruined towns remained.
The rivers had long since dried up, leaving behind nothing but cracked riverbeds.
There was no life anywhere anymore.
As far as the eye could see, there was only barren wasteland beneath a blazing sun that made the entire world feel like one giant furnace.
Clearly, every last ounce of energy on this planet—whether life energy or any other kind—had already been completely drained away.
Someone had obviously gotten here first.
"Still, it's not like I found nothing. At least it proves someone came here before. My direction wasn't wrong."
Urashiki nodded inwardly. He paid no attention at all to the fact that this ruined planet had been destroyed by someone.
Destroying an entire planet like this—wiping out all life, draining all energy—was nothing unusual to him.
After all, he himself had done the same thing countless times.
It was as natural to him as breathing.
To the Otsutsuki, all inferior lifeforms were nothing more than supplies.
Stepping stones on the road to godhood.
If they died, they died.
If they were destroyed, they were destroyed.
It simply wasn't worth caring about.
The only things worthy of attention were planets rich in life and vitality—
And the tasks assigned by their clan.
"Forget it. I'll keep moving and check the other planets ahead. Maybe I'll find something."
Urashiki suddenly rose into the air, chakra wrapping around his entire body. This place had no further value, so naturally, he intended to leave.
Truthfully, he longed to be the first one to discover something.
That chakra that had spread through the heavens…
It had truly stirred his greed.
"Hm?"
But just as he had flown a short distance, he seemed to sense something and abruptly turned his head.
In the deep starry sky, two more streaks of light were approaching at incredible speed!
The sight made Urashiki lift a brow, then inwardly curse his bad luck.
Because he already knew who it was.
Momoshiki Otsutsuki.
And Kinshiki Otsutsuki.
"Madara, calm down!"
Inside the Land of Fire, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju were rapidly heading toward Konoha.
Naturally, Konoha had checkpoints along every border. It would never allow people to casually enter the country.
But to Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, such things amounted to nothing at all.
Even though Hashirama was still under Edo Tensei control, even moving on instinct, he was still a being far beyond what ordinary people could comprehend!
Hashirama was feeling rather anxious.
During the Chunin Exams, he had already once attacked Konoha.
That alone had been unbearable to him.
Even though Ren had stopped him that time, he had still felt deeply guilty.
And now, his strength had recovered even further.
Through constant refinement and research, Orochimaru and the others had gradually restored his Edo Tensei body closer and closer to the level it had possessed in life.
With power like that, even though Hashirama knew Ren had certainly grown much stronger as well, he still couldn't help worrying.
Especially since this time Madara was coming too.
Even if Ren could hold out against them, what about everyone else?
"I'm perfectly calm. And I know exactly what I'm doing."
Madara waved it off without a care.
Traveling alongside Hashirama left him feeling strangely exhilarated.
But after being nagged the whole way there, even Madara was nearing the limit of his patience.
"And can you shut up already? How many times have you repeated this on the way here? Even if you're not annoyed, I am!"
"That's my village, Madara!"
Hashirama looked at him unhappily.
He wanted to break free of Edo Tensei, but Orochimaru had evolved too.
That man's entire body had already become composed of Hashirama's cells, which greatly strengthened his control over the technique.
Even Hashirama could no longer escape being controlled.
"Your village?"
Madara sneered with disdain as he turned toward Hashirama.
"You died a long time ago. That village stopped being yours long ago. And have you ever seriously thought about one thing?
"If you hadn't stopped me back then—if you had let me unify the entire shinobi world—would there have been so much chaos after your death?
"Would I have had to wear myself out planning and scheming nonstop for the sake of peace?
"The one truly responsible for all of this is you. The First Hokage. You, Hashirama Senju!"
"Madara…"
Hashirama's expression darkened, but he found himself unable to refute him.
Since being summoned through Edo Tensei, though he had been under Orochimaru's control for much of the time—and though Ren's Yin-Yang Release had shattered him, leaving a long period of blankness—he had later taken the chance to properly understand the current state of the shinobi world.
He now knew how the world had developed after his death.
War.
War had practically become the central theme of the entire shinobi world.
Every village, for the sake of its own growth, had eventually walked the path of plunder.
Konoha, occupying the most fertile land, had become the target of everyone's hostility.
His younger brother had died in war.
Countless Konoha shinobi had also died defending their home.
And the smaller countries caught between the great powers had been reduced to battlefields, where untold numbers of innocent civilians lost everything in one war after another.
One could say that all of this was the bitter consequence of Hashirama Senju refusing Madara Uchiha back then.
It could even be said that the destruction of the Uchiha clan had come about because of him!
"What? Nothing to say?"
Seeing Hashirama fall silent, Madara shook his head in contempt.
"You've always been shortsighted. You only ever see what's right in front of you.
"Back then, you thought that once the villages were established, everyone would live in peace and build homes together.
"But you never saw that human greed can never be satisfied. You never saw that development requires resources. You never saw the consequences your methods would bring.
"Remember this well, Hashirama. This world is like hell, and it all came from you. I'm only trying to fix it in my own way!"
"But… but…"
Hashirama tried to speak, but after saying but for a long while, he still didn't know how to continue.
Madara clearly had no desire to continue this conversation either.
Konoha was drawing closer and closer, and his expression turned increasingly serious.
Although he had recovered somewhat by now, facing Ren still placed enormous pressure on him.
He was desperate to truly return to life as soon as possible.
Only after reviving and reclaiming his true Rinnegan could he use the power that was rightfully his!
Only then would he no longer need to fear Ren.
And once he became the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki…
Every obstacle would be completely swept aside!
"Let me ask you something. About where the roots of the Senju clan are stored—do you have any idea?"
After taking a deep breath, Madara suddenly asked.
That question had been bothering him for quite a while.
Though he suspected Hashirama probably didn't know either, asking cost him nothing.
Especially since Hashirama had once been the clan head of the Senju. There might be some place where only he could sense the location of important things.
"I can't answer that, because I don't know either."
Hashirama sighed helplessly and shook his head.
It wasn't that he didn't want to say.
He himself was curious too.
But he truly didn't know anything about these roots. At least, he had never seen them before.
If Madara hadn't brought them up several times, he wouldn't have even known the Senju clan possessed such a thing.
"Fine. If you don't know, then forget it."
Madara couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. He stared into the distance, and by now Konoha was already visible to the naked eye!
"I should just deal with the matter at hand first. After all… Nagato has already been found."
The moonlight was hazy, and Konoha lay in peaceful stillness.
"Damn it, something's wrong!"
But at that moment, the sensory unit suddenly detected an anomaly.
"There are two powerful chakras heading straight for Konoha!"
"Enemies? Full alert!"
The head of the sensory unit, Inoichi Yamanaka, had not gone off duty yet. The moment he heard the report, he shot to his feet.
"Sound the alarm! And notify Lady Tsunade immediately!"
"Yes!"
At his command, the entire sensory unit leapt into action.
In an instant, sharp alarm sirens rang across the entire village!
"Hm? What's going on?"
Jiraiya staggered along the street, clearly having drunk quite a bit.
Yahiko's revival had filled him with joy.
The fact that Konan—the cabbage he had raised—had been eaten by a pig had filled him with helpless frustration.
And Ren's merciless criticism had left him brooding.
After returning and failing to find Tsunade, he had simply given up on making any report at all. He hadn't even gone to see Minato before running off to drown himself in drink.
And yet, the moment he stumbled back out, this happened.
"Could it be… someone's invading Konoha?"
He frowned in confusion.
But when he looked up, he suddenly saw Konoha's barrier twist and distort—then in the next moment, it shattered like glass.
That single instant scared the alcohol right out of him.
And right then, he saw two figures in red armor descend from the sky with perfect precision, landing atop Konoha's Hokage Monument.
Their tall silhouettes radiated violent chakra as they looked down upon the entire village.
"Hah… I'm back again…"
"Heh. Konoha…"
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