"Hm? So they've already been given new bodies?"
In the Land of Rice Fields, as Orochimaru's chakra surged, all the reanimated shinobi slowly opened their eyes.
In an instant, the underground chamber roared with chakra. The sheer force of it made the entire room tremble, and dust continuously sifted down from the ceiling. But no one paid any attention to that.
Some of them looked confused, clearly not understanding what was happening.
Others immediately began examining their own bodies, obviously fully aware of what this meant.
Wrapped head to toe in bandages like a mummy, the Second Tsuchikage looked himself over before speaking in a low voice, "It seems I can now more or less use all the power I had in life."
"Tch, why are you still around?"
The eyebrowless Second Mizukage also checked his own condition, then spoke with obvious annoyance.
"Seriously, even though you're reliable as a teammate, seeing your face still pisses me off."
"Hmph, likewise."
The Second Tsuchikage snorted, but then tilted his head in confusion.
"You're a strange one. You've recovered to this extent, and the ones you're about to fight include your own village's juniors, yet you still seem so calm?"
"And what makes you think I'm happy about it?"
The Second Mizukage shot his old rival a disdainful glance and shook his head with a sigh.
"Thinking that the enemy might be your own village's descendants? There's nothing remotely pleasant about that. Though when I think about it, if they can't even deal with an old relic like me, that would be downright pathetic."
"Then I hope you get to feel even more pathetic. After all, your Mist descendants actually got tangled up with Konoha."
At the side, the Third Raikage let out a cold snort and spoke in a deep voice.
"I remember your Kirigakure used to attack Konoha the second they saw them. Now it's become this. I'm sure this is eye-opening for you."
"Tch, still better than you."
The Second Mizukage looked at the Third Raikage with undisguised contempt, his little mustache twitching into a mocking smile.
"Do you Raikage not have actual names? Every single one of you is just called 'A.' How ridiculously stupid."
"And you're dead, yet you still have to crawl back up to help your son? Just how weak has Kumogakure become?"
"Oh, and from what I've heard, you were killed by the Third Tsuchikage, that brat Onoki, and now your son's gone and allied with others. Tsk tsk. Raising a son like that, you must be so proud."
"Are you looking for a fight?"
The Third Raikage finally snapped. His already dark face turned even uglier.
"Enough. Both of you, shut it."
The First and Second Raikage stepped over. Though they looked like they wanted nothing more than to rip the little-mustached Mizukage's mouth apart, they also knew it was meaningless. Edo Tensei bodies would just regenerate. At most, all they could do was trade insults.
And since the technique could force them under control anyway, no amount of verbal sparring really mattered.
"Tch. Boring."
The Second Mizukage snorted, then turned toward Tobirama Senju, who stood some distance away with an ugly expression and absolute silence. Grinning, he walked over.
"Looks like the two of us are the most unfortunate, huh? Both forced to turn our hands against our own descendants. Funny, isn't it? Back then we fought each other to the death, and now it's come to this. And from what I hear, Edo Tensei was your invention. Doesn't that make this a bit of poetic justice?"
"If you don't speak, no one will mistake you for mute."
Tobirama's face was cold as he looked at the Second Mizukage. They were both Second Kage, so they knew each other well enough. Still, after firing off that one sentence, Tobirama turned away and looked toward the others.
"And don't forget why you've all been dragged back in the first place. It's because your descendants are trash. They couldn't beat Konoha, so they had no choice but to drag all of you, who should have stayed in the Pure Land, back into battle. I never imagined the technique I created would be used like this. If anything, that's the real misfortune. I had originally intended for the lot of you bastards to be sent to attack your own villages. But none of that changes the fact that your successors are useless. I have no idea what any of you have to feel smug about."
It had to be said, Tobirama was more than capable when it came to tearing people apart verbally.
With that one speech, he had practically offended every single Kage present.
The three Raikage glared furiously. The two Tsuchikage clenched their fists. Even the Second Mizukage arched a brow. Tobirama's mouth really was foul.
"I have to find a way to break free of this control."
Tobirama paid no attention to their reactions. Lowering his head, he sensed the power within himself and muttered inwardly.
"This situation is terrible. And the thought of having to fight Konoha makes it even worse."
"My power is already back at its peak. There's a good chance my brother's is too. If this keeps up, Konoha may really be in trouble."
That thought filled him with unease. At the same time, he couldn't help wondering where his elder brother was.
Tobirama had spent most of his time under Orochimaru's control, forced into dormancy, so there was a lot he didn't know. He still had no idea that his brother and Madara had already been thoroughly beaten down together.
"What is this?"
"Wasn't I already dead?"
"Wait, aren't those the Kage?"
"What the hell is going on?"
While the various Kage argued among themselves, the other shinobi who had been revived through Edo Tensei but had no idea what was happening were all staring at each other in confusion.
Itachi Uchiha himself was dazed.
He had never imagined he would come back to life again.
"What exactly is…"
Clenching his fist, Itachi gradually grasped the state he was in. He was still, at the end of the day, a shinobi who had come from Konoha. There were some things he could figure out quickly enough.
And then his eyes lit up.
He suddenly realized this might be a chance.
A chance granted by fate itself.
A chance to explain everything to Sasuke. To Shisui.
At the moment of his death, whether it had been the hatred in Sasuke's eyes or Shisui's tone that sounded as though he were speaking to a stranger, it had all left Itachi in immense pain.
He wanted to ask whether he had made the wrong choice. Whether he had truly been too selfish.
But those words were hard to say aloud. Deep down, he still didn't believe he had been wrong. Perhaps… he had simply never given others a chance.
"But now that I've been revived, maybe there's finally an opportunity for Sasuke and Shisui to understand something."
That thought stayed in Itachi's mind, and for the first time in a long while, he felt as though he might still be able to salvage something.
In another room within Orochimaru's base, Black Zetsu asked with some doubt, "Is it really appropriate to wake them all now?"
Orochimaru only shrugged carelessly.
"I don't see a problem. Even though there hasn't been any direct clash yet, war has already begun in substance. Better to have them prepare now than wait. Besides, don't you think it's amusing, watching their expressions once they realize what they're being made to do?"
Are you a pervert?
Even Black Zetsu nearly rolled his eyes at that.
Among those summoned through Edo Tensei were quite a few ninja from Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure. In fact, in Kirigakure's case, even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been revived.
Back in their day, most of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been fiercely loyal to their village. Of course, there had been traitors, but those traitors had largely been twisted by Obito's influence, or broken by the humiliation of being crushed by Might Duy.
Even then, when they rebelled, they had still wanted to overthrow the Mizukage—not join outsiders in attacking their own village. So being forced into this situation was an especially bitter thing.
But Orochimaru seemed to genuinely enjoy it, which left even Black Zetsu a little speechless.
"Suit yourself. Just be careful. Konoha has the capability to do the same kind of thing."
"I know. The control is with me, so there's no need to worry too much."
Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled.
"It's not so easy to seize control of Edo Tensei. Unless the person revived knows the hand seals and cancels the technique themselves, or someone finds me and kills me, the control won't be taken away. I still have at least that much confidence."
"That's good."
Black Zetsu nodded. On that front, Orochimaru was still reliable enough.
"Now we're only one step away. Once both sides officially clash, we can deploy them. This time, success is guaranteed."
"Success?"
Orochimaru tilted his head and glanced at Black Zetsu. More and more, he found the creature suspicious.
Though he had been busy with other matters, he had never stopped observing Black Zetsu in secret. Ever since hearing Ren's words, he had found himself increasingly drawn to certain possibilities.
And strangely enough, the fact that he lacked a full picture had become its own kind of advantage.
He had no fixed assumptions. That meant he could rationally doubt everyone—and Black Zetsu stood out the most.
Its bizarre physiology, its unusual status as a conscious entity, and Orochimaru's own possession of a body constructed around White Zetsu cells had all allowed him to vaguely sense how unusual the power inside Black Zetsu really was.
Coupled with Ren's "little story," that only made Black Zetsu seem more extraordinary.
This thing was hiding far more than it let on.
And more importantly, it was hiding it from everyone.
What exactly it was hiding—that was what truly fascinated Orochimaru. And that fascination only made him even more eager to keep pursuing the mystery.
Someone who knew that much might very well be able to offer him some delightful surprises.
"By the way, where did Madara-sama and Hashirama Senju go?"
Black Zetsu had no idea that Orochimaru's interest in him had already deepened. He seemed to remember something and asked curiously.
"I haven't seen them at all. Did they go out?"
"They did. Madara Uchiha took Hashirama Senju with him."
Orochimaru nodded, smiling faintly.
"The two of them headed for Konoha. Honestly, I admire their courage. Ren is in Konoha, yet they still dared go there. That's quite something."
"Konoha?"
Black Zetsu frowned the instant he heard that.
That definitely wasn't part of the plan.
At a time like this, what possible reason could Madara have for going to Konoha?
Unless…
Suddenly, Black Zetsu panicked.
Madara never acted without a purpose, and Black Zetsu knew very well what Madara was most interested in at the moment.
"You really didn't know?"
As if he hadn't noticed anything off, Orochimaru continued smiling.
"Madara chose to leave the moment that 'angel' returned, and he insisted on taking Hashirama Senju with him. I couldn't keep using Edo Tensei to observe them directly. Madara would have noticed eventually, and I had no interest in creating unnecessary misunderstandings. But from what I heard, they went because of some relic of the Senju clan."
"Relic of the Senju clan…"
That one sentence nearly made Black Zetsu break down on the spot.
He had been searching for that thing for ages and had never once found where it was hidden.
That damned object could absolutely change Madara's thinking!
After all, the original Uchiha tablet had never contained the Eye of the Moon Plan. That had all been added by Black Zetsu himself.
He had fooled Madara with it.
But if Madara reached the truth now…
Black Zetsu did not even dare imagine how Madara would react.
"Hagoromo Otsutsuki, you damned bastard!"
"You sealed Mother, and you still left behind something like this?"
"It wasn't enough for Indra to leave a broken stone tablet—you left Asura something too?"
"And you even hid it away so no one would ever know it existed?"
"You truly deserve to die!"
Black Zetsu cursed furiously in his heart, but he also knew cursing was useless. Rather than rage, he needed to understand what was really happening.
Right now, all he could hope for was that Madara found nothing. That Konoha somehow never gave him the chance.
But Ren… Ren would probably be more than happy to let Madara see it. Especially if Madara came without direct hostility.
The moment Black Zetsu thought of that, he nearly lost it. Forcing his fear back down, he asked in a low voice, "How long ago did they leave?"
"You really don't know?"
Orochimaru feigned curiosity, then shrugged.
"They left this afternoon. By now, they've probably already reached Konoha. Why? Were you thinking of going there too?"
"…Yes. I'll go take a look."
Black Zetsu nodded, then immediately added, "Deploy the rest of them at once. Reconnaissance shouldn't take long. I imagine everyone is already dying to see the war begin."
As soon as he said that, Black Zetsu sank into the ground and vanished.
This concerned Mother's unsealing. No matter what, he had to get first-hand information.
Madara and Hashirama already reaching Konoha wasn't necessarily fatal. With White Zetsu, Black Zetsu himself could get there even faster.
His one real fear was what exactly might be written on that damned "Senju relic."
That was the truly fatal part.
"I just hope Ren notices them and attacks immediately…"
As the reanimated dead began to stir into action, in another room, Nagato—who had remained with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path the entire time—quietly asked, "Orochimaru's side has already begun moving. Have Ren and the others returned yet?"
Ever since learning that Obito Uchiha had independently declared the beginning of the war, Nagato, out of sheer distrust toward Obito and the others, had immediately chosen to stay beside the Demonic Statue.
If trouble truly came, he intended to hide directly inside it.
He simply refused to believe that, at its current level of strength, anyone there could break through it.
After all, Ren himself had never actually shattered the Demonic Statue.
Still, Nagato needed more information, and he needed to know how things outside were unfolding. Konan's return, especially, was something he was watching closely.
And yet when she came back, she brought a flood of information so outrageous it made even Nagato's scalp tingle.
The Rinnegan… belonged to Madara Uchiha?
And Madara Uchiha… had actually been played like a clown?
Those were hard truths to digest.
Yet at the same time, somehow, they weren't entirely impossible to believe.
Because Konan had also told him something else.
"Ren said that, like him, you're actually descended from a Sage Body lineage. It's just that you were targeted from childhood, and your body was used to nurture the Rinnegan, so…"
Nagato was perfectly willing to accept that explanation.
After all, only a Sage Body could truly nurture Sage Eyes.
There was some regret, of course—he himself would never reach the same step as Ren. But strangely, he also found that he was surprisingly calm about it.
His attention was fixed much more on the outside world now.
"Ren should already be back. The situation is too urgent for him to just ignore."
Even though the room had already been layered with soundproof barriers, Konan still kept her voice exceptionally low.
"And his plan is to let Obito Uchiha take the Rinnegan. You…"
"It doesn't matter. They were never my eyes anyway. Whoever takes them, takes them."
Nagato's tone was utterly calm. He had already agreed, and now that he knew the truth, he was even less inclined to change his mind.
Making Madara Uchiha suffer for it wasn't a bad thing.
And besides, Obito was a fool. Giving the eyes to him was far safer than giving them back to Madara.
Still, there was one matter that Nagato genuinely worried about. His gaze turned toward Konan.
"If Obito targets you, what then? I told you before—I don't want something like that happening again."
"Don't worry about that."
Konan smiled at once, then answered with complete seriousness.
"Ren gave me a Flying Thunder God mark. He already thought of that problem in advance. Not only me—Yahiko has one too, just to guarantee safety."
"And more than that, he said that as long as someone still has a breath left in them, he can save them. Even if they're already dead, he can still do it. Yahiko is the best proof of that, isn't he?"
"That man really did think of everything…"
Nagato finally relaxed.
He wasn't worried for himself.
The ones he feared for most were Konan and Yahiko.
But since Ren had already accounted for everything, his heart was at ease. And in that moment, Nagato couldn't help the faint smile that tugged at his lips.
"I'm actually looking forward to what happens next. And from what I can tell, I haven't sensed Madara's chakra anywhere nearby. Did he go to Konoha?"
"If he really overheard us, then yes. He probably did."
A slight smile rested on Konan's lips too. She turned her head and looked outside, then after a while murmured softly, "I really wonder how things are going over there now…"
Inside Konoha, because of the looming war, the entire village had entered a state of heightened alert.
Late-night Konoha was still bustling and bright, but the number of shinobi patrolling the streets had increased dramatically.
But none of that meant anything to Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
As two of the strongest beings ever to walk the shinobi world, they could enter Konoha however they pleased. They could smash through the barrier openly and charge in, or they could slip inside without anyone noticing.
Bluntly put, no matter how intricate a barrier was, it was unlikely to stop the two of them together.
"We've arrived."
Standing outside the Hokage building, Madara gazed at the familiar towering structure and spoke evenly. Then he turned toward Hashirama, who wore a somewhat nostalgic expression.
"What is it? Feeling sentimental?"
"Can we skip the pointless chatter and move faster?"
Hashirama clearly had no desire to indulge Madara in this kind of conversation. He shook his head and stepped forward first.
"Still, to be safe, we should keep a low profile. And there's something I don't get—Ren was willing to tell you the information directly, so why didn't you just go ask him? Why sneak around like this?"
"Because I don't trust whatever he says or whatever he hands me. I'll see it myself. I'll verify it myself."
Madara let out a cold snort. His mood was miserable, and the truth was he wasn't even fully sure what exactly he hoped to find.
If everything Ren said was true, then he really would be no different from Obito Uchiha—a complete clown.
And if it wasn't true, then he still wasn't much better.
To be thrown into confusion by just a few words? That was humiliating enough already.
Whichever way things turned, there was a chance he'd come out looking like a fool.
And yet Ren had indeed succeeded in baiting his curiosity.
The whole thing left Madara bitterly frustrated.
But in any case, uncovering the truth was better than continuing to spin in circles while being played.
"Suit yourself."
Hashirama shrugged and followed once Madara began moving again.
Soon enough, the two of them had already infiltrated the Hokage building and were making their way toward the Hokage's office.
Though it was already deep into the night, and Tsunade had never been the sort to stay late at the office, there were still plenty of ANBU patrolling inside.
Yet none of them noticed that two extra figures had already entered the building.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Hashirama frowned and halted in place, which made Madara glance at him in confusion.
"What is it?"
"I think I really am sensing something."
Hashirama hesitated, but eventually spoke honestly.
"It's a very strange chakra… and that chakra seems to have an enormous pull on me. It's odd. Why didn't I sense something like this before? If it's something that strongly attractive, I shouldn't have overlooked it."
"Find it first. Talk later."
Madara had no patience for anything else now.
They moved quickly, and before long they had reached the Hokage's office.
The closer they got, the stronger Hashirama felt that mysterious attraction grow.
Even Madara himself seemed to be noticing it now.
"So this is the place."
Taking a deep breath, Madara directly pushed the door open.
At the same time, his eyes transformed into the Sharingan.
"What—"
The ANBU in the office noticed something strange and immediately looked up. But in that very instant, their eyes turned vacant and unfocused.
With nothing more than a brief glance, they had already fallen under Madara Uchiha's genjutsu.
"You…"
Hashirama looked pained, though strictly speaking, this was the best possible outcome.
At least Madara had not killed them.
"It's here."
Madara quickly found what he was looking for. That pull of chakra was simply too strong to ignore.
His gaze settled almost immediately on a large cabinet. That intense chakra attraction was coming from inside it.
"Good. I made it just in time."
Black Zetsu's vision quietly appeared nearby as well. Suppressing his presence as much as possible, he remained hidden inside the wall and peered in carefully.
He truly hated having to come to Konoha. Ren's sensory ability was so absurd it even surpassed Uzumaki Mito back in the day.
Compared to that, even Madara and Hashirama couldn't compete with her in this regard.
But this time, he had no choice.
Thanks to White Zetsu's Mayfly Technique, his speed while moving underground was extraordinary, which was the only reason he had managed to arrive in time.
"That strong a chakra attraction… did they put the Uchiha stone tablet and the Senju relic together?"
He didn't dare make a sound, staying completely hidden, but he had already more or less guessed what was going on.
And sure enough, once Madara broke the seal on the cabinet and opened it, he found exactly that—
The Uchiha stone tablet.
And beside it, a mysterious root.
"This…"
Black Zetsu's eyes widened.
Even without touching it, he could feel the ancient aura rolling off the root, as well as the traces of Yin-Yang Release chakra etched into it.
And more than that, he could clearly sense that the chakra was something beyond simple Yin-Yang Release.
"Is this… Bloodline Expansion?"
The moment he sensed that force, Black Zetsu completely froze.
That power was extremely subtle, but he himself contained similar elements within his own being. And the way that Yin-Yang Release inside the root had fused so perfectly, as though it had become one unified whole, made the truth impossible to ignore.
"This is bad. This really was left behind by Hagoromo Otsutsuki…"
Black Zetsu's already dark face looked even uglier now. He was genuinely beginning to despair.
Meanwhile, Madara arched a brow.
"This root is interesting. It looks a little like the Uchiha gunbai."
"Wouldn't be surprising if one of your ancestors took a piece from it back then."
Hashirama had noticed the same thing and couldn't help making the comment.
The root was still the same root, but with Ren's growing strength and the continuous chakra he had infused into it over time, it had naturally changed. Besides, the material of the Uchiha gunbai had always been strange, and Hashirama had seen it before.
This misunderstanding wasn't especially odd.
If anything, it only further convinced the two of them that this relic was the real thing.
"And if the tablet and the root are stored together and create this chakra attraction, then it's likely because their powers oppose one another."
Madara murmured the thought, then opened his Rinnegan and began reading seriously.
"Then let's see what exactly is hidden in this thing."
"Mm."
Hashirama nodded and moved in as well. Under the pull of Yang Release and through his own sensory perception, he could also vaguely make out the writing.
"Hmph. The beginning is mostly the same."
Madara snorted, his Rinnegan allowing him to read everything clearly.
"It all covers the Sage of Six Paths pacifying the world, the issue of our two ancestors, and the power of creation from all things. But it's strange—this also talks about obtaining Asura's power. So how exactly did Ren do it?"
"Don't forget, there's an Uchiha girl at his side who's no weaker than you were back then."
Hashirama kept his eyes closed, sensing quietly, but when he heard Madara's question he immediately laughed.
"Who knows? Maybe something happened between them, and that's how he obtained that power."
"…."
Madara's fist tightened slightly. He shot Hashirama a glare.
Why did this idiot always have to say such disgusting things?
Back then, hadn't it been Hashirama who betrayed him?
Still, before Madara could bother arguing with this fool, Hashirama spoke again.
"But… the later part seems different. And since I never got that 'power of creation from all things' you mentioned, my perception isn't very clear. But what it says seems to be…"
"Mm."
Madara turned fully back to the tablet, his expression tightening. After a long pause, he began reading aloud in a cold voice.
"To the descendants of Indra and Asura: though my time grows short, I too have sensed the anomaly…"
"It is the embodiment of darkness."
"It has another purpose."
"It even guided Indra down the wrong path…"
As soon as those lines left his mouth, both Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju's faces darkened instantly.
And hidden in the shadows, Black Zetsu's own face changed completely.
Damn it!
Hagoromo Otsutsuki!
That bastard—you had already discovered me?!
At that moment, Black Zetsu completely broke.
All this time, he had believed he was hidden deeply enough. Hidden perfectly.
He had even taken pride in the fact that he had stirred conflict between Hagoromo Otsutsuki's sons right beneath the nose of the man who had sealed away his mother.
And the result?
He had been the clown all along?!
At that moment, Black Zetsu genuinely wanted to dig up Hagoromo's grave.
But he forced himself to calm down, because there was a high chance there wouldn't even be anything left there to dig up.
You damned bastard. You truly deserve to die.
"Damn it…"
Black Zetsu swallowed the fury roiling inside him.
At the same time, Madara's expression began to twist as well.
For the first time, he truly felt like he had also become a clown.
Or rather, the entire Uchiha clan had.
For a thousand years, had they all really been led around by the nose?
And had none of them ever noticed?
"Madara, stay calm."
Hashirama seemed able to grasp the depth of Madara's anger and immediately spoke to soothe him.
"Don't make too much noise. If the Sage of Six Paths arranged things this way, then he must have had his reasons. The fact that he noticed it but didn't expose it proves that, doesn't it? At the very least, we now know there really is such a thing lurking in the shinobi world. Isn't that enough?"
"…Mm."
Madara forced himself to steady his breathing and gave a small nod.
"That's true. The Sage of Six Paths probably did have his own purpose."
"So then what does the rest say? There should be answers later on."
"Shut up and stop interrupting me. I know."
Looking at how impatient Hashirama had become, Madara honestly wanted to punch him in the face a couple times.
If this fool had managed to find that damned root back then, would things really have gone so far afterward?
Unfortunately, there was no answer to that now.
Madara could only suppress his fury and keep reading.
"The later content says that the Sage of Six Paths and his younger brother were unable to kill their mother. But who exactly is his younger brother?"
"No idea. That has to be investigated later. Stop interrupting."
"It says the Sage's mother feared the descent of some Otsutsuki clan, which was what drove her into madness. But it doesn't explain what that madness actually was. Beyond that, it also reveals why he allowed that thing to keep provoking the war between Indra and Asura for a thousand years…"
"What was the reason? Madara, don't stop now of all times!"
"…It was because he hoped that through endless warfare spreading across the shinobi world, we would deepen our mastery over power and harden our will… so we could one day face those Otsutsuki."
At that, Madara fell silent.
He did not read aloud the final, sentimental plea from the Sage of Six Paths—the part hoping they would reconcile, hoping sunlight would once again shine upon the earth.
Right now, his mind was a complete mess.
The information on the root was wildly different from what had been written on the Uchiha tablet.
And it raised too many questions all at once.
He couldn't digest it.
"It's over…"
Black Zetsu had been listening to every word.
The moment Madara read that the Sage and his brother had been unable to kill their mother, Black Zetsu already knew it was true.
And once the surname "Otsutsuki" came out, along with mention of his mother's madness, he was absolutely certain.
That bastard brother of his had arranged all of this!
And more than that, Black Zetsu knew with complete certainty that he himself had been played by his elder brother.
A horrifying thought suddenly struck him.
Could it be that this damned root only resurfaced now because he was on the verge of success, and that his elder brother had moved against him once again?
Or was there yet another hidden arrangement in motion?
The more he thought, the more chilled he became.
"Madara, shouldn't you ask where this thing was hidden before? Why it only suddenly appeared in Konoha now?"
Hashirama's quiet question snapped Madara awake, and at the same time it jolted Black Zetsu as well.
That was right.
What exactly was going on with this thing, and why had it surfaced now?
"These ANBU… do they know anything? Hm. Might as well ask."
Madara frowned, but then looked over at the two ANBU still under his Sharingan's control.
"Do you know where this came from?"
"…The moon."
One of the ANBU answered dully.
"It was taken from a group of Hyuga…"
"The moon? The Hyuga?"
That answer left both Madara and Hashirama staring at each other.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu's face turned white.
The moon?!
No wonder he had never been able to find it in the shinobi world.
Hamura Otsutsuki had taken it away to the moon!
In that instant, Black Zetsu understood everything.
All of it had been insurance.
All of it had been a fallback plan.
His two brothers had really treated him like a clown from beginning to end.
"No. This absolutely cannot continue."
Taking a deep breath, Black Zetsu slowly withdrew into the darkness.
He needed to calm down and think carefully about how to handle what was in front of him.
Maybe he could claim the root had been tampered with.
But the problem was—how was he supposed to sell that lie?
He had to think very carefully. This wouldn't be easy. Madara Uchiha was already becoming unreliable!
And if Madara really changed sides, then Black Zetsu would have no choice but to attempt a different plan altogether.
He had finally seen the Rinnegan.
He had finally seen hope.
There was no way he would give it up now.
Maybe… maybe he really would have to try using Obito Uchiha instead.
"And I can't give up on Madara just yet either. Maybe Edo Tensei can still keep him under control."
In an instant, Black Zetsu thought of countless countermeasures. Then his body disappeared completely.
But just before he left Konoha, the image of Obito flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help sighing.
Can that idiot really do it?
After Black Zetsu left, Hashirama spoke again.
"The moon? The Hyuga? How is that even possible? How do you even get to the moon? And why would the Hyuga be on the moon?"
"Because it's actually very simple."
This time, however, the voice answering him didn't belong to the ANBU.
Instead, it was a voice that made both Madara and Hashirama's skin crawl.
They turned sharply.
At some point, Ren had already seated himself in the Hokage's chair and was looking at them with a thoroughly amused expression.
"Didn't you already read what was written there? The Sage of Six Paths had a younger brother."
"And among the shinobi world's bloodline inheritances, there are still branches like the Senju and Uchiha—ones whose traits were inherited physically rather than being the result of chakra fusion."
"The Hyuga are one of them. They're descendants of the Sage's younger brother, and the main branch of that bloodline lives on the moon."
"And as for that root, their ancestor simply brought it along when he went to the moon. So of course it's no surprise that I found it there. Isn't that obvious?"
"Interesting… so that's how it is."
Back in the Land of Rice Fields base, Orochimaru, through the link of Edo Tensei, had already learned even more of the truth, and a delighted smile spread across his face.
He also knew Black Zetsu had gone there, yet he had never once sensed Black Zetsu through Edo Tensei while it was happening. To Orochimaru, that alone was enough to tell him he had stumbled onto an enormous secret.
"This thing definitely has a problem."
At that thought, Orochimaru couldn't help licking his lips.
Secrets had value.
And this particular secret looked like it could help him accomplish quite a lot.
Meanwhile, while Orochimaru was still thinking through how best to exploit what he had learned, outside the Land of Rice Fields base, Obito Uchiha had been quietly observing the movements of the reanimated dead.
Ever since Orochimaru had awakened them, they had already begun deploying, moving toward the various battlefields.
Clearly, their side was preparing to strike first.
But Obito noticed something strange.
Neither Madara nor Hashirama was among them.
Nagato also hadn't moved.
And most importantly of all, everyone else in the Akatsuki had been sent out—
Yet not a single person had informed him.
That made his gaze drift involuntarily toward Nagato's room, and the urge to act began rising rapidly inside him.
"I can't let the Eye of the Moon Plan become someone else's."
"I have to seize everything with my own hands!"
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