"Even if you're my creation, you're nothing like me," Madara said coldly. "As long as you don't die, I won't die. Sooner or later, I will rise again. What's there to fear from a mere shinobi world?"
Madara sneered, not doubting Black Zetsu's identity—after all, he had personally created him—but he couldn't help finding the creature's timidity unbearable. They were complete opposites in temperament.
Black Zetsu stayed silent.
Their goals had never been the same. The "Eye of the Moon Plan" was just Madara's obsession; his true purpose was to resurrect Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, not to indulge Madara's lust for battle or his delusions of godhood.
But what choice did he have?
When the arm wrestles the thigh, it always loses.
No matter how much he disagreed, things still unfolded according to Madara's will. Being a "tool" that can't resist orders was a miserable existence.
Despite the churning frustration inside, he maintained a calm and expressionless façade.
"So, what's your plan now?" he asked evenly. "The surface is crawling with shinobi. They're narrowing their search. Even if we're buried deep underground, an Earth Release user could still uncover us."
He quickly shifted the topic—arguing was pointless.
Trying to convince Madara to retreat was impossible. Once that man decided on a course of action, he would never turn back unless struck senseless by a mule kick.
Madara, however, seemed perfectly composed. As he polished his weapon, he replied with quiet arrogance:
"No need to rush. So what if they find us? When the time comes, we'll see who ends up running. Hmph… I can already feel the thrill of battle!"
---
Whether Madara was thrilled or not, Kyoichi didn't know.
But he was thrilled—truly thrilled.
Madara was close.
Even though they hadn't pinpointed his exact position, Kyoichi could already sense that faint, ominous chakra in the air.
More than that—
the mock God Tree branch he'd once cut off for research was now reacting on its own.
That meant only one thing:
a massive concentration of Hashirama's cells lay nearby.
Madara's lair was right here!
"Move. Pull back."
"You found it?" Jiraiya whispered.
Kyoichi nodded. "Yeah. It's in this area. We don't need to locate it precisely yet—just narrowing the range is enough. No sense rushing in now. I can tell… there's more than one of those things down there."
He could barely contain his excitement.
Finally!
The old man had hidden himself deep in the northernmost reaches of the Land of Iron.
And then he'd had the gall to tell Obito their "meeting" was by chance?
Sure—like anyone would buy that now.
Jiraiya was equally ecstatic. If not for the fact they were deep underground, he might've leapt up and shouted for joy.
The two quickly retreated.
Going any farther would be dangerous.
Though Kyoichi had full confidence he could face Madara head-on, his ambition went beyond that. He didn't just want Madara—he wanted to wipe out every last White Zetsu as well.
That was a much higher bar to clear.
Once they withdrew to a safe distance, Kyoichi used the Flying Thunder God to teleport them miles away before exhaling slowly.
"Think Madara noticed us?" Jiraiya asked.
"Hard to say. Probably not," Kyoichi replied. "I only sensed them using this—not pure chakra perception. My detection range is far beyond theirs. The only one who might've noticed was that pitch-black thing."
Of course, he meant Black Zetsu.
If anyone on Madara's side could conceal themselves from his detection, it was that one alone.
But even then… he doubted Black Zetsu was omnipotent.
"So what now?"
"We wait," Kyoichi said after a pause. "Until everyone arrives. We'll hold this position for the next few days. If there's any movement underground, we'll sense it immediately."
He'd nearly perfected his mastery of Yin Release transformation. The only unknown left was the Ten-Tails' chakra—whether it might interfere with future development.
But that problem could wait.
Black Zetsu was already a variable outside all known plans.
If worst came to worst, they could always leave it alone for now—its downfall would come eventually, perhaps in the next generation: Naruto, Sasuke… someone would end it.
Though, in truth, Black Zetsu might not even live to see that day.
After all, if Madara fell, what could it possibly do?
Without a proper host, it would never achieve what it had in that other timeline.
As for Nagato—Tsunade's medical research had nearly reached completion. Only the final stage remained. Now that they'd confirmed Madara's location, Nagato's operation could finally begin.
Kyoichi took out a slip of paper, quickly jotting down the details of Madara's whereabouts, then sent it off through a Flying Thunder God mark.
"You're not going back?" Jiraiya asked.
"I left a shadow clone at the research facility," Kyoichi replied. "Let it handle the report. This side's more important—if Madara relocates, neither you nor my clone could stop him."
---
Meanwhile, back in Konohagakure—
Things weren't nearly so relaxed.
The Third Hokage had come knocking.
"Tsunade, what exactly are you planning?" Hiruzen demanded. "Your labs, your teams—your expenditures have already surpassed wartime levels! Don't tell me you've actually found Madara?"
He was clearly anxious.
Of course he knew a little about Madara's situation, but Tsunade's and Kyoichi's movements lately felt… final, like preparations for an ultimate confrontation.
Yet she hadn't shared a word with the older generation.
Were they being sidelined?
Tsunade rubbed her temples.
"Sensei, please—don't get involved in this one. You're the Academy's headmaster now. Focus on the next generation. This… this is our era's fight."
"What nonsense is that! Do you think Sarutobi Hiruzen fears death?" he barked, slamming his hand on the desk.
But then, seeing her exhaustion, his tone softened.
"At least tell me what's going on, Tsunade."
She sighed helplessly.
It wasn't that she distrusted him—she just didn't want him dragged into another battlefield. He'd already given everything once. Why should the old guard bleed again when the new had grown strong?
"Right now, Kyoichi and Jiraiya are—hm?"
Before she could finish, a small slip of paper flickered into existence on her desk. She caught it instinctively, scanned it—then her eyes widened in astonishment and delight.
She looked up at Hiruzen.
"They found him!"
"What?"
"Madara—he's hiding in the northern reaches of the Land of Iron. Kyoichi just confirmed it. He says we need to prep Nagato's operation and check for any seals on him."
Joy flooded her face. Without another thought, she seized Hiruzen's hand.
"Perfect timing, Sensei! You can handle the paperwork here—I have to get to the hospital for the procedure. There's no time to waste!"
Before Hiruzen could protest, she vanished in a blur of movement.
The Third Hokage stood there, stunned.
"…What did I come here for again?"
Oh right—
to figure out what was going on.
He stared at the mountain of documents on Tsunade's desk and couldn't help a sigh.
Was this… payback for the old days?
With a weary smile, he pulled up a chair and sat down.
It had been a long time since he'd handled official paperwork himself.
And after all these years… it was still just as dreadful as he remembered.
***************************
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