Shikaku wanted to remind him, but Shiki—who already understood what Nara Shikaku was about to say—simply smiled, lifted a hand, and casually interrupted him.
"Don't worry. Anything you can see… I naturally see it too."
"Ugh…"
Hearing that, Nara Shikaku's expression twisted with a complicated unease.
Yes, what Shiki said was true.
But why did it feel like his entire skillset was being dismissed so effortlessly?
A man with overwhelming presence and perception—so sharp that even the tiniest shift couldn't escape him.
Naturally, that included Sarutobi Shinnosuke's hostile glare from earlier.
"That, Lord Shiki… what are you planning to do about it?"
Shikaku asked cautiously.
Shinnosuke's strength had suffered ever since losing his arm, but as the Hokage's son, dealing with him openly would still be troublesome.
At the very least, it couldn't be done in the light.
In Shikaku's mind, if Shiki really wanted to deal with Shinnosuke, he could help devise a discreet solution.
But Shiki didn't match Shikaku's serious mood at all. Instead, he answered with complete nonchalance:
"It's just a small fry. When the war starts, I'll find a chance to get rid of him."
Shiki never tolerated being glared at by men.
If someone dared be dishonest toward him… well, too bad for them.
"Uh…"
Shikaku blinked.
So reckless!?
"What? Is there a problem?"
Shiki turned his head with a casual look.
Shikaku hesitated, clearly wanting to say something—yet in the end, he merely shook his head.
"No… Lord Shiki's idea is very reasonable."
This… was simply the mindset of overwhelming strength.
In front of absolute power, every conspiracy, every trick… really was nothing more than a floating cloud.
Realizing that, Shikaku sighed bitterly and stopped arguing.
"Shikaku! What's wrong with you?"
Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chōza—his Ino–Shika–Chō companions—immediately came over after seeing Shikaku's expression.
"It's nothing. But from now on, we need to be careful."
"Careful of what?"
Inoichi and Chōza were confused at first.
But after hearing Shiki's plan regarding Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the two of them were speechless.
"This new leader we chose is really… direct."
Other adjectives refused to come.
It suddenly hit them:
If we ever slip up… will we be remembered too!?
Chōza, however, didn't seem bothered at all.
"Well! Isn't that good? At least with Lord Shiki, everything is out in the open. Unlike Hiruzen… you never know when he might decide to get rid of you."
"…"
Both Shikaku and Inoichi froze for a moment.
…He's not wrong.
With a leader like Shiki, at least they didn't have to worry about being secretly silenced.
"Forget it. Let's just focus on doing our jobs."
Shikaku let out a long breath and followed quietly behind Shiki.
As the march continued, Shiki suddenly halted mid-step.
He turned his head sharply toward a certain part of the forest.
More than two thousand Konoha shinobi came to an instant stop behind him, murmuring in confusion.
"Lord Shiki?"
Following his gaze, Shikaku saw nothing and could only ask:
"Did something happen?"
"It's nothing."
Shiki shook his head, though his eyes remained fixed toward that forest.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
He didn't explain anything further—just waved his arm.
"Keep moving!"
"Yes!"
Everyone was puzzled, but no one dared to question him.
They continued toward the battlefield near the Land of Lightning.
Inwardly, Shiki mused:
So those monsters hiding in the shadows have started to show up too, huh…
He said nothing else the rest of the way.
In the forest behind them—
After the Konoha army completely disappeared from sight, a half-black, half-white figure slowly emerged from a tree trunk.
Black Zetsu frowned, staring toward the direction Shiki left.
"…He noticed."
When Shiki stopped earlier, it was clearly because he sensed them.
White Zetsu, however, seemed delighted.
"Waaah~! What a powerful guy! He actually detected us!"
For all their various abilities, their specialty was concealment—and there truly weren't many in the entire ninja world who could perceive them.
"Maybe his sensory perception is far beyond what we imagined."
Black Zetsu muttered.
He had witnessed countless strong beings across eras, but even so, this level of perception was rare.
White Zetsu tilted his head.
"Speaking of which, didn't Madara-sama tell us to find someone for the plan?"
"I already have a candidate."
"Eh!? Seriously!? How come you found him when I didn't!?"
Black Zetsu didn't even look at him.
Because in reality… White Zetsu was definitely the one who slacked off.
The Border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth — Kannabi Bridge
A crucial strategic point for Iwagakure.
A supply route.
And beneath this land… a secret powerful enough to shake the entire ninja world.
Black and White Zetsu phased out from the dirt using their unique traveling ability—perfectly merging into any tree, soil, or terrain.
Deep underground, they looked up toward a high platform where an old man sat.
White Zetsu couldn't help muttering:
"Madara-sama hasn't died yet, right…?"
"Shut up."
Black Zetsu snapped instantly.
What kind of nonsense was that?
After all the centuries of scheming, how could Uchiha Madara be allowed to die now?
White Zetsu opened his mouth to argue, but—
The elderly man on the high seat slowly opened his eyes.
This was Uchiha Madara—
Living on through the power of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Barely alive… but alive nonetheless.
"Enough."
Madara didn't bother with their bickering.
There was only one thing he cared about:
"Did you find the spokesperson I instructed you to locate?"
He knew he was dying.
Even with the Gedo Mazo sustaining him, his body would not last more than a few years.
He needed a successor.
A pawn who could walk the ninja world after his death and complete the Eye of the Moon Plan.
White Zetsu wisely shut up. Madara never expected anything from him anyway.
Black Zetsu stepped forward.
"There is already a suitable candidate."
He tossed a scroll into Madara's hand.
Madara caught it, his expression unreadable.
"…Not bad."
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