Obito Uchiha's little "announcement" had infuriated both Onoki and the Fourth Raikage to the extreme.
But no matter how furious they were, no matter how many calculations and resentments they harbored inside, they still moved into action.
In just a few short days, the entire shinobi world underwent a dramatic upheaval.
Led by their two great villages, the smaller countries under their control linked together, forming a brand-new military structure. At the same time, troop transfers and large-scale deployments began.
Which made perfect sense.
When there was no overwhelming external threat, they could hate each other and wage war against one another freely.
All of that naturally fell under Konoha's watch.
And it gave Hiruzen Sarutobi an absolutely splitting headache.
"When exactly are you two coming back?!"
Inside the moon, Hiruzen asked anxiously. In order to understand the situation himself, he had personally come all the way up to the moon.
"The shinobi world is already in turmoil. Kumogakure and Iwagakure have moved.
"And yet you, the Hokage's aide, dragged the Hokage herself up to the moon too. Do you have any idea what kind of blow that is to our morale?"
"I didn't expect them to move that quickly either."
Even Ren was a little surprised.
He had known the Akatsuki side would definitely make a move sooner or later.
But for it to happen this quickly—and with even Nagato and the others not having gotten advance notice—could only mean one thing.
"Someone acted alone. And the most likely person is Obito Uchiha."
It was absolutely possible for Obito to go rogue.
After all, Nagato had already told Ren that Obito's current position inside the Akatsuki was a little awkward.
And even if Nagato had never said a word, Ren would have guessed as much anyway. With Madara Uchiha now restored through Edo Tensei, and with Obito having been thoroughly used and shoved aside by Ren's schemes, it was only natural for him to be increasingly marginalized.
Which meant…
"This is getting interesting."
By that point, Ren had already figured out most of what was going on.
He still needed Nagato to confirm a few details, but he already had an idea in mind.
And most likely, it was something he could actually put into motion!
"Third Hokage-sama, don't worry too much yet."
After thinking it through, Ren smiled and spoke.
"Konoha is surrounded by satellite shinobi villages. That was our reason for building them in the first place, and now is exactly when they should prove their value.
"But in the meantime, we also need to place all of our forces into full combat readiness.
"At the same time, logistics, reconnaissance, support, reserves, and every other related unit must be fully prepared as well.
"And we need to inform Sunagakure and Kirigakure too. They're our allies. Even if they didn't want to be dragged into the war before, they no longer have the luxury of staying out of it."
"I understand."
Hiruzen nodded. He was no novice in matters of war.
Having lived through three great ninja wars, he knew all too well how to prepare for battle.
"I'll handle all of that. But the key issue is still when the two of you are returning. Konoha can survive without me—but it cannot survive without you!
"And don't think I don't know what we're dealing with. Those bastards have the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and Madara Uchiha himself!
"On top of that, all those elite dead from the various villages over the years—one by one, they're all on the enemy side now. I'm afraid we may not be able to withstand them."
Hiruzen truly had no other choice.
Faced with enemies of that caliber, even he felt helpless.
Even with Sunagakure and Kirigakure's assistance, the problem was obvious.
Those people were already dead!
A group of shinobi who feared nothing, could only be dealt with through sealing, and possessed infinite chakra—just imagining it made Hiruzen feel like clawing his own scalp open.
"We still need a little more time on our side, but there's no need to worry too much."
Ren thought for a moment before answering,
"At most, it won't take more than a week. After one week, regardless of the outcome, we'll return to Konoha."
"A week?"
Hiruzen hesitated, then finally nodded.
One week really was not too long.
It was just that under the current circumstances, he could not help feeling uneasy…
Still, he relaxed a little soon after.
If Ren was willing to make that guarantee, then the situation probably was not too dire.
"Jiraiya, stay with the Third for a while. You've taken part in plenty of wars yourself. With your help, his burden should be a lot lighter."
After watching Hiruzen prepare to leave, Ren thought for a moment and then turned to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya pressed his lips together at that.
"Tch. Whenever there's trouble, that's when you remember me. Fine, I got it."
Though he grumbled, he did not refuse.
Jiraiya hated war, but at a time like this, he understood better than anyone that there was no escaping it.
Perhaps the only comforting thing was that he still had a good deal of confidence in this war.
Because with Ren around, they truly had confidence in facing any problem!
Still, Jiraiya felt a little regretful.
He had only just gotten the chance to spend some time with his disciples again, and already something like this had happened.
"Then I'll be counting on you."
Ren watched as Jiraiya hurried off after Hiruzen.
Then he rubbed his chin.
In the next instant, the space before him distorted!
Black, pixel-like fragments folded rapidly over one another, opening into a deep spatial gate. Ren stepped directly through it.
On the other side lay the library within Hamura's temple.
"Ren?"
The moment Konan saw him, she walked straight over, with Yahiko following right behind her.
The two of them had already spent several days on the moon.
At first, they had found it hard to believe that such secrets could be hidden inside the moon.
And after Ren showed them the records stored there, and helped them decipher the Uchiha stone tablet and the secrets of the "Senju roots," they realized something even more terrifying.
Compared to the fact that the moon held a hidden world, these records themselves were far more frightening.
They had never dreamed that the shinobi world hid so many unbelievable things.
Nor had they imagined that the Uchiha and Senju clans were entangled with such immense secrets.
Naturally, they could not help but wonder.
Who was the one harming the Senju and the Uchiha from the shadows?
And what exactly was this Otsutsuki clan, for even the Sage of Six Paths to fear them so deeply?
Unfortunately, Ren had no intention of saying too much.
And the information they had been able to read was incomplete.
So in the end, all they could do was bury those questions in their hearts.
"Mm. The moon's environment isn't bad, is it?"
Seeing Konan approach, Ren smiled and reached out to take her hand.
Konan did not pull away.
Probably because the matter was no longer a secret, and because there were no real outsiders here, she no longer bothered to act reserved.
"It's alright. But compared to that, I'm much more concerned about those records."
Konan sighed softly and shook her head.
"I never imagined the shinobi world hid so many things. And I definitely never thought the root of all these wars was something like this."
"Yeah. There really are too many things in the shinobi world we don't understand and can't fully grasp."
Yahiko nodded from the side.
But as he spoke, his gaze could not help drifting toward the hand Ren was holding.
Being revived was already unbelievable enough.
And for someone like him—who had only just returned to life—it naturally took time to adjust to the modern era.
What he had absolutely not expected, though, was that the moment he came back to life, Konan had apparently… already found someone?
If that were all, Yahiko would sincerely have blessed her.
After all, he and Nagato had always treated Konan like a little sister.
But the problem was that the person in question was Ren—the strongest shinobi in the world, the true second-in-command of Konoha, the Hokage's aide.
And that man was definitely not single!
What made it worse was that Konan knew all of this perfectly well and still stepped forward willingly.
Which left Yahiko both troubled and helpless.
He did not even dare say too much.
After all, his very resurrection had been Ren's doing.
That alone left him no small amount of awkwardness and hesitation when facing Ren.
He genuinely did not know how he was supposed to deal with Konoha's Hokage's aide.
"There's no need to think too much about it. A lot of things will become clear in time."
Fortunately, Ren did not mind. He simply shook his head and then his expression turned serious.
"I came to tell you something. Iwagakure and Kumogakure have already begun moving. Their forces are being mobilized on a large scale, and they've basically gathered the tailed beast chakra by now, so…"
"The war is about to begin?"
Konan had always been part of Akatsuki's upper ranks. Hearing Ren's words, how could she not understand what was happening?
"Damn it. We didn't get any warning at all. Why did it happen so suddenly?"
"Because Obito Uchiha most likely never told Nagato and the others anything in the first place."
Ren shrugged calmly and went on,
"Of course, that's something you may need to confirm once you get back."
"I'll go back right now."
Konan was decisive by nature. Without a hint of hesitation, she answered immediately.
"I'll get to the bottom of it!"
"Don't rush. I have an idea."
Ren shook his head and smiled.
"If it really was Obito Uchiha acting alone, then that proves one thing."
"There are disagreements inside the Akatsuki, and Obito has his own agenda?"
Yahiko could not help speaking up.
After all, he was the true founder of the Akatsuki in the original sense.
Though the Akatsuki of today was no longer the organization he created back then, his understanding of internal dynamics, people's motives, and organizational fractures was still sharp.
"Exactly. And that's the leverage we can use."
Ren nodded, the smile on his face widening.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Obito will eventually set his sights on Nagato's eyes. And at the same time, the true owner of those eyes is also waiting to use them to complete his resurrection."
"You mean…"
Yahiko frowned.
By now, he more or less knew who the true owner of the Rinnegan was.
But those eyes had belonged to Nagato all this time.
Even though Nagato had essentially traded the ownership of those eyes in exchange for Yahiko's resurrection, Yahiko would still much rather see them remain in Ren's hands.
Konan, however, understood Ren's thinking almost immediately.
"You want Obito Uchiha to get the eyes, don't you?"
"That's right."
The smile on Ren's face brightened further, and he said without the slightest reservation,
"Madara wants to use the Rinnegan to resurrect himself and reclaim what belongs to him.
"At the same time, Obito and Madara have most likely never really trusted each other. Since that's the case, why not let them turn on one another?
"Hand Madara's eyes over to Obito and let him make his own play. That way Nagato won't be directly targeted by Madara.
"And at the same time, by using Obito's move as a chance to disappear from the stage, Nagato can avoid all of this trouble. Why wouldn't we do it?"
Ren was convinced that letting Madara see the "Senju roots" would make him more certain of certain suspicions—but that alone was still not enough.
To let Madara personally witness the arrival of his own fate…
That kind of impact would be stronger and more shocking than anything else!
"I see…"
Konan was clearly moved.
Yahiko still stayed silent, but Ren immediately pressed the advantage.
"And remember—make sure to let slip some information about the 'Senju roots.'
"Not too much, and definitely nothing too direct.
"Keep it vague. Ambiguous. Half-true and half-obscure. I'm sure that will attract Madara's attention.
"And when that happens…"
"Obito Uchiha will have his chance to make his move."
Konan finally let out a sigh.
But as she did, she could not help glancing at Ren.
She was honestly beginning to wonder whether Ren had some personal grudge against Obito.
Otherwise, how was Obito getting played this hard every single time?
Inside the Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha's face looked terrible.
"Good, very good. So the fledgling's wings have finally hardened."
He was truly furious.
Obito had gone off on his own and pushed Iwagakure and Kumogakure into preparing for war—this had absolutely enraged him!
War itself had always been inevitable.
But there were still many things Madara had not had time to finish first.
For example—he had not yet resurrected himself.
Obito's independent move would absolutely make Nagato more wary of them, and even though Madara did not fear Nagato, it still created needless complications.
Especially because the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was currently in Nagato's hands.
And now, under the Rinnegan's control, that Demonic Statue was nothing like it had been before!
Even without becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki, just relying on the protection of the Demonic Statue alone was enough to make Madara feel trouble and pressure.
True, he could try seizing control through his own Rinnegan.
But the problem was that the eyes he currently had were not his real Rinnegan!
"Don't get angry yet. Some things can still be handled slowly."
Black Zetsu was just as displeased with the current situation, but he knew he needed to stay calm.
"I can find an opportunity to control Nagato and force him to use Samsara of Heavenly Life. That way, you can still revive.
"But before that, the real issue is Obito Uchiha. What exactly is that man trying to do?"
"He probably wants to replace me and become the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki himself."
Madara snorted coldly, his eyes filled with contempt.
"A mere pawn trying to sit at the table as a player. Should I admire his courage, or say he's completely lost his mind?
"He doesn't even have the Rinnegan. He can't handle anything properly. Where exactly does he get the confidence to do something like this?"
Because he's an Uchiha lunatic.
Hearing that, Black Zetsu could not help glancing sideways at Madara and silently mocking him in his heart.
To be honest, Obito's utter uselessness had genuinely caught Black Zetsu off guard.
But his sudden rogue move pushing things this far?
That part did not surprise him at all.
Because every single Uchiha was insane!
The moment their emotions flared and their temper took over, there was no telling what they would do.
Obito's behavior was unexpected, yes, but Black Zetsu remained perfectly calm.
Besides, now that things had already reached this point, chasing Obito down for revenge would be meaningless.
"For now, let's just finish planning the war properly. Orochimaru has prepared quite a bit on his end."
"Hmph. Then let's go see."
Madara nodded, though in truth he was not particularly interested in whatever Orochimaru had prepared.
What he actually wanted to see was Hashirama Senju!
At the end of the day, Hashirama was not on their side. Naturally, Orochimaru had him tightly controlled, which left Madara somewhat disappointed.
Still, he had no intention of helping Hashirama break free either.
He had no desire to become Hashirama's enemy at this stage.
Though eventually, they would definitely fight.
"Looks like you haven't managed Obito very well."
Inside a hidden laboratory, Orochimaru saw the two arrive and immediately licked his lips with a smile.
"That fellow has certainly done something rather significant."
"True enough. But it isn't necessarily all bad. You could call it… an accident."
Madara stood there with his arms crossed, still every bit as arrogant as ever.
Although Obito had undeniably caused him trouble, this was not the time for Madara to voice dissatisfaction openly.
"Forget that irritating man. Show me what preparations you've made here."
"With White Zetsu's assistance, a lot of things have become much easier."
Orochimaru licked his lips again and suddenly formed hand seals.
In the next instant, countless coffins erupted from the ground!
Once they stabilized, their lids slowly opened, revealing one familiar-yet-strange face after another.
"The First Tsuchikage, the Second Tsuchikage, the First Raikage, the Second Raikage, the Third Raikage, the First Mizukage, the Second Mizukage—I assume you know them all.
"Besides them, I also found the Third Raikage and the Third Mizukage.
"Unfortunately, Sunagakure guarded the bodies of their First and Second Kazekage too well. The only one I was able to obtain was the Third Kazekage. He's not especially impressive, but still useful enough.
"I used White Zetsu as the vessels and summoned them all again. At this point, they can all fight with the strength they had at their peaks."
White Zetsu was without question the highest-quality "revival material" in the shinobi world.
For anyone other than Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, using White Zetsu as the vessel likely meant full restoration to their peak power.
And when combined with Edo Tensei's infinite chakra and complete disregard for death, that amounted to a tremendous enhancement!
Madara tilted his head as he looked everything over.
His eyes still carried a trace of contempt—after all, these were all men he had defeated before.
Still, he nodded.
Though he looked down on this "trash," that trash could still serve a purpose.
"Besides these Kage, I've also prepared things like the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, as well as powerful shinobi from the other villages who died during the wars."
The smile on Orochimaru's face only grew brighter. It was obvious he was genuinely thrilled.
"Those people may not compare to the Kage, but the value and battle strength they can create won't be small either.
"If used properly, and combined with the hundred-thousand-man White Army, they may prove even more effective than the Kage themselves."
"Perhaps."
Madara gave a noncommittal response. He did not particularly care about the people standing in front of him.
But soon, his gaze landed on one of the Edo Tensei figures—a man in an Akatsuki cloak with a slashed Konoha forehead protector.
"The boy who slaughtered his whole clan, hm? That's a little interesting."
Madara quickly looked away again.
He had absolutely no respect for Itachi Uchiha.
From what he had heard, the boy had been killed by his own younger brother.
To think he had now been summoned back into the world—it was mildly amusing, at best.
"Konoha cremated his body, but I secretly kept some things."
Orochimaru smiled and licked his lips.
"So naturally, there's no harm in putting him to use now."
"Do as you please. It's nothing worth caring about. I just find it all rather dull."
Madara let out a cold snort.
He truly did not care in the slightest.
Long ago, he had once been desperate to honor his younger brother's will, to do something for the Uchiha clan, to protect it properly.
But the moment those clan members refused without hesitation to follow him out of Konoha, his heart had already abandoned them.
What happened to that clan after that—
What it became—
Had absolutely nothing to do with him anymore.
After taking one last look over all the Edo Tensei gathered there—especially the completely sealed and sleeping Hashirama Senju—Madara felt slightly more satisfied.
But the instant his eyes fell on Tobirama Senju's irritating face, he truly wanted to march over there and strangle him to death with his own hands!
"Damn you. You really got off easy. Once you're dead, there's not much I can do to you anymore."
That thought left him thoroughly displeased.
In the end, he did not even want to keep looking at the place. He simply turned and started walking out.
"Madara-sama, where are you going?"
"You two handle things here. I need to think through what might still be missing."
Madara waved a hand without bothering to explain.
He still had too many things to consider.
Ren's pressure was simply too great.
If he wanted to truly deal with him, he had to resurrect himself—but Obito had disrupted the plan, and now Nagato was likely on guard.
At this point, Madara could only wait.
Wait for the right moment.
Even though he was utterly confident that he could eventually deal with that jumping clown Obito, the irritation in his heart remained overwhelming.
Beyond that, there was one issue he still had to seriously think through.
"What exactly does the information in those 'Senju roots' mean?"
He had not forgotten a word Ren said.
Because above all else, he had no intention of becoming another "clown" in someone else's eyes like Obito Uchiha.
In truth, there was something Madara had never spoken aloud.
He had actually intended to slow things down.
He wanted to gather more information before launching the war.
But then that bastard Obito had shattered every one of his assumptions.
And Madara genuinely hated him for it.
"What a complete nuisance…"
Madara's mood was terrible.
With that thought, he headed toward Nagato's location.
Even before getting close, he could already feel the Demonic Statue's chakra spreading outward.
Clearly, Nagato was on guard.
"Hmph."
Madara let out a cold snort and turned to leave.
But just as he was about to go, he suddenly saw a woman with purple hair rush in at great speed—
And head straight toward Nagato's room.
"Her?"
Madara naturally recognized the woman.
She was Nagato's companion—the one disguised as an envoy of the Land of Rain, going back and forth to Konoha.
If he remembered correctly, she had gone to Konoha.
So why had she come hurrying back like this?
"What urgent matter is this?"
Thinking of that, Madara suppressed his presence and moved closer.
Then he heard a faint voice.
"Nagato… the Rinnegan may actually belong to Madara Uchiha…"
That single sentence immediately changed Madara's expression.
And the longer he listened, the uglier his face became!
"In the Hokage's office in Konoha… a very strange root…"
"Ren said… the roots require a special power to reveal the countless secrets written on them…"
"The Akatsuki has been kept in the dark… used by someone else…"
"Madara Uchiha… is nothing more than a pitiful clown…"
"He's been played…"
After learning of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and the hidden movements of the Akatsuki, Konoha moved swiftly as well.
Hiruzen immediately contacted Sunagakure and Kirigakure.
By now, those two villages had already quietly been absorbed into Konoha's larger framework.
Faced with the current situation, even if they had no desire to enter the war, it no longer mattered.
The moment Konoha suffered, they would inevitably be dragged down too.
So they had no choice but to mobilize and deploy rapidly, moving together with Konoha!
Invisible smoke of war spread across the shinobi world.
Both great camps began preparing feverishly.
To ordinary people, this probably just looked like yet another war over dominance of the shinobi world.
But all the leaders of the major villages understood—
This time, they were standing at the line between life and death.
And to make things worse, it was Kumogakure and Iwagakure themselves who had stirred the pot.
"What a pain. Who would've thought that after just one week on the moon, the shinobi world would end up like this?"
Tsunade had just finished Sasuke's eye transplant surgery and walked out of the medical chamber, looking rather displeased.
After entering a nearby resting room and seeing Ren seated there with Yugao and Hikari, she found a spot, sat down, and immediately started venting.
"Have Onoki and the Fourth Raikage lost their minds? Or were they also put under Obito Uchiha's control? Otherwise how could they make such idiotic choices?!"
"Hm?"
Ren gave Tsunade a surprised look, then suddenly nodded with a smile.
"Not bad. That's actually a good angle.
"War isn't just about direct fighting. Propaganda and morale warfare behind the lines are just as important.
"And since Obito has a record already, spreading that angle hard might actually have a surprisingly good effect!"
"…"
Tsunade stared blankly at Ren for a moment.
She had only thrown out the thought casually, yet somehow he had instantly found a way to turn it into a psychological weapon?
Still, after thinking about it, she nodded.
"That does work. Once we get back, I'll have someone make a point of spreading that narrative.
"But more importantly, what do we do about this war?"
Grossing out the enemy was one thing.
But what exactly was Konoha supposed to do on its own side?
That was what truly frustrated Tsunade.
Yes, Konoha had Sunagakure and Kirigakure as allies, and in terms of overall scale they might slightly outnumber Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
But in actual combat strength, things were not so simple.
Kumogakure had taken relatively light losses in the Third Great Ninja War. Even after losing the Third Raikage, their shinobi corps as a whole had not been badly damaged.
As for Iwagakure, even though they had fought Konoha to the bitter end before, they had always been among the top three largest villages in scale, and their system for raising shinobi was extremely mature.
With backing from their daimyo, they had recovered pretty well these past years. Their combat power was not something that could be underestimated.
Then there was the Akatsuki itself, which was even more frightening.
Strong on its own, and in possession of Edo Tensei.
With the support of two major villages, nobody in Konoha even knew how many past Kage the Akatsuki had revived. It was terrifying beyond words.
And as for Sunagakure and Kirigakure—
One had been poor for who knew how many years, and although they had finally started growing wealthier through Konoha, they were still buried in debt.
No matter what, a few short years could not possibly let them develop that quickly. Shinobi training required time and resources.
Kirigakure had it even worse. Obito had used the Fourth Mizukage to ruin them for years.
The Bloody Mist policy alone had killed countless prodigies and shattered who knew how many bloodline clans.
There was simply no way they could fully recover in such a short span of time.
In other words, it was basically Konoha trying to face three superhumanly fit adults while dragging along two crippled allies.
The difficulty of that situation was obvious.
Of course, in the eyes of the others, Konoha itself was probably a superhuman brute holding a cleaver.
"We do what we need to do as planned. I don't think things will be as troublesome as they look."
Ren shrugged and smiled.
"Besides, didn't all of you finish your upgrades this time? So, how do you feel now?"
"It's… strange."
Hearing Ren ask that, Tsunade pressed her lips together before answering.
"It feels like whether it's Wood Release or pure Yang Release on its own, I can use both of them much more smoothly now.
"Especially Yang Release. It actually feels more natural to me than Wood Release. Probably because of the way I fight."
"That's normal. Everyone has a combat style that suits them best. In that sense, Teacher, you're actually a lot like me."
Ren nodded, not surprised at all by her answer.
"My Wood Release is decent, sure, but what I prefer most is still chakra mode. That fits my fighting style best."
"Chakra mode, huh? I don't think I really developed anything like that."
Hikari had been quietly speaking to Yugao before, but when she heard Ren's words, she could not help lifting a brow.
"Even though my eyes improved again, I don't think I've reached the stage you were talking about.
"But I do feel my genjutsu has strengthened a lot more. That actually suits Yachihoko very well."
Under Ren's assistance, Hikari's strength had once again improved significantly—especially her eyes!
After all, Ren had already fully stepped into the Six Paths level, and his Bloodline Expansion continued to grow.
That meant his understanding of bloodlines, chakra, and power had all reached an entirely new level.
At the end of the day, the Sharingan was just a product born from the combination of the Divine Tree's power and Otsutsuki power.
And the key driving force behind its constant evolution was extreme Yin Release.
In terms of bloodline itself, Ren could not really interfere.
That was already stepping into the domain of species evolution.
Even at his level—where he was already basically reaching the point of reproductive incompatibility with ordinary humans—he still could not directly meddle with that.
But in terms of chakra?
That was something he could easily influence.
Under Ren's control, and combined with White Zetsu cells, Hikari's eyes had indeed advanced to the Rinnegan stage!
Still, awakening the Rinnegan did not automatically mean reaching the Six Paths level.
But Hikari's Yachihoko was no joke at all.
It was basically a miniature Infinite Tsukuyomi!
"If you want to reach my level, you still have a long road ahead of you."
Ren shrugged and smiled.
"But Yachihoko is your own unique ability. This time, with your enhancement, Yachihoko should become even stronger.
"I think this time, you'll really be able to let its power shine."
"Really?"
Hikari nodded and then rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"What I'm missing is a tool to spread the Yachihoko marks. That part is a little troublesome…"
"What do you think of the moon?"
Looking at the slightly troubled Hikari, Ren answered almost instinctively.
"Use the Tenseigan's power to imprint your dōjutsu onto the moon, then let the moon radiate it across the entire shinobi world.
"That way, you can spread the marks you need everywhere. Then when the time comes, you can really use Yachihoko to manipulate the whole field."
"The moon, huh… that actually sounds pretty good."
Hikari nodded on instinct, but soon frowned slightly.
"Still, why does that sound weirdly familiar?"
"Because isn't that basically your so-called 'Eye of the Moon' plan?"
Yugao, seated beside her, could not help speaking up.
At the same moment, Tsunade also realized it.
"You little brat, can you stop coming up with ideas this insane? And besides, would something like that even work?"
"There's no reason it wouldn't."
Ren shook his head.
At first, he had only said it casually.
But now that he thought about it, it actually seemed very possible.
It would reduce losses, while at the same time delivering a huge shock to the shinobi world.
Why wouldn't that be worth doing?
Besides, wasn't Black Zetsu's side trying to bring about Infinite Tsukuyomi to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki?
In a sense, Ren would just be… helping them a little.
"Alright, enough about that."
Shaking his head, Ren committed the idea to memory.
Once they returned, he intended to put it into motion immediately.
"For now, let's go back first.
"Even with the Third Hokage in Konoha, it'll still be better if we're there in person."
"Agreed."
Tsunade nodded immediately.
Yugao also wanted to return sooner.
Only Hikari looked completely indifferent.
Still, after a moment of thought, Tsunade asked,
"What about Naruto and Sasuke? We're just leaving them here?
"And what about Shisui and the other Uchiha? After spending so much effort on them, you're not even going to check the results?"
"Naruto and Sasuke probably still need more time."
Ren shook his head. He truly had no intention of waiting any longer. Besides, the early phase of the war would not require them anyway.
"One needs more time to properly master the Nine-Tails, and the other needs time for his eyes to recover.
"As for Shisui and the other Uchiha, I already have a pretty good grasp of their situation. There's no need to worry too much.
"I believe when the time comes, they'll give the shinobi world a surprise. After all, this will be their chance to prove themselves again.
"And besides, if nothing unexpected happens… I think someone may already be waiting for us in Konoha."
"Madara, have you lost your mind?"
Within the Land of Fire, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha raced rapidly toward Konoha beneath the moonlight.
Silver light spilled across the ground as the two of them leapt through the forest.
But Hashirama's face did not look very good.
How long had it even been?
How long had it been since Ren taught them both a lesson?
And already they were going to shove their faces right back in front of him to get beaten again?
Hashirama truly did not mind losing to a younger generation shinobi—especially when that younger man was technically one of their own.
But the problem was, he too was a strong man.
And strong people had their pride.
He did not particularly enjoy getting pinned to the floor and beaten senseless all the time!
"Shut up. We're not going to start a fight this time. We're going there to verify something."
Madara snorted coldly and answered directly.
"I'm bringing you because I need you to confirm something with me. Otherwise I'd just go alone. So be quiet already."
"You're going to Konoha to steal something?"
Hashirama froze, then stared at Madara in disbelief.
"No… wait. There isn't really anything in Konoha worth this kind of effort from you. Don't tell me it's that root thing?"
Madara only glanced at Hashirama without explaining.
But that alone made Hashirama even more certain.
The only thing capable of stirring Madara's interest now was probably the "legacy" left behind by the Sage of Six Paths to the Senju clan.
And Hashirama had not forgotten that Ren openly mentioned what was recorded on the roots last time—as if he were mocking Madara for being tricked.
Madara would never be able to let something like that go.
Still, Hashirama had his own doubts.
"Don't you think there's something strange about those roots? The Senju clan never rose because of Wood Release. I'm the only one who uses it."
"Maybe someone in your ancestral line did. Power is inherited, shared, and carried on. Doesn't Ren use Wood Release too?"
In truth, Madara also knew perfectly well that what made the Senju clan terrifying was not Wood Release.
It was their bodies—their massive chakra reserves and natural affinity for chakra properties.
Combined with their alliances with a whole collection of other clans, that was how they originally stood against the Uchiha.
But one Hashirama Senju had overturned all of that.
And then Ren had appeared, which only solidified another idea in Madara's mind.
Maybe among the Senju, there really was a certain type of exceptional person capable of breaking the usual rules of the clan.
Maybe such people could even get along with the Uchiha!
After all, Madara had now run into two of them in a row.
One was Hashirama Senju, who had once called him brother.
And the other was Ren, who looked disturbingly likely to drag the Uchiha straight into bed.
Under those circumstances, Madara naturally began to believe that Wood Release was the key!
"Even though I can use Wood Release too, I still only gained it by taking your power. You're the real Senju. You're the one better suited to verify all this!"
"Tch. Then why not bring Tobirama?"
Seeing that Madara had already made up his mind, Hashirama could only ask helplessly.
"Tobirama knows Flying Thunder God. If he were with us, this would be much easier. And now that the shinobi world is at war, barging in like this probably won't end well."
"Shut up. No matter what's happening outside, we still have to go."
Madara refused to listen in the slightest.
"Don't tell me you aren't curious about what exactly is written in those so-called 'Senju roots'?"
That one question silenced Hashirama completely.
Because he really was curious.
Besides, once Madara turned stubborn about something, there was basically no pulling him back until he saw it for himself.
That made Hashirama sigh. In the end, he simply gave up trying to talk him out of it.
"Finally, some peace and quiet."
Seeing Hashirama stop arguing, Madara took a deep breath and sped up even further.
This time, he absolutely had to get to the bottom of everything!
After overhearing Konan and Nagato's conversation, there was simply no way he could sit still.
This was the first time in his life that someone had classified him together with Obito Uchiha as some kind of "clown."
To him, that was not merely humiliation.
The fact that he had managed not to lash out right there and then already counted as restraint.
"Tonight… the truth will be revealed!"
Madara roared inwardly.
And ahead of him, the outline of Konoha had already quietly appeared.
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