"Takeshi... hm?"
Orochimaru had been ready to complain, but the moment the black cat returned, he sensed an immediate shift.
He was stronger. This wasn't a simple boost in power, but a fundamental change in his state of being. If the black cat had previously given the impression of a towering, high-and-mighty Sage, he now seemed to have merged seamlessly with the world itself.
It was a peculiar sensation, but Orochimaru trusted his instincts.
"Meow~ I've made a little progress recently. I'm getting ready to go give Madara some trouble. How is the research on White Zetsu? Can we track them?"
Takeshi's tone was polite enough.
Orochimaru, however, wasn't fooled. The cat might sound courteous, but he never knocked, he simply flashed in and out using the Flying Thunder God without ever filing a report. The politeness was purely superficial.
Orochimaru considered the question for a moment, then pulled a few scrolls from his sleeve. He selected one, unsealed it, and handed it to Takeshi. "For now, we've only determined that the subject is a living entity distorted by a unique energy. Deeper analysis is ongoing. As for what you need..."
Orochimaru shook his head gently.
"Tracking the main body via two White Zetsu is nearly impossible. They've been heavily modified, so any information trail inevitably leads back to Hashirama Cells."
It was an awkward dead end.
Takeshi narrowed his eyes. He had suspected Orochimaru might hit a wall with the White Zetsu, but the confirmation was still disappointing. Still, asking about that first had a strategic benefit: surely Orochimaru wouldn't dare deliver bad news twice in a row regarding Kakuzu.
Meeting that expectant gaze, Orochimaru gave a dry cough to preserve some self respect. "We have had significant gains regarding Kakuzu. He was indeed wealthy. We've retrieved the funds for you, every single ryo, not a ryo less. As for his ninjutsu..."
"Meow~ You keep researching that. Just share the results with me when you produce some."
Takeshi dismissed the Earth Grudge Fear without much thought.
It was a Secret Technique that granted longevity, certainly, but the price was something he wasn't willing to pay. Given his mastery of high-end senjutsu abilities from the Three Great Holy Lands, living for around a thousand years was already within reach. Perhaps an Orochimaru using Earth Grudge Fear could replace his hearts and never die, but Takeshi didn't need it.
As for the technique's offensive capabilities, he already had them beat.
Six Paths Mode was simply stronger.
Orochimaru nodded slightly, then stared at Takeshi for a long moment. Realizing the cat had no self-awareness and wasn't leaving, Orochimaru helplessly picked up his notebook and returned to his studies. The best way to deal with a tyrant was to give them what they wanted, then ignore them completely.
Thanks to the White Zetsu incident, the village had increased funding for the research institute. Orochimaru's life here was very comfortable, and his mindset had become increasingly Zen.
Takeshi wasn't leaving?
Fine, let him stay. There were few places in Konohagakure that could stop him anyway, and Orochimaru's time was better spent on science.
"Meow~ I'm off."
Takeshi glanced at the scroll one last time.
It listed the total sum. Orochimaru had instructed his own subordinates to handle the retrieval, bypassing the village entirely. Currently, the funds were stored with Kabuto.
Orochimaru knew Kabuto was Takeshi's man, so handing the money to him was the smartest move.
Since it was with Kabuto...
Then there was nothing to worry about. Kabuto seemed to be researching cat food recently, Takeshi wondered how that was coming along.
Thinking of Kabuto brought a tiny pang of guilt.
The boy was only six years old. Although his talent was exceptional and his diligence had granted him extraordinary attainments in Iryo ninjutsu at such a young age, in Takeshi's past life, this would have been considered exploiting child labor.
However, leaving things in Kabuto's hands made him relatively relieved.
One of Kabuto's best qualities was knowing what he should take and what he shouldn't. That was why Takeshi trusted him. Now that Nono and Kabuto shared a deep, secure bond, he had no reason to cause trouble. A stable life was enough.
Of course, this stability was inseparable from Tsunade's ascension to power.
With Tsunade in charge, many children and Iryo-nin received proper care. Kabuto and Nono were direct beneficiaries. The bad habits left over from the era of Hiruzen and Danzo had been swept away by her administration.
Understanding this, Takeshi sometimes lamented the alternative.
If Minato had taken the position, he absolutely could not have achieved this.
Even following the original history, where Minato's prestige shook the world during the Third War, his seniority and background were still lacking, and his personality was too soft to completely suppress the elder council.
Most importantly...
Danzo was dead.
With one less troublemaker, the village was suddenly much quieter and more harmonious. Even if Hiruzen had lingering thoughts of influence, having actively stepped down, he had no justification to interfere.
Takeshi took a lap around the village.
During this time, he sought out Kabuto for a quick chat, essentially asking him to watch over the money. He also instructed him to prepare grain shipments for the Land of Snow and Yukigakure. Kabuto had a good head on his shoulders and wouldn't blab about these secrets.
Matters settled, Takeshi left the village.
'Madara, here I come!'
The black cat didn't have coordinates, but the Shinobi World was only so big. With his current sensory abilities, he could sweep it grid by grid. Moreover, he didn't believe Black Zetsu would stay quiet.
As long as Black Zetsu mobilized a White Zetsu to cause trouble, Takeshi would sense it and follow the vine to the melon.
For him, it wasn't difficult.
Leaving Konohagakure, Takeshi began a carpet search. One trace was all he needed to unravel the whole hiding spot.
Finding Madara's lair wasn't the hard part, previously, the issue was that finding him didn't guarantee beating him. But now, things were different.
He had become stronger!
Takeshi was feeling very confident. However, over in the Land of Water, Madara was genuinely worried about the black cat showing up. Although White Zetsu's recent reconnaissance showed no movement from Konohagakure or the Land of Snow...
That silence was the most dangerous signal.
Konoha's strength was immense, otherwise, they couldn't have fought four nations at once and achieved a perfect victory. Even ignoring the rest, those two masters of the Flying Thunder God weren't weak. If Madara were thirty years younger, he would have eagerly killed his way out to dance with them.
It was a pity.
He was old and frail, relying on a single breath and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path: Gedo Mazo to linger in this world. The critical problem was that the Rinnegan was not currently in his possession.
Madara felt he needed a new approach.
Train Shisui?
It would take too long.
No matter how talented Shisui was, starting his training now would take five or six years to yield results, and another seven or eight before he reached fifteen, the age necessary to truly contend with the Shinobi World.
And that was assuming the plan encountered no issues. A critical link was the elimination of Kura Uchiha.
But Kura Uchiha was a contemporary Mangekyo owner.
Killing such a ninja was far too difficult for a proxy. If possible, Madara wanted to handle it personally.
On one hand, he needed to plant a Jutsu on Kura.
On the other, acting personally would allow him to regain control of the board and stop reacting passively to events.
"Report!"
"I caught someone," Black Zetsu's voice rasped. "Their clan possesses the ability to transfer their own life force to others. Additionally, Chiyo of Sunagakure Village appears to have created a similar life-transferring jutsu."
"Very good. Then, let's complete this phase first."
Madara spoke coldly.
Black Zetsu bowed his head slightly, then melted into the unconscious ninja beside him.
She was a kunoichi from Kusagakure Village.
As Black Zetsu seized control, she awoke, only to discover she couldn't move a muscle. She could only watch in horror as her body began to perform a Secret Technique against her will...
'Life Transference Jutsu!'
Once the technique activated, her vitality began to drain rapidly.
Black Zetsu had no choice. Originally, his plan did not involve keeping Madara alive this long, as Madara's continued existence restricted his scheme to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki. That was why he had kept his mouth shut regarding techniques like the Life Transference Jutsu or the Self-Life Reincarnation Jutsu.
Now, he had to speak up.
If he didn't strengthen Madara now, let alone rescuing Kaguya Otsutsuki, even the Rinnegan he had almost secured would slip away. Forced into a corner, he had to offer these solutions, retrieve the Rinnegan first, worry about the rest later.
Vitality poured into Madara's withered frame.
Madara felt the immense surge of life. The mass of Hashirama's flesh on his chest greedily absorbed the energy, pumping it to every corner of his body. After a moment, Madara stood up and tore the life-support tubes from his back.
He wasn't fully restored to his prime, but...
"Hahahaha! I, Madara Uchiha, have returned!"
The King of Dance would take the stage first and talk later.
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