"How's the Nine-Tails situation?"
"Nothing major. The Uzumaki clan's sealing arts are incredibly powerful. Normally, there wouldn't be any problem. This time, it was just a matter of reinforcing the seal, and I also asked it about some ancient secrets."
Kyoichi stretched lazily.
The shadow clone had returned.
After receiving its memories, Kyoichi wasn't surprised. He had already known this information from the start—when he dispatched his clone, he had confirmed that the Nine-Tails was aware of these things.
So...
He shorted his thoughts and quickly calmed down.
"What kind of secrets?"
"The Tailed Beasts really were created by the Sage of Six Paths. The Nine-Tails doesn't know the full details, but I suspect that when all nine are brought together, they might serve some special purpose."
Kyoichi spoke while pointing toward the moon outside.
"Also, the moon itself was indeed created by the Sage of Six Paths."
"The moon? That... moon plan?"
Nagato immediately caught on to why Kyoichi mentioned the moon.
The last passage of the Uchiha Stone Tablet.
Even though he possessed the Rinnegan, he couldn't fully decipher it. He could only make out fragments—
Moon... Plan.
If the moon was created by the Sage, and the Tailed Beasts also originated from him, then could Madara's plan be tied to the moon in some way?
It was a reasonable deduction.
Nagato couldn't help but admire Kyoichi even more. Not only had he been the first to suspect that the Tailed Beasts were created by the Sage, but now, just from a few scattered clues, he had strung together a theory that sounded frighteningly plausible.
He brooded for a long while, then sighed.
"Even if we know all this, we still can't do anything about Madara. I'm still a long way from being able to summon it..."
"No rush. You don't need to summon it right away. Let's set a smaller goal first—establish a sensory link with it. As long as we can sense its presence, we'll be able to pinpoint Uchiha Madara's location."
Kyoichi said calmly.
"What if he sets a trap?"
"No matter the trap, there's always a way to break it. But if we can't even locate him, we'll remain passive. I have some insights into sensory techniques, and your Uzumaki clan has talent in this area too."
The Mind's Eye of the Kagura belonged to Uzumaki Oriri and Karin.
Nagato couldn't reach that level, but he had developed Rain Tiger at Will, which proved he had decent aptitude in sensory arts.
With proper guidance...
Even if he could never attain the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, mastering a few techniques tied to Reverse Summoning would allow him to trace the connection between the Rinnegan and its summonings, and use it for reverse-location.
When Kyoichi studied the Flying Thunder God and the Flying Thunder Formation, he had also examined Reverse Summoning. When it came to spatial positioning, he and Minato could both be called experts. Teaching Nagato wouldn't be a problem.
And so—
He explained some key techniques.
Nagato learned quickly. His talent was real, but it was clear his mind kept wandering.
Kyoichi paused, and only then did Nagato snap back.
"My apologies. I was... worried about Yahiko and Konan. The enemy's methods are almost impossible for ordinary people to perceive. And what we're doing now may already pose a direct threat to Madara's safety."
Nagato's tone carried unease.
Previously, he hadn't worried—he hadn't understood the stakes well enough. He thought Kyoichi's theories were just speculation. He'd even believed that if all three of them came to Konoha, they might be manipulated by certain factions there.
But—
After arriving in Konoha, he realized Kyoichi and Jiraiya's standing in the village far surpassed what they had imagined. Especially Kyoichi—his position in Konoha...
It was more absurd than Hanzo's dominance in Amegakure.
The most absurd part—
This guy was younger than him by a few years, and his status was already like this. What about the future? Wasn't his elder sister set to become the Fifth Hokage?
With a background like that...
What "insecurity" was there to speak of?
But still—
Convincing Yahiko and Konan to come to Konoha under the current circumstances might not be so easy.
"Don't worry. That thing doesn't seem to have much fighting ability, and controlling others likely requires specific conditions. I've already sent a Hyūga branch family squad to handle it—there shouldn't be any major issues."
"I hope so. As for Madara... I'll master this as quickly as possible!"
Nagato nodded heavily.
This wasn't just Kyoichi's battle.
It concerned him, Yahiko, and Konan's lives. No matter what, he had to master this before it became a fatal disaster.
"The Rinnegan's techniques are peculiar, but you can experiment. Not everything has to be learned step by step. Take summoning for instance—like I just explained."
Kyoichi continued, "And more importantly, since the Rinnegan is an evolution of the Sharingan, it must carry over some of the Sharingan's abilities. Those... you'll probably have to explore and awaken for yourself."
"The Sharingan?"
Nagato fell into deep thought. Until now, he hadn't realized the link between the Rinnegan and the Sharingan. But Kyoichi was right...
These eyes were originally Madara's, evolved from the Sharingan.
Which meant—
They had to contain the powers of the Sharingan, though he had yet to draw them out. If he could, even if it didn't counter Madara outright...
Just knowing Madara's abilities would be precious intel.
…
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu slipped back into the earth, his mind blank.
That brat was strange.
All he did was get worked up at hearing, "The Stone Tablet might be a fake," and yet somehow he got detected. That sensory ability was freakish.
He fled back to Madara's lair.
Only upon seeing Madara and that familiar Demonic Statue did he finally breathe easier. For the first time, he felt Madara being alive was actually reassuring.
"Your heart is unsettled. What happened?"
"Hah... I was discovered. That brat even tried to seal me. Luckily, my body isn't vulnerable to normal sealing techniques, or else I'd have been trapped."
"Discovered? By Nagato?"
Madara's eyes narrowed.
He didn't even consider Kyoichi—after all, Kyoichi had neither Rinnegan nor Sharingan. How could he possibly sense Black Zetsu?
"No. By that Kanda Kyoichi."
"...Huh??" Madara tilted his head, completely baffled.
That brat again?
Damn it...
Even worse than that schemer Tobirama.
He inhaled deeply, then asked, "What exactly happened?"
"He took Nagato to Naka Shrine and showed him the Stone Tablet. I got emotional and... was detected."
"...!" Madara's eyes glinted with killing intent.
Naka Shrine?
That was the Uchiha ancestral ground. Only the clan head had the right to access the Tablet directly. And the current clan head—was he eating dirt?!
Madara drew in a deep breath.
Stay calm.
After three or four seconds, he managed to steady himself.
"What did they see?"
"Most of it. Fortunately, they couldn't decipher the Eye of the Moon Plan. Right now, they only know the Rinnegan belonged to you. The rest isn't important."
"That's... acceptable."
But still—
Madara's fingers drummed against the stone chair.
That Uchiha Fugaku—next time I see him, I'll definitely take him out!
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