The Raikage's question drew everyone's attention.
Most people already understood the benefits of forming a Ninja Alliance, but the ultimate mission of the Alliance—Senshi's so-called "Perfect Ninja World Plan"—was still largely mysterious.
The most unbelievable aspect was that it supposedly allowed the deceased to be brought back to life. Every faction naturally hoped to resurrect some of their fallen shinobi, as many late comrades still held "strategic-level" value.
For Konoha, for instance, reviving the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, would cause their overall strength to skyrocket.
When Senshi called everyone to Amegakure, he had prepared in advance for these questions. So after the Fourth Raikage spoke, he answered honestly, "The Perfect Ninja World Plan really can be done, but it won't be easy.
"First, the Alliance must remain firmly united so that once we resurrect the dead, we don't trigger yet another large-scale war. Second, reviving the dead comes with conditions: a faction must make sufficient contributions to the Ninja Alliance before their deceased can be brought back."
The moment Senshi finished, Karin and Musen leapt up from their seats and started clapping again, having a grand time. Most of the other ninjas just smiled wryly.
Many, however, wholeheartedly approved of Senshi's proposal for an alliance and a Perfect Ninja World Plan—among them Tsunade, the "Princess of Konoha," who dearly hoped her younger brother could live again.
Likewise, at the back of the hall stood Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto wished for his parents to be revived; Sasuke hoped for the restoration of his parents and his clan.
Glancing at Sasuke, Naruto said, "Sasuke, from now on we should do as much as we can in the Alliance under the name of 'Konoha shinobi.' That way, it'll be easier to resurrect our people."
Uncharacteristically, Sasuke nodded in agreement without any snark.
Standing beside them was Jiraiya—officially part of the Konoha leadership, though he didn't have a seat in this conference. At the moment, he was wearing a bitter look. The thought that Dan might get resurrected and then chase down Tsunade hurt even more than failing to win her himself.
Then again, Jiraiya realized that Konoha had produced tons of talents in its history, so who knew how long it would take Dan to "win the resurrection competition." If Jiraiya managed to court Tsunade before Dan's return, then having him revived later wouldn't matter. It wasn't as though Tsunade would say, "Let's just live together—the three of us—because that's the most important thing, right?"
Likewise, Orochimaru—another Konoha leader who wasn't seated—stood toward the back with Kabuto. Upon hearing the rules of the Alliance's resurrection system, Orochimaru thought of his parents, whose deaths once drove him to obsess over immortality. If Senshi's plan could actually bring them back, that would be a welcome twist.
Kabuto was even more emotional. He longed for the day the Orphanage Dean—his beloved mother-figure, Nonō Yakushi—could be revived. Then he silently resolved to act as a "Konoha ninja," making enough contributions to the Alliance that Lady Nonō could return to the living.
…
Elsewhere, in an underground chamber…
One of Senshi's Wood-Style clones was meeting with Black Zetsu. Black Zetsu seemed in an excellent mood, as though he'd just dug up somebody's ancestral grave—whatever he'd been up to, it went well. Spotting Senshi, he chuckled, "Senshi! How's the mission going?"
Senshi responded casually, "It's on track. Aside from the Eight-Tails, all the other Bijū have already been sealed in the Gedo Statue. It won't be long before Madara and Obito get the Eight-Tails too, and then the Ten-Tails can be resurrected—at least partially."
Black Zetsu was delighted. "As expected from the best mercenary in the black market—efficiency off the charts. A true 'Black Market Legend!'"
Senshi's clone just waved a hand. "That's all empty praise," he said lightly. Then he asked,
"Hey, Zetsu-bro, want to make some money?"
Black Zetsu: (O_O)???
He thought: Is that even a question? Of course I do. So he nodded, "You know me, Senshi; I'm all about amassing funds."
That was clear enough. Senshi smiled.
"Zetsu-bro, do you know your mother's greatest fear?"
Black Zetsu frowned, not quite following. Thankfully, Senshi didn't make him guess:
"Generally, the Ōtsutsuki travel in pairs, planting God Trees in different worlds so they can harvest Chakra Fruits. But planting a God Tree requires one of them to become the tree's sacrificial host. Kaguya and Isshiki Ōtsutsuki came here to plant one; she turned on him, eliminating her direct superior. From that moment on, she's been a traitor to the clan, destined to be hunted by a powerful force. She created her White Zetsu Army to defend herself, but that's far from enough—no way it can hold off the might of the rest of the Ōtsutsuki."
As he spoke, Black Zetsu's face darkened. Everything Senshi said was correct. The White Zetsu Army was barely more useful than he was—and nowhere near strong enough to stop true Ōtsutsuki pursuers. Black Zetsu asked,
"So…what's your point?"
Still smiling, Senshi replied, "You're aware I'm forming a Ninja Alliance, pushing this so-called Perfect Ninja World, yeah?"
Black Zetsu nodded. He'd heard rumors, though he hadn't paid it much attention, since he didn't see an immediate link to making money. Senshi went on, "Well, if the Perfect Ninja World plan succeeds, the ninja world's power level will become greater than you can imagine—far beyond what the White Zetsu Army could achieve. If the Ōtsutsuki show up, not only are they your mother's enemies, they're also enemies of the Alliance. When that era arrives, the entire world will unite with her against the invaders."
Black Zetsu: (O_O)???
He was stunned into silence. After a moment, he suddenly dropped to his knees with a loud thump, exclaiming, "All these years I've been drifting alone, never finding a true master. Please, let me swear allegiance to—"
Senshi quickly cut him off, lifting him up.
"C'mon, Zetsu-bro. Let's skip the dramatics. I'm just here to point you in the right direction."
Then he explained, "Achieving a Perfect Ninja World can't happen overnight, so we'll do it in stages. For the first stage, we'll use Edo Tensei to bring back the dead in a special way, but that requires samples of their DNA."
Black Zetsu's expression lit up. "Why didn't you say so? Collecting dead people's DNA…that's kinda my specialty. I know exactly whose bones are buried where."
Senshi nodded. "Sure, you're an expert. I'll give you a batch of sealing scrolls soon so you can get to work."
"Sounds good," Black Zetsu answered, then held out his hand.
Senshi frowned. "Zetsu-bro, what's that about?"
With a straight face, Black Zetsu replied,
"I can't do this for free, can I?"
Senshi sighed theatrically. "Agh… You're not doing me a favor; you're helping your mother and yourself. Think about it: if the clan captures her, you'd have to hire me to fight them on their own turf—which would cost way more than a mere 30 billion. You see what I mean?"
Black Zetsu cocked his head. "So I should thank you?"
Senshi nodded. "It's your call, but big favors go without saying. Just do the job well."
…
Meanwhile, in the Black Market of the Land of Earth…
Madara and Obito arrived at a clearing in a forest, visibly excited. Madara was thrilled because they'd finally gathered enough money to buy the Eight-Tails. Once they sealed it, they could revive the Ten-Tails fully and launch the Eye of the Moon Plan. Obito was equally eager; at last he could implement his grand scheme.
They beckoned a White Zetsu clone out of a nearby tree. Half of its body emerged from the trunk. Madara asked casually, "How's Senshi's Ninja Alliance and Perfect Ninja World Plan going?"
White Zetsu replied honestly, "All five Kage and many other factions have already agreed to form the Alliance."
Madara snorted.
"Same story as when Hashirama ended the Warring States era and ushered in the Hidden Village era—useless in the end. We've had multiple great ninja wars anyway. There was never true justice—only prejudice, bloodshed, and death!"
Then he added, "How about the Perfect Ninja World Plan?"
After a moment's thought, White Zetsu reported what it knew: "Senshi claims to be resurrecting ninja in increments. Each village that makes enough contributions to the Alliance can revive one deceased shinobi. He also intends to make the Alliance a powerful institution that keeps the world stable, so that after resurrection, no new war breaks out."
Madara heaved a sigh.
"Senshi is a remarkable talent. But the Alliance and this so-called 'Perfect World Plan' both have fatal flaws: it's extremely complicated, and it can't fully prevent conflict. Even if a powerful organization exists, people who want violence will still attempt it. The Alliance can only react after the fact. Only my Eye of the Moon Plan can stop it at the root."
In an eternal dream world, Madara believed, there would be no death, no pain, no killing—only endless peace. He looked at Obito, saying,
"Back to the Mountain Graveyard. Let's get in touch with Senshi and get the Eye of the Moon Plan started."
Obito nodded, finally seeing his years-long ambition about to come true. He used Kamui to warp them—White Zetsu included—back to the Mountain Graveyard. Once there, they sent yet another White Zetsu off to contact Senshi and purchase the Eight-Tails.
They didn't have to wait long. A dark-red vortex appeared, swirling like a black hole, and from it emerged none other than Senshi himself. He looked at them cheerfully and asked, "Madara-bro, Tobi-bro, did you get the money?"
Madara nodded. "We have it. I'll pay you eight hundred million ryō to deliver the Eight-Tails."
[Commission Accepted]
[Client: Uchiha Madara]
[Goal: Provide the Eight-Tails]
[Payment: 800 million ryō]
[Rank: S]
[Reward: 800,000 Employment Points]
The system's notification sounded in Senshi's mind, and he wasted no time. Activating his Kāma space-time technique, he retrieved Gyūki (the Eight-Tails) from Karin's Kamui Dimension and tossed it before Madara. Obito handed Senshi a scroll marked with sealing runes.
"All the money's in there."
His words carried a double meaning: not only was the 800 million inside, but also the final settlement from his private deals with Senshi. Senshi's real body then warped away with his payment.
Sure he was gone, Madara and Obito carried the Gedo Statue outside and began sealing the Eight-Tails into it. They had already gone through this process with the other eight Tailed Beasts, so they'd gotten quite adept.
Soon enough, the Eight-Tails was sealed, and the statue came to life again, slowly reviving the incomplete Ten-Tails. Its enormous body stirred; with a thunderous roar, the beast rose to its full height in the forest, scattering all wildlife nearby.
Madara spread his arms wide, wearing a satisfied grin. "From this moment on, the entire world shall know eternal peace and happiness—under my guidance!"
Obito nodded slightly, then said, "The world truly is about to see eternal peace and happiness…but there's one small twist."
Madara glared at him, displeased by the cryptic remark. Now that they were basically ready to unleash the Eye of the Moon Plan, Madara felt Obito was expendable, and he didn't appreciate the attitude.
"What do you mean?" he asked coldly.
Unperturbed, Obito said, "I mean it won't be you guiding the world to peace, but me."
Madara sneered, "Ugh, Obito—are you sure you want to dance with me?" He was about to make a move against Obito, but before he could, someone chopped him hard on the back of the neck.
It was Senshi, seemingly out of nowhere. In one swift strike, he knocked Madara unconscious. Then, with practiced efficiency, Senshi plucked out Madara's Rinnegan. Handing the eyes to Obito, he said calmly, "Mission accomplished."
Obito, elated, said, "As expected from Senshi—always 100% success!" He quickly replaced his own eyes with Madara's Rinnegan. For so long he'd waited for this moment—soon he and Rin could be together in an illusionary paradise. No need for more talk; he immediately headed for the Ten-Tails, fully prepared to become its Jinchūriki.
A mocking smile played across his lips as he turned away. Once he harnessed the Ten-Tails' power, not even Senshi might be able to beat him. After he cast Infinite Tsukuyomi, Senshi—no matter how strong—would be stuck in the dream world alongside everyone else.
What Obito didn't realize was that all his micro-expressions were laid bare under Senshi's "Mantra." Watching Obito approach the Ten-Tails, Senshi mused, What a joker—he thinks playing with fancy eyes can match the might of the Ōtsutsuki clan's "tattoo" powers.
Unaware of Senshi's real thoughts, Obito ascended the Ten-Tails and began absorbing its power. In the meantime, Black Zetsu rose from the ground beside Senshi, thrilled by how fast things were moving along.
"Amazing, Senshi—you've pushed the plan this far already!"
Senshi patted Black Zetsu's shoulder.
"Zetsu-bro, our real challenge will be protecting your mother from the Ōtsutsuki clan's pursuit. That'll be an even tougher mission—so how's your funding coming along?"
Black Zetsu puffed out his chest. "Don't you worry about me. I've got a massive war chest, and I've also gathered tons of genetic material just like you asked, so we can cooperate with the Ninja Alliance and rake in more cash. No problems there."
Pleased, Senshi said, "That's what I like to hear. You're reliable at rounding up the resources."
While they bantered, Obito completed the absorption and became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, at which point it felt like an epic BGM rang out.
The now "Six Paths Obito" hovered in mid-air, skin turned gray-white, a horn typical of the Ōtsutsuki sprouting from his forehead. His outfit morphed, and several jet-black Truth-Seeker Balls along with a staff appeared around him.
Obito's now indifferent gaze settled on Senshi. Seeing that look, Senshi just chuckled, guessing that Obito wanted to test him. However, Senshi responded in kind: he let go of Black Zetsu, and with a thunderous BGM of his own, he too manifested a Six Paths form.
Boom!
A massive surge of chakra exploded around him. In an instant, he was floating like Obito, skin bone-white, a horn on his forehead, a ring of black tomoe around his collar, and Truth-Seeker Balls with a staff in hand.
Six Paths Obito: (O_O)???
Black Zetsu: (O_O)???
Both were utterly floored.
How does Senshi have powers akin to the Ōtsutsuki without absorbing the Ten-Tails?
Though Obito technically had some of Kaguya's power now, it all stemmed from her Ōtsutsuki heritage. He was baffled to see someone with the same or even greater abilities seemingly out of nowhere.
Realizing Senshi had stepped up to a higher stage, Obito decided to skip "testing" him and just proceed with summoning the God Tree.
Even if Senshi was immune to the coming Infinite Tsukuyomi, Obito figured everyone else would be trapped, leaving Senshi to "solo" life.
Hence, Obito wasted no time. Hovering in mid-air, he raised his arms.
"Come forth—Divine Tree!"
Rumble!
The earth split apart, and the Ten-Tails reconfigured itself from inside the Gedo Statue, erupting into the ever-growing God Tree. Obito flew to its top, intending to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi on the moon. But for some unknown reason, a Rinne Sharingan never formed on his forehead, so he couldn't project the illusion across the world.
This confounded Obito. Black Zetsu, who had been poised to strike, quickly turned to Senshi in frustration.
"Senshi, this kid can't do it. He can't open the Rinne Sharingan or launch the God: Nativity of a World of Trees technique. Let's call Madara in."
Senshi nodded calmly. "Alright, no helping it. I guess Madara's up."
With that, his body blinked out of sight. Alarmed, Obito tried to react, but in his Rinnegan state (no longer with double Kamui), he was powerless against Senshi's speed.
Wham!
Senshi knocked Obito unconscious with a single chop. Obito's last furious thought before blacking out was: Damn it! Even before I had the Six Paths mode, Senshi could flatten me. And now that I do have it, he can still flatten me. Did I go Six Paths for nothing?!
But he had no time to ponder further—he was out cold. Senshi then used medical ninjutsu to pluck out Obito's Rinnegan and grafted it back into Madara's eyes. He casually zapped the unconscious Madara with a bolt of lightning, just enough to wake him up.
Madara came to, only to see a horned Ōtsutsuki-like figure with bizarre tattoos standing before him—Senshi. Startled, Madara was at a loss, but spotted Black Zetsu nearby. Quickly looking back and forth, he demanded, "What's going on here?"
Black Zetsu hesitated, then said, "Obito secretly hired Senshi to steal your Rinnegan so he could cast the Tsukuyomi himself. But those eyes originated from you, so he couldn't form the Rinne Sharingan—he just summoned a God Tree with no illusions. Then Senshi took him out, reclaimed your eyes, and put them back. That's all I know."
He stopped, not wanting to spin more stories he couldn't support. Madara stared at Senshi. He couldn't fathom why Senshi had such monstrous power, nor why Senshi had reimplanted the eyes. When their eyes met, Senshi spoke in a serious-but-bluffing tone:
"Madara-bro, you know me—I've been busy with this whole Ninja Alliance project, wanting peace for the shinobi world. But I'm not opposed to other methods. If yours can truly bring eternal peace and happiness, I want to see it. So go ahead—show me what you've got."
Madara didn't trust Senshi completely, but he knew from reports that the man was indeed pushing for a peaceful reorganization of the world. Maybe their goals overlapped, just in different ways. So Madara nodded:
"Let me show you how the world can attain true, everlasting peace and happiness."
He then absorbed the Ten-Tails' chakra from Obito, becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki himself. After a moment, Madara's skin turned pale, he donned the white robes of the Ōtsutsuki, a horned protrusion from his forehead, a cluster of black Truth-Seeker Balls, and a staff in hand. He rose into the air.
Madara glanced at Senshi and asked, "Why do you have such odd markings, even in this Six Paths form?"
Senshi shrugged. "Madara-bro, this is my 'Kāma' seal—pretty advanced stuff. You don't need that to do Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Madara grimaced inwardly. He'd devoted most of his life to reaching this Six Paths mode, only to find he was still a level below Senshi. Nothing beats reality to show you where you stand.
At least, as Senshi said, "high-level Six Paths" wasn't strictly necessary to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi. Otherwise Madara might have had to go do missions and pay Senshi even more money to get it.
His mind at ease, Madara floated upward to the top of the God Tree, merging his power with it. As the fusion completed, the Tree began siphoning chakra from every corner of the ninja world, stretching skyward to get closer to the moon.
~~~
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