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In less than half a day, the remaining chakra of the dragon veins had been completely absorbed by Uchiha Madara.
It was no wonder that this chakra was referred to as the "dragon veins"—its sheer volume was staggering. Even with Madara's extraordinary physique and the power of the Rinnegan, he felt slightly overwhelmed, as though his body was struggling to digest it all.
In the dim underground chamber, Madara sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, alone. Around him, the faint purple glow of the last remnants of natural chakra lingered before being fully integrated into his body.
For several minutes, silence reigned. Then, slowly, Madara opened his eyes, revealing the swirling violet light of the Rinnegan.
Exhaling softly, a breath tinged with a faint purple hue of chakra, Madara placed a hand over his abdomen. A sense of satisfaction washed over him, though a wry smile tugged at his lips.
"This has thoroughly addressed my shortcomings. With this terrifying amount of chakra, I could rival even the Tailed Beasts—perhaps even the Ten-Tails itself. But... it seems I may have gone a bit too far."
Rising to his feet, Madara stretched lazily. As he did so, the joints and bones in his body cracked and popped like a cascade of snapping beans.
"Hmm... My body's strength and resilience have increased further. This must be the result of the natural chakra cleansing me. Though I haven't managed to unlock Sage Mode yet, this is still a significant improvement.
At this moment, if I were to face Hashirama again... Hmph, even if both Hashirama and Tobirama came at me together, they wouldn't stand a chance!"
With his Rinnegan glowing faintly, Madara surveyed his surroundings.
The depletion of the dragon vein chakra had left behind a massive void beneath the earth.
As he observed, the soil and rocks above the void suddenly collapsed without support, crashing down with a thunderous roar. The ground shook violently as the debris buried the spot where Madara had been sitting just moments ago.
Ah, so this was likely the reason for the frequent tremors above Loulan in recent days.
Using the Mayfly Technique, Madara emerged from the rubble and flew up to the sealing altar above. Looking down at the now seemingly bottomless chasm below, he scratched his head thoughtfully.
"Come to think of it, with such a massive cavity here, won't Loulan collapse entirely if this continues?
After absorbing their entire dragon vein and leaving behind this hazard, it would be rather irresponsible of me to leave things as they are."
Having made up his mind, Madara stood firm and formed a series of hand seals.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
As Madara unleashed his technique, colossal trees began sprouting from the walls of the cavern. They grew rapidly, intertwining and filling the vast underground void within minutes. By the time the jutsu ended, the space was completely supported by countless thick tree trunks.
Satisfied with his work, Madara nodded approvingly.
"There. Now I don't owe Loulan anything."
Moreover, his chakra reserves had become significantly more abundant.
Previously, using the Deep Forest Emergence once would consume about five percent of his chakra. Yet just now, after sustaining the technique for three full minutes, he hadn't even used up half a percent of his chakra.
And what little chakra he had expended recovered almost instantly without requiring rest.
If he could master Sage Mode, it was possible that his chakra regeneration would outpace its consumption.
At that point, Madara would truly become an unstoppable war machine.
This realization only fueled his urgency to learn Hashirama's methods of training. His earlier plans to execute this goal now burned with renewed intensity.
Just as he prepared to leave Loulan, White Zetsu emerged hurriedly from the nearby stone wall.
Finding Madara, White Zetsu looked as though he had finally found his long-lost parents, nearly on the verge of tears.
"Lord Madara! I knew it—I sensed the presence of a large-scale Wood Release earlier. You really were here! I've finally found you! Where have you been these past few days?"
Madara frowned, irritation flickering across his face.
"White Zetsu, didn't I tell you not to disturb me unless it was urgent? What do you want?"
"But Lord Madara, this is urgent! I've been searching for you for three whole days!"
"What is it? Has something happened in the Village Hidden in the Rain?"
"No, not the Rain Village—it's those three kids! The ones you met in the cave and gave some guidance to!"
Madara paused, then realization dawned on him.
"Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan?"
"Yes, them!"
"What about them?"
"They're being hunted!"
"What?! White Zetsu, didn't I order some of your clones to keep an eye on them? What happened?!"
"My Lord, everything was fine at first. After you left those three, they trained diligently with the chakra extraction method and basic ninjutsu techniques you taught them.
But three days ago, ANBU operatives from Konoha stumbled upon them while investigating your whereabouts."
"ANBU? Danzō?"
"Yes, the one you call Konoha's 'troublemaker.'"
"And then?"
White Zetsu hesitated, then began recounting the events in detail.
"The ANBU division's original mission was to gather intelligence on you, specifically the surface-level information you allowed them to see. However, during their investigation in the Land of Rivers, they discovered the three children practicing chakra control and simple ninjutsu techniques..."
"Get to the point!"
"The key issue is that ANBU noticed Nagato's red hair and identified him as a member of the Uzumaki clan. They immediately reported this to Danzō. That man has always shown interest in the Uzumaki bloodline, so he ordered ANBU to capture Nagato..."