"Movie? Black stockings?"
"What kind of freaky thing is that?"
"Zetsu, do you know what this is?" asked a confused Lord Madara, frowning as he questioned.
Whether it was a declaration of war or an offer of peace...
Before even opening the envelope, Lord Madara had already imagined countless possibilities.
But never this.
He never expected that little rascal Shimoku would come up with such a baffling, nonsense message.
Likewise, Black Zetsu was equally puzzled, failing to make sense of it all.
He reluctantly explained:
"A movie is like a storybook in motion—it shows made-up tales to regular folks using moving pictures..."
"Stories?"
"Yes. It seems increasingly popular in those smaller countries—similar to traditional plays."
Lord Madara was wise.
In an instant, he connected all these elements and guessed the general idea.
"A play? A story? Uchiha?"
"Hmph! That kid actually thought this through. He's probably trying to clear the Uchiha Clan's reputation through some theatrical performance..."
"And even intends to borrow my name for promotion. What a cheeky brat!"
"By the way, what exactly is 'black stockings'?"
"..."
Black Zetsu broke into a cold sweat, keeping silent.
Lord Madara: "Hmm? Speak up!"
Black Zetsu: "It appears to be... provocative clothing women wear on their legs to entice men..."
"I see!"
"So he plans to use this gimmick to attract the crowd to watch?"
Lord Madara nodded approvingly, offering a calm evaluation.
He'd used similar tactics before—no wonder he got it right away.
Wait a minute...
Something feels off here...
"Black stockings?"
"Madara?"
"Myself?"
"Wearing them?"
"To seduce Hashirama?"
Lord Madara froze instantly, his expression darkening abruptly.
"Damn it!"
"You little brat, I'm going to kill you!"
A furious roar erupted, followed by a monstrous wave of chakra surging outward.
In the blink of an eye,
half of the Tsuchikage's headquarters crumbled into ruins.
Poor Onoki had just been about to enter the building
when he was buried under debris, crushed beneath the rubble...
...
"Lord Madara, please calm down!"
"That brat must've deliberately done this to provoke you!"
"Without your participation, this ridiculous 'movie' will never come together."
"And even if it somehow does, it'll only fool commoners. It can never tarnish your great reputation across the Ninja World!"
"Moreover, compared to our grand plan, does any of this even matter?"
Black Zetsu's reasoning gradually calmed Lord Madara.
"Hmph! You're right."
"Such fleeting fame means nothing."
"That little pest is probably intentionally trying to anger me..."
"Well then, why bother arguing with a child?"
"After our plan succeeds, I'll be sure to let him taste the full extent of his ancestor's... affection."
Lord Madara took a deep breath, silently vowing.
After all,
he still had endless tolerance for children.
Moreover, this was also an outstanding descendant bearing the bloodline of his own Uchiha Clan...
Of course, the main reason was that right now, there was practically nothing he could do about that brat...
Witnessing this, Black Zetsu breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he himself deeply resented that kid,
Even wished to eliminate him immediately,
He truly feared Madara would confront young Shimoku directly and fight to the death.
If he won, then everything would be fine.
But if he lost, his "plan to save Mother" might collapse once again!
How could he possibly let that happen?
So he hurriedly advised Lord Madara.
"Lord Madara: Ignore this letter. Let the brat amuse himself. I'd like to see what kind of tale he weaves about me and Hashirama!"
Lord Madara waved his hand dismissively, no longer dwelling on it.
Frankly speaking, he even felt a flicker of excitement.
After all, anything involving his complicated history with Hashirama was definitely worth watching.
"What about the plan then?"
Madara: "Accelerate the restoration of the [Demonic Statue of the Outer Path]. As soon as it's complete, immediately commence the plan! We cannot afford further delays..."
"At once!"
Black Zetsu secretly rejoiced and quickly accepted the order.
Then he transformed into a mass of black mud, sinking into the underground ruins...
To be honest,
When Shimoku sent out that invitation, he hadn't really expected Lord Madara to accept.
Anyway, even if Madara refused,
He still had genjutsu and transformation jutsu to impersonate him for the production.
However, as an ancestor, it was only proper to give prior notice.
That was just basic courtesy!
Otherwise, Madara might completely lose his mind once the official version premieres, right?
Of course, on the other side,
Shimoku didn't know that Tobirama had secretly brought back that 'conniving snake', Jigen,
Back to [Konoha Village].
And even regarded him as a major assistance.
Had he known, Shimoku probably would have laughed uncontrollably.
After all, such acts of 'inviting a wolf into one's house' were extremely rare.
Just how wonderful it was.
To anticipate how Tobirama, that bastard,
Would look when Jigen suddenly revealed himself
After thoroughly undermining Konoha from within?
Meanwhile, by evening,
After completing his inspection and guidance of the Hyuga members,
Shimoku immediately headed to the village entrance to wait.
There wasn't any special reason.
He simply wanted to personally welcome someone—a rich lady.
Even though Kakuzu's vault had been completely emptied by some reckless woman, she was still undeniably rich.
Konan was still a walking cash cow!
Right now, there were so many places where explosive tags would be needed:
The Hyuga clan required them for training arrows,
And massive quantities were needed at the mines for blasting mountains...
Plus these could also be sold for huge profits.
How could Shimoku not love this?
He longed for Konan's return so production could ramp up at full capacity and the money-making machine could go into overdrive.
Therefore, to demonstrate his goodwill and emphasize its importance,
Coming here in person to greet her was necessary.
Certainly not because he wanted to see that rich lady's expression of reluctant displeasure.
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