The Uchiha clan's kekkei genkai had a very peculiar characteristic: single-eye dōjutsu could not be activated if the eye was lost. But for double-eye dōjutsu, like Susanoo, as long as the ocular power was strong enough, even if both eyes were gone, it could still be briefly used.
However, until now, only Uchiha Madara had elevated both of his eyes to Rinnegan, achieving epic-level ocular power. Only he could activate Susanoo without having eyes.
As for the three-tomoe Sharingan he now used… Kaede Tsukasa knew very well that thing was purely for maintaining vision; losing it wouldn't affect Madara's power.
But he knew he couldn't say that so directly.
"You surprise me. You actually know Susanoo. In today's ninja world, this jutsu has been lost," Madara said.
"The strongest dōjutsu of the Uchiha clan—I've heard of it, yes. That makes your identity very suspicious. Appearing before me makes it even more so," Kaede Tsukasa replied.
"At your age, with such ominous ocular power, being able to activate Susanoo with a mere three-tomoe Sharingan… you must be… Uchiha Madara. But you should be long dead. I didn't expect you to still be alive. If this news spreads, it would shake the ninja world. Every major village would rather halt their wars than not unite to find and kill you."
White Zetsu cackled: "Wahahahaha! Instantly seen through! Lord Madara, after hiding your identity all these years, your first move turns out like this."
Madara was not angry at all. He had no reason to be mad at the flawed version of Hashirama he had created. Every time he saw White Zetsu, he was reminded of Hashirama, that brainless fool.
"Your space-time ninjutsu is interesting. It appears to multiply with corpses to perform summoning, but theoretically, that's impossible. At the same time, exchanging positions would mean losing the other's coordinates in the instant of swapping—but you did achieve space-time transfer."
Both sides were simultaneously performing summoning jutsu on each other; theoretically, success should have been impossible.
There had to be something he hadn't figured out yet—the core secret of this space-time ninjutsu.
"If I don't figure it out in one try, I'll just try several more times."
Ribs reappeared on Madara's body, and a massive skeletal arm suddenly struck. He swung multiple times but always hit nothing; Kaede Tsukasa could instantly teleport away.
From a normal person's perspective, Kaede Tsukasa's figure looked like a poorly rendered virtual image, flickering across a dozen locations repeatedly.
Madara stopped, having confirmed that conventional methods could not harm Kaede Tsukasa, and he still hadn't analyzed the secret of the jutsu.
Even if all the zombies were killed and the coordinates Kaede Tsukasa used for teleportation destroyed, he could move to even farther locations. He must have placed corpses in other positions as well.
"All your jutsu are very unique. Each complementary ninjutsu could exist as an S-rank forbidden technique."
Madara's gaze rested on the numerous zombies on the ground. Many had intact brains; even if their bodies were shattered, they were still "alive," and those with hands could cooperate with Kaede Tsukasa to perform the Void Realm Technique.
This strange space-time ninjutsu had indeed earned Madara's respect.
"I cannot kill you, and your abilities are somewhat useful to me. For a black flower like you to grow in this ugly, polluted world is extraordinary. I will tell you some things about this world. After hearing them, you can make your decision."
Madara spoke slowly, leaving Kaede Tsukasa no room for refusal in his tone: "If after hearing me, you still decide not to cooperate, I will not stop you."
"Sounds like I have no choice. I could still slaughter you here, even if you truly are a legend."
Kaede Tsukasa sneered: "It started when that white guy threw that strange thing at me."
Immediately, a white mass of flesh bulged on his body.
"How is this possible? How did you sense my Spore Technique?" the newly regenerated White Zetsu was shocked. "Don't worry—it won't harm you. It's just convenient for transporting you to our base."
"Boring tricks. I have plenty of ways to deal with you," Kaede Tsukasa thought. A massive viral invasion forced White Zetsu to scream, and he could transport himself along with White Zetsu at any time.
Even Kage-level ninjas, unaware of White Zetsu's abilities, would fall victim defenselessly. Any perception aside from senjutsu could not detect the spores White Zetsu planted—but Kaede Tsukasa was different; his body was saturated with viruses.
Madara remained calm: "Is that so? Special sensory abilities… since Hashirama, it's been a long time since anyone has continuously surprised me. Though I am extremely weakened, I am not so easily dealt with. Before we continue fighting, why don't we have a proper conversation? Perhaps we are allies in some way."
Kaede Tsukasa paused. Right now, he had no way to defeat Madara. Even if he could take down the current Madara, as long as Madara was willing to lower his pride and don the Armor of Black Zetsu, his combat power would instantly surge. Opening Susanoo and swinging wildly would be enough to make Kaede Tsukasa seriously struggle.
Moreover, Madara had something Kaede Tsukasa needed—like the cloned body of Senju Hashirama.
Not long after, Kaede Tsukasa and Madara disappeared, leaving the remaining White Zetsu to take away all the other White Zetsu corpses.
When Jiraiya finally arrived, he only saw utter devastation.
And the scattered, shattered corpses of zombies.
"Damn… I arrived too late? But what was that commotion just now? Who was fighting whom here? And these guys on the ground… they've lost all consciousness, left only with instinct. I can't tell which village they're from."
Jiraiya felt uneasy. He didn't want any unexpected factors to interfere, as it could disrupt his training of Nagato.
Even more, he didn't want anyone discovering Nagato's possession of the Rinnegan before he had learned to protect himself.
…
The Land of Iron, Mountainous Graveyard.
"So this is your base? Surprisingly modest. No experimental equipment, no valuable ninja tools at all," Kaede Tsukasa feigned surprise.
Madara said, "I do have a Uchiha war fan. If you don't mind getting the Uchiha clan involved, I can give it to you."
Kaede Tsukasa looked at Madara: "I heard Uchiha Madara possessed the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan. Why do you only have a single three-tomoe Sharingan? An ordinary three-tomoe shouldn't be enough to wield Susanoo-level dōjutsu, right?"
"My eyes were blinded in the battle with Hashirama all those years ago. Everything has its limits. This three-tomoe Sharingan is sufficient for me," Madara said, leaning on his scythe as he slowly sat down.
"I have a plan that may require your forbidden jutsu to transfer life force. When necessary, I will need you to use it on me."
Madara began recounting the world's ugliness and hopelessness, and his attempt to cultivate a successor and form an organization specifically to gather the nine tailed beasts, resurrect the Ten-Tails, and activate Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Throughout the explanation, he concealed the most critical details about the Rinnegan—such as that the Rinnegan were his eyes, that one must have the Rinnegan to control the Ten-Tails, and that both the Rinnegan and Ten-Tails were required to activate Infinite Tsukuyomi. None of this he revealed.
He planned to hand these most crucial secrets over to the successor he had chosen.
"Madara is treating me as a substitute for Nagato… my rank is still below his," Kaede Tsukasa thought, seeing through Madara's lies.
If he refused, Madara could still use genjutsu on him—Kaede Tsukasa suspected Madara had already secretly applied genjutsu, but the time when it would truly be needed had not yet come, so there was no need for enforcement now.
Obito had been able to control the Fourth Mizukage for a long time to exact revenge on the Hidden Mist Village; it made sense that Uchiha Madara could maintain long-term control over him as well.
Fortunately, Kaede Tsukasa had countermeasures for genjutsu. The zombies he had spread across the Land of Fire were the key to breaking free.
They might not counter Mangekyō-level ocular jutsu, but for other types of genjutsu, at least he had some means of self-preservation.
Madara showed no additional emotional fluctuation; in fact, he didn't care whether Kaede Tsukasa believed him or not. As long as he could ensure Kaede Tsukasa would perform the jutsu when needed, nothing else mattered.
"Your space-time ninjutsu is called the Void, right? Combined with the self-vitalizing Technique, if used carefully, it's sufficient to survive in this wretched world. I need people like you—those who can survive to the maximum extent," Madara said.
"Now, tell me your answer. You, who have mastered the unique Zombie Release, are destined to walk in the shadows, unaccepted by the petty world. Will you join my plan to permanently change this hopeless world, or oppose me, standing against my successor at some point in the future?"
"One or the other? I have a third option: I could just kill you here. Don't think all your white minions can stop me," Kaede Tsukasa said bluntly, immediately using the Zombie Transformation Technique to erode Madara's body.
But progress was slow. As a descendant of the Six Paths Sage, Madara's body was exceptionally strong. Even in old age, Kaede Tsukasa felt tremendous resistance.
More importantly, a swarm of White Zetsus were assisting him.
Madara said slowly, "I see. You can perform jutsu on corpses, and even turn living people directly into controlled zombies… but with your remaining life force, it seems insufficient to take down me and all these flawed Hashirama clones at once."
Kaede Tsukasa frowned. Indeed, facing an Indra reincarnation for the first time, one that had Hashirama's flesh transplanted, forcibly turning him into a zombie was nearly impossible. The chakra expenditure would be incalculable.
The better the physical condition, the more cells, the stronger the mental power, the firmer the will, the more chakra. The more chakra, the more Kaede Tsukasa would need to expend.
Not to mention the White Zetsus could enter Madara's body at any time, and Black Zetsu was watching nearby.
"Turning you into my servant is harder than just killing you," Kaede Tsukasa said.
"Young man, you don't always need to fight. You can't touch me, and I can hardly stop you from escaping. That is the basis of our cooperation," Madara said, calmly observing Kaede Tsukasa, his three-tomoe Sharingan slowly spinning.
"In that case, cooperation makes more sense. I'll give you command of the White Zetsus to gather intelligence on the ninja world. You assist me in advancing the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan."
"So, in the end, you just want me to transfer life force for you. Looks like for a long time in the future, you will be subject to me, because I can make you live forever in your current state."," Kaede Tsukasa realized.
Though he believed he could handle genjutsu that wasn't Mangekyō-level, there was no need to take the risk. From the moment he saw the White Zetsus and realized he had to deal with Madara, he had already anticipated this scenario.
"Then I'll join the plan for now. In the world under Infinite Tsukuyomi, I'll be able to freely use all kinds of corpses and become someone respected," Kaede Tsukasa said, glancing at the Outer Path Demon Statue behind Uchiha Madara.
Madara didn't have the Rinnegan, so he shouldn't be able to operate that huge thing, meaning he couldn't perform the soul-stealing jutsu.
"So this is your wish? It should be granted. Everyone deserves to fulfill their heart's desire," Madara said.
"Looks like you've already made your decision. Very well, a new-generation ally joins me on my path," he continued.
"I can tell you're still hiding a lot from me," Kaede Tsukasa said calmly.
"You are not my successor. I cannot tell you everything. My successor must be a Uchiha descendant. Once the Eye that Reflects the Heart is opened, it will provide extraordinary assistance to the plan. I need someone to inherit my name, Uchiha Madara, and walk the current ninja world again," Madara said expressionlessly.
"With my help, you could even live for a long time. Why bother choosing a successor?"
"This aging body has little use in merely surviving. I'd rather pass all techniques and knowledge to the one I choose, letting them execute my will."
"Fine, fine. Then you'd better choose well. A plan like Infinite Tsukuyomi—if the successor is incompetent, it might be easier for me to handle it myself," Kaede Tsukasa said.
"Do you need me to perform the One's Own Life Reincarnation on you? You look in poor condition; after using Susanoo, your state seems even worse," Kaede Tsukasa added.
Madara summoned White Zetsu over: "No rush. I can endure a bit longer. Now, I will teach you a forbidden jutsu to separate consciousness. With your talent for mastering multiple forbidden techniques, learning this shouldn't be difficult."
"Separate consciousness?"
"Not interested," Kaede Tsukasa replied.
"You cannot stay with me permanently. I need an individual who can carry out my will. Don't worry, the information in their mind won't reach me. This is a technique to separate consciousness, not to copy memories."
Kaede Tsukasa paused, thinking. He seemed to understand its purpose. After carefully studying the technique and considering it from multiple angles, he entered a training state.
Two days later, Kaede Tsukasa summoned a horde of zombies to accelerate his training and began to grasp the technique.
Throughout the process, Madara showed no surprise. He remained as steady as a rock, never displaying unnecessary emotion—being able to use Shadow Clone Technique, he was no stranger to methods that accelerate training through external forces.
It was simply replacing shadow clones with zombies.
Madara lifted his head: "As expected, you haven't disappointed me. You can easily control numerous corpses and perform various forbidden techniques with them. You've likely separated your consciousness to some extent, which accelerates your mastery of this technique."
Madara noticed something unusual about Kaede Tsukasa. When he brought the original White Zetsu over, he felt Kaede Tsukasa's oddness increase.
Indeed, Madara no longer urgently needed the original White Zetsu to carry his consciousness. With Kaede Tsukasa's One's Own Life Reincarnation, even his aging body could be well maintained. Recovering to a decent state was entirely possible.
Freed from bodily limitations, Madara had more room to operate and wouldn't need to rely on the Outer Path Demon Statue to sustain his life in the future.
Though controlling Kaede Tsukasa forcibly was difficult, and he couldn't obtain the Zombie Release technique, there would be opportunities later.
Madara had been dormant for too long. Rarely did a cunning and useful junior appear.
"When I extend my consciousness, the original White Zetsu will already belong to me, completely beyond your control. Let's be clear: from now on, I will be the primary controller of the original White Zetsu. No one, not even you, can overturn my orders," Kaede Tsukasa said.
"I don't care about these White Zetsus. They're just flawed Hashirama clones. Beyond gathering intelligence, they're useless. Take them if you like, as long as I can keep using them for intel," Madara said, leaning on his scythe indifferently.
Kaede Tsukasa touched the original White Zetsu with a fist. He knew Madara would be looking for flaws to apply seals or other measures to his heart—so he manipulated the White Zetsu body in front of him, injecting massive amounts of virus, engaging in a fierce tug-of-war with the extremely active White Zetsu cells.
Madara's style was distinctive. He could let his chosen tools act freely and even clean up their mistakes, but at critical moments, they must perform essential tasks. He had to ensure he had strong control when necessary.
With Kaede Tsukasa's actions, the right half of the original White Zetsu's body began to change.
Eventually, under Kaede Tsukasa's watchful eyes, it became a pitch-black grotesque thing, as if scorched onto White Zetsu's body.
Once this form stabilized, White Zetsu's body was split in two. The left half remained the original White Zetsu, while the right half—the black portion—was Kaede Tsukasa's will, acting according to his commands.
If necessary, the black part could even attack the left half of White Zetsu to forcibly control the body.
"Since it exists on White Zetsu, let's call it Black Zetsu," Madara said casually.
Kaede Tsukasa: "…"
…Damn. It really is you.