Chapter 119: Uzumaki Zetsu, Uchiha Madara
At the same time, Uzumaki Zetsu—who had been secretly protecting Nagato—saw Ling Yu make contact with him. He had already concealed his presence and planned to report to Uchiha Madara.
Uzumaki Zetsu was different from ordinary White Zetsu. He was a very special, one-of-a-kind existence among them. He could attach himself to other people and enhance their abilities, allowing those individuals to display extremely powerful effects. His individual strength was also the strongest in the entire White Zetsu army.
It was precisely because of this that Uchiha Madara valued him highly. He sent Zetsu to protect Nagato and secretly guide his growth, so that Nagato could one day use the Rinnegan to revive Uchiha Madara himself.
Underground, in a dim and gloomy space, a white figure emerged from the surface.
"Lord Madara! This is bad—something huge has happened!"
Arriving in front of Uchiha Madara, Uzumaki Zetsu waved his arms exaggeratedly, his expression panicked as he shouted toward Madara, who was sitting on a chair.
"Quiet! If you have something to say, say it—don't just scream like that. Otherwise, I can't guarantee you'll still be alive to talk to me."
Uchiha Madara was awakened from his slumber by the noise. He opened his eyes and spoke in an ice-cold voice.
At this moment, his right eye was an ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan, while his left eye had no pupil at all, appearing completely hollow.
"Don't kill me, Lord Madara!"
Hearing Uchiha Madara's threat, Uzumaki Zetsu jumped in fright. He dropped to his knees, raised both hands high, and repeatedly kowtowed toward Madara, crying out in a miserable voice.
"This little one has served you loyally—maybe no great achievements, but certainly plenty of hard work! This time it really is a huge problem—Senju Ling Yu has, for some unknown reason, already made contact with that kid Nagato."
Although Uzumaki Zetsu was more useful than other White Zetsu, his jumpy and death-seeking personality was the thing Uchiha Madara hated most. If he had more subordinates, he would have killed Zetsu long ago.
"Shut up!"
Uchiha Madara first harshly scolded Uzumaki Zetsu to stop the drama. Then he began to think about the information Zetsu had just provided.
"Senju Ling Yu? Him again. As far as I know, he also possesses a Rinnegan. I don't know how he obtained it, but what does he want with the Rinnegan I left for Nagato?"
Ever since Ling Yu first entered the battlefield, Uchiha Madara had already begun observing him. At first, he thought Ling Yu was just a genius ninja with relatively strong power—someone he could eliminate easily.
He never expected that in less than a year, Ling Yu had already nearly reached the peak of the ninja world. Not only did he possess the Rinnegan, he had even mastered Hashirama Senju's unique Wood Release.
Originally, he had considered killing him. But after seeing Ling Yu's battle against the four-nation alliance, he gained a renewed understanding of Senju Ling Yu as a top-tier powerhouse.
"Mmph… mmph mmph mmph…"
While Uchiha Madara was deep in thought, Uzumaki Zetsu's voice interrupted again.
Uchiha Madara looked up. He saw Zetsu frantically gesturing with incomprehensible hand signs, making muffled "mmph mmph" sounds from his mouth.
"What are you doing now? Speak to me!"
Uchiha Madara frowned. His sharp gaze swept toward Zetsu. Killing intent surged fiercely in his eyes, as though he might strike at any moment.
"Mmph… but Lord Madara told me to shut up…"
Zetsu lowered his hands and muttered softly. Seeing Uchiha Madara's expression growing darker, he shivered and quickly added:
"Eek—I was wrong! Actually, it was Jiraiya who led Senju Ling Yu over. Nagato and that little kid beside him seem like they're going to train under Jiraiya for a while."
"Jiraiya? The disciple of Konoha's current Third Hokage?"
Closing his eyes again, Uchiha Madara continued thinking. After a long silence—long enough that even Zetsu was about to complain—he finally opened his eyes once more.
"Go back and observe for a while. If Senju Ling Yu really tries to act against Nagato, then stop him…"
Before Uchiha Madara could finish speaking, Zetsu immediately interrupted.
"Ah?! Lord Madara, you're not joking, right?! How could I possibly stop that 'God of Death' Senju Ling Yu?! He slaughtered more than ten thousand ninja without even blinking! If I go there, wouldn't I just be walking to my death?"
He crawled forward and clung to Uchiha Madara's leg, crying and wailing.
"Get lost! Of course I'm not sending you to die. Just delay him—bring him here to me."
With one kick, Uchiha Madara sent Zetsu flying. Gritting his teeth, he spoke coldly.
"I knew Lord Madara wouldn't bear to let me die! Lord Madara is wise and mighty… This little one will take his leave now."
Seeing that Uchiha Madara was about to lose his temper, Zetsu swallowed hard. He stopped babbling, turned around, and dashed away at full sprint toward Nagato's location.
…
Land of Rain, inside the rundown wooden house where Jiraiya and the others were staying
"Nagato, Yahiko, you two go practice the ninjutsu I taught you first. I'll come check on you later."
Using an excuse, Jiraiya coaxed the two boys away—after all, what was coming next wasn't suitable for them to hear.
The two children obediently left together. Just as Jiraiya turned to look at Konan, planning to send her away as well, Ling Yu spoke up.
"No need. Konan doesn't want to play with them. They're all dirty. What if my little Konan catches some disease?"
Ling Yu absolutely did not want the three of them to have any contact. After all, those two brats had been staring intently at his Konan from the very beginning—clearly up to no good.
If their eyes hadn't lacked any lustful intent, Ling Yu would have already killed them with a single palm strike. Even if they were Uchiha Madara's chosen vessels, Madara himself wouldn't get any face if he came.
"Mm. Konan doesn't want to play with them either. Their strength is weak, and they're all dirty. If they get my skirt that Big Sister Mikoto bought me dirty, Big Sister Mikoto will get angry."
Konan pouted and looked at the two boys' departing backs as she spoke.
By now, after serious training from Ling Yu and the others, Konan had already reached chūnin level—far stronger than the beginner-stage Nagato and Yahiko.
And Tsunade had always instilled in her that, aside from Ling Yu, all men in the ninja world were trash. Influenced by this over time, Konan had developed a strong dislike for other males.
"Uh… alright then. Let's not talk about that anymore. Regarding those eyes of Nagato's, Ling Yu—what do you think? You should have the most say in this, right?"
After Ling Yu spoke, Jiraiya felt a bit awkward but didn't say much more. He gestured for Ling Yu and the others to sit down, then looked at him and said:
When he first decided to take in the two boys, it wasn't only because Konoha had caused so much destruction in the Land of Rain, leaving many people homeless and wanting to make up for it a little. A much bigger reason was seeing Nagato's eyes—so strikingly similar to Ling Yu's.
At that time, recalling what the Great Toad Sage had said about the Child of Prophecy and the immense power of Ling Yu's Rinnegan, he immediately decided to stay in the Land of Rain for a while to take care of the two boys. He wanted to verify whether Nagato really was the Child of Prophecy.
After looking after the two children for a few days, seeing Nagato's natural affinity for all five chakra natures and his powerful learning ability, he became more and more convinced that Nagato was the Child of Prophecy—the one who could change the ninja world.
"Do you know what those eyes are called?"
Seeing Jiraiya and Orochimaru's gazes turn toward him, Ling Yu opened his Rinnegan and looked at them as he spoke.
"The eyes of the Sage of the Six Paths. Legend says that with them, one can possess the power to destroy heaven and earth."
Orochimaru answered first. The moment he looked at the Rinnegan, a trace of desire flashed in his eyes.
Actually, when he first encountered Nagato, he had already noticed those eyes. At the time, he wanted to forcibly take them—both because he desired them and because he feared what danger those eyes could bring to Konoha if left in an outsider's hands.
But back then, Jiraiya had strongly opposed him. He had no choice but to hold off—until now.
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