Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 129: Madara Adjust Plan
MADARA POV
"Madara-sama," White Zetsu called him trying to wake him up. "Something… troublesome has happened."
Madara, who had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. His gaze was cold, yet filled with growing irritation because of White Zetsu.
"What is it now?" he asked, his tone laced with annoyance and he had feeling Raiken had done something again. "It seems nothing goes according to plan anymore."
That alone was enough to reveal his frustration after many of his plan had been thwarted.
For years...no, it has been decades... Madara had carefully laid out his schemes. Every move was calculated, every variable accounted for. The destruction of the Uzumaki Clan was his own doing, the weakening of Konoha, this is all for his plan the eventual revival of his power.
All of it had been part of a larger design to put everyone in this world in the Genjutsu world
Yet now... Everything was beginning to fall apart.
His original plan to annihilate the Uzumaki Clan while secretly preserving a suitable survivor. someone whose body could host his eyes, had completely gone astray.
Not only had the Uzumaki survived, they had grown stronger and brought all the Uzumaki live in Konoha. Living Madara with no chance to manipulate even one of them.
White Zetsu hesitated for a brief moment before continuing.
"The Hokage… has been replaced," he reported. "The new one is from the Hatake Clan and his name is Sakumo."
Madara remained silent for a second after hearing the report from White Zetsu.
Then he nodded slowly.
"…So the war forced a change in leadership," he muttered. "Faster than I expected."
There was no shock in his voice, only calculation based on the past war.
"Why was he replaced?" Madara asked.
White Zetsu answered immediately. "The Third Hokage went missing during a battle with the Raikage. Konoha assumed the worst and held a vote to appoint a new Hokage."
Madara eyes narrowed slightly.
"Convenient," he said.
He then turned his head slightly toward the darkness behind him.
"What do you think?" he asked.
Black Zetsu emerged silently from the shadows, his expression unreadable.
"I believe… he is merely a puppet," Black Zetsu replied calmly.
Madara raised an eyebrow.
"A puppet?" he repeated. "Explain."
Black Zetsu's gaze darkened.
"Because the one truly influencing Konoha right now is not Hatake Sakumo," he said. "It is Uzumaki Raiken."
The name lingered in the air.
Madara expression shifted slightly.
"…Go on."
"Most of the major decisions made recently have his involvement or so as I speculated," Black Zetsu continued. "Hatake Sakumo is not someone who excel in managing but his real feat are on a mission. This time, the new law from internal restructuring to battlefield responses, I believe there is Raiken influence, he is everywhere."
He paused briefly before adding,
"They have even begun investigating merchants connected to the Fire Daimyō."
Madara eyes widen a bit shocked with how the new Hokage responded after getting a seat.
"…So they've noticed," said Madara.
"Yes," Black Zetsu replied. "They are already aware that their own Daimyō may have played a role in orchestrating the war."
"This is bad…" he said slowly.
His fingers tapped lightly against the stone beneath him.
The situation had changed Drastically after the war started.
Konoha was no longer the same village he once knew, a village that could be manipulated from the shadows, divided by internal conflict and weakened by political games.
Now, there was an unpredictable variable named Uzumaki Raiken.
He had feel stupid wanted to see how he can Raiken can make difference, he should take that chance to kill Raiken personally so no one in Uzumaki Clan are smart enough to do anything .
Madara narrowed his eyes.
"…This man," he muttered. "He has disrupted too many of my plans."
What made it worse—
Raiken didn't even know Madara was still alive.
Yet somehow, unknowingly, he had already interfered with everything.
Madara exhaled slowly.
"…Then we adapt."
He shifted his gaze back to White Zetsu.
"Have you found a suitable body for my eyes?" he asked.
White Zetsu shook his head.
"…No, Madara-sama," replied White Zetsu.
A brief silence followed.
"Useless," Madara voice turned cold.
"If you cannot find one, then change your approach."
White Zetsu stiffened slightly.
"Search every village," Madara continued. "Any records, any techniques, anything related to reversing age or restoring vitality."
His eyes gleamed faintly. "If I cannot find a suitable vessel…then I will become one."
"My current body is too old," Madara said. "If Konoha can no longer be manipulated from the shadows, then I will need to act more directly."
He paused, before continue. "And for that… I need youth."
At this point in time, techniques like the Byakugō Seal were not yet understood as methods of preserving youth. They were merely seen as chakra storage jutsu and nothing more.
Madara had no knowledge of such possibilities.
Which meant, he had to find another way to get a younger body.
"The world is changing…" he murmured. "…and I refuse to lost"
"You are right Madara sama," said White Zetsu.
White Zetsu swirling away, from the Cave to do a mission that had been given by Madara.
Meanwhile Black Zetsu feel relief after Madara wanted to change his method, previously he had a feeling that Madara could succeed but after they failed to destroy Uzumaki Clan and let the others surivived. Those plan are no longer suitable in this situation.
He had feeling Raiken would do something outrageous, if the plan was postponed until 20 years later that means the Uchiha Clan... No it should be Otsutsuki Clan would arise and each of them would get stronger eyes and even awakan Rinegan due to combination of Asura descendant and Indra Descendant.
Although the possibility is low because to awaken Rinegan, they need to have Indra and Asura chakra, but still who say they can awaken it?
At that time, even if Madara become young and had all his power, to fight many Rinegan user, even for Madara is difficult.
----
There is 30 advanced chapter on my patreon.
Chapter 155: Asahi Complain
Chapter 156: Hyuga Future
Chapter 157: Clanless
Chapter 158: Fugaku Frustration
Chapter 159: Report
-patreon.com/zorojurown