[Chapter Size: 2200 Words.]
Third Person POV
Land of Waterfalls, Year 42.
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Somewhere beneath the Earth in the land of waterfalls, a scream echoed through the depths of the underground caves formed by the roots of trees.
The scream was one of pain, of suffering, echoing through all those caverns while, in a specific place within that realm, there was a giant flower closed tight, with a petal about to bloom. It was a purple flower, unlike any other flora in the ninja world or beyond.
From the flower, a tube made from the very wood of the plant extended, connected to a man sitting in front of it as if upon a throne. The man was elderly, marked by a long life in this world — more than that, he had surpassed the limits of the human body. He was in a state no body should normally withstand. He remained alive only thanks to that tube connected to his back, granting him the chance to survive under impossible conditions.
He had remained alive for decades beyond what he should have, ever since his battle against Hashirama at the Valley of the End. He was a legend who had been manipulating the world from the shadows as best he could in recent years, hidden in that place.
The old man stared at the ground, deep in thought, while his three-tomoe Sharingan eyes seemed to gleam, ignoring the cries of pain coming from elsewhere within those tunnels.
Those eyes were not his true eyes, but rather part of a vast collection of Sharingans he had gathered over the years — taken from the Uchiha he had killed or captured since leaving the village, driven by his desire for revenge against the clan that turned its back on him when he begged them to abandon the village, realizing that path would not bring true peace, but greater wars instead.
He possessed even more Sharingans now, having captured many Uchiha mysteriously during the Second Great Ninja War. His collection of Sharingans was kept in a chamber, all inside tubes filled with green liquid, preserving the eyes. He had more Sharingans than Danzō could ever dream of possessing.
"Seems like he's having trouble. I hope he survives…" the old man said, his voice deep and coarse with age, yet still firm as in his days of glory.
"I hope so too, Madara-sama. He'll have to endure. Soon, he'll be part of the perfect weapon for the fulfillment of your wishes and your will," said a two-toned Zetsu standing before Madara, ignoring the screams, as the dark and malevolent voice of the black half spoke this time.
"I'm counting on that… now and in the future." His eyes stared coldly at Zetsu.
"And how are things in Uzushiogakure? Has the attack already begun?" Madara asked.
"The four nations have already started to get involved. The last time we checked, Madara-sama, he should be arriving there right at this moment. But no other Zetsu has returned yet to update us…" the black Zetsu informed in the same grim tone.
"Anything new about Konoha's movements?" he asked again.
"Konoha is still preparing to move. They're gathering a large number of ninjas, but they won't arrive in time at Uzushiogakure, Madara-sama. They won't be a problem," said the black Zetsu.
"It seems that the one who took that Sarutobi's place has more will to act than his predecessor. But there's nothing else to be done… they can't possibly arrive in time, as you yourself said," mocked Madara, still staring at Zetsu with a cold glint in his eyes.
"You're thinking about that boy, aren't you?" said the black Zetsu in a dark tone. It seemed he didn't like the latest events in the ninja world either.
"The boy is a variable… and a threat," revealed Madara.
"Ah, we've certainly been keeping an eye on that ever since the Hokage himself handed the Uzumakis over to the other villages… Which turned out to be perfect for us, Madara-sama. Weakening the ninja world…"
The Uzumaki were certainly a nuisance when it came to sealing jutsus. Not to mention that they were almost a hidden village of their own, on par with the great nations. The funny thing was that Madara didn't even have to manipulate the Kage or the villages for that to happen. The ninja world itself showed its true colors when they handed the entire Uzumaki clan over to death in the name of peace… A false and fragile peace that would soon shatter.
When Madara heard about it at the time, he couldn't help but let out a faint, muffled chuckle before finishing in a cold tone. 'Once again, this world proves how filthy it is.'
However, something happened. He was surprised when he discovered a certain movement through the Zetsus themselves in Konoha and sent them to investigate, infiltrating the village — something he used to do often. But this time was different, because they were all hunted down one by one. Later, he sent new Zetsus to find out why the first ones had disappeared.
Then they discovered everything that had happened in Konoha. He learned about a boy named Minato Namikaze — a boy with no important surname, an orphan raised in an orphanage in the poorest parts of Konoha. But he had stood out in the war, and Madara himself had heard reports brought by the Zetsus — reports he had never paid much attention to.
Certainly, the boy was seen as a genius, capable of fighting powerful opponents at Kage level, even at a young age. Madara never felt threatened by that boy or anyone else. He would never feel threatened when, in the end, he considered them all weak. As long as no new Hashirama appeared in the ninja world, nothing would deserve much attention. And he was making sure that no new ninja like his old rival would ever rise again, standing against the most powerful groups.
Madara was surprised when he heard about the conversations the new Zetsus had gathered over the past few days about the village. The boy not only survived — when geniuses are born all the time and die just as easily — but also stood out. After all, the village itself could see them as threats, for he knew how the minds of those who hold power work: they want to keep it for themselves, without having to hand it to anyone else.
And they could also be targeted by the villages for obvious reasons; feeling more threatened, they would try everything to kill them. But the boy survived; not only that, he even turned against his own village and against the Hokage's decision — an almost insubordinate act, notable and reminiscent, in a way, of Hashirama's personality. Despite his rival trying to talk, the boy was more about action from what we heard. Hashirama would not try to kill people in the trap set to kill the boy if he had been in his place.
There was that plot in the Land of Wind, and the boy not only came out alive, but also killed hundreds of powerful enemies, showing a strength he hadn't revealed even in the Second Great Ninja War. The boy even killed the Kazekage, when no Kage died in the second war...
Madara mocked Minato, believing he was not a threat until then; still, he couldn't help but feel a spark of doubt when he began to hear more about the boy.
Madara already knew that the boy had fled the village as a deserter ninja to go to Uzushiogakure to help them.
"Do you really think he can handle all the united forces?" asked the white Zetsu, in an amusingly sarcastic tone, countering the other half.
"I don't know, but the boy can survive. He possesses a teleportation jutsu, not to mention he has the Kyuubi; they say she has some control over her chakra — if she's perfect... we'll have trouble, from what we heard in the village," replied the black Zetsu.
"If she has control, yes, she's a threat. Maybe the Uzumaki aren't at such a disadvantage after all. Maybe that's what made Konoha start to act. They don't want to lose their jinchūriki who fled."
"Madara, don't forget now, that boy is a threat to our plans. We have to find a way to kill him," said the black half, firmly.
"And we can also capture the Kyuubi," said the white Zetsu, excited.
"The boy is certainly a threat and must be eliminated; but the Kyuubi, perhaps not yet. Maybe we should kill his allies and let the beast be reborn, but we shouldn't capture her while the plan is still being built until the moment we start collecting the bijuu for good."
"And how are we going to deal with the boy; he proved to be so powerful and was able to escape, right?" asked the white Zetsu.
"He can survive, yes... But we can take advantage of the end of Uzushiogakure's fight against the nations: if he survives and is tired, we can use that chance to catch him," pondered Madara, thinking of sending several Zetsu from the small army he had been building over the years to spread them across the Land of Fire. "Wherever he appears, he will be attacked. If he survives, we can send a massive army to Konoha as well. That would be better: if by some miracle he manages to survive the nations' attack, we catch him before Konoha arrives with reinforcements." Madara said while the Zetsus in front of him fell silent.
"I don't believe he can still sense us," said the white Zetsu, breaking the silence.
No one should be able to sense them, but somehow he could see them moving beneath the earth. This boy was a threat, an anomaly.
"Yes…" Madara's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Not only that, Madara. Did you hear the reports? They say he has a body of light; we've never heard of anything like that," commented the black Zetsu. "His body of light allows him to move at high speed, like a flash; hundreds of powerful ninjas fell before him without being able to react."
"You know as much as I do," replied Madara to the black Zetsu, narrowing his eyes at him. That creature had been created by him — it was his will, or so he thought.
"The ninja world is full of variables. It doesn't surprise me that a ninja with a strange ability has appeared in this era, but in the end, what matters is the plan. Minato Namikaze will just be another name recorded in history," declared Madara coldly. They fell silent.
In any case, Madara continued. "That Minato Namikaze is above Kage level, that's clear…" Madara said.
"...But I still believe he can't defeat all four together," the black Zetsu completed.
"Yes, let's kill him, finish him off!" exclaimed the white Zetsu.
A new scream echoed from another part of the caverns. Madara stared into the darkness and then turned his gaze back to the Zetsus.
"Besides, you said he's with a Uchiha… didn't you?" Madara asked, now with a tone of interest.
"Yes, Madara-sama, it seems he's engaged to her. From what I know, they were already living together after she was expelled from the clan," said the black Zetsu.
"Looks like the clan has opened its borders," Madara clicked his tongue in disdain. The Uchiha bloodline had never left the clan before, with cousins marrying each other only to preserve the Sharingan within the family — but things seemed to be changing.
But that didn't matter... The Uchiha clan was another that should be eliminated; Madara would do it in time or send someone to carry out his will in the future. He and the Zetsu wanted to eliminate as many powerful forces in the ninja world as could turn against him and his plan.
The Senju clan had been reduced to a pathetic number; the Uchiha clan was still strong and had managed to weaken them somewhat in the Second Great War, but not enough. In any case, it was strange that a woman from his clan would marry this Minato.
"Anyway, didn't he take one of our pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan and destroy them? Maybe we can obtain a new pair of Mangekyō from that Uchiha. If we know how to take advantage of the love that this woman feels for him, it could make up for what he took from us. After all, he owes us a pair of Mangekyō..." said Madara, his eyes turning toward the darkness. "Perhaps we can use him now, along with the Zetsu."
Minato Namikaze was the name Madara paid the most attention to at that moment; he hoped that if the four nations could not kill him, he himself would act. But Minato was a threat and had to be eliminated.
Madara's gaze turned back; beyond the strange flower that held his life, a statue stood back there — the statue that would make him collect all the bijuu, or rather, the next heir he would place before returning to this world after dying.
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