"Meow!" Takeshi gave a brisk nod.
Recalling the anime, Takeshi knew that Madara had shattered Obito's mind by orchestrating Rin's death, using a curse seal that was notoriously difficult to break. It was hard to guarantee that Madara wouldn't use the same method on Kura.
If Kura were controlled and eventually killed by Konoha's hands...
Well, Shisui's situation was actually harder to predict.
It was common knowledge that Uchiha blood carried a dormant gene of madness. Even though Shisui was a ninja fiercely loyal to Konoha, there was no guarantee he wouldn't lose his reasoning if pushed past his breaking point.
Wasn't that exactly how Obito had been twisted?
Kura lapsed into a heavy silence.
After a long while, he nodded gravely, signaling that he understood the gravity of the situation.
It wasn't easy for Tsunade to directly intervene in Uchiha clan matters, but she strongly agreed with Takeshi on this point. After all these years, if that Madara was truly still alive, heaven only knew what he was planning. Regardless, caution was the only improved strategy.
"Meow~ Have you signed it?"
Takeshi glanced over.
Itachi, for his part, still looked perfectly normal.
The black cat himself wasn't particularly fond of the Will of Fire, especially the Third Hokage's interpretation of it. He lacked such lofty beliefs or ideals, he simply wanted to live a good life and survive in peace. As for undercover work or gathering intelligence, he would only do it if his own safety was guaranteed.
But that didn't matter right now.
With the Contract signed, Itachi would be trained by Nekomata or Kanna. Hopefully, they could educate him enough to prevent the Will of Fire from poisoning his mind too deeply.
He was currently just a child, so Takeshi would let him off the hook for now.
Once the ink on the Contract was dry, Fugaku exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders.
Although Takeshi wasn't completely aligned with the Hokage's faction, Tsunade shared a very close bond with him, she had even gifted him the First Hokage's necklace. In return, Takeshi had given her a powerful ninja cat as a "pet." The relationship between the woman and the cat was undeniably tight.
Of course, Fugaku was pragmatic.
He understood clearly that if the moment of clan extermination ever truly arrived, personal relationships would mean nothing.
Only by keeping the Uchiha firmly aligned with Konoha could they guarantee their survival. As for Madara or other external forces, there was no point in considering them. Even if the old clan head was alive, his view of the current Uchiha clan was likely no different from how he viewed outsiders.
If he had any interest in them at all, it was only because the Uchiha eyes or their descendants were useful tools.
Nothing more.
Kinship and blood ties had been severed long ago, they simply did not exist for him anymore.
After Itachi was led away, Kura finally spoke. "Madara is indeed capable of anything. Perhaps he has his own twisted ideals, but to most of us, he went mad a long time ago. No matter what, I cannot let his schemes succeed, even if..."
"Meow~ We haven't reached that step yet."
Takeshi waved a paw, signaling him not to spiral into panic.
"You don't need to worry too much, Kura," Tsunade said with a reassuring smile. "Shisui is young and bright, he won't go down easily. Who knows? In the end, the Uchiha might just get a genius trained personally by Madara Uchiha for free."
She was joking, of course.
In truth, Tsunade barely knew who Shisui was. The boy had been born after she left Konoha, and since her return, she had been too busy to interact with the next generation. She didn't even know what he looked like.
"It's possible, meow."
Takeshi nodded, then recounted the story of how Shisui had run all the way to the Ninja Cat Fortress, dodging various ninja cats in a desperate attempt to find the Cat Sage. Hearing this, Kura smiled, looking a little embarrassed, and apologized to the cat.
However, their words did put Kura at ease.
True enough. Although Shisui had been captured by Madara, he wasn't in immediate life-threatening danger. That was a small mercy in the midst of misfortune.
With the Uchiha matters settled, Takeshi and Tsunade went to check on the White Zetsu. Orochimaru had already begun his research, and the results were promising. He had discovered that the White Zetsu's body was bizarre, filled with unique energy.
This discovery thrilled Orochimaru, who threw himself into the work with tireless enthusiasm.
With such a fascinating project in hand, he had completely lost interest in defecting.
Why defect? He had subjects to study, and Konoha was actively sending people to support his research. Leaving now would just be asking for unnecessary hardship.
Of course, the key factor was that Tsunade was the Fourth Hokage.
However, Tsunade and Takeshi hadn't been there long before Orochimaru ruthlessly chased them out. He felt the pair was wasting his precious research time and made his impatience very clear.
It was painfully realistic.
Takeshi lingered a moment longer, forcing a resigned Orochimaru to create a Shadow Clone just to entertain them. Seeing that he couldn't farm any more points from the situation, the cat decisively bolted to escape the snake's cold glare.
--**--**
Deep beneath the remote Land of Water, a low rumble vibrated through the earth.
Several days had passed.
The noise subsided. Underground, a massive cavern had been hollowed out, and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path: Gedo Mazo was settled into place. Madara emerged from the husk of the Gedo Mazo and looked around.
"Where are we?"
"The Land of Water."
Madara's voice carried a hint of frailty. The long journey was taking a toll on an old man who lived attached to a "breathing tube." Fortunately, there was a swarm of Zetsu to assist, otherwise, moving house would have been fatal.
'The Land of Water?' Shisui looked around curiously at the dimly lit underground space.
He was getting used to it. In Madara's half-dead state, living above ground would mean living in fear of discovery and subsequent siege by the Five Great Villages. Shisui only regretted that he wasn't strong enough to win a fight right now, otherwise, he would have ripped out Madara's tubes and returned to the village to meet his father.
"Do we have a mission in the Land of Water?"
"Your mission in the short term is to become strong as quickly as possible, strong enough to inherit my beliefs and ideals," Madara rasped. "You must always remember: our goal is not to unify the Shinobi World or to protect any specific person, but to achieve an Eternal Peace that transcends everything."
Madara continued his attempt to brainwash the boy.
Shisui nodded repeatedly, gazing at Madara with wide, worshipful eyes. Internally, however, he was recalling words the Neko Sage had once spoken: 'There is no such thing as eternal peace in this world, if someone promises it, they are lying.'
Exactly.
The Neko Sage was right. If Madara could truly achieve such a thing, why wait until now? Or rather...
Why did he need to capture a child?
'It's a pity the Neko Sage doesn't know about this place,' Shisui thought. 'Otherwise, with his power, he could definitely defeat the current Madara Uchiha.'
Subsequently, Madara began to guide Shisui's training. It had to be admitted that Madara was far superior to anyone else when it came to teaching an Uchiha. He understood exactly how to tailor his instruction to the individual. After observing Shisui's natural aptitude, Madara knew precisely how to guide him.
Under this tutelage, Shisui's strength advanced by leaps and bounds.
Inevitably, patches of White Zetsu flesh were grafted onto his body, and a specific cursed seal was implanted. The seal was likely intended for control. Coupled with the constant threat of Zetsu, Shisui dared not try to escape just yet.
But he was constantly waiting for an opportunity.
After a session of training, Madara sent him to practice on his own. Not long after, Black Zetsu emerged from the soil.
"Madara-sama, I have tracked Nagato's approximate whereabouts."
"Oh?"
"Some time ago, I infiltrated Konoha and discovered two Zetsu signatures there. However, none of the White Zetsu I previously deployed to Konoha had reported issues. I believe this anomaly is related to the black cat that has mastered the Flying Thunder God and Sage Transformation."
"..."
Why was it this creature again?
Madara narrowed his eyes. That cat was truly a nuisance. He had forced them to relocate previously, and now it seemed the vital Nagato and the Rinnegan might also be in his paws. If not for his current immobility, Madara would have gone personally to wring cat's neck.
Nearby, Shisui's heart skipped a beat as he trained.
'Black cat? The black cat from the Ninja Cat Fortress that pushed me off the cliff?'
Could it be that the Neko Sage already knew of Madara's existence and had anticipated his moves? Shisui quickly composed himself, clearing his mind to prevent Madara from sensing his agitation.
Madara swept a glance over the boy, then spoke indifferently. "Ignore the cat. Let the beast teach the boy for us for now. When the time comes, you can simply control Nagato to issue the necessary orders."
"Yes." Black Zetsu bowed his head slightly.
===============
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