Chapter 246: Let My Guard Down
The one Jigen had absorbed was precisely the mini Ten-Tails that Uchiha Madara had previously taken in.
Since Uchiha Dali was still nearby, eyeing him like a tiger watching its prey, Jigen simply sealed the mini Ten-Tails into his own body.
Even though his body had already reached its limit—any more chakra wouldn't grant him additional power but would instead become a burden—this was the only way Jigen could think of to ensure the Ten-Tails wouldn't be taken away.
The moment he absorbed the mini Ten-Tails, he felt a massive wave of chakra surge through him, so overwhelming it seemed like it would tear his body apart.
Casting a wary glance at the distant Uchiha Dali, Jigen didn't dare fight him in his current state. He opened a portal to his alternate space and slipped inside without hesitation.
"Damn!"
Seeing this, Uchiha Dali immediately rushed over—
But he was still one step too late.
In barely a second, Jigen had vanished before his eyes through space–time ninjutsu, leaving no trace behind.
"This guy… really knows how to run," Uchiha Dali said with a wry smile.
He had thought that after defeating Uchiha Madara, Jigen would face him in battle. Instead, the man fled without a fight—at least he knew his own limits.
"Forget it, sooner or later he'll show himself again."
Shaking his head, Uchiha Dali turned to head upstairs.
This place was the Ten-Tails' sealing site, but now that the mini Ten-Tails had been taken by Jigen, it was of no further use.
Upstairs, Uchiha Dali found a row of bookshelves.
He was about to think that Jigen seemed rather studious, collecting so many books, but when he casually pulled one down and flipped through it, he realized these weren't ordinary books at all. They were records of intelligence gathered over thousands of years—information collected across the ninja world by Ōtsutsuki Isshiki through Jigen's body.
The one in his hands recorded the complete history of a small nation called the Land of Birds, from over a thousand years ago to the present day.
He picked up another—it was the same type of content, except this one recorded the historical evolution of the Land of Demons.
The records didn't just cover history, culture, and military strength of various countries—they also contained Jigen's investigations into the tailed beasts, chakra, and other related matters.
Some of the books even documented his search for the "Vessels" and the results of that search.
In addition, Uchiha Dali found a large sum of money here—clearly accumulated over the centuries during Jigen's activities in the ninja world, meant to support his plans.
Without hesitation, Uchiha Dali happily pocketed the funds. As for the scrolls and books, he didn't bother to take them; instead, he burned them all in one go.
After destroying Jigen's Kara base in this alternate space, Uchiha Dali was satisfied and prepared to leave—
But the next second, he froze.
Because he realized… he couldn't leave.
"What's going on?"
His expression hardened.
He tried again, but to no avail.
"My Perfect Rinnegan can't activate space–time ninjutsu? Could it be…"
Very quickly, Uchiha Dali understood.
It was likely that Jigen had sealed him in here. He had turned the entire alternate space of the Kara base into a massive sealing container, and after escaping, had placed a seal on it.
In other words, Uchiha Dali—and the entire alternate space—were sealed off. This was why he couldn't use his own space–time ninjutsu to escape.
"You've gotta be kidding me…"
"He can even pull something like this?"
Uchiha Dali rolled his eyes.
If he were stuck here, Jigen could attack Konoha unopposed.
Although Konoha currently had many powerful ninja—Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Obito, Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Fugaku—each a top-tier fighter in the ninja world, they were still far below someone like Jigen, or rather, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
His power was on an entirely different plane from theirs.
Without Dali's help, Konoha would surely face a catastrophic disaster…
"Damn it, I let my guard down."
He clenched his fist.
Still, he didn't grow discouraged. He quickly calmed himself and began working on breaking the seal.
"Why is my Heaven-Defying Comprehension not kicking in now?"
Forcing himself to settle down, he sat cross-legged. His mind gradually cleared.
"…First, let's try to analyze the principles behind this sealing technique…"
…
Land of Fire, Valley of the End.
Two colossal statues stood on either side of the valley, a massive waterfall cascading between them.
This was the place where the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, once fought the Shura of the Ninja World, Uchiha Madara.
The ancient battlefield had now become a scenic spot.
Though rarely visited, its historical significance was unparalleled.
At this moment, above the statue of Uchiha Madara, a space–time vortex suddenly appeared.
A figure dropped out from it.
Ash-like fragments fluttered and then gathered like paper drifting together, quickly forming into the body of Uchiha Madara.
Regaining his form and consciousness, he looked blankly at his hands. "I… what happened?"
He was baffled.
He clearly remembered being killed by Jigen after his chakra was exhausted and his body couldn't regenerate in time.
"Could it be because of my Edo Tensei body?"
He began to ponder.
An Edo Tensei body could not truly die.
And after becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, he had evolved into an even more powerful existence.
Except for senjutsu and yin–yang release, nothing could threaten him anymore—not even physical attacks could destroy his body to kill him again.
So Jigen likely hadn't truly killed him—
He had merely caused him to temporarily lose the ability to regenerate. Now, thanks to Edo Tensei, he had returned to the ninja world.
Looking around, Madara realized he was in the Valley of the End—the very place where he once fought Hashirama.
"In other words, Konoha is not far from here?"
A faint smile spread across his lips. "Interesting…"