"No trace at all?"
Tobi scratched his head, visibly irritated. Thinking had never been his strength, and this situation demanded far too much of it.
The White Zetsu reported again—no Nine-Tails Jinchuriki near the border of the Land of Fire, none near the Land of Whirlpools. No residual Chakra. No footprints. Nothing.
"This is getting annoying…" Tobi muttered, then actually turned to the White Zetsu for help. "You guys got any good ideas?"
"I do!" One White Zetsu suddenly sprang out, shouting enthusiastically. "We grab those young Konoha Ninja, tie them up at the border, and use them as hostages! The Nine-Tails will definitely show up!"
"Moron," another White Zetsu shot back instantly. "Konoha Ninja don't care about hostages. They value missions more than lives."
A third chimed in, nodding sagely. "We should ask Lord Black Zetsu. His detection range is huge—he'll find something for sure!"
"Are you trying to get us killed?" a fourth snapped. "If Lord Madara finds out we lost the target, he'll hang all of us on trees!"
Arguments erupted at once. Suggestions overlapped, contradicted, collapsed. Tobi looked left, then right, nodding to one idea, frowning at another, accomplishing absolutely nothing as time slipped by.
And then—
Uchiha Madara appeared.
Silently.
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools, his presence settled like a blade pressed against the spine.
"Have you found the Nine-Tails?"
His voice was calm. Too calm.
Tobi immediately lowered his head, not daring to speak.
Madara's gaze shifted to Black Zetsu.
"Lord Madara," Black Zetsu replied carefully, suppressing his unease. "There is no trace. After leaving the battlefield, they vanished completely."
"Interesting."
Madara narrowed his eyes slightly.
He knew Black Zetsu's capabilities. If Minato and Kushina had truly passed through this region, leaving nothing behind was impossible.
"They've found a place to hide," Madara concluded.
Black Zetsu hesitated, then asked, "Lord Madara… what should we do next?"
"There's no need to search," Madara replied indifferently. "When I win at the Valley of the End, the entire Ninja World will submit."
He slowly raised his hand, fingers curling into a fist.
"By then—where could they possibly hide?"
The camp at the Valley of the End was already crowded.
Five Kage. Advisors. Elite commanders.
Yagura Karatachi spoke first, his tone heavy. "According to Biwa Jūzō's intelligence, Uchiha Madara can manifest a Chakra construct exceeding two hundred meters. The mere wind pressure from his swings rivals multiple S-rank techniques."
Ai frowned. "A construct that size… countermeasures?"
"That is Susanoo," an Uchiha elder said quietly, revealing long-guarded clan knowledge.
"And the Rinnegan," Jiraiya added.
He had already reunited with Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. The intelligence Nagato provided—painfully extracted from memory—now lay open on the table.
No one panicked.
They studied.
In the modern Ninja World, Bloodline Limits were no longer miracles. Spirit Bones, pills, cultivation methods—legends had become replicable. Even Wood Release had appeared in quantity.
Yet reality had proven one thing mercilessly clear.
Power was decided by Chakra—its quality, its quantity, and its control.
"A Bloodline without Chakra mastery is meaningless," Ai said firmly. "If we can exhaust Madara's Chakra, we can win."
"Sealing," Yagura suggested simply.
Tsunade unrolled a scroll without hesitation. "Reverse Four Symbols Sealing."
Ōnoki shook his head. "Not enough. The Rinnegan absorbs Ninjutsu and repels attacks. You won't even get close."
"Then blind him first," Sasha said, producing Sunagakure's scrolls.
Silence fell when the key question emerged.
"Can he use the Sharingan and Rinnegan simultaneously?"
Shikaku stepped forward. "Based on collected data—unlikely."
He pointed at the compiled records. "His eyes transition. Rinnegan to Mangekyo, to normal Sharingan, to ordinary eyes. That implies sequential activation."
He paused, then added gravely, "But we prepare for the worst anyway."
"Konoha has a final plan," Tsunade said quietly.
Yagura inhaled sharply. He hadn't expected that level of resolve.
"Minato encountered an ambush and returned to Konoha," Tsunade continued. "He can support the plan."
That changed everything.
Flying Thunder God turned theory into possibility.
Qian Renxue rose. "We will assist."
For the first time, the tension in the room eased.
After an entire day of refinement, the plan was finalized.
Night fell. One by one, the powerhouses dispersed, carrying their assigned burdens.
Tsunade stopped Sasha before he left. "Any word from Sasori?"
He shook his head. "None. I ordered the Village not to contact him. He knows about the war—but he said nothing."
Tsunade sighed. "Orochimaru is the same. He only said one thing: 'It's safe once you enter the Land of Whirlpools.'"
Jiraiya frowned. "Didn't he ask Boss Li for help?"
"He did," Tsunade replied. "Which means the Sacrificial Shop can deal with Madara. But Boss Li is a merchant. He won't act without cause."
Jiraiya was silent.
Rules were admirable—until they became shackles.
"Better rely on ourselves," Sasha said, turning away.
"Jiraiya," Tsunade called suddenly.
"I'll deliver the final blow."
He laughed. "You can't beat me at that technique."
Then he grew serious. "You're Hokage now."
"What about the Child of Prophecy?" she asked.
Jiraiya sat down, gazing at the camp. Ninja of different villages laughed, argued, shared rations, planned together.
It looked eerily like the Sacrificial Shop's mission hall.
"I let go," he said softly.
"If peace relied on a single chosen child, then what meaning did all these lives have?"
He stood and hugged Tsunade—briefly, gently.
"When this ends," he grinned, "write a recommendation for my novel."
She grabbed his forehead protector. "You know what this means—"
"That's why it's me."
At the tent entrance, he stopped.
"Tsunade," he said quietly. "You've done enough."
"Live more selfishly than I ever did."
He disappeared into the night.
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