The two massive beasts galloped across the wilderness.
Minato sat atop the Two-Tails, feeling the strong wind on his face with great contentment.
As the man and his two beasts journeyed toward the Land of Waterfalls, in a dark underground ruin somewhere in the Shinobi World, an ancient figure sat on a stone throne.
The old man appeared to be around Mito's age, his long, gray hair dry and disheveled.
Behind him stood a colossal statue, its hands bound as if a mad, twisted prisoner. Black iron rods extended from the statue's abdomen, piercing into the old man's back.
This figure was none other than Uchiha Madara, who had been presumed dead for decades.
Madara had recently awakened the Rinnegan and was now using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and First Hokage cells behind him to cultivate a creature called White Zetsu.
This explained why Minato hadn't sensed any White Zetsu spying on them until now.
As a relic of a bygone era, Uchiha Madara had remained aloof from worldly affairs for decades.
Only recently had he created a loyal subordinate to monitor the Shinobi World's movements for him.
"Lord Madara—"
From the darkness, a shadowy figure slithered to Madara's feet and spoke with reverence.
"Black Zetsu? What is it?"
Uchiha Madara slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of Sharingan, not Rinnegan, within their depths.
"Namikaze Minato has, for some unknown reason, released the Tailed Beasts of Kumogakure."
Black Zetsu's voice carried a hint of anxiety. As Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's third son, he had been lurking in the shadows for a millennium, painstakingly manipulating Madara into awakening the Rinnegan. This had finally allowed him to openly appear before Madara as his will's avatar, guiding him.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, someone resembling Senju Hashirama had emerged, single-handedly dominating the entire Shinobi World.
And to make matters worse, he was nearly finished capturing all the Tailed Beasts!
Though Black Zetsu longed to approach and investigate, Minato's Wood Release kept him at bay. He dared not get close.
He had secretly observed Madara and Hashirama's legendary battle long ago, and Hashirama's glance had nearly terrified him to death.
Thus, he remained cautious of Minato's naturally awakened Wood Release Bloodline Limit, never daring to approach.
"Namikaze Minato..." Madara's voice held a wistful tone.
He had only recently learned from Black Zetsu of this individual who shone even brighter than Madara and Hashirama had in their prime.
At Minato's age, neither Hashirama nor Madara were as strong as him.
This made Madara's feelings toward Minato rather complex.
From the intelligence he had gathered, this young man possessed a strength that Hashirama had lacked.
Thus, while he remained obsessed with the Eye of the Moon Plan, he also wanted to see what choices Minato would make when one day he stood in Hashirama's place.
"What is he collecting Tailed Beasts for?"
"I don't know, but he seems to get along well with those two."
"Making friends with beasts? What a naive fool—"
Madara scoffed contemptuously, yet he was inwardly surprised. This was something neither he nor Hashirama had ever accomplished.
However—
Perhaps being naive wasn't so bad.
Only the naive would be willing to fight for an ideal.
"Here's an interesting bit of gossip: this guy is dating two girls simultaneously—one from the Uzumaki Clan and another from the Uchiha Clan," Black Zetsu chuckled in a low voice.
Minato's appearance had been an unexpected delight for Black Zetsu.
Though he had never approached Minato, Black Zetsu was certain that the young man was not a reincarnation of Ashura's Chakra.
The chakras of Ashura and Indra had always been reincarnated together. As long as Uchiha Madara, the Indra reincarnate, remained alive, Ashura would not reincarnate first.
If a powerful Wood Release bloodline user had joined the Eye of the Moon Plan, all the Tailed Beasts could have likely been captured within days, and the Ten-Tails revived.
"Uzumaki? Hmph—"
Hearing Black Zetsu's words, Uchiha Madara let out a cold, meaningful snort. "That kid is still playing both sides, huh?"
"The key is that he's succeeded."
Black Zetsu chuckled. "One of them is even a descendant of your own clan, with very close blood ties. Her name is Uchiha Mikoto, and her father is Uchiha Sagara."
"Sagara's kid's daughter, huh—"
Madara nodded slightly. Neither he nor his brother had left any direct descendants. Sagara was a descendant of his cousin, making him Mikoto's grandfather by seniority. But Madara cared nothing for such familial ties.
"What a fickle little brat. I originally thought of recruiting him into the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Uchiha Madara scoffed. "But now it seems that even if the woman he loves dies, he'll probably be chasing after some other girl within a few days."
Black Zetsu: "—"
This was something he hadn't considered.
But thinking about Minato's two-timing ways, it was hardly a sure thing.
A young man who achieved fame and possessed such exceptional skill would inevitably attract many admirers.
Even if Madara managed to eliminate one or two through underhanded means, it was likely that someone would immediately take their place.
Worse still, Minato wasn't part of the Uchiha Clan. He wasn't mentally unstable and wouldn't be so easily deceived.
"But he's releasing a Tailed Beast—"
"Isn't that perfect? A standalone Tailed Beast would be easier to capture than one sealed within a Jinchūriki."
Madara said indifferently, "Still, with his strength, he'll inevitably become our obstacle in the future. We must find a way to eliminate him."
Black Zetsu hesitated. "That's true, but given your current state, Lord Madara, I fear—"
Madara had recently transplanted the Rinnegan into Nagato, leaving him with only a pair of ordinary Sharingan.
With his frail, aged body, he likely couldn't pose a threat to Minato.
Madara fell silent, truly at a loss for how to deal with Minato.
The man possessed not only Wood Release but also the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Space-Time Ninjutsu is not difficult to learn; techniques like the Summoning Technique and the Material Sealing Technique are considered Space-Time Ninjutsu.
However, mastering it requires innate talent.
And those with such talent are extremely rare, even more so within the Ninja Villages.
It must be said that Minato's talent is truly extraordinary, possessing not only two Bloodline Limits but also exceptional Space-Time aptitude.
"Flying Thunder God Technique—"
Recalling a face he loathed, Uchiha Madara sneered, "Hmph, that vermin, still disgusting people even after death."
Black Zetsu remained silent, knowing exactly who Madara was referring to.
The Second Hokage of Konoha, Senju Tobirama.
The man who personally killed Uchiha Izuna, Madara's younger brother.
He was also the creator of S-rank Ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God Technique and Impure World Reincarnation, and Konoha still relies on his scientific research to this day.
To be honest, in Black Zetsu's opinion, that guy was far more troublesome than Madara and Hashirama.
Because that guy had a brain!
"That brat is heading from the Land of Lightning towards the Land of Earth, right?"
Madara's eyes gleamed. "Then his ultimate destination must be Sunagakure—"
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 15+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon