Madara's voice clearly betrayed his apprehension towards the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave.
It was easy to understand; at Madara's level, there were few powers in the world that could threaten him.
But they weren't nonexistent. The Rinnegan and Six Paths Power cannot absorb Senjutsu.
Senjutsu posed a significant threat to Madara.
The Sages of the Three Great Holy Lands—Ryūchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest, and Mount Myōboku—were all old foxes who had lived for thousands of years, and none of them were easy to deal with.
Ryou didn't know what to say upon hearing this. After all, he had previously signed a contract with Ryūchi Cave and still hoped to maintain a good relationship with them.
He hoped the White Snake Sage would grant him a Sage Destiny so he could evolve into a Dragon!
If only the White Snake Sage and Madara could fight, it would be extremely beneficial, whether he sided with the White Snake Sage or Madara!
Madara looked at Ryou and said, "Now, before I resolve the White Snake Sage's venom, my movements are restricted. I worry that Konoha or other factions might try to seize my eyes."
"Ryou, I want you to go to the Land of Rain, stay by Nagato's side, and protect my eyes."
"Once I've dealt with the venom, I will retrieve my eyes myself. At that time, I will initiate the Fourth Ninja World War and completely end the thousand-year fate of the Ninja."
Madara then introduced his eyes—the Rinnegan—to Ryou, as well as the matter of entrusting his eyes to Nagato years ago.
After listening, Ryou knelt down on one knee: "Don't worry, Ancestor, I will certainly protect your eyes."
"Ancestor, if I get the chance, I will definitely help you retrieve your eyes."
Madara stopped him: "No need. I will retrieve the eyes myself."
"I will obey the Ancestor's command. I will head to the Land of Rain now to protect the Ancestor's eyes."
Just as Ryou was about to leave with Fish Ball, Madara suddenly demanded, "Ryou, leave your Summoning Beast and Tsunade here!"
Ryou's heart tightened. This was Madara's threat: if Ryou failed the mission or caused trouble.
For instance, if he acted without permission, stole Nagato's Rinnegan, and implanted them himself, Madara would kill Ryou's Ninja Cat and his woman.
Old Demon Madara, just you wait!
Ryou was filled with murderous intent toward Madara, but he suppressed it.
A Gentleman keeps his weapon ready, waiting for the right moment to act.
"Understood, Ancestor. Let Fish Ball keep you company."
Ryou left Fish Ball behind.
After Ryou left, Madara instructed Black Zetsu: "Follow Ryou. Don't let him pull any tricks."
The Rinnegan is indeed the eye above the Eternal Mangekyo, but as a supreme treasure, it has no defensive resistance. If a helpless child stepped on it while it was on the ground, it would essentially be destroyed.
Madara couldn't afford not to watch.
He felt that Ryou was dishonest, hadn't fully committed to the Eye of the Moon Plan, and still harbored hope for this wretched world.
"Ryou, you will understand. This world has no hope!"
Immediately, Madara stopped thinking about those troubling matters. Seeing that there were no outsiders, Madara dropped his pretense, grabbed Fish Ball, and started playing with it affectionately in his arms.
Everyone in the Uchiha Clan loved cats, and Madara was no exception. Having not petted a cat for decades, Madara had been itching to do so.
"Your name is Fish Ball, right?"
"Yes, Ancestor!"
"Judging by your appearance, you aren't an authentic Ninja Cat bred by the Uchiha Clan."
"Ancestor, I am a stray cat adopted by my master."
...Ryou arrived at a room where his clone had settled, the place where Tsunade was being held.
When Ryou pushed the door open and entered, he saw Tsunade bound by tree branches and vines.
This Rope Technique is full of Japanese flair!
Tsunade had already woken up and was sitting on the bed. Seeing someone push the door open, she looked toward the entrance.
Seeing that it was Ryou, she immediately cursed: "Ryou, you bastard, release me right now!"
Ryou approached Tsunade and sat down next to her.
Ordinary ropes naturally couldn't restrain a Sannin like Tsunade. These vines were formed by Ryou's Spore Clone and constantly absorbed Tsunade's Chakra to prevent her from regaining movement.
It should be noted that if Tsunade regained her mobility, one punch could kill both Madara and Ryou.
Ryou suddenly grabbed Tsunade's chin, preparing to kiss her.
Tsunade shouted to stop him: "Bastard! Where are Jiraiya and Orochimaru? What happened to them?"
Ryou stopped, looked at Tsunade, and said, "I regret to inform you, Tsunade, that you are the only one of the Sannin left."
Tsunade's pupils suddenly contracted: "Impossible!"
Ryou released Tsunade's chin, stood up, and presented only his back to her: "Tsunade, Old Demon Madara was preparing to kill you earlier."
"It was I who knelt before him and desperately pleaded to save your life. Because of this, I was even shocked by Old Demon Madara. Look, I'm bruised purple."
Ryou took off his upper garment to show Tsunade the electrocution scars he received from Madara.
Such injuries should quickly heal due to the Regenerative Properties of the White Zetsu cells, but Ryou used the Chimera Technique to suppress the White Zetsu cells' recovery ability.
This was all to deceive her and win Tsunade's sympathy.
Girls are most susceptible to this kind of trickery.
...
Sure enough, seeing the purplish-blue injuries on Ryou's body, Tsunade fell silent.
"I'm sorry!"
Ryou watched Tsunade's guilty expression out of the corner of his eye, chuckling inwardly.
Unexpectedly, a small blue and white figure appeared on Tsunade's shoulder: Katsuyu.
As soon as Katsuyu arrived, she exposed Ryou's story: "Lady Tsunade, he's lying to you. Uchiha Madara never intended to kill you. His injuries are all self-inflicted because he was disobedient."
"Katsuyu, watch me stab you to death!"
Ryou lunged forward, furious and frantic like a Hungry Wolf.
Katsuyu quickly hid in front of Tsunade's chest.
Tsunade yelled at Ryou: "Bastard! You're still lying everywhere, just like when you were a child."
Ryou put his clothes back on, glaring hatefully at Katsuyu. He hadn't expected Katsuyu to still be by Tsunade's side.
Katsuyu being by Tsunade's side was tacitly allowed by Madara. As long as Katsuyu's Main Body didn't arrive, Madara wasn't afraid of Katsuyu's threat.
Katsuyu was also very well-behaved, acting like a pet and not pulling any tricks.
Tsunade asked, "Ryou, tell me now, are Orochimaru and Jiraiya dead?"
Ryou replied, "I'm not sure about that. Orochimaru definitely isn't dead. As for Jiraiya, I don't know. At the time, his heart and lungs had been pierced through by Madara."
"If you had been there, Tsunade, you definitely could have saved him. What a pity..."
"Jiraiya..."
Tsunade clenched her hands tightly, her entire body's Chakra boiling, and the vines were starting to lose control.
Katsuyu said, "Lady Tsunade, don't worry. The Great Toad Sage requested my Main Body to intervene, and Jiraiya's Vital Heart Points have been preserved."
Hearing this, Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief.
Ryou accused Katsuyu: "How can Sages Who Retreat From The World interfere arbitrarily in Ninja World affairs? Do you know this is breaking the rules?"
In the original story, the Great Toad Sage rarely interfered in the Ninja World, usually only giving one or two prophecies, and those prophecies weren't even accurate.
For example, Jiraiya's Disciples: Nagato, Minato, and Naruto.
Who exactly was the person who could bring Change to the Ninja World? The Great Toad Sage did not accurately prophesy this.
This time, Madara revived and recovered his strength early, and Jiraiya was about to kick the bucket, yet the Great Toad Sage actually intervened?!
Katsuyu explained, "With an enemy like Uchiha Madara, even if all the elites of the Three Great Holy Lands were deployed, victory might not be guaranteed."