After Kiyomi and Fried Rice finished making dinner, they called Tsunade and the others to eat.
They used the salamander that Fish Ball brought back to make many delicious dishes.
Fish Ball was gorging on the salamander, so delicious that its throat was filled with trills: "Tasty, so tasty!"
"The small ones are this delicious, so how good would Ibuse taste?"
"One of these days, I'll have Ryou take care of that big Salamander. Damn Ibuse, it hurt so much when it hit me."
Fish Ball bared its teeth slightly.
Tsunade pinched Fish Ball's cat head: "How many times have I told you? Ibuse's meat is highly toxic and inedible."
"Now that Ibuse has signed a contract with you, build a good rapport with it from now on. If you're still this useless, you'll just have to obediently wash everyone's clothes in the future."
Fish Ball shook off Tsunade's hand: "Fine! I'll build rapport with Ibuse!"
Tsunade nodded and glanced around. When she met Konan's eyes, Konan's face turned red, and she quickly looked away.
Tsunade felt annoyed; she didn't know how to face Konan now.
It was all because of that evil, lecherous Uchiha.
Nagato was a bit puzzled. Why did things seem a bit ambiguous between Konan and Lady Tsunade?
Tsunade asked in confusion, "Where's Ryou? Why hasn't that kid come to eat?"
Fish Ball shook its head: "Don't know, maybe he's already full!"
Tsunade's face flushed red.
Kiyomi called out to Nagato: "Nagato, go call Ryou for dinner."
"Okay."
Nagato went to the office hall on the upper floor. Not finding Ryou in the office, Nagato activated his sensory abilities and suddenly noticed a terrifying Chakra erupting on the top floor.
Nagato had never felt the terrifying, suffocating pressure of a Tailed Beast.
But this terrifying Chakra was like a dormant giant beast suddenly awakening.
If he had to describe it, it felt like the sense of despair Madara brought to people.
Under Nagato's Chakra perception, the terrifying Chakra fluctuations upstairs were also very similar to Madara's.
Nagato wondered, "Is Madara training up there?"
Nagato walked toward the upper floor. The closer he got, the more he could feel this overwhelming pressure sweeping over him.
Nagato noticed a laboratory heavily guarded by Ryou's spore clones.
The laboratory was wrapped in a barrier; it seemed something extremely important was happening inside.
Through the barrier, one could see the leaking Chakra, which had already condensed into physical form.
This was a characteristic possessed only by the Chakra of Tailed Beasts.
"What are you doing?"
Ryou's spore clone told Nagato, "Nagato, the main body is doing something very important."
Nagato was very confused: "What very important thing?"
"Ahhhn~"
An ecstatic sound drifted out from within.
"(╬￣皿 ￣)凸."
Nagato looked at the spore clone with disdain: "This is the very important thing?!"
"..."
The spore clone really wanted to find a hole to crawl into. Even the clone felt ashamed of what the main body was doing!
Nagato wanted to turn and leave, but this ecstatic sound seemed to have a genjutsu-like effect, making him unable to move his feet.
Because, from childhood to adulthood, Nagato had never been exposed to adult matters.
Nagato suddenly remembered the two sexy older sisters Ryou had sent to him and Yahiko back then.
Their outfits, their figures—Nagato had gotten a nosebleed just from one look.
He suddenly felt that Yahiko's death was too pitiable; he died without ever becoming an adult.
Nagato hadn't returned for a long time, which left Tsunade and Konan full of doubt, so they got up to find him.
When the two were alone together, they felt even more uneasy and didn't speak for a long while.
Finally, Konan broke the silence and said with a red face, "Lady Tsunade, did it... feel good?"
"〣(ºΔº)〣."
Tsunade was beyond embarrassed, but it had been absolutely exhilarating.
Not just physically, but mentally as well.
A proud Uchiha had actually knelt to her, a member of the Senju Clan. If Madara knew, he'd probably hang him up and electrocute him for three days and three nights.
But was that something she could say?
Tsunade wanted to say it wasn't comfortable: "Konan—"
But suddenly, a Chakra like that of a Tailed Beast swept down.
"What... is this?!"
Konan moved in front of Tsunade to protect her. Right now, the Chakra in Tsunade's body was sealed by spores; even a Genin could take her life... The evening rain fell densely, hitting the steel buildings of Amegakure outside the window, splashing into fine white mist.
In a secluded corner at the very center, Madara emerged from the underground base. He looked at the evening lights of the Hidden Rain Village.
It was always raining in the Hidden Rain Village, and it was a bit cold outside. There was no one on the streets except for some patrolling Ninjas.
The rain wove diagonally between the buildings, carrying the sound of the evening wind and mixing with the light clatter of chopsticks from thousands of homes.
How long had it been since Madara experienced such communal peace?
He probably couldn't remember clearly. The last time might have been in Konoha, or perhaps a desolate Village he saw while alone.
Madara's world had always been lonely before Ryou and Obito arrived.
Madara activated his sensory perception and noticed a steel building in the very center of the Rain, where a terrifying Chakra was erupting.
"Oh, has it already begun?"
Since Ryou fused with his cells, he was now like his grandson.
Madara was indifferent to desire and had no interest in women. If he didn't establish a family, his branch of the Uchiha would basically go extinct.
It just so happened that Ryou had no parents and was from a cousin's lineage. Madara wanted to adopt Ryou into his own branch.
Madara had never considered descendants before. The world he pursued was an eternal, beautiful world, but people always need something to hold onto.
Seeing Ryou was like seeing Izuna. If there were no war, would Izuna and his younger brothers have lived like ordinary people?
With a wife, children, and more importantly, peace.
White Zetsu appeared beside Madara: "Lord Madara, many spies have appeared around the Rain!"
Madara gave a single, cold word: "Kill them!"
"Yes!"
White Zetsu began to mobilize the underground White Zetsu army to clear out all the surrounding spies.
Madara looked at a statue of himself in the center. With broad shoulders and a proud chest, it looked as if it would step out from the rock wall and strike at any moment.
Just like Madara's statue in the Valley of the End.
Konoha's textbooks deliberately hid Madara's achievements. When the Uchiha Clan completely forgot Madara and the people of the Warring States Period had all died out, Madara would be completely forgotten—the ultimate death.
The Hidden Rain was now under Madara's control. If he promoted it vigorously, this Village might be heavily branded with Madara's mark.
By then, his relationship to the Hidden Rain would be equivalent to Hashirama's to Konoha.
What a wonderful vision! Madara also had his own direct followers now.
But—
Madara used a Shinra Tensei to destroy his own statue.
"I don't need to be remembered by everyone, nor do I need the world's recognition. I will be the creator who reshapes the world."
Madara would not be defined; he would be the one to define the world.
In the light rain, Madara walked alone toward the Hidden Rain building.