Chapter 80: The Hunter of the Shadow
The peace of Uzushio was a well-oiled machine. In the eight months since the "Return to the Forest," the village had moved beyond survival and into the realm of high-tier industrialization. But while the citizens focused on the light of the future, Rimon was focused on the darkest corners of the past.
The War Room
High in the Research Tower, Rimon stood before a shimmering holographic map of the continent. Beside him stood Ren, the Chief of Security Analysis, and Enzo, the Director of National Security.
"Report," Rimon commanded, his eyes tracking a series of red blips flickering near the border of the Land of Frost.
"The Chakra Registry has picked up an anomaly, Patriarch," Ren said, his brow furrowed as he adjusted a series of dials on the console. "We've been scanning the continental 'static' for months. Most of it is just the background noise of the Second War—explosions, mass jutsu, death. But this... this is different. It's a rhythmic, low-frequency pulse. It's coming from deep underground in the northern mountains."
"It matches the resonance of the Gedo Mazo blueprints you described," Enzo added, his voice grim. "If something that old is still breathing, it's not alone."
Rimon nodded. He knew the timeline. Madara was alive, but fading. He was waiting for Nagato to grow, waiting for the world to reach its breaking point. Rimon wasn't going to give him that luxury.
"I'm leaving the village for forty-eight hours," Rimon said. "Ashina-san has the proxy. If any Kage sends a messenger, tell them I am 'communing with the sea.' Ren, keep the Sentinel Towers on high alert. If Zetsu is watching us, I want to know the moment a blade of grass moves incorrectly."
The Hunt Begins
Rimon didn't use a ship. He stepped onto the balcony, his black Sovereign cloak snapping in the salt wind.
"System: Activate Master Sensory Range - Trace 'Gedo' Signature."
[System: Scanning... Target confirmed in the 'Mountain's Graveyard' coordinates. Distance: 1,400 miles. Warning: High-tier Genjutsu barriers detected.]
Rimon vanished in a blur of blue light.
He traveled via a series of pre-placed FTG (Flying Thunder God) markers he had been scattering across the coastline for months. Each jump brought him closer to the frozen North, the air turning from salt-warmth to the dry, metallic cold of the Land of Frost.
The Veil of the Ghost
Rimon landed on a jagged peak overlooking a valley of slate and ice. The wind howled like a dying beast. Most shinobi would see nothing but a wasteland. But through Rimon's Observation Haki, the world looked different.
Beneath the stone, he saw it. A massive, tangled knot of energy that felt like a sinkhole in reality.
"Found you," Rimon whispered.
He started walking. As he descended, the air began to shimmer. He stepped through a standard invisibility barrier, then a sensory-confusion seal. To a normal Jonin, these would be impassable. To Rimon, they were like cobwebs.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet shifted. A white, humanoid figure erupted from a nearby tree trunk.
"Oh! A visitor!" the White Zetsu chirped, its voice mocking. "You're far from home, Uzumaki. This isn't a place for little kings."
Rimon didn't stop. He didn't even look at the creature. "Where is he, Zetsu? I don't have time for the gardener. Take me to the master of the house."
The White Zetsu's playful expression vanished. It realized, too late, that it couldn't sense Rimon's intent. It was like looking into a void. "You shouldn't be here. Madara-sama is... sleeping."
"Then wake him up," Rimon said. He unleashed a localized burst of Conqueror's Haki.
The force of the spiritual pressure hit the White Zetsu like a physical hammer. The creature was slammed back into the tree, its wooden body cracking. From the shadows of the valley, dozens more Zetsus began to emerge, their yellow eyes glowing with malice.
"You're making a mess of my coat," Rimon sighed, resting his hand on his blade. "Tell Madara that the Sovereign of Uzushio is here to discuss his retirement plan."
The Call of the Void
From the depths of a cave mouth hidden behind an ancient jutsu-shroud, a voice emerged. It didn't carry through the air; it vibrated directly into the marrow of Rimon's bones.
"Let him in, Zetsu."
The Zetsus immediately melted back into the earth. The massive stone doors of the Mountain's Graveyard groaned, sliding open to reveal a tunnel of absolute darkness.
Rimon walked in, his footsteps echoing in the silence. He felt the weight of a century of hatred pressing down on him. He felt the cold, hungry pull of the Gedo Mazo.
At the end of the tunnel, a single torch flickered.
There sat the legend. A withered husk of a man, hooked to a monstrous wooden statue by thick, pulsating tubes. His hair was long and white, his skin translucent. But even at death's door, the pressure emanating from him was like a mountain.
"You are a bold one," Madara Uchiha rasped, his eyes remaining closed. "To walk into the lion's den with your head held high. Do you know who I am, boy?"
"I know what you were," Rimon replied, standing at the center of the cavern. "A man who fought for a dream and lost to a man who had a bigger heart but a smaller brain. Now, you're just a ghost waiting for a child to grow up so you can steal his eyes."
Madara opened his eye. The red of the Sharingan pierced through the gloom. "Careful, child. Even a ghost can still kill a king."
"I'm not here to be killed," Rimon said, his own power beginning to flare, lighting up the cavern with a violet hue. "I'm here to offer you a chair at the table of the living. Because my world is about to become far more interesting than your dream."