Uchiha Setsuna had once thought that no matter how strange an existence the phantom before him was, he would not feel any surprise. However, now he had to admit that he was shocked by the phantom's words, because what the phantom spoke was the name of the person who had been rejected by the Uchiha Clan, but who was still worshipped by some clan members led by Uchiha Setsuna.
"What did you say? You are... you are the will of Lord Madara?" Uchiha Setsuna's voice trembled with excessive shock.
"Lord Madara," Zetsu said with a hint of mockery. "In the past, you refused to acknowledge him as the clan leader because of his resistance, but now you call him Lord again. It is truly laughable."
Uchiha Setsuna was choked by the other's words and could not deny them. He felt ashamed himself; when Lord Madara was isolated and helpless, he had failed to come out and support him. His vision had truly been too short-sighted!
"It is our fault," Uchiha Setsuna said with shame. "Originally, we thought Lord Madara's methods were inappropriate, but I understand now. That guy Senju Tobirama restricted us in the name of the Police Force, intending to raise us as Konoha's guard dogs, yet most people didn't see it!"
Uchiha Setsuna did not know that Senju Tobirama's true purpose was well-intentioned. In his extreme thinking, he only felt that Senju Tobirama was using a soft knife to cut meat, slowly removing the arrogance of the Uchiha Clan so that they could never threaten the status of the Senju Clan again.
"That's right. It was because Madara knew this that he had the Uchiha Clan leave Konohagakure, but not a single person followed him. Even if he was alone, Madara still tried to protect the Uchiha Clan, so he went to find the legendary beast, the Nine-Tailed, intending to usurp the position of Hokage in Konohagakure," Zetsu said coldly.
The incident where Uchiha Madara invaded Konohagakure with the Nine-Tailed was common knowledge and had once placed the Uchiha Clan in a dangerous position. But looking at it from another angle, if Uchiha Madara had succeeded in killing Senju Hashirama, the Uchiha Clan would naturally not have to look at the faces of other clans. The power of Uchiha Madara, possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan, and the Nine-Tailed Fox would have been enough to suppress the entire Village.
"But the result..."
"Yes, the result was that Madara was killed by Senju Hashirama, by the best friend he acknowledged—" Zetsu said slowly. "Before he died, Madara used the Yin-Yang Release technique to materialize and separate his will, which is me—Zetsu. Now that Madara is dead, I will continue Madara's legacy and protect the Uchiha Clan. However, it is not easy for me to enter Konohagakure, so I need someone who can inherit Madara's will, and the person I have chosen is you."
Uchiha Setsuna was both shocked and delighted. He was shocked that Madara actually had a Secret Technique that could materialize his will, and delighted that he was chosen as the person to inherit Madara's will. In the eyes of Uchiha Clan Members like them who were hostile to the Senju Clan, Madara was the object they should follow. Although Madara was dead, his will had to continue.
"If that is the case, I am very willing to inherit Lord Madara's will," Uchiha Setsuna said hurriedly, then asked about something he was curious about, "By the way, you were separated by Lord Madara using the Yin-Yang Release technique. This Yin-Yang Release technique..."
"You should know about Yang Release and Yin Release, right?" Zetsu said.
"I know. It is said that Secret Techniques related to physical energy belong to Yang Release, such as the Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Technique, while those related to spiritual energy are Yin Release, such as the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Switch Technique and genjutsu," Uchiha Setsuna nodded. "But I have never heard of this Yin-Yang Release technique."
"So-called Yin Release takes spiritual energy as its source to create form from nothing; so-called Yang Release takes life energy as its source to breathe life into form. The combination of the two is the method of creating all things. A thousand years ago, the Six Paths Sage used this method to create the Tailed Beast," Zetsu slowly explained the function of the Yin-Yang Release.
Uchiha Setsuna opened his eyes wide in surprise and said incredulously, "The Secret Technique of the Six Paths Sage! Lord Madara actually mastered this kind of Secret Technique; he is truly worthy of being Lord Madara."
"Heh heh, that is only natural, because the Uchiha Clan is the descendant of the Six Paths Sage." Zetsu's appearance was like a blob of thick ink, a phantom figure, but Uchiha Setsuna felt he was smiling, and the words he spoke also shocked Uchiha Setsuna.
"We are... the descendants of the Six Paths Sage?"
"Yes, these things are recorded on the stone tablet in the clan. Only those who possess the Mangekyo Sharingan can decipher it. It tells the story of the Uchiha Clan's ancestors," Zetsu said. "If you want to confirm it, you can go see it yourself. Even an ordinary Sharingan can decipher part of the content. Of course, the real content still requires the Mangekyo Sharingan to decipher."
"How could the Mangekyo Sharingan be so easily obtained? Since Lord Madara and Lord Izuna, there has not been another person. Even before that, it was a realm that only belonged to legends," Uchiha Setsuna said.
"What? Are you afraid? If you don't even have this resolve, how can you inherit Madara's will?" Zetsu asked three times in a row.
"No, that's not what I meant," Uchiha Setsuna hurriedly denied. "It's just that the Mangekyo Sharingan is indeed rare, and I am also wondering what method to use to continue Lord Madara's will."
"There is no need to worry about this," Zetsu laughed softly. "Madara has already made plans. Although he has died, his reincarnation will descend again into the Uchiha Clan. You need to find an opportunity to bring out the Uchiha Clan Members born recently. It doesn't matter when. I can identify which one is Madara's reincarnation, and your task is to protect him as he grows."
"Lord Madara's reincarnation?" Although it sounded incredible, Uchiha Setsuna believed it. In his view, since Madara could even learn the Secret Technique of the Six Paths Sage, letting his soul transcend the Pure Land and be reincarnated did not seem impossible.
"As long as it is Madara's reincarnation, I have a way to make him obtain power not inferior to Madara's during his lifetime. All of this is within the plan. You don't need to do anything else, just cultivate him well," Zetsu said.
Uchiha Setsuna was silent for a while, then nodded: "I understand. However, Zetsu, should we find an opportunity to get rid of the traitor Uchiha Kagami? If we let him continue to stay in the position of clan leader, it might affect the future of the clan."
"It doesn't matter," Zetsu said dismissively.
"Good!" Uchiha Setsuna had originally been worried that Zetsu, inheriting Madara's will, might have compassion for the successor he was cultivating, but now it seemed he had overthought it. Thinking of Uchiha Kagami, Uchiha Setsuna felt some annoyance. He was clearly supposed to be Lord Madara's successor, yet he had become a lackey of Konohagakure. How could such a person sit in the position of clan leader?
After Zetsu instructed him on some matters, he let Uchiha Setsuna leave and even gave him a route map specifically so that Uchiha Setsuna could avoid the ambush of Sunagakure. After he left, Zetsu moved outside, watching Uchiha Setsuna's departing figure, and muttered: "I hope this guy can be useful."
As a creature that had lived for a thousand years, Zetsu had always been striving for the resurrection of his mother, Kaguya. When Indra reincarnated as Uchiha Madara, he finally saw hope—for thousands of years, because the bloodline of Indra had gradually weakened, originally only a Sharingan of the highest ordinary level was needed to make Indra's Chakra manifest, but later it reached the point where a Mangekyo Sharingan was required. Counting all the failures, Madara was the one closest to success; however, the Battle of the Valley of the End fell short of success.
"I didn't expect the reincarnation of Ashura to be able to learn the Wood Release, a Secret Technique that suppresses Tailed Beast Chakra. If not for that, Madara, carrying the Nine-Tailed, should not have lost," Zetsu muttered to himself, but shook his head. "No, in the end, it was still that Madara did not have the resolve to abandon everything, while Senju Hashirama did have that resolve, so Madara lost. Geez, I thought Madara's brain would be a bit smarter, yet he still stumbled in so-called bonds."
Zetsu, who did not know that Madara had set up Izanagi in his Mangekyo Sharingan in advance, had a somewhat derogatory view of Uchiha Madara at this moment. At the same time, he still blamed Uchiha Kagami for meddling. Of course, it was not because it ruined Madara's plan, but because it made those Mangekyo Sharingan eyes, which might have carried Indra's Chakra, disappear. If those eyes were still around, it would not be necessary to cultivate the reincarnation of Indra from scratch.
"It's a pity. The next plan will be very troublesome. The descendants of Ashura still have some tricks. It won't be as easy as before to freely enter the Uchiha Clan to bewitch the reincarnation of Indra. I have to rely on such extreme people to act as an inside man," Zetsu shook his head slightly, his figure slowly sinking into the ground.
"It doesn't matter, I've already waited for a thousand years anyway." Zetsu was never afraid of the length of time; the only thing he did not lack was patience.