Konoha: Sage Body

"Lord Madara, you're awake."

Black Zetsu never expected Uchiha Madara to wake up. Seeing Uchiha Madara staring at him with his fearsome Sharingan, he quickly said respectfully.

At the same time, he began to think about how to report to Uchiha Madara about some recent events in the ninja world.

There was no way around it. The ninja world had not been peaceful recently, and there had been billions of things that had happened.

"Black Zetsu, have any major events occurred recently?"

Uchiha Madara pondered for a moment before coldly asking.

He had been awake for some time and had learned some information about the outside world from some White Zetsus, which had caused him to feel slightly agitated.

However, the White Zetsus were all idiots who spoke without thinking and could not give complete and specific information. He needed to obtain more specific information from the Black Zetsus.

"Yes, Lord Madara, there have been three major events in the Shinobi world recently. The first is the killing of Shimura Danzo, the second is that Kirito Tosaka has become a Jinchuuriki, and the third is that Kumogakure attacked Amegakure."

The Black Zetsu heard this and, after deliberating, concisely stated what he considered to be the major events that had recently occurred.

Each of these three events could be said to involve Uchiha Madara's heart to a considerable extent, and could well affect the implementation of the Eye of the Moon Plan.

"That stinkbug is actually dead. How did he die? Be specific."

Uchiha Madara's eyes widened slightly upon hearing the three major events that Black Zetsu had mentioned, and he was a little surprised, especially the second event, which gave him a feeling that something bad was about to happen. However, he was not so panicked as to lose his head, and he first wanted to understand the current situation from the death of Danzo.

In his eyes, Danzo was indeed a stinkbug, but a very useful one. Now that he was dead, the situation in Konoha was hard to predict.

In order to continue the decline of Konoha, he felt it necessary to find out the details of the death of the stinkbug before considering what to do about the situation in Konoha.

"The reason Danzo died was because he touched weakspot of the Senju clan. He secretly passed on information about Senju Nawaki's outings to people in the other villages, causing Senju Nawaki to be attacked many times. If it wasn't for Kirito Tosaka coming to his rescue, he would have died many times over.

However, his death was very strange. He died at the hands of a mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse who mastered the Senjutsu. It was confirmed that this person was the one who originally struck down the immortal Kakuzu. He used the Earth Grudge Secret Technique in the process of killing Danzo.

This person was probably hired by the Senju clan to deal with Danzo, because on the day of the incident, Senju Momo specially invited the heads and decision-makers of the major Konoha ninja clans to a banquet at the Senju Clan territory. As a result, when Konoha Prison was attacked, Konoha was unable to stop people from going to provide support in a short period of time.

Black Zetsu recounted the details of his investigation into Danzo's death.

It had been almost a month since the death of this stinking bug, Danzo. He had basically investigated the cause and circumstances of Danzo's death through White Zetsu, the only thing he had not been able to investigate was the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse.

That mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse seemed to have disappeared, and it had once again vanished in the ninja world, not reappearing for a long time.

Even though he had secretly instructed White Zetsu to keep an eye on the Senju clan, the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse had never contacted the Senju clan.

"Is the Kage-Level powerhouse who mastered the Senjutsu from one of the three sacred places? Also, what do you think of that person's strength?"

Uchiha Madara became interested as soon as he heard the word Senjutsu, and temporarily put aside the death of the stinkbug Danzo to ask about the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse.

In this world, apart from Sharingan and Wood Release, the only other power that could catch his eye was Senjutsu.

He had initially lost to Senju Hashirama, who mastered both Wood Release and Senjutsu.

Later, he had looked for Senjutsu, but unfortunately, he had been unable to find it.

Not only was Senjutsu difficult to learn, it was also difficult to come into contact with.

There was no way around it. Humans themselves did not have a complete lineage of ninjutsu, so if human ninjas wanted to learn ninjutsu, they had to go to the three sacred places that possessed the lineage.

Of course, he could not possibly go to the three sacred places to learn senjutsu. It wasn't that he was afraid of the three great sages in the three sacred places, it was just that he didn't want to reveal his identity.

But he could not do it on his own through self-study.

Therefore, he believed that the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse had learned senjutsu from one of the sacred places of summoning beasts, and then wanted to use it to find out the true identity of the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse.

"It is likely that it is a ninja who has achieved great success in training in the Ryūchi Cave. As far as I know, among the three major sacred places, the only current contract holder in Shikkotsu Forest is Senju Tsunade, the granddaughter of Senju Hashirama, and the only contract holder in the group of toads in Mt. Myōboku is Jiraiya. The more famous contract holders of the group of snakes in Ryūchi Cave include Orochimaru and Sandaime Kazekage.

Of these three sacred places, the Slug Hermit has a gentle personality and is uninvolved in worldly affairs. Its contractees have always been very rare. The toads at Mt. Myōboku are always looking at the situation and making decisions based on the dish they are eating. They will not give a summoning contract to anyone unless it is the one the smelly toad predicts.

The snakes in Ryūchi Cave are the only ones who have no taboos. They are open to everyone who craves power. They have a large number of contract holders in the ninja world. According to my investigation, that mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse is most likely from a small ninja village, or he may even be a bounty hunter who is greedy for money.

This person is very strong. Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen was no match for him, but he definitely couldn't defeat you, Lord Madara."

Black Zetsu was asked by Uchiha Madara about the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse, and he had a headache. He had to grit his teeth and tell him what he had found out.

The Three Great Sanctuaries were all transcendent existences in the ninja world. The White Zetsu's ability to hide was formidable, but the three sages of the Three Great Sanctuaries were not vegetarians and were among the top existences in the ninja world. It was still unknown whether Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama could defeat them.

In order to play it safe, Black Zetsu has never set his sights on the three sacred places, and at most, he targets their contracted individuals outside.

It's just a pity that although he has been keeping an eye on the contracted individuals of Ryūchi Cave, none of them can master Senjutsu.

"Ryūchi Cave, that should be it, but that white snake is not someone to be trifled with. Don't alert it for now. Black Zetsu, you should know better, this person is a hidden danger. You must keep an eye on this person's movements and find out his true identity. I am currently unable to move around, and I have yet to find a suitable puppet. If we are unable to accurately find out his identity and eliminate him, it may well affect our plans."

Uchiha Madara listened to Black Zetsu's worthless information and said with some dissatisfaction.

As he spoke, his Sharingan revealed an even more powerful spiritual pressure.

Black Zetsu immediately trembled, his eyes showing fear.

After punishing Black Zetsu a little, Uchiha Madara withdrew his spiritual pressure and pondered how to deal with the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse.

This person is stronger than Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, which means that there are not many people in the current ninja world who are opponents of this person. This kind of top-notch strong person who wanders outside of the five major ninja villages is terrifying if there is nothing to restrain them.

It is completely an uncontrollable hidden danger, and it may become a huge threat that severely hinders his Moon Eye plan in the future. If possible, I would like to personally deal with it myself right now.

"Yes, Lord Madara, I understand."

Black Zetsu trembled as he got up from the ground, his face full of awe.

"Now tell me about Konoha after Danzo's death, be specific,"

Uchiha Madara said coldly.

The guy in front of him, Black Zetsu, was indeed a consciousness body that he had separated from himself, but he always felt that this consciousness body was not as loyal to him as those White Zetsu.

But when he thinks about the White Zetsus, who are all heartless and brainless, he feels reassured about Black Zetsu.

"Danzo seemed to have prepared for his own death long ago. Soon after he died, all the core members of the Root he led immediately abandoned all their strongholds in the Land of Fire, then dispersed and evacuated the Land of Fire, and finally secretly regrouped in the Land of Water, where they have now stabilized their position.

After the Roots left, Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately secretly formed a new Root, which was led by Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu, but the real person in charge was his son Sarutobi Takashi. Sarutobi Hiruzen harboured great hostility towards the old Root, and it was visually apparent that he had fallen into the hands of the old Root.

Without the support of the Old Roots, Sarutobi's influence in Konoha has been greatly weakened. Recently, they have started to have major conflicts with the Senju clan. However, as far as I know, this is because the Sarutobi clan behind him is secretly exerting its influence. Without Danzo, the Sarutobi clan now has to fight the Senju clan head-on.

Unfortunately, however, the Sarutobi clan has not produced a new Kage-Level powerhouse within its ranks, and it is now impossible for them to fight against the Senju clan again. Now that Kirito Tosaka has become a Jinchuuriki, it is even more impossible. Therefore, the Sarutobi clan has recently become desperate, trying to use rumors to destroy Kirito Tosaka.

According to my investigation, this rumor was a decision made by the Sarutobi clan behind Sarutobi Hiruzen's back, and the executor was his son Sarutobi Takashi. But the real manipulator behind it was the old Root."

Black Zetsu thought for a moment and concisely stated the information he knew.

The current situation in Konoha is obvious. The death of Danzo has triggered a conflict between the two major groups of the Senju clan and the Sarutobi clan. In the past, there was Danzo and his Root as a buffer between the two, but now that buffer is gone, and the conflict has risen from the dark side to the surface.

Most importantly, after Danzo's death, the Root left Konoha, causing the Sarutobi clan-led faction to suffer greatly. The Senju clan has an extra mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse who can defeat Sandaime, and the balance of power between the two has reversed.

Previously, the forces led by the Sarutobi clan could steadily suppress the forces led by the Senju clan, but now the tables have turned. In particular, after Kirito Tosaka became a Jinchuuriki of the One-Tailed and displayed his amazing strength, the fragile balance between the two, which had been maintained, was completely broken.

"Hmph, what a boring internal struggle. After Hashirama and that white-haired kid died, Konoha really went backwards. But from the current situation, the Sarutobi clan is in a very bad situation. If they don't work hard, sooner or later Konoha will once again be controlled by the Senju clan."

Uchiha Madara is a seasoned veteran and is also a master at playing conspiracy. Based on Black Zetsu's description of the situation in Konoha, he quickly understood the current situation in Konoha and sneered.

At the same time, he felt a little bad.

Because he didn't want to see Konoha come under the control of the Senju clan again in the future. The Senju clan may seem to be in decline now, and they don't even have a true Kage-Level powerhouse among them. The two remaining Kage-Level powerhouses are from other clans, and it's hard to say if one of them is on the same page as the others.

However, the Senju clan's reputation is still there. As long as the Senju clan regains power and has the support of a Kage-Level powerhouse behind them, the various forces in Konoha will soon be reunited, and even the Uchiha clan will be accepted again by all the clans in Konoha.

By then, Konoha, a tree that was gradually dying, will once again flourish with new life.

A Konoha that is on the road to recovery and even stronger is not what he wants to see.

"Lord Madara, you are right. If the situation continues to develop as it is, the Sarutobi clan is definitely destined to be suppressed by the Senju clan. The new Hokage will be from the Senju clan, which is definitely not conducive to Lord Madara's plan. What do you think we should do next?"

Black Zetsu said in an appropriate flattering manner.

The situation in Konoha has reached a pretty bad point.

If it weren't for the need for stability, he personally would have long since become accustomed to lying low. He wanted to jump in and help the Sarutobi clan, but there was Uchiha Madara in the way, and he could only help the Sarutobi clan with Uchiha Madara's help.

"You said that the rumors spread by the Sarutobi clan were the work of the Root led by the stinkbug. What's going on? The stinkbug is dead, but has the old Root not only not weakened after leaving Konoha, but become even stronger?"

Uchiha Madara did not immediately answer Black Zetsu's question about the old Root.

His current state was not suitable for directly interfering in Konoha's affairs. He had to find a suitable tool, and the Old Root was a very good one.

"Yes, Lord Madara, before he died, Danzo was researching a forbidden technique called Impure World Reincarnation. Now the Old Root has made a breakthrough in this forbidden technique. They used this forbidden technique to create many Impure World puppets with decent strength. Also, I don't think Danzo has truly died."

Black Zetsu understood that Uchiha Madara intended to take action against the Old Root, and immediately told him what he had gathered about the Old Root so far.

"Impure World Reincarnation, hmph, it's that white-haired brat's forbidden technique again. This forbidden technique that plays with the dead is abominable, but it does have unique qualities. No wonder the power of the Old Root has not waned but risen instead. Your guess is most likely correct. That stinkbug has probably not really died, but has come back to life in another way."

Uchiha Madara heard this and instantly understood what Black Zetsu meant. He sneered, and the Sharingan quietly lit up with a menacing red light.

He was a little excited.

"Lord Madara, please give the order. An outstanding forbidden technique like Impure World Reincarnation shouldn't be in the hands of a stinking insect, but in the hands of the great you."

Black Zetsu began to poke at the fire.

He had looked down on the Impure World Reincarnation technique at first, because the Impure World Puppets summoned by this forbidden technique were all just cannon fodder that looked good but were useless. But ever since he used White Zetsu to discover an old Root and make a breakthrough in this forbidden technique, and the Impure World Puppets summoned were close to their former strength, he was tempted.

With his discerning eye, how could he not see the potential of this forbidden technique? Once he masters this forbidden technique, it will be equivalent to having a powerful undead army in his hands, and it will still be the kind that cannot be killed.

With this forbidden technique, they will have the confidence to challenge the entire ninja world, and no longer have to secretly capture the tailed beasts.

"You are right, the stink bug does not deserve to master this forbidden technique that plays with life and death, and only a true strong person is qualified to master it."

Uchiha Madara nodded in satisfaction.

He could of course think of the same thing that Black Zetsu had thought of.

Therefore, he was indeed very interested in the Forbidden Technique of the Old Root, which had made a breakthrough.

"Lord Madara, let's act now. I know exactly where the Old Root is now, and if you are willing to help, we will definitely be able to get it."

Black Zetsu couldn't help but feel a little excited when he saw that Uchiha Madara agreed to seize the Impure World Reincarnation Technique of the Old Root.

"Mom, I can already see the day when I reunite with you,"

Black Zetsu thought with great anticipation.

"What's the rush? The bug isn't going anywhere. Besides, taking down the Old Root of the Stink Bug is still far from achieving our plan. And my eyes are far from mature. Tell me about this Kirito Tosaka. Compared to the Stink Bug, he is our biggest obstacle right now."

Uchiha Madara immediately poured cold water on the situation, speaking coldly.

The insect that is Shimura Danzo is nothing more than a minor nuisance. Since they already know where the Old Root is, catching this insect is a piece of cake. For now, he should focus his energy on this person, Tohsaka Kirito.

This young shinobi has grown at a speed beyond his imagination. When he woke up again, the other party had actually turned into a Jinchuuriki.

"Lord Madara, you are right. Kirito Tosaka is indeed our greatest threat. This person has grown too fast. At the age of 11, he already has the strength of a Kage level ninja, and he even killed Sunagakure's Kage-Level powerhouse Ebizo and took over the tail of the former Jinchuuriki Bunpuku from Sunagakure all by himself.

With his abilities, it is only a matter of time before he tames the Ichibi. Once he successfully controls it, I am afraid that no one in the ninja world will be his match, except for you."

Black Zetsu was slightly annoyed when Uchiha Madara poured cold water on him, but he quickly calmed down and respectfully told Uchiha Madara about the information on Kirito Tosaka.

Next, he also explained to Uchiha Madara some of the ninjutsu and Bloodline Limits that Kirito Tosaka had displayed during the war with Sunagakure.

"This child has already become a force to be reckoned with. If you want to get rid of him, relying on plots and schemes is useless. You must find his weak points, force him to enter the game on his own, and then use your powerful strength to destroy him."

After listening to Black Zetsu's information about Kirito Tosaka, Uchiha Madara frowned and sighed.

Sealing techniques powerful enough to seal a beast, the Spirit Transformation Technique with its superhuman perception, Puppeteering at the Kage level, the Bloodline Limit of Ketsuryūgan, Lightning Release that has reached the Mystic Realm, and now the power of Shukaku.

The combination of these powers, coupled with Kirito's age, was enough to make Uchiha Madara feel ashamed and under immense pressure.

The die was cast, and even he would find it difficult to kill Kirito now.

"It's incredible that Lightning Release, which reaches the mysterious realm, has been achieved at such a young age. Did he start training in the womb?"

Uchiha Madara thought to himself.

In the past, he didn't think it would be difficult to kill Kirito, but now it was different. According to what Black Zetsu had just said, Kirito had mastered a jutsu that could turn his body into lightning. He immediately realized that this jutsu could make Kirito invincible.

Perhaps this jutsu consumes a lot of chakra, but Kirito now has a tail, which has obviously solved the problem of insufficient chakra.

"Lord Madara, this kid actually has many weaknesses. We can start with the people around him, such as that kid named Senju Nawaki. If it weren't for Kirito Tosaka's repeated rescues, this grandson of Senju Hashirama would have long died under Danzo's conspiracy."

Black Zetsu saw that Uchiha Madara had finally let go of his pride and was thinking of taking action against Kirito Tosaka, so he immediately gave his advice.

"Senju Nawaki, Hashirama's grandson..."

Uchiha Madara hesitated when he heard Black Zetsu say this.

Black Zetsu knew that this was Uchiha Madara's arrogance at work again, so he quickly reminded him,

"Lord Madara, although this kid is relatively stupid, he already has the strength of a jōnin, and he also masters the Eight Gates of Death Technique. He has currently opened the fifth gate, and once he opens all five gates, he will have the strength to surpass elite jōnin. If we let him continue to grow, he might just become another Kirito Tosaka.

You should be well aware of the potential of the Eight Gates of Death Technique. This kid is, after all, the heir to the Senju clan and the Uzumaki clan bloodline, which makes him very suitable for practicing this forbidden body technique. If he were to master this forbidden body technique to the Death Gate level in the future, he would definitely become a terrifying enemy."

As soon as Black Zetsu said this, Uchiha Madara immediately recalled a certain ninja whose entire body was emitting bloody steam. He felt a chill in his heart and then nodded silently.

Indeed, once a ninja who has mastered the Eight Gates of Death Technique activates the Dead Gate, even he would have to be on his guard, because if he is not careful, he will be beaten to a pulp within a short period of time by the opponent's powerful physical attacks.

This forbidden physical technique, which is released at the cost of one's life, is worthy of his attention.

In that case, he really cannot treat Senju Nawaki like a child.

One Kirito Tosaka was already a thorn in his side, and if he were to add Senju Nawaki, who mastered the Gate of Death, then he might not be able to withstand the pressure.

"Lord Madara is wise. If we eliminate Kirito Tosaka and Senju Nawaki, then the power of the Senju clan in Konoha will surely collapse immediately. At that time, we won't even need to stir things up, and the Sarutobi clan will use all their strength to destroy the Senju clan and everything it stands for. Konoha will return to the way we want to see it."

Black Zetsu was overjoyed to see that Uchiha Madara had not acted like an idiot out of arrogance this time.

Uchiha Madara was good at everything except letting go of his arrogance. This was a sickness. At this point, doesn't he know his own identity? He is actually the same as Danzo. They are both rats living in the dark world, except that he is stronger.

But a rat is a rat. If you want to go against the world, you shouldn't be pretentious.

Look at Danzo, this bug is small and weak, but his awareness is much higher than Uchiha Madara's. If it weren't for the fact that the bug is not the reincarnation of Indra and is not himself a descendant of the Otsutsuki clan, and has no way of controlling the power of the Rinnegan, he would want Danzo to take Uchiha Madara's place.

Just look at the stupid things Uchiha Madara did. If he was willing to take action to resolve the matter with Kirito Tosaka before, then there wouldn't have been so much trouble now.

This is all because of Uchiha Madara's arrogance.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Tell me about the war between Kumogakure and Amegakure. What's that all about?"

Uchiha Madara still felt some resistance and annoyance in his heart towards the decision he had just made to bully the weak with the strong.

Black Zetsu understood Uchiha Madara's feelings and knew that he needed some time to get used to the fact that his limit was continuing to drop. He cooperatively changed the subject and answered, "The reason Kumogakure attacked Amegakure is because Kumogakure and Sunagakure reached a secret cooperation, but the prerequisite was Hattori Masanari's head. However, Kumogakure actually also wanted to seize the wealth of the Land of Rain and incidentally boost morale with a big victory, and then cooperate with Sunagakure to attack Konoha."

"Hmph, it seems that the leaders of the other great nations have also seen that the current situation in Konoha is not favorable to them and want to eliminate Konoha as soon as possible,"

Uchiha Madara snorted.

"Lord Madara has a sharp eye, but Kumogakure has miscalculated this time. Hattori Masanari is not an easy person to deal with. Not long ago, he led fifty Amegakure jōnin to raid Kumogakure and caused Kumogakure to suffer heavy losses. In the end, he managed to escape with some of his subordinates..."

Black Zetsu flattered him, detailing what Hattori Masanari had done in Kumogakure not long ago.

"I didn't expect this person's strength to improve so quickly either. He has even reached Kage level and mastered the tricky Flying technique."

Uchiha Madara sighed after learning that Hattori Masanari had just made a major move.

The ninja world is truly full of hidden tigers and dragons. He had only taken a short nap, and already there had been a spate of new Kage-Level powerhouses emerging in the ninja world, and each one of them was quite tricky.

The mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse who mastered the Senjutsu, the Ichibi Jinchuuriki Kirito Tosaka, and now there was also Hattori Masanari, who mastered the Flying technique.

"My lord, you don't need to worry. This Hattori Masanari is not a threat. Kumogakure has suffered such a great loss this time, and given the personality of the people of Kumogakure, they will definitely seek revenge. The Land of Rain will soon be reduced to ruins again, and Amegakure may even be destroyed as a result. By that time, even if Hattori Masanari doesn't die, he alone won't be able to do anything."

Black Zetsu grinned evilly and cackled.

As he spoke, it was as if he could already see the Land of Rain being razed to the ground by the enraged Cloud Ninja.

"Hmm, it's very likely. In that case, the host of my eye will have a very good environment in which to grow, and I might even be able to harvest a good piece,"

Uchiha Madara said with interest, his eyes lighting up.

He personally knew a lot about Hattori Masanari. From the book "Will of Rain" written by this person, it was clear that the things this person cherished were Amegakure and the Land of Rain. If Kumogakure destroyed the things he cherished, it would surely send him into darkness.

This was a good opportunity.

If he could subdue Hattori Masanari, then his plan for the Land of Rain would come to life, and he could rest assured that his eye host would be able to grow up in the Land of Rain in the future.

"Lord Madara, Hattori Masanari is a man with a very strong will. To completely destroy his will, I think it would require a betrayal that would leave a deep scar. What do you think?"

Black Zetsu heard Uchiha Madara say this and immediately understood that Uchiha Madara wanted to subdue Hattori Masanari. He had good judgment and acted as a foil, saying something that revealed his deep malevolence.

Uchiha Madara gave Black Zetsu a deep look upon hearing this.

Betrayal is indeed necessary.

Having one's prized possessions destroyed and being betrayed by someone you trust—no matter how strong-willed the person is, they will surely fall apart and eventually sink into darkness.

"Sigh..."

Uchiha Madara closed his eyes and let out a light sigh.