A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Kirigakure, Secret Laboratory

A violent burst of chakra surged through the air as countless wooden spikes pierced the laboratory's interior.

However, the guards stationed around the lab seemed accustomed to such occurrences, merely stepping aside to avoid being struck by the stray spikes.

Inside, Tobi, or rather, Black Zetsu struggled to his feet.

In the original storyline, one of Tobi's most puzzling abilities was his seemingly endless use of Kamui. It appeared as though the technique came with no noticeable drawbacks.

This could be attributed to the Hashirama cells grafted onto him, but in reality, once Aoba had experimented with Hashirama's cells, he realized this explanation wasn't sufficient.

Even with the support of Hashirama cells, the Mangekyō Sharingan shouldn't have been able to recover so quickly.

The only plausible explanation was that Madara, or Black Zetsu, had altered Tobi's body using Yin-Yang Release techniques.

Aoba was inclined to believe that Tobi's body had been deeply modified by Black Zetsu, making it resilient beyond normal limitations. Such methods weren't casually employed; they required extraordinary resources and expertise. Tobi had been the most critical piece on Black Zetsu's chessboard, which justified the immense effort invested in his physical enhancements.

However, during the recent battle in Konoha, Tobi's body had been utterly destroyed. Not only that, but Black Zetsu had lost part of its own form.

This left Black Zetsu in a weakened state. Tobi's body could be repaired with enough White Zetsu bodies to act as material.

But Black Zetsu's body, created directly from Kaguya's essence, was unique. It couldn't regenerate on its own.

This explained why Black Zetsu preferred operating from the shadows. Its body's irreplaceable nature meant any damage sustained was potentially permanent.

After months of recovery and the consumption of over a hundred White Zetsu, Black Zetsu had managed to restore about 70% of its former strength.

The remaining 30%, however, was beyond repair unless Kaguya herself was revived.

This pushed Black Zetsu into an even deeper state of dormancy. With Konoha now reigning supreme in the ninja world after defeating Iwagakure and Kumogakure, Black Zetsu refrained from making any moves.

The failed ambush in Konoha had shaken Black Zetsu to its core.

For an entity that thrived in manipulation and subterfuge, that operation had been an overwhelming disaster.

Deciding to step back into the shadows, Black Zetsu now pinned its hopes on Madara to push the plan forward.

Madara, however, wasn't easily controlled. His focus was solely on reclaiming the Rinnegan and achieving a full resurrection.

But thanks to Aoba's interference, Black Zetsu had lost its foothold in the Akatsuki. This made it nearly impossible to approach Nagato without raising suspicion.

Tobi's Kamui was powerful but not invincible. More importantly, Tobi only possessed one Sharingan. Against Nagato's Rinnegan, even Black Zetsu felt unease.

Fortunately, Madara hadn't relied solely on the weakened Black Zetsu. He had decided to take matters into his own hands, preparing to retrieve the Rinnegan and force Nagato to use the Rinne Rebirth technique.

However, dealing with Nagato wasn't as straightforward as it seemed.

Nagato now controlled Amegakure, and thanks to Konan's leadership over the years, Amegakure was far stronger than in the original storyline. It had also remained untouched during the last war.

To reclaim the Rinnegan from Nagato meant clashing with the entirety of Amegakure.

With the Akatsuki members stationed in Amegakure, it was no exaggeration to say that, apart from Konoha, Amegakure now possessed the second-most formidable military force in the ninja world.

Members like Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Kakuzu, and Hidan could overwhelm any one major village with ease.

Black Zetsu deployed numerous White Zetsu scouts into Amegakure to gather intelligence, but the results were not encouraging.

"Were there no weaknesses?"

"It's not that there are no weaknesses. For Madara-sama, Amegakure's defenses are riddled with flaws. But the issue lies in their high-level combat power.

Based on my findings, Amegakure's leadership has close ties to Aoba from Konoha. Beyond having many elite fighters, they also possess a highly proficient sealing team."

Hearing this, Madara furrowed his brow.

He was strong, but he wasn't invincible, and even he understood his limits. The current Madara, as an Edo Tensei summon, was actually weaker than his prime.

The summoning ritual had not used the best materials to revive him, a deliberate move by Black Zetsu to keep him somewhat under control.

The Edo Tensei body had its vulnerabilities. Yin-Yang Release could bypass its regenerative abilities, and a well-executed sealing technique could trap him indefinitely.

Had it not been for his battle with Aoba, Madara might have underestimated the current generation of ninjas.

But that fight had shown him that he wasn't yet invincible.

Launching an open attack on an independent village like Amegakure would inevitably expose him to the entire ninja world.

Should the other villages unite against him, even his Edo Tensei body might meet its end.

Reluctantly, Madara chose to bide his time.

...

Konoha, Hokage's Office

"I still don't understand. Why don't we just reveal the truth to the entire ninja world?"

Tsunade was baffled by Aoba's reluctance to act openly. Her instinct was to announce the truth and rally the entire ninja world against the threats of Madara and Black Zetsu.

"What truth do you propose we announce? That the mastermind is Madara Uchiha? Or that there's an ancient entity tied to the progenitor of chakra itself?"

"Why not? We already have plenty of evidence in hand. We can absolutely—"

"Hokage-sama, I understand what you're saying. You want to use this evidence to prove you're right and then use it to unite the entire ninja world. But let me make this clear for you:

Even if everyone believes what you say, the ninja world will never completely unite. Because uniting the entire ninja world is not a matter of right or wrong; it's a matter of... interest."

"Doesn't Madara Uchiha pose a threat to the entire ninja world? Isn't defeating him our shared interest?"

Tsunade wasn't being naïve, what she said made perfect sense. A common enemy for the ninja world naturally requires a united effort to take them down.

"Can you prove that Madara Uchiha is currently threatening the entire ninja world? Right now, he hasn't actually done anything."

"But he will eventually."

"That's true. But that's exactly the problem. Even if everyone knows that Madara Uchiha is the enemy, and even if they know he'll become a threat to the entire ninja world, the ninja world still won't unite until he actually does something.

Sometimes, I feel ashamed to be part of humanity because humans, by nature, are such a frustrating species. Unless the blade is already at their throat, they won't react."

Check out the patreon and get 45 chapters in advance -> SaintXI

Currently on Chapter 244 - The Hunt for Obito