Bottomless Cavern within the Land of Earth
"You weren’t careful enough with this matter; we might have been exposed."
In the dimly lit cave, Madara spoke with an expressionless face, his aged eyelids drooping heavily.
"Impossible! We traveled so far and even crossed to the other side of the river before returning. There’s no way that brat could have tracked us," White Zetsu replied incredulously.
Madara closed his eyes, remaining silent. It was unclear if he was too tired to respond or simply disdained explaining himself.
After a long pause, Madara impatiently asked, "Any news from the spores you planted on him?"
"Oh, right! Let me sense it!" White Zetsu closed his eyes and concentrated. After a moment, he exclaimed in surprise, "Huh! Strange! As soon as he entered Sunagakure, the signal disappeared!"
"Exactly. This is why I haven’t acted within Sunagakure for years. That brat always seems suspicious," Madara’s eyes flashed with a sinister glint.
"Are we going to keep running away?" Black Zetsu asked.
"Should I pack our things?" White Zetsu chimed in.
Suddenly, Madara opened his eyes, his blood-red pupils glowing with a malevolent light. "No, we... won’t run anymore! I’m not going anywhere!"
Madara’s voice was low and menacing, like that of a ferocious old beast.
"Then what do we do? Fight them?" White Zetsu naively asked. Madara shot him a cold glare and replied, "The best defense is a good offense. It’s time to teach that little brat a lesson."
"Are you suggesting we initiate that plan?" Black Zetsu asked.
"But the plan isn’t fully prepared yet. Launching it prematurely will compromise its effectiveness, and the defensive strength of Sunagakure has greatly improved!" Black Zetsu hesitated.
"Zetsu, don’t think I don’t know the plan isn’t complete. But at the very least, it will prevent that annoying brat from constantly keeping tabs on us. By initiating it early, we turn the tables and might even spark a second war between Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Why not?" Madara explained slowly.
Hearing this, Black Zetsu stopped resisting. "Alright, I’ll head to Iwagakure immediately to persuade Kitsuchi to launch a sneak attack on Sunagakure."
"I’ll go to Sunagakure to contact the underground rebel organization," White Zetsu added.
Madara nodded in agreement. "By the way, how’s that candidate doing?"
"He’s graduated from the Konoha Ninja Academy and officially became a Genin, but he’s just a dead-last," White Zetsu reported.
"A dead-last doesn’t matter. Anyone with the Uchiha bloodline, once they awaken their Sharingan, will see their abilities grow exponentially. It’s just a matter of opening their eyes late. Be patient; it won’t take long. Once he tastes the pain of life, he will make the entire ninja world tremble! Zetsu! Keep a close eye on him."
"Understood," Zetsu replied.
"Time truly is the strongest enemy in this world. Mountains turn into valleys, rocks into sand, and even the greatest warriors eventually become mere bones in graves. Only the inheritance of will can fight against this dreadful longevity. Grow quickly, young man!" Madara sighed deeply, gazing upward.
In the Wind Shadow Office
"I feel something’s off in the village lately," Tetsu Yamashita said bluntly as soon as he entered.
Jinghang froze for a moment, knowing Yamashita was never one to joke. With his natural intuition for intelligence, Jinghang asked, "What do you mean by ’off’?"
"The village is too quiet."
"Too quiet?" Jinghang frowned, starting to grasp Yamashita’s point.
"You mean the village shouldn’t be this quiet?"
"Exactly!" Yamashita replied seriously. "Not long ago, our Sunagakure carried out such a large-scale anti-corruption operation. Those who needed to be arrested were arrested, and those who needed to be executed were executed. Yet, not a single person has come forward to appeal or cause trouble. Not even one person has stirred up a fuss. That’s abnormal."
Jinghang thought for a moment and understood. The operation had dealt with many administrative officials and even removed a battalion of officers from the regular army. These people had countless relatives, friends, and loyal followers. Together, they formed a considerable force. Yet, after the operation, there was no reaction from them—truly unusual.
"Continue," Jinghang urged.
"The reason can only be one of two things: One, these people have genuinely accepted their punishment and are sincerely remorseful. Two, they are secretly organizing, waiting to cause a major upheaval."
Jinghang remained silent.
"I’m a pessimist by nature; I always assume the worst in people. If I had to choose, I’d pick the latter," Yamashita said with a sly grin.
"I’d choose the latter too," Jinghang admitted with an awkward smile. After all, having survived years of scheming and treachery, caution was second nature.
This was the ninja world, not a harmonious society. It was rife with conspiracy and deceit. Without the protagonist’s halo, characters like Naruto—the "loudmouth cannon"—and Sasuke—the "king of show-offs"—wouldn’t survive three episodes.
"If we know they’re planning something, it actually simplifies things," Yamashita said confidently.
"They’re dissatisfied with your aggressive anti-corruption policies. The most direct approach would be to overthrow your administration."
Jinghang nodded. "But my people are strong. Overthrowing us won’t be easy."
"Exactly. Which is why, after much thought, I came up with a simple solution."
Jinghang suddenly became alert. "A weakening agent?"
"Precisely!" Yamashita nodded. "Weakening agents are regulated substances in the village. So, I secretly inspected the inventory in the medical department. Guess what?"
"Indeed. Three vials are missing. If those are used on you, well, you’d be no stronger than a commoner."
Jinghang immediately realized the gravity of the situation.
"It seems an uprising is imminent. Did you trace the missing vials?"
"Naturally, none. People planning to assassinate the Wind Shadow wouldn’t leave evidence behind. Besides, I didn’t want to alert them."
"This complicates things," Jinghang muttered, not worried about suppressing the rebellion but concerned about unnecessary losses it might cause.
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