After Yukika left, Minato snapped out of his shock at Yukika's strange flying ability.
He slowly opened the scroll.
And he was awestruck.
This was the Flying Thunder God Technique!
The Second Hokage's famous space-time ninjutsu!
Gripping the scroll tightly, Minato trembled slightly with excitement.
That night, as the wind blew gently past him, he looked in the direction Yukika had gone and bowed deeply.
"I understand."
"The Senju haven't abandoned Konoha."
"And neither have you!"
"Thank you, Yukika-kun!"
...
Northern Land of Hot Water.
The same familiar, gloomy cave.
Madara Uchiha closed his aged eyes.
Nearby, Black Zetsu hesitated for a moment, took a step forward, and let go of something.
He was struggling internally.
It made sense.
Last time he and Madara had discussed the Senju Clan, Madara had warned him never to mention that name again.
But this time...
If he didn't bring it up, he wouldn't get the point across.
The commotion was just too big.
The entire shinobi world was shaken.
What made Black Zetsu hesitate even more was that the Second Great Ninja War had stalled into a long-term deadlock.
This wasn't according to plan.
If chaos didn't spread, how could Nagato of the Rain Country experience the despair needed for the plan?
It wasn't working.
More fuel was needed.
But...
Regarding the Senju Clan, Black Zetsu had no choice.
Even if he got slapped for it, he had to bring it up.
At worst, he'd just avoid mentioning the name directly!
"Speak," Madara said, suddenly opening his eyes just as Black Zetsu hesitated.
Those two pairs of Sharingan weren't Madara's originals, just substitutes, but they still made Black Zetsu nervous.
"Well, Madara-sama..."
Black Zetsu shuffled closer.
"Stay away," Madara said, frowning, clearly disgusted.
Though Black Zetsu was his creation, Madara still found his appearance unpleasant.
Stay back!
Black Zetsu was secretly delighted. At least Madara didn't slap him immediately.
"Madara-sama, it's like this…"
"Because of that brat's interference, the Rain Country battlefield is a mess."
"Even Konoha has gained a huge advantage over the Rain Ninja Village."
Brat?
Madara raised an eyebrow, silencing Black Zetsu with a look.
The battlefield was chaotic but always under control.
This couldn't be true.
"Also, something major happened in Konoha," Black Zetsu continued, almost breathless.
"That brat dragged the Third Hokage down from his seat, and led the Senju Clan to declare separation from Konoha."
"That..."
Bam!
A rock flew and smacked Black Zetsu square in the face.
Madara panted with rage, dragging the Gedo Statue's pipe closer to Black Zetsu.
"Who is that brat?!"
"Uh, Senju Yukika..."
SLAP!
A heavy slap sent Black Zetsu reeling, Madara's face twisted with fury.
"Didn't I tell you not to mention 'Senju' to me?!"
Are you stupid?
Black Zetsu sulked.
You ask, then hit me.
Fine, Madara, just wait. Someday, I'll dig out your heart twice as hard!
Still rubbing his face, Black Zetsu realized he had no choice.
Madara's anger was justified.
But the information was crucial.
Madara's expression shifted from shock to a complicated admiration.
The Senju kid had led his clan to win significant battles, then broken off from Konoha?
It was unexpected.
Yet, from another perspective, Madara almost respected Yukika.
When Konoha was founded, the Senju ruled, and the Uchiha were persecuted.
But now that Konoha no longer belonged to the Senju, they would suffer the same.
"I'm a smart man. I couldn't beat those dirty Konoha bastards. Leaving was the right choice," Madara muttered.
"Those who refused to follow me were fools."
"Madara-sama, be careful," Black Zetsu quickly said.
"It's not that he couldn't play politics. It's the opposite."
"He played Danzo Shimura like a fiddle, even cutting off his limbs."
"He and the Third Hokage threw the remains at Konoha's gates for public judgment."
"When he left, he didn't beg Konoha to keep him; he declared the Senju didn't need Konoha."
"Oh, and... he defeated the Third Raikage on the battlefield too!"
BOOM!
Madara punched through a chair armrest, silencing Black Zetsu.
Senju Clan.
Done fighting?
"Bullshit!"
"After Hashirama, there are no more Senju!"
Madara's face twisted with rage.
Was it so hard to accept reality?
Black Zetsu sighed heavily.
"Madara-sama, it's true."
"The world believes Yukika is the reincarnation of Hashirama—even stronger than him."
"Not only is he an outstanding leader, but he also tamed the Nine-Tails."
Tamed the Nine-Tails?
Wasn't it under Uzumaki Mito's control?
Was it free now?
Madara frowned deeply.
He hadn't planned on discussing this, but Black Zetsu had brought it up.
Looking at the Gedo Statue behind him, Madara seemed to reach a decision.
"Madara-sama, please reconsider," Black Zetsu warned gravely.
"You haven't found your successor yet."
"Revealing yourself would be dangerous."
"Besides, that kid is dangerous! He's even rumored to have married someone from his clan!"
Bam!
There was no greater insult to Madara than praising the Senju.
Especially when the one being praised was the grandson of Tobirama Senju—the man who killed his brother!
Madara's cold stare silenced Black Zetsu.
It was true.
The plan came first.
Find a successor.
Let the successors lead Nagato to collect the Tailed Beasts.
That was the priority.
Personal grudges could wait.
Still, Yukika...
He was too much like Tobirama.
But with the Senju now separated from Konoha, it was easier.
The dual temptations of the Nine-Tails and brotherly revenge stirred something deep inside Madara.
His old heart pounded.
Behind him, the Gedo Statue seemed to throb with energy.
Suddenly, wood grew from Madara's body.
In mere seconds, a youthful, perfect clone of Madara appeared beside him—made entirely of wood.
Mokuton clone!
When he fought Hashirama, even his Mangekyo Sharingan barely detected this technique.
Yes.
Hashirama had misjudged it, thinking Madara couldn't see through it.
But why could Yukika?
With this wooden clone, he would inject new life into the Gedo Statue.
The new Mokuton clone was ready!
"The Senju Clan..."
"This clone is enough!"
Madara returned proudly to his seat, his face pale.
It took everything he had to do this.
But he was confident.
(Hashirama's grandson or not,) there was no way Yukika could defeat him.
"Leaving Konoha was a wise move," Madara muttered.
"But you lost the very foundation you needed to survive."
"Not everyone is Madara Uchiha."
"Go. Kill him if you can, but don't leave any trace."
Madara closed his eyes again.
The Mokuton clone nodded and raced out of the cave.
Black Zetsu watched silently, utterly speechless.
Maybe I should have skipped mentioning Yukika and just talked about the Rain Country problems—
Yet...
The issue wasn't fatal.
Madara was safely hidden away.
Even if the plan failed, it was just a wooden clone.
After all, the only one known to use Wood Release was Hashirama.
Let them chase shadows!
...
Land of Fire.
Near Konoha.
The construction of Las Noches was underway.
On the hillside near the new Senju stronghold...
A cute, fat fox was drinking cola.
"Honestly, if my uncle knew how great it was to work for the boss, he'd have ditched everything and joined right away," Kurama muttered, biting into a bottle of cola and then chomping on a giant spicy strip.
Life was good.
At least being a personal retainer was better than being a bedwarmer for some random jinchuriki.
Yes.
With no more threats to the family, the boss seemed to be getting lazier.
But it couldn't be helped.
After all, it was hard to do anything properly before the fortress was finished.
Kurama pondered his life.
Suddenly...
His ears perked up, and he stared warily into the distance.
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
Kurama's cheerful expression turned to rage.
"An engine!"