"Something wrong, my lord?" Black Zetsu asked curiously.
"I sensed the Nine-Tails' chakra."
Madara Uchiha narrowed his eyes, murmuring to himself as he recalled memories. "Back then during our final battle at the Valley of the End, I controlled the Nine-Tails using my Sharingan, making it my summoned beast. Yet somehow, I still got defeated by Hashirama."
"So the story goes that Hashirama's wife—Mito Uzumaki of the Uzumaki Clan—sealed the Nine-Tails inside herself and became its jinchuriki," Black Zetsu added helpfully.
"In that case, considering the timing, Mito must be nearing the end of her life," Madara remarked with visible regret. "What a shame. This sacrificial vessel lacks enough power to control the Nine-Tails. Otherwise, I would have loved to manipulate it again and cause some serious destruction."
A ruined Konoha was exactly the Konoha he desired.
Please, just calm down a little this time.
Black Zetsu thought inwardly.
At this moment, he already regretted bringing out Madara Uchiha. If these two went too far and accidentally messed up big time—getting captured by Konoha for interrogation, which might eventually lead them to Madara's true body—
Then all of Black Zetsu's millennium plan would go completely to waste.
Yeah, otaku really are terrifying.
Especially old-school ones like Madara Uchiha. Trapped underground for decades—he'd clearly lost his patience, and now he'd unleashed hell the moment he emerged.
"Forget about destroying Konoha this time. But—"
Madara withdrew his gaze and walked toward the wall of the police headquarters building. "Let's start with an appetizer—tear down this dog house belonging to the Uchiha clan."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he raised his fist, unleashing powerful chakra throughout his body, and punched straight forward.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, the entire wall cracked into countless fissures under Madara's single punch before collapsing inward with a thunderous crash.
Many members of the Uchiha clan rushed out from the building in panic.
Within just a dozen seconds, the entire structure had been reduced to a pile of rubble, with clouds of dust billowing high into the air.
[Monster Strength of the Senju Clan!]
"One should never underestimate the Monster Strength of the Senju Clan, hahaha!"
Madara shook off the dust from his hands, laughing heartily as he and Black Zetsu vanished into the distance.
Leaving behind nothing but chaotic devastation, smoke and dust filling the sky, and many wounded people.
Though it seems long when described, from Madara entering the police headquarters, injuring numerous Uchiha clansmen, to finally leaving after demolishing the building—everything happened within merely ten minutes.
Therefore, by the time other members of the police force returned in haste from their patrols outside, Madara and Black Zetsu had long disappeared without a trace.
However, there was a group of ninja within Konoha Village whose speed and response exceeded even that of the police force.
But these weren't ordinary ninja—they were Anbu, Konoha's elite black ops division.
Outside the Leaf Village, in the forest shadows.
Two Anbu shinobi wearing animal masks concealed their presences, silently tailing Madara and Black Zetsu from a distance.
More precisely, they belonged to the Fourth Anbu Squad, yet actually operated under Root, serving directly as Danzo's subordinates.
"I'll keep tracking these two. You return and report to Lord Danzo. We can communicate later through insects."
One of them whispered to his companion.
He was a ninja from the Aburame clan. Back in the village, he had silently attached insects to Madara Uchiha and his companion, following them all the way here.
"Alright, be careful," the other person nodded before activating the Body Flicker Technique and vanishing into thin air.
Meanwhile.
In a secret underground laboratory hidden deep within the mountains behind Konoha, Root's hidden stronghold.
The room was lined with glass vials, flasks, and high-tech lab equipment. By all appearances, this place must have been astronomically expensive to build—truly extravagant.
"Orochimaru, this is specially prepared for you."
Danzo leaned on his cane with one hand while extending the other outward in an inviting gesture.
"Lord Danzo has certainly gone through great trouble," Orochimaru replied politely, accepting the offer without showing excessive enthusiasm.
"Hehehe."
Faced with Orochimaru's obvious caution, Danzo simply chuckled. He wasn't in a rush. Instead, he casually pulled out a glass vial from his robe as if it were nothing special.
Inside writhed a mass of living cells, its surface dotted with green buds that looked like tiny sprouts about to break through the soil.
As expected, Orochimaru's attention was instantly drawn.
"What is this?" Orochimaru instinctively licked his lips, his golden snake-like eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"These," Danzo revealed slowly, dropping a bombshell, "are Wood Release cells taken from Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage."
"This… how is that even possible?"
Shock flickered across Orochimaru's face as he asked in disbelief, "Didn't the First Hokage die over a decade ago?"
After so many years, the body of such a man should've long turned to dust.
"The First Hokage was the greatest shinobi who ever lived. Even decades after his death, his cells still possess powerful vitality and unfathomable life force."
Danzo couldn't help but sigh with admiration.
"What exactly… are you planning to do?"
Orochimaru hesitated for a moment before asking. Truth be told, he already had a rough idea of Danzo's intentions.
"I'm planning…"
Just as Danzo was about to explain his grand scheme, suddenly one of Root's agents burst into the lab, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"What happened?"
Danzo frowned, clearly displeased. He had explicitly forbidden any interruptions during his meeting with Orochimaru—unless it was something urgent.
"Lord Danzo…"
The Root agent was panting slightly, clearly having rushed over in haste. He quickly reported, "Earlier, an unidentified woman caused chaos at the Uchiha police force, injuring many officers and even leveling the entire headquarters. She has now fled the village and is being tracked by Root agents as we speak."
"What?"
Both Danzo and Orochimaru were momentarily stunned.
The Uchiha clan was notorious for their arrogance and dominance in Konoha, and their police force stood second only to Anbu in strength. And now, a single woman had torn it down?
But what came next from the Root agent shocked them even further.
"Furthermore, during the battle, that woman awakened a triple-tomoe Sharingan. It's possible she is an unknown member of the Uchiha clan."
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing that, Danzo narrowed his eye and reflexively brushed the bandage over his right eye.
An unexpected enemy from the Uchiha clan, possessing a Sharingan, had been captured first by Root.
He couldn't help but wonder if her eye could surpass the one hidden beneath his bandages.
"Though the Uchiha clan has always been under suspicion, they're still part of Konoha. Root's duty is to protect Konoha."
Having said that gravely, Danzo turned to Orochimaru. "Excuse me, I must leave first. Think about what I mentioned before; we can discuss it further next time."
"Can I… join in on this mission?"
Orochimaru hesitated briefly but still asked. Clearly, he was also quite curious about this mysterious Uchiha woman.
"Of course you can. At any time, as long as you're willing, you may participate in all of Root's activities."
Danzo readily agreed, using the chance once again to win over Orochimaru.
With that, the two left the lab together, assembled Root's Fourth Squad, and hurried out of the village.
Ten minutes later,
In the forest belonging to the Uchiha clan, beside the Naha River.
"Lord Danzo, it's just ahead."
Within the woods, a Root agent reported the enemy's location to Danzo.
"Prepare for battle."
Danzo said in a low voice before leading his subordinates out of the forest and onto the rocky beach beside the river.
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