Argument Beneath the Tree

The sky was extremely high, and the vast sea of clouds moved forward with the strong winds blowing from the heavens, casting a large shadow over the forest below.

A series of arguments could be heard coming from beneath the trees.

"Madara Uchiha!? Huh--? You know what you're talking about, right? Madara Uchiha? Madara Uchiha? Are you all teaming up to mess with me? Waaaaaah..."

Nawaki clutched his hair, his facial features contorted to a new level, revealing the deep inner turmoil of this grandson of the First Hokage.

That's understandable, though.

Madara Uchiha was the First Hokage's lifelong enemy. Even Hashirama's untimely death was ultimately due to a major battle with Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End, which left him with incurable injuries. Although he killed Madara Uchiha, he himself could not survive and died soon after.

And now he comes over and tells him, "Your grandfather was tricked by Madara Uchiha is still alive and well."

How... how can anyone stand this?

"I knew this would happen."

Katsuki's lips twitched, and she muttered something under her breath.

Looking up, the green branches and leaves trembled gently in the cool breeze. That touch of green penetrated my eyes, washing away the worries in my heart and making me feel much more comfortable.

However, this good mood didn't last long. Because of Nawaki's reaction, he began to worry that if the Uchiha Clan found out that their Madara Uchiha, was still alive... one can imagine how exciting that scene would be!

So, Katsuki also started to have a headache, since the person he liked was also Uchiha!

"Nawaki, pull yourself together! You're already the clan leader, your people are all watching..."

Perhaps Jiraiya's words had an effect, or perhaps Nawaki had vented his pent-up frustration, he regained his composure.

He ran his fingers through his unruly hair, exhaled a breath of stale air, and looked at Katsuki and Jiraiya, and... Konan.

"Madara Uchiha isn't dead? Can anyone tell me what's going on?"

"The situation is complicated, and explaining it in detail would be too much trouble..."

"I'm not afraid of trouble," Nawaki interrupted, his brow muscles twitching as he clearly suppressed his irritation.

But I'm scared!

Katsuki's eyebrows drooped. This matter troubled him as well. Knowing too much and not being able to confide his secrets to anyone meant that everything had to be kept to himself. He hadn't cared about it when he was struggling to survive, but now, as he was enjoying a peaceful life, it had become a thorn in his side.

The pain made him restless and unable to eat or sleep.

The future has changed, changed too much. He doesn't know what the future holds, but what hasn't changed—like Kushina still being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki —means that as long as the Moon Eye Plan remains unchanged, Kushina will inevitably be the target...

The future is far from being a peaceful and prosperous Chang'an!

He felt nauseous from depression, but he had to put on a calm and nonchalant facade. It was very difficult, really very difficult.

"Madara Uchiha is not dead. As for the source of the information... never mind that. I can guarantee that Madara Uchiha is indeed alive and went into hiding after the battle at the Valley of the End, where he has been active in the shadows ever since."

"Having lived this long... wouldn't I be in my seventies or eighties by now? At that age, do I still have the energy to do anything?"

"I ask in a cold voice, "Nawaki asked.

"Tsk! That's Madara Uchiha... not an ordinary person." Katsuki said, emphasizing each word.

"Alright!! What are you two arguing about? Shut up and calm your brains before you speak." Jiraiya glared at them, pulled the two who were getting a little heated away, and dragged Katsuki a couple of steps away. "Katsuki, you still haven't answered my question, Yahiko. What's the deal with you saying Yahiko is with you?"

"We came together, huh? Nagato died in battle, and I only had time to save Yahiko. Then I took Yahiko to find Konan and chased after them all the way... Hey, Jiraiya- senpai, don't faint!" Katsuki looked at the dazed Jiraiya, her head throbbing even more.

"Nagato is dead?"

A strong wind blew, and Konan unfurled enormous Paper Wings behind her, casting a shadow that enveloped Katsuki.

"... Yahiko and my Shadow Clone are heading this way. You can ask him for details."

Drawing on his long-term experience dealing with Kushina and Otome, a voice in his head told him that he absolutely could not get entangled with Konan here. On a whim, he pulled out Yahiko, who had not yet appeared, to take the blame.

"Flap--!!"

Its wings whipped up a swift wind, and it shot into the sky like an arrow, flying along the route it had taken to Katsuki.

"... Is Nagato really dead?" Jiraiya's voice was extremely low.

"Yes, I arrived too late. The enemy was Madara Uchiha's subordinate. They targeted Nagato for the Rinnegan Nagato; those eyes... were their objective. Among the attackers were very strong Wood Release ninjas. I've seen the traces left from their battle. Nagato... did his best."

"For the Rinnegan? You mean Wood Release ninja?" Jiraiya's reddened eyes widened Jiraiya suppressed his inner pain and took out his portrait again. "Is this it? Wood Release ninja?"

"No, no, I've already taken care of that... Hmm, Jiraiya- senpai, your drawing skills are pretty good! Wait, this... could it be Zen-kun?"

Katsuki was stunned; the person in the portrait looked very familiar.

"You know him?"

"Back when I performed surgery on the Senju Clan to awaken Wood Release and Senju Zen, this little guy was my first test subject. Only two years have passed, and although there are some differences, it is definitely him." Katsuki flipped through the memories in his mind. The Hito Hito no Mi not only gave him a strong body, but also a very sharp mind.

"Jiraiya- senpai, do you know this little guy? Come to think of it, I haven't seen him before."

"This guy and another guy with Sharingan teamed up to kill Hanzō, I saw it with my own eyes," Jiraiya said quickly. "But Nawaki said earlier that this Senju... Zen, Senju Zen, already sacrificed himself in the mission."

"Sacrificed?"

Katsuki reached out and rubbed her face. This routine sounded so familiar...

Is this just Madara Uchiha's style, or does Black Zetsu prefer this kind of approach...? In any case, he could already conjure up a 50,000-word melodrama in his mind: a once-bright young man witnessing the darkness of the world, his personality drastically changed, and he vowed to change the world, and so on...

Even if it means destroying the old world first, we're willing to do it.

"Oh right, you said there was another guy with Sharingan?"

"That's right, a portrait was also painted."

Jiraiya pulled out another crumpled portrait.

"Hmm... I don't recognize her, I don't have much of an impression of her, but if she's from the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku should be able to recognize her if he asks for help."

Katsuki stared at the portrait for a while, and all the Uchiha Clan members she had ever seen flashed through her mind, but none of them matched up.

"Compared to this... has this been replaced with a new host for the Rinnegan?"