Falling in Silence

In the dark cave, the enormous Demonic Statue of the Outer Path let out an excited roar, eight of its nine eyes were already open, and the ninth was slowly opening as well.

Senju Zen stood on the golem's finger, controlling it to extract the Nine-Tails Chakra. Zetsu, resembling a pitcher plant, stood opposite Senju Zen; the two of them worked together to complete the final task.

"...Quickly, faster! The outside can't hold on much longer." Senju Zen suddenly groaned, his face looking rather grim.

"What happened? Didn't we already have the upper hand? Even Uzumaki Katsuki was suppressed... What other unexpected events could have occurred?"

The most extraordinary path.

"Uzumaki Katsuki escaped, and the Amber Purifying Pot was destroyed." Senju Zen shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Not only that, four of my six clones have been destroyed."

As he spoke, a look of heartache flashed in his eyes.

His Six Paths Clone were all carefully selected top-quality individuals, each with formidable combat power. However, four of them were destroyed by Katsuki, and it seems that the remaining two are also likely to be lost. How could he not feel heartbroken?

"They escaped?"

Jue also shook her head.

He has walked through countless years in this world, witnessed the endless chaos of the Warring States period, and seen countless geniuses and powerful figures. He has even personally trained many powerful experts and made continuous attempts to rescue his mother, who was sealed away by his brothers. His vision is absolutely exceptional.

However, after observing for decades, he had to admit that he couldn't see through Uzumaki Katsuki. His inexplicably powerful strength was hard to fathom, and more importantly, his strange attitude left him very puzzled.

He handed over the Five-Tails and Nine-Tails to them decisively, without the slightest reluctance, and even secretly hoped they would act quickly...

This was the first time in his life he had encountered such a troublesome person; even Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju had never given him such a headache.

"The Nine-Tails seal will take some time. Let's revive Madara first. With Madara around, we should be able to ensure the Ten-Tails' smooth revival. Once you become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, even Uzumaki Katsuki will be no match for you," Zetsu suggested.

Senju Zen frowned and thought for a moment after hearing this, then slowly nodded. The plan had progressed to the point where it was just one final step away, and reviving Madara at this time could be considered the perfect opportunity.

However, reviving Madara is no easy task.

"Jue, have you found the sacrifice?"

"Don't worry, everything is ready."

Zetsu smiled, and without making a move, a White Zetsu emerged from the wall, carrying an unconscious Konoha Ninja with a Fire Fan Clan emblem embroidered on his collar—this was a disciple of the Uchiha Clan.

White Zetsu began making preparations in the open space in front of the demon statue, taking out a coffin from a scroll and then looking at Senju Zen.

"Eyes, give me eyes."

Senju Zen simply reached out and gouged out a pair of Rinnegan, then threw them down, where they landed in White Zetsu's hand.

The Reanimation Jutsu requires the caster's life as a price. Therefore, to revive Madara, a sacrifice is needed to perform the Reanimation Jutsu. Originally, Uchiha Genso was the best candidate, and he even agreed himself. In any case, he was not interested in the Moon Eye Plan, and his wish from the beginning to the end was to destroy Konoha.

Unfortunately Uchiha Genso was killed by Katsuki, but fortunately Senju Zen and Zetsu had backup plans.

The Rinnegan is not something anyone can use. Even if an ordinary person were to acquire these eyes, they would only be overwhelmed and broken by Rinnegan immense power. Without the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths, one is not capable of bearing the power of these eyes. Moreover, even if one has the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths, not every descendant possesses the necessary capacity.

"Zetsu, is the offering you chose alright?" Senju Zen stared at Zetsu across from him with his empty eye sockets.

"It should be usable. I spent a long time picking and choosing before selecting it. Activating the Reanimation Jutsu shouldn't be a problem..."

On the ground, White Zetsu had already transplanted the Rinnegan into the eye socket of this Uchiha clansman.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

The unconscious ninja suddenly began to struggle and convulse, letting out a desperate, painful howl. Five more White Zetsu appeared, and it took the combined efforts of six people to subdue him. However, judging from his convulsing movements and the gradually weakening Chakra fluctuations, he was clearly not going to survive.

An awkward silence hung in the air.

Jue's usually yin-yang face turned completely white; he had just said there was no problem, and then he just kicked the bucket... That was truly embarrassing.

Senju Zen remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"There should be other spare bodies, right?" After a long pause, Senju Zen finally asked.

"We do have a backup, but... I'm not confident it can be better than this one," Jue sighed.

Senju Zen frowned. Did this mean reviving Madara Uchiha would become impossible...?

But at that moment, he suddenly felt a chill, and a sinister coldness suddenly rose from his back.

"Varied······"

Senju Zen's body stood stiffly on the golem's fingertips, half of his face covered by a black liquid, while the other half of his face showed a rapid change in expression, from anger and madness to sorrow.

"Zen, those backup bodies won't work, but you can! As long as you use the Reanimation Jutsu, Madara can be resurrected too." Black Zetsu's face appeared on Senju Zen's shoulder, his lewd smile so glaring and disgusting. Fortunately, he had gouged out his eyes and couldn't see that disgusting smile.

"You... you bastard!"

Senju Zen managed to utter a curse, but he didn't ask why. He was a smart man; since Black Zetsu had made his move, there was no way things could change.

"Haha! Go ahead and criticize! But the things that need to be done still need to be done."

Black Zetsu chuckled, his laughter mingled with the sound of rustling footsteps. Then Senju Zen felt something approaching, and a wave of pain, which had long since gone numb, surged through his eyes. His vision returned, and power surged through his body, but he had lost control of his body.

He watched as his hands formed one hand seal after another.

Heretical paths, the Reanimation Jutsu.

A wave of weakness washed over Senju Zen's consciousness like a rising tide; the feeling of exhaustion and powerlessness seeped into his very bones, and he experienced an unprecedented sense of fatigue.

Senju Zen was well aware that his life force was slipping away. If it weren't for the powerful bloodline of his Senju Clan, he would have died the moment he finished forming the hand seals.

"Squeak!"

The coffin was opened, and out of the corner of my eye, I vaguely saw a figure stand up from inside.

"Hmph! You've finally come back to life!"

Madara Uchiha his wrists, a satisfied look on his face.

Immediately, he noticed the eight open eyes of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, as well as the ninth eye that was half-open, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Well done, Black Zetsu."

Madara Uchiha smiled and praised Black Zetsu, but he didn't even glance at the dying Senju Zen.

The light in Senju Zen's eyes slowly froze, and what finally came into view was Madara Uchiha's outstretched hand. Warm fingers slowly pierced into his eye socket, gently stirring inside, and then carefully removed his eye. (To be continued)