Thirty-Two: It's all because that woman stole my Hashirama (not really)

Standing on the high rooftops of Amegakure, Uchiha Sakuya took a deep breath.

Feeling the chill of the torrential rain against his face, he counted down in his heart.

Three, two, one!

The moment he reached one, he dove from the sky like a hawk. As he fell, he flicked his right wrist, releasing a scroll inscribed with the character for "Sword" which unfurled in mid-air.

Amidst a light puff of smoke, countless shuriken and kunai tethered with steel wires shot out. Part of the volley rained down like meteors, clattering against the buildings, while the rest veered off to strike down the Amegakure ninja hiding in the vicinity.

Simultaneously, Sakuya used the recoil from the wires hooked onto the walls to swing himself toward a building. With another twist of his wrist, he unscrewed the cap of the Toad Oil that Jiraiya had prepared for him in advance.

At the same time, the Amegakure ninja who had discovered his position began shouting about an enemy attack, surrounding him from all sides.

Genjutsu: Sharingan!

Almost instinctively, he activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, casting a wave of illusions onto the first group of approaching Rain ninja. While they were distracted, he spat out a dragon of flame the moment the Toad Oil sprayed forth.

Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!

The already scorching flames, amplified by the Toad Oil from Mount Myoboku, erupted instantly like napalm.

Even the heavy downpour from the sky evaporated under the intensity of the blaze, and a plume of smoke, thick enough to appear black, billowed high above Amegakure.

In the distance, Dan Katō's expression shifted as he saw the smoke.

"This kind of Fire Style... to burn the surroundings like this in a single instant. I knew Toad Oil enhanced fire, but to reach this level..."

"Truly impressive, Sakuya-kun. He's drawn all the enemies away."

Orochimaru sighed in admiration, then turned his gaze toward the well ahead.

According to the intel from the Akatsuki, the entrance to the laboratory was hidden along the edge of the wall inside that well.

"Let us go in as well, Dan-kun. We cannot let Sakuya-kun's efforts go to waste."

"Understood."

Dan Katō formed hand seals, and his white soul emerged from his body.

He nodded to Orochimaru, and his soul darted instantly into the well.

A moment later, his soul returned to his body.

He nodded affirmatively to Orochimaru. "The Akatsuki's intel was correct. There is indeed a laboratory inside, and because of the commotion Uchiha Sakuya is causing, all the members have gone out to stop him. It is completely empty now."

"Let's go!"

Orochimaru opened his mouth wide, his neck elongating as he transformed into a giant white python and lunged into the well. Dan Katō followed closely behind, and the two of them descended into the well, heading toward the laboratory.

"What a magnificent Fire Style."

Watching from in front of the White Zetsu television, Black Zetsu couldn't help but praise, "To perform a Fire Style in such a downpour and have it burn so beautifully."

"Hmph, it's nothing special."

The old man's gaze appeared dim, yet his face showed utter indifference.

"Fire of this caliber is barely worth looking at. Compared to me, it is nothing but sand."

"Yes, Lord Madara."

Black Zetsu nodded obediently.

"However..."

Madara Uchiha shifted his tone, staring at Sakuya's youthful face as he nodded. "For him to awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at this age, as far as Uchiha bloodlines go, it is barely passable."

"Naturally, he cannot compare to you, Lord Madara."

Black Zetsu praised him submissively. "He is merely a fourteen-year-old with three tomoe; compared to you, Lord Madara, he is but a drop in the ocean."

"...Not bad."

Though Black Zetsu's words made him stiffen for a moment, Madara Uchiha adjusted quickly.

"I awakened my three tomoe when I was only ten. By the time I was his age, my Mangekyō had already been awakened. Back then, my Sharingan and Hashirama's Wood Release were truly the two great..."

In a corner where Madara Uchiha could not see, Black Zetsu's expression turned incredibly strange as he listened to Madara's self-aggrandizement.

Who are you trying to fool, acting like a big shot in front of me?

Do you think your Uncle Black Zetsu doesn't know when you actually awakened your Sharingan?

Ten years old with three tomoe? Didn't you only awaken your first tomoe at thirteen!

This generation's reincarnation of Indra is far too good at putting on an act.

Black Zetsu, who had been observing Madara Uchiha since the moment he was born, sneered inwardly.

Despite this, he kept a look of worship on his face, continuing to heap praise upon Madara Uchiha.

After all, in the current script, Black Zetsu was still the creation of Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan.

"That aside, Zetsu."

After Madara Uchiha had finished boasting about himself and Hashirama Senju for a while, he asked, "How is the investigation I tasked you with coming along?"

He was referring to Uchiha Sakuya's personality, family affairs, and friends.

He paid close attention to every Uchiha who had the potential to awaken the Mangekyō.

He hungered to cultivate a suitable successor so that after he died, the Eye of the Moon Plan could continue.

Sakuya, standing before him, was one of the candidates he had his eye on.

"Lord Madara, this Uchiha Sakuya has a relatively gentle personality; he is not like the typical Uchiha."

Watching Uchiha Sakuya slaughtering the Amegakure ninja through the White Zetsu "television," Black Zetsu added, "In Konoha, he has good relationships with many people. He is even extremely close to Tsunade Senju; it is suspected that they are in love."

"With Tsunade... Hashirama's granddaughter?"

Upon hearing Tsunade's name, Madara Uchiha's murky eyes immediately cleared significantly.

He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the pitch-black dome.

"Hashirama's granddaughter... the descendant of that woman?"

At the mere thought of the woman from the Uzumaki Clan who had stolen Hashirama Senju away from him, Madara Uchiha's heart instantly grew sour.

It was all that woman's fault for taking away my dearest friend!

In his final battle with Hashirama, the fact that he could cast aside their friendship and strike to kill—the whispers of that woman must have played a massive role!

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became.

What Konoha, what Will of Fire—it was all a sham.

Were these things more important than the friendship between him and Hashirama?

If not for that woman, if not for that woman...

Madara Uchiha sat bolt upright, the tomoe in his Sharingan spinning, his entire demeanor turning violent.

"Zetsu!"

"Lord Madara."

Black Zetsu bowed his head.

"Find an opportunity and test Uchiha Sakuya's mettle for me."

Madara Uchiha commanded, "Use that woman's descendant. Feed that woman to his Sharingan and let me see what kind of dōjutsu he can birth under such stimulation!"

"That... Lord Madara."

Watching the scene on the White Zetsu television, Black Zetsu's expression shifted. "It seems... it seems stimulation is no longer necessary."

"Oh?"

Madara Uchiha was startled. He turned his head toward the screen, and upon seeing those eyes that resembled the sun, his expression stiffened.

A moment later, he let out a long sigh.

"...So it is this dōjutsu. What a pity for this seedling."