Uchiha Madara

"The next Talisman is the Pig. We need to hurry."

Back in Konoha, Uncle had only just returned to the village when he began preparing another spell to search for the Talismans.

The Horse Talisman was extremely useful to Konoha. It could not only treat patients with difficult and unusual conditions at Konoha Hospital, but also put all the construction workers out of a job.

But after Sarutobi Hiruzen received an urgent letter from the Daimyo, he found himself in a difficult position.

"Hiruzen, what did the Daimyo say in the letter?"

They had worked together for many years, but Utatane Koharu had never seen Sarutobi Hiruzen look so troubled. She immediately asked him what was wrong.

"Sigh... You'd better read it yourselves..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spread the letter out on the table, and Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura read through it line by line. The message was simple: it began with a brief greeting, then condemned Orochimaru's defection. Although the Daimyo claimed he could let the matter go, he gave a whole list of reasons why Konoha's funding had to be cut—unless they delivered the Talismans to him...

"The Daimyo also... wants us to hand over the 'two con artists'..."

The so-called "two con artists" were, of course, Uncle and Chixing. Although Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't think they were lying, under the Daimyo's "mighty authority," it seemed they had no choice but to submit...

"Hiruzen, just hand those two over, will you?"

Mitokado Homura, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke. He had always put the village's interests first.

"I agree," Utatane Koharu added. Although Uncle and Chixing had helped Konoha deal with the aftermath of the Fog Demon incident, they couldn't afford to offend their biggest benefactor.

"Give me some time to think..."

Unlike his old friends, Sarutobi Hiruzen was kindhearted and compassionate. He couldn't bring himself to arrest Uncle and Chixing, two "heroes of Konoha." Besides... their strength was unfathomable, and taking them down wouldn't be easy.

While Sarutobi Hiruzen considered what to do, Uncle and the Talisman-hunting teams from various countries had all set out.

But apart from Uncle, who could use Qi Magic to locate the Talismans, the others were wandering around aimlessly, unable to find their targets.

That was when they needed a little nudge... If they couldn't find the Talismans, then the Talismans could go find them!

At the Graveyard of Mountains, inside a cave that was almost impossible to detect with any sensory ninjutsu, lay the lair of the man known as the "leader of the Uchiha Madara Four Laughing Maniacs," the "Asura of the Ninja World" (Rose of the Battlefield)—Uchiha Madara.

By all rights, Nagato had already summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, so Uchiha Madara should have been dead by now. But although his hair was white and he looked ancient, he seemed full of energy. He could walk normally without a cane and was as lively as could be. Inside, he was no different from an eighteen-year-old young man.

It all began one night a few weeks ago...

"Zetsu..."

After spending so long in the damp, chilly cave, Uchiha Madara often lost track of time. Whenever he woke up, he would ask Black Zetsu and White Zetsu what had happened in the outside world, then ask how long he had been asleep.

A soft, squishy white creature suddenly squeezed through a crack in the boulder completely blocking the cave entrance. It slowly hardened into Hedgehog White Zetsu and said in his drawn-out voice, "Lord Madara~ Nothing particularly noteworthy has happened in the various countries of the Ninja World lately."

"Except that Konoha seems to have gained two unfamiliar faces."

"Oh? Unfamiliar faces?"

Of the Five Great Nations, if there was one village Uchiha Madara cared about most, it was Konoha—the village he and his best friend had founded, and the one he both loved and hated.

"One is an old man who can use a strange ability, something called 'Qi Magic.' The other is a humanoid creature that looks like a starfish, but can use Lava Release outside the chakra system."

"Hm?" Uchiha Madara, old and with one foot in the grave, struggled to open his eyes and furrowed his brow. "Never mind what Qi Magic is. What do you mean, a humanoid creature that looks like a starfish and can use Lava Release outside the chakra system?"

Could those words even be put together into a sentence?

But seeing how serious and loyal Zetsu looked, Uchiha Madara had no choice but to accept it. "Probably some kind of illusion..."

"They also seem to be looking for treasures called 'Talismans' that have mysterious powers!"

Zetsu's intelligence-gathering abilities were second to none in the Ninja World. When Chixing and Uncle first met Minato and fought the Shadowkhan, and when the Shadowkhan used the Snake Talisman to toy with Hanzo, Zetsu and the others had been hiding nearby, spying with the Mayfly Technique.

"Hmph! A childish trick!"

Uchiha Madara scoffed. "They're just stones. And they supposedly have great divine power?"

Had the people of Konoha really fallen for such an obvious scam? It seemed the people of the Ninja World were going backward with age.

"Has a suitable person appeared?"

Uchiha Madara believed the Talismans, Uncle, Chixing, and the Shadowkhan posed no threat to him. But he had no idea who would be suitable to take over after his death. He closed his eyes again and asked, his lips trembling slightly.

By "suitable person," Uchiha Madara naturally meant another "useful tool." Hedgehog White Zetsu thought for a moment and shook his head. Just then, the most unusual White Zetsu, Spiral Zetsu, made his entrance—

"There is, there is~ Lord Madara."

"Tobi... You'd better not ask me what it feels like to need to pee again...!"

There wasn't a trace of life left in his body, and his aged throat was so weak that speaking took all his strength, but Uchiha Madara's tone was still as domineering as ever.

Uchiha Madara was utterly fed up with this White Zetsu named Tobi. If he still had the strength to pick up the Uchiha Gunbai, he would have given him a sound beating long ago. And Tobi was always spouting vulgarities like "needing to pee" and "feces." If Madara still had to eat—and had teeth to eat with—he would probably have thrown up long ago!

Fortunately, this time Tobi didn't make Uchiha Madara grit his teeth in anger, even though he didn't have any teeth...

"I found a fine young man named Uchiha Obito! He thinks friendship and family are incredibly important, and he even helps old ladies cross the street all the time!"

"Is that so...!"

Madara smiled knowingly. Someone so sunny and so devoted to the people around him would have unlimited potential if he turned evil. Still... he was a little young. "Keep watching him. Report back as soon as anything happens..."

After instructing Tobi and the other White Zetsu, Old Madara closed his eyes again. As he thought about how he seemed to be sleeping longer and longer, and how his consciousness was gradually fading—

"Lord Madara!"

Tobi's sudden outburst nearly gave Old Madara a heart attack. He sighed helplessly. "Have my bodily functions really declined this much with age? I even get startled by sudden shouting..."

But once the plan succeeded...

"Lord Madara! Lord Madara!"

Tobi's incessant yelling finally made Uchiha Madara, who hadn't felt much of anything in years, see red. He rasped out coldly, "What?!"

"When I went out this time, I found this, too!"