"I'll handle this. What you need now is to watch the bigger picture. Madara, I'm counting on you!"
Black Zetsu indicated that he knew what to do. After saying that, he gradually sank into the ground, and the entire cave returned to its silent darkness. Madara suddenly looked up at the opening where a ray of sunlight streamed in and muttered to himself, "How could I not be?"
At Cloud Thunder Gorge in the Land of Lightning, Mingye sat atop a mountain peak. Beside him lay the First Raikage's corpse. Gritting his teeth, he tore away the skin on his arm that had been charred by electricity, then used a ninjutsu to heal it. Looking up at the sky, Mingye sighed. "Things have gotten completely out of rhythm. I never expected that, because of me, these First-generation leaders wouldn't have died. What a pain. Luckily, I have some strength, and they're all old. My sneak attack worked out well enough. Otherwise, who knows how long this peace would have lasted!"
Before Mingye had muttered for long, a butterfly landed on his shoulder, and Kakuzu's voice appeared in his mind.
"Mingye, Byakuren is dead!"
Mingye froze. Byakuren had been as slippery as an eel. Of the four Kage, he had been the hardest to kill, because he was the best at fleeing and hiding. At the slightest hint of danger, the moment he sensed a threat, catching him would have been impossible. Moreover, he knew roughly about the Susanoo and Sharingan. If that information had leaked, the plans ahead might not have proceeded so smoothly. Now, the most troublesome matter had unexpectedly become the easiest to resolve. That made Mingye rather pleased.
"Oh! That old man died at just the right time. How did he die? Tell me."
Kakuzu had clearly