"It really must have been hard on Lord Madara, hiding so deep underground. Elderly people can easily develop osteoporosis if they go too long without sunlight!" Keiko surveyed the underground city known as the "Mountain Graveyard," secretly impressed.
This place was not far from Konoha, yet it was extraordinarily remote. Though located on a peninsula, it was utterly desolate. There was not a hint of green in the vast surrounding area, and no human habitation for dozens of miles. It truly took the psychology of hiding in plain sight to the extreme.
"For such a barren place, it must have been hard for the old man to live here for so long. How does he eat? Even the nearest village is dozens of miles away."
Black Zetsu turned to look at Keiko.
"I remember you not being so talkative before."
Keiko shrugged.
"I'm about to meet my idol. I'm a little excited."
"Lord Madara is your idol?" Black Zetsu was somewhat surprised.
"Of course. He was the man who once stood at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World." Keiko looked like a fan about to meet a major celebrity.
"Oh? Then why isn't your idol Hashirama Senju? He was slightly stronger than Lord Madara."
Keiko grinned.
"Compared to the dead, I admire living heroes more."
The two slowly made their way underground. The light grew dimmer and dimmer, and after an unknown amount of time, the path gradually widened and their view improved. Suddenly, the space ahead opened up. Keiko looked up and saw a skylight directly beneath the sun, making the cave as brightly lit as the outside.
Further ahead stood a gigantic humanoid monster. Its hands and feet were bound by shackles. It had nine tightly closed eyes on its face, its color resembling dead wood, and ten pillar-like protrusions rising from its back.
There was a human-shaped protrusion on its chest, likely the cultivation chamber Madara had set up for Hashirama Cells. The entire Demonic Statue of the Outer Path looked both magnificent and ferocious. Three tubes hung down from its abdomen, their ends connected to a hunched old man.
The old man wore a tattered black cloak, and his white hair had grown to his waist. With his head lowered, his face could not be seen. Only upon hearing the two men's footsteps did he slowly raise his head.
"Young man, are you the one who wished to see me?" His voice was aged and low, yet filled with a magnetic charm.
Keiko widened his eyes and carefully studied this absolute powerhouse from a bygone era.
His first impression was that Madara was thin. His entire body was little more than a skeleton, as though a gust of wind could knock him over. It seemed the only fat on his body was the two small patches beneath his eyes.
His second impression was that Madara was old. Keiko found it difficult to imagine a living person could age to such an extent. He looked like an oversized dried shrimp, his back so bent that he could no longer straighten it. If not for his moving eyes and rising chest, one might suspect he was a specimen.
His cheeks were sunken, his forehead pale with a bluish cast and veined enough to nearly show through, with a large age spot growing on it. His loose white hair covered one eye, while the other was unmistakably a Sharingan! A Mangekyo Sharingan! (Madara's Rinnegan had already been transplanted into Nagato at this point. I specifically went back to check both the anime and manga. At this moment, Madara had one Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, while the other eye remained hidden by his hair. I have no idea whether it was blind or normal. As for why he could still have a Mangekyo Sharingan after his eyes were transplanted instead of two empty sockets, I can't explain it, so I'll just follow the original work.)
"I can hardly believe you're actually alive. Could I trouble you with something?"
"Hm?" Madara looked puzzled.
"Could you give me an autograph?" Keiko eagerly pulled out a pen and notebook and held them out before Madara.
Madara looked at Keiko in surprise, then at Black Zetsu. Black Zetsu said, "He says you're his idol."
"An idol? What is there to worship about a failed man barely clinging to life?"
"Barely clinging to life is still better than being a pile of dirt. The one who survives until the end is the winner."
Madara closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then forced a smile from the corner of his mouth. Slowly taking the pen, he flourished it and wrote down his name.
"Young man, let's talk." Madara sat down naturally. His shriveled body seemed to radiate limitless authority, while the exposed Mangekyo Sharingan glimmered with a bewitching light.
Keiko's heart jolted, and his vision suddenly blurred. Then a cool sensation came from his chest, reaching straight to his brain and clearing his mind. Keiko put away his earlier fawning manner, casually wiped the stone stool before him, crossed one leg over the other, and slowly sat down.
"Sure. Let's talk!"
"This will be your office from now on." Chiyo politely pointed to the executive chair in the Intelligence Department and spoke kindly.
"I wouldn't dare, Grandma Chiyo. You should still..." Rasa wanted to say more, but Chiyo waved him off.
"Little Rasa, I know what you want to say, and I appreciate your good intentions. I'm giving up this position not because I'm putting on airs. I truly no longer have the energy for it. I can't block the path of those who come after me, and I can't delay the village's affairs. Clinging to this position would only make me a laughingstock, and I don't want to make such a joke of myself."
Chiyo helplessly shook her head and smiled. From Reto's era to Keiko's era, she had fought for the village her entire life. Now, she was already in her sixties, and lately she had increasingly felt her age catching up with her.
Several times, while reviewing intelligence reports from various regions late at night, she had fallen asleep outright. This put Chiyo on alert. She realized that remaining in such a crucial position would inevitably lead to mistakes, so she decisively submitted her resignation to Keiko.
Although Keiko repeatedly tried to persuade her to stay, Chiyo remained firm. Keiko had no choice but to remove her from her positions as Minister of the Intelligence Department and head of the ANBU. However, he retained her post as Minister of the Medical Department and her authority as a Hearing Committee member. He also gave her the title of senior village advisor, with none of her benefits reduced. It counted as an honorable retirement to the second line.
"Rasa, I watched both you and Keiko grow up. You are steady in temperament and meticulous in your work. I can rest assured handing the Intelligence Department to you. The times are turbulent, and the world is difficult. Keiko put in tremendous effort to achieve this hard-won situation. The burden on his shoulders is heavy. You must help him share it."
"Yes," Rasa replied sincerely.
"Intelligence work is complicated, but broadly speaking, it is nothing more than internal and external matters. For internal affairs, you can consult Uekusa from the Personnel Department and Liangping from the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Most of the external covert agents and hidden operatives are controlled by Ebizo and my foolish son, Akasuna Guimu.
You can hold a meeting later. How the specific work is arranged will be up to you. If there is anything you don't understand, you can always ask me."
"Yes." Rasa's nose stung. He sincerely admired this elderly woman who had devoted nearly her entire life to the village.
"What's with that look? I'm retiring, not dying. Can't an old woman rest for once?" Chiyo complained.
At that moment, a small figure pushed open the door and entered.
"Grandma!" The one who entered was none other than Sasori of the Red Sands. He ran into Chiyo's arms like a gust of wind, and Chiyo kindly stroked Sasori's little head.
"Sasori, don't come here anymore. From now on, Grandma can pick you up from school every day."
"Really? That's wonderful." Sasori looked at Chiyo in delight.
"Yes. Come on, let's go home." Chiyo took Sasori's little hand and turned to leave.
"All members of the Intelligence Department bid farewell to Minister Chiyo!" Rasa called out loudly, bowing deeply toward Chiyo's departing back.
Staff members from the various Intelligence Department offices came out one after another and stood in formation. As Chiyo walked away, they bowed in turn. Chiyo accepted it calmly, nodding to them. Holding his grandmother's hand, Sasori stared wide-eyed at everything in curiosity. Upon reaching the door, Chiyo gave a dashing wave.
"Everyone, work diligently. The future is promising!"
Before you continue