Madara's gaze shifted.
"What do you mean?"
Black Zetsu fell silent for a moment.
He spread his spiritual power, sensing Ren's chakra in the distance.
Ren stood there, his Rinnegan turning. His ocular power seemed bottomless, with no sign of instability.
After several exchanges, Madara sensed something was wrong.
Ren was powerful, and there was nothing wrong with his movements or reactions. But each time he was struck, his chakra briefly stalled.
The pause was subtle.
An ordinary ninja would never have noticed it.
Even Madara had caught it only after testing him repeatedly.
"That isn't his real body," Madara said suddenly.
Black Zetsu turned to him at once.
"Are you sure?"
"The real Ren wouldn't leave an opening like that."
Madara watched the figure ahead, the rings in his Rinnegan turning.
"His chakra reserves are wrong, and his ocular power is unstable. He can use the Rinnegan's power, but he can't wield it freely."
"He's a clone."
Black Zetsu sensed him for a moment, and his expression shifted.
"You're right."
"The Ren in front of us is only a clone."
Madara breathed a sigh of relief.
If Ren's real body stood here with the Rinnegan and that terrifying physical strength, he and Black Zetsu would have little chance of escaping.
But if this was only a clone, things were different.
No matter how strong a clone was, it could not possess all the original's power.
"He deliberately left his clone here," Madara said coldly.
"His real body has already gone elsewhere."
"He knew I would break the seal."
Black Zetsu looked at the layers of seals around the Uchiha Inner Courtyard, growing more uneasy.
Ren knew how dangerous Madara Uchiha was, yet he had not destroyed him outright. Instead, he had placed the Stone Statue before the Inner Court's