Madara Uchiha's Plan

"Lord Madara, won't this alert Mito Uzumaki to our presence?" Black Zetsu asked hesitantly after White Zetsu left.

"Mito Uzumaki has probably noticed something already." Madara Uchiha gave a disdainful snort. "As long as she lives, she'll remain a threat to our plan.

"We brought down Uzushio Village so Nagato could inherit my eyes, and so the Rinnegan wouldn't fall into the Uzumaki Clan's hands later.

"But I never expected Kagami Uchiha to see through my control of the Mizukage. I had no choice but to eliminate him."

Madara sighed as he spoke. Kagami Uchiha had unquestionably been a gifted Uchiha.

But the Uchiha had betrayed Madara, and Kagami Uchiha had even become Tobirama Senju's student. Madara had liked that least of all, so Kagami had died.

The Mangekyō Sharingan Madara now used had belonged to Kagami Uchiha!

"Kagami Uchiha dared to make an enemy of you, Lord Madara. He brought death upon himself," Black Zetsu said flatteringly. "Speaking of which, Kagami's son has become Tsunade's student. They even call him the Uchiha's greatest genius.

"Rumor has it his talent is no less than Kagami's."

"Hashirama's granddaughter?" Madara looked momentarily lost in thought. Hashirama Senju had once asked him to hold the child, but he had refused.

As for Uchiha Yi, Madara dismissed him outright.

Uchiha Yi had no brothers. What did his talent matter? He would only be another Kagami Uchiha.

Without a brother, Uchiha Yi could not obtain the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Perhaps Kagami's eyes could help him—no one had ever said a father's and son's Mangekyō Sharingan could not be combined. But those eyes were in Madara's hands, and he would never give them to Uchiha Yi.

No matter how gifted Yi was, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan would eventually cost him his sight. He could pose no real threat to them.

Better to leave him as a whetstone for Nagato.

Still, Yi becoming Tsunade's student irritated Madara. Why was it always an Uchiha studying under a Senju, never the other way around? The Uchiha who had stayed in Konoha had clearly lost their backbone long ago.

"Kushina Uzumaki is in Tsunade's team. That gives us an opportunity." Black Zetsu's gaze deepened. "If we capture Tsunade and Kushina Uzumaki, we might draw out Mito Uzumaki. If you make your move, Lord Madara, we might even seize the Nine-Tails."

"But then everyone would know I'm still alive." Madara shook his head slightly. "The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path sustains my life, but since I gave up the Rinnegan, I have little fighting strength left.

"Mito Uzumaki is an Uzumaki. In her current condition, living another ten years or so should be no problem.

"I may not be able to kill her quickly now. Better to let her fight the other villages.

"As for Tsunade and Kushina Uzumaki, they aren't our real targets. Disrupting their plans will be enough."

After a pause, Madara continued, "Make sure the Shinobi World descends into chaos. If every village turns against Konoha, Konoha won't survive, and that would hurt our plan.

"Set the other villages against one another whenever possible. The more chaotic the Shinobi World becomes, the more opportunities Nagato will have to grow."

"Yes! As you wish, Lord Madara." A dark glint flashed in Black Zetsu's eyes.

Like Madara, Black Zetsu believed it was time for Mito Uzumaki to die.

While Mito Uzumaki lived, White Zetsu did not even dare enter Konoha.

The more chaotic the Shinobi World, the better. Nagato needed time to grow, and Madara's death and resurrection would take time too. For now, they had to weaken the Shinobi World's fighting strength as much as possible.

The Uzumaki Clan was all but gone. The descendants of the Uchiha and Senju still needed to be weakened further.

After giving Black Zetsu his orders, Madara sighed quietly. If Mito Uzumaki had not been such an obstacle, he truly would not have wanted to move against her.

She was one of the few old friends he had left. When Konoha was newly founded, he had often visited Hashirama Senju, and Mito Uzumaki had always welcomed him warmly. Her cooking had been quite good, too.

Madara still remembered how, when Konoha was founded, Mito Uzumaki had brewed several jars of wine. She had said they would drink them on the village's tenth, twentieth, and thirtieth anniversaries.

But after he and Hashirama Senju had fought to the death, none of that mattered anymore.

Once the Infinite Tsukuyomi was complete, true peace would come. Izuna, Hashirama Senju, and Mito Uzumaki would all live again within it.

As for Tobirama Senju, forget it. He did not deserve to live.

Madara Uchiha would create a world without Tobirama Senju.

Tsunade led Uchiha Yi and the others at a fast pace. She stopped only when they grew tired, let them rest briefly, then pressed on.

By the end of the day, they were more than two hundred kilometers from Konoha—a pace far faster than a marathon runner's.

Tsunade looked at the panting Kushina Uzumaki and Hyuga Rinka, who were clearly struggling, then at Uchiha Yi, who looked as though he had only just warmed up. She stopped. "All right, we'll rest here tonight."

"Here?" Kushina Uzumaki surveyed the towering trees, distaste plain on her face.

She had known hardship when Uzushio Village fell.

But after running all day, she had to sleep outdoors too? This was a bit much.

"Were you expecting a house?" Tsunade shot Kushina Uzumaki an exasperated look. "We're on a mission. This is already a fairly good place to rest.

"In the Land of Rain, it rains every day. The ground is all mud, and getting a proper rest is impossible."

"Kushina Uzumaki, we can sleep in a tree. It's safer up in the branches," Uchiha Yi said, pointing to a large tree. He took a packet of compressed biscuits from his pack, tore it open, took one for himself, and handed her the rest.

The girl had not endured much hardship before. Training under Tsunade had toughened her up considerably, but Yi still could not help looking after her.

Kushina Uzumaki was not spoiled. She was just a little absentminded, loud, and endearingly goofy.