Thirty Years East of the River, Thirty Years West-Don't Look Down on the Old for Being Poor!
The Land of Iron, the Mountain Graveyard.
"Madara Sangma, when can we get out of here? I'm getting rusty from staying here Tenten." White Zetsu's flippant voice suddenly rang out.
"Hmph! You bunch of failures, just stay put and behave yourselves. There will be a time when you're useful!" A cold voice interrupted White Zetsu's rambling.
Since Black Zetsu was subdued by Kagami Uchiha, he has never set foot here again. Now, all that remains by Madara Uchiha's side are a group of confused and insane White Zetsu.
There were a few people with decent brains who kept staring at him and asking him mindless questions, making Madara Uchiha increasingly lonely, just like an empty-nest old man.
At this moment, Madara Uchiha leaned against the stone seat in the dark cave, his eyes closed, surrounded by an atmosphere of silence.
Ever since he learned of Kagami Uchiha's plan, he had been hoping every day that the Rinnegan residing in Nagato would be returned so that he could use the Rinne Rebirth to return to his peak and do great things.
However, more than half a year has passed since Kagami Uchiha left, and there is still no sign of the Rinnegan.
Madara Uchiha lived for so long; as the former mastermind behind the Shinobi World (a title Madara himself gave himself), what kind of schemes and tricks hadn't he seen?
He quickly understood what Kagami Uchiha meant; the kid clearly didn't trust him and was still wary of him, not having completely let go of his suspicions.
With this thought in mind, he slowly opened his eyes, a flash of crimson light appearing briefly before his eyes revealed deep thoughts.
Indeed, in just over a decade, Konoha has been propelled to its current strength; how could someone with such a simple mind be so capable?
To be honest, this child, Kagami, doesn't resemble a true Uchiha Clan at all. His cunning and calculating nature seem to combine the dark and treacherous nature of Tobirama Senju with his own domineering charisma...
What a promising young talent...
However, only someone like him is worthy of cooperating with Madara Uchiha, and only he is worthy of saying things about bringing peace to the Shinobi World.
Thinking of this, Madara Uchiha's lips curled into a faint smile.
Well, since we've already decided to cooperate with this kid, let's just wait patiently. Once Kagami truly develops the Rinnegan, that kid will be able to relax. At that time, it will be the moment when Madara Uchiha, the Asura of the Ninja World, returns to the world.
Bringing his thoughts back, Madara Uchiha looked up at the top of the cave, his gaze seemingly piercing through distant mountains and seas, fixed on Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who was hiding in the shadows.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, just wait a bit. I'll show you that the Shinobi World isn't a place you can just mess around in!
And the Hashirama.
Madara Uchiha murmured to himself, his voice filled with a long-held obsession that had never faded over the years. "Hashirama, wait a little longer. It won't be long before I bring you back from the Pure Land. Then, we'll join forces and roam this Shinobi World together, protecting the peace we hold dear!"
Then, he thought of his younger brother Uchiha Izuna, and his eyes softened instantly. "Izuna, my brother, I will revive you soon. When that happens, I will protect you well and never let anyone hurt you again!"
Suddenly, as if remembering someone who had upset him, Madara's expression turned cold: As for that old Tobirama Senju, he should stay in the Pure Land and properly repent for his sins!
I will absolutely not allow Jing to resurrect him! Absolutely!
--
The Land of Rain, the Akatsuki's base.
The incessant rain continues to love this land, and the air is always filled with a damp smell.
The Akatsuki headquarters was still that same magnificent and imposing office.
Kakuzu sat upright in the main seat, his fingers lightly resting on the edge of the table. The three leaders, Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, were also present.
After the Five Kage Summit ended, Kagami Uchiha ordered Hanzō to disband Amegakure, and Ibuse Hanzō, was imprisoned by Konoha. The former Amegakure was leaderless, and many Amegakure who had lost their homes had nowhere else to turn, so they gradually joined the Akatsuki led by Kakuzu.
In a short period of time, the Akatsuki's power expanded rapidly, and its manpower multiplied. In a short time, the Akatsuki's footprints were everywhere in the Land of Land of Rain.
The old Amegakure is a thing of the past; today, the Akatsuki, with peace as its core principle, represents the true lineage of Amegakure.
Inside the office, Yahiko frowned, first looking at the silent Nagato beside him, then turning to Kakuzu, his tone tinged with trepidation. "Lord Kakuzu, are Nagato's Rinnegan really not his own? I heard you say that these eyes should be returned to their original owner?"
Hearing this, Konan turned her head and looked at Nagato with worry, her heart clenching. That was the pain of losing one's eyes! When the day came for their return, could Nagato bear that pain?
Looking at the two worried people, Kakuzu gave a faint smile and said, "Don't worry, there will be professional Medical Ninjutsu to help Nagato. Also, I won't let Nagato go blind."
After he finished speaking, Yahiko and Konan's expressions gradually improved.
Seeing this, Kakuzu continued, "But that's a matter for the future. There's no need to rush right now, Nagato."
"These eyes will remain with you for a while; you can continue using them until the time is up, at which point they will be returned."
"Before that, we must make good use of this power. We should use it for as long as possible; after all, the original owner stored it in you, so it's not unreasonable for us to collect some interest."
"Who knows, when we get the eye transplant, I might even be able to give Nagato a pair of Sharingan."
Upon hearing this, Nagato lowered his eyes slightly and asked softly, "Then, Kakuzu, how do you intend for me to use this power? Most of the forces in the Shinobi World have joined the Shinobi Federation, and the Shinobi World is currently at peace. Is there anything else we need to do?"
At that moment, Kakuzu lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, closed his eyes in thought for a moment; after a long while, he opened his eyes and slowly said, "I think our Land of Rain is still missing a Tailed Beast!"
"Tailed Beast?" Yahiko, standing to the side, was taken aback.
"That's right, it's Tailed Beast! Look at the Five Great Nations. Although Sunagakure lost its One-Tail Tailed Beast after it was captured by Konoha, its foundation as Five Great Nations still allows it to stay ahead of us other small and medium-sized countries."
"Iwagakure lost the Four-Tails, but they still have the Five-Tails; I heard Kumogakure also lost the Two-Tails, but even so, they still have the Eight-Tails; not to mention Kirigakure, which has both the Three-Tails Six-Tails. Although Kirigakure was taught a lesson by Konoha, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and they still have strength."
"Although the Hokage of Konoha, Kagami Uchiha, considers the Tailed Beast to be a destabilizing factor, in my opinion, we in the Land of Rain should also have one in our grasp."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yahiko's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Lord Kakuzu, you're not talking about the Seven-Tails of Takigakure, are you?"
"Indeed, Yahiko, you see things clearly. It's the Seven-Tails." Kakuzu nodded slightly and continued, "The Seven-Tails doesn't belong in Takigakure; it should belong to our Land of Rain!"
At this point, Kakuzu couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Damn Takigakure! I was such a patriotic young man back then, loving my village so much! I risked my life to assassinate Hashirama Senju, barely escaping with my life, and you bastards betrayed me?"
Haha... Fortune changes every thirty years, so don't underestimate the poor!
Lord Kakuzu finally stood up! Now I can finally vent my anger on you all...
Even though that happened decades ago, does that mean we don't have to pay back the debt? We must pay the price for our mistakes!
At this moment, Yahiko, standing to the side, looked puzzled and asked, "But Kakuzu, the Shinobi Federation's principle is peace. If we take the initiative to seize the Tailed Beast and provoke conflict, wouldn't that violate the rules of the Shinobi Federation?"
"What will we do if Konoha holds us accountable then?"
Kakuzu chuckled softly, his gaze deep and thoughtful. "Heh, Yahiko, you're still too young. Only peace gained by holding power in your own hands is truly secure; otherwise, it's just a castle in the air."
"Furthermore, as long as we use the right methods and avoid giving anyone cause for criticism, I don't think Konoha will go too far against us."
"For example, the methods Orochimaru Kirigakure Konoha pretty good, in my opinion!"
Kakuzu said this, but in his heart he had other plans. He thought to himself: The Hokage is slowly collecting the Tailed Beast, the One-Tail, the Four-Tails, the Two-Tails, and the Nine-Tails of Konoha itself. If I take down the Seven-Tails and hand it over voluntarily when the time is right, that would be a great achievement in front of the Hokage.
Given Konoha's current momentum, unifying the Shinobi World is only a matter of time.
Having lived this long, the thing I valued most in my life was money. To support the Akatsuki and stabilize the Land of Rain, I've long since emptied my savings; I don't even have a penny left...
I'm just waiting for the Hokage to pacify the world; then, I'll take over the finances of the entire Shinobi World.
Thinking about what would happen in the future, Kakuzu could no longer hold back his emotions, and a smile he couldn't hide crept onto his lips.
Hehehe...