Madara carefully searched the outskirts of the forest once more, looking for any traces that might belong to Kenjaku.
Yet he found nothing.
It was as though that thousand-year-old Curse User had never appeared in the area.
He had left no clues to track, nor set any traps or surveillance for afterward.
As though he had never intended to get involved in the first place.
As though Mahito's death, Jogo's death, Uraume's death, Hanami's death, Hajime Kashimo's death...
All those losses were merely pawns he could discard at will.
Madara stood on a rise, his eyes sweeping over the forest below as it gradually returned to calm, his brow slightly furrowed.
Nothing...?
Not a single trace. Either he never came, or he used extremely sophisticated concealment methods.
But knowing Kenjaku, he couldn't possibly miss watching a spectacle like this in person. Especially when it involved a pawn of Hajime Kashimo's caliber, and Sukuna's Vessel.
Or... he "left" ahead of time. He had already withdrawn from this area when Hajime Kashimo appeared, or even earlier.
Madara fell silent for a few seconds, then slowly shook his head.
Fine, then.
There's no rush, anyway.
There were many ways to kill Kenjaku, but first, he had to find him.
That old fox had lived for a thousand years. If he didn't want to show himself, even Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes might not easily ferret him out.
However, Madara already had a plan.
Since Kenjaku sent Hajime Kashimo to capture Itadori, that proves Itadori is his current target. Or rather, Itadori is the key to his plan.
Then all I need to do is put out the bait and patiently wait for the fish to bite.
And the bait is Itadori himself.
The corners of Madara's mouth slowly curved into a cold smile.
*Just