Shinobi World No. 1.
Konoha Headquarters, Kushina's residence.
Madara Uchiha stood at the door, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan like two balls of burning ghostfire in the dim yellow light. Anbu corpses lay scattered at his feet, their blood pooling into a winding stream.
Black Zetsu emerged halfway from the shadows, his topaz-like eyes fixed on the red-haired woman inside.
Kushina Uzumaki.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Madara's target on this trip.
"Lord Madara," Black Zetsu began, his hoarse voice carrying a barely perceptible urgency, "since that Flying Thunder God brat cares so much about this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki woman, why not capture her first and use her to threaten him?"
"What?"
Madara Uchiha frowned and glanced sideways at Black Zetsu, displeasure flashing in his lone eye.
"Black Zetsu, are you looking down on me with an idea like that?"
His voice was low, carrying the offended chill of someone who had been slighted.
"He's merely the Fifth Hokage. Surely you don't think he can keep running around for long?"
Black Zetsu's shadow rippled slightly.
He knew Madara all too well.
Proud, conceited, and scornful of such "underhanded" methods.
To Madara, threatening an enemy with a woman was an insult to his strength.
But Black Zetsu understood something else even better-time was running out.
Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique was the fastest Space-Time Ninjutsu in the shinobi world.
Once he arrived, the battle would reach a stalemate. Madara had no fear of that, but the longer it dragged on, the more variables there would be.
More importantly-
There were other "eyes" watching Konoha.
Black Zetsu's "gaze" seemed to pierce the walls and turn toward somewhere farther away. There was a presence there he did not want to alert just yet.
"Lord Madara," Black Zetsu spoke again, his tone more earnest, "I'm not looking down