Unnamed cave
" Lord Madara, Konoha's S-rank missing-nin, Hatake Sakumo, is heading in your direction."
A dark, shadowy figure emerged and spoke in a hoarse voice to an old man.
" Konoha's S-rank missing-nin? Tell me more."
Madara Uchiha raised an eyebrow.
Aside from him, this was the first S-rank missing-nin from Konoha he had ever heard of.
"Yes."
Black Zetsu responded, and then White Zetsu emerged from the ground.
" Lord Madara ~ I miss you so much!"
White Zetsu appeared all smiles, even launching into a verbal attack on Madara Uchiha.
"Stop talking nonsense and tell me what exactly happened."
Madara Uchiha said coldly.
He'd gotten used to these White Zetsu.
At first, he doubted that this was not his own will, but later Black Zetsu explained that apart from himself being Madara's will, the other White Zetsu were not Madara's will, but were just consumables created by Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu's explanation convinced Madara Uchiha.
"Okay~"
White Zetsu lowered his head, looking quite disappointed.
" Lord Madara, you know what? This Hatake Sakumo seems to be in an even worse situation than you~"
"He originally had no intention of defecting, but he was repeatedly persecuted by the village leaders and ultimately had no choice but to flee the village. How pitiful!"
As White Zetsu spoke, he even wiped his eyes, which had no tears at all, with his arm.
"Hmph... Tobirama's chosen successor is just as useless as him."
Madara Uchiha disdainful snort.
"Let me speak."
Black Zetsu looked at White Zetsu, who was covering his eyes with his arm, and dragged him away with a dark face.
" Lord Madara, the cause was that Hatake Sakumo chose his comrades over the mission during a mission, which ultimately led to the mission's failure."
"Then the villagers began to criticize Hatake Sakumo, and his teammates also blamed him for saving him. In a fit of rage, Hatake Sakumo Hatake Sakumo into the Konoha High Command's base, but ultimately failed to kill them and fled Konoha in a sorry state."
Black Zetsu recounted the entire incident in one breath.
As for the real trigger, the woman whom Hatake Sakumo saved, Black Zetsu was unaware of it.
Because it's impossible for White Zetsu to be by Hatake Sakumo's side 24/7, the real trigger was unknown to anyone except Hatake Sakumo himself.
Since the information hadn't been leaked, White Zetsu couldn't obtain it and naturally wouldn't report it to Black Zetsu.
"Snort..."
Madara Uchiha coldly.
"Bring him here; I want to see him."
Madara Uchiha gave the order to Black Zetsu.
" Lord Madara, you are too weak, you should not..."
Black Zetsu panicked instantly upon hearing Madara Uchiha's words, as Madara Uchiha was far from being a normal person.
His body is in an elderly state, the Rinnegan has been given to Nagato, and even his bodily functions rely on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Previously, when Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Madara Uchiha's life force had become extremely weak.
If Black Zetsu hadn't cleverly used White Zetsu as a makeshift medicine box, Madara Uchiha might already be dead.
What are you afraid of?
Madara Uchiha looked at Black Zetsu with an unfriendly tone.
" Lord Madara, I'm not afraid, I'm just..."
Black Zetsu cursed inwardly, but outwardly he could only try to please Madara Uchiha.
"If you're not afraid, then bring him here. Do you really think that I, Madara Uchiha, can't handle a member of the new generation?"
Madara Uchiha stood up as he spoke, his tone filled with an arrogant disdain for the world.
" Lord Madara, you only have a pair of Mitsudomoe, and you haven't found anyone yet who can inherit your will..."
"My will is not entirely contrary to my thoughts."
Madara Uchiha and uttered these words.
" Lord Madara, I'm just analyzing this from an outsider's perspective, and I don't possess your strength, nor your mindset..."
"I'll bring Hatake Sakumo over for you right away!"
Black Zetsu explained, then disappeared into the ground.
Black Zetsu determined not to explain further; too much talk would only lead to mistakes.
Furthermore, since Madara Uchiha dared to do this, he must have had some confidence in his heart.
jungle
Let's find a place to rest...
Hatake Sakumo has left Konoha and arrived at a place he doesn't even know where.
By this time, he had shaken off all his pursuers.
Hatake Sakumo didn't want to kill anyone; he simply shook them off.
After all, with his strength, shaking off some of the Anbu would be incredibly easy for him.
"What is that...?"
Just as Hatake Sakumo was about to sit down to recover his Chakra, he suddenly sensed a surge of Chakra rapidly approaching him!
Hello~
A White Zetsu suddenly burst out of the ground!
Hatake Sakumo's eyes narrowed.
A sword aura suddenly slashed towards White Zetsu!
The White Zetsu that had just greeted him was instantly severed in two, but its hand remained in the waving gesture.
"Don't be so short-tempered..."
Hatake Sakumo stared in shock as the White Zetsu he had cut in two had turned into a dark, indistinct shape.
My family wants to see you. Would you be willing to go?
Black Zetsu smiled sinisterly.
"Your parents? I don't associate with nobody!"
Hatake Sakumo wanted to use Black Zetsu...
"Don't try to trick me. I'm only here to ask you one question: Do you dare to go see my master?"
Black Zetsu, a seasoned veteran who had lived for over a thousand years, could easily tell that Hatake Sakumo was trying to trick him into answering, and he simply refused to respond.
After all, what he said was completely different from what Hatake Sakumo himself saw.
"You don't even dare to say your parents' names, you must be some nobody. I, Hatake Sakumo, will never meet with such a cowardly rat!"
Hatake Sakumo tried to get information out of him, but Black Zetsu simply ignored him.
Black Zetsu burrowed directly into the ground, leaving behind a White Zetsu.
"If you want to see him, just tell me!"
White Zetsu said with a grin.
Black Zetsu's orders to him were to wait for Hatake Sakumo's consent before taking him there, and he was not allowed to say anything else.
"I can't sense it anymore..."
Hatake Sakumo sensed the place where Black Zetsu had left, but was surprised to find that he could no longer sense any trace of Black Zetsu's presence!
Three hours later
" My Chakra has almost fully recovered..."
"Take me to meet your cowardly, cowardly master!"
Hatake Sakumo sensed the abundant Chakra within his body, stood up, and spoke to White Zetsu.
It's far from Konoha, but not too far.
Hatake Sakumo wanted to see what was going on; if there was real danger, he believed he could escape with his strength.
" Lord Madara, he's coming..."
Black Zetsu spoke to Madara Uchiha in a hoarse voice.
"Then let me see if the other S-rank missing-nin from Konoha, besides myself, truly possess the corresponding strength..."
Madara Uchiha wore a confident expression.
He was still the same arrogant Madara Uchiha.