Chapter 108: 104: Premeditated
In a deep underground cave, the only source of light came from an unknown origin, casting faint illumination on the surroundings.
"Madara-sama" White Zetsu emerged from the ground and respectfully addressed the white-haired old man seated in a wooden chair.
"It's White Zetsu. What's the matter?" Madara who had just awakened from his slumber, immediately recognized Zetsu's presence.
"Madara-sama, I'm not sure if this is of great importance, but while I was conducting an investigation in the Land of Wind, I discovered that Sunagakure is secretly stockpiling supplies, and there are quite a lot of them" White Zetsu reported his findings.
Listening to White Zetsu's brief account, Madara's eyes conveyed understanding, and he mumbled softly to himself, "So, it begins again... War."
"War?" White Zetsu tilted his head, finding it challenging to grasp why Madara had reached such a conclusion based on his intelligence.
Madara didn't elaborate further for White Zetsu but believed that, given his many years of life experience, Sunagakure must be plotting the third ninja war.
Within the ninja world, ambitious individuals were never in short supply.
Only a little over five years had passed since the last ninja war, and a new war was imminent. This upcoming ninja war was essentially a continuation of the unfinished previous war and seemed almost inevitable.
Thus, Madara wasn't surprised to receive this information from White Zetsu. He considered such events to be reasonable and not worthy of excessive concern.
As long as humans existed, wars were inevitable. There would be bloodshed and sorrow, an unbreakable chain of curses.
"Cough!... Hashirama, the system we established of one nation, one village, is now just repeating the tragedies of the Warring States era..."
Seeing the ninja world trapped in war, Madara thought of many things.
His childhood dreams, the promise with that man – looking back, this world had been repeating the tragedies of the Warring States era.
He had survived the battle at the Valley of the End by faking his death. He could see the true nature of this world filled with hatred, cruelty, and pain better than his deceased comrade, Hashirama Senju. In his current state, he realized that they couldn't protect anything.
The previous two ninja world wars had also underscored this point. The system was ineffective. He, just like the late Ninja God, was powerless in changing this if things continued down this path.
White Zetsu stood by, listening to Madara's musings, scratching his head in puzzlement.
Madara-sama excelled in many aspects, but he had a habit of dwelling on the past and uttering incomprehensible words. Whenever he reminisced, he would inevitably mention 'that man.'
'That man' held immense significance for Madara-sama. Perhaps this was a common trait among the elderly.
The older one grew, the more one reminisced, missing people and events from the past. White Zetsu thought it was a typical reaction.
"White zetsu, is it still impossible to infiltrate the Uchiha clan?" Madara pondered for a moment, asking about his most pressing concern - the current state of Konoha's Uchiha clan.
Was there a successor within the clan capable of carrying forward his "will" and acting under the name of "Uchiha Madara" to fulfill a certain plan in the future?
"Yes, Madara-sama. I dispatched two White Zetsu last month, but the outcome was the same as before. Once they neared the Uchiha clan, they mysteriously vanished. We have no idea what happened"
White Zetsu replied, shaking his head in frustration, responding to Madara's question.
To be honest, in the minds of the surviving White Zetsus, the Uchiha clan's territory had long become an untouchable forbidden zone. The White Zetsus sent there on the first day of their mission would suddenly vanish without a trace, not making a sound.
Continuing along this path would yield no valuable information but result in significant losses.
Moreover, it brought them no benefits.
After listening, Madara simply nodded without uttering a word.
Although he was eager to know what had happened to the Uchiha clan, Madara understood that the more critical the situation, the less he should let impatience control his emotions. He needed to remain calm, think carefully, and cautiously deal with unexpected obstacles that were not part of his initial plans.
Selecting a suitable "successor" from the Uchiha clan was only a part of his plan to ensure its flawless execution. He considered it as a contingency measure for unexpected circumstances. With many alternatives available, given his current state, he was merely hanging on by a thread, and it was normal for accidents to happen anytime.
"By the way, what's that guy Guruguru doing? Why haven't I seen him here?"nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.
Guruguru was also one of the White Zetsus, but unlike the others, Guruguru was the only White Zetsu with a "name."
Madara was somewhat interested in him because with Guruguru's abilities, most of the ninjas in the world would not be his match. After all, he had inherited the Wood Release of Hashirama Senju, even if he couldn't compare to Hashirama himself. However, in this era, his level of Wood Release was sufficient to deal with most ninjas.
"When I returned, I found that guy was having an unusual experience outside. He was adamant about knowing what it felt like to defecate today, and he even composed a thousand-word essay about it" White Zetsu responded truthfully.
At the same time, he gazed at Madara with hopeful eyes. Like Gurugutu, he too was curious about the sensation of defecating. Their lack of excretory systems had always left them wondering.
Every time they conducted surveillance, they felt an itch of curiosity when observing their targets go to the bathroom. They longed to understand what it was like to defecate.
Madara-sama, who now possessed the power of everything, could be considered the most formidable ninja in the world. Surely, he knew what it felt like to defecate. After all, he was the strongest ninja in the world.
White Zetsu didn't understand the connection between being the world's strongest ninja and defecation, but he assumed that Madara possessed the answer.
...
Madara stared at White Zetsu without blinking, while White Zetsu looked back at him with innocent eyes.
With pure white eyes and a frequently smiling face, the girl was Ayane.
"I thought I was well-hidden. I wanted to surprise Shiraishi-kun from behind" Ayane complained.
"Let's save the surprise for next time" Shiraishi replied with an affectionate smile, likely understanding the nature of Ayane's planned surprise.
"Compared to that surprise, we have more urgent matters to attend to. How is the contact with the branch family in the Hyuga Clan progressing?"
Since it was certain that the war would erupt soon, at the latest by next year, they didn't have much time left.
Hence, preparations must be made promptly to Escape From Konoha in advance, ensuring no one loses their position when the war inevitably arrives.
Recruiting members from the Hyuga clan branch was a crucial component of the defecting plan.
This responsibility naturally fell upon Ayane, who's in charge of reaching out to the discontented ninjas within the branch family.
Shiraishi has a high regard for Ayane's capabilities and strength. It can be said that, even without considering the addition of his clones, Ayane's strength undoubtedly surpasses his. Even with his clones' assistance, he might not easily match her.
After all, like Ruri, Ayane also trained in Sage Mode and had made significant progress. Shiraishi himself isn't sure about Ayane's current power level, he only has a somewhat vague estimation.
However, he doesn't consider it an exaggeration to call her the most powerful ninja within the Hyuga Clan.
Ayane reported, "I've already made contact. But I haven't dealt with those branch members who maintain a neutral stance. They could switch allegiances to the main family at any moment."
At this point, Ayane wasn't afraid of her secret being known; she simply didn't want to add trouble for herself due to her carelessness.
Yes, to her, the current Hyuga clan was nothing more than trouble.
She wouldn't claim she could take on all the Hyuga Clan's ninjas, but if she puts her heart into it, no ninja in the clan can stop her.
Shiraishi inquired, "How many have you reached out to?"
"I've contacted four individuals, all of whom expressed their willingness to cooperate. In the end, I believe there should be around ten to fifteen people. When you consider their families, the number should be around forty."
"Forty people?" Shiraishi considered this for a moment and admitted it fell within an acceptable range. An excessively large group would hinder their retreat speed.
After all when the time came, they would be facing a ninja village as formidable as Konoha, so every aspect of their retreat plan needed meticulous consideration to avoid mishaps.
Shiraishi thought for a bit before sharing his thoughts. "The timing of our escape relies on Konoha deploying a significant number of ninjas to leave the village. At that moment, as Konoha disperses its troops to resist enemy attacks, it will be out best opportunity for us to escape."
Ayane nodded in agreement after hearing this perspective.
The outbreak of war would naturally lead Konoha to send a substantial force to the front lines to defend the Land of Fire from enemy village ninjas. This was an inevitable outcome.
During that time, village surveillance would be stricter than usual, but conversely, the forces remaining within the village would be weaker than normal, making it easier to break through their defenses.
Shiraishi retrieved a map that meticulously outlined Konoha's locations, with crucial facilities marked by distinctive symbols.
"When the war erupts, I will incite disturbances at this location to draw the village's ninjas' attention. You will lead the Hyuga Clan to depart as swiftly as possible, following the established route. Special personnel will be on hand to respond and cover your movements."
Shiraishi indicated a spot on the map, a choice made after careful deliberation.
Ayane furrowed her brow upon seeing the designated location. "This place...?"
"It's just a provisional choice. In my assessment, there's no place more suitable for drawing attention. There can't be any room for error when it comes to Konoha's veterans."
Shiraishi clarified.
"I understand."
With Shiraishi's determination, Ayane couldn't voice any objections and had no choice but to have faith in his capabilities.
"The overall plan isn't significantly different from before, and I've also incorporated contingencies to delay Konoha ninja pursuit if necessary. If any alterations occur, I'll inform you ah
ead of time. Do you have any questions?"
At this point, Ayane hesitated briefly, her expression turning serious.
"I have just one question."
"What's the question?"
"With Ruri... how do you plan to explain it to her?"
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