"Meow!"
Takeshi lifted his head proudly, declaring that he had completed his objective perfectly.
Orochimaru licked his lips, indescribably curious about what had transpired in Ryuchi Cave. In the past, he might have used certain methods to extract the information, but that was no longer possible. He was no match for Takeshi.
Given the cat's personality... a deal was the only way.
After a moment of consideration, he said, "I would like to trade my research on Soft Physique Modification for your experiences in Ryuchi Cave."
"Meow~ No need. I want your techniques regarding Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon."
Takeshi refused and laid out his own terms.
Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon.
This ninjutsu also traced back to the First Hokage. The difference was, Orochimaru could only manifest the Triple Rashomon, while the First Hokage could summon the Fivefold Rashomon, and the upper limit of ninjutsu it could defend against was vastly different.
But that wasn't Orochimaru's fault.
The ninjutsu was the same in essence. The First Hokage's chakra and Sage Body were simply on another level of power.
Once his own speed reached a certain point, defensive techniques like Rashomon held little meaning for Takeshi, but this was already the best thing he could wring out of Orochimaru right now.
The Legendary Sannin... this was about their limit.
Takeshi sighed inwardly.
Orochimaru weighed the pros and cons, then gave a slight nod. "No problem."
"Meow~ My intel is absolutely worth it. The general location of Ryuchi Cave was part of our previous deal, so that's free. What I'm going to tell you about is the inside of Ryuchi Cave..."
Takeshi recounted his time there, placing special emphasis on the powers of the Three Snake Princesses.
Orochimaru listened intently.
His relationship with Ryuchi Cave was complicated, making it his first choice for learning Sage Mode. Sooner or later, he had to go there to uncover its secrets-partly for power, but more importantly, to grasp its essence.
If one didn't attain Sage Mode themselves and only observed from the outside, they could never truly understand Sage power.
That was the nature of research.
Everything Takeshi said was extremely useful. Orochimaru didn't hesitate when they concluded the trade, he directly handed over the secrets to the Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon.
Standing off to the side, Tsunade wasn't sure what kind of expression she should be making.
These two...
Trading intel was one thing, but that ninjutsu of Orochimaru's came from her grandfather, didn't it? Ah, forget it. Let them do as they please.
Tsunade sighed.
Even her grandfather probably wouldn't have cared about something like this. And now that the Senju clan had essentially scattered, there was no point fussing over such trivial details.
She was just feeling a little sentimental.
Once they were done, under Tsunade's persistent urging, Takeshi temporarily stayed to have a meal with her. Of course, the meal wasn't on Tsunade-Kushina was footing the bill.
Tsunade was perpetually broke.
Even though she'd earned a great deal before and now drew a substantial salary as Hokage, her gambling habits ensured that money never stayed in her hands for long. Takeshi strongly suspected she'd latched onto him just to have an excuse to crash at Minato's for a free meal.
Minato hadn't been home much recently.
From Tsunade's description, he seemed to have joined the ANBU. Kakashi and Obito were with him, for now, only Rin remained behind to learn more advanced medical techniques.
Tsunade also mentioned Guy and his companions.
Guy's team had been placed under Might Duy's lead. While Duy was a bit lacking in Jonin-level field experience, his strength met the standard, so the village was comfortable entrusting a squad to him.
Takeshi felt a bit wistful.
Guy, Genma, and Ebisu had all been working hard. The latter two had been slackers at first, but under his guidance, they had started training diligently. It was just that Takeshi himself wasn't suited for teaching or leading a team.
It was too much hassle.
Going out on missions every day left no time to farm points. Without points, how was he supposed to get stronger?
He could only silently apologize to Guy and Genma.
After the meal, Kushina managed to drag Takeshi into staying over for a while. Minato usually got home in the afternoon, leaving her bored out of her mind during the day. Yugito, the friend she'd finally gotten along with, had just been taken away again, and she desperately needed someone to have fun with.
Naturally, Takeshi refused.
But then Rin arrived.
Recently, Rin had been studying not just medical ninjutsu but also sealing techniques. On one hand, it laid the foundation for the Yin Seal, on the other, it strengthened her own capabilities.
So Takeshi stayed and chatted with the two of them for a while.
Night began to fall.
Minato returned just as darkness quietly settled over the village.
Takeshi hadn't activated Sage Mode, but he suddenly heard a faint disturbance from the Uchiha district. Before he could head out, there was a knock at the door.
Minato went to open it at once.
It was Obito.
"T-Teacher, it's bad! A kid from my clan, Shisui-he's missing!"
"What?"
Minato froze for a moment-and then Obito vanished in a puff of smoke.
Just a Shadow Clone.
Hearing that, Takeshi immediately activated Sage Mode. He sensed chaos in the Uchiha district and swiftly leapt onto Minato's shoulder. "Something really has happened with the Uchiha. Shall we go take a look?"
"Yeah. I left a kunai with Obito."
Minato spoke, but then hesitated, worried about leaving Kushina.
"I'll go after them first and see," Takeshi said, and in the next instant, he vanished.
This had to be Black Zetsu.
The only one who could evade Sage Mode's detection like that was Black Zetsu. However...
Black Zetsu probably didn't know that Takeshi had a jutsu marker on Shisui.
He had placed it when Shisui went to train at the Ninja Cat Fortress. At the time, it was just so he could locate Shisui at any moment, but now, it was proving unexpectedly useful.
He flashed forward with the Flying Thunder God.
But-
When he arrived, he found himself buried deep underground. Shisui was rapidly burrowing through the earth, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Damn it, earth-style tunneling? He'd forgotten about that.
Takeshi sped after him. With Madara's skills, he would eventually notice the marker and break it. He might not be able to erase it completely, but he could just cut out the chunk of flesh that carried it.
Madara was ruthless enough to do so without hesitation.
Takeshi pushed on, purchasing the Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Jutsu. After another Flying Thunder God jump, he moved forward at high speed.
"Hah! you're that black cat, aren't you?"
Black Zetsu, controlling Shisui's body, raced through the earth. As Takeshi shifted through space, dense branches erupted from the soil around him, trying to clamp down. Moments later, an enormous surge of mental power swept toward him.
Mental attack with ninjutsu (along the lines of Yamanaka clan attacks).
Takeshi immediately left a Shadow Clone behind while his real body slipped up to the surface.
The clone didn't give up, continuing the pursuit. Black Zetsu entangled it with Wood Release, and after a moment, it felt as though they'd reached some kind of boundary-the Shadow Clone could sense a powerful, terrifying presence just ahead.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Madara.
'We've tracked it to his lair!' The Shadow Clone was stunned and secretly elated-until it felt Madara start to move. A monstrous wave of chakra surged from up ahead.
The clone didn't hesitate.
All of its chakra converged and transformed into a unique ninjutsu.
"Art is an Explosion, meow!"
With a shout, the Shadow Clone erupted into a massive detonation. The ground shattered, violent tremors rippled outward, and Madara's hidden base was struck by the shockwaves, completely unprepared.
Inside the lair, Madara remained indifferent. A crowd of White Zetsu surged forth, weaving barrier after barrier of Wood Release to block the effects of the quake and the blast. At the same time, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path used its colossal body as a shield to keep the underground chamber intact.
He had no choice.
Right now, Madara's life depended on the statue. If this place collapsed, the chakra tubes connected to him might be damaged. He had to hold his ground.
"My apologies. He had a Flying Thunder God seal on him. I was unable to break it," Black Zetsu said, delivering Shisui.
Just then, a bizarre construct emerged from Shisui's body.
Madara's eyes chilled. He instantly formed a seal, using Lightning Release to seize and destroy it, but its sticky, gooey texture...
Damn it. He tossed the lightning-charred substance away, formed another seal, and slammed his hand down where the jutsu marker was flaring.
Lightning raged.
That entire patch of flesh turned black and charred, and Shisui's screams echoed in the cavern. A nearby White Zetsu promptly tore off a piece of its own body and grafted it on to replace the ruined section.
The jutsu marker disappeared.
And on top of that, Shisui now possessed the power of Hashirama's cells.
"Flying Thunder God? Truly a troublesome technique. We'll let it go this time. Next time, I don't want you leading anyone back to my lair," Madara said coldly.
"Yes," Black Zetsu replied humbly.
At that moment, jolted awake by the pain, Shisui slowly opened his eyes.
He saw a dim cavern, an elderly man with the Sharingan, and... all kinds of bizarre creatures.
He sat up, looking around warily. "What is this place? Is this the Neko Sage's fortress?"
"...?"
'Neko Sage? What the hell is that?'
Madara frowned and glanced at Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu, piloting a White Zetsu, just shrugged, feigning ignorance. He had chosen Shisui because he was a child of outstanding talent who had awakened his Sharingan before even turning five.
As for some Neko Sage... how was he supposed to know about that?
Madara had weathered countless storms. He was only stunned for a second before he composed himself and spoke to Shisui in an indifferent tone. "This is the Uchiha Forbidden Ground. I am your ancestor, Madara Uchiha."
"Madara...?"
Shisui was quick-witted. From a young age, he had read about his clan's forebears. He knew who Madara was: the man who failed to become the First Hokage, abandoned Konoha in a fury, and battled the First Hokage at the Valley of the End.
The old man before him was strong, terrifyingly so. His body was frail and aged, different from the images Shisui had seen, but he could still recognize his ancestor's features.
Which only made him more wary.
Madara tilted his head toward Black Zetsu.
The child's talent was excellent, but would it kill his subordinate to check someone's personality before kidnapping them?
Having an underling like this was irritating.
He took a slow breath and said flatly, "You may think I betrayed Konoha, but in truth, I did it for a greater goal-for eternal world peace."
"Huh?"
"Konoha just went through another great war, did it not? Since I left, Konoha has been through three. The first followed Hashirama's death. The second was more than ten years ago. The third is the most recent one. War never ends. Absolute power can suppress conflict for a time, but it can never bring lasting peace. My plan is different..."
Shisui listened, but his mind flashed with his father's teachings.
His loyalty belonged to Konoha.
But given the current situation, if he didn't go along with what Madara said... he might not live to see another day.
===============
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