Ren naturally avoided this inspection, which put all of Konoha on high alert. Leaving or entering the village now required strict checks, and the Anbu occasionally searched places where someone might be hiding.
Ren had been observing here for nearly half a year before finally confirming news of White Zetsu. He possessed the Nine-Tails' malicious perception, and the fact that it took him this long to notice meant the other rarely monitored the Uchiha's movements.
"Easy to find, after all," Ren murmured. The other never came near Konoha, which amused him.
"Good morning, Mr. Ken," a neighboring girl greeted Ren.
"Morning, Mikoto. Want to have breakfast?" Ren replied cheerfully. She wasn't married yet, so she remained lively and cute.
"No, I have a mission today," Mikoto said, leaving shortly after.
"Alright, good luck," Ren waved.
After greeting the neighbors, Ren focused on White Zetsu's movements. His presence disappeared entirely, and after half a year, he finally had a lead.
Ren's departure caused no stir. Though he was well-liked among the Uchiha, he had no Sharingan, not even chakra, so naturally, no one paid attention.
He followed the target to Uchiha Madara's old hideout. A smile curved Ren's lips. Old friends deserved a meeting. Though, he sensed nothing of Black Zetsu's presence.
"Lord Madara."
"Come in," Madara said, not addressing White Zetsu, but Ren.
"Yo. Didn't expect you were still alive." Ren instantly appeared there. Madara looked aged, with only one Sharingan and wooden tubes strapped behind him.
"Lord Madara?" White Zetsu clearly hadn't realized he'd been discovered. He looked at Madara, hoping he would deal with Ren.
"Ren, remember what I said before?" Madara said expressionlessly.
"Still haven't given up on that plan?"
"Ren, you're still alive. The Land of Whirlpools has found peace, but looking at the shinobi world… no, it's pointless to discuss now." Madara closed his eyes. He had no intention of resisting. From their last encounter, he already knew the gap between them.
"Madara, if I want, I can unify the shinobi world anytime," Ren sighed. He knew the once-mighty warlord had given up resisting. And with only a normal Sharingan, he clearly had prepared a retreat.
"Unify… what about after your death?" Madara was resolute. He believed he had seen it. After obtaining Hashirama's cells, he awakened the Rinnegan, exactly as the stone tablet described.
Ren spoke earnestly, "Madara, humans are creatures who fight one another. That's what it means to be human."
"So my approach avoided this," Uchiha Madara said, his mood highly agitated.
"The one behind you is just an empty shell, right? It provides you chakra, but do you know where that chakra comes from? Do you think that white thing is the source of it?" Ren asked, unwilling for the other to be exploited by Black Zetsu, even if he was a formidable figure.
Madara didn't reply. These thoughts were being nudged by his own will.
"Do you know why there's a moon in the sky? I have a story. Want to hear it?" Ren looked at Madara.
Madara closed his eyes, intending to ignore him.
Ren didn't mind whether he listened or not. He slowly began telling the story of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. As the story unfolded, Madara's eyes gradually opened, staring fixedly at Ren.
From the moment the tale of Hagoromo's birth began, Madara couldn't remain calm. Black Zetsu had altered the stone tablet's content, but it wasn't random. Lies mixed with truth are what make deception truly dangerous.
Normally, such lies couldn't be uncovered, but Black Zetsu hadn't realized that Ren also knew the events. That became the reason some lies in the tablet could be exposed.
After hearing Ren's story, Madara asked, "What you said… is it true?"
"I don't need to prove anything. You already have your answer within yourself, don't you?" Ren replied, not intending to convince him.
"Hmph. Ren, I avoided you. True, you are stronger than us, but this plan… it cannot be wrong." Madara tore off the tubes connected to his body. Without the chakra provided by the golem, his life was rapidly fading.
"The Rinnegan… it's with the Uzumaki clan, isn't it?"
"Yes. I'm sure you understand the reason better than I do…" After saying this, Madara's life completely ceased.
"Stubborn to the end." Ren captured all the white Zetsus there. Such beings were valuable for research.
"Miss this chance, and Black Zetsu will hardly have another." Ren murmured, ordering his clone to command the people of the Uzumaki to search for those who hadn't returned. Their eyes held the Rinnegan.
Turning around, he looked at Madara's body slumped in the chair. He carefully stored it away. Knowing the two major grave-diggers of the original story, he did not want to encounter a resurrected Madara again.
Ren felt no attachment to this place and left. As for Yuki, she didn't need his attention for now. When she had challenged the strong in the Hidden Ninja Villages, he had observed from afar.
Yuki's strength was already formidable; there was no need for concern. He also didn't want to watch her train the two young ones from the Rain Village.
After Ren left, a long while passed before a dark figure appeared on the ground. "Madara is dead… Ren Uzumaki. Whose reincarnation is he?"
Black Zetsu was very curious. He had never seen such an extraordinary Uzumaki before. He wanted to use Ren as well, but Ren's powerful perception made him cautious.
However, after years of careful observation, Black Zetsu planned to first approach Ren's daughter, Yuki. She could drive Ren into hatred, making her the perfect tool to manipulate him.
But he wouldn't be the one to take action. Next, he would use the plan Madara had told him, starting by corrupting Uchiha Obito, leaving everything else for later.
Ren returned to the lab in the Land of Whirlpools with White Zetsu. He was very interested in things that had experienced Infinite Tsukuyomi.
In the Land of Rain, Yuki welcomed the third little one, a child from the Uzumaki clan named Nagato. It seemed fate had already decided this encounter.
He had been found by the second little one while wandering outside. Seeing how pitiful he was, they brought him back.
Though it was strange for an Uzumaki to be outside their own country, Yuki did not ask, considering he was just a child. After all, some ninja from the Land of Whirlpools had also gone missing.
Far from the Land of Rain.
"Great, finally got him in. Next, let's let them play the good friends game. But I really want to know what it feels like to have the urge to poop," White Zetsu said with a hint of regret.
Black Zetsu arrived. "Has he accepted it?"
"Of course. When I step in, there's nothing I can't handle," White Zetsu replied confidently.
"Good," Black Zetsu said with a sinister smile. This was the first step in reaching him. Next would be creating bonds, and then breaking them. Having lived so long, he was very familiar with this kind of work.
"Should we monitor them next?"
"No. Some White Zetsu have been lost. Uzumaki Ren has the ability to sense White Zetsu; we can't reveal this step yet."
Black Zetsu slowly sank into the ground. He would leave the matter of Yuki to the Uchiha boy that Madara had set his eyes on. He still needed to prepare the script to corrupt him.
**********
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