Chapter 152: The Eve of Kannabi Bridge

"This is it!"

White Zetsu put down the bed and pillow, clapping his hands in satisfaction. "Perfect width, not too hard, not too soft, and the pillow is comfortable... Yeah, this is the best place for a patient to recover!" He scratched his head and turned to ask, "Hey, Madara-sama, what's the name of the guy who's going to be staying here soon? It's..."

"Obito," Madara replied slowly, still sitting in his wide chair, sustained by the chakra from the statue behind him.

"Ah, right, Obito-san," White Zetsu exclaimed. "It's great to have a new neighbor. When is Obito-san moving in, Madara-sama?"

"Tomorrow."

"Oh, finally a young man who can move..." White Zetsu hopped onto the bed, bouncing around energetically.

He was particularly lively today, although his personality was always cheerful and outgoing, it wasn't usually this noisy.

Before every mission, he would talk a lot to release some tension, to avoid going crazy from holding it in.

Madara Uchiha sighed. "It's almost time, be quiet." He raised his hand and dug out his left eye with a popping sound.

Due to excessive consumption of life force, Madara's body looked like a scarecrow stuffed with straw, with hardly any blood flowing out.

White Zetsu skillfully took the Sharingan from Madara and implanted it into his own eye socket.

The masked man with a single eye, who had fought fiercely with Meiko's corpse, appeared once again in the dark underground.

In youth, one could conquer the world with strength; but in old age, when the body is frail and only able to linger underground, one must use intelligence to solve problems.

Madara Uchiha was no exception.

A few days ago, White Zetsu had borrowed Madara's Sharingan to trouble Meiko, not as a meaningless move.

In the intense battle, the girl's corpse's clothes were torn, revealing black rods. Others might not know what they were, but Madara did.

Combining this information, many things could be analyzed:

"The Moon God is someone with Sage eyes, hiding in the shadows, controlling corpses with black rods."

"He has obtained the powers of Kaguya, Hyuga, and Senju, and can use Yin-Yang Release."

"Since he has Hashirama's cells, he will eventually target the Uchiha, and to rival Hashirama's power, one needs a lot of Uchiha flesh and blood, or..."

"Or find Madara Uchiha, Hashirama's rival."

Thus, a series of plans formed in Madara's mind.

Over the years, even with his physical limitations, Madara had accumulated some trump cards with the help of White Zetsu, who could move freely through objects.

However, the man known as Madara Uchiha knew that ordinary means would be useless against someone with Sage eyes. White Zetsu, even with Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan, was not a match.

To solve this problem once and for all, a significant gamble was necessary.

Betting everything on the potential arrival of a powerful enemy might seem foolish, but Madara trusted his judgment.

He had been through more battles than most shinobi had held kunai.

These old warriors from the Warring States period shared a similar quality: pride, extreme confidence, and a lifelong adherence to their own will. Perhaps they were more deserving of the title "shinobi" than the new generation.

The greatest weapons in the world don't lose their brilliance even after being buried for a long time.

"It's done." White Zetsu lowered his hand, chakra flowing through the Sharingan, slowly adapting to this new kekkei genkai organ. "I'm off..."

...

"Leader-sama," a member of the Akatsuki organization panted, kneeling on the ground. "The Konoha shinobi... They've invaded!"

Nagato, with his Rinnegan, had sensed the intrusion through his Rain Tiger at Will Technique before his subordinate spoke.

"One hundred, three hundred, eight hundred, one thousand five..." The red-haired young man counted slowly, his expression growing colder.

Amegakure, a battleground of the Third Great Ninja War, held deep grudges against the Fire, Wind, and Earth countries. Learning that the Akatsuki had the Rinnegan and had no intention of reconciling with the surrounding nations made the soft target a thorn in their side.

This day was inevitable.

"But you underestimate these eyes." Nagato murmured, preparing to act, when countless paper sheets flew in, forming the shape of a young woman.

"Nagato, something's wrong!" Konan panted, the cold rain making her purple hair stick to her cheeks.

"The Konoha shinobi know where you are. They're heading straight for this tower."

"We have a traitor in the village." Nagato snorted, turning to smile at his companion. "It's alright, Konan. No matter how many enemies there are, I'll protect you and our nation."

He raised his hand, the powerful ocular power coursing through him, and instantly vanished from the high tower.

The next moment, Nagato appeared in the densest cluster of Konoha shinobi.

"Shinra Tensei!" The massive repulsive force exploded, scattering everything around him—tools, bodies, and techniques could not withstand it for even a second.

Buildings collapsed, roads overturned and cracked. In just one move, nearly a hundred enemies were killed.

Nagato, with his Sage eyes, was fundamentally different from other shinobi. A Sage and a human should never be compared.

"Petty Konoha, sending its shinobi to die for nothing?" Nagato muttered, ready to charge again.

But suddenly, a chilling sensation gripped his heart.

"Konan!" Nagato shouted, using repulsive and attractive forces to fly back to the tower.

But he was too late.

At the top of the tower, the purple-haired woman was nowhere to be seen.

In her place was a tall white-haired man, with strange toads on his shoulders, bumpy marks on his face, horizontal pupils, and unique facial markings like a mask.

—This was Jiraiya in Sage Mode!

"Nagato, long time no see." Jiraiya's voice was calm. "Konan is fine, she's inside the toad's belly."

"Release Konan..." Nagato's eyes were like those of a demon. "Or I'll gut every toad in Mount Myoboku until I find her."

"Nagato..."

Footsteps interrupted their conversation.

"The reunion ends here, Jiraiya. You should use that woman named Konan wisely. Otherwise, we might not be able to defeat him."

A man stepped out of the shadows.

He wore a spiral-shaped single-eyed mask.

The Rinnegan Retrieval Operation... begins!

(End of Chapter)