"It's stopped... Is this the place?"
Kawakaze landed on a large tree, carefully sensing the Flying Thunder God seal he had placed on Obito.
This ti, sending out a group of young shinobi wasn't just for their training—he had a deeper purpose in mind.
He wanted to use this opportunity to lure Madara Uchiha into action.
As long as Madara and Zetsu were alive, they would always be a thorn in his side.
He had already laid out the future of the entire shinobi world—there was no room for unexpected variables.
And Madara and Zetsu were the biggest variables of all.
Fortunately, the fish had taken the bait.
But charging in now wouldn't do any good—he couldn't heal Obito anyway.
Besides, acquiring Hashirama's cells was Obito's own fate. It was better not to interfere.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Kawakaze's lips as he quietly waited.
...
"Lord Madara, I've brought him back."
Zetsu gently placed Obito on the ground inside the cave, then withdrew into the earth, leaving only his head visible.
"That badly injured?"
Madara didn't even look, yet he could already sense that Obito's life force was hanging by a thread.
"This kid is strong enough, but I may have been a little rough."
Zetsu didn't bother explaining further—Obito was still alive, and that was all that mattered.
"Bring a fusion body."
Madara slowly stood up, leaning on his scythe as he walked toward Obito.
Zetsu sank back underground, and monts later, he tossed a White Zetsu corpse in front of Madara.
"Good thing you made it back in ti."
Madara examined Obito's injuries closely—excessive blood loss, severe internal and external wounds.
He was only still breathing because Zetsu had been supplying him with chakra.
"I wouldn't dare delay your plans, Lord Madara."
Zetsu maintained his submissive deanor, carefully hiding his own intentions.
"You weren't followed, were you?"
Madara manipulated the White Zetsu's body, splitting off a small white mass that wriggled into Obito's open wounds.
"Absolutely not. I was very cautious."
Zetsu had every reason to be confident.
If Kawakaze hadn't left a Flying Thunder God mark on Obito, even he wouldn't have been able to track him.
"Good. We'll proceed with the next phase once the boy wakes up."
"...What was that girl's na again?"
Madara seed to be in a good mood now that Obito had been secured—he was speaking more than usual.
"Rin Nohara. A very cute girl."
"More than enough for him."
Since Madara was willing to chat, Zetsu naturally played along.
"Wasting energy on won won't get him anywhere."
"I'll make sure to correct his misguided worldview."
Madara was a man who never wavered. Once he set his mind on sothing, no one could change it—only he could change others.
As the white mass fused with Obito's body, his breathing steadied, and his external wounds slowly began to heal.
The Hashirama cells, neutralized by the White Zetsu's body, no longer seed as invasive.
At least for an Uchiha, there was almost no sign of rejection.
But White Zetsu bodies infused with Hashirama's cells were rare.
Madara, in his weakened state, couldn't cultivate tens of thousands of them like Kabuto Yakushi did later on.
"Amazing."
Even though Zetsu had expected Obito to survive, the rapid recovery was still astonishing.
It was no exaggeration to call it a resurrection.
"This is simply the power of Hashirama."
There was a hint of pride in Madara's voice as he spoke of his old rival—perhaps even he hadn't noticed it.
"A power worth longing for."
Zetsu humored him with so casual praise.
In his heart, only his mother's power was truly divine.
"Alright, move the kid over there."
Madara gestured for Zetsu to carry Obito as he walked toward a stone bench.
"Understood."
Zetsu didn't mind playing the role of a laborer—this was just one more step toward his ultimate goal.
...
"His life force has stabilized... Looks like he's already begun integrating Hashirama's cells."
Kawakaze stroked his chin. Having spent the past few nights in the wilderness, the stubble on his face was getting thick.
"I'll wait a few more days for Obito to wake up. If anything goes wrong, I won't be able to fix it anyway."
With that thought, he no longer felt the need to rush.
A weakened Madara Uchiha wasn't worth his attention.
Prolonging his life through the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—he was little more than a husk now.
His chakra reserves might still be massive, but to Kawakaze, they no longer mattered.
On the other hand, Zetsu was a different story.
Kawakaze wasn't entirely confident that he could take him down while fighting Madara at the sa ti.
Not because Zetsu was strong, but because he was too cunning.
Across the entire shinobi world, if Zetsu claid he was the second-best at hiding, no one would dare claim first place.
"Forget it. I'll just take things one step at a ti."
Kawakaze ruffled his hair in frustration, then turned and left.
Finding a sturdy tree with a comfortable spot, he lay down and closed his eyes.
...
Three days later, Obito finally woke up.
"Ugh..."
"Where... am I?"
His entire body ached, and the unfamiliar surroundings filled him with unease.
"Awake?"
Madara's words were completely unnecessary, but he turned his head to look at Obito.
A three-tomoe Sharingan was clearly visible in his eyes.
"Who... are you?"
Obito didn't rember any elderly Uchiha with a three-tomoe Sharingan.
"You should have heard of . My na is Madara Uchiha."
Madara stood up and slowly approached him.
"Impossible... He's dead."
Obito instinctively scrambled backward—was this old man a ghost?
"Hahaha..."
"The who once looked down on the shinobi world is indeed dead. Now, I am just a dying man."
Madara chuckled softly, almost self-mockingly, then stopped in place without moving closer.
"Did you save ... or capture ?"
Obito wasn't a fool. The Akatsuki wouldn't have gone out of their way to kill him for no reason.
The old man claiming to be Madara Uchiha was suspicious—very suspicious.
"Do I need a reason to save a dying Uchiha?"
"Or do you think you have sothing I want?"
Madara smirked, sidestepping the question.
Sotis, letting soone fill in the blanks themselves was far more effective than lying outright.
"...Thank you."
After a mont of silence, Obito moved his limbs, confirming that he had indeed recovered.
"You're not questioning who I am anymore?"
Madara took another step forward and sat down beside him.
"When I was little, I heard from my clan that Madara Uchiha betrayed Konoha and was killed by the First Hokage."
Obito stared into Madara's eyes, searching for any hints of deception.
"That's right."
"But I faked my death and escaped. Hashirama Senju is dead—yet I still live."
Madara's voice remained calm, as if he were telling soone else's story.
"That's... impossible."
Obito muttered, still finding it hard to believe.
Madara Uchiha had once stood shoulder to shoulder with the First Hokage, dominating the shinobi world.
"You being alive is proof enough."
"You have the sa Hashirama cells that I took from him long ago."
Finally, Madara revealed his trump card.
Facts spoke louder than words.
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