Chapter 301

"Madara-sama!"

In a remote cave far from Konoha, Black Zetsu bowed respectfully toward Madara.

Madara cast a cold glance at Black Zetsu, crossing his arms. "Speak. What's going on? Why am I being brought back through Edo Tensei?"

Konoha's people couldn't have performed Edo Tensei on him—they didn't have access to his DNA samples. It could only have been Black Zetsu, the keeper of his remains.

Hearing Madara's question, Black Zetsu wore a guilty expression. "Apologies, Madara-sama. The plan you entrusted to us failed. The only way to bring you back was through Edo Tensei."

"Failed?" Madara's brow furrowed. "What about Obito? What was he doing?"

"Obito... is dead."

"Dead?"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Madara's face darkened. "Who killed him?"

With his Mangekyō Sharingan abilities and Hashirama's cells, there should have been no one in the ninja world capable of killing Obito. If he was dead, the one responsible must possess power far beyond his.

Could it be…?

"It was Gensou, Madara-sama," Black Zetsu said through gritted teeth.

Madara's eyes narrowed, understanding dawning. "So Gensou really has been resurrected. How did he manage it?"

Madara was deeply intrigued by Gensou's resurrection.

Black Zetsu shook his head. "All we know is that he was summoned through Edo Tensei during the Chūnin Exams, but he broke free from the summoner's control and left on his own. His second appearance was at Tsunade's, where he obtained a secret technique related to souls. By the third time he emerged, he had fully resurrected himself, defeated the AB Combo of the Hidden Cloud in the Valley of End, and even severed the Fourth Raikage's arm. The entire process took less than a month."

"Edo Tensei..." Madara looked at his own hands.

He himself had been brought back with Edo Tensei but had no clue how to achieve full resurrection from it.

For someone as competitive as Madara, this realization left him feeling deeply unsatisfied.

As the topic began to veer off course, Black Zetsu quickly brought it back, pouring out his grievances.

"Madara-sama, not only did Obito die at Gensou's hands, but Nagato was also killed! He took the Rinnegan, the Gedo Statue, and all the Tailed Beasts. Everything we worked for has fallen into his hands!"

"He somehow learned about the Eye of the Moon Plan. While Obito and I were making progress, he suddenly appeared and took everything. Now, he's about to start the final phase himself!"

The information Black Zetsu revealed was shocking.

Madara snapped out of his thoughts and, after a moment of surprise, grabbed Black Zetsu roughly and demanded he recount everything that had happened after his death in detail.

Black Zetsu had no choice but to recount the story, starting from how Obito recruited Nagato and formed the Akatsuki, explaining all of Gensou's actions along the way, and ending with the current situation where Gensou was preparing to battle the Allied Shinobi Forces.

"Impressive! Truly impressive, Gensou!" Madara released Black Zetsu, his expression cold and severe.

No wonder Hashirama had asked about his eyes earlier, commenting that they resembled Gensou's.

It turned out that Gensou had taken Madara's Rinnegan and implanted them in himself.

Not only that, but he also stole everything related to the Eye of the Moon Plan.

How had he not realized before that Gensou was such a thief?

No wonder Black Zetsu had resorted to Edo Tensei to bring him back.

The situation couldn't have been worse.

Without the Rinnegan, there was no way for him to fully resurrect himself.

Without the Gedo Statue and the Tailed Beasts, he could only watch as Gensou moved forward with the Eye of the Moon Plan.

As far as Madara was concerned, the plan could only be deemed successful if he was the one to carry it out. If someone else completed it, it wouldn't count.

Therefore, the idea of Gensou proceeding with the plan was something Madara could never tolerate.

But Gensou interested in the Eye of the Moon Plan?

Madara was a little surprised.

When had Gensou taken an interest in this?

At this point, Black Zetsu spoke again, his tone filled with regret. "I'm sorry for failing you, Madara-sama."

Madara cast a glance at Black Zetsu and waved dismissively. "If the enemy is Gensou, your failure is understandable."

Madara was not someone known for his leniency.

If it had been any other opponent, he would have unleashed his wrath on Black Zetsu and Obito for squandering all that he had entrusted them with.

But Gensou was different.

Like Hashirama, Gensou was one of the few he recognized as a worthy rival.

To Madara, it was only natural for Obito and Black Zetsu to lose to Gensou. Not losing would have been abnormal.

Of course, acknowledgment didn't mean forgiveness.

Having lost everything to Gensou, Madara was still furious.

If given the chance, he would gladly send Gensou back to the underworld.

"Madara-sama, what should we do now?" Seeing that Madara was no longer angry, Black Zetsu pressed for guidance.

Madara remained silent.

Ordinarily, he would have gone straight to confront Gensou, killed him, and taken everything back.

But now...

Even without Black Zetsu explicitly stating it, Madara could see that Konoha had gathered a large number of shinobi. Not only that, but Hashirama and past leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had been resurrected through Edo Tensei.

To force Konoha, with its lofty ideals of the Will of Fire, into such a desperate position spoke volumes about Gensou's current strength.

With only his Edo Tensei body, there was no chance of defeating Gensou.

Unless he could fully resurrect himself.

But with the Rinnegan in Gensou's hands, retrieving it wouldn't be easy.

Madara glanced at Black Zetsu.

He might have to rely on this guy's abilities for the next steps.

Before the Gedo Statue

As the last trace of Tailed Beast chakra was extracted, the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails slowly fell from midair.

Atop the Gedo Statue, the final eye had fully opened.

Although it lacked half of the Nine-Tails, the eight-and-a-half open eyes of the Gedo Statue radiated a menacing aura.

The chains wrapped around it clattered incessantly, and the presence it exuded was awe-inspiring.

The sheer volume of Tailed Beast chakra gathered within its body had reached an unprecedented level, one that even Gensou could feel pressing down on him.

Gensou knew that with the chakra of eight and a half Tailed Beasts, the Gedo Statue was now ready to evolve into the Ten-Tails.

Was it his imagination, or did a voice seem to whisper in his heart, tempting him to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki?

In an instant, Gensou suppressed the thought. Staring at the alluring Gedo Statue, he calmly said, "Not yet."

The sooner he became the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, the sooner he would be linked to Kaguya.

To avoid Kaguya's influence and ensure the success of his plan to gather the planet's chakra, the shorter the duration of his time as the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, the higher his chances of success.

Pushing aside his impatience, Gensou turned his gaze from the Gedo Statue to the outside world.

"Now, only the final piece of the puzzle remains."

(End of Chapter)

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