Chapter 64: Black Zetsu: Feeling Blue and Mushy

Just as he had come up with a plan, Madara found himself clashing with the rules of the Lord God System.

At this moment, Madara faced a difficult decision.

Should he ignore the Lord God's rules and proceed—or abandon his plan and find another way to draw out the one he suspected?

He remained silent. A few seconds passed, feeling as long as days.

In the end, Madara exhaled lightly.

He gave up.

Reality had already proven that the Lord God possessed the power to kill him—whether by throwing him into a perilous world or detonating some kind of force within his body, he wouldn't survive.

Once, Madara stood at the absolute peak of the ninja world, a man whose spine wouldn't bend even in death.

But after experiencing aging and near-death, witnessing the strength of beings from other worlds, and realizing that the purpose he'd devoted his life to might have been part of someone else's scheme...

At the very least, until his suspicions were verified, he wasn't willing to die.

"No large-scale slaughter allowed… fine. Sealing the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path again achieves the same effect."

By compromising, Madara's once-indomitable pride had already been chipped away—bit by bit—by Nawaki's manipulations.

Since widespread slaughter was off the table, Madara dispelled the chakra-consuming Complete Body Susano'o, lightly landed on the ground, and after identifying his surroundings, rushed toward the cave he'd been living in these past few years.

He didn't immediately summon the Demonic Statue with the Rinnegan.

After all, if someone had been lurking in the shadows for some time, the most likely hiding place would be near the very cave where Madara had been in seclusion. Banking on the fact that the Sharingan didn't possess x-ray vision, that observer might have been watching Madara's every move with impunity.

Madara's true goal wasn't sealing the Demonic Statue.

It was to lure out Black Zetsu.

And so, he deliberately took his time returning to the cave, giving whoever was hiding in the dark a chance to react.

However—

At this moment, Black Zetsu wasn't lurking near Madara.

He just happened to be inside the cave.

While waiting for Madara's return, he found himself deep in thought and unease.

"Madara flew to the moon, and it's already been days. He still hasn't come back… Things just haven't been going well lately."

"First, he suddenly regained his youth and formidable power."

"Then, after retrieving the Rinnegan and setting out to capture the tailed beasts, he suddenly stopped and, out of nowhere, flew to the moon…"

Black Zetsu was completely unable to figure out Madara's thinking anymore.

But one thing was clear—there must be some unknown power pulling the strings behind all this.

Madara alone couldn't have broken free from Black Zetsu's control.

As he pondered these thoughts—

Suddenly, a figure darted into the cave, clad in crimson armor and bearing the Gunbai and scythe on his back.

Madara?! He's back from the moon?

With his detection abilities, Black Zetsu peeked through the ground and spotted Madara in the cave. He paused in surprise.

And then—

Something happened that completely stunned him.

Madara stood calmly inside the cave, his Rinnegan eyes scanning the half-buried Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Then, he raised his right hand toward it, and spoke in a calm voice:

"Chibaku Tensei."

A burst of overwhelming ocular power surged as Six Paths chakra condensed in his palm.

A black sphere resembling a miniature black hole formed in front of his hand, radiating terrifying gravitational pull. With a single motion, it flew toward the Demonic Statue.

Wait a second!

Black Zetsu was utterly dumbfounded.

Wasn't that the Chibaku Tensei—the same sealing technique that had trapped Kaguya? What was Madara doing? Why was he suddenly trying to seal the Demonic Statue?

Didn't he want to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki anymore?

Still, Black Zetsu was a thousand-year-old manipulator. Even in this shocking moment, his chakra remained undetectable, not wavering in the slightest.

If need be, he could abandon this attempt. Time was on his side. He could always wait patiently for the right opportunity to come again.

And so, he watched with his own eyes as the Chibaku Tensei hit the Demonic Statue, erupting in powerful suction.

Boulders from all directions were pulled in, slamming into the statue and tightly encasing it.

Under the immense gravitational force, the Demonic Statue began to levitate slowly into the sky.

A low rumble echoed, and the earth trembled.

Within seconds, not only the cave, but the entire area within a one-kilometer radius, was ripped apart as earth and stone flew upward, compressing against the statue.

Moments later, a colossal stone sphere floated in the sky—spectacular and awe-inspiring.

"Was the Lord God's information fake after all?"

Madara waited deliberately for several dozen seconds, carefully monitoring the surroundings.

But no one appeared to stop him from sealing the Demonic Statue.

Frowning, Madara began to question if this method had been the right approach after all.

Just then—

A memory surfaced: the entry in the Secret History of the Shinobi World about Black Zetsu.

"Kaguya's third child. The manifested will of Kaguya herself. Possesses extraordinary concealment abilities—even the Sage of Six Paths never noticed his presence…"

A spark flickered in Madara's mind. He immediately opened the system's exchange list and scanned through the items.

Even if the Sage couldn't detect him, the Lord God—who was aware of Kaguya's third child—must have a way to do it!

Soon, Madara's eyes lit up. He quickly selected and exchanged for a function.

"Spending 3,000 points: Activated 'Lord God Map.' Marks all non-S-rank lifeforms within one kilometer on a dynamic map. Lasts for 30 minutes."

This dynamic map was a special feature Nawaki had added to the exchange list—100 points per minute of usage. It was inspired by the cheat map used during Orochimaru's first mission.

It was a highly practical item, invaluable during missions, and extremely profitable.

Just like now.

For 3,000 points, a virtual map appeared before Madara's eyes.

He immediately spotted a creature of A-rank strength hiding underground not far from him.

Yet even with all his sensory skills, Madara hadn't detected a trace of its presence.

His eyes chilled.

With a flicker, he appeared directly above the spot.

Madara extended his right hand slightly—

"Banshō Ten'in."

A powerful suction emerged from his palm, like a black hole tearing at the earth.

Rocks were wrenched up and flung away.

In the blink of an eye, a massive pit opened before him.

At the bottom—a dark figure desperately burrowing away—appeared in Madara's sight.

"…Finally caught you."

His voice was cold. A grim smile curled at Madara's lips.

His eyes radiated undisguised killing intent.

~~~

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Remove the parentheses btw