Uncertain of the passing time, Madara detected a stir and slowly opened his eyes, stretching lazily.
Since the break began, he had felt a void, even sleep had become somewhat uncomfortable.
But the nap he took today... It was perhaps the most restful slumber he had experienced all year! If he hadn't sensed something amiss, he might have continued sleeping indefinitely.
Madara gazed at the returning original White Zetsu. Before he could speak, the original White Zetsu addressed him cheerfully, "Madara-sama, are you awake?"
"Mhm!" Madara nodded expressionlessly, observing the original White Zetsu before him and briefly glancing at the Spiral White Zetsu drawing beside him. Calmly, he inquired, "What information did you gather during the investigation?"
"Well, since the war has recently ended, the ninja world is generally in a state of peace, but..." The original White Zetsu sighed with emotion, "Many places, especially small countries, are still trapped in ceaseless conflicts."
Indeed, they had undertaken a secret mission with Black Zetsu to gather intelligence this time. Although Madara-sama had instructed them to remain discreet for now and not reveal themselves until the time for peace arrived, they needed to keep a watchful eye on the direction the ninja world was taking.
After all, it was only through endless conflicts, after Madara-sama had sunk into despair, that his unwavering determination for his ideals would grow stronger.
With a visage filled with disappointment and regret, the original White Zetsu continued, "The actions of the ninjas from Iwagakure and Kumogakure are peculiar. Despite the war having just ended, it seems they are still making preparations. It's absurd! Can't everyone simply live in happiness? Madara-sama clearly yearns for peace."
As his words trailed off, Madara's white eyebrows slightly arched, and a cold smile formed on his lips as he calmly remarked, "Indeed, Hashirama's foolish methods were flawed from the beginning. Only my ideology is correct."
Attempting to achieve peace through the shinobi village system? Dividing Tailed Beasts to enforce compromise among the Five Great Shinobi Villages? It is nothing short of laughable!
And what was the outcome? No change whatsoever. Even after the fool's demise, the wars persisted endlessly.
"Peace is not attained through compromise, and peace is not a casual invitation! Peace cannot be acquired through mere negotiations. Blind concessions will never bring about lasting peace. Only through personal strength can we achieve enduring peace."
"We must draw lessons from history to rectify our own ideals. Hashirama..." He released a sigh, his voice tinged with disappointment. "He was profoundly mistaken! Completely and utterly mistaken!"
"...Madara-sama is absolutely correct!" Although he couldn't quite pinpoint it, there was a lingering sense of strangeness after hearing Madara-sama's words, as if they held undeniable truths.
The original White Zetsu looked bewildered at Madara-sama, who had expressed profound insights today. Normally... Madara-sama would simply scoff and add something like "that idiot Hashirama!" at most.
Cold, arrogant, and self-absorbed! But now... he could eloquently speak about ideology and inspire them to remain steadfast in their ideals?
He had only been absent for one winter, so what had transpired here? Yet, hearing Madara-sama's words, everything seemed to fall into place!
Thus, he refrained from saying anything further and scratched his head, saying, "Regarding Madara-sama's request..." After contemplating for a moment, he retrieved a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over.
"Even though he moved from Amegakure to Kusagakure, not much has changed. Oh, right, Madara-sama, he has already begun training in ninjutsu. Although Kusagakure is a small village, the leader of Kusagakure possesses considerable strength, and there's no issue in instructing that child. Furthermore, the child's academic performance is exceptional..."
Originally, Spiral White Zetsu was responsible for this information, but that guy... unless it was a direct order and they kept a watchful eye on him, it was truly challenging to trust him!
He continued speaking, while Madara-sama observed him. On the paper, it was written...
[Uzumaki Nagato's Academic Report:]
All subjects: A!
And there were comments from the teacher: [Nagato is an outstanding and polite child. He respectfully greets the teachers upon arrival and departure, and he is always willing to assist his classmates. He is well-regarded by his peers in the class, possesses keen observational skills and patience, and shows eagerness in problem-solving.]
At the bottom, it seemed to be added by the original White Zetsu himself.
[Has a good relationship with Yahiko and Konan, holds respect for the leader of Kusagakure—Akihiko, Uzumaki Kana, and Nagato's mother. These five individuals can be considered significant connections.]
Although, as per Madara-sama's request, they shouldn't interfere with his growth and only ensure their presence.
That child is merely a vessel for Madara-sama's eyes. And it is not yet time for the Rinnegan to awaken. After all, Madara-sama still requires the Gedo Statue to sustain his life. Once it awakens and summons the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path... Madara-sama will ascend, won't he?
However, some investigations still needed to be conducted. Within a short while, it appeared that Madara had finished reading and calmly remarked, "Seems like the grades are satisfactory, and they didn't disappoint my eyes!"
The original White Zetsu was stunned, sensing that something was amiss once again. But by then... Madara had slowly closed his eyes and calmly stated, "If there is no significant information, this old man wishes to rest."
"...Is Madara-sama fatigued? Then I won't disturb Madara-sama any longer." The original White Zetsu snapped out of it and said with a smile, "Madara-sama, if you require anything, simply give me your orders."
Tools should know their place, so even though he was curious, he refrained from further inquiries, not even knowing where to begin. But as he turned his head, he seemed to notice something, and his expression froze as he observed a few discarded bamboo skewers scattered on the ground.
Bamboo skewers? When did these items appear here? And why are there several of them? Where did they even come from?!
….
Meanwhile, on the other side, Akihiko, completely unaware that he had made it onto Nagato's list of significant connections, took a brief tour of the academy before proceeding to the conference room.
Today marked the first meeting of spring in the Land of Grass, making it an exceedingly important gathering. All the high-ranking officials of the Land of Grass, except for one individual who remained squatting, were obligated to attend.
After emphasizing the significance of "development is the key" and further refining the five-year development plan proposed during the initial meeting, Akihiko assumed a serious expression, crossing his hands and resting them on his chin, as he introduced another crucial topic for discussion.
"We are facing a financial crisis!" As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone was taken aback, their faces reflecting astonishment as they gazed at their earnest leader.
Had they depleted their funds so rapidly? They had even retrieved the wealth concealed in the Land of Whirlpools, so how could they already be running out of money?
However, upon closer examination, it had been quite some time, and the expenses of the Land of Grass... they were indeed draining their finances.
After all, the reconstruction and development of the Land of Grass required financial resources. One could even argue that...
It was quite remarkable that the Land of Grass had managed to sustain itself for such a long period without resorting to selling intelligence. It was truly an impressive feat!
But what should they do now? Just as Akihiko prepared to inquire if anyone had any ideas, a certain elderly shinobi tremblingly raised his hand and once again suggested the traditional method of generating income for the village. "Why not sell intelligence?"
As soon as he spoke, other older council members joined in, exclaiming, "Yes, we should sell intelligence!" and "Selling intelligence is our forte!" They questioned whether the Land of Grass could still be called the Land of Grass if they abandoned selling intelligence.
Witnessing the elder shinobi once again proposing the sale of intelligence, Akihiko couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness. Even in Mubuki's absence, these individuals clung to this method?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
.
.
You can read 5 Chapters ahead of everyone on my patreon
p@treon.com/Kaiszer