"Lord Madara, Lord Madara!" A sudden voice broke the tranquility, interrupting Madara's rest as he sat with his eyes closed.
Zetsu poked his head into the cave, a smile forming upon seeing Madara slowly opening his eyes. "Are you awake, Lord Madara?"
"Why all this commotion? Is it time for morning or evening lessons? Didn't we have a break during this period? Why did you wake me up?" Madara inquired with an expressionless face, glancing at Zetsu. However, he couldn't help but notice that Zetsu held something in his arms, causing a slight twitch of his eyelids. Maintaining his calm demeanor, Madara asked, "Did you sneak out to play again?"
"No, I wasn't playing, really! I went out to study," Zetsu denied, shaking his head earnestly. "And I brought something for you, Lord Madara."
Madara's eyes half-closed, leaning against the back of the stone stool, appearing disinterested. He gave a nonchalant "Hmm."
Zetsu paid no mind to Madara's lack of enthusiasm. He was used to it by now. Presenting the tricolor dango he had purposely bought, Zetsu displayed a playful smile. "Ting-ting-ting~"
Despite the criticism from Black Zetsu and the original White Zetsu about not taking proper care of Madara, Zetsu believed he was doing his best to look after him. He handed the dango to Madara and said, "Please enjoy, Lord Madara!"
"Hmph! Such a boring thing. You should learn from the other Zetsus and become a useful tool instead of engaging in random foolishness!" Madara snorted coldly, showing a hint of disgust as he reluctantly took a bite of the dango. "Still tastes terrible."
"Hehehe~ Maybe the food here isn't as delicious as in Konoha, and Lord Madara isn't accustomed to it," Zetsu laughed while responding to Madara's comment. He paid no attention to Madara's lecturing and disgusted expression as he sat down beside him, took out his own sketchbook, and said, "Lord Madara, may I ask you a question?"
"No! You're just a fool who asks silly questions like poop," Madara responded uninterestedly, as if he already knew what Zetsu wanted to ask.
"Oh, Lord Madara, you guessed it again?!" Zetsu said in a tone as if it was unexpected.
"Hmph, just like that idiot Hashirama! No, that idiot Hashirama was even more foolish, a complete idiot!" Madara sneered as he chewed on the dango and looked around. "Where's the original White Zetsu? Did he go out to gather intelligence again?"
"Yes" Zetsu nodded with a smile. "By the way, I heard that the atmosphere in the ninja world is very tense lately, especially in the Hidden Sand Village. It seems like they're searching for something."
"Could it be that war looms on the horizon once again? Hmph, this world is truly flawed," Madara commented with a nonchalant air, gazing at the wooden sign in his hand. "What have you been up to lately? Why did you return so early today?"
"Forget it, damn it! I got discovered. I was about to get paid too," Zetsu grumbled, visibly annoyed. He paused his sketching on the notebook, feigning indifference, and patted his chest. "But don't worry, Lord Madara, I managed to slip away without being caught. That Grass Village leader is such a fool. He actually believes I'm a spy from the Rain Village!"
"Hmm," Madara nodded, seemingly unfazed by the revelation.
"And, and, that Grass Village leader is teaching ninjutsu to ordinary people, but they are absolute fools. They can't even grasp something as simple as that. It's easier than breathing," Zetsu continued, noticing that Madara was listening intently.
"They are all fools, utterly stupid," Madara replied with disdain.
"Hehehe, Lord Madara agrees, right?" Zetsu nodded, confirming his agreement. He smiled mischievously and added, "By the way, we don't have to attend classes for a while. There's a break, so, Lord Madara, you can peacefully rest during these days."
"...As ninjas, how can you neglect training and studying? Fool! Stupid fool!" Madara's voice interjected, cutting off Zetsu's statement.
"But it's getting cold. It's snowing up there, and it's almost New Year," Zetsu responded, pointing out that the approaching New Year had granted them a break.
"If you can't overcome these minor challenges, how do you expect to become qualified ninjas? In my youth, I was already on the battlefield. Rain or shine, snow or wind, I trained relentlessly to improve myself. That was the only way I could ever hope to match that idiot Hashirama," Madara dismissed the idea of taking a break with a disdainful pout. "Even the Grass Village leader, with all his ambitions, is still a complete fool!"
"Absolutely! He's a fool indeed. He even believed I was a spy from the Rain Village," Zetsu nodded in agreement, echoing Madara's sentiments. Then, with a playful smile, he added, "Oh, by the way, there have been significant changes in the Land of Grass recently."
"Hmm," Madara snorted indifferently, showing little interest in the matter.
"They've been busy constructing roads, which are nearly reaching the Land of Rain," Zetsu informed Madara about the developments in the Grass Village.
"So boring, a waste of time," Madara expressed his disdain.
"And, and, they've also invented some scientific ninja tools that utilize chakra, like... um, like the air conditioner. It can blow cold air even during hot weather," Zetsu continued, undeterred by Madara's lack of reaction.
"Frivolous gadgets!" Madara continued with a disdainful tone.
"Moreover, they've had a bountiful harvest in the fields this autumn with the help of a ninja tool they made. They did it so quickly with that. I heard even the Iwagakure bought ten sets," Zetsu added.
"Useless things for ninjas, and you, a fool, should focus on gathering useful intelligence instead of wasting time on trivial matters" Madara scolded, emphasizing the importance of gathering valuable and relevant information.
Unfazed by Madara's dismissive response, Zetsu scratched his head, looking at the discarded wooden sign. A mischievous smile spread across his face as he said, "You know, Lord Madara, the New Year is almost upon us."
Madara, resolute in his position, responded curtly, "Such information is useless."
But Zetsu persisted, waving his hand, trying to coax Madara. "No, no, I was just thinking, what would you like to eat for the New Year? I can secretly bring it back for you."
Madara's expression turned serious as he firmly replied, "Am I a ninja who indulges in trivial desires? Stay here obediently!"
Undeterred by Madara's response, Zetsu continued to persuade him playfully. "Don't worry, don't worry, everything will be fine. That Grass Village leader won't find out. So, what do you want to eat, Lord Madara?"
Madara's resolve held strong as he firmly declared, "I have no desire to eat... I don't! And as for you, cease your antics outside and stay here obediently!"
…
"Achoo! Achoo!" Akihiko's sudden sneezes caught Kana's attention.
"Akihiko, you've been sneezing a lot. Is it because of the cold weather? Do you need my help?" Kana asked, her brows furrowing with concern.
"No, I'm not sick," Akihiko paused, sensing something unusual. He furrowed his brows while organizing his things and continued, "I don't know why, but it feels like someone just cursed at me, and it was really offensive."
Kana was taken aback by Akihiko's words. She furrowed her brows and responded, "That's impossible! Akihiko is such a good person. Everyone in the Land of Grass says so. How could anyone curse at you?" Just as she finished speaking...
"Akihiko-sensei, Akihiko-sensei!" cheerful voices suddenly came from the door.
Akihiko narrowed his eyes as he saw Nagato and Yahiko entering, both dressed in thick clothes. He spoke kindly, "Have you finished your assignments?"
"!!!" Both of them suddenly froze, inwardly complaining, 'It's rare to have a break, so why does Akihiko-sensei have to bring up such an annoying thing?'
Nagato and Yahiko exchanged annoyed glances, then quickly interrupted Akihiko. They said, "Hold on! Akihiko-sensei, we were actually planning to visit the factory area. It's been several days since we last saw Hato and Daisuke. We thought of dropping by, but we heard they might be busy. We're not sure if it would be bothersome. Since they are also ninjas from the Rain Village, we wanted to ask if they have any arrangements. That's why we came to ask you."
"If you want to go, go ahead. They're currently distributing year-end wages, and there's nothing major happening there," Akihiko replied nonchalantly, implying that it wouldn't be an issue.
"Is that so? Then we'll go and find Hato and Daisuke. Goodbye, Akihiko-sensei!" they hurriedly exclaimed, eager to leave before Akihiko could assign them more homework.
"Wait a minute, since you're already here..." Akihiko attempted to stop them and say something, but before he could continue, they cut him off.
"Goodbye! Akihiko-sensei, please don't worry about us!" They ignored Akihiko's words and hastily made their way out. Instead of using the main door, they effortlessly leaped over the wall and disappeared in an instant, while Kana on the side was smiling at Akihiko's helplessness.
Akihiko narrowed his eyes and confided in Kana, saying, "I have a feeling that those two little rascals were cursing at me just now."
"...No... That's impossible! Nagato and Yahiko have always respected their Akihiko-sensei. How could they curse at you?" Kana responded, still wearing a smile on her face.
"It's alright. Even if it wasn't them, let's just assume it was. It seems like I'll have to give them a significant gift this year to make them understand the importance of respecting their teacher," Akihiko shrugged off the incident, indicating that he would still give them a gift regardless.
Kana, on the other hand, felt perplexed by Akihiko's words, trying to make sense of his intentions.
"Let's go! It's about time. We should also head there now," Akihiko said after a moment of contemplation, signaling to Kana that it was time to go.
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