The dense forest was eerily silent as Minato and his team moved carefully through the undergrowth. Their mission had been simple—investigate unusual chakra activity reported near an old outpost—but every step deeper into the wilderness felt like peeling back a layer of something far more intricate.
Minato led the way, his sharp blue eyes scanning the terrain, every nerve alert. Behind him, Kushina walked in silence—an odd thing for her. Her instincts were sharp, and right now, they were telling her something was very wrong.
Hiroshi's Byakugan activated, his gaze piercing through layers of earth and stone. "There's something underground," he murmured. "A hidden structure. A research facility."
Kenshiro's Sharingan spun to life, analyzing the details. "This wasn't built recently," he said, voice low. "Whatever it is… it's been here for a long time."
Nawaki exhaled slowly. "And I'm guessing it wasn't meant to be found."
Minato frowned, eyes narrowing. "Then we proceed carefully."
Above them, hidden within the thick canopy of leaves, Ōtsutsuki Ryūsei watched.
Half an Hour Ago—A Familiar Presence
He hadn't planned to follow Minato and the others, but boredom had its way of making things interesting. He had been keeping himself entertained in the village, but when he noticed Minato and his team leaving discreetly, curiosity took over.
Ryūsei followed from the shadows, unseen, merely observing—until something changed.
A presence flickered at the edge of his senses.
Old. Familiar.
His expression sharpened. Without hesitation, his Byakugan activated.
His vision extended, piercing through the landscape—through the trees, the hills, the very earth itself.
And there he saw it.
Two hidden bases.
One beneath the ruins—its corridors humming with combined influences of Kumogakure and Iwagakure. A joint effort, no doubt. Their chakra signatures filled the space like a sealed puzzle, one designed to keep something hidden.
But the second base…
A short distance away. Isolated. Ancient.
And deep within it, a presence he had not sensed in years.
Madara.
Ryūsei's gaze flickered between the two sites.
Then, without hesitation, he moved.
Not toward Minato's team.
Toward the other presence.
Madara's Hideout—A Meeting with Shadows
The underground chamber was dimly lit, filled with the quiet hum of flowing chakra.
Ryūsei walked through the corridors, his gaze scanning every detail—the faded markings, the fractured stone, the eerie stillness.
But the moment he entered the main chamber, his gaze froze.
Because there, at the center of the vast underground hall, was a statue. A massive, gnarled husk.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
The hollow shell of the Ten-Tails.
Ryūsei's expression darkened. "I see," he murmured. "You awakened the Rinnegan."
On the far end of the chamber, sitting upon a stone throne, his long white hair falling over his shoulders, was Uchiha Madara.
Even weakened, even aged, his presence was unshakable.
Thick white tubes connected his body to the statue, feeding something between them—a slow, pulsing rhythm of chakra.
Madara smirked, his crimson eyes gleaming. "So, you've finally come."
Ryūsei stepped forward, his Byakugan shifting—twisting—into his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
His white robes caught the dim light, the nine black magatama on his collar standing as an unmistakable mark of power.
"You captured a White Zetsu," Ryūsei continued, his voice knowing. "Did you finally realize what's been creeping in the shadows of your war?"
Madara's smirk didn't fade. "Of course. I'm not blind to the hands that move behind the scenes."
Ryūsei glanced at the statue again, then back at the tubes. Madara's body was failing, but he was using the husk of the Ten-Tails to prolong his existence.
He folded his arms. "So, what is it this time? Another grand plan?"
Madara chuckled. "You always talk as if you are above it all." He gestured slightly. "And yet, here you are."
Ryūsei exhaled through his nose, amusement flickering in his eyes. "I came because I was curious."
"Then let your curiosity serve you well," Madara said, leaning back. "You and I both know this world is on the precipice of something greater. And when that moment comes… we will see who stands above it all."
Ryūsei's expression remained unreadable. "We'll see."
With that, he turned on his heel, stepping back into the shadows.
Madara didn't stop him.
Instead, he simply smirked.
"We will meet again."
A Step Ahead
Once Ryūsei had put enough distance between himself and the hideout, he came to a halt.
Then, with a simple flick of his wrist, a transparent box made of raw destruction energy appeared in his hand.
Inside, writhing and trapped, was Black Zetsu.
It clawed at the edges of its prison, its form shifting, warping—but unable to escape.
Ryūsei gazed at it, his golden-tinted Byakugan gleaming.
"A rat hiding in the shadows," he murmured.
Black Zetsu seethed, its voice a low, venomous hiss. "You don't understand what you're interfering with."
Ryūsei smirked.
"Oh, I understand perfectly."
He closed his hand—and the prison tightened.
Then, without another word, he vanished into the night.
To Be Continued…