Commander Uchiha, we respect and love you!

Chapter 174 A Reasonable Guess, But a Mistake
It's like obtaining the recipe for an elixir of immortality, exhausting yourself, working tirelessly, and only missing the last ingredient. Then you discover that you know where the last ingredient is, what it is, and it's even right in front of you, but no matter what you do, you can't get your hands on that last ingredient. This would be an unparalleled despair for anyone.

Fortunately, Madara Uchiha agreed with Black Zetsu's idea, otherwise he would have truly been in despair.
After deciding to steal Uchiha Kazuto's eyes and replace this despicable, filthy, and evil ambitious man, Uchiha Kazuto and Black Zetsu discovered a problem.

How are they supposed to proceed? Let alone Madara, Madara hasn't even been fully resurrected yet. Although the offerings Black Zetsu used to summon Madara Uchiha were of very high quality, it was still the old version of Edo Tensei. And, to be honest, although they were of high quality, they weren't actually that much better. Madara Uchiha's current strength isn't that great.

Furthermore, Madara Uchiha still belongs to the Land of Fire, Konoha, and the Uchiha clan. He is essentially countered by Uchiha and Touhou. When facing Uchiha and Touhou, they probably won't even have to lift a finger; just seeing Madara's appearance will be enough to bring him down.

Not to mention, Uchiha Kazuto might know their plan now. When Black Zetsu is most terrified, Uchiha Kazuto might know his true identity. When Uchiha Kazuto reveals his true identity, Madara Uchiha might not be the first to attack him.

"No, Zetsu, Uchiha Kazuto may not necessarily know Obito. The reason he doesn't think Obito is me might be because of my eyes!"

Madara Uchiha pondered, looking at Obito Uchiha. His gaze fell on Obito's eyes, and a sudden thought flashed through his mind. Then, his eyes transformed into the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Lord Madara, could it be..."

Black Zetsu walked over, looked into Obito Uchiha's eyes, then into Madara Uchiha's eyes, and seemed to understand something.

"That's right, that's how it is. After all, I was the former head of the Uchiha clan and the strongest member of the Uchiha clan. The pattern on my eyes may have been recorded. If Uchiha Toma had read Nagato's memories, he would have been able to discover that Obito's Mangekyou Sharingan pattern was different from mine. That might be the reason why Obito suffered while I was unharmed."

Madara Uchiha nodded. This guess made Black Zetsu feel a little better. As long as his identity wasn't exposed, everything would be fine. But what good was that? Even if Uchiha and Tou didn't know their goal, so what?

But what can they do against Uchiha Kazuto? They even went into the Land of Fire, but they couldn't even see Uchiha Kazuto. Once Uchiha Kazuto completely rules the ninja world, they won't even have a place to hide.

The only solution is to perfect the Impure World Reincarnation technique and summon a true army with full strength and immortality, instead of the previous trashy resurrection technique that relied on Pure Land for resurrection and whose back door was controlled by Uchiha Kazuto.

That resurrection spell really screwed them over. They originally thought they could win; as long as the resurrection spell didn't malfunction, they could keep fighting and pushing forward, and eventually they would be able to flatten the Land of Fire. But then...

Black Zetsu sighed.

"Lord Madara, the best course of action now is to perfect the forbidden technique of Impure World Reincarnation as quickly as possible. Otherwise, once Uchiha Kazuto rules the ninja world and becomes its nominal ruler, we will be completely finished."

Black Zetsu warned that since Uchiha Kazuto's eye technique was also effective against Edo Tensei, it meant that their plan to build an Edo Tensei Undead Army was on the verge of bankruptcy. Uchiha Kazuto had not yet completely ruled the world, so they still had a chance. Once they did rule, the dead people who were once the leaders of the major ninja villages and countries would probably all become new Uchiha Obito before they even saw Uchiha Kazuto.

"Ah."

Madara Uchiha nodded, beginning to ponder how to improve and optimize the Impure World Reincarnation technique. However, just then, he remembered something. "Zetsu, Nagato was captured by Kazuto Uchiha, right?"

Madara Uchiha asked, as if to confirm.

"Yes, Lord Madara, otherwise I wouldn't have resurrected you. Why are you asking this? Didn't I just say that?"

Black Zetsu nodded, then asked with some confusion.

"Oh no, did Nagato summon the Gedo Mazo?"

Madara Uchiha's expression darkened; he knew something terrible was about to happen.

"Hurry, take me to where Nagato keeps the Gedo Mazo. Quickly, or it will be too late."

Madara Uchiha said anxiously. He couldn't imagine what terrible things would happen if the Rinnegan, the Gedo Mazo, and the Nine-Tailed Beast all fell into the hands of a member of the Uchiha clan. In any case, the consequences were not what he wanted to see. He didn't want his plans to go to waste and benefit someone else.

"Yes, Lord Madara!"

Clearly, seeing Madara Uchiha's state, Black Zetsu also realized what was happening.

'Damn it, why didn't I think of that before? Oh no, what if Uchiha and Toma get the Gedo Mazo? My plan will be completely ruined! Will Mother be sealed away forever? I don't want this future!'

Black Zetsu roared inwardly, cursing his own stupidity. One Sage of Six Paths was not scary, but an immortal Sage of Six Paths who ruled the entire world was the most terrifying. And in Black Zetsu's eyes, Uchiha Kazuto was the next Sage of Six Paths, an immortal monster.

Over the years, he would sometimes mock the Sage of Six Paths, his so-called brother, for his foolishness in giving up immortality to follow the example of short-lived humans and let himself die of old age. It was simply laughable.

As the incarnation of Kaguya Otsutsuki, Black Zetsu, though he didn't have much contact with the Sage of Six Paths, knew that he was a typical good-natured person, someone who saw himself as a human rather than a god, even more human than the average human. Otherwise, with the Sage of Six Paths' abilities, he could have continued to live if he hadn't actively shed his identity as the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki. Even if he had, his control over chakra would have allowed him to live forever.

But he refused to accept that he was human and believed that after procreation, he would die of old age.

(End of this chapter)