Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 202 Both Jigen and Madara had no choice but to take action.
The fate of small countries in this world is predetermined. The reason they are not annexed by major powers is that they exist as buffer zones.

In other words, it is a pre-planned battlefield between major powers. Once war breaks out, it will first start in the territory of smaller countries. Only when the scale of the war reaches a certain level will it directly invade the territory of the hostile major powers.

This was the case in both World War I and World War II, but in World War III, the fate of small countries underwent a subtle change—not for the better, but rather a polarization, either becoming better or becoming worse.

Small countries that side with other major powers have no choice but to exert all their strength and squeeze every last drop of human resources out of themselves. Civilians desperately produce food, herbs, clothing, and so on, shedding their last drop of blood for the war. Ninjas, on the other hand, are very fortunate. They are either already dead, on their way to death, or simply living a life worse than death.

Those who die become zombies, while the living are ready to die at any time, or simply become prisoners and be sent to Takigakure Village to become human batteries.

There is no pity or sympathy, only the most bloody and cruel law of the jungle.

The Land of Grass has been destroyed, the Land of Rain is a mess, and now it's the Land of Fields' turn.

As Madara traveled, he also observed this drastically changed ninja world and adapted to the vastly different rules of the game.

Especially after he called out the name of a White Zetsu and obtained the relevant information.

"The population has plummeted. That guy's obsession with population is truly relentless. He treats people as his most precious asset. I'm actually more curious about his Infinite Tsukuyomi now." Madara coldly commented, once again strengthening his inner belief—only the Infinite Tsukuyomi could save the ninja world.

Let everyone else, whether it's Kaede Tsukasa or Nagato, be finished; they're unreliable.

“It’s not a bad thing if a bunch of people die; it will reduce the obstacles for me,” Nagato said.

Madara said expressionlessly, "Your plan won't work. After you control the Ten-Tails, you'll use force to intimidate other countries? Which country or ninja village doesn't obey your orders? Just bomb them with Tailed Beast Balls and cause regional mass extinctions. This kind of peace depends on your lifespan."

“I am a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, and I am born with powerful vitality. Once I obtain the Reincarnation Technique or other techniques, it will be enough for me to violently maintain peace for a long time,” Nagato said coldly.

Madara shook his head repeatedly: "That was before. Even if you could obtain the Ten-Tails, or even become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, would you be confident in surpassing the Sage of Six Paths? Would you be able to fight against those Otsutsuki? You are all alone, but there are quite a few of them."

Nagato's face was somber; yes, this was also something he was worried about.

Forget about dealing with the Otsutsuki, he couldn't even beat Kaedejima. If he insisted on relying on his own strength... it seems he'd have trouble even capturing the other eight tailed beasts? He'd have to depend on Kaedejima's mood!

And then there's Madara beside him. Now that he's immortal and has unlimited stamina, he's a huge hidden danger and might not actually be on his side.

Madara glanced at Nagato, their identical eyes meeting. Madara said coldly, "Don't think about anything else. Let's deal with Jigen first. I'll go first, you stay behind."

"So confident, completely disregarding Kaedeji's warning."

"It's not confidence, it's a lack of confidence in you. Your eyes are the core of the entire plan, and the only tool to control the Ten-Tails in the future. There can be absolutely no mistakes."

Madara coldly said, "If Jigen had the Rinnegan, I wouldn't be so worried. I could just gouge out his eyes. But he only has the Byakugan."

Can the Byakugan control the Ten-Tails? Madara felt there must be a deeper secret involved, but he couldn't get that information for the time being. He couldn't afford to take chances in this situation and hope that the Byakugan could control the Ten-Tails.

As the two ventured deeper into the Land of Rice Fields, Nagato was still clasping his hands together, gathering Sage Chakra, preparing to enter Sage Mode. Just as he made some progress, Madara grabbed his shoulder.

"Sage Mode, huh? Leave that power to me. You go over there and recreate Sage Chakra, or call on the reptiles of Mount Myōboku for help."

Patterns appeared on Madara's face as he forcibly suppressed his Sage Chakra with the power of his Rinnegan, carefully sensing the power of Sage Mode.

Nagato frowned and said, "You haven't undergone systematic training. Can you control yourself if you rashly come into contact with the chakra of the Myoboku lineage?"

“You can’t even perfectly control my eyes, and you can’t understand my power. About fifty kilometers to the east, the one who can communicate with me has already arrived ahead of us.”

"..."

Nagato took a deep breath and felt that Madara's words made a lot of sense. He immediately followed Madara coldly and headed towards a certain mountain.

Within the base.

Tenzo was respectfully reporting the situation to Orochimaru.

It was extremely rare for Orochimaru not to conduct any experiments, which even surprised Tenzo—the Lord Orochimaru, who was so engrossed in his research and studies, was actually "resting"? What an unbelievable reality!

"Hmph, so that's how it is. Madara actually broke free from the Impure World Reincarnation technique and only formed a few hand seals. The Second Hokage's forbidden technique actually has such a big flaw."

If Tenzo were to look up and observe Orochimaru closely, he would find that Orochimaru's expression was extremely strange. It was a kind of morbid excitement, as if he were harboring deep excitement and anticipation.

As if they were afraid the matter wouldn't be blown out of proportion enough.

Tenzo asked in bewilderment, "Lord Orochimaru, I remember that you also used the Impure World Reincarnation technique to control Kaede Tsukasa back then, but in the end, Kaede Tsukasa also broke free of the restraints... Several years have passed, and you still haven't patched up this loophole?"

Wasn't the lesson learned last time enough? Kaede Tsukasa made up for his physical shortcomings and gained a body comparable to the First Hokage. Orochimaru, however, didn't learn his lesson and pulled this stunt again.

Orochimaru chuckled sinisterly, "You haven't dealt with Kaede Tsukasa, so you don't understand... What that guy showed you might not be the truth. Besides, he's known for his skill in manipulating corpses, and forbidden acts that cross the line between life and death are commonplace for him. Who can guarantee that he didn't use Corpse Release to break the Impure World Reincarnation back then? Madara's break free confirmed to me that there was something wrong with the Impure World Reincarnation technique."

In terms of breaking the boundary between life and death, the Second Hokage is no match for the current Fourth Hokage. Moreover, the latter is far more unrestrained, unlike the Second Hokage, whose various researches were strictly restricted by Hashirama Senju.

Tianzang remained respectful: "Then, the enemy has already attacked. What should we do? If there are only two of us, neither you nor I can handle one—"

“No, we are no match for them,” Orochimaru interrupted.

Tenzo insisted, "It's possible. You deal with Nagato, and I'll deal with Uchiha Madara. This time, we might even be able to capture Nagato and make him a potential vessel for Lord Jigen."

Orochimaru glanced at Tenzo in surprise, with a hint of amusement in his eyes—this Tenzo guy had completely defined himself as a vessel, and was even proud of that identity. How interesting!

Would Jigen watch his only suitable vessel be in danger? Certainly not. Orochimaru hasn't provided him with a second suitable vessel, leaving Jigen with no choice. Intervening would not only save Tenzo but also gain Nagato, potentially giving him two vessels at once.

Orochimaru was filled with anticipation; he had never witnessed Jigen's serious attack before! The fiercer the attack, the faster the death, but Tenzo was not yet mature enough for Jigen to immediately undergo reincarnation.

"Nagato has mastered Sage Mode, and this time we'll even see the direct impact of Sage Techniques on the Otsutsuki. This will enrich my intelligence and allow me to plan for the future..."

Overwhelmed with excitement at his victory, Orochimaru's body trembled slightly.

Orochimaru had always planned to betray Jigen, and now by casually sending Tenzo on a mission, he achieved his goal of weakening Jigen and gathering more information—a huge win for him.

Kaede Tsukasa must think the same way. That guy must have put in a lot of effort too… Orochimaru thought excitedly.

boom!
With a loud crash, the gate was forcibly cleaved open by Susanoo's katana, and the upper partitions collapsed, allowing Orochimaru and Tenzo to burst out of the ground.

“Orochimaru, it’s you…” Nagato’s gaze locked onto Orochimaru.

Madara said, "I'm not interested in these grains of sand. Where is that Otsutsuki hiding behind the scenes? Come out and let me experience the power of an alien."

Madara didn't even bother to care whether Orochimaru had summoned him using the Impure World Reincarnation technique; it wasn't important. Finding Jigen was more important.

Whether it's clearing away hidden obstacles for the Eye of the Moon Project or exploring the origins of the various top bloodlines in the ninja world, Madara has to make this trip.

"You're really in a hurry. I can't make that decision. After all, I'm just his collaborator and can't control his will."

Orochimaru immediately retreated, making his stance clear with this action, showing that he had no intention of joining the battle: "Madara, actually I originally wanted to summon Hashirama Senju back to the mortal world from the Pure Land as well, but considering that the two of you are incompatible, I didn't do so."

"Don't let my old age fool you, I'm stronger than him," Madara said coldly. The strength of the sacrifices and techniques used in the Impure World Reincarnation meant that he couldn't unleash his full power, let alone be resurrected in his old age.

But even when Hashirama Senju came out, he wasn't in much better shape!

A powerful force erupted from Tianzang's body, and various patterns began to cover half of his body. This was already an overload for him—meaning that he had further unlocked the power of the Wedge.

Progressing too fast is not a good thing. This is power gained at the cost of damaging the body, which is completely different from the power of unlocking the wedge step by step with a qualified vessel, allowing one's body to adapt over time.

"So you're planning to fight to the death, Tenzo," Orochimaru exclaimed in admiration.

Tenzo shouted, "I will absolutely not allow you guys to disturb Lord Jigen! The Otsutsuki are not people like you who have the right to disturb them! I can take down both of you in an instant by myself!"

Madara's gaze lingered for a moment on the tattoo that appeared on Tenzo's body, sensing the power belonging to the Otsutsuki, but that was all.

Swish!
Madara, too lazy to speak, immediately unleashed Susanoo and slashed at Tenzo with his sword. This time, however, the sword was no longer like the previous one, which had cut a path through the ground. Instead, it was aimed at completely destroying the laboratory.

A large amount of experimental equipment and experimental subjects soaking in the vessels would be destroyed. Tenzo could not allow this to happen, so he immediately went to meet it head-on, intending to use his own body to shatter Madara's Susanoo.

"Out of control."

Ban said coldly, "But only in this way can we force your master to come out."

In Madara's vision, a figure dressed in an ancient monk's robe appeared silently, pressing down on Tenzo with one hand and raising the other to catch the katana.

This move made Madara's expression much more serious. Could someone really fight against Susanoo with just his flesh and blood?

"Although it wasn't actually using its skin and bones to catch my knife, but rather clamping the knife between its palms, the strength and speed of that was something I had never seen before in my life... I roughly believe the information from Kaede Tsukasa and Nagato."

Madara's expression changed, and a hint of fanaticism flashed in his eyes. There really was such a powerful person hidden in this world!
The level of the Six Paths... What a wonderful surprise!

"To be able to force you out before the Eye of the Moon Plan is officially launched, huh, what a stroke of luck! Only you in this world could have such a mindset as me, Uchiha Madara!" Madara said ferociously.

Jigen remained expressionless, showing no emotional fluctuation. He easily released his grip, allowing Madara to retract his chakra katana, and said, "I originally had no intention of interfering with your plan."

Yes, originally.

For the Ten-Tails in his possession to develop its Divine Tree form, it must consume an Otsutsuki. It can either consume a member of its own kind who has not yet arrived on this planet, or it can only be Kaguya.

On the other hand, Jigen—or rather, Isshiki—who failed to reincarnate, was no match for Kaguya, who had absorbed the Ten-Tails God Tree and possessed the Rinnegan!
In a battle of attrition alone, Jigen would be worn down and killed by Kaguya. Therefore, Jigen decided to avoid being exposed to Kaguya's sight as much as possible before he was resurrected.

But that won't work now. Although Kaguya is in a sealed state, she might already know of his existence, so all plans must be accelerated.

The only remaining seedling, the only container for the Heavenly Treasury, must not be allowed to suffer even the slightest mishap!
"In that case, we can no longer tolerate it and will have to use some of our strength."

Runes also began to appear on Cixian's body, causing countless dust particles around him to spontaneously float into the air. The power that put immense pressure on one's body, mind, and soul finally revealed a small part of its true nature.

“It’s different now. It’s different from the feeling I got from Yahiko back then!” Nagato said in a low voice.

“Yahiko was just a failed vessel. He died after using my power a few times. How much of my power could he possibly hold in total?” Jigen said.

"Then let me see just how strong your true form is!" Madara forcefully activated his eyes, unleashing an even larger Susanoo, transforming it towards its complete form.

Kaede Tsukasa was also watching this battle from afar.

"It's finally started. Madara must be really unhappy, knowing I've used him, but he still has to make a move," Kaedeji Tsukasa laughed.

(End of this chapter)