Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 207 Yes, I have a plan

The Gedo Mazo is far from strong enough; it has only devoured one of the tailed beasts so far, and it is still far from enough.

Having been imprisoned for over a thousand years and reduced to a source of chakra for Jigen, the Ten-Tails had long harbored endless rage within its heart.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!!!!"

The hysterical screams were both an outlet for venting and a declaration of the planet's existence.

Its response was the demonic statue of the Outer Path suddenly appearing and kicking it hard with a large foot.

The battle between two behemoths, a simple physical confrontation, can trigger widespread earthquakes and hurricanes—this is in line with the rules of this world: bigger is better, bigger is stronger.

However, the Ten-Tails' attack was even more powerful. Several tails swung over at the same time and slammed into the Gedo Mazo, making it spin like a clumsy top, tumbling and crashing through the continuous mountain range.

The terrible storm radiated outwards, uprooting countless grassy hills and mountains.

Madara and Nagato took in everything, their brows furrowed, and remained silent for a moment.

They weren't so shocked they were speechless; it was simply that it was the first time they had ever seen a Ten-Tails, and they were quickly observing, analyzing, and assessing the situation of the Ten-Tails before them.

"This is the Ten-Tails? It is indeed powerful, able to cause changes in celestial phenomena with ease, but it doesn't seem to have the power to easily destroy the world."

Nagato was somewhat confused. If Obito were here, he would know more about the Ten-Tails, but Nagato... didn't really know much about the Ten-Tails. He only knew that there was such an ultimate tailed beast with the vast power to suppress everything.

Madara stared intently at the Ten-Tails and said, "You know too little about the Ten-Tails. There's no need to hide anything from you now. After this, I will give you all the information, including the power of the Rinnegan."

"Even if you tell me all this, don't expect me to be moved enough to cast the Reincarnation Technique on you. I have many things to do and cannot sacrifice myself for you."

“I know, but I need to find a way to improve your strength so that you can survive as long as possible and avoid becoming prey for Otsutsuki or Kaede Tsukasa.”

Madara coldly replied, "Anyway, with your abilities, you can't possibly pacify this complicated ninja world. Sooner or later, you'll come begging to me."

Nagato couldn't even fully utilize his Rinnegan, still relying on many basic dojutsu—yes, things like Universal Pull and Shinra Tensei, manipulating gravity and repulsion are the most basic abilities of the Rinnegan.

For ordinary ninjas, the instantaneous gravity and repulsion is an unbeatable technique. However, once the battle intensifies and you face a Six Paths level opponent, this technique becomes less useful.

Madara said, "This Ten-Tails should still be in its infancy. It is not strong enough in terms of either physical form or strength."

He didn't know that the Ten-Tails needed to eat an Otsutsuki to complete its genes and achieve evolution, but after observing for a while, it was enough for him to make a preliminary judgment.

"The true Ten-Tails has at least two forms. One is the beast form, which is no different from an ordinary tailed beast in appearance except for the eye on its head. The other is the Divine Tree form, which is when the Ten-Tails can truly be used... The core of the Eye of the Moon Project is to make the Ten-Tails enter the Divine Tree form."

Madara first extended two fingers, then extended a third: "Between the two forms, there may be a transitional form, perhaps a humanoid form that walks upright. However, this is my deduction based on the Rinnegan, the Uchiha clan's stone tablet, and fragmented information from various ancient legends. I have never resurrected the Ten-Tails, so I cannot be completely certain."

"Then we need to defeat this Ten-Tails as soon as possible. Things will get complicated once it transforms into other forms."

"Not necessarily, perhaps it doesn't have any other form..."

Madara had been observing for a while, watching the Gedo Mazo being beaten and screaming in agony by the Ten-Tails, but he remained completely unmoved.

Despite the terrible state of the demonic statue, with its eyes bleeding profusely, it won't die anytime soon.

No, to be precise, it won't die at all. As long as you provide it with chakra, or at the very least feed it a few tailed beasts, it will be fully revived in no time.

In essence, it is nothing more than the shell of the Ten-Tails.

What concerned Madara even more was the situation of the little Ten-Tails. He had roughly figured out some things: the Ten-Tails in front of him did not have the ability to transform into the God Tree at all.

Since its appearance, its form has not changed, its fighting style has not changed, as if all its states have been fixed. How could this be the Ten-Tails he knows?
"It doesn't even have the most basic characteristics of Wood Release. Apart from its absolute power and the ominous chakra it exudes, its function is even inferior to the Gedo Mazo," Spot commented.

At the very least, the Gedo Mazo can be used to cultivate a large number of White Zetsu, replicate Hashirama Senju, and serve as a top-tier container for sealing.

But this Ten-Tails in front of him? From top to bottom, it has absolutely nothing to do with trees or anything like that. As someone who knows the Gedo Mazo extremely well, Madara is certain that there is something wrong with this Ten-Tails.

"Perhaps something crucial is still missing, something that can allow the Ten-Tails to transform..."

But what exactly is it? Madara racked his brains but couldn't figure it out. Was it simply a lack of chakra, preventing him from reaching his complete form? It couldn't be that simple; this was the Ten-Tails.

Nagato and Madara's figures swayed constantly in the fierce wind. Shockwaves comparable to high-level ninjutsu but with a range many times larger often surged in, forcing them to take turns using techniques such as Shinra Tensei to defend themselves.

“According to Kaede Tsukasa, this must be a Six Paths level being, much stronger than you and Madara Uchiha back then.” Nagato’s expression was solemn. He not only kept an eye on the Ten-Tails, but also paid attention to Madara’s every move.

Madara's primary goal in planting the tree was to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, a goal that Nagato never forgot.

No matter how problematic the smaller Ten-Tails is, it's still the Ten-Tails! If you were to seal that thing inside your body…

"I am dead, so I can't become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki."

Madara didn't turn his head, but seemed to know what Nagato was thinking: "You should have a pretty good understanding of the Ten-Tails' information by now. Make your move and capture this Ten-Tails. Whether you feed it to the Gedo Mazo or imprison it, it's the right thing to do."

There was a hint of... playfulness in Ban's voice.

If Isshiki Otsutsuki could have a Ten-Tails at his disposal, and throw it out to cover his escape in a crucial moment, then...

Where did the original Ten-Tails of the ninja world, which was rumored to be able to transform into the form of a divine tree, come from?

Could it possibly have originated from this planet beneath our feet?
Or perhaps... it was also brought to the ninja world by some Otsutsuki? But where is that Otsutsuki?

"The Otsutsuki clan, the bloodline of the top clans in the ninja world, the Sage of Six Paths, Hamura Otsutsuki... and the Gedo Mazo that I inexplicably summoned back then..." Madara's expression gradually twisted, a kind of morbid excitement. He had shown this emotion when facing Jigen, but now it was even more surging.

He vaguely realized that something seemed amiss. Looking back at the entire process of carrying out the Eye of the Moon Project... something seemed off!
"This is... absolutely hilarious! Hahahahahahaha!!"

Madara suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, immediately creating a Perfect Susanoo and joining the battle.

Of course, it's to help the Gedo Mazo fight the Ten-Tails.

Even though the complete Susanoo is so majestic and magnificent, standing at the top of the Kage level, its opponent is still the Ten-Tails.

hum!
The Ten-Tails glared, gathered its meager chakra, and unleashed a Tailed Beast Ball, about to blast it at Madara.

"Don't even think about succeeding!" Nagato shouted, manipulating the Gedo Mazo to strike the Ten-Tails from the side, causing the Tailed Beast Ball to deflect, and soon after, a violent explosion was heard.

The beam of light shooting straight into the sky was too bright to look at directly.

"Hmph, as expected, it's not good enough. This level of Tailed Beast Ball doesn't create a significant gap between you and Kurama... Although this chakra feels dangerous and is quite massive, it always gives me a feeling of being depleted. It seems that Jigen has been torturing you all along."

Madara slashed down twice in quick succession, striking the Ten-Tails. He then manipulated his Susanoo to press down on the Ten-Tails, attempting to subdue it.

Nagato hesitated for a moment, then also commanded the Gedo Mazo to press forward, and the two behemoths clashed with the Ten-Tails.

Ban makes a hand seal with one hand.

Wood Release: Advent of the Tree World!

Giant trees burst forth from the ground, their countless branches tightly binding the ten tails, providing some extra restraint, which was better than nothing.

“Nagato, you know this is a good opportunity, right?” Madara looked at Nagato meaningfully. “If you can take this opportunity to tame this guy with the Rinnegan, capturing the other tailed beasts will be much easier, and no one in the ninja world will be able to stop you.”

Nagato was indeed tempted, but as long as Madara was by his side, he was always on edge, feeling that Madara had a conspiracy, but he couldn't figure out where Madara had set a trap.

"What should I do?" Nagato asked through gritted teeth, standing atop the Gedo Mazo.

“Normally, if you have Hashirama cells, you can control the Rinnegan better. However, judging from the underdeveloped state of this Ten-Tails, you don’t need to deliberately use the power of Hashirama cells.”

After all, this little ten-tailed fox doesn't even have a divine tree form.

Even if the Ten-Tails is in a terrible state, and even if Jigen has extracted a large amount of its chakra, it is still a monstrous beast with the potential to destroy a life-bearing planet!

The Ten-Tails' enormous eyes had flattened from round, probably indicating it was engaged in a violent thought. Then it opened its mouth and fired a shot at the ground, the violent explosion engulfing all three of them.

A deep pit suddenly appeared on the ground. The Ten-Tails swung its tail, its body slightly damaged, but its overall condition was still normal. It was raising its head brutally, locking onto the positions of Madara and Nagato.

Susanoo has disappeared, and Madara's body is slowly repairing itself.

"It still doesn't work. This thing is unexpectedly alert and doesn't give us any chance to control it. We don't seem to have any good solutions."

Madara looked down at his body: "This level of body is simply not enough. It can't allow me to unleash my full strength. Besides, that kid Nagato isn't mature enough."

Nagato was in an even worse state. Even though he managed to withstand the first wave of explosions by hiding behind the Gedo Mazo and then using Shinra Tensei to fight against the Tailed Beast Ball explosions, the cost was still high. The patterns on his face had disappeared, and he was breathing heavily, sweating profusely.

For the Ten-Tails, this was merely a warm-up; the real battle had not yet begun. However, the Ten-Tails had no eyes for Madara or Nagato, only for the Gedo Mazo.

The Ten-Tails' eyes only light up when it stares at the Gedo Mazo. It's a greedy gaze, not only for the pursuit of chakra, but also for the covetousness of other Ten-Tails that are superior to itself.

If you could take a bite... you could obtain a portion of the Ten-Tails' power in its complete form to replenish yourself; such an opportunity is rare.

Nagato growled, "Its target is the Gedo Statue!"

"It seems we have no choice but to give up for now. We can't afford to lose the Gedo Mazo. There's nothing we can do about it. No one in this world can control it. I suspect even Jigen can only use his space-time eye technique to isolate the Ten-Tails."

Madara began to feel a little regretful that he didn't have a space-time eye technique at the level of the Rinnegan.

According to White Zetsu, Obito mastered a Mangekyou Sharingan technique called Daishinrei, which seemed to be very useful. As long as his eye power was sufficient, he could banish the Ten-Tails to an extremely distant location, or even throw it into another dimension.

Madara's cold gaze held a hidden calculation. He was only one step away from becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, yet it seemed like an insurmountable chasm, leaving him with a sense of regret.

However, that guy wouldn't give up so easily. Madara turned his head to look at a zombie hiding in the distance. In this situation, taking down the Ten-Tails would be the key to entering the Six Paths level, yet Kaede Tsukasa remained unmoved.

The main body hasn't appeared at all. Is it busy with something more important than the Ten-Tails?
Swish!
Madara ignored Nagato and jumped directly in front of the zombie, communicating with Kaede Tsukasa from a distance.

"I thought you had already prepared a series of plans to capture this Ten-Tails, but it seems I was wrong." Madara stared at the zombie in front of him.

"I don't have the ability to predict the future, so I couldn't have foreseen this situation. Even someone as proud as Jigen was willing to sacrifice the Ten-Tails to try and escape. No matter how arrogant the Otsutsuki are, they will reveal their ugly side when pushed to the limit by ordinary people. Apart from their superior strength and life level, they don't seem to have much else to be awe-inspiring."

Kaede Tsukasa truly did not expect the appearance of the little Ten-Tails. In the original timeline, neither Jigen nor Isshiki, even in death, had ever released the little Ten-Tails, and were single-mindedly focused on capturing an Otsutsuki to feed to the little Ten-Tails.

In other words, Jigen never intended to take over Kaguya's scheme. He abandoned the already evolved Ten-Tails controlled by Kaguya and preferred to nurture the Ten-Tails in his own hands.

"What's your plan?" Madara asked. "Even if Jigen isn't dead, he'll have to behave himself for a while. You've already succeeded in pushing us to hunt him down. What's the next step?"

Kaede Tsukasa replied, "My plan is rather complicated, and my focus is indeed not on Jigen. Encouraging you to take action was purely a spur-of-the-moment thing. However, when it comes to the Ten-Tails, I have just come up with a completely new plan."

(End of this chapter)