On the night of the Nine-Tails, I shattered the Tailed Beast Ball with a single punch.

After the Shell members left, a black figure gradually appeared in the room.

"Lord Isshiki, I have a very good talent to recommend to you. He can enhance our strength and help you complete your plan sooner."

"who is it?"

"Uchiha Madara."

Chapter 585 The Fruits of Effort

"Uchiha Madara is a powerful figure on par with the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, and is considered the pinnacle of ninja power," Black Zetsu explained Madara's strength and status.

"Continue," said Yishichi calmly, his expression unchanged.

He didn't know anything about the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, so he didn't know about Madara Uchiha either, because he didn't care about anything in the ninja world.

To a person of the ninja world is like an ordinary person looking at monkeys. Who would care which monkey is stronger, or even that a monkey might be weaker?

However, given that his current form has suffered a severe injury that cannot be naturally recovered from, he has no choice but to lower his expectations.

"Although Uchiha Madara was quite strong, he was not a higher life form like you. He died of old age." Black Zetsu said, flashing a fawning smile as he flattered him.

"However, someone as great as you should be able to easily revive a mere mortal like Uchiha Madara. If you were to revive Uchiha Madara and have him fight against the Shinobi Alliance as a subordinate, he should be able to play a very good role."

Black Zetsu's goal was simple: to revive Madara.

Even if Black Zetsu is incredibly shrewd and resourceful, he has one fatal flaw: his combat strength is very low.

Of course, this is considered very low compared to beings like the Sage of Six Paths; it's still enough to defeat a Jonin like Black Zetsu.

Moreover, Black Zetsu inexplicably gained an Otsutsuki Isshiki whom he didn't understand, and felt that he needed a reliable helper.

Throughout Black Zetsu's long life, Madara Uchiha was the most talented one besides the Sage of Six Paths and his brother. He was also capable and easy to fool.

If Madara could be resurrected to help him, he would have more options, whether to continue the plan or to find a way to outmaneuver Isshiki Otsutsuki.

As for whether Isshiki has the ability to revive Madara Uchiha, Black Zetsu believes he definitely does, it's just a matter of how much the price will be.

You should know that even your incredibly powerful and omnipotent mother is just a lowly Otsutsuki in Isshiki's mouth.

There are actually quite a few methods of resurrection in the ninja world, but most of them have very strict conditions and restrictions.

"Hehe, I can certainly resurrect a mortal," Yi Shi said calmly.

Black Zetsu was overjoyed, thinking that his goal was about to be achieved.

In an instant, an indescribable power erupted from Itachi and pressed down on Black Zetsu.

"However, when did you start having the illusion that you can command me?" Itsuki looked indifferently at Black Zetsu, who was pinned to the ground and unable to get up by his ability.

Reviving an ordinary ninja would not be difficult for Isshiki; that's true, the Otsutsuki clan is extremely knowledgeable about resurrection.

However, the stronger the resurrected person is, the more chakra they consume. At his peak, Isshiki didn't care.

However, it's surprising that Isshiki was so arrogant as to revive a powerful native ninja in his half-dead state, especially since it was recommended by his enemy, Kaguya's son.

If he could resurrect people at will, he would have resurrected his two dead cadres long ago.

Moreover, he didn't completely trust Black Zetsu; he only believed that he had Black Zetsu's life in his hands, forcing him to do things for him.

"I...I'm sorry, Lord Isshiki, I really didn't mean to order you around," Black Zetsu said, struggling with a pained expression.

Things didn't go as he expected. He had initially deduced from Ichishi's words that Ichishi was an extremely arrogant person.

He's provoking me like that, so I'll probably agree.

Unexpectedly, not only did they refuse to revive Uchiha Madara, they also taught him a lesson.

"Do your job well." Itachi released the pressure on Black Zetsu and said coldly.

If it weren't for the fact that there's no one else available, Ichishi would have killed Black Zetsu immediately.

Kaguya had half of his body eaten by the Ten-Tails. Being eaten by the God Tree is far more serious than having half of your body cut off. Isshiki almost died, but he reacted quickly and escaped to hide and heal, which saved his life.

But there's no way to recover it now. The only way is to find a new body and be resurrected to regain full strength.

"Lord Isshiki, I understand." Knowing he couldn't talk back at this moment, Black Zetsu lowered his head and replied.

Although his invitation to revive Madara Uchiha was rejected, Black Zetsu did not give up. He was already planning to wait for the right opportunity to trick Isshiki and to revive Madara Uchiha himself.

'The Rinnegan's Rinne Rebirth? No, there's no suitable person to perform the technique.' Black Zetsu thought of Madara Uchiha's initial resurrection plan, then shook his head.

The Rinnegan isn't something just anyone can use; it requires immense chakra. Otherwise, Black Zetsu wouldn't have been able to use the Rinnegan to create a massive army of resurrected beings.

Another point is that the Rinnegan is no longer in Black Zetsu's hands. It's in Konoha, in the hands of Nagasawa. Black Zetsu wouldn't dare to go to Nagasawa to steal the Rinnegan.

'The Impure World Reincarnation technique that appeared during the Fourth Shinobi World War?' Black Zetsu thought of the large-scale resurrection ninjutsu that appeared during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

"That won't work either. This technique is in Konoha, and it seems that the resurrected user won't have the original strength." Black Zetsu also rejected the idea of ​​Impure World Reincarnation.

He couldn't think of anything for the time being, and Black Zetsu wasn't in a hurry. Since he hadn't killed Isshiki even when Isshiki was angry, he must be useful to Isshiki.

……

"351, 352, 353..." Sweating profusely, Xiao Li quickly did push-ups in the yard.

In order to catch up with and even defeat Neji, Lee underwent almost self-torturous training, using various methods to exercise his body every day.

After completing his day's training, Xiao Li wiped his sweat with a towel, took a big gulp of water, and his eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Tomorrow's midterm exam includes a ring battle. I wonder if I can defeat Neji with my current strength."

After half a semester of arduous training, Xiao Li felt that his strength had undergone a qualitative change, and he looked forward to his match against Neji.

Because of the battle tomorrow, Xiao Li didn't reward himself with a few more hours of training after finishing his training today. He went to bed early to prepare for tomorrow's battle.

Time passed quickly as Xiao Li waited with anticipation, and he went to school to take his mid-term exams.

The tournament was decided by drawing lots. Perhaps the heavens sensed Lee's fighting spirit, because Lee drew number two, while Neji drew number one. Their first match was going to be the same one.

On the arena, the two formed opposing hand seals, looking at each other. Lee looked excited, while Neji remained expressionless.

"Begin!" the teacher announced, signaling the official start of the battle.

The moment the teacher finished speaking, both of them moved. Rock Lee unleashed all his strength and charged towards Neji.

boom!

Neji moved instantly in front of Lee at a speed Lee couldn't even see, and punched Lee off the stage, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Neji Hyuga wins." The teacher announced Neji's victory.

Chapter 586 Effort is also a talent

"How could this be..." Lee, lying on the ground, stared blankly at Neji, who had been declared the victor.

"Just one move, one move and you defeated me..." Xiao Li's face was full of disbelief.

Before the battle, although he dared not say he was 100% certain of defeating Neji, he felt that he had a chance of winning, after all, Neji had improved so much.

He hadn't expected Neji to kill him instantly with such overwhelming force.

The two are not even in the same league; the difference is too great.

The people around didn't show any surprise or astonishment when they saw Lee being instantly defeated by Neji, because in their minds, Neji was a genius who could do anything, while Lee was just an ordinary person.

It's only natural that ordinary people can't beat geniuses.

Lee stood dejectedly to the side, watching battle after battle end. In the end, Neji easily won first place; no one could withstand a second move from him.

Seeing Neji, who had won first place and was still calmly smiling and praising the teacher, Lee felt a little lost.

'Is it possible that no matter how hard I try, an ordinary person like me can't surpass a genius like Neji?'

After diligently training for half a semester, hoping to make a name for himself in the midterm exam, Lee was defeated by Neji in one move. At this moment, he was somewhat disheartened and felt that his efforts seemed to have been meaningless.

What's the point of all that hard training? He endured so much hardship, getting up early and going to bed late every day, only to be instantly defeated by Neji in one move.

Meanwhile, students who play all day, don't study, and rarely exercise were also instantly defeated by Neji. So what exactly is the difference between them?

Oh, the difference is that at least those classmates got to play and had fun.

Back home, after finishing his meal and digesting it, Xiao Li subconsciously went to the nearby training ground to practice, striking wooden stakes, as usual.

But after hitting him twice, Xiao Li suddenly stopped.

"Is my kind of cultivation really useful?" Xiao Li asked, looking confused.

"If no matter how hard you try, you can't catch up to a genius like Neji, wouldn't it be better to just live a more comfortable life? Like them, as long as you pass, the rest is just about being happy..."

"But do you really think that would make you happy?"

Suddenly, a man with a watermelon-shaped haircut and thick eyebrows, wearing a green bodysuit, jumped down from the tree and asked Xiao Li in a serious voice.

"Everyone has their own way of living. Some choose to burn their youth to pursue unattainable dreams, while others choose to live a simple and ordinary life. Don't you know what your heart truly chooses?"

"The way of life I want..." Xiao Li murmured to himself.

He knew this, of course; he wanted to become a great ninja, even if he could only use taijutsu.

"I want to become a great ninja, but that's impossible because I don't have the talent," Rock Lee said, somewhat frustrated.

"No matter how hard ordinary people try, they can never catch up with those geniuses."

"Then why are you still training?" Might Guy laughed, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

Xiao Li then realized that he had subconsciously started cultivating again.

“Geniuses are not insurmountable, but surpassing them is extremely difficult! You must strive with the determination to surpass everything.” Matt Kai’s expression turned serious again.

"Do you know Kakashi Hatake?" Might Guy asked.

Rock Lee nodded. Kakashi was quite famous in Konoha.

"Without a doubt, Kakashi is a genius, and my record against him is 42 wins and 40 losses!"

"I dare not say what will happen in the future, but at this stage, I can say that my strength has surpassed Kakashi's!" Might Guy puffed out his chest, raised his head, and smiled, his two rows of white teeth shining brightly.

"Could it be that you are Lord Might Guy, who uses physical techniques?" Little Lee looked at the man in the green bodysuit in front of him with some surprise.

Although Might Guy doesn't have many legendary achievements, his powerful taijutsu shines brightly on the battlefield of Iwagakure. While his fame certainly can't compare to Kakashi's, he is still quite well-known in Konoha.

“That’s right, I am Might Guy, the proud blue beast of Konoha!” Might Guy nodded.

“Actually, I’m really a lot like you. You know, in the beginning, I almost couldn’t get into the Ninja Academy because of my talent.” Might Guy told Rock Lee his story.