Uchiha's personal opinion

As the pool of blood spread, a patch of water appeared beneath the elders' envoy.

"...What a disgrace!"

With a frown, Pipa Juzo brandished his decapitation sword and beheaded the elder's envoy in one stroke.

"...How is the situation?"

"I asked a ninja dressed as an ANBU who had just entered," said Juzo Biwa.

"The shogunate's ninja army has already landed in the northern islands, led by the young Hozuki family brat."

The Hidden Mist ninja answered respectfully.

Any Kirigakure ninja with a modicum of common sense knows that there is no chance of reversing the situation now, and hoping for mediation from the various countries of the ninja world is utter nonsense!

Aside from the shogunate's use of force to "mediate" the conflict between Kumogakure and Amegakure, which war in the ninja world could be resolved through mediation?

"Are the ships and supplies ready?"

Pipa Juzo asked again.

"Everything is ready, and our brothers and sisters scattered across the country are on their way..."

Another Kirigakure Jonin replied.

"...Then let's not waste any more time and leave early, since we've already prepared everything."

Pipa Juzo disdainfully rubbed his blade against the messenger's corpse before striding out of the central command tent.

……

Meanwhile, the vanguard ninja army of the Shogunate, led by Hozuki Masahiko, crushed the northern islands of the Land of Water in a single day with overwhelming force.

Wherever they went, the remaining Kirigakure defenders either scattered and fled or surrendered. Apart from the sporadic resistance encountered by the frontline reconnaissance teams on the outskirts of Kirigakure, the Kirigakure ninjas did not put up any fierce resistance.

The elders of Kirigakure not only failed to receive reinforcements from Kirigakure's last remaining force, the pacification ninja army, but also received no word from the envoys sent to the ninja world as persuaders.

"The great General Deguang is about to arrive at his loyal Mist Village!"

Hozuki Masahiko, who had been invincible all the way, stood on the mountaintop, looking at the shadowy Kirigakure headquarters in front of him, and his heart was filled with excitement.

Fog Conceals!

The Hozuki, Minazuki, and Kaguya clans have returned!

The three ninja clans of the Seii tribe stared menacingly at the village they longed for.

Chapter 277 The Final Deployment in the Dark

"...Has Kirigakure really fallen to this level?"

In a dark cave, the dying Uchiha Madara leaned against a huge, grotesque wooden statue. Tubes connected his body to the statue, and every now and then, small, rat-sized substances would bulge out of the tubes and be drawn from the statue and injected into Madara's body.

At this moment, Madara Uchiha was trying his best to calm his inner turmoil, silently listening to the trembling White Zetsu giving his intelligence report.

The usually unrestrained White Zetsu were now unusually apprehensive, standing in neat rows with their hands at their sides, accepting Madara Uchiha's scrutiny.

The severed limbs and corpses on the ground and the mountains of White Zetsu corpses piled up in the corners were precisely the source of the immense fear these ignorant and fearless White Zetsu instilled in them.

After the Battle of Myoang, Madara Uchiha, who was defeated and seriously wounded, did not return to Kirigakure. Instead, under the protection of a special version of White Zetsu, he sneaked back to his secret base and began to purge the White Zetsu.

But with White Zetsu's mind completely empty, there was nothing to investigate. Furthermore, the so-called "White Zetsu betrayal" was just a fabrication by Uchiha Tokumitsu to disrupt his resolve, so Uchiha Madara naturally couldn't find anything out.

However, guided by the principle that "the biggest problem is no problem at all," Madara Uchiha, after using a high-level White Zetsu to repair his damaged body, immediately recalled all the White Zetsu and began indiscriminately slaughtering all the White Zetsu he suspected.

The White Zetsu originally deployed throughout Konoha and the Land of Fire were all wiped out, and half of the White Zetsu lurking in the Land of Water were also eliminated.

Even the mindless White Zetsu was terrified by the "white terror" unleashed by Madara Uchiha in his rage.

Madara Uchiha's brutality was so great that it could even instill fear and trembling in the ignorant, fearless, and life-and-death-indifferent White Zetsu, which was nothing short of a miracle.

If Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, who was sealed on the moon, knew about this, I wonder what she would think.

"...Yes, yes, Lord Madara."

The White Zetsu, who was in charge of reporting the intelligence, stammered, "The vanguard ninja army of the shogunate has arrived at the outskirts of Kirigakure. Juzo Biwa did not lead his troops back to reinforce, which seems to indicate that he has other plans."

“...Those incompetent maggots!”

Madara Uchiha closed his eyes, feeling indignant.

Although the Third Mizukage's control of Kirigakure was initially just a side move, with the rise of Uchiha Tokumitsu, Madara Uchiha also wanted to test the mettle of this junior. So he gradually moved from behind the scenes to the forefront and directly participated in the war between Kirigakure and the Shogunate.

But it was precisely because of this that Madara Uchiha suffered an unexpected and crushing defeat.

Not only did Kirigakure fall into the hands of Uchiha Tokumitsu, but he himself was also seriously injured and defeated due to his overconfidence.

Even plans that have been in preparation for decades are about to fall apart...

"...Has the Rinnegan's host been transferred yet?"

Madara Uchiha asked, his head bowed.

"It has been moved to the location you specified..."

A white Zetsu said, trembling.

"very good!"

Madara Uchiha nodded approvingly.

He casually flicked out a fireball, blasting the unfortunate White Zetsu into dust!

The other White Zetsu also trembled, but dared not utter a single word.

Normally, they would have already started fighting over and devouring these remains.

"Collect the Tailed Beasts..."

Madara Uchiha touched half of his body and muttered to himself.

Although Madara Uchiha managed to repair half of his body, which had been destroyed by Tokugaku Uchiha, through the ingenious use of White Zetsu, he clearly felt that the Yin and Yang Release powers within him were beginning to become unbalanced, and that his life would soon be in danger.

Moreover, four of the nine tailed beasts have already fallen into the control of Uchiha Tokumitsu. Even if Uchiha Madara had not suffered this serious injury, it would have been difficult for him to capture and collect them, not to mention that he now has little time left and his power is almost gone.

"If only I had known... if only I had known..."

Madara Uchiha, who was never one to submit to anyone, was now filled with immense frustration.

But there's no going back in this world, and Madara Uchiha only felt regretful for a while before calming down and thinking about his next plan.

The Infinite Tsukuyomi project must continue, even if he doesn't live to see world peace.

The tailed beasts need to be collected, even if it means continuing to face Uchiha Tokumitsu.

But he doesn't have much longer to live, so he needs a successor.

Madara Uchiha surveyed the group of White Zetsu under his command.

"To place one's hopes on this bunch of bastards would be truly insane..."

This is a very frustrating situation.

Since leaving Konoha, Madara Uchiha has been all alone, with no more capable confidants to command. He either does everything himself or entrusts it to White Zetsu. Moreover, because his plans are too shocking and in order to avoid leaks, he has never trained any new subordinates.

But now, the only option is to appoint a newcomer as their representative to continue their journey through the ninja world...

"You! Come here!"

Madara Uchiha picked out a White Zetsu that looked more pleasing to the eye and waved for it to come forward.

"Lord Madara..."

Bai Jue stepped forward, trembling all over, and said.

"You're lucky..."

Madara Uchiha snorted coldly, raised his right hand and placed it on White Zetsu's head, secretly channeling the power within his body.

Feeling the oppressive aura emanating from Madara Uchiha in front of him, White Zetsu's teeth began to tremble.

"Yin Escape - Creation from Nothingness!"

A beam of red light emerged from Madara Uchiha's hand, enveloping the white Zetsu in front of him.

"what!"

The unfortunate White Zetsu only had time to let out a scream before being turned into a black, paste-like mass by the red light.

"...It's not burnt, so it should be usable."

Madara Uchiha observed for a moment and thought the effect was acceptable, so he continued to press his hand on the black paste on the ground.

"Yang Release: Creation of Life!"

Another beam of white light emerged from his hand, covering the black paste-like substance.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

Under the influence of Yang Release, the black, pasty substance began to bubble like a pool of boiling water.

Madara Uchiha, panting heavily, withdrew his hand and quietly observed the special version of the "White Zetsu" that he had personally adjusted.

After a while, the black paste stopped rolling.

"...It won't fail, will it?"

Madara Uchiha frowned, sensing something was amiss.

He didn't have enough strength left to adjust a new special White Zetsu, and forcibly using Yin-Yang Release also consumed his already limited lifespan.

"Master Madara..."

The black, pasty substance wriggled for a moment, and slowly a black oval emerged from it, revealing eyes and a mouth on its face.

"Could it be a failed product...?"

Madara Uchiha frowned, his expression displeased.

"Lord Madara, I am not a failed experiment, I am the embodiment of your will..."

The black, pasty substance continued to wriggle, and after forming a head, it continued to extend its body, arms, and other parts of its torso.

However, it seems that there wasn't enough "black mud" to form feet, and in the end, it was just a half-body humanoid figure.

"...What abilities do you have?"