"Just back from Ryuchi Cave," Takeshi announced as he entered the room, just after Nagato had returned. "I paid my respects to the White Snake Sage. Next, I'll visit Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu Forest, and then we'll officially be a new sacred land, meow."
A genuine smile spread across Kanna's face. "That's wonderful." Konan and Nagato smiled as well.
'This is really...' Nagato caught himself. 'Wait. I'm not part of Kuraokami. Why the hell should I be happy for them?'
He quickly let the smile fade from his face, his expression turning neutral as he picked up his chopsticks to start on the grilled fish.
But before he could take a bite, the black cat's paw shot out, stopping his chopsticks mid-air. Takeshi gave him a dissatisfied look before continuing, "There's something else. I ran into the mastermind behind White Zetsu."
Nagato's hand froze. He slowly lowered his chopsticks, his full attention fixed on Takeshi. Konan drew a sharp breath, her mind racing. For Takeshi to have run into the mastermind on a single trip, the danger must have been immense. The question hung in the air: who was it?
All three of them held their breath, waiting. But under their expectant gazes, the black cat simply transformed his paws into something that could hold chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish, and started eating. "Go on," he said casually, chewing. "Since you're hungry, let's eat first."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong," Nagato said, bowing his head deeply. He knew how petty the cat could be. "Please, just tell us who it is."
'As expected of Takeshi-sama,' the two girls thought, hiding their smiles.
"Meow~ Alright, since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you before we eat. Actually, I don't know who it is specifically, but..."
"Please don't keep us in suspense," Konan urged, placing a large, choice piece of fish into his bowl.
Takeshi nodded, satisfied. 'Konan really knows how to handle things,' he thought, pleased. 'Look at this guy, though. Not an ounce of sincerity in that apology.'
Since Konan had been so thoughtful, he decided not to drag it out any longer. After a brief pause, he continued, "This goes back to the Uchiha clan. Today, their most talented young prodigy was kidnapped from right under their noses in Konoha. He's been to the Ninja Cat Fortress before, so I'd already placed a Flying Thunder God seal on him, meow."
"Shisui?" Kanna asked, her mind immediately jumping to the talented and hardworking young man. She remembered hearing that his father was an incredible ninja too. How could anyone have kidnapped him?
"Meow! The moment he was taken, I used the Flying Thunder God to follow. The problem was, whoever it was could move through the earth with Shisui in tow, which slowed me down considerably. I couldn't get to him right away, but the seal allowed me to stay on their trail. That's when I was hit with a barrage of Wood Release ninjutsu."
"Wood Release..." Nagato's expression hardened. "Was it White Zetsu?"
Among the people he knew who could use Wood Release, only Hashirama Senju and the bizarre White Zetsu came to mind. No wonder Takeshi spoke of a mastermind, this person was definitely connected to them.
"I couldn't get a clear look," Takeshi admitted, "but whoever it is has the ability to control people directly. You need to be extremely careful from now on." 'It was hard enough getting Nagato away from them in the first place,' he thought. 'If I let Madara and Black Zetsu get their hands on him now, what's the point?'
"I understand," Nagato said, his nod grave.
"Do you have any guesses about who's behind this? Any other clues?" Konan asked, her voice tight with urgency.
Konan felt a chill run down her spine. If someone could snatch a prodigy from the Uchiha clan itself, what was stopping them from coming for Nagato? They knew nothing about this enemy-not their identity, not their allies, nothing. The uncertainty was the most frightening part.
"Meow~ I have a few half-baked theories," Takeshi said between bites of fish. "It's very likely the legendary Madara Uchiha. The Uchiha have a dojutsu called Izanagi, which allows them to temporarily rewrite reality, to turn death into an illusion. Perhaps Madara used it to escape his own death all those years ago."
Madara Uchiha?
The name struck Nagato like a lightning bolt. 'It can't be.'
He was a legend from the same era as Hashirama Senju. How could he still be alive? And what connection could he possibly have to him? Then, his thoughts immediately went to his own eyes. Before Takeshi's revelation, he had assumed they were a kekkei genkai awakened from his own bloodline. But after learning he was an Uzumaki, a clan with no history of dojutsu, he had started to have his doubts.
And now this.
'If Madara was really behind all this... could these eyes be his?' The thought made his lips tremble. Fear pierced through him. It was impossible not to be afraid. That was Madara Uchiha, a name that had dominated the ninja world. Even decades after his supposed death, the legends of his invincibility were still whispered everywhere. Madara and Hashirama personally stopped the Warring States Era, that had persisted for centuries.
Konan and Kanna were stunned into silence, their faces pale with fear.
After a long moment, one of them finally breathed, "It's... Madara."
They didn't know what else to say. An enemy like that... what would it mean for Nagato?
"No need to be too scared, meow," Takeshi said calmly, still eating. "If it really is Madara, the fact that he transferred his eyes means he needs someone to nurture them for him, or to accomplish something he can't. So, for the short term, Nagato is safe."
Nagato nodded heavily and listlessly picked at his food for a few seconds. "I recently awakened the ability to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path: Gedo Mazo," he said quietly. "Could it be for that?"
"Meow?"
"I don't know the specifics, but the cost of using it is enormous. It's a forbidden jutsu."
"Maybe not," Takeshi said, shaking his head. "If the eyes were originally his, he could summon the statue himself. What he wants from you must be a jutsu that he can no longer perform." 'It seems he hasn't awakened the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu yet,' Takeshi noted. 'That makes sense, he's only just gotten access to the Gedo Mazo. He wouldn't have learned something as advanced as that. He's safe, for now.'
Nagato nodded again, the weight of the revelation settling upon him.
The air in the room remained heavy. But Nagato had spent his life in the shadow of despair, his will had been forged in it. Fear was a familiar companion, but it would not break him. The pressure of a name like 'Madara' wouldn't crush him, it would fuel him.
True to form, after they finished their meal and rested for a short while, Nagato headed straight back outside to continue climbing the tower. It was the best training he had right now.
"Madara..." Kanna sighed, the name leaving a bitter taste. "Just hearing it is enough to make you despair. The Uzumaki clan is truly plagued by misfortune." She thought of their tragic history. Of the three of them left, she was somehow the luckiest. Kushina was a jinchuriki, a prisoner in her own village. And Nagato... his entire life had been manipulated by someone else.
"Meow~ It's not so bad," Takeshi said in a low voice. "If we play our cards right, we might be able to turn this against him. And if worst comes to worst, we can just get rid of the eyes and transplant a normal pair."
"If it really comes to that, it's the only way," Konan agreed.
It felt like a cowardly way out, but it was a practical one. Losing the Rinnegan would be a tremendous waste, but it was far better than losing Nagato's life. And as for who would take the eyes...
'Konoha would probably be happy to take them off our hands,' Takeshi mused.
It was a last resort, a desperate move to save Nagato's life if all else failed. But Takeshi suspected Nagato would never choose that path. He might seem passive, but beneath the surface, his resolve was stronger than anyone's.
With Nagato's situation settled for the moment, Takeshi turned his thoughts to Mount Myoboku. He wasn't sure when the snakes would make their move, but he hoped it was soon. With Lady Katsuyu's personality, getting points from her was a long shot. He could only hope the toads at Mount Myoboku would be a little more generous.
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