Black Zetsu was obviously just a Clone, but that didn't stop Takeshi from fleecing him. Clones had feelings too. As long as there were emotions, there were Points to earn, why waste the free profit?
Black Zetsu was furious.
Nothing the cat said was the truth.
Thinking it over carefully, it really didn't seem possible for this to be a genuine Six Paths Planetary Devastation. Takeshi might have grasped a high-level chakra comparable to the Shinju's energy, but Nagato hadn't awakened those eyes himself. So even if Nagato possessed the power of the Six Paths, his current state made it unlikely he could cooperate well enough to execute the technique.
It was a fake.
But Black Zetsu didn't dare bet his life on it.
The risk was entirely too high. Even the slightest chance of being permanently sealed was a gamble he could not take.
"Takeshi-sama, aren't we going after him?"
Kanna floated down. They hadn't let Nagato descend, and she was currently using Earth Release: Lightened Boulder Jutsu to hover safely in the air. Touching the ground was too dangerous, just in case Black Zetsu doubled back to possess her.
Takeshi probed the surrounding area.
In Six Paths Mode, he could faintly sense Black Zetsu's receding presence. After a few moments, he shook his head. "He's long gone. Besides... meow~ you didn't seriously think this little thing could trap him, did you?"
"So it was fake?" Kanna asked, sudden realization dawning on her face.
Suspended above them, the sealed White Zetsu lowered his head to glare. He looked deeply aggrieved. He'd been captured largely because of the threat of the Six Paths Planetary Devastation, and now it turned out to be a total bluff.
Takeshi turned, flexed his claws against the dirt, and stared right back at him. "You didn't seriously think it was fake, did you? No way, meow."
White Zetsu stared at the black sphere, deeply unsettled by the steady infusion of Six Paths power maintaining it.
He really couldn't be sure.
Takeshi was rotten to the core. It was impossible to read whether he was telling the truth or just messing with them for his own amusement. Even Black Zetsu hadn't been able to figure it out, which was why he'd ultimately chosen to cut his losses and run, nearly leaving part of himself behind in the panic.
Takeshi was, in fact, bluffing.
Nagato was simply too weak. His mastery over the Six Paths couldn't balance out Takeshi's massive chakra reserves. The swirling sphere in Takeshi's paw was essentially just an ordinary Planetary Devastation. If it weren't for the cat's intervention, Nagato wouldn't have been able to use the technique at all. His Rinnegan was nowhere near fully developed yet.
"Meow~ seal me back up. And in case Black Zetsu returns, you'd better do exactly as I said. Pay constant attention to your surroundings. Also, if Nagato gets caught, seal Nagato immediately." The Shadow Clone left those firm instructions.
With Kanna's help, he was sealed away once more, waiting for the next time he'd be needed.
'Takeshi-sama's Clones sure have a good temper,' Nagato sighed mentally. 'If only the real him were this easy to talk to.'
The real Takeshi was a moody, unpredictable existence. You never knew what he was plotting. By comparison, his Clones might have sharp tongues, but they were actually highly reasonable. At least, every single one they'd met so far had been.
If Takeshi were to weigh in, he would have strongly disagreed.
Rebellious kids were entirely normal. It was especially true for this disobedient batch of Clones, who never once thought about sharing his heavy burdens. Each one was lazier than the last. Every time they were summoned, it was just to enjoy themselves. They never helped him farm Points.
Life was hard for a cat. It was especially difficult with a system like his.
Back in Konoha, Takeshi received a small block of ice via the Flying Thunder God. He immediately understood that the Clone in the north had been triggered, and had most likely run straight into Black Zetsu. There was no other reason to be unsealed and send an ice signal.
He glanced at his system interface.
It looked like the trap had worked perfectly.
Before leaving the North, he'd drawn up a comprehensive anti-Black Zetsu plan. That included staying airborne to avoid silent possession. Maybe it wouldn't guarantee absolute safety, but at least it kept him from having his eyes dug out in his sleep.
This run was massively profitable. Black Zetsu alone had coughed up several thousand Points. Truly generous.
"Looks like Black Zetsu failed."
Madara's face was completely blank. He had already been transported to Konoha by the Flying Thunder God. With the Sage Art: Gate of the Great God suppressing his body, he couldn't break free. Only his overwhelming willpower kept his consciousness from being fully sealed.
"Meow, I scared him off with Six Paths Planetary Devastation." Takeshi nodded.
Shock flooded Madara's face as he turned his head to stare at the feline.
Planetary Devastation? Nagato had already mastered the jutsu to that level?
"Scared, huh? I can use it on you too, meow. Let me give you a little lesson. Six Paths Planetary Devastation is the legendary ninjutsu that originally created the moon." Takeshi kindly lectured him.
Madara drew a deep breath and fell silent. Back in the day, he and Black Zetsu had run countless experiments, but no one could withstand the sheer power of the Rinnegan until Nagato successfully received the transplant.
Even as a descendant of the Sage, to be able to wield someone else's Rinnegan to such an impressive extent... he had not misjudged the boy.
According to Madara's original plan, Nagato would forge powerful bonds with Yahiko and Konan. Madara would then have Yahiko killed, shattering Akatsuki's idealistic core. Broken and desperate, Nagato would adopt Madara's dark ideology and work exclusively for him.
Unfortunately, there were always risks with raising pawns from afar.
Halfway through the scheme, Takeshi had popped out of nowhere and sweet-talked the entire Akatsuki out of Amegakure. They relocated to the Land of Snow, leaving Madara entirely unable to locate Nagato for a crucial period.
Plans never kept up with change.
If the first half of his design had gone so well, why did this cat have to appear? Thinking of this, Madara couldn't help a quiet sigh. Then came another pressing problem: why had Takeshi brought him to Konoha? What did he intend to do?
A second later, he watched the black cat munching happily on a snack.
The feeling was pure torture. Being defeated by a year old cat and having his grand plan wrecked left Madara with a bitter, lingering sense of humiliation.
"Is there someone up on the Hokage Rock?"
"Looks like it. One of them seems to be Takeshi-sama."
"What's going on?"
"Let's go check."
The Anbu quickly noticed the dense aura Takeshi was deliberately leaking. Soon, a full squad rushed out of the Hokage Building. Before long, they scaled the Hokage Rock and spotted Takeshi lounging beside a pinned figure.
"M-M-Madara U-Uchiha... Madara Uchiha!"
Even the elite Anbu were stammering.
Madara and Hashirama. These were absolute titans, legendary figures the new generation had only ever heard about in distant bedtime stories. And today, they were seeing one of them in the flesh.
They looked at Takeshi again. The cat was relaxed, as if the man pinned down beside him wasn't the legendary ghost of the Uchiha, but some ordinary rogue shinobi.
As expected of Takeshi-sama. That terrifying composure...
Wait. Something felt terribly off.
The Anbu exchanged frantic glances, horror dawning in their eyes.
Madara had been captured alive?
===============
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