Chapter 234: Finally Found You
Such an answer didn't surprise Uchiha Dali.
He knew very well that Uchiha Madara was no ordinary figure.
Since they had already gone to war, and with himself in a disadvantageous position, there was no way the enemy would simply let them discover their base so easily.
"No rush. We'll take our time."
"Even if we can't find them, sooner or later they'll come to us again. During this time, you're not going anywhere, Nagato."
Uchiha Dali turned to look at Uzumaki Nagato.
The last time they had met, he had noticed that Uchiha Madara's strength was far below expectations.
That meant that, in his current Edo Tensei state, Madara could not use his full peak power from when he was alive. This was why Madara had gone to Konoha—trying to reclaim the Rinnegan in Uzumaki Nagato's possession.
Naturally, Uchiha Dali wouldn't allow him to succeed.
Thus, protecting Uzumaki Nagato became a top priority.
As long as Madara had no chance to lay a hand on Nagato, he could never restore his absolute peak strength, and the threat he posed to Konoha, to Uchiha Dali, and to the entire shinobi world could be safely ignored.
"I understand."
Nagato nodded earnestly.
The last incident had left him somewhat shaken. Knowing that Madara's target was himself, he didn't dare wander off recklessly anymore.
"Alright, we'll keep doing what we've been doing according to plan. Don't pay too much attention to those guys—if they want the tailed beasts, they'll have to come to us again."
"When that happens, it'll be his end."
"Unless, of course, Uchiha Madara suddenly becomes a smart man who knows his place."
Dali's gaze was deep.
Last time, he had already told Madara the truth.
Having been deceived by Black Zetsu for so many years, anyone would find that hard to accept—especially someone like Uchiha Madara.
Perhaps because of that, Madara would refuse to accept reality and choose to keep opposing him.
Still, Dali rather hoped Madara could let go of his pride and acknowledge the fact that he had already unified the shinobi world and created a peaceful era.
Then, they could join forces to safeguard this fragile peace and face the powerful Ōtsutsuki clan members that were bound to arrive.
That would be… interesting.
After all, this was Uchiha Madara they were talking about.
Whether this idea could be realized, however, was something to be seen.
For now, Dali decided to set the topic aside and continue studying how best to govern the entire shinobi world.
At present, their territory encompassed all the lands of the ninja world.
Even remote overseas islands far from the mainland were under their jurisdiction.
Previously, there had been various cultural differences and customs between the ninja villages and nations.
How to get the citizens of these lands to form a unified mindset—accepting Konoha's governance in terms of culture, ideology, language, and writing—was no small challenge.
Just as Dali was about to delve into this topic, an Anbu member suddenly appeared before everyone.
"Lord Fourth Hokage."
He knelt on one knee, his tone grave.
Clearly, he had something important to report.
It was just that he probably hadn't expected to find so many elite figures gathered here.
"What is it? Speak."
Dali commanded.
"We just received a distress signal from the Hidden Cloud City district—they're under attack by a formidable enemy!"
"The situation isn't clear at the moment! We've already lost contact with them!"
At the Anbu's report, everyone present, including Dali himself, had their expressions turn serious.
Without another word, Dali directly activated his Observation Haki, letting it expand infinitely outward.
By now, his Observation Haki had reached the highest level.
Its sensing range was vast—when he focused fully, he could even detect meteors in outer space.
And those meteors were thousands, even tens of thousands of kilometers above the earth's surface.
In fact, Dali had already used his Observation Haki before to scan the entire shinobi world, trying to locate Madara and Black Zetsu's whereabouts.
But the two were extremely cunning, never revealing their chakra signatures.
Even he had been helpless.
And now—what luck—his enemies were showing themselves?
As his Observation Haki spread, it quickly reached Kumogakure.
According to the new administrative divisions, the area had already been renamed Hidden Cloud City; the Land of Lightning no longer existed.
Of course, some still called it the Hidden Cloud District—it was the same thing.
Scanning just once, Dali immediately sensed two powerful chakra signatures clashing fiercely.
"Enemies? I'll head over and take a look."
This time, Namikaze Minato volunteered.
His Flying Thunder God Technique was a space-time ninjutsu that ignored distance—perfect for ultra-long-range strikes and support.
"No need. The one attacking Hidden Cloud City is none other than Uchiha Madara himself."
"He's finally shown himself. Heh… I'll go."
With that, Dali activated his advanced Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished.
…
After a fierce battle, Madara ultimately proved the superior fighter, defeating the fully committed Fourth Raikage.
Once he had beaten this suitable sacrifice half to death, Madara was preparing to use the Edo Tensei Technique on him, making the Raikage a sacrifice to reincarnate himself once again.
However, at that moment, a playful voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"You're quite good at hiding."
"I've been looking for you for a while."
Madara's body trembled slightly.
Recognizing Uchiha Dali's voice, he casually turned, one hand still holding the barely conscious Fourth Raikage.
"Uchiha Dali."
"You're quite the talent."
"Since you know about the Ōtsutsuki clan, Black Zetsu's plan, the Divine Tree, and the chakra fruit… haven't you thought about keeping the chakra fruit for yourself?"
"Let's be honest with each other and talk about cooperation. How about it?"
Madara extended an invitation to Dali.
Though in his current Edo Tensei state he had near-infinite chakra and could fight without tiring—enough to eventually wear down the Fourth Raikage—Madara knew that against Dali, things would be very different.
Even without having truly crossed blades, he could tell Dali was not someone easy to deal with.
With his current power, he had no chance of gaining any advantage over him.
His offer of cooperation was sincere.
But if negotiations failed, buying some time would work too.
After all, before Dali arrived, Madara had already created a shadow clone.
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