In the damp and musty cave, huge coiled trees surrounded the area, while a shadowy figure sat motionless on a chair made of wood.
His eyes were open in the darkness, emitting a crimson glow.
Not long after, a pallid figure with a whirlpool face appeared before him.
It was White Zetsu known as Tobi.
"How are things?"
Madara stared at Tobi with his crimson Sharingan, inquiring about the situation on that side.
Tobi scratched his head, wanting to be praised by Madara for fending off the enemy, but seeing Madara's stern demeanor, he didn't dare to joke around. Instead, he answered seriously, "Though they weren't particularly formidable, their troublesome skills were top-notch, allowing them to escape."
"Have you uncovered their background?"
Madara calmed down, wanting to know which village's ninja had made a move against him.
He needed to understand who had discovered his existence.
"Based on the current intelligence, they don't seem to be within the Five Great Nations system. Moreover, they're not human. One is a gigantic rock creature, the other a huge water serpent, more akin to Summoning Beasts than humans."
"So, this implies there's a mastermind behind the scenes?"
Madara fell into deep thought after saying this.
Tobi silently nodded. Although he hadn't detected any mastermind, the likelihood was significant.
"White Zetsu, you mentioned before that some ninjas from the Uchiha Race defected from Konoha, is that true?"
"Yes, Lord Madara."
White Zetsu stated upon arriving.
"Prior to that, all White Zetsus dispatched to Konoha were eliminated. It was only after this that you safely infiltrated Konoha to investigate. This is true as well, right?"
White Zetsu nodded, affirming Madara's words.
All White Zetsus sent to infiltrate the Uchiha Clan Land mysteriously vanished.
It wasn't until a defection occurred within the Uchiha that things took a turn.
A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Madara's mouth, as he murmured softly, "How interesting. If this is a coincidence, even I wouldn't believe it."
The coincidences were too numerous; it was beyond the explanation of coincidence.
The opponent must have discovered his existence.
However, they likely hadn't confirmed his identity yet.
"Lord Madara, what are you implying?"
White Zetsu seemed to grasp Madara's intent.
"Though I can't be entirely sure, the defected ninjas from Konoha are the most suspicious."
"Should we go to Konoha to explore further?"
"No, with such a significant incident, and yet no rumors from Konoha, it's clear Konoha wants to minimize the impact of this defection incident. The intelligence about those people is certainly top secret and can only be accessed by the upper echelons. Such a place isn't somewhere you can easily infiltrate."
Madara shook his head, denying White Zetsu's suggestion.
He knew well about Konoha's defense system.
The external Perception Barrier was purely for defending against foreign invasion and rapidly devising corresponding tactics to eliminate the enemy.
But the Intelligence Department and documents the Hokage or high-ranking officials could access had independent defense systems, differing greatly from his era in Konoha.
While infiltration by the White Zetsus was not much of an issue, getting out was a problem.
The Konoha Anbu was still deadly for White Zetsu.
Getting captured in Konoha would mean the study of White Zetsu's structure, potentially leaking secrets from this side.
At such a critical moment, Madara didn't want any complications.
"Then what should we do? Create more White Zetsus for protection around here?"
White Zetsu was troubled.
"Of course. I still have much of Hashirama's power stored here. I plan to use the Divine Tree and Hashirama's flesh to create a few more special individuals. In the previous battle, they might have been probing. Once they ascertain our strength, it's unlikely to be as easy next time, but rather to deliver a fatal blow to us."
Madara had a strong premonition.
"No wonder they retreated during the fight," Tobi seemed a bit disappointed.
"That's just one aspect. Tobi, your intelligence has already been leaked. Now, both sides have exposed part of their trump cards, but we don't know what lethal cards the other holds."
"So, does that mean we have an advantage too?"
White Zetsu naïvely thought so.
"No, we are at a significant disadvantage."
"Eh?"
"Idiot, the fact they discovered this place proves your past movements were tracked by the enemy. That child named Uchiha Obito, the opponent surely knows your purpose, too. Worse yet, something might have been exposed at Nagato's side as well. Remember, a White Zetsu sent to monitor Nagato suddenly vanished, didn't it?"
Madara coldly glared at White Zetsu.
Hearing Madara say that, cold sweat broke out on White Zetsu's back.
He couldn't fathom how so much important stuff from their side had been exposed.
Obito was manageable, as he wasn't a necessity, but Nagato was Madara's most crucial piece, and nothing could afford to go wrong there.
"Then... then Lord Madara, what should we do next?"
White Zetsu was utterly panicked now, as their prior composure stemmed from operating entirely in the shadows, undetectable.
Once discovered, and once part of their purpose uncovered, it was undoubtedly the worst-case scenario.
If their opponent decided to act against both sides, the strength of White Zetsus and Tobi wouldn't suffice to handle it.