After the laughter died down, Chōmei turned to Kazuyama Gekkō with a puzzled look.
"Kazuyama, that guy was clearly dead—how was he still moving?"
"And if I'm not mistaken... his eyes just now were Rinnegan, weren't they?"
Chōmei was no stranger to those eyes. The Rinnegan belonged to the Sage of Six Paths, the one who had created them—and Chōmei would never mistake that power.
Kazuyama's face darkened. He was still irritated from being blindsided.
"Yeah, it was the Rinnegan. The reason he could still move after dying was because of its power."
"That black rod in his chest was like a signal receiver. The caster can use it to fully control a corpse."
"Of course, it has to be a corpse for it to work."
"This is just one way to use the Rinnegan's abilities. Damn that Madara Uchiha—he really pulled out all the dirty tricks."
"What did I ever do to him?"
"Bastard thinks I can't deal with him or something?!"
The more he talked, the angrier he got—but Chōmei was stunned silent.
The Rinnegan... that was a term and a power he knew all too well. But to think someone besides the Sage of Six Paths could actually wield it?
"Madara Uchiha? He's just an Uchiha. How could he possibly have the Rinnegan?"
"Hmph, easy," Kazuyama replied. "He got his hands on Hashirama Senju's DNA and fused it with his own. The fusion of Uchiha and Senju is the essence of Six Paths power. And the Rinnegan is its defining dōjutsu."
Chōmei went quiet. He hadn't expected there to be someone who could reach the Sage's level by sheer human effort.
Terrifying.
But something didn't add up.
"If he's really that powerful, then why isn't he acting himself?"
"Because Madara Uchiha's from a previous era," Kazuyama said. "Even if he's still alive, he's an old man now."
"His body's already at rock bottom—barely functioning. What else can he do but resort to these disgraceful tricks?"
Thinking back to the original timeline where Madara used Genjutsu to brainwash Kirigakure shinobi, Kazuyama couldn't help but grumble.
That old geezer's rotten to the core!
He couldn't take it anymore. He had to find Madara and take him out. He was just an old man now—might as well end it.
No Madara, no Fourth Shinobi World War.
He could finally live in peace.
Yeah, that was the plan!
Fueled by motivation, Kazuyama suddenly lit up... then instantly deflated like a popped balloon.
Because he had no idea where Madara actually was...
Sure, he knew it was somewhere in a cave, but that hardly narrowed things down. There were too many possibilities.
Chōmei watched him cycle through emotions—smiling one second, frowning the next, sighing after that—until he couldn't take it anymore.
"Kazuyama, what are you doing? Didn't we already take care of the enemy?"
"Let's go. Why are we still hanging around?"
Kazuyama sighed and nodded. He lifted his foot to leave, but then caught sight of the massive crater he'd burned earlier. An idea suddenly struck him, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
Then he shouted excitedly, "Wait! Even if I don't know where he is... I can curse him!"
His yell nearly scared the soul out of Chōmei.
Just as he was about to speak, he watched in stunned silence as Kazuyama ran to a clearing, crouched down, and wrote a name on the ground:
Madara Uchiha!
Then he started drawing circles around it. One after another. Over and over.
Chōmei's mouth twitched.
What the hell is he doing? Writing a name on the ground and drawing circles? Is he trying to draw him to death?
What he didn't realize was...
The moment Kazuyama started drawing circles, far away—somewhere deep within a hidden cave—Madara Uchiha sat meditating in front of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path when he suddenly felt... off.
But as a Rinnegan user, he dismissed it immediately. Who could possibly find or threaten him?
He didn't give it another thought.
At that moment, White Zetsu came running over, clutching a massive leaf that clearly held something inside.
"Madara! Madara!"
"Look at this!"
White Zetsu, practically bouncing with excitement, charged toward Madara without watching his step—and promptly tripped over a rock.
The item in his hands went flying... and landed squarely on Madara.
Madara Uchiha: ...
White Zetsu: Eh?
"You idiot! You fool! White Zetsu, what the hell are you doing?!"
"What did you bring in here?!"
"Get this disgusting thing away from me! I'm gonna lose it!"
Yes, what White Zetsu had brought back was none other than a steaming pile of poop, radiating orange-yellow gas.
White Zetsu wasn't human. Though he had sentience, he was always curious about one thing: what it felt like to take a dump.
And just now, while wandering outside, he'd seen a bear do its business right in front of him. Delighted, he decided to bring the fresh specimen back with him.
And thus, chaos ensued.
"Ah! Sorry, sorry!"
"I'll clean it up right now!"
White Zetsu rushed over, trying to help Madara clean up, but he was clumsy—flailing arms and legs all over the place—accidentally hitting Madara several times.
"Watch it, you idiot! My body's extremely fragile!"
"Argh! My rib!"
In one careless move, White Zetsu actually broke one of Madara's ribs.
The pain twisted Madara's entire face.
But thinking about how White Zetsu was his own creation, Madara held back his fury—barely. His current condition was too fragile. He still needed Zetsu's help.
Nearby, Black Zetsu couldn't bear to watch. He silently closed his eyes, beginning to question all of his life decisions.
"You bastard! I said be gentle!"
"You're still going?!"
With one rib broken and counting, Madara couldn't take it anymore. Killing intent radiated off him in waves.
Three strokes of bad luck in a row—he was about to explode.
What he didn't know was...
All of this misfortune had one cause: Kazuyama Gekkō and his cursed circle ritual.
Back at the crater, Kazuyama finally stopped drawing—not because he wanted to, but because it was just exhausting.
Still, the familiar system prompt made him smile with satisfaction.
[Ding! Detected that the host successfully cursed Uchiha Madara using the Draw a Circle and Curse You technique. Results: White Zetsu dumped filth on him, two broken ribs, and complete mental breakdown. Target is now angry and dissatisfied with White Zetsu. Special reward: Tailed Beast Synchronization!]
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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