Haku was slightly surprised upon hearing the God King's words.
On second thought, it seemed true.
Even though she was young, she knew some people were born with incredible constitutions, while she was undoubtedly just an ordinary person.
She couldn't compare herself to the God King.
She felt like she really shouldn't overeat; she didn't want to get fat.
Two hours later.
Zabuza returned to the restaurant.
He was holding a bag in his hand.
"God King, everything you ordered is ready."
The reason he returned so quickly was that when he asked the shopkeeper about making the clothes, the man said it would take two days.
But how could he possibly agree to that?
That was far too long, so he simply threatened the shopkeeper.
He forced the man to drop all other tasks and finish the clothes immediately.
The shopkeeper, likely sensing Zabuza was not someone to cross, did his absolute best.
Ryōsuke looked at Zabuza with satisfaction.
Even without specific instructions, he handled things well. He was truly reliable.
"You did well, Zabuza. Now, have something to eat."
"Rest for a bit, then we'll prepare to head to the Land of Waterfalls."
"Understood, God King," Zabuza replied.
It seemed the God King intended to claim the Tailed Beast of Takigakure.
Takigakure had been allocated the Seven-Tails during the first Five Kage Summit.
Meanwhile, in a forest within the Land of Lightning, a figure with a pitch-black right half and a white left half, protected by pitcher-plant-like appendages, emerged from the ground.
He silently listened to the conversation of several Cloud Village ninjas resting nearby.
He was beyond astonished.
They were saying Uchiha Madara had attacked Killer B and abducted the Jinchūriki.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
He couldn't understand how this was possible.
Madara had already died of old age!
That was an absolute fact.
He was right there when Madara died and had been entrusted with his legacy.
He was told to watch over Obito and ensure the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan came to fruition.
If necessary, he could even control Nagato to resurrect him.
'Could that guy Madara have faked his death?'
'He faked his death once before against Konoha's Senju Hashirama.'
'That ruse was to obtain Hashirama's cells, which ultimately succeeded.'
'Then he unlocked the Power of All Things and awakened the Rinnegan decades later.'
'But Madara shouldn't have any reason to fake his death to me.'
Based on his observations, Madara never doubted him.
As far as he knew, only Uchiha Obito was using Madara's name to stir trouble in the shinobi world.
And shouldn't Obito be at the Mountain's Graveyard mass-producing White Zetsu right now?
This involved the Tailed Beasts and the revival of Mother; it was a grave matter.
He had to investigate thoroughly.
The group seemed to be splitting up to search.
This was the perfect opportunity.
As they moved, he used Wood Style from underground to swiftly restrain one of them.
He dragged the man into the earth.
Only then did he split off a White Zetsu.
"White Zetsu, use your Transformation Technique to infiltrate the Cloud Village and gather intelligence."
"Got it! On it now."
White Zetsu began absorbing the Cloud ninja's chakra, gradually becoming a perfect double.
Then he went to find the others.
He made up an excuse to rejoin the group.
Black Zetsu had full confidence in White Zetsu.
White Zetsu's Transformation Technique was the most formidable in the world; by absorbing a target's chakra, the transformation was flawless.
It was nearly impossible for even the closest acquaintances to detect.
Not long after, White Zetsu returned with the information he had gathered.
Black Zetsu was dumbstruck.
'What on earth...?'
The news he received was far too shocking.
Colossal Fire Style techniques and a Susanoo larger than a Tailed Beast.
Fire Style was the Uchiha's specialty, and Uchiha Madara's was particularly terrifying.
It wasn't something an ordinary ninja could possess.
Hardly anyone in the clan could match him.
And summoning a massive Susanoo—wasn't that only possible with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?
Based on Black Zetsu's long-term observations of the clan, it seemed only Uchiha Madara had successfully awakened it.
Just what was going on?
All clues pointed toward Uchiha Madara. He had to return to the northern Mountain's Graveyard at once.
He had to confirm whether Madara was truly dead or if his true motives had been discovered.
He spoke to the White Zetsu beside him.
"Continue infiltrating the Cloud Village for more information."
He then dove into the ground and raced toward the north.
Half a day later, he arrived at the Mountain's Graveyard.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Obito was in high spirits. Through his maximum effort...
He had successfully created thirty thousand White Zetsu.
With such an army, why should he fear Uchiha Ryōsuke? That kick the man gave him before had practically broken his waist.
It had also aggravated his old injuries, leaving him with a deep sense of pain even now.
That guy, aside from that giant boulder, was the person who had caused him the most agony.
Back then, he had been crushed by a massive rock to save Kakashi, destroying half his body.
He would have his revenge, and he still had to collect the Tailed Beasts.
With these White Zetsu, the success rate for gathering them would be high.
No nation in the shinobi world could withstand an assault from so many White Zetsu.
Furthermore, White Zetsu were fearless and did not care about death.
However...
He intended to leave such drudgery to Nagato.
Nagato was merely a pawn he had implanted with the Rinnegan.
After having the Akatsuki collect the Tailed Beasts...
To realize the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan, he still needed to gather a massive number of ninjas, which would require the cooperation of the Five Great Nations.
Now was not the time to declare war on the shinobi world; thirty thousand White Zetsu weren't enough.
The total number of ninjas in the world today likely reached seventy or eighty thousand.
Therefore, he needed to produce even more.
He set a small goal: one hundred thousand. That would be enough to sweep through the world.
Then he would declare war on Konoha, as he still had to claim the Nine-Tails.
To do that, he would inevitably have to face Uchiha Ryōsuke.
He could let Nagato, who had the Rinnegan, deal with that Uchiha Ryōsuke.
They should be able to cripple each other.
Even with the Uzumaki constitution, using the Rinnegan would drain Nagato dry.
His endurance for sustained combat wasn't very high.
Otherwise, the Rinnegan alone would be enough to topple Konoha.
This worked out perfectly.
A healthy Nagato capable of fully utilizing the Rinnegan would be far too dangerous.
Once Nagato and Uchiha Ryōsuke were done with their life-and-death struggle, he would lead his army of White Zetsu to wipe out Konoha in one fell swoop.
As for Konoha, he no longer felt any attachment to it.
There was no one left there he cared about—except for Kakashi, whose life he might spare.
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