Chapter 246: Movements in the Shadows
Deep underground, far beneath the surface of the Land of Rain, a vast cavern lay hidden in darkness.
There was no light.
No sound.
Only endless silence.
At first glance, the cavern looked like a natural cave.
But in truth, it had been carved out artificially with powerful ninjutsu.
At the center of the cavern sat Uchiha Madara.
His eyes were closed.
His aging body continued to decay slowly.
Even though he was sustained by the chakra of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and fragments of the power of the Six Paths…
It could only delay the inevitable.
Death was approaching.
Madara knew he didn't have much time left.
Everything had to be arranged before his body finally failed.
Only then could he wait for the day of resurrection.
Earlier that night, he had taken a risk.
Through the Rinnegan, he had temporarily seized control of Nagato's body and contacted Ragnar.
A man whose strength rivaled the legends of the past.
Suddenly—
Madara opened his eyes.
The crimson Mangekyō Sharingan spun slowly before returning to the form of a three-tomoe Sharingan.
Even though the Rinnegan originally belonged to him, controlling it through another body still required enormous effort.
After returning to his own body, Madara's breathing became heavier.
Cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Madara-sama, what happened?"
A pale figure emerged from the ground beside him.
It was White Zetsu.
Compared with his darker counterpart, White Zetsu was far more obedient.
After all, White Zetsu had been created through the power of the Infinite Tsukuyomi itself.
Madara shook his head.
"Nothing serious."
"I simply consumed more ocular power than expected."
He formed a series of hand seals.
Behind him, the Demonic Statue released a tube that injected a stream of green liquid into his back.
For a moment, the aging symptoms slowed.
But the effect only made his body appear even more withered.
No matter how powerful a shinobi became…
Time remained an enemy none could truly defeat.
Even the legendary Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki had eventually returned to the Pure Land.
But Madara refused to accept fate.
He had spent decades planning.
Preparing.
Waiting for the chance to reclaim the peak of the ninja world.
"To create a world without ninjas…"
"A world without war."
Madara spoke quietly.
Then he looked toward White Zetsu.
"Go contact Ragnar."
White Zetsu froze.
"What?!"
"Madara-sama, that Rakshasa is extremely dangerous!"
"He's moody and ruthless!"
"If I approach him, I might be killed instantly!"
Madara's voice turned cold.
"If you refuse…"
"I can kill you now."
"I don't have many years left."
"And the current Uchiha Clan has no one capable of inheriting my will."
White Zetsu's shoulders slumped.
There was no choice.
Madara was the master.
He was merely a subordinate.
Still—
White Zetsu had no intention of sending his real body.
He would simply create a clone.
After all, survival was always the first priority.
White Zetsu slipped into the ground and vanished.
Leaving Madara alone in the dark cavern.
A faint whisper echoed from the shadows.
"How exactly… do we control Rakshasa?"
On the Road to Konoha
Meanwhile, the Konoha forces had begun their final withdrawal from the Land of Rain.
Among them were Tsunade and Orochimaru.
The shinobi moved silently through the forest.
Most of them were exhausted after the long war.
No one spoke.
Orochimaru, however, remained deep in thought.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
He suddenly leaped closer to Tsunade as they traveled through the trees.
"Tsunade," he said quietly.
"Don't you feel something strange?"
She glanced at him.
"Strange?"
"I think the strange one here is you."
Orochimaru frowned.
"Ever since we left the Rain Country…"
"I've had the feeling that I forgot something."
"I didn't say anything in front of Ragnar…"
"But my intuition tells me he knows something."
Tsunade sighed.
"You're overthinking things."
"Check yourself."
"Are you missing an arm or a leg?"
"Is your body injured?"
Orochimaru shook his head.
"No."
"It's just…"
"There's a fog in my mind."
Tsunade waved her hand casually.
"Then relax."
"Even if something happened, it clearly didn't harm us."
Seeing her reaction, Orochimaru stopped pressing the issue.
Aside from losing the sword he had summoned the previous night, his body showed no signs of damage.
Perhaps it truly was nothing.
But he still couldn't shake the feeling that something important had vanished from his memory.
Tsunade moved ahead of him through the trees.
Her expression looked relaxed.
But when Orochimaru could no longer see her face—
Her smile disappeared.
In its place appeared a serious expression.
As one of the best medical ninjas in the world, Tsunade had carefully examined her body.
There were no injuries.
No abnormalities.
And that was exactly what worried her.
Orochimaru could sense something was wrong.
How could she not?
The only possible explanation…
Was that her memories had been altered.
Something must have happened last night.
Something that neither she nor Orochimaru were meant to remember.
But Tsunade chose not to pursue it further.
If Ragnar knew the truth…
Then she trusted that there was a reason.
And the result was clear.
Her body was safe.
Only a fragment of memory had disappeared.
The Rain Village
Back in the Amegakure, another figure stood atop the tallest building in the village.
The ruler of the Rain.
Hanzo.
Rain fell steadily across his black armor.
A gas mask covered his face.
Behind him, a shinobi from the Rain Village appeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Lord Hanzo."
Hanzo did not turn around.
His hands were clasped behind his back as he gazed toward the gray sky.
"Have they all left?"
The shinobi bowed respectfully.
"The Iwa and Suna forces have already withdrawn."
"Konoha's army is currently evacuating."
"The final team departed today."
Hanzo spoke calmly.
"So the Land of Rain is finally free of foreign shinobi."
"Yes, my lord."
"But there is one exception."
Hanzo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Who?"
The shinobi hesitated.
"According to our ANBU scouts…"
"Rakshasa was not among the Konoha forces that departed."
"It is possible he is still somewhere in the Rain Country."
Hanzo remained silent for a long moment.
"Rakshasa…"
The name alone carried enormous weight.
During the Four Nation Summit, this young warrior had defeated both the Third Kazekage and the Third Tsuchikage.
A feat that had shocked the entire shinobi world.
Hanzo respected strength.
But admiration was not the same as trust.
The war was over.
Peace had finally returned to the Rain Country.
And the last thing Hanzo wanted…
Was a living time bomb like Ragnar remaining inside his borders.
End of Chapter
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