About two weeks earlier, Uchiha Madara had met with Sasori and heard about his Ultimate Human-Puppet Modification Plan.
Honestly…
Madara's first reaction was that the man before him had gone insane.
If he had not gone insane, what normal human would think of replacing his own body with a puppet?
And not merely the bones of his limbs. Sasori wanted to replace his internal organs, nerves, blood vessels, and nearly every other part of his body, preserving only a core that maintained his life.
Leaving aside the success rate of sustaining life and controlling a puppet body using nothing but a single core…
Even if the bodily modification were successfully completed in this manner,
could the final product still be considered human?
For most people, the answer would probably be no.
Uchiha Madara had originally believed that biting a piece of flesh from Senju Hashirama and fusing it into his own body in pursuit of the power of all creation had already crossed enough moral boundaries.
He had not expected Sasori to be an even greater heavyweight, someone willing to abandon his identity as a human entirely.
Of course…
compared with that inherently evil Senju Tobirama, this was still not so bad.
After all, even after becoming Hokage, Tobirama had continued researching forbidden techniques that completely disregarded morality and human ethics.
Among all the Kage in the ninja world, his moral standards were undoubtedly among the lowest.
However, after Sasori explained his understanding of "eternal art" in detail and demonstrated his modification plan using the human puppets he had previously created, Uchiha Madara's attitude began to change.
He ordered Black Zetsu to gather information on Sunagakure's puppet techniques, then spent a considerable amount of time studying them carefully.
In the end, he confirmed that Sasori's plan was indeed feasible.
The only problem was the raw materials required for the modification.
Ordinary puppets were primarily constructed from steel, with alloys or chakra-conductive metals used around the joints.
This design ensured the puppet's strength while still allowing the puppeteer to control it freely and perform nearly any movement.
But Sasori's puppet could not be built that way.
The Third Kazekage human puppet had already been lost, and its Magnet Release ability was the natural enemy of all metallic tools.
Creating an ordinary iron puppet under these circumstances would be equivalent to deliberately giving himself a weakness. If Sasori encountered the Third Kazekage puppet again in the future, he could easily be restrained because of it.
Therefore…
after considerable thought and experimentation,
Uchiha Madara decided to provide Sasori with another special material—
a portion of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's body!
That was right.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was essentially the remains of the Ten-Tails—in other words, the husk of the Divine Tree.
Its material was neither quite wood nor quite metal. It possessed both strength and flexibility while also allowing chakra to flow through it easily.
The Uchiha clan's war fan, which could reflect ninjutsu attacks, had been made from the same material.
There were also unconfirmed rumors that several of the ninja tools left behind by the Sage of Six Paths had been created using branches of the Divine Tree.
In a certain sense, White Zetsu could also be considered a "creation" of the Divine Tree.
They were intermediate beings formed when humans from ancient times were wrapped from the inside out in the Divine Tree's fluids.
That was why they possessed plant-like characteristics, while certain individuals could even use Wood Release.
Therefore,
if Sasori could make proper use of these materials and create a Divine Tree Body, his strength might rise by an entire level compared with the time before he lost the Third Kazekage puppet.
He might even awaken the Wood Release kekkei genkai.
Thinking of Wood Release,
Uchiha Madara could not help feeling somewhat melancholy as he remembered an old friend.
"Hashirama… After he left, Konoha and the Senju clan actually declined to this extent. They cannot even cultivate a single Wood Release user. How disappointing."
"There actually is one, Lord Madara…"
Black Zetsu hesitated briefly before quietly correcting him.
"Konoha's Shimura Danzō and Orochimaru once conducted Wood Release experiments. Although the vast majority of the subjects involved died, one special individual appears to have survived and is currently being hidden inside one of Shimura Danzō's Root bases…"
"Oh?"
Uchiha Madara froze slightly and looked toward Black Zetsu.
"What is the subject's name?"
"We still aren't certain. The child does not seem to come from a kekkei genkai or secret-technique clan and currently has no name."
Black Zetsu shook his head.
Uchiha Madara pondered briefly, then spoke coldly.
"Hmph. Human experimentation… The one leading it was that man named Shimura Danzō, correct? As expected of someone descended from Tobirama's faction. Disgraceful."
"…"
With the conversation reaching this point, Black Zetsu said nothing further.
Because of his personal dislike, Uchiha Madara temporarily skipped over the topic of the Wood Release test subject.
Next,
Madara asked about intelligence from several other locations, especially Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and the Kumogakure battlefield thousands of li away.
Black Zetsu answered quickly.
With the support of countless White Zetsu spread throughout the various nations, the entire ninja world was practically transparent in only one direction to Madara.
This was especially true for information involving large-scale troop movements. Even if the ninja villages wanted to conceal them, doing so was almost impossible.
"…It seems that fellow Ōnoki still knows how to remain patient. Even though the other four Great Ninja Villages have already entered the war, he continues to keep his forces still."
"Well, forget it. Creating the current situation is already difficult enough. I cannot expect everything to remain under my control."
"The Eye of the Moon Plan must be carried out. But judging from that Konoha brat's current strength, even Sasori after completing his modifications may have difficulty defeating him.
"To ensure that the plan proceeds smoothly, some additional preparations will be necessary."
Hearing Uchiha Madara's words,
Black Zetsu vaguely guessed what he meant and asked,
"You mean… we should gather additional materials for Sasori?"
"Mm."
Uchiha Madara nodded, his voice hard and cold.
"More than half of a puppeteer's combat strength is determined by the quality of his puppets.
"If we can gather six puppets at the level of the Five Kage and allow the modified Sasori to control them, the result may not be much weaker than the Rinnegan's Six Paths ability."
Therefore…
Uchiha Madara intended to act personally and hunt several high-quality "collectibles" for Sasori.
This would not be easy.
Ever since the First Ninja World War ended and several Second Kage died on the battlefield, the Five Kage had rarely appeared personally on the front lines.
Other individuals possessing Kage-level strength or potential were also closely watched by their respective villages.
If any one of them suddenly disappeared, it would trigger a series of consequences.
For example, the current Ninja World War had been ignited by the disappearance of a certain Kazekage.
Therefore,
Madara needed to consider his hunting targets carefully and leave enough room to handle any unexpected developments that might follow.
Of course, there was another possible approach.
He could use Reanimation Jutsu to pull deceased veteran Kage-level fighters back from the underworld and hand them over to Sasori for use as puppets.
Although they would not be as useful as their living bodies, they could still display considerable strength.
It was an option when no better method was available.
The only problem was that Reanimation Jutsu had been invented by Senju Tobirama.
Using that man's technique somehow felt ominous.
But for the sake of the Eye of the Moon Plan, Uchiha Madara could endure it.
"…Then we'll prepare both options."
Having made his decision, Uchiha Madara said,
"Zetsu, compile a list of every Kage-level ninja in this era and give it to me.
"Also, investigate the burial sites of those deceased Kage and prepare to excavate their graves.
"As for that Konoha brat named Mikami Yuu…"
Honestly, Uchiha Madara did not particularly want to deal with Yuu.
After all, his seniority was far above Yuu's. Killing him under these circumstances would amount to bullying a child and did not suit Madara's status.
Moreover, Madara had always believed that his ultimate goal was to bring "peace" to everyone in the world, including enemies he despised.
That was the perspective someone operating from behind the scenes ought to possess.
If he merely wanted personal revenge, he would have found an opportunity to kill Senju Tobirama long ago.
In fact, from another perspective, Madara felt a slight appreciation for Yuu's talent.
Especially after seeing Yuu display such extraordinary aptitude for Fire Release, he was vaguely reminded of the geniuses who had appeared within the Uchiha clan in earlier years, only to die young.
However…
Uchiha Madara was also an absolutely rational person.
If Yuu's existence obstructed the Eye of the Moon Plan, then even if Madara personally did not wish to do so, he would have no choice but to kill him.
It would be a necessary sacrifice.
Conveniently, the death of a comrade could also be used to make Obito experience the cruelty of the ninja world and understand the necessity of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
The only problem was that Madara was not yet certain whether Yuu carried enough emotional weight to awaken Obito's Mangekyō.
If he did not…
then Rin or Kakashi would have to be included as well.
Designing a scheme that would trap several of them, naturally lead Obito to Madara's side, and still keep Madara himself completely uninvolved—
that was the main problem Uchiha Madara needed to consider next.
…
Two days after Uchiha Madara "witnessed" the battle's outcome,
a secret report written by Aburame Torune also traveled through Root's covert channels and eventually reached Konoha.
That afternoon,
inside Root's base on the western side of Konoha,
Shimura Danzō, dressed in a kimono, opened the urgent scroll he had just received.
Under the dim light, he began reading the tiny characters written across it.
The contents, along with several simple sketches attached beside them, formed detailed reports on the recent battles along the Kirigakure front.
"…The target's mastery of Fire Release has already surpassed the boundaries of conventional understanding and may have entered the realm of a kekkei genkai.
"His chakra reserves, control over techniques, and ability to adapt during actual combat are all extraordinary. His evaluation is now approaching Namikaze Minato and the Sannin.
"Kaguya Hiromitsu had no chance of victory before him and was burned into charcoal…"
"His attitude toward the Uchiha clan is ambiguous. They have cooperated repeatedly in battle, while Uchiha Fugaku, Shisui, and others clearly display trust and admiration toward him…"
"Mikami Yuu…"
Shimura Danzō murmured the name in a low voice.
He then glanced at the nearby sketch of a white-haired boy standing before a Blazing Throne and instinctively released a cold snort.
How should one put it?
Under normal circumstances, learning that Konoha had produced another genius with enormous potential—one who might already have reached Kage level—should have made Danzō happy in his role as the "Hokage's advisor."
But the current Danzō was not happy.
Instead, he felt an inexplicable sense of irritation.
After all…
Yuu's rate of growth was far too fast.
So fast that it defied common sense.
Namikaze Minato had also developed quickly, but his speed was something Danzō could understand.
Minato had grown up in Konoha from childhood, had been recognized as a genius during his time at the Ninja Academy, and later joined Jiraiya's team before entering the line of potential Hokage successors.
His entire path of growth could be traced.
But the current Mikami Yuu was like an uncontrollable meteor.
Ever since the Ninja Academy graduation exam, he would suddenly become far stronger every so often, as though no bottlenecks existed in his advancement.
That was deeply concerning.
In Danzō's view, a "genius" who could not be firmly controlled was fundamentally a threat to Konoha.
Their existence could one day destroy Konoha—and especially the "order" Danzō had carefully maintained.
Furthermore…
both Mikami Yuu and his former squad leader, Namikaze Minato, seemed to have fairly good relationships with the Uchiha clan.
That made the situation even more problematic.
One had to understand that Danzō's initial suggestion to send Uchiha Fugaku and a group of elite clansmen to the dangerous Kirigakure battlefield had itself been a carefully designed conspiracy.
On one hand, he intended to weaken the Uchiha clan's active fighting strength, preferably arranging for Fugaku, the clan head, to "die gloriously."
On the other, he could use the Uchiha Sharingan to wear down Kirigakure's forces.
But now…
Kirigakure's manpower had indeed been greatly depleted,
yet the Uchiha clan's casualty rate was extraordinarily low.
Because an existence beyond ordinary standards like Yuu had appeared, powerful enemies at the level of Kaguya Hiromitsu, Kaguya Ryūga, and Fuguki Suikazan had either been killed by him or forced to flee in disgrace.
Nearly every assassination launched by Kirigakure had been shattered by Yuu alone.
As a result, instead of suffering the anticipated heavy losses beneath Yuu's protection, the Uchiha clan had accompanied him in earning tremendous military achievements.
If the Uchiha clan ultimately returned from the battlefield covered in glory…
that would be a dangerous signal for Konoha.
After all, many members of the Uchiha clan were already ambitious and had long attempted to gain a greater voice within the village.
If they truly returned in triumph after defeating Kirigakure's elites and participating in the killing of the Kaguya clan head, the Uchiha clan's reputation and status would inevitably rise.
Once that happened, those unruly Uchiha would possess far greater confidence.
They would likely no longer remain peacefully inside the Police Force while tolerating the village's suspicion and restrictions.
That much was predictable.
"We cannot wait any longer…"
Danzō released the scroll he had been gripping tightly. His knuckles had turned white from the force.
Allowing Yuu and the Uchiha clan to continue acting so prominently on the battlefield would only make the situation increasingly worse.
Therefore…
he needed to prepare before the rain arrived.