A Transmigrator's Story in the Hyuga's Main Branch

155. The Undying Will: Madara’s Secret Hideout (2)

155. The Undying Will: Madara’s Secret Hideout (2)

"What are Hikari Hyuga and Minato Namikaze up to? Have you managed to gather any new information about them again?", Madara inquired again, his voice echoing slightly in the cavernous hideout.

"Tracking Minato Namikaze in person has always proven incredibly difficult due to his rapid deployment across the globe for Konoha.",

"However, information about him is abundant through rumors, given his status as Konoha's greatest hero. He's possibly the most famous person in the current shinobi world right now."

White Zetsu chimed in, "We've been collecting these rumors, sorting through them to find consistencies that might reveal the truth. It seems he's reached peak Kage level strength."

Madara nodded thoughtfully as White Zetsu reported, acknowledging the valuable insights gathered through rumors.

Despite their simplicity, the White Zetsus's ability to travel underground, conceal their chakra well, and use the perfect substitute technique made them ideal for gathering intelligence. They were perfect ancillary roles for his plans, ones he couldn't do without. @@@@

This capability was crucial for his plans, leveraging their unique strengths to keep a pulse on the shifting dynamics of the ninja world.

Thanks to his intuition and wide experience, he was always particularly concerned about Minato and Hikari, two of the most interesting key figures to emerge during this war.

Minato's mastery of the Flying Raijin technique, a formidable jutsu created by his old adversary Tobirama, who also used it to kill his brother, was also not lost on Madara.

Additionally, Minato had not only mastered it but elevated it to even more extraordinary levels, first integrating it with his superhuman reaction speed, shadow clones, and the devastating personally created, 'one-hit-kill' type offensive jutsu called the 'Rasengan', perfect to combine it with, as if it was tailor-made for a Flying Raijin type shinobi like him.

This evolution allowed Minato to employ the technique in close combat far more effectively than Tobirama ever had, or perhaps even envisioned,

"The way Minato has refined the Flying Raijin is remarkable...", Madara said, acknowledging the strategic brilliance of his potential future adversary, "His adaptations make him nearly untouchable in battle.",

He paused, considering Minato's recent mastery of Sage Mode, which further enhanced his speed and lethality, "And with the elusive Sage Mode, his capabilities have expanded even beyond that. It's almost impossible to counter him once he's in motion, for any shinobi, given his ability to strike with lethal precision almost instantly.",

Madara's expression hardened as he pondered the broader implications, "It's clear why other villages have issued 'avoid at all costs' orders concerning him. They call him the 'Yellow Flash' for a reason. I suppose it would be tough for any ordinary pair of eyes to track him.",

"His presence on the battlefield changes the entire approach to warfare. Armies must cluster in large numbers and stay near key, most powerful shinobi of their ranks just to have a chance at survival. Villages are forced to be more defensive, keeping more shinobi at home to protect against his potential strikes."

Yet, despite his extensive knowledge, he found nothing out of the ordinary; the Hyuga were always known as one of the strongest shinobi clans in the world, yet they had never been considered on par with the Uchiha or Senju, were always way more and passive, and were, in his mind always, probably not associated with any ancient mysterious powers or artifacts and lore like the Uchiha Stone Tablet, he learned about later in his life.

Yet, that had now led him to reconsider that last assumption and the entire Stone Tablet.

Meanwhile, reflecting on key events from Konoha's recent history, Black Zetsu, now standing in front of Madara, attached to White Zetsu, also inwardly remembered the surprise he felt while still covertly residing inside Madara when he also learned about it.

The news from White Zetsu about the Hyuga clan patriarch displaying significant power had been unexpected and troubling, not just for Madara and his schemes but also for Madara's secret inner resident and manipulator at that time—for Black Zetsu's own millennia-long plans, too.

Black Zetsu was not merely an extension of Madara's will, as Madara himself 'delusionally' believed after he "created" him a few days ago to help serve his interests after his imminent death soon, at any moment, but a distinct entity with its own dire agenda.

Actually created by Kaguya Otsutsuki shortly before she was sealed as the Ten-Tails by her other two "evil "sons, Hagoromo and Hamura, Black Zetsu was imbued with the sole purpose of orchestrating conditions for his mother's return to power from then on and for him to see her once again.

This mission drove Black Zetsu to manipulate key historical events, weaving a complex web of influence across the shinobi world from then on.

From goading Indra to altering Hagoromo's tablet to favor the Uchiha and their belief in the Infinite Tsukuyomi as salvation, Black Zetsu shaped the narrative of ninja history to facilitate a future where the Rinnegan could be awakened first and, ultimately, where Kaguya could be resurrected with her power fully gathered and restored once again.

Hence, throughout the centuries, it stealthily maneuvered the reincarnations of Hagoromo's sons and recorded pivotal battles, all while remaining hidden within the shadows of the most influential figures in shinobi history.

The culmination of Black Zetsu's covert manipulations reached a critical point after Madara's apparent demise at the Valley of the End, following his final confrontation with Hashirama, where he secretly also acquired some of Hashirama's cells under his previous indirect nudging. Seizing this moment in time, Black Zetsu concealed itself within Madara's body.

Then later, while Madara believed he had initiated the creation of White Zetsu and its siblings, it was Black Zetsu who orchestrated the transformation of humans caught in Kaguya's Infinite Tsukuyomi, extracting them from the Gedo Mazo statue.

He merged them with the essence of the Hashirama plant clone that Madara had developed, endowing them with a diluted form of Wood Release.

Thus, even White Zetsu, unbeknownst to Madara, was primarily serving Black Zetsu's agenda, not Madara's. In Black Zetsu's view, Madara was merely a more intelligent and powerful human pawn—useful, but ultimately just another piece in the grand scheme aimed at reviving Kaguya.

Black Zetsu reflected on how the Hyuga clan had unexpectedly evaded his notice, a fact that now troubled him deeply. He had always dismissed them as irrelevant, neither a threat nor a useful tool in his extensive schemes to resurrect Kaguya.

This oversight starkly contrasted with his view of the so-called 'fake Otsutsuki clan' on the Moon, whom he both respected and feared as true descendants of Hamura. This realization prompted him to reassess the Hyuga's potential role and hidden capabilities within his plans.