Naruto: About the Fact That my Brother is Madara

Chapter 217 217: A Life-and-Death Battle Against Jigen?

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Inside the room, Ky?suke remained silent, while Black Zetsu let out a sorrowful sigh, creating an eerie and unsettling scene.

After a long while, Ky?suke finally spoke, his voice calm but probing. "How many times have you attacked?"

"A total of seventeen times." Black Zetsu's voice was filled with frustration. "The closest I ever got, I only managed to catch a glimpse of the boy's silhouette."

Who was the real schemer in all of this?

The shadow behind history's greatest tragedies. The puppet master who toyed with both the Uchiha and the Senju, the one who guided Uchiha Madara down the path of the Infinite Tsukuyomi—Black Zetsu.

And yet, despite all its cunning and countless schemes, it still couldn't touch the target. That alone spoke volumes about how fiercely Jigen guarded his vessel.

Sensing Ky?suke's hesitation, Black Zetsu seized the opportunity to tempt him. "You hold him off, and I will capture him. I swear, that bastard's resurrection plan will crumble before his eyes."

"Without a vessel, you could curse his mother right to his face, and Isshiki wouldn't even dare lift a finger against you."

Ky?suke remained silent, his thoughts churning. His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest, but he gave no immediate answer.

Growing impatient, Black Zetsu pressed on. "The ?tsutsuki intend to plant the Divine Tree and drain this entire planet of life. If you don't act now, by the time Isshiki is resurrected, you won't even have a place left to cry."

"Oh." Ky?suke nodded slightly, showing no particular urgency.

Seeing no other choice, Black Zetsu could only suppress its irritation and ask in a resigned tone, "Fine, tell me—what do you want in exchange for your help?"

Of course, he wanted benefits.

Ky?suke smiled and wasted no time in making his demands. "First, I need a few White Zetsu clones for my research."

Black Zetsu hesitated. "I don't have many left."

"Just answer—yes or no?"

A tense pause.

"...Fine," Black Zetsu relented. "Anything else?"

"Second, I want ten years' worth of profits from your underground gold exchange."

"...You greedy little brat. Why don't you just rob me outright?"

"Third, I know you have plenty of powerful Edo Tensei bodies. Just casually transcribe a few dozen Bloodline Limit techniques for me."

Compared to the first two demands, the third was hardly a challenge for Black Zetsu.

What it couldn't understand, however, was why Ky?suke even wanted them. Bloodline Limits had strict conditions for use—having them didn't necessarily mean he could wield them.

After feigning hesitation for a moment, Black Zetsu finally nodded with difficulty. "Fine, I agree to all of it."

"When do we set out?"

"A few days at most. I'll soon be able to pinpoint his location again."

For Jigen's vessel to develop properly, he had to remain in the shinobi world for extended periods. He still needed food and resources, after all.

Because of this, Black Zetsu had no choice but to conduct an exhaustive search, scouring the land over and over for any trace of the white-robed monk.

If luck was on its side, it could find him within ten days to half a month. If not, it might end up chasing after him endlessly without ever catching up.

"Prepare yourself, Uchiha Ky?suke." As the Edo Tensei body gradually crumbles into dust, Black Zetsu—now having sealed their deal—vanished to continue its hunt for its enemy. "The battle will be far more difficult than you imagine."

"I don't need you to tell me that."

Ky?suke watched the last specks of ash drift away before taking a final sip of his tea. Then, without hesitation, he pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard.

Pressing a hand against his slightly restless heart, he raised his gaze to the moonlit sky—as if staring into the abyss where she was sealed.

Was this retribution for deceiving her?

He had only intended to extract some benefits, but now he had truly become Black Zetsu's accomplice.

"So, the time has finally come for a decisive battle with Jigen?"

Ky?suke let out a long breath, feeling a tension not unlike when he first crossed into this world and had to carry out his first mission deep behind enemy lines.

He was not afraid of death. In the world of Naruto, death was not necessarily the end. Besides, Ky?suke had already prepared countermeasures in advance.

But before he even realized it, he had formed deep bonds in this world.

If he could live, that would naturally be preferable.

"Speaking of which… that guy should be returning soon."

----

—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—

Fireworks erupted in the sky, marking the grand establishment of the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Compared to its original scope, Ky?suke had expanded it several times over.

Now, each grade could easily accommodate over a dozen classes at the same time. There were also a variety of specialized training grounds, ensuring that students received the best possible education.

After delivering the long-winded ceremonial speech and officially announcing student enrollment, Ky?suke watched as parents swarmed the registration booths, nearly overwhelming the staff.

Their passionate enthusiasm put both him and Hashirama in good spirits.

"These children are the future of Konoha," Hashirama murmured, eyes glistening with emotion, his heart brimming with joy.

"Yes," Ky?suke nodded, his gaze distant. "And if we ever want to unify the ninja world, we will need their strength."

"Ky?suke!" Hashirama's expression darkened as he protested. He firmly rejected the idea of leading Konoha into another war.

This was precisely why he had agreed to let his brother compete for the Hokage position.

Ky?suke exhaled quietly, then shook his head. "...Forget it. You wouldn't understand right now."

Until the stone fell on his own foot, he would never know the pain.

One day, when he saw firsthand the miserable fate awaiting Konoha—when the so-called "peace" crumbled before his eyes—perhaps then, and only then, would he finally understand.

For now, no amount of reasoning would make Hashirama accept it.

Hashirama frowned deeply, clearly unwilling to give up on convincing him.

And that was the true danger of ideological differences—when beliefs clashed, they created an impassable rift.

"Ky?suke, I believe—"

Before Hashirama could finish his sentence, a familiar chakra fluctuation suddenly rippled in the distance.

Both of them turned their heads at the same time.

Uchiha Madara had appeared beside them, his face as indifferent as ever.

"You're back."

"Hmph." Madara nodded but didn't bother hiding his irritation. "You two bastards. I've been working my ass off out there, and when I finally return, you don't even come to greet me?"

"We were busy," Ky?suke brushed him off before asking curiously, "So? Did you succeed?"

Madara scoffed, crossing his arms. "Hah! Do you even need to ask? I am Uchiha Madara—failure is not in my vocabulary." Then, with a smug tilt of his head, he added, "The Three-Tails was nothing."

That's right—Madara's mission had been to capture the Tailed Beasts.

At this stage, they were still roaming the land freely, unsealed and unbound to any jinch?riki.

Now was the best time to collect them.

Whether they could be sold for profit or not, it was better to secure them first.

Seeing the curiosity flickering in Hashirama's eyes, Ky?suke smirked. "Jealous? You could always try becoming a jinch?riki yourself."

"A jinch?riki, huh?" Hashirama stroked his chin, thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah, it doesn't seem all that useful."

After a brief chat, Hashirama excused himself—he still had a mountain of infrastructure work to oversee.

Out of the three of them, he had it the worst by far.

As Hashirama disappeared into the distance, Ky?suke turned to Madara with a knowing smile.

"Come on. Let's take a trip to the moon and see Izuna."

Madara halted mid-step, eyes narrowing slightly. There was something… off about Ky?suke today.

"It's been long enough," Ky?suke continued. "It's time for him to return to the clan. He can't just keep freeloading at my base forever."

Madara frowned. "But you said—"

"Relax. The threat is nearly gone. I'll explain on the way."

"...Alright."

..

..

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[Chapter End's]

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