Chapter 52 – "Peace"
Through the damp curtain of rain, Yahiko tore down the flyer pasted to the door, pulled out his key, and stepped inside—right under White Zetsu's nose.
White Zetsu—born of Uchiha Madara's Yin–Yang Release—was an endlessly replicable Ōtsutsuki-style soldier, so long as there was chakra to shape it.
Individually weak, but blessed with a natural "Mayfly Technique" that made it the perfect spy, it was the ideal tool for watching the entire shinobi world.
It was White Zetsu that gave Madara the confidence to monitor every village and set the Eye of the Moon Plan into motion.
Even the so-called "God of Shinobi" Senju Hashirama could only keep the world in line through sheer force—or talk no jutsu—
but Madara was different. With Zetsu's intelligence network, he knew every hidden village inside and out…
down to the color of underwear Shimura Danzō preferred.
The clay-like, pure-white creature shook the rain from its body before melting back underground.
It had no will of its own; it was acting on the will of the true White Zetsu.
The main body had ordered it to shadow and protect Uzumaki Nagato—while also keeping an eye on Yahiko and Konan.
Protecting Nagato needed no explanation—those eyes were the Rinnegan Madara had lent him.
As for watching Yahiko and Konan, that was to maintain a leash on Nagato's mental state.
Madara's plan was simple:
At the moment when Nagato was most vulnerable, most impressionable, he would appear—
and steer him down the path toward the Eye of the Moon.
From half a year of reports, Zetsu had observed a growing rift between Nagato and Yahiko over what "peace" really meant.
Every time they fought, Zetsu dutifully relayed the arguments to Madara… but never received a reply.
Perhaps, in Madara's eyes, their debates were no different from the childish quarrels he and Hashirama once had.
Could these two achieve the peace that he and Hashirama had failed to bring about?
Madara didn't believe it.
That was why he placed all his hopes on the Eye of the Moon Plan—
a genjutsu without end, a slumber without end, a peace without end.
---
Yahiko, pushing open the door, knew nothing of Madara's schemes.
His body was weary, but his mind kept turning.
Every day alongside Hanzō reshaped his understanding of the world.
Once, he had despised Hanzō—
blaming him for all the Rain's misery, for waging wars only to lose them, for holding the title of Rain Shadow without bringing any real change.
Now… he understood Hanzō's burdens a little better.
Wars were sparked by deliberate provocations from the great villages.
Loss after loss came from Ame's lack of strength.
In his youth, Hanzō had also reached for peace… but now, he was long past such naïveté.
"You're back, Yahiko."
Konan appeared from the kitchen, paper flower in her hair, apron tied neatly around her waist.
Hearing the door, she hurried over to greet him, brushing rainwater from his shoulders.
From the bathroom doorway, Nagato's red-haired head appeared.
He looked like he wanted to say something—but remembering their recent fights, he held his tongue.
Yahiko didn't mind the coldness.
An older brother, after all, should be able to bear with his siblings, to secure better resources and opportunities for them. Otherwise, he wasn't much of a brother at all.
He took off his mask, revealing a face with the same open, sunlit charm as Minato Namikaze's, and sat at the table.
"This is quite a spread. Is there good news?"
---
Far away…
"What did White Zetsu bring back?"
Black, hollow eye sockets stared out from the weathered face of Uchiha Madara.
Behind him loomed the unmoving Gedo Statue, half-buried in the earth.
This was the "Mountain Graveyard," the place Madara had chosen as his hideout—
large enough to house the colossal husk of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Pitcher plant–shaped, Black Zetsu stood before Uchiha Madara.
At the old man's question, he began his report without hesitation.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are dead."
"In Kumo, twelve new jōnin have been promoted. The transfer of their jinchūriki went smoothly—no uprisings."
"In Iwa, fifteen new jōnin. Jinchūriki status stable. Ōnoki is plotting a border skirmish with Kumo."
"In Suna, the treasury is strained to breaking point. They can't even pay their jōnin salaries. No promotions… several jōnin-level chūnin have defected."
"In Ame, one new jōnin. Hanzō is planning a strike against Konoha—two squads: one under External Affairs Captain Senkiri Ryōsuke, the other under the missing-nin Utakata from Kirigakure."
"As for Konoha—"
"Wait," Madara cut in. "Utakata—the Six-Tails jinchūriki? He defected, and Kiri hasn't reacted?"
"There was a reaction," Black Zetsu replied lazily, "but the death of the Seven Swordsmen was more pressing. The Six-Tails isn't especially strong, so beyond issuing a bounty, Kiri hasn't pursued it further."
Madara's lips curved into a cold smile. "Tell me in detail—how did the Seven Swordsmen die? Kiri treats them like prized relics. How could they all drop dead at once?"
Black Zetsu stretched as if enjoying the moment.
"That's the interesting part. Among Konoha's twenty-two newly promoted jōnin, two stand out—Ren and Namikaze Minato.
"Konoha has this tradition: the Hokage's favored young shinobi are often assigned to escort shipments of Konoha gold. The Seven Swordsmen learned of such a mission and intercepted them inside the Land of Fire. They clashed with Ren and Minato. By the time White Zetsu arrived, the battle was already over."
"And?"
"These two all but wiped out the Seven Swordsmen. And at the time, Ren was only a tokubetsu jōnin… Minato was still just a chūnin."
Madara chuckled, oddly satisfied. "Hmph. This is the village Hashirama and I built. It's only natural it produces geniuses."
It was an almost irrational pride, but Black Zetsu ignored it and moved on.
"These two are now under White Zetsu's close watch. We can't risk any disruption they might cause to the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Madara nodded. Black Zetsu was thorough. At his age, Madara left most operational details to him—Madara only had to approve them.
White Zetsu surveillance was an old tradition.
Even with over a thousand clones, they were still too few for the vast shinobi world, so priority went to:
tokubetsu jōnin and above, jinchūriki, and political figures like daimyō who could alter the balance of power.
Now that Ren and Minato had entered jōnin-level circles, Madara's attention naturally fell on them.
"While increasing surveillance," Black Zetsu continued, "I discovered a possible incident that could impact the Rinnegan. The problem is the border conflict Hanzō is stirring—it may escalate. Konoha is already reinforcing the area, and Hanzō is doubling down. Yahiko and Nagato are both being deployed—under the command of Senkiri Ryōsuke."
The explanation was concise, and Madara's hollow black gaze fixed on him before giving orders:
"Increase the number of White Zetsu protecting Uzumaki Nagato. The Rinnegan vessel's safety is paramount."
"Go to the black market. Place a contract. Hire Kakuzu. Pay extra—he will come."
"Yes."
The pitcher-plant body closed, and Black Zetsu melted away into the depths of the colossal underground tomb.