Inside the damp, shadowy cave, enormous, twisted trees wound around the surroundings, and a lone figure sat motionless on a chair made from the wood.
His eyes were wide open in the darkness, revealing a scarlet glow.
Soon after, a pale figure with a whirlpool face—a humanoid creature—appeared before him.
This was none other than White Zetsu, known as Tobi.
"How's the situation?"
Madara stared at Tobi with his crimson Sharingan, asking how things were going on that side.
Tobi scratched his head; he had planned to boast about repelling the enemy, but seeing Madara's severe expression, he didn't dare joke around and answered earnestly, "They weren't particularly strong foes, but their troublesome abilities are top-notch. We accidentally let them escape."
"Did you manage to find out who they are?"
Madara's face returned to calm, wanting to know which village's ninja had targeted him.
He needed to clarify exactly who had discovered his presence.
"According to the current intel, they're not from the Five Great Nations' system, and they're not human, either. One was a giant stone monster, and the other a massive water serpent. They looked more like Summoning Beasts than humans."
"So you're saying there's a mastermind behind all this?"
After uttering those words, Madara fell into thought.
Tobi nodded silently. Although he hadn't sensed any mastermind, it was quite possible.
"White Zetsu, you told me before—some ninja from the Uchiha Clan defected from Konoha, that's true, right?"
"Yes, Lord Madara."
White Zetsu spoke as he entered.
"Before that, all the White Zetsus sent to Konoha were wiped out, and only afterward did you enter Konoha without incident to investigate. That's also correct, isn't it?"
White Zetsu nodded; it was just as Madara said.
The White Zetsus sent to infiltrate the Uchiha Clan Land had all vanished without a trace.
Things only changed after the Uchiha defection incident.
Madara's lips curled slightly, revealing a hint of a smile. He murmured, "How interesting. If this were all coincidence, even I couldn't believe it."
There were too many 'coincidences' for them to be explained away.
The other side definitely noticed his existence.
Just that they hadn't yet confirmed his identity.
"Lord Madara, you mean...?"
White Zetsu seemed to grasp Madara's intentions.
"While I can't be certain, the defected ninja from Konoha are the foremost suspects."
"Should we go to Konoha and investigate further?"
"No. With such a major event, Konoha hasn't released any wind about it. Clearly, they want to minimize the impact of this defection. Information about those people must be classified—only the top brass have access. Those places aren't ones you can infiltrate at will."
Madara shook his head, rejecting White Zetsu's suggestion.
He knew Konoha's defense system well.
The outer Perception Barrier is only to defend against outside threats, so they can quickly come up with corresponding tactics and eliminate foes.
But the information archives that only the Intelligence Department and Hokage-level leaders can access have their own defenses, very different from his time in Konoha.
White Zetsus might not have trouble infiltrating, but getting out is the real issue.
Konoha Anbu are deadly to White Zetsu.
If they're captured in Konoha, their structure will be studied and secrets from his side leaked.
At such a critical time, Madara doesn't want unnecessary complications.
"So what should we do? Make more White Zetsu and deploy them for defense?"
White Zetsu grew troubled.
"Of course. I still have plenty of Hashirama's power left here. I plan to use the Divine Tree and Hashirama's flesh to create several special clones. That previous battle, they probably came to scout us out. Once they know our strength, next time won't be so easy—they'll be aiming to deliver a fatal blow."
Madara had a strong premonition of this.
"No wonder they retreated halfway through the fight," Tobi said, disappointed.
"That's only part of it. Tobi, your information has been leaked. Now, both sides have exposed part of their trump cards, but neither knows which deadly cards the other still holds."
"So in that case, we have some advantage, right?"
White Zetsu naïvely assumed this.
"No. We're at a severe disadvantage."
"Huh?"
"Idiot, the fact they found this place means your previous movements have all been tracked by the enemy. That kid, Uchiha Obito—the other side most likely knows your purpose. Worse still, maybe something about Nagato has also been exposed. Remember, one White Zetsu sent to monitor Nagato disappeared without warning before, didn't he?"
Madara shot White Zetsu a cold glare.
Hearing Madara say this, cold sweat broke out on White Zetsu's back.
He couldn't imagine just how much vital intel had already been exposed on their side.
Obito wasn't so critical, but Nagato was Madara's most important piece—nothing could go wrong there.
"So... So, Lord Madara, what do we do now?"
White Zetsu was now thoroughly panicked. They'd always been so calm because they operated entirely in the shadows—hard for anyone to notice.
But once you're spotted, and even part of your purpose has been discovered, that's the worst outcome.
If the enemy decides to make a move on those two fronts, with Tobi and White Zetsu's abilities, there's no way they can handle it.