"He's already made it to the Land of Water. This guy's really a pain… What should we do?"

"Kill him…"

Madara sat beneath the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, expression as calm as still water.

Kanda Kyoichi was indeed a genius, but throughout history, geniuses had never been in short supply. Madara had seen many more troublesome than Kyoichi—and where were they now?

All dead.

So...

He wasn't in a rush. As long as he had the Demonic Statue, he wouldn't die. His location was extremely well hidden, practically at the seams of the world, making discovery nearly impossible.

Black Zetsu remained silent.

He felt Madara was being overconfident. From what he knew of Kyoichi, that kid was seriously unconventional. Things others couldn't do… that guy just might pull off.

Take White Zetsu for example—

Black Zetsu had once thought it impossible for anyone to catch a White Zetsu. And yet, somehow, that kid had captured one.

Almost alive, at that.

"You disagree?"

"I think that kid is trouble. We can't treat him like an ordinary threat. If we underestimate him and it backfires, things could get really messy. Losing Kirigakure is one thing, but if he tracks us back here or gets some wild idea…"

"A mere junior… to think he could give me such a headache… Fine, let's send Kakuzu and the others. They're already in the Land of Water anyway. I'm sure they'll be quite happy for a shot at revenge."

With that, Madara closed his eyes and said no more.

In his mind, Black Zetsu was like another version of himself—so if even Black Zetsu was feeling uneasy, it probably meant he was subconsciously worried too.

That made Madara reflect.

He shut his eyes, and memories of the past began to resurface.

He was getting old…

If it were the Madara of his youth, he wouldn't be sweating this. If Kanda Kyoichi dared show up, he'd kill him with a flick of his wrist—no need for intricate schemes or manipulation.

But unfortunately...

Though he had survived, he'd become this half-dead, ghost-like thing.

Madara sighed inwardly.

Nagato had grown significantly, but his eyes hadn't reached their full potential. He still couldn't use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. Otherwise, all this effort wouldn't be necessary.

As for the Uchiha members they'd brought back...

Sure, one or two had potential, but compared to Madara's generation? Laughable. They were no match. Even a non-Uchiha like Nagato could wipe the floor with them. Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan seemed like a distant dream for these brats.

None of them were reliable.

If push came to shove, he might have to resort to drastic measures and forcibly retrieve Nagato's eyes.

At least…

That way, he could control the outcome himself.

Madara thought through everything and gradually calmed down.

---

Kyoichi had anticipated the appearance of other enemies, so he had already sent an intel report to Namikaze Minato, requesting backup.

But what he didn't expect was—

Before long, he sensed a special presence entering his range.

Kakuzu.

Because Kyoichi had secretly marked Kakuzu with a Flying Thunder God seal long ago, he could instantly detect the moment Kakuzu moved closer to Kirigakure.

Kakuzu too, huh?

So they were in on it together.

Which meant—

Madara already knew he was in the Land of Water. And now he was sending people to take him out—trying to keep him permanently in the Land of Water.

Well, fine…

That saved Kyoichi the effort of hunting them down. But—

Kakuzu was just a hired thug. It was almost impossible to trace Madara's main hideout based on Kakuzu alone.

Still, based on the direction he came from, Kyoichi could roughly estimate where their previous hiding place had been.

"Kakashi, strong enemies may appear shortly. At their level, you may not be able to participate. You're free to leave now if you want."

Kyoichi said this seriously.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, glanced at Kurenai and Shisui, then clenched his teeth and said, "Sensei, we're not leaving. Even if we tried, we probably wouldn't make it out safely."

"In that case… be ready to fight with everything you've got."

Kyoichi smiled faintly.

Shisui was speechless.

As expected of Sensei…

Always setting bait with casual remarks—testing their resolve and judgment.

"Here's the situation: aside from unknown enemies within Kirigakure, there may also be S-rank missing-nin like Kakuzu and Sasori of the Red Sand. They're far stronger than you think, so give it your all."

"Don't die."

Kyoichi's face was grim.

Kakashi's current strength was already on par with a jōnin, but that depended on the opponent.

And guys like Kakuzu and Sasori...

Even Kakashi might struggle—let alone Shisui and Kurenai, who were still below his level.

Then—

Kyoichi began explaining the known intel on Kakuzu and Sasori.

These were documented in various intelligence files.

"Five masks, five hearts... What a terrifying technique. And to think, as you said, he's survived since the First Hokage's era…"

Kurenai was instantly confused.

If he'd been around since Hashirama's time, he'd be at least in his 60s or 70s now.

And given that he wasn't exactly young even back then—having fought the First Hokage—he had to be 70 or 80 by now. How could someone that old still have such terrifying strength?

That wasn't medically sound!

"It's likely tied to his secret technique. But don't worry about Kakuzu—I'll handle him. The real problem is Sasori of the Red Sand. Be extremely careful. He's a master at cutting down the weak."

Kyoichi's expression was serious, but the others struggled to hold back a chuckle.

Master of cutting down the weak?

That… actually sounded about right.

Sasori's specialty was puppetry. Against someone like Kyoichi, it would be useless—but against them, he'd be devastatingly effective.

"I suspect he's even turned his own body into a puppet. According to Byakugan reconnaissance, his chakra flow is highly irregular. So don't aim for typical vital points—they might not exist."

"Also, I suspect the Third Kazekage was killed by him. Based on rumors that he studies human puppetry, I'm inclined to believe he still has the Third's puppet."

Kyoichi explained thoroughly.

Puppet masters were both dangerous and fragile.

If you avoided all their attacks and traps, the only real threat left would be poison. So long as Kyoichi covered the basics, he trusted in their abilities.

The three nodded slightly.

Now that they had proper intel, their fear of Sasori diminished.

When ninja fight, the enemy's power isn't the scariest thing—ignorance is.

That's why information is so valuable.

Truthfully—

With Kyoichi's current strength, he could easily take on both Kakuzu and Sasori at once.

His abilities countered theirs far too well.

So far, aside from a fully powered Madara or the alien Ōtsutsuki, there weren't many people who worried him—not even Yagura as a Jinchūriki.

He'd already captured Roshi. Why fear Yagura?

Three-Tails was strong, but strength was relative.

At least for now, Kyoichi didn't consider a "Three-Tails Jinchūriki" worth his concern—especially since Minato had just replied, confirming he'd already set out with reinforcements.

The entire team was jōnin-level.

Besides Minato himself, there were Might Duy, Shirakumo Hayama, and Hyūga Hiashi.

Additionally, from Konoha's borders, Mukai's ANBU squad had also set off toward the Land of Water.

However—

Kakashi's group was still at risk, because Kyoichi's potential opponents didn't just include Kakuzu, Sasori, or Yagura. He might even have to face the Third Mizukage and his subordinates.

And on top of that—

Kyoichi was aiming to capture White Zetsu alive.

Honestly, it wasn't going to be easy.

But...

It was worth the risk.

For now, Kyoichi still had the upper hand. White Zetsu hadn't yet discovered his wood clone hiding nearby. When the time came, he could strike and make the capture.

***************************

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