Chapter 171: Madara Uchiha's Base

Konan and Yahiko, having arrived at Mount Myoboku, finally saw Nagato, and at the same time, they also saw the aged and massive Great Toad Sage.

There was no need to say anything at all; the mere existence of the Great Toad Sage, with that massive physique and terrifying chakra, was enough to intimidate the trio and make all three of them behave obediently.

In the time that followed, Nagato was taken by the two toads who had mastered Sage Art, Fukasaku and Shima, to practice Sage Art, while Konan and Yahiko followed Jiraiya to learn about the group of toads on Mount Myoboku and learned how to summon these toads to coordinate with their own ninja art systems.

The toads of Mount Myoboku have many uses and can be considered the most versatile among the three great sacred sites; whether it is direct combat, sealing, concealment, or reconnaissance, they are capable of all of it, greatly compensating for the shortcomings of Konan and Yahiko.

But the one who made the most progress was still Uzumaki Nagato!

Nagato himself possessed the Sage Body of the Uzumaki Clan; otherwise, he would not have been able to bear the drain of the Rinnegan. It can be said that in terms of talent for Sage Mode, Nagato was far stronger than Jiraiya, rivaling the Senju Hashirama of the past.

Moreover, although the Rinnegan drained the chakra within Nagato's body, in reality, these eyes, which condensed the highest level of Yin-Yang Release, were also of great help to Nagato in practicing Sage Mode.

In the original work, Madara Uchiha was eventually able to easily seize the Immortal Art Chakra within Senju Hashirama's body, which absolutely could not have been separated from the help of a pair of Rinnegan; from this, the effect of the Rinnegan can be seen.

In three months, Uzumaki Nagato could already easily enter Sage Mode. Because of the nourishment of the Immortal Art Chakra, his original Sage Body had also taken a step forward, and even in his normal state, his ability to withstand the Rinnegan had increased significantly.

Uzumaki Nagato simply could not unleash the power of the Rinnegan, so under the current circumstances, as long as Uzumaki Nagato's physical endurance increased, his strength would naturally grow.

When Jiraiya brought his three disciples back to the Land of Rain through the Summoning Technique again, the four of them were already full of confidence.

Hearing the four words "bug feast," the faces of Yahiko and the others turned a bit green. Although Jiraiya had found an excuse to leave, the food on Mount Myoboku... it could only be said that it was packed with protein and very nutritious.

If he entered Sage Mode, Uzumaki Nagato could even unleash one or two large-scale Rinnegan ninja arts like Super Shinra Tensei or Chibaku Tensei without any loss!

Although Mount Myoboku had some intention of treating Nagato and the others as cannon fodder, they were not ambiguous in teaching ninja arts and providing contract assistance. It could be said that in a short time, the trio, especially Nagato, had been reborn and had surpassed his strongest period in the original work.

The stronger the ninja art, the more life force it drained; just like the original Uzumaki Nagato using the smallest Chibaku Tensei, about half of it belonged to chakra and half belonged to his life force.

While speaking, this ninja named Tobi also glanced at Jiraiya, and Jiraiya chuckled and stretched his back:

"Ah, I've been eating the bug feast of Mount Myoboku every day during this time, and I've eaten so much that I want to vomit... I'll go out first to find a restaurant to enjoy a real feast!"

"Lord Nagato, Lord Yahiko, Lady Konan, you have finally returned!"

Having seen the strength Nagato displayed, Jiraiya even felt that the Ninja World Asura and the God of Shinobi of the past probably only had this level of Power Level! With Nagato's help, dealing with a mere Uchiha wouldn't be easy?

Tobi chuckled and said:

"The three leaders certainly wouldn't have guessed that when we were excavating the underground base, we discovered a secret base left behind a long time ago underground. It was actually the secret base left behind by the legendary Madara Uchiha!"

However, ninjas have always been unwilling to refuse these desperate ninja arts; many times, even if they risked their lives, they could still keep half a life, and if they didn't risk their lives, they would be GG on the spot.

And now, in a desperate situation, he could already use Tengai Shinsei, which was also half chakra and half life force—but the chakra required for Tengai Shinsei was seven or eight times that of a small Chibaku Tensei, and the life force consumed was naturally the same.

"Three lords, you would never guess what happened after you left."

Yahiko, who had returned to the Ninja World, tilted his head, took a look at the dancing ninja in front of him, and said:

"Alright, Tobi, don't keep us in suspense here. What exactly happened?"

"We aren't too sure about this either, but we did indeed find many ninja art scrolls inside, and even discovered some strange white artificial humans. According to our inquiries, that place is indeed the secret base of Madara Uchiha, and Madara Uchiha even stayed there five or six years ago!"

Just as the four of them had returned to the Land of Rain, the Akatsuki organization had already received the news, and the ninja disguised as Black Zetsu found them directly.

Even in his normal state, the current Uzumaki Nagato could use some normal-type ninja arts like Shinra Tensei and Bansho Ten'in without consuming life force.

"Madara Uchiha? How could he leave a base in the Land of Grass? I don't remember the Uchiha Clan ever coming to the Land of Grass?"

On this basis, consuming life force for a bonus would make the power unleashed even approach that of the Rinnegan-wielding Madara Uchiha—of course, even if Uzumaki Nagato's physical condition was much better, he would probably only be able to unleash one or two ninja arts before being drained into a dried husk.

"Good news, great news, leaders. We have discovered the secret base of a legendary ninja."

After a long while, the three of them recovered from the "aftertaste" of the bug feast and looked at the ninja named Tobi again:

"Alright, Teacher Jiraiya has already left. Whose secret base was discovered? You can say whatever you want now!"

Yahiko, the most knowledgeable of the three, frowned, feeling a bit strange, and Tobi shrugged:

"It's becoming more and more unbelievable. Everyone knows that Madara Uchiha has been dead for decades..."

Yahiko shook his head with an incredulous look. Although he didn't go to school much when he was young, he had heard of the battle at the Valley of the End between Madara Uchiha and Senju Hashirama!

How could a dead person who had been dead for decades suddenly appear in the Land of Grass a few years ago?

"Oh, Lord Yahiko, why do you care whether it's Madara Uchiha or not? Go and study the ninja arts in that base first! The ninja arts inside are all very profound. According to our judgment, even the weakest ones are B-Rank ninja arts, and there are seven or eight S-Rank ninja arts!"

"And those white artificial humans are also very peculiar, possessing very strong life force, and there are even artificial humans who can use Wood Release!"

Seven or eight S-Rank ninja arts, artificial humans who use Wood Release? Why is it getting more and more outrageous? Yahiko looked at the high-spirited Tobi, very suspicious of whether someone had used Genjutsu on him.

But Tobi was, after all, the fourth-ranked ninja in the Akatsuki organization, and he was a Jonin with decent strength, so ordinary Genjutsu shouldn't be that powerful, right? Could what he said be true?

The three of them were half-believing and half-doubting, and followed Tobi, soon arriving at the so-called secret base.

This base was built 30 meters underground. As soon as they walked in, the three of them frowned, revealing unpleasant expressions.

On the stone table in the base, there were some strange-looking pieces of meat, and on the rock wall, there were also some Three-Tomoe Sharingan that had been dug out, placed in glass containers.

"This is human experimentation? Three-Tomoe Sharingan... could it really be related to Madara Uchiha?"

Seeing the things in this secret base, Yahiko actually believed Tobi's words. The owner of this base, even if it wasn't Madara Uchiha, should have had a close connection with the Uchiha Clan.

For so many years, the Sharingan of the Uchiha have rarely flowed out; the vast majority were consumed within the clan. Originally, there was also the Root that secretly collected some, but now that the Root has been destroyed, it is hard to imagine that there are so many Sharingan outside, except for those within the Uchiha Clan.

And it couldn't be an ordinary Uchiha; at least it would have to be an Elder or someone like that to collect so many Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Just as the three were still visiting the base, suddenly, several white figures emerged from the ground of the base:

"Oh, someone else is here!"

"Are they here for a group tour? Do they know what poop feels like?"

"Look at the eyes of that red-haired one, aren't those the Rinnegan that once belonged to Lord Madara?"

What!?

The three of them turned their heads and looked at the white figures that had suddenly appeared, their faces full of astonishment.

Firstly, these strange white figures had a very subtle aura; rather than being human, they were more like plants. Even though the three of them were not easy people, they hadn't discovered the other party's existence at the beginning at all.

Secondly, it was the problem discussed by these white freaks... the Rinnegan is related to Madara Uchiha?

"You guys, what are you talking about?! The Rinnegan is related to Madara Uchiha?"

Involving the issue of Nagato's Rinnegan, the one who reacted the most was not Nagato, but Yahiko. He flashed directly in front of the white figures and asked with a frown.

"Ah, he should be Lord Madara's successor! That's why Lord Madara gave him the Rinnegan."

"It is a pity that Lord Madara Uchiha is already dead, and there is no way to continue teaching him."

"What on earth is going on?!"

Yahiko grabbed a white freak and asked with great impatience.

"Uh... it is like this..."

A white freak who looked slightly more serious and intelligent began to explain to the trio.

"After the battle at the Valley of the End, Lord Madara Uchiha faked his death through a Secret Technique to deceive Senju Hashirama, but he himself was also severely injured and had to implant the flesh and blood of Senju Hashirama to recover from his injuries."

"A long time later, after fusing with the flesh and blood of Senju Hashirama, Lord Madara obtained powerful Yang Release chakra, which fused with his own Mangekyo Sharingan, Awakening the most powerful Rinnegan!"

"Unfortunately, Lord Madara was already aged at that time, and the Rinnegan placed too great a burden on him; having no other choice, Lord Madara could only transplant these eyes to his successor."

"Originally, Lord Madara was prepared to wait until his successor was an adult before teaching him, but it is a pity that before the plan could even begin, Lord Madara was sought out by a descendant named Uchiha Feiyu, and then he was finished off."

"Uh..."

After hearing this, Nagato and the others looked at each other in dismay. Originally, they suspected some kind of conspiracy, but the sudden twist in the last sentence really shook their originally heavy moods into a state of awkwardness.

Although in the words of these white freaks, Madara Uchiha regarded Nagato as his successor, Nagato and the others were not three-year-old children. Having struggled in the Ninja World for so many years and having founded the Akatsuki organization—the second largest in the Land of Rain—they were long past being naive.

No matter how one looked at it, Madara Uchiha's various actions were full of the atmosphere of a conspiracy. The Rinnegan he left for Nagato was likely not just for Nagato to be his successor; there should have been other purposes and backup plans.

But in the end... Madara Uchiha had not even executed any of his plans before he was attacked by that Uchiha Feiyu and directly finished off; it was truly a case of a grand start and a pathetic finish.

Calming his mood slightly, Yahiko looked at Nagato and asked:

"Nagato, do you think these freaks are telling the truth?"

Nagato gently touched his eye sockets, was slightly silent for a moment, and nodded with some disappointment:

"I believe the explanation of these freaks. My Rinnegan... is indeed very strange. If they were eyes that had been transplanted from the start, that would indeed explain many things."

In fact, there were many problems with the Rinnegan that Nagato was not unaware of; for example, it was very difficult for him to develop the potential within the Rinnegan, and he even had to burn his life force to fully unleash the power of the Rinnegan. Furthermore, his Rinnegan could only be kept open and could not be closed, which was completely different from other eye-based Bloodline Limits.

It was just that the Rinnegan had become a legend a thousand years ago, and no one had Awakened it for so many years. Because it was an isolated case, Nagato had attributed these to the unique nature of the Rinnegan.

Now it seemed that this was really not a problem with the Rinnegan itself; if one explained it by saying the Rinnegan was transplanted, it actually conformed more to common sense.

In the Ninja World, there had been many examples of transplanting special eyes, and the recipients were generally unable to fully unleash the potential of the eyes. Moreover, after being transplanted, the eyes would remain in an activated state and consume a large amount of chakra, which was very similar to Nagato's current state.

Comparing it this way, Nagato naturally had an idea in his heart. As for why he had no memory of the Rinnegan transplant—given his age when he Awakened the Rinnegan, if someone had tampered with his memories, he would have had no way of discovering it.

Yahiko glanced at Nagato and spoke slowly:

"Nagato, don't be disappointed yet. We still can't be entirely certain that these eyes belong to Madara Uchiha. You white guys, do you have any other evidence?"

"As for evidence, Lord Madara has quite a bit of research on the Rinnegan; you can go and take a look!"

(End of this chapter)