Chapter 137: Hope

White Zetsu! Shut up!

Madara, seated on the stone chair, spoke up; having not spoken for too long, his voice had become hoarse and unpleasant.

Yuzhibo Dongshilang, apparently the genius who successfully awakened the Sharingan at age eight, if I recall correctly, he is the grandson of the one governing that girl~

He slowly turned his head a bit, moving his neck which had grown stiff from lack of movement.

This old man began to turn his thoughts, starting to recall the family junior he had been focusing on.

At the same time, the other's data surfaced in his mind without any error.

Even Dong Shilang's blood relatives, he knew them like the back of his hand, and this also awakened some memories buried deep in his mind.

Has it really been that many years? Even the grandson of the one governing that little girl has slowly grown up……

He let out such a sigh, for a moment he fell into silence, beginning to recall bits and pieces of the past, making the entire underground space so quiet that a pin drop could be heard~

However, this reverie didn't last long before being interrupted by a noisy sound.

Madara…… do you know what it means to feel the urge to defecate?

Even though his mindset could now be described as calm as an ancient well, he momentarily felt a headache.

【When I created this guy, did something happen that I don't know about~】

Otherwise, why would these guys created after Black Zetsu turn out so……

Could it be that my subconscious longs for someone to keep me company?

……

After a long silence, ignoring White Zetsu's nonsense, Madara Uchiha directly asked: 'Has Dong Shilang gone out to sea? Have you heard why?'

He did not ask the White Zetsu beside him, but rather the Black Zetsu that grew increasingly grim and terrifying in this dark environment.

Compared to White Zetsu, this, the first thing I created, appears far more normal.

He's out seeking a spirit beast!

No nonsense, the mastermind behind the Ninja World, at this moment carefully accompanying Madara in performing this play he wrote and directed himself.

But his voice is truly unpleasant.

It's as if his throat isn't vibrating vocal cords but a large handful of coarse sand rubbing together, producing the sound.

Is that so? No need to worry too much~

Dong Shilang doesn't realize, but he has already entered Madara's sight; if he knew, he'd surely become as harmless as a quail……

Madara…… compared to the other candidates…… this Uchiha Dong Shilang…… is undoubtedly the best among them…… do you have a plan for when to start acting?

Possessing another White Zetsu, Black Zetsu posed his question with his unique voice.

The choice of successor to replace Madara is of utmost importance; he must be cautious, for it concerns whether he can successfully rescue 'Mother'.

A candidate……

We still need to see if there's anyone more suitable than this little brat……

Whether to choose the grandson of that former family junior as the executor of his plan, he momentarily couldn't decide.

This family junior named Uchiha Dong Shilang, from every angle, is nearly perfect as the plan's executor.

In strength, perseverance, wisdom, character, etc., he far outshines the other candidates.

But such people have their own ideas; they're generally hard to control, even adding a puppet control seal isn't safe.

After all, the Uchiha possess the forbidden technique Izanagi, and that child is moreover the grandson of the Uchiha who created Izanami, so there's no guarantee he won't break free of control.

How did the Uchiha Obito you asked me to watch turn out last time?

Each of the Uchiha children who have recently graduated or are about to graduate has a file here; I occasionally check them to find backup targets.

This time my choice must be made with extreme care; although Black Zetsu is an embodiment of my will, he himself has little combat power, and a single misstep could waste all these years of effort……

I know! I know!

At this moment, the long-neglected White Zetsu spoke up~

That guy! He's stupid~ a complete dead-last!

All day he fantasizes that after awakening the Sharingan he'll win the affection of his beloved girl~

He also never pays attention in class, always late, the reason being helping old folks cross the road and such……

Is that so! Actually he's not a bad candidate……

……

Having a beloved girl, yet always liking to help old people, the key being he's not very smart; all together, he's quite a satisfactory candidate for him!

But who knows, just how much potential this kid can unleash……

At this moment Dong Shilang doesn't realize that merely because of his one voyage, in some unknown corner of the Ninja World, he has caused an old man to suffer from decision paralysis……

At this moment, he is diligently practicing Senjutsu.

And what he relies on is a characteristic of the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

When a Shadow Clone returns to the main body, it brings back not only fatigue, memory, and experience, but also any unused chakra.

Of course, this is when the Shadow Clone is dispelled normally; if it is broken by external force, what returns to the main body are only some memory and fatigue and the like.

The remaining chakra then dissipates into the air.

This is relatively reasonable; if a shattered Shadow Clone could still return its chakra to the main body, then by the same logic, after using Ninjutsu, could the chakra that was consumed also return to the main body?

That is obviously impossible; otherwise, Naruto would never have a moment when his chakra is completely exhausted~

Given his Nine-Tails jinchuriki's chakra amount, if chakra could automatically return to the main body after being used, then even using countless Shadow Clone Jutsu and kneading countless rice balls would never exhaust it……

When Dong Shilang discovered this trait, his imagination ran wild: since a shattered Shadow Clone's chakra naturally dissipates into the air,

then when I attempt to cultivate Senjutsu, if I use Shadow Clone Jutsu for training, at the first sign of trouble I will immediately shatter the clone.

Would this not prevent natural energy from running amok and thus avoid harming myself!

The future crown prince can cultivate Senjutsu using Shadow Clone Jutsu, and so can I!

And the only problem is, after natural energy enters the Shadow Clone Jutsu's body, is it still the same as chakra, and after the Shadow Clone Jutsu is defeated, will it also dissipate in the air like that~

Even if something unexpected happens, as long as the total chakra of one's main body exceeds that on the Shadow Clone Jutsu, the natural energy on the Shadow Clone Jutsu returning to the main body and neutralizing will also carry no risk of losing control~

The success of this experiment gave him endless motivation.

Hope lies in the distance, glory awaits on the other shore……