Three red, three purple, three blue, one black.
In comparison to Madara: four red, three purple, four blue, one green, two gray, one black.
Kei completely dominated except for the black attributes. The effects seemed reliable overall, not truly negative in the strictest sense. However, in other aspects, the difference between him and Madara was still significant.
"He is really strong..." Glancing at the opportunity to duplicate a trait, he hadn't yet decided on a target.
Madara's Wood Release trait had directly fused into [Yin-Yang Primordial Fusion {Residual}].
At the time, when given a choice, he naturally selected [Sage Body]. Now that he had another chance to duplicate a trait...
"Should I go back and learn Edo Tensei?" Kei placed a hand on the storage scroll at his waist, which contained Madara's blood-soaked soil.
A tempting thought began to take root in his mind.
After all, the original Edo Tensei by Tobirama wasn't particularly powerful. As long as proper preparations were made, once the summoned target appeared, a sealing jutsu combo could be used immediately.
That should make things manageable, right?
"Damn it! They're running faster than rabbits!" A shadow clone emerged from the ground, carrying two unconscious White Zetsus, one in each hand. Casually tossing the White Zetsus onto the ground, it immediately began rummaging through its pockets.
More shadow clones returned one after another from underground.
A total of over forty White Zetsus were thrown onto the ground.
Various sealing scrolls, training scrolls, and intelligence scrolls were gathered in large numbers. Additionally, three pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan, preserved in special sterile containers, were retrieved by the clones.
Kei toyed with one of the sterile bottles containing a three-tomoe Sharingan, then nudged the Uchiha Flame Fan at his feet with his toe, causing it to flip up. He casually tossed it to a nearby clone for sealing.
Unlike the Sharingan, which couldn't be openly displayed, the Uchiha Flame Fan was a valuable item.
Even if he personally had little use for it, he could still trade it with the Uchiha clan under the guise of "obtained during a mission" in exchange for other valuable resources.
The Uchiha clan, an elite shinobi family that had survived since the Warring States period without ever declining, was just as wealthy and powerful as the Senju.
The captured scrolls were sorted and sealed into storage scrolls.
The forty-plus White Zetsus were given the same treatment.
For most living creatures, being sealed in a storage scroll meant instant death.
But White Zetsus, being more like plant-based lifeforms, had survival abilities that surpassed even cockroaches.
They wouldn't die even after ten days or half a month.
"The Uchiha clan really is tragic."
Kei tucked the small glass bottle into his robes.
For most shinobi, having a Kekkei Genkai wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Just look at how many three-tomoe Sharingan he had seen so far?
They died, and then someone dug out their eyes. Not only did outsiders covet them, but even their own clan members did.
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!
After processing all the spoils, the shadow clones dispelled one after another.
Seeing this, Kei also undid his Steam Danger Explosion Clone.
Then, using Flying Thunder God Technique, he followed the imprints left behind by his clones and teleported to the location of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
The Gedo Statue, towering like a small mountain, had already been relocated over fifty kilometers away into a forest thanks to the tireless efforts of his clones.
Its legs were folded in a lotus position, its hands forming a lotus seal, and all nine of its eyes remained tightly shut. The eerie aura it exuded, both natural and sinister, had long since frightened away any weak creatures nearby.
"Now what do I do with this?" Kei circled the statue, arms crossed, feeling a massive headache.
Sealing it? His sealing techniques were weak, and a creature of this size was completely beyond his capability. Not to mention, those with Rinnegan had the ability to summon the statue.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, even after Obito absorbed it into his body, Madara still managed to forcibly summon it away. If he left it here, he was certain that it wouldn't take long for Black Zetsu to find it and relocate it again.
After discussing with his clones, Kei, unwilling to leave empty-handed, used the Water Severing Slash to cut off two horns from the statue and sealed them into a scroll.
Then, with the help of two clones, he covered every inch of the Gedo Statue with Flying Thunder God marks. One clone even went inside its mouth and marked the entire interior.
"Alright, time to go."
With everything done, Kei summoned his falcon.
After resting and regaining most of its strength, Pidgeot took off, carrying him in the direction of the Land of Lightning.
---
Meanwhile, in a dark underground cavern over a hundred miles away from the Mountains' Graveyard, Black Zetsu sat gloomily on a chair that once belonged to Madara.
The surrounding White Zetsus chattered noisily about the recent battle, laughing and joking without a hint of sadness or fear.
As if they weren't the ones who had nearly been wiped out just moments ago.
"Konoha! Yamanaka Kei!"
Black Zetsu ran his finger over the intelligence scroll in front of him, his narrow, black-triangle eyes narrowing even further.
While Madara remained hidden behind the scenes, secretly manipulating Kiri and watching over the entire shinobi world, they had been tirelessly gathering intelligence on various villages.
Wherever someone went, they left traces behind. No one who had ever existed in the shinobi world could have left no footprints at all.
By analyzing expertise in the Flying Thunder God Technique, genjutsu, and Water Release, he eliminated all unqualified candidates.
After multiple rounds of deduction, he finally identified Kei.
Even though the target had always disguised himself using Tobirama's external features, and even though his immense chakra reserves didn't match the typical Yamanaka clan lineage… But when all other possibilities were ruled out, only one answer remained.
Five years ago, he withdrew from the battlefield of the Second Great Ninja War, using his war achievements and clan connections to obtain the Flying Thunder God Technique.
For five years, he remained completely silent, working in the Analysis Team.
One month ago, he was transferred out of the department by the Third Hokage and assigned to a regular team as a jonin instructor.
His first mission? An S-rank classified operation.
Even White Zetsu hadn't been able to obtain enough information about it.
"All my years of effort… How could I let you destroy them?! Mother..." Black Zetsu gritted his teeth, staring at the intelligence scroll on the table, as if he wanted to burn a hole through the name "Kei" with his gaze alone.
"You were just cursing someone just now, right? If you only say 'Mother,' people might misunderstand."
A White Zetsu leaned in beside him. The words nearly made him cough up blood.
"Ah, Tobi! You were the first to run away just now, weren't you?!"
Black Zetsu turned around, glaring murderously at Tobi, who had an unusually serious expression. He wanted nothing more than to smack this idiot to death.
Was he cursing just now?! He was mourning his dear mother, damn it!
"I was just following your example! You dived underground even faster than me!" Tobi saluted, showing no sign of guilt for running away.
"..."
Black Zetsu's rage was boiling over.
Kei... when staring at Madara, his gaze had subtly swept over him multiple times. And after he had burrowed underground, Kei had actively searched for him for quite a while.
If Black Zetsu wasn't so confident in how well he had hidden his identity, he might have genuinely suspected that the guy knew something about him.
Otherwise, why had he been so fixated on him?
"Senpai?"
Tobi spoke up again in confusion.
"The Mizukage has a special seal on him. If Madara dies, the seal will immediately kill him. You and I need to go to Kiri—things mustn't spiral out of control!"
"Yes!"
"The rest of you, go find the Gedo Statue immediately. Once you locate it, bury it underground for now. In some time, we'll decide which base to move it to."
Black Zetsu stood up from the chair and issued his orders to the gathered White Zetsus.
"Eh? Why should we listen to you?"
"Isn't it nice to be free? I haven't even experienced what it feels like to eat food yet."
"Yeah, yeah! Or to poop!"
"It seems like it must feel really good! I mean, humans always look happy when they do it!"
"I've also seen some with painful expressions, though."
"I really want to try it! Hey, why don't you make a hole in me, so I can test it out?"
Within just a few sentences, the White Zetsus had completely derailed the conversation, devolving into chaos.
"SILENCE!"
Black Zetsu's eyes gleamed with menace.
As beings created by Kaguya, he needed only a single thought, and all the White Zetsus froze, unable to move. They were mass-produced soldiers, created by Kaguya herself.
And even though he was just an incomplete Yin-Yang construct, he still held absolute control over them.
Seeing the White Zetsus staring at him in confusion, he finally spoke again. "From now on, I am Madara! You will obey my every command! Do you understand, you idiots?!"