*Chapter 225: I Admit It*

Uchiha Obito’s eyes gleamed with a crimson light as he stared at the Konoha ninja in front of him.

These were Danzo’s subordinates, yet they carried a will so strong that they’d rather die than betray him.

But this kind of willpower was nothing in the face of Obito.

Black Zetsu slowly took over the opponent’s body, and amidst the Root ninja’s gasp, his hands quickly formed seals.

A burst of runes spread from beneath his feet, enveloping the living person before him.

Then!

With a scream of agony, the man’s body began to undergo countless changes.

A flicker of emotion crossed Black Zetsu’s eyes—Uchiha Madara had finally been successfully summoned.

Black Zetsu was now at his wit’s end, having completely exhausted his advantages.

Originally, he had a Rinnegan, a Mangekyō Sharingan, and the powerful Akatsuki organization at his disposal.

But somehow, the Akatsuki had been dismantled by a single person.

Now, Black Zetsu felt cornered!

He harbored grievances, wanting to pour his heart out to someone.

But his mother was on the moon, so there was no one to confide in.

The only one he could turn to now was Uchiha Madara.

“Madara!”

Uchiha Obito’s expression was filled with complexity.

He really didn’t want to resurrect Uchiha Madara using Edo Tensei.

But he had no other choice left.

He had lost his Mangekyō, and even the Rinnegan had slipped from his grasp.

Uchiha Madara was now their last card.

“Hm?”

Uchiha Madara slowly opened his eyes, sensing something unusual.

This wasn’t the Rinne Rebirth technique!

If he had truly been resurrected, how could he still see anything?

After all, his eyes were supposed to be in the possession of that boy Nagato.

“Lord Madara, this is the Edo Tensei technique!”

Black Zetsu noticed Madara’s confusion and quickly explained.

“Why didn’t you use Rinne Rebirth to revive me? Has something gone wrong with the plan?”

Madara looked calmly at Obito, though there was a hint of surprise in his gaze.

He remembered that the eye Obito was missing wasn’t the one he currently had.

Did he change it just for fun?

Under Madara’s strange gaze, Obito felt uneasy.

But he suppressed his discomfort and explained everything that had happened recently.

He even detailed the situation with the Akatsuki, his trip to Konoha, and the Uchiha clan’s defection from the village.

Everything was laid out for Uchiha Madara.

As for his own actions, Obito felt he had done nothing wrong.

He had simply gone to Konoha by accident and been discovered and used by Uchiha Raijin.

He had gone to Konoha again by chance and was found by Kakashi, who took advantage of the situation to steal his eye.

None of this was his fault—it was because Konoha and the Uchiha clan were full of cunning traitors.

“…”

For the first time, a look of astonishment crossed Madara’s cold, stern face.

To be honest, he couldn’t imagine how someone could lose both the Rinnegan and a Mangekyō Sharingan.

So, this was the successor he had chosen? An indescribable feeling of disappointment welled up within Madara.

“Interesting. So this is the new generation of the Uchiha clan? I didn’t expect there to be someone with such boldness after my departure.”

“To leave such a filthy place as Konoha—it seems this guy made the right decision, even splitting off a part of the clan?”

“It looks like a lot of interesting things have happened in Konoha!”

A proud smile appeared on Madara’s face. He held only a hint of admiration for Uchiha Raijin.

Honestly!

Although Uchiha Raijin had done many intriguing things and even disrupted Madara’s entire plan, Madara never considered the young man an enemy.

After all!

He was someone who had the Rinnegan and had reached the level of the Sage of Six Paths.

Even the likes of Hashirama Senju back in the day were only a source of amusement for him.

To Madara, Uchiha Raijin was nothing more than a petty clown.

Even if Raijin had stolen his Rinnegan, so what?

Raijin probably didn’t even realize that the Rinnegan still had a master.

“Lord Madara, there’s no trace of Uchiha Raijin anywhere in the ninja world.”

“Previously, some individuals with potential ties to him surfaced, but they too have vanished without a trace.”

“Even if we wanted to find him, it would be difficult. We were forced to seek you out.”

Black Zetsu nervously explained to Madara, fearing he might endorse Raijin’s ideology.

After all, Black Zetsu had spent considerable effort aligning Madara’s thinking with his own.

If Madara’s beliefs were to shift now, Black Zetsu would be at a loss for words.

“Hmph, no need to worry. Even if the Rinnegan is far away, there’s still a connection between us.”

Madara closed his eyes and made a hand seal, using his chakra to sense the location of the Rinnegan.

But after a long pause…

Under the expectant gazes of the two men, Madara’s eyes slowly opened with a hint of confusion.

He!

He couldn’t find the Rinnegan.

The Rinnegan was no longer anywhere in the ninja world.

As long as the Rinnegan was on this planet, Madara should have been able to sense its presence.

But!

Even with his powerful chakra, there was not the slightest trace.

“Lord Madara, how did it go?”

“I can’t find it! It’s gone!”

A flash of murderous intent flickered in Madara’s eyes.

His hope for revival now seemed truly out of reach.

His original plan was in shambles.

Uchiha Madara now felt a burning desire to kill someone.

Especially the two people standing before him.

“Maybe my power is still incomplete. Take me to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. With its power, I should be able to find it.”

“I admit it—this Uchiha brat is more surprising than I expected.”

Madara spoke with a grave tone.

It was as if his Rinnegan had vanished into thin air.

If Black Zetsu weren’t his confidant, Madara would be strangling Obito right now, demanding answers.

This fool’s momentary negligence had completely shattered their hopes.

Even if they were to gather all nine tailed beasts and place them into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, no one would be able to control it.

While his Edo Tensei body could manage the statue temporarily, his original plan was to become the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki.

He was supposed to gain power on par with the Sage of Six Paths, then make a grand entrance as the world’s unique savior.

To bring true peace to this war-torn world.

But now, with the disappearance of the Rinnegan, Madara’s dreams had taken a devastating blow.