Zetsu moved with incredible speed, consuming very little chakra. Kakashi, trailing behind, cursed his own fatigue inwardly.
He hadn't had a chance to rest or resupply for a full day and night. Their path cut through endless forests and plains, deliberately avoiding any signs of civilization – not a single soul in sight. Did this strange being Zetsu sustain himself purely through photosynthesis? Kakashi wondered bitterly.
"How much further?" Kakashi asked, his voice strained.
"Almost there," Zetsu's chilling voice replied, sending a shiver down Kakashi's spine. Suddenly, Kakashi felt as though he'd passed through some kind of barrier; a probing sensation washed over him, raising goosebumps on his skin.
Zetsu placed a hand firmly on Kakashi's shoulder and guided him down into the earth.
A vast, cavernous space opened before them.
Kakashi looked up, his gaze drawn to the overwhelming presence of the Gedo Mazo. The colossal statue stood impassive, devoid of joy or sorrow, like a deity gazing down upon mortals.
Beside him, an ancient, rasping voice echoed.
Beneath the hollow shell of the Gedo Mazo sat a frail old man, countless tubes connected to his back. Kakashi could clearly sense the potent chakra flowing through them, pulsing with a vibrant life force.
Chakra.
The very thing Kakashi desperately needed.
This old man, Uchiha Madara – a stubborn relic clinging to life, hiding away in this subterranean refuge all this time.
"How did you survive?" Madara's voice rasped.
Through the information Zetsu had relayed, Madara knew this peculiar boy should have died. The Uchiha descendant originally intended as a temporary pawn had been set aside. Zetsu, initially planning to intervene and save Kakashi, had instead witnessed the silver-haired youth emerge unscathed from an encounter with numerous Iwagakure shinobi.
"They were weak. That's why I survived," Kakashi stated flatly.
"Interesting."
Uchiha Madara had faced countless life-or-death situations himself. While this boy was certainly remarkable, he wasn't yet enough to truly capture Madara's full attention.
What truly intrigued Madara was Kakashi's body.
"There's something... special within you. Your cells possess unusual vitality, despite your pitifully low chakra reserves."
"Sorry my chakra's so low," Kakashi retorted, the comment striking a nerve. It was a sore point he couldn't ignore.
"Your left eye... would you like to replace it with a new one?" Madara offered.
"No need."
"A Sharingan. I will modify your body, grant you sufficient chakra to wield its power properly."
"No need," Kakashi repeated firmly.
Madara's visible eye twitched slightly. It was the first time he truly focused his Sharingan on the boy before him.
"Young man, vigilance is commendable. But do you understand what you are refusing?"
"What am I refusing?"
"Power. No one refuses power."
"I prefer to gain strength through my own efforts."
Kakashi lied. If he hadn't known the truth about this cunning old fox, he might have actually accepted the offer.
Uchiha Madara cracked a terrifying, skeletal grin, followed by a pair of harsh coughs.
"You truly are interesting. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you? Fewer than five people in the entire shinobi world know I'm still alive."
"Then soon there will be one more," Kakashi countered coolly.
Zetsu, sensing Madara's summons from behind Kakashi, silently melted into the earth, reappearing moments later before the ancient Uchiha.
"Take this boy to Kirigakure," Madara commanded.
"Understood."
Kakashi was bewildered. Uchiha Madara was surprisingly more agreeable than he'd expected. But having clearly rejected the offer, why send him to the Village Hidden in the Mist?
"You feel no sense of belonging to Konoha."
As if reading his mind, Uchiha Madara provided the answer.
Kakashi cleared his thoughts, forcing himself not to dwell on anything else. The pressure emanating from the old man was immense. Until he could be certain Madara couldn't directly probe his memories, it was wiser not to resist.
Besides, the chances of winning a fight here were virtually zero.
He felt his own weakness acutely once again, a feeling not experienced since his father's death, when as a child he had confronted Danzo and the Third Hokage.
I have to get stronger.
I must become much stronger.
A notification suddenly materialized in his mind:
「 Mission: Save the Despairing 」
「 Rescue 1000 people displaced by war 」
「 Success Reward: Chakra Capacity +10 Units 」
「 Failure Penalty: Chakra Minimum -3 」
「 Note: Those who save others are not gods. 」
Chakra Minimum -3?
Startled by the sudden mission prompt, Kakashi quickly did the math. His current chakra level was 3.6. A penalty would drop it to a mere 0.6.
The situation was dire.
Zetsu led Kakashi out of the underground chamber. Their entire visit had lasted less than half an hour.
A White Zetsu clone inquired of Madara, "Why not just implant the Sharingan in him directly?"
"Power forced upon someone isn't true strength," Madara rasped. "Only through the growth of his spirit will he truly understand what power means."
"Besides," Madara added thoughtfully, "he didn't seem surprised by who I am. He never asked my name."
"He isn't the ideal candidate for the plan. Not yet, at least."
"What about the Uchiha brat?"
"He has returned to Konoha. His Sharingan has awakened three tomoe. He's currently heading towards the front lines between Konoha and the Land of Earth."
"A pity."
Uchiha Madara slowly closed his eyes. His current state was too depleted to luxuriously keep even his transplanted Sharingan active for long.
Stepping back onto the surface, the damp air and thin mist immediately told Kakashi he had arrived in the Land of Water.
The fog here was unlike any he had ever encountered. It seemed almost alive, flowing uniquely, clinging low to the ground as it spread.
A white expanse merged sky and earth, obscuring everything.
Zetsu produced a Kirigakure forehead protector and tossed it onto the ground.
Kakashi picked it up, wiping it with his hand. Faint traces of its previous owner's blood still stained the metal.
"No one in Kirigakure will ask your name," Zetsu said. "Put on the protector. A slaughter is about to begin."
"Slaughter?"
"The Ninja Academy's graduation exam. All candidates participate in a battle royale. Only those who survive become shinobi."
"How long until it starts?"
"Now."
A kunai zipped past Kakashi's nose. Zetsu let out two low chuckles and vanished back into the earth.
The killing had already begun.
Sensing numerous chakra signatures closing in around him, Kakashi clenched his fists. His objective was to save people, not kill them.
Exhausted from the long journey and starving, his body screamed for rest. He had already consumed his last soldier pill. If he wasn't careful in this unfamiliar terrain and environment, he could genuinely be overwhelmed by these fresh academy graduates.
A sharp, somewhat childish scream pierced the fog, followed by the sickening sound of a blade cutting flesh.
Kakashi moved towards the sound, and the scene that greeted him left him speechless.
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