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Uchiha Madara raised an eyebrow and stood up from his recliner, turning to White Zetsu with a curious expression.
"What kind of trouble are these two villages planning?"
"Lord Madara, the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Rock Village have long-standing enmity. This time, it seems the Hidden Cloud plans to take advantage of the Hidden Rock's weakened state to launch an attack against them.
As for the Hidden Leaf Village, it appears they became enraged during their battle with the Hidden Rock. The Hidden Leaf has pushed deep into the border of the Land of Wind, and it looks like the two sides are preparing for a major confrontation!"
Madara tilted his head, pondering this information.
In the original storyline, the progression of the Second Ninja World War involved the Hidden Leaf invading the Land of Wind while the Hidden Cloud invaded the Land of Earth. It was surprising—no, astonishing—that even with Uchiha Madara present, the four great villages still intended to follow the same path!
But in truth, it didn't matter to him. They could fight however they pleased.
The only thing that concerned Madara now was his lack of capable subordinates.
The disposable Yū-nin (the cannon fodder) were not worth mentioning—how could mere pawns be considered true subordinates? White Zetsu was one reliable subordinate, but where could he find more competent hands?
As Madara thought about it, his mind turned to the members of the Akatsuki from the original story.
The leaders—Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan—were still far from reaching their prime. In terms of age, most of the younger members of the Akatsuki were still unknown. Only two stood out as exceptional at this point.
Yes, Kakuzu and Orochimaru!
Kakuzu was a veteran from Madara's own era—a long-established figure in the ninja world.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, was still developing. After Madara had bestowed upon him and his peers the title of the Sannin, Orochimaru's reputation had begun to rise. However, his abilities were still insufficient for what Madara required.
Overall, it was still too early.
Most of the strong individuals from the original story only rose to prominence after the Third Ninja World War. Currently, the renowned powerhouses were mostly tied to their respective hidden villages, making recruitment nearly impossible.
With this in mind, Madara turned to White Zetsu and said:
"White Zetsu, there is a missing-nin from the former Takigakure in the ninja world—a wandering shinobi named Kakuzu. This man is extremely difficult to kill and can use all five elemental natures. His strength is extraordinary, and he is from my era—he has survived until now using secret techniques. Do you know of him?"
White Zetsu lowered his head in thought.
"I think I have some impression of him."
"Good. White Zetsu, keep an eye out for information about this guy. If you find him, try to make contact. Extend my invitation to join me and make it clear that if he agrees, I will appoint him as the Minister of Finance. He will oversee the financial affairs of the Hidden Universe Village!"
"Finance!? Let him handle it!?"
"Precisely. You don't know this, but Kakuzu is obsessed with money—a man who values wealth above all else!"
"I understand, Lord Madara. So, what will you do next?"
Walking to the floor-to-ceiling window of his office and gazing southwest, Madara's lips curled into a faint smile.
"I... plan to pay a visit to the Land of Wind!"
"The Land of Wind? The Hidden Sand Village? Lord Madara, though its territory is vast, it is almost entirely desert. Its national strength and military power are the weakest among the Five Great Nations and their hidden villages. Why go there?"
"There are valuable things even in the desert—and what lies there is exactly what I need..."
After staying quiet for a few days, Uchiha Madara grew restless once more. He left behind a wooden clone in the Hidden Universe Village to maintain order and handle administrative matters while he secretly departed, heading toward the Land of Wind.
So, what exactly did Uchiha Madara need in the Land of Wind?
The answer was... the Dragon Vein!
Yes, the massive chakra vein hidden beneath the ruins of Loulan in the Land of Wind. It was said that if this chakra vein were misused, it could potentially destroy the entire land!
Though Madara believed this claim was exaggerated, he estimated it might be capable of obliterating half of the Land of Wind.
Since awakening the Rinnegan, Madara had discovered what could be considered a minor weakness within himself.
While his chakra reserves had always been immense, after awakening both the Wood Release and the Rinnegan, he found them insufficient for sustained combat.
Both the Rinnegan and Wood Release required vast amounts of chakra to utilize effectively, and Madara's current reserves couldn't sustain prolonged battles.
Of course, there was no one in the current ninja world capable of engaging Madara in such a prolonged fight, so this "weakness" was negligible at best.
Nevertheless, the shortage of chakra had become a limitation—one that Madara refused to tolerate. He began searching for ways to increase his chakra reserves.
The most direct solution would be to seal a tailed beast within himself, providing an immediate boost to his chakra supply.
But Madara had no intention of becoming a jinchūriki. Instead, he set his sights on the enormous Dragon Vein chakra hidden beneath Loulan in the Land of Wind!
If he could absorb this massive chakra vein, Madara's power would undoubtedly soar!
With his goal in mind, Madara donned a black robe and crossed from the Land of Universe into the Land of Wind.
The environment of the Land of Wind was indeed harsh—endless sandstorms, barren lands, and scarce resources. No wonder the Hidden Rock Village often picked fights with the Hidden Leaf; living in such poverty while watching their neighbors prosper would leave anyone feeling unbalanced!
Madara loathed traveling through the desert—it was uncomfortable and arduous.
But did someone with the Rinnegan need to worry about such trivialities? He simply flew!
By skillfully manipulating repulsion and attraction forces, Madara glided effortlessly above the desert. Flying above the sands allowed him to avoid the scorching heat while clearly observing the terrain below—it was incredibly convenient.
Thus, Madara flew across the skies of the Land of Wind, searching for the location of Loulan.
However, what Madara didn't expect was that before finding Loulan, he would first encounter the ongoing battle between the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Sand!