What the people of Konoha didn't know was that not only Danzō, but also another person had been closely watching Shin.
In a hidden corner of the shinobi world, deep within a massive underground cave, a shadowy figure was reporting something to an elderly man sitting before him.
"That's the situation. Mito and Tsunade seem to have gone mad for some reason and are insisting on protecting Shin," the shadowy figure concluded his report and fell silent, quietly awaiting the decision of the man.
Indeed, this was none other than Madara.
His hair was completely white now, and his face was wrinkled with age. He looked old and frail, no longer bearing the arrogance and dominance of his youth. He sat silently on a stone chair, eyes closed in meditation. His back was pierced with numerous black tubes, all connected to a terrifying, grotesque statue looming behind him.
Upon closer inspection, one could see life-energy-rich chakra flowing through the tubes into his body, sustaining his vital signs.
Seeing him remain silent, the shadowy figure, Black Zetsu, grew anxious and asked again, "What should our next move be?"
At this, the corners of Madara's mouth lifted slightly. He slowly opened his eerie eyes. His eyes were light purple, with faint concentric patterns.
These were not yet fully evolved Rinnegan, but they had already taken shape. It wouldn't be long before the full transformation into Rinnegan was complete.
"You're saying that he is in a relationship with Hashirama's granddaughter?"
"Yes!" Black Zetsu nodded. "Based on my observations, that appears to be the case."
He didn't understand human love, but seeing Shin and Tsunade glued together day in and day out, even he could draw the conclusion.
"Hahaha..." Madara let out a soft chuckle. "Don't you think that's a good thing?"
"A good thing?" Black Zetsu was confused. "If this continues, he may never leave Konoha. What about our plan?"
The plan he referred to was, of course, the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Originally, Madara himself was meant to be the main figure in that plan. Guided by Black Zetsu, he had willingly walked into the trap, even implanting Hashirama's cells, and was now on the verge of awakening the Rinnegan.
But neither of them had expected it would take so long for the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to evolve into the Rinnegan. As a result, Madara had aged significantly.
Even if he did awaken the Rinnegan, his life was now entirely dependent on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, making it nearly impossible for him to collect the tailed beasts and become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki.
So they had come up with an alternative.
They would find a young Uchiha and somehow twist his heart, making him utterly loyal to Madara and committed to the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Once such a candidate was found and successfully brainwashed, Madara would unplug the tubes from his back and embrace death.
The chosen successor, under Black Zetsu's guidance, would act in Madara's name in the shinobi world and safeguard the Rinnegan.
When the time was right, he would begin gathering the tailed beasts, eventually implant the Rinnegan, and use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to resurrect Madara, who would then become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki and complete the Eye of the Moon Plan.
For years, Madara had been searching for a suitable successor from the Uchiha clan, but in his eyes, none were good enough. The only one who seemed promising was Shin, who had been expelled from the Uchiha clan.
Although this man was far from perfect, and even Madara himself found him hard to read, he had no better options left. So he decided to give it a try.
"As long as the girl is alive, he likely won't leave," Madara said calmly. "But what if she dies?"
Black Zetsu suddenly understood. "If Tsunade dies, Shin will surely be devastated. With no one left to protect him, conflict with Konoha's higher-ups will be inevitable. That's when our chance will come."
Madara chuckled softly but said nothing. His thoughts were far more complex.
Shin was indeed flawed right now, but if his brother and his lover were both to die in front of him, despair would push him into darkness. At that point, reality would force him to become the perfect candidate.
"How are things going over in Kiri?" Madara suddenly asked.
"All is well. The Third Mizukage remains under control, and Kiri is still within our grasp," Black Zetsu reported. "Madara-sama, do you intend to start a war between Kiri and Konoha?"
But Madara shook his head and said, "Ever since Gengetsu died, Kiri has declined. They're no match for Konoha. If war were to break out now, it would be entirely one-sided. Right now, I can't leave the Gedo Statue, nor do I want to expose myself to the world. You alone aren't enough to make a move, so we must plan carefully."
"Understood!" Black Zetsu was also excited at this point.
He didn't care about war or who lived or died, he only cared whether the Eye of the Moon Plan could be successfully carried out.
---
Meanwhile, in Konoha, Tsunade had returned to the hospital in a much better mood after having a heated argument with Koharu.
Shin was there too, but his spirits were low. He felt no joy at having narrowly escaped death.
"Shin… are you… are you okay?" Tsunade asked cautiously.
She was genuinely afraid that Shin would completely cut ties with her. Just thinking about how she had almost caused his death sent chills down her spine.
How could she have been so foolish?
"What's there to be okay about?" Shin sighed. "I just barely avoided disaster again, just like five years ago. But if I can dodge the first day of the lunar month, can I dodge the fifteenth? It's only a matter of time."
"There is a way!" Tsunade said firmly.
"What way?" Shin gave a self-deprecating laugh, as though he'd lost all hope in life.
Tsunade walked out of the office, looked around to make sure no one was nearby, closed the door, locked it, and then walked over to him.
"What are you doing?" Shin instinctively hugged himself and leaned back in mock fear.
"You jerk…" Tsunade gritted her teeth, pulled a scroll from her cloak, and threw it at Shin with a glare before returning to her seat.
"What's this?" Shin curiously opened the scroll, and his breathing grew slightly rapid.
Because it was Tsunade's self-created battle technique: Super Strength Jutsu.
Everyone knew she was nearly invincible in the shinobi world thanks to her Chakra Enhanced Strength. Few could match her in combat.
"Thank you… but I don't need it." Shin stood up and tried to return the scroll to her.
Tsunade also stood, pressing her hand against the scroll and shaking her head. "I almost got you killed. You have to accept this."
Because both were standing and leaning slightly forward, the distance between them was less than a foot. She immediately blushed and lowered her head, but her eyes accidentally landed on Shin's lips.
At that moment, a strange urge to bite them suddenly struck her.
Startled by her own thoughts, her face turned bright red as she quickly sat back down, lowering her head and not daring to look up again.