Uchiha Madara: "Each time the Gedo Statue absorbs a Tailed Beast, one of its eyes opens. When all nine are open, the Ten-Tails will be complete."
Namikaze Minato: "So… does that mean you'll be taking back the Nine-Tails from Naruto too?"
Lucas: "Why not? It won't hurt him anyway. The role of a Jinchūriki was forced on him. Are you sure he enjoys being treated like a monster?"
Namikaze Minato: "Sigh… I suppose you have a point. So when are you coming to Konoha to retrieve the Nine-Tails' chakra?"
Lucas: "Not yet. The Nine-Tails' chakra is too massive, and the Gedo Statue is still weak. I'll absorb a few more Tailed Beasts first—then I'll deal with the Nine-Tails."
Lucas created a shadow clone and had it take Yagura—who had just had his Three-Tails' chakra extracted—back to Kirigakure. Before leaving, Lucas had placed a Flying Thunder God seal in Kirigakure, allowing instant travel.
Kirigakure
Lucas appeared near the Mizukage Building, carrying the sealed Yagura. Immediately, a squad of Kirigakure Anbu surrounded him, their weapons drawn. Moments later, Terumi Mei stepped forward, now wearing the Mizukage's hat.
It seemed she had officially become the Fifth Mizukage.
Lucas smirked. "Hello, Mizukage-sama."
He casually tossed the unconscious Yagura toward the Anbu. "As promised, your Fourth Mizukage is back."
Mei's expression was unreadable. "You took the Three-Tails from him?"
Lucas chuckled. "Yep! But don't worry, I left him a little bit of Tailed Beast Chakra. He won't die from it. Sure, you lost a Tailed Beast, but you still get to keep a Kage-level ninja. That's a fair trade, right?"
Mei frowned. "Even so… Yagura made many mistakes. He was controlled, yes, but that won't stop people from demanding justice."
Lucas shrugged. "Not my problem. Whether he lives or dies, Kirigakure will have to deal with the consequences."
Mei signaled her Anbu to take Yagura away before crossing her arms. "What exactly are you trying to accomplish by collecting the Tailed Beasts?"
Lucas grinned. "Take a guess."
Mei narrowed her eyes. "I like mysterious men… but you—"
POOF!
Before she could finish, Lucas's body turned into smoke—his shadow clone had disappeared.
Mei froze.
Her eye twitched.
"...That bastard only sent a shadow clone?!"
Her fingers clenched into a fist, her aura flaring.
"He dismissed himself before I even finished talking?! Am I that unattractive?!"
Furious, Mei stomped away, seething.
Amegakure – Akatsuki Base
Lucas strolled toward Kakuzu, his tone lighthearted. "Kakuzu, since the Akatsuki is under my control now, you don't have any objections, right?"
Kakuzu glanced at him and immediately shook his head. "None whatsoever."
Lucas smirked. That was smart.
Kakuzu had never been loyal to Nagato in the first place—he had been recruited by force. The moment Nagato submitted, Kakuzu saw no reason to resist. He was a practical man—as long as he could make money, he didn't care who the boss was.
"Of course, no problem!"
A voice suddenly chimed in, playful and amused.
A pitcher plant-like figure emerged from the ground, its two-tone face grinning widely.
"Hello~! I'm a member of Akatsuki—Zetsu. I fully support your leadership."
Lucas turned his gaze toward Zetsu, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Oh? You approve of me taking over the Akatsuki?"
Zetsu nodded. "Your strength surpasses Nagato's. Since even he acknowledged you, there's no reason to resist. The strong should lead."
Lucas's smile didn't fade. "You sure? I thought you were supposed to be the incarnation of Uchiha Madara's will. Didn't I just mess up Madara's grand plan?"
Zetsu let out a small laugh. "Madara's plan? That was just one possibility. Plans change—our true goal remains the same: to fulfill his dream."
Zetsu's gaze shifted toward the Gedo Statue. "You want to collect all the Tailed Beasts, right? A powerful weapon to enforce peace across the ninja world—that's what Madara wanted too. Why would I oppose you?"
Lucas scoffed. "Peace through powerful weapons? How cliché. Let's cut the nonsense—I know about Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Silence.
Zetsu's smile didn't waver, but his eyes flickered ever so slightly.
Lucas smirked. "What's wrong? Surprised I know about it?"
After a brief pause, Zetsu chuckled. "Impressive! You even know about Infinite Tsukuyomi. That saves me the trouble of explaining."
Lucas crossed his arms. "Enough with the games. Tell me the truth."
Zetsu's expression turned serious. "I oversee Akatsuki's intelligence network. Kakuzu manages finances. Between the two of us, we control the organization. While the other members are strong, they're just fighters—I can easily reach them if needed."
Lucas nodded. "Good. That means I'm in charge now."
Lucas leaned against the massive Gedo Statue, arms crossed, his mind processing the next steps.
"Speaking of which," he said, turning to Zetsu, "how much information have you gathered on the Tailed Beasts?"
Zetsu's eerie dual voice responded smoothly. "Basically, I've mapped them all out. Aside from the Three-Tails you sealed in the Gedo Statue, the others are as follows:
One-Tail, Two-Tails, Seven-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails are still within their respective Hidden Villages.
Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Six-Tails roam freely outside the villages—I can pinpoint their locations."
Lucas grinned. "Good. You'll take care of Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Six-Tails. The ones inside the villages are more complicated—I'll handle those personally."
Zetsu hesitated for a moment before responding. "Are you sure? Even if we exclude the villages, dealing with three Jinchūriki is no easy task."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You afraid?"
Zetsu quickly shook his head. "Of course not! In fact, with Kakuzu, Juzo Biwa, Sasori, and Orochimaru, we have more than enough manpower to take them down."
Lucas smirked. "Then quit whining and get to work. Here—take these."
He tossed Flying Thunder God Kunai to each of them. "When things get dicey, just channel your chakra into the kunai, and I'll teleport over."
Zetsu took the kunai and nodded. "Understood."
[Chat Group]
Senju Tobirama: "Hah! Uchiha Madara, your so-called 'will' is pretty hilarious!"
Uchiha Madara: "Hmph. That thing was created from YOUR cells, Tobirama. Of course, it looks hideous."
Senju Hashirama: "Oi! Why am I suddenly involved in this?"
Uchiha Madara: "I wasn't talking about you—just stating facts."
Senju Hashirama: "Well… now that I think about it, Madara, your 'will' doesn't seem very loyal to you. I feel like they've already betrayed you."
Senju Tobirama: "What do you mean, 'feel'? It's obvious! They've already sided with Lucas."
Senju Hashirama: "But didn't they do it to fulfill Madara's dream?"
Senju Tobirama: "Brother, don't be naïve. Madara's dream was to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi himself and rule as the god of the ninja world. His so-called 'will' clearly doesn't care about that."
Uchiha Madara: "…"
For a brief moment, Madara felt a sliver of hope—a belief that his will incarnation was only deceiving Lucas temporarily and would still resurrect him when the time came.
But then, reality sank in.
Even if he were resurrected, what then?
Lucas was too powerful.
On top of that, Madara had already given his Rinnegan to Lucas. And even if he hadn't, Lucas had already obtained his original Rinnegan anyway. Combined with the Sage Body from Senju Hashirama, Lucas had long since surpassed him.
Hopeless.
Madara let out a deep sigh of frustration.
Lucas: "@Uchiha Madara, you feeling depressed?"
Uchiha Madara: "No sht! Half a lifetime of hard work, endless planning—ALL OF IT WASTED. Wouldn't you be mad if you were me?*"
Lucas: "Not really. Because your efforts were meaningless from the start. You thought you controlled Uchiha Obito's fate, but the truth is—you were also being controlled."
Senju Tobirama: "Controlled? By who?"
Madara : "What do you mean?"
Lucas smirked. "@Madara, let me ask you something—what is Black Zetsu?"
Madara scoffed. "The creature you saw earlier—that pitcher plant thing. The white half is White Zetsu, which I created using Hashirama's cells. The black half—Black Zetsu—is an extension of my will, made using Yin-Yang Release. It's my creation. Are you suggesting that Black Zetsu manipulated me?"
Lucas: "First, let me correct you—you didn't create either of them. Both White Zetsu and Black Zetsu have existed since ancient times. Just like the Uchiha Stone Tablet, they were already there before you 'discovered' them. And you, my dear Madara, were merely deceived."
Uchiha Madara: "…No. I don't believe it."
Doflamingo: "Fufufufu! Oh, this is too good! Madara, the so-called mastermind, was just another puppet!"
Howard Stark: "*Let's see… Uzumaki Nagato, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu… It's like a Russian nesting doll of manipulation. Each one thinking they're in control—only to find out someone else is pulling their strings."
Fire Fist Ace: "Damn, that's actually a perfect analogy!"
Lucas chuckled. "@Uchiha Madara, I know you don't want to believe me. But don't worry—you will, sooner or later. If you don't believe me, then maybe you'll believe it when Black Zetsu himself admits it."
A long silence followed.
Then—
Ding! Uchiha Madara has sent an exclusive red envelope (Uchiha Fire Style Techniques Compilation) to Lucas.
Ding! Uchiha Madara has sent an exclusive red envelope (Sharingan Pupil Techniques Compilation) to Lucas.
Ding! Uchiha Madara has sent an exclusive red envelope (Complete Uchiha Combat Techniques) to Lucas.
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Well, well. What's this for?"
Uchiha Madara: "…If you can, let Black Zetsu tell me the truth."
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