Chapter Seventy-Five: The Act of Peering

Kato Mikaze’s soul avatar slipped silently from the white cocoon room and continued to explore deeper into the base. Following the web of tree branches and roots, he soon arrived at a cavern even more vast and imposing than before.

Inside, his gaze was immediately drawn to the colossal creature seated cross-legged at the center, towering so high it nearly touched the cavern’s ceiling. Several of the thickest roots entwined throughout the chamber were connected to this monster, sprouting directly from its body. The creature simply sat there, unmoving, yet its presence pressed against the air with waves of peculiar oppressive energy.

Its skin was wooden, resembling decayed and withered bark, complementing the damp, fetid atmosphere of the cavern. Through his soul’s perception, Kato sensed the immense, active life force emanating from the monster, creating an eerie and dangerous impression.

The creature was the Outer Path Golem, the shell of the Ten Tails. Kato recognized it instantly.

Carefully avoiding the roots and shrinking his soul’s energy as much as possible, Kato circled around the back of the Outer Path Golem and came to its front.

...

After so long sneaking inside, Kato finally encountered living beings within the base. Just ahead of the Outer Path Golem, a spot resembling an operating table was flanked by a set of unfamiliar equipment. Twelve thick tubes extended from the machinery—six connected to the table, six to the Golem. The apparatus had a rough, makeshift look, as though forcibly cobbled together.

Some of the tubes seemed strangely familiar, especially the copper ones. Wasn’t it only recently that he’d seen similar pipes somewhere? Then it struck him: they looked just like the rainwater pipes lining the streets of Hidden Rain Village. Was White Zetsu always so crude and reckless in his work?

Several white figures busied themselves around the table and equipment: White Zetsu clones, recognized by Kato’s soul sensing technique from the cavern entrance.

Among them, a particular figure caught Kato’s attention—a grizzled old man with gray hair, a frail, sagging body, and scant clothing barely covering his lower half. He lay on his side upon the table, while several White Zetsu clones manipulated tubes behind him.

Despite his aged, nearly naked body, the most striking feature was his eyes, wide open in agony.

They bore no pupils, only concentric circles radiating outward from their centers.

His clenched jaw, flushed face, and frequent groans made it clear he was enduring tremendous pain.

‘The Rinnegan! Madara Uchiha! A weakened Madara Uchiha!’

Upon realizing it was the frail, Rinnegan-eyed Madara, Kato’s soul avatar felt a surge of impulse to dart forward and end Madara’s life then and there. If he could slay this notorious villain, perhaps the shinobi world would be spared much turmoil, and he could live peacefully with Tsunade, wandering the land together.

Fortunately, Kato suppressed that reckless urge. Apart from the obvious question of whether killing Madara would truly bring lasting peace, there was the practical concern—could he even defeat a Rinnegan-wielding Madara? Not to mention the presence of others in the base, including the Outer Path Golem.

He doubted anyone would simply stand by and watch him attack Madara.

...

There was another unusual figure standing beside the table, also drawing Kato’s attention. Unlike the ordinary White Zetsu clones, this one was half-black, half-white, with a green, serrated pitcher plant protruding from the neck down to the shoulder.

Black and White Zetsu.

Aside from its distinctive coloring, this clone wore some clothing, unlike the others who were completely nude.

Kato dared not let his soul avatar approach too closely, instead hiding in a distant, shadowy corner to observe. He trusted his soul avatar’s concealment, but with the Outer Path Golem, Black and White Zetsu, and the Rinnegan all present, he couldn’t afford to be careless. Any of them could possess keen sensory abilities. Who could say whether the Rinnegan might detect him? He’d nearly slipped when entering the cavern; now he was even more cautious.

...

In truth, Kato’s soul avatar could withdraw now. He’d seen all he needed and gained the crucial information he’d sought. The intelligence he’d gathered confirmed his greatest suspicions about this trip to the Land of Rain.

Having penetrated so deeply, and with Madara and his subordinates occupied by urgent matters, Kato couldn’t resist probing further for details about Madara.

He manipulated his soul avatar, maintaining its hidden presence, and carefully expanded his sensing range toward the table and equipment.

Fragments of conversation drifted over.

“...ss...hmm...”

Madara’s groans of pain.

A White Zetsu clone standing behind Madara, holding a tube, addressed him:

“Lord Madara, are you feeling better now? This is my second time inserting a tube for you—I’m already quite practiced.”

“The last time you needed a tube, some idiot kept fumbling around, doing it over and over. Truly clueless. My technique must be much more comfortable for you.”

“Hope I can serve you again next time. Skilled hands, twenty years of professional tube-handling—I guarantee satisfaction!”

‘...Did I walk into the wrong room? Am I still at that high-end club, entertaining the elders from the ancient valley?’

‘A pitch-black, enclosed space; an old, frail man lying on a small bed; surrounded by white-skinned, handsome youths, all nearly naked; the youths handling tubes behind him...’

‘Something here feels distinctly... off.’

Shaking off the confusion, Kato steadied his mind and continued to observe.

The explosive remarks nearly broke his composure, almost causing him to lose control of his soul’s concealment and expose himself.

...

PS: New author humbly asks for support, recommendations, and favorites.

This chapter was posted with great caution, revised again and again—last time, the previous chapter was locked away.

Bless me, Tsunade my beloved!

The new cover is finally visible. Gentlemen and ladies, do you like it?