12dz Chapter 879 Fear
Chapter 879 Fear
A rare hint of apprehension flashed in Ban's cloudy eyes: "Your talent is indeed remarkable, but that's not the real reason I want to kill you. What truly threatens me is your heart."
"You are as cunning as an old ghost who has been lurking in the dark for a hundred years. Every step you take is calculated, and every breath you take is a weighing of pros and cons. More importantly, your ambition is too great. A person like you will never be willing to be anyone's pawn. You want to control your own destiny, and even control the world."
Madara's voice suddenly turned cold: "My plan cannot afford the slightest mistake, nor can it tolerate another Uchiha who wants to be a 'god' interfering. Your existence is a huge variable, a time bomb that could explode at any moment. Rather than keeping you alive to gamble on that one in ten thousand chance, it's better to extinguish this spark of yours completely now."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hai felt no fear; instead, he laughed. His laughter was cold and clear, carrying a worldly-wise wisdom and a touch of mockery.
"In the end, you're still scared."
Zhang Hai took a step forward, his chakra erupting without reservation, displaying the confidence of a peak expert: "You chose to use this illusion to waste words with me instead of coming out in real form to fight, which means you know that you have no chance of winning right now. You are stalling for time, you are running away."
"Uchiha Madara, you've really gotten old."
Zhang Hai's Mangekyou Sharingan slowly rotated, as if scrutinizing Madara's decaying soul: "In these three days, even if you used every means to eliminate the traces, your aura can still be traced in my eyes. Orochimaru once said that time will decay everything, even gods. The former Asura of the Shinobi World is now nothing more than a pitiful old man who can only hide in the gutter and threaten his juniors with his words."
These words were like a resounding slap in the face, striking Madara Uchiha's proud pride.
However, Madara did not fly into a rage. Instead, an extremely eerie, even despicable, smile appeared on his face.
"Poor old man?" Madara shook his head, his tone filled with nauseating malice. "Junior, you're still too green. Do you know why I haven't touched that little girl named Terumi Mei yet?"
Zhang Hai's body stiffened abruptly, and his rising momentum instantly froze.
"Looks like I guessed right." Madara looked at Zhang Hai's reaction with satisfaction. "That time, to protect her, you didn't hesitate to activate Susanoo and risk your life. That look in your eyes, that reckless attitude... tsk tsk, it was truly touching."
“Since I want to kill you, and I can’t beat you right now…” Madara deliberately emphasized those words, his tone dripping with sarcasm, “then I’ll try a different approach. Starting with that little girl, I’ll eliminate everyone you care about, one by one. I wonder if, when you see that pretty face of hers turn into a pile of rotten flesh, you’ll still be able to talk to me so calmly about ‘time’ and ‘decay’?”
"you dare!"
Zhang Hai roared, his killing intent almost tearing the cave's dome off. But at the same time, his mind was in turmoil.
He knew Madara wasn't joking. This man, who had once betrayed everything for power, had no moral compass whatsoever. If he continued to entangle himself with that ethereal phantom, or pursue the true form whose whereabouts were unknown, then what about Mei Terumi…?
This is exactly the effect Madara wanted. Winning hearts and minds is the best policy; it's a poison more deadly than any ninjutsu.
"Humph!"
Zhang Hai snorted coldly, and without any hesitation, his figure instantly transformed into a blur and disappeared from the spot. He gave up on continuing to track Madara's true form, even though he knew it was Madara's diversionary tactic; he couldn't gamble with Mei Terumi's life.
Looking in the direction where Zhang Hai disappeared, Bai Jue, who had been hiding underground, poked his head out.
"Lord Ban, you scared him away like that? I thought we were going to fight." Bai Jue said with some regret. "However, that kid seems quite cold-blooded. I didn't expect him to care so much about a woman."
Ban's illusory figure began to become transparent, a cold smile that seemed to see right through human nature playing on his lips.
"No matter how cold, selfish, or calculating the Uchiha clan may appear on the outside, they will become the most foolish madmen if you touch the curse called 'love' deep in their hearts."
“That brat named Zhang Hai wants to grasp everything, control everything, and protect everything. This greed will surely lead him to lose everything in the end.” Ban’s eyes flashed with malice. “I look forward to that day, to watching him wail in agony from losing everything. That will be the most beautiful symphony.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the mirage-like illusion vanished completely, leaving only White Zetsu letting out a strange laugh in the empty cave.
Meanwhile, a hidden underground chamber was located dozens of kilometers away from the mountain cemetery.
There was no light here, only a few candles casting a faint glow. The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood and herbs.
An old and withered figure stood before a stone bed; it was none other than Madara Uchiha in his true form. Though he appeared frail and aged, a final madness burned within his Sharingan eyes, adorned with three tomoe.
Lying on the stone bed was a emaciated, red-haired youth—Nagato Uzumaki.
Nagato was in a deep coma with his eyes closed. He had forcibly summoned the Gedo Mazo in Amegakure to fight against the combined forces of Hanzo and Danzo. Although he had unleashed astonishing power, he had also paid a heavy price. His legs were completely paralyzed, and his life force had been frantically drained by the Mazo, leaving him looking like a dried-up corpse.
"So this is the brat with the Rinnegan..." Madara looked down at Nagato, his eyes devoid of any pity, only the coldness of a scrutinizing tool. "Although his physical functions are severely damaged, he is barely adequate as a vessel for the Gedo Mazo."
"Lord Ban, everything is ready."
Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows, a sinister smile on his yin-yang face. "That kid named Zhang Hai has been lured away and won't find this place anytime soon. We can begin."
Dianban nodded, and gently placed his withered hand on Nagato's forehead, feeling the fluctuations of the Rinnegan's power.
“Although Zhang Hai is a variable, it is precisely because of his coercion that I had to initiate this move ahead of schedule.” Ban’s voice was hoarse but firm. “As long as we control these eyes, the so-called variables will be nothing to fear.”
"Let's begin, absolutely."