The Days of Being the Richest Man in the Ninja World

Chapter 65. Talking About Dancing? I'm Wide Awake!

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Uchiha Obito.

A fool who, deep down in his heart, harbors nothing but love and kindness for the world.

But it was precisely this quality that caught Uchiha Madara's attention. Otherwise, with so many geniuses in the ninja world, why would he have chosen a dropout?

Originally, according to his plan, he would let this boy gradually forge bonds and attachments during the war. Then, through a series of carefully orchestrated events—by doing this and that, and then this and that—he would manipulate the boy to believe in him and be controlled by him.

After all, not just anyone could serve as a substitute for him, Uchiha Madara!

Yet now…

He had only taken a short nap.

The simple-minded fool he had chosen for his outstanding qualities had become… this? What on earth had the boy experienced during this time? Was the decay of the ninja world really accelerating this rapidly?

He had barely had a chance to act!

Uchiha Madara took a deep breath, attempting to steady his emotions. Glancing at the spiral-faced White Zetsu, who had just pulled himself out of the ground again, he asked flatly, "So, the plan… has gone wrong?"

"It's not exactly wrong, Madara-sama!" Spiral-Faced White Zetsu scratched his head, seemingly at a loss for words. Even he was surprised by the recent developments.

He'd really never seen it before!

He'd learned a lot!

"Well, we've been keeping an eye on that kid, but there were a few small, very small…" He held up his pinky finger for emphasis. "…unexpected incidents! Of course," he added quickly, "as expected of someone chosen by Madara-sama! On the battlefield, that kid has the same domineering power as Madara-sama back then. Oh, and he's even developed an advanced ninjutsu technique based on that jutsu. It's incredibly powerful! The moment he steps onto the battlefield, the enemy ninjas are terrified—they stick their butts up and wail on the ground!"

A little flattery.

But…

It seemed his aim was… slightly off.

BANG!

Another loud crash.

Spiral-Faced White Zetsu found himself embedded in the ground once more.

"Get lost." Madara ordered coldly, raising an eyebrow. He then looked at the Zetsu who had just extricated himself from the ground again. "Does he still have love in his heart?"

"Well…"

You're asking me? I'm as confused as you are.

Based on the intel, the kid seemed to have darkness in his heart one moment and hope the next. Even the White Zetsus monitoring him were baffled.

At this point, it was worth saying—

As expected of someone chosen by Uchiha Madara!

After all, wasn't Madara himself like this back then? He had fallen into darkness after his brother's death, only to be pulled back by Senju Hashirama and inspired to create Konohagakure… before ultimately ending up the way he was now.

No wonder Madara-sama had chosen him.

Spiral-Faced White Zetsu scratched his head. "He probably does! He hasn't completely fallen into darkness yet!"

"Idiot!" Madara sighed in disappointment. What he needed wasn't pure darkness but darkness that could be controlled by him. He paused and asked flatly, "What about the Rinnegan?"

"It's still with that Uzumaki brat, but…"

"But?" Madara frowned.

"He's currently with that other brat from back then."

"What brat?"

"Uchiha Yuto! Madara-sama once dismissed him as insignificant—a narrow-minded fool destined to disappear from the ninja world. But he's actually become quite strong now."

"That kid?" Madara seemed to recall something. During his search for a substitute, he had gathered intelligence on several other children. "The idiot who blindly believed that monkey's words? Did he even become a ninja? Chunin? Jonin?" He scoffed, "How dull. Even if that's the case, without the Mangekyo, he's nothing but a waste."

As soon as the words fell—

"No, he went into business," White Zetsu interjected.

"…???"

What did you just say?

Madara fell silent. He almost started to question whether his age was making him mishear things.

"He… didn't become a ninja?"

"No," White Zetsu confirmed with a nod. "After graduation, he went into business and became a businessman."

"Idiot!" Madara immediately lost interest. He had been mildly curious, but now that he knew the boy was just a businessman… such mediocrity held no appeal for him. What qualifications did he have to make Madara interested?

"As long as my Rinnegan is safe, that's all that matters. When the time is right, someone will awaken the darkness in his heart. I'm tired. Keep an eye on that Uchiha brat. My…" He paused, casting a flat gaze at White Zetsu. "…time is running out."

"That's true," Spiral-Faced White Zetsu agreed with a nod. He understood Madara-sama's thinking—he wasn't worried about people giving their chosen one love, but rather that the love might be insufficient, or… worse, he might fall into darkness before they could fully control him.

After thinking for a while, he glanced at the now-resting Madara-sama and the tubes protruding from his back. He scratched his head. In fact, with these devices, as long as Madara-sama didn't exert himself too much or leave the cave, he could still live for a few more years.

Pouting, he muttered quietly, "I wasn't done talking…" Then, with a mischievous grin, he added, "Actually, that Uchiha elder's dancing is pretty intere—"

Before he could finish, suddenly—

Madara's eyes opened slowly, his gaze calm but sharp as it fixed on White Zetsu.

"What were you about to say?"

…

My name is Kyusuke, Swift Foot Kyusuke.

I was originally just an ordinary ninja from Amegakure.

Later, while on a mission, I encountered Yahiko and his friends. I was drawn to Leader Yahiko's ideals, Boss Yuto's wealth, and… Miss Konan's beauty. So, I left Amegakure and joined them.

A few days ago, I received a mission from Nagato. My task was to pose as a captured ninja, infiltrate the prisoner circle, and monitor a certain red-haired kid.

Although I didn't understand why Leader Yahiko and the others were so cautious of this kid—and didn't simply deal with him by burying him as fertilizer—since it was an order, I had no choice but to follow it.

As it turned out…

Oh boy!

Not long after the red-haired kid arrived, he began conspiring with the other prisoners to plan a jailbreak.

Initially, as soon as I got wind of this, I reported it to the higher-ups, suggesting they send people to crush the rebellion outright. But I didn't expect... they instructed me to remain undercover.

Do not expose your identity!

"This entire prison is built from solid steel. It's not easy to escape," said a calm and composed Sasori, glancing at his so-called "partners," whom he'd teamed up with over the past few days. Their abilities were decent, but they were naive and clueless—perfect pawns for drawing attention away from him.

With that, Sasori decided it was time for him to start leaving this place.

Those fools had dared to release the hands and feet of a master puppeteer?

Laughable!

Even with his chakra flow hindered, making things a bit troublesome, there was no way he'd remain locked up for long.

Sasori glanced at one particularly thoughtful individual, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. But he quickly returned to his calm demeanor and pointed at the crude map he'd drawn on the ground.

"This is the map I've pieced together from my observations over the past few days… a layout of this prison camp."

It was laughably simple. A quick glance told him everything he needed to know. Sasori extended a finger and pointed to a specific spot.

"We're all trapped in this section. My room is over here. If we dig a tunnel from this point, we'll be able to escape under the cover of night."

"But… the ground beneath us is all iron plates. We can't use ninjutsu, there are seals in place, and we don't have any tools…"

"I know that!" Sasori looked up at the one questioning him—Swift Foot Kyusuke, a ninja from Amegakure who seemed overly carefree, almost idiotic.

This kind of person…

Compared to the Third Kazekage, he was child's play.

Sasori replied calmly, "Give me some time. As long as I have materials, I can make tools capable of breaking through. So, for the next few days, I need each of you to secretly bring me materials—wood, iron, stone, anything! I'll need it all."

When he finished, the group exchanged glances before replying in unison, "We understand!"

Even Kyusuke nodded seriously.

They had the prisoner count, timing, tools, and escape route all in place. Now all Kyusuke needed to do was notify the Boss... and get ready to close the net.

Meanwhile, Sasori observed the group's thoughtful expressions.

A fleeting smirk crossed his lips.

Idiots.