172 CH - 168 One Hundred Thousand White Zetsu's.

"Utilizing Madara's philosophical will to manipulate one hundred thousand White Zetsus into working for him? And shamelessly claiming it's all for the peace of the ninja world. What the hell, even I, who had been manipulating this world behind-the-scenes secretly for a thousand years, can't help but condemn this." Black Zetsu expressed his frustration.

As his words resonated, White Zetsu also sighed, concurring, "I've long felt that this guy isn't a good person!"

The pace of events shifted too swiftly, catching White Zetsu off guard. Just a few days ago, they had concluded the evening party of the Grass and Rain countries, and Madara had been engrossed in writing his book during these days. However, in the blink of an eye, after narrating a story, Madara departed. Just like that... quietly departed. And he even passed on his will to Obito.

Their original plan was thrown into disarray. Black Zetsu almost couldn't appear 'officially'. Initially, he was supposed to embody Madara's will, but now he turned into the embodiment of the will of the book Madara wrote. Nevertheless, when it came down to it, did that guy really believed Black Zetsu's words or not?

After a moment of contemplation, White Zetsu voiced his concern, "What should we do now?"

With a sigh, Black Zetsu looked at the nearby White Zetsu who was collecting Madara's remains. The thought of that leader from the Grass Village irritated him, and he gritted his teeth. "Protect Madara's remains. Now, everyone, gather for a meeting, then awaken... Other White Zetsus!"

With only a few of them left, and Madara's replacement seemingly placing trust in the Grass Village leader, there were limited options.

Determination flashed in Black Zetsu's eyes as he stared ahead. "For Mother, we can only strive forward. When Mother comes back... by then, we'll make him regret it."

…

"Ah-choo!" Meanwhile, utilizing Obito's teleportation ability, Akihiko returned to the surface and found himself seated in his office, calmly sipping tea.

He hadn't anticipated such a dramatic turn of events. Madara, mentoring the academically struggling Obito, passing on his will in the process, and choosing to depart, almost thwarting Black Zetsu's emergence. Fortunately, things seemed to have settled in the end.

"One hundred thousand White Zetsus..." Akihiko furrowed his brows, contemplating, "How should they be organized?"

Such a significant labor force could be a game-changer. Akihiko envisioned the Grass Village dominating in price wars with the addition of the White Zetsus. However, managing such a large workforce posed its own challenges. After a moment of reflection, he leisurely stretched and yawned, "Well, let's discuss this later with Yoshinori and Kakuzu."

"Leader Akihiko!" A voice interrupted his thoughts, and the door swung open, revealing the Rain Village leader, Hanzo, who casually strode in and slammed a file on the desk. "Approval needed, Rain Country is waiting for the funds!"

Accompanying his words was a hint of complaint. "Where have you been wandering off to this time? As a leader, you're all over the place. I spent the whole morning looking for you, I even went to Nagato's house to ask."

Akihiko was momentarily surprised, then glanced at the document titled 'Land of Rain Water System Plan,' noting the staggering amount written on it. He paused for a moment, then looked back at Hanzo, hesitating, "Why are you asking me to approve this?"

"Because Kakuzu, that stingy guy, won't approve it for me," Hanzo replied through gritted teeth.

"If Kakuzu refuses, you're coming to me?" Akihiko queried, a perplexed expression marring his features. The logic behind this seemed elusive.

Glancing at his Grass Village ninja headband and then at Hanzo's Rain Village equivalent, Akihiko couldn't help but feel puzzled. "Look at my headband; I'm the leader of the Grass Village."

Hanzo, seemingly unbothered, retorted, "What's wrong with the Grass Village headband? Don't you also have a Rain Village headband? It's not a big deal. Many people in the Rain Village wear Grass Village headbands. Speaking of which, are we discussing money here? What about your situation?" He stared at Akihiko, "I haven't asked you for money for my mine yet."

Despite the apparent rationale behind Hanzo's argument, Akihiko stared at him in disbelief. While it made sense historically, those issues were in the past. Concerning the mine, even though it was related to the Grass Village, wasn't there a support contract signed back then that you agreed to?

Akihiko twitched slightly but then examined the document with seriousness. After a moment, he raised his head, looking at Hanzo. "The requested amount is quite high."

Seeing Akihiko carefully going through the file, Hanzo displayed a hint of satisfaction and nodded subtly.

However, upon hearing Akihiko's words, Hanzo slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Can't help it! You know how much rainwater we have. Arranging the complete water system for the entire Land of Rain is a massive undertaking. Especially on rainy days, it becomes even more difficult. So... I thought, why not employ more ninjas to help? It'll be more convenient, simpler, and safer, and we can finish the work sooner, saving everyone some trouble."

Looking at Akihiko expectantly, Hanzo said, "Leader Grass, you wouldn't want the people of Rain Village to suffer, right? Everyone respects you a lot, even more than they respect me, the leader of Rain Village!"

Akihiko appeared momentarily speechless, wondering when Hanzo started speaking in such a sneaky tone. Recovering his composure, he pondered for a moment. "It's too much, and arranging for the entire Rain Country would require quite a number of ninjas. Even if we sent all our ninjas from both villages, it's still unrealistic."

"Indeed, I've considered it. That's why I plan to take it one step at a time," Hanzo sighed. "Even if it takes a few years, it doesn't matter. This amount is the total expenditure, and I've arranged it based on the minimum hiring fee. Or do you think any ninjas are willing to work for free?"

Just as he finished speaking, Akihiko seemed to have an idea. He crossed out the amount and wrote 'Approved' with a smile, then looked at Hanzo, saying, "Isn't this perfect timing?"

Hanzo was perplexed by Akihiko's actions, wondering why he was approving the request while crossing out the amount.

"I have a group of individuals at my disposal who don't require food or sleep, skilled in underground work, digging holes and tunnels. Are you interested?" Akihiko asked with a sly smile.

Hanzo was taken aback by Akihiko's proposition, quickly inquiring, "Do such capable individuals really exist? You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Of course not. The Grass Village never deceives," Akihiko replied with unwavering certainty.

…

Simultaneously, on the other side, within the underground cave, White Zetsu clones were being awakened one after another. In a matter of moments, the entire cave was teeming with the presence of the newly awakened White Zetsu.

However, this wasn't the culmination. Many more White Zetsu were still in the process of being awakened.

At this juncture, the freshly awakened White Zetsu clones, slowly opening their eyes without yet receiving information from their main body through their ability, gazed around in bewilderment. Witnessing the multitude of their kind being roused, they were momentarily taken aback before grinning and saying, "Is it beginning? Is the ultimate battle finally upon us?"

"Nonsense, with this many of us being awakened, it's definitely happening," interjected one of them.

"We're finally going to meet Lady Kaguya!" All the White Zetsu exclaimed excitedly.

As they conversed, the main body of White Zetsu raised an eyebrow, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Uh... the final battle hasn't started yet."

"Huh? It hasn't started yet. But now that we've been awakened, it should be soon, right? Have you collected several Tailed Beasts? Seven or eight?" inquired one of them.

"Not a single one," the main White Zetsu shook his head and replied hesitatingly.

"What did you say?" All the White Zetsu clones were stunned, then looked dissatisfiedly at the main body of White Zetsu. "In that case, why did you wake all of us up so early? Is it for gathering intelligence? That's too much."

"It's not for gathering intelligence," replied the main White Zetsu still with a little hesitation.

"Not for gathering intelligence? Then has the plan been discovered? So, do we have to start the decisive battle?" asked one of the White Zetsu, looking confused.

"Not that either," the main White Zetsu said, truly embarrassed, but still shaking his head.

"..Then what exactly do you want us to do?" All the White Zetsu were confused, unable to grasp why they were all awakened.

"We've taken on a significant task..." Seeing so many pairs of eyes staring at him, the main body of White Zetsu couldn't help but avert his gaze. In a somewhat weak tone, he said, "So, we need a lot of manpower now."

"What significant task? You actually want to wake us all up for that?" asked one of the White Zetsu, vocalizing everyone's doubts.

"...Working in a factory," White Zetsu replied with a weak and embarrassed voice.

All the others present were stunned, and their collective reaction was a resounding, "Huh?"