Chapter 582: The Fruits of Hard Work

"Uchiha Madara was a powerhouse on par with the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama. He was a pinnacle of the shinobi." Black Zetsu introduced Madara’s strength and status.

"Continue." Isshiki’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke indifferently.

He had no idea who the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, was, and therefore did not know Uchiha Madara either, because he simply did not care about the affairs of the shinobi world.

To Isshiki, the people of the shinobi world were probably like monkeys to an ordinary person. Who would normally care about which monkey was better at fighting? They might even be inferior to monkeys.

However, Isshiki had currently suffered a severe injury that could not naturally recover, so he had no choice but to lower his gaze a little.

"Although Uchiha Madara’s strength is quite good, he is ultimately not a higher life form like you. He died of old age because of his age." Black Zetsu spoke while revealing a flattering smile and buttering Isshiki up.

"But someone as great as you can surely revive a mortal like Uchiha Madara with ease. If Uchiha Madara were revived and then fought that Shinobi Alliance as your subordinate, he should be able to play a very good role."

Black Zetsu’s goal was very simple: revive Madara.

No matter how well Black Zetsu planned, he had one fatal weakness: his combat power was very low.

Of course, this low combat power was compared to beings like the Sage of Six Paths. Black Zetsu could still deal with a Jonin or something similar.

Moreover, with the inexplicable appearance of an Otsutsuki Isshiki whom he did not understand, Black Zetsu felt that he needed a reliable helper.

Throughout Black Zetsu’s long life, Uchiha Madara was the most talented person aside from the two brothers, the Sage of Six Paths, and he was also capable of handling matters well and easy to deceive.

If Madara could be revived to help him, whether it was continuing to carry out the plan or finding a way to scheme against Otsutsuki Isshiki, he would have more options.

As for whether Isshiki had the ability to revive Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu thought he definitely did. It was merely a matter of how much the cost would be.

After all, his incomparably powerful and omnipotent mother was merely a low-level Otsutsuki in Isshiki’s words.

In fact, there were quite a few methods of resurrection in the shinobi world, but most of them had very strict conditions.

"Heh heh, of course I can revive a mortal." Isshiki spoke indifferently.

Black Zetsu was delighted, thinking that his goal was about to be achieved.

But in an instant, an indescribably powerful force erupted from Isshiki and pressed down upon Black Zetsu.

"However, when did you get the illusion that you can order me around?" Isshiki looked indifferently at Black Zetsu, who was being pressed to the ground by his ability and could not get up.

Reviving an ordinary person from the shinobi world was not difficult for Isshiki. That was indeed the case. The Otsutsuki had studied resurrection far too extensively.

But the stronger the person being revived, the more Chakra it consumed. At his peak, Isshiki would not have cared.

But in his half-dead state, if he revived a native powerhouse of the shinobi world, especially one recommended by Kaguya’s son, who was his enemy, Isshiki was not arrogant enough to do such a thing.

If he could casually revive people, he would have revived his two dead subordinates long ago.

Moreover, he had not completely trusted Black Zetsu. He only believed that he had control over Black Zetsu’s life, forcing him to work for him.

"S-sorry, Lord Isshiki. I really didn’t mean to order you around." Black Zetsu struggled painfully as he spoke.

Things were somewhat different from what he had imagined. Originally, he had analyzed from Isshiki’s words that Isshiki was an extremely arrogant person.

After being provoked like this, he should have agreed.

Unexpectedly, not only did he refuse to revive Uchiha Madara, but he also punished him.

"Do your own work." Isshiki released the pressure on Black Zetsu and spoke coldly.

If it were not for the fact that there was no one else available to him right now, Isshiki would have wanted to kill Black Zetsu immediately.

Back then, Kaguya had caused half of his body to be eaten by the Ten-Tails. Having half of one’s body eaten by the God Tree was far more serious than having half of one’s body cut off. Isshiki had almost truly died. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and escaped in time to hide and heal his injuries, which allowed him to preserve his life.

But there was no way for him to recover. The only way was to find another body and revive himself directly. Only then could he recover his full strength.

"Lord Isshiki, I understand." Black Zetsu knew that he could not talk back at this moment and lowered his head as he replied.

Although his request to revive Madara had been rejected, Black Zetsu had not given up. He was already calculating in his heart the possibility of deceiving Isshiki when the right opportunity came, as well as the possibility of reviving Uchiha Madara himself.

’The Rinnegan’s Samsara of Heavenly Life? No, there is no suitable person to perform the technique.’ Black Zetsu thought of the original plan to revive Uchiha Madara, then shook his head.

The Rinnegan was not something that just anyone could use. One had to possess powerful Chakra. Otherwise, Black Zetsu could have used the Rinnegan to create an army of resurrected people.

There was also the fact that the Rinnegan was no longer in Black Zetsu’s hands. The Rinnegan was over at Konoha, in Nagasawa’s hands. Black Zetsu did not dare go to Nagasawa’s place to snatch the Rinnegan.

’The Impure World Reincarnation that appeared during the Fourth Shinobi World War?’ Black Zetsu thought of the large-scale resurrection Ninjutsu that had appeared during the war.

’That won’t work either. That technique is in Konoha, and it seems that after being revived, they don’t have their original strength.’ Black Zetsu also rejected the idea of Impure World Reincarnation.

Unable to think of anything for the time being, Black Zetsu was not anxious. Since Isshiki had been angry just now but still did not kill him, he must be useful to Isshiki.

...

"351, 352, 353..." Li, drenched in sweat, rapidly did push-ups in the courtyard.

In order to catch up to Neji and even defeat him, Li had undergone almost self-abusive training, using all kinds of methods to train his body every day.

After completing the day’s training volume, Li took his headband and wiped away his sweat, then drank a large gulp of water, his eyes flashing with anticipation.

"Tomorrow’s midterm assessment has a tournament battle event. I wonder if, with my current strength, I can defeat Neji."

After half a semester of arduous training, Li felt that his own strength had undergone a qualitative change. He looked forward to fighting Neji.

Because he would have to fight tomorrow, after completing his training today, Li did not reward himself by training for a few more hours. He went to bed early, preparing for tomorrow’s battle.

Amid Li’s anticipation, time quickly passed, and Li went to school to participate in the midterm assessment.

The tournament battles used a drawing system. Perhaps the heavens had sensed Li’s fighting spirit. Li drew number two, while Neji drew number one. Their battle was the very first match.

On the tournament stage, the two formed the Seal of Confrontation and looked at each other. Li had an excited expression, while Neji remained expressionless.

"Start!" the teacher announced that the battle had officially begun.

The instant the teacher finished speaking, both of them moved. Rock Lee erupted with all his strength and charged toward Neji.

Bang!

Neji instantly moved in front of Li at a speed that Li could not see, punched Li off the tournament stage, and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Hyuga Neji wins." The teacher announced Neji’s victory.