"So this is your Susanoo?
It is said that the color of one's Susanoo reflects what's in their heart.
Is this it? Is this what's in your heart, Young Uchiha?"
Ryuu gritted his teeth.
Ryuu swung his katanas towards Madara.
A wicked smirk appeared on Madara's face as he caught the Katanas.
"You don't have enough experience with the Susanoo to pose a threat."
Madara formed two more arms and punched Ryuu's Susanoo, causing him to move back.
Ryuu was panting, his katanas dispersed.
"Giving up already?"
Ryuu smirked.
He held out his hand, and a giant silver Katana appeared.
Ryuu swung his Katana towards Madara.
Boom!
The ground shook as the two weapons collided, Madara had blocked Ryuu's attack but was pushed back by it.
Madara had gritted his teeth.
"I didn't expect such a powerful attack, I mustn't underestimate him again, that would be fatal."
Madara attacked Ryuu again, throwing his blades toward Ryuu.
Ryuu blocked them using his Katana.
"Argh!" he started feeling the effects of the Mangekyou.
That didn't stop him, he increased the size of his Susanoo and entered the second stage.
Dark armor was building around the Susanoo and a helmet covered its face, leaving only the yellow eyes visible.
Ryuu slowly walked towards Madara with his Susanoo.
'Think, Ryuu, what was Susanoo's weakness? Wait, that's it!'
He made a hand sign.
"Wood style: Deep forest emergence!" Ryuu controlled the giant trees to pick Madara up from underneath his Susanoo.
'Highly observant, young Uchiha.'
Ryuu swung his Katana and sliced the forest in half.
Boom!
Ryuu felt a powerful force hitting his Susanoo.
He separated his Katana and gripped it tightly.
'Huh? Interesting…' Ryuu said to himself.
The sword caught on fire when he tightly gripped it.
'That young Uchiha wields the Ame no Ohabari, his Susanoo is something else, and he doesn't know it, Hmph.'
Madara said to himself.
"Fire style: hiding in ash jutsu!"
Madara used a smoke screen and vanished.
"Madara, I can still feel your presence." Ryuu swung his Katana towards the ground, causing it to shatter.
"Hmph, you still have a lot to learn, young Uchiha!" Madara said as he climbed Ryuu's Katana.
"Wood style: wood dragon jutsu!" Giant wood dragons came from underneath Ryuu.
Ryuu sliced two of them in half, but couldn't stop the other ones.
"Argh!" He yelled as the other dragon bit into his Susanoo and curled around him, immobilizing him.
he left his Susanoo.
He was panting, and his chakra had almost depleted.
Madara held his scythe to his neck.
"You did well, young Uchiha, however, you still have a lot to learn, and I will teach you."
He took his scythe from Ryuu's neck and offered him his hand.
Ryuu turned into wood, leaving Madara stunned, recognizing that move.
"Wood clone jutsu." He bitterly stated as he felt Ryuu's Kunai on his neck.
"Fine, you win." Ryuu smiled.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, the Third Hokage was talking with Danzo…
"Hiruzen, why do you still cling to the idea of peace with Kumogakure? It's futile."
"Danzo, to ignite another petty rivalry with Kumogakure might start another shinobi war, do you really want to sacrifice the lives of more shinobi and innocents?"
Tch!
Danzo clicked, frustrated by the Hokage's persistence.
He vanished and headed back to his hideout.
"Anbu, summon Orochimaru, I have a mission for him."
They vanished.
'I just hope we can rehash this before another war.' The Hokage said to himself.
After a while, Orochimaru finally arrived.
"Sarutobi-sensei, they have informed me you have a mission for me, is this true?"
He nodded.
"Orochimaru, I need you to deliver these documents to Kumogakure, they're our last option at peace with Kumo."
"Sarutobi-sensei, may I suggest someone else deliver these documents? I'm in a breakthrough with my current project and it could prove quite fruitful to Konohagakure."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Who?"
"Ichika Senju, this would give her a chance to process how much she has grown.
After all, you were the one who had the idea for her to become a Jonin, isn't that right?"
The Third Hokage took his pipe.
"I see…" He exhaled smoke as he thought about Orochimaru's idea.
"Sarutobi-sensei, Ichika has grown into a fine shinobi, not that she wasn't already.
I've just polished her skills, that's all, she had talent that was even greater than Tsunade herself, I can assure you she will be fine."
"To have earned all this much praise from you, she's doing something right, isn't she?" He nodded.
"Fine, tell your student she must leave immediately." Orochimaru nodded.
"Orochimaru." He looked back.
"If anything happens to her, I won't be able to tell Tsunade." He nodded and left.
Meanwhile, Ryuu was still inside Madara's genjutsu…
The field changed again, this time it changed from the final valley into a forest just beyond a river…
"Where are we?"
'This place looks so familiar, I've seen it somewhere, I'm sure.'
Ryuu said to himself.
"I wouldn't expect you to remember this place even if you knew.
This is…
Where I grew up, and also where my brothers and family were slaughtered in a war with the Senju clan."
'The scene changed into a fiery battleground, I could hear sounds of metal clashing and people yelling and screaming.
In the middle of it, we're two boys, both holding Katanas fighting off grown men.
One of them had the Sharingan with spiky hair extending to his sides, the other didn't have the Sharingan but had long, spiky hair growing upwards.'
"That's you isn't it, and the other is…"
"Izuna, my younger brother."
"Madara, why are you showing me this?"
"Because… you and I are the same whether you want to accept it or not."
Ryuu frowned.
"I'm nothing like you!"
"Listen, earlier you lied to me, you told me you would make sure your children become stronger than you to sustain the peace you built for them using the blood of others.
I've been inspecting you, your every thought, every movement, and everything you've been doing or thought of doing.
You've pushed yourself further and further because you want to create a world where there are no wars and only victors and peace.
I too once believed that peace could be achieved in another way, but I was forced to wake up to reality.
In this world, war is inevitable, shinobi must fight, we live to fight, whether we're fighting one another or we are fighting for each other, we will fight.
At some point, you realize that peace can only be achieved for not much longer than a decade.
Or at least, not in this world…
I will cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, everyone will win, everyone will live, and we will be the ones to watch over them all and maintain that peace."
Ryuu's eyes widened.
"We?" Madara nodded.
"Young Uchiha, you and I will watch over humanity after unleashing the infinite Tsukuyomi, we will make sure everyone achieves their dreams."
Madara's eyes spun around and a white color appeared with ripples around it, his eyes made a purple color and black ripples around them.
"The truth is this, Obito was never part of the plan, nor black Zetsu, they're all just tools that I will use to achieve this peace, but you…
I've never seen potential as great as yours in all my life, Obito, Kakashi, all your friends can have the peace you want for them, and all you have to do for that is to accept this.
So will you accept it or not?"
He offered his hand to Ryuu.
"I… I will."
Ryuu hesitantly took Madara's hand and was brought back to reality.
Madara had a grin on his face.
Madara released the genjutsu.
"Madara, I will fix the first Hokage's cells and I'll strengthen them, and later, we have to talk, if you want the plan to work, you'll have to believe what I say." Madara shook his head.
"Rest young Uchiha, your time to prove yourself by fixing Hashirama's cells will arrive and it will arrive much faster once your mind and body are fresh."
Ryuu nodded.
He limped to his bed and rested on the pillow, closing his eyes, he hadn't slept for a week so he fell asleep easily.
A black shadowy figure came out of the ground.
"Madara-sama, everything is prepared, did you find who you were looking for in his mind?" Madara nodded.
"A Senju… She's called Ichika Senju, a direct descendant of Hashirama himself…
How amusing." He stated before closing his eyes.
"White, make sure you capture her disguised as a Kumo shinobi and make sure you report to me what happens."
White Zetsu nodded.
"Take more white Zetsu's, don't underestimate her, from my understanding Ryuu hates weakness so be ready for a fight."
White Zetsu sunk back into the ground with seven more following him.
Meanwhile, Ichika was leaving Konoha, Rin came to say goodbye to her before she left…
"Good luck on your mission, Ichika." Ichika nodded.
"And stay safe, I've heard that Kumo shinobi might attack any Konoha shinobi on sight."
"I'll be fine, don't worry about me."
Rin shook her head.
"You're on your first A-rank mission. I have to be worried, you don't have a team to have your back." She nodded.
"I'm alright without a team, they'd probably hold me back instead."
Rin facepalmed.
'I can't talk her out of this.'
Ichika saw the worried expression on Rin's face and said.
"Rin, don't worry, I'm a lot stronger than when I met you all… when Ryuu introduced me to you all…" Ichika frowned, remembering Ryuu.
Rin saw Ichika getting depressed and thought of something to say that would comfort her.
"Ichika, he'd be proud to see how strong you've become, and he'd tell you that you have to get stronger." Ichika nodded.
"I know he would, it's just… not the same when he's not here."
Rin frowned.
"I know…
Kakashi and I haven't been the same since Obito and Ryuu died, it just doesn't feel right to go back to normal, whatever being normal is any more."
"Anyway, I better get going, I wouldn't like to disappoint Orochimaru-sensei, thanks a lot and I'll be alright, goodbye Rin."
"Goodbye, Ichika." Rin waved her friend goodbye.