Land of Frost, an underground cave~
A long-haired, pale Uchiha Madara leaned against a large chair, with the towering Gedo Statue standing behind him.
A few milky-white tubes connected to his waist, supplying him with energy.
In the distance, Nagato, accompanied by several White Zetsus, was diligently studying ninjutsu. His face was tense, showing his determination in training.
This was Madara's hiding place, located at the northern tip of the Land of Frost, in a vast underground cavern he named the Mountain Graveyard.
Madara was deep in thought. Recent developments in the ninja world had become a bit tricky, and he couldn't help but despise his aging body.
The once-mighty Uchiha Madara, who had been feared throughout the ninja world, could no longer defy the passage of time.
The former "Ghost" of the ninja world, who had made countless enemies tremble, was now forced to rely on schemes to prolong his ideals.
Ironically, when Madara was younger, he had despised such tactics, particularly from people like Senju Tobirama.
Fuma's sudden rise had greatly disrupted Madara's plans, forcing him to reconsider the current structure of the ninja world.
In Madara's original plan, Nagato was supposed to be the vessel to nurture his Rinnegan, while the true inheritor of his will should have been a pure-blooded Uchiha.
Yet now, as the former head of the Uchiha clan, Madara found himself somewhat estranged from his own clan.
According to information from White Zetsu, two months ago, Uchiha Fuma took over as the Uchiha clan leader during a grand assembly.
Since then, the entire Uchiha clan had become unfamiliar to Madara.
Fuma had invested a significant amount of money, setting up specialized teams for various tasks.
Widows, orphans, and disabled ninjas within the Uchiha clan were all cared for, and many ninjutsu techniques were made available for clan members to study.
With these policies, the oppressive atmosphere that once hung over the Uchiha clan dissipated. Most of the clan members now wore satisfied expressions, filled with hope for the future.
Even the Uchiha working in the Police Force no longer clashed with the village's ninjas or civilians. Instead, they maintained a cheerful demeanor, as if they were just going through the motions.
After all, thanks to Fuma's negotiations with the Third Hokage, Uchiha ninjas were now allowed to take on regular missions.
In the past, the Police Force had taken a strict approach to law enforcement because the Uchiha had no other employment options.
But now, with the opportunity to take on missions or study the newly available clan ninjutsu, why bother with the petty disputes of village law enforcement?
Although Konoha's public security had deteriorated, the reputation of the Uchiha clan had been steadily improving.
This completely disrupted Madara's plans. In his original design, the Uchiha, under the oppressive policies of Senju Tobirama, were supposed to lack warmth and affection, with feelings of frustration and anxiety dominating the clan.
Facing the Third Hokage's administration, which inherited Tobirama's legacy, and without a strong leader, the Uchiha should have split into factions, vying for power.
It was like in the Warring States period when the Uchiha, facing the powerful Senju clan, would have likely fought each other internally if Madara hadn't tightly controlled them.
According to the original script, the pressure from the Hokage faction and the internal division of the Uchiha would have planted the seeds of darkness in every clan member's heart.
As someone who lived through the Warring States and was a supreme ninja, Madara had an eye for discerning potential in people.
Through the ever-present White Zetsu, Madara planned to observe each Uchiha clan member, looking for one filled with the deepest darkness and emotion to be his successor.
But to Madara's surprise, Fuma seemed to have sensed something. He had his blonde-haired disciple and that Uzumaki orphan set up a sensory barrier around the entire Uchiha territory.
This left Madara speechless. He had never hated the Third Hokage's incompetence more than now. The Uchiha were essentially forming a village within a village, yet the Hokage did nothing to intervene.
"How can a Hokage be this weak?" Madara thought.
Thanks to White Zetsu's ability to infiltrate, Madara could still gather information about the Uchiha from Konoha's ninjas, but what he discovered was hard to accept.
Most of the Uchiha clan had developed a sense of belonging and were overwhelmingly supportive of Fuma's policies.
A narrow form of clan nationalism had started to take root in every Uchiha member's heart.
Even more infuriating, the Uchiha clan members were so immersed in Fuma's welfare policies that they had forgotten what made the Uchiha powerful.
Without harsh words, internal conflict, or pressure, only warmth and care—could such an Uchiha clan still be called the Uchiha?
At this moment, Uchiha Madara was channeling the spirit of Senju Tobirama, harshly criticizing Fuma's actions in his heart.
"This is a betrayal of Uchiha traditions! It's digging up the roots of the Uchiha!" Madara thought.
What concerned Madara even more was that Fuma seemed to have a special interest in the Tailed Beasts.
According to White Zetsu's reports, after Fuma fought Shukaku, the beast's size shrank, and its chakra was almost halved.
The Zetsus, with their keen senses—especially attuned to the chakra of Tailed Beasts due to their creation from the Divine Tree—confirmed this.
This puzzled Madara. Without a living Jinchuriki, where could Shukaku's chakra have gone?
Even with examples like the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers, it was hard for Madara to imagine that Fuma had consumed part of Shukaku.
But the one thing Madara could be sure of was that Fuma had other designs on the Tailed Beasts.
The nine Tailed Beasts were the keys to completing the Moon's Eye Plan. Losing even one would make world peace impossible.
The only thing that slightly reassured Madara was his belief, honed through decades of experience, that Fuma had reached his physical limits. His strength would not grow much further.
That was the ceiling for taijutsu ninjas. Fighting Tailed Beasts was their limit, and their potential was capped by their bodies.
Having read the Uchiha tablet in the Naka Shrine, Madara knew that the Senju and Uchiha inherited the bloodlines of the Sage of Six Paths.
In this ninja world, only the Senju and Uchiha had the chance to acquire ultimate power.
Madara had once considered contacting Fuma but dismissed the idea.
Although Madara's ambition was peace for the ninja world, the Moon's Eye Plan could only be completed by Madara himself, in his view.
Given Fuma's nature, if Madara appeared before him in his current frail state, Madara was sure that before he could indoctrinate Fuma, he'd have to face the risk of losing his Rinnegan.
Madara had spent almost thirty years hiding to awaken this rare pair of Rinnegan. There was no way he would hand them over.
The issue now was that it had become difficult for Madara to find a suitable Uchiha successor to continue his plans after his death.
During the two years Madara spent with Nagato, he had grown confident in Nagato's talent.
As a hybrid of the Uzumaki and Senju clans, Madara believed Nagato would, once grown, easily wield the power of both Rinnegan.
And in Madara's understanding, no one in the ninja world could resist the power of the Rinnegan.
In this timeline, after replacing Obito with Nagato, Madara found himself with an unexpected dilemma.
The potential Nagato displayed, having been systematically trained by Madara since childhood, was enough to sweep through the Five Great Nations and form the Ten-Tails without Madara's involvement.
Now, Madara faced two choices:
One, weaken Nagato and control the strength of the Rinnegan, though this risked someone stealing the eyes, resulting in complete failure.
Two, follow the myths of the ninja world and seek out those legendary artifacts that could restore youth.
If Madara could regain his prime, he was confident he could capture all the Tailed Beasts and form the Ten-Tails within months, especially in this world without Hashirama.
However, pursuing this plan made Madara feel a bit ashamed. From his early days, he had only trusted his own strength and had never believed in myths.
But the Naka Shrine tablet gave him an excuse. After all, the Sage of Six Paths was real.
Madara's gaze shifted toward Kusagakure, where a legendary item, the Box of Ultimate Bliss, was said to reside. It was reputed to be the ultimate weapon from the Sage of Six Paths' era, capable of granting any wish.
In this timeline, Madara still had ten years left before his death. If he equipped himself with a specialized White Zetsu and relied on his Rinnegan, he would still rank among the ninja world's top-tier powers.
Kusagakure wouldn't be able to resist Madara's current strength.
Madara's only concern was that if the Box of Ultimate Bliss couldn't restore his youth, his presence might be exposed entirely.
"Can the Box of Ultimate Bliss restore me to my prime?" Madara had been grappling with this question for a long time, and now, he had to make a decision.
It was time to leave the underground cave, even if it was only for a temporary trial.
Coincidentally, Fuma had also set his sights on this box, and the entire ninja world had received the same information.
At this moment, Kusagakure was turning into a complex whirlpool, with various forces about to converge and clash in fierce competition.
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