Wakato's sudden appearance startled Madara.
With no warning, no technique, and not even the faintest Chakra fluctuation, Wakato simply appeared out of thin air in the hidden chamber of the shrine.
This was more secretive and dangerous than the Flying Thunder God Technique!
If he wished, could he teleport directly behind him?
Is this the power of an "immortal"?
It was truly remarkable.
Madara couldn't help feeling a rush of excitement. He itched to test his strength against such a powerful being! Even if he lost, he'd still enjoy the thrill.
But.
Recalling Hashirama's warning, he restrained himself and didn't attack Wakato recklessly.
Thankfully, Hashirama had introduced him in advance, allowing Madara to be somewhat mentally prepared.
Otherwise…
Madara might have unleashed the Susano'o Blade on Wakato as soon as he saw him.
"Yes."
Wakato responded casually.
He was relieved Madara didn't rush to fight him.
If Madara had tried to force a battle, Wakato would have had no choice but to teleport to dodge or escape.
Though he wouldn't be in serious danger, it would certainly derail things.
Luckily, Hashirama's presence kept Madara's impulse in check.
As for Sharingan's Genjutsu, Wakato was completely unfazed. His system would shield him from all mental interference.
"What brings you to our clan's forbidden ground?"
Madara was intensely wary, on edge and alert. He couldn't trust a stranger easily, especially one claiming to be an immortal—even if Hashirama seemed enchanted by him.
Madara wouldn't be fooled so easily.
"Didn't you want to see me?"
"Did you eavesdrop on my conversation with Hashirama?" Madara's shock deepened—he hadn't sensed a thing?
"Does that matter?"
"What do you want?"
The lack of control grated on Madara. If necessary, he was ready to test Wakato's strength by force.
It was time to experience the power of the supreme pupil technique—the Rinnegan!
"What do I want? Shouldn't I be asking what you want?"
"Trying to play me, huh? Is that how you mislead Hashirama?"
Wakato smirked slightly, deciding to skip the games and get straight to the point:
"Misleading? Do you think the Rinnegan you want can be gained so easily? Or that Infinite Tsukuyomi can be realized by mere trickery?"
"You!!!"
"Can you decipher the encrypted text on the stone tablet?"
Madara, whose ultimate objective had been laid bare, was visibly shaken, as if he'd been stripped bare.
His alarm and apprehension reached a peak.
"Does that matter? Or do you think my Rinnegan is a fake? Can't you see through this stone tablet yourself?"
Though Wakato hadn't fully harnessed the Rinnegan, he didn't need to decipher the stone tablet's secrets personally.
Given that the tablet's message had been tampered with by Black Zetsu, Wakato could guess what it said without even reading it.
Madara took a deep breath, stifling the fear and irritation brewing inside him.
The fact that Wakato knew his ambitions and aims meant he must tread cautiously.
"Yes, my goal is to achieve the Eye of the Moon Plan and bring lasting peace to the ninja world!"
"And why are you so confident that the so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi will bring everlasting peace?"
"This stone tablet has been passed down through the Uchiha clan for generations. It's the only truth left by our ancestors. Anyone without Eternal Mangekyō can't even fully decipher it."
Madara's words were direct and absolute.
The Uchiha's ancestral teachings and the demanding requirement of ocular power for interpretation underscored the stone tablet's credibility.
How could he believe a stranger's words over the words of his forebears?
...
Wakato walked over to the stone tablet and sat on it with a nonchalant air.
Madara's face twisted with anger.
He was not one to be provoked easily, nor did he anger over minor slights from enemies.
But this was the Uchiha clan's sacred stone tablet, holding the truth leading to true peace. How dare someone treat it so disrespectfully?
Before Madara could react, Wakato's words once again took him aback.
"The stone tablet isn't lying. By combining the powers of the Uchiha and Senju clans, you can indeed gain the universe—what you call the Rinnegan!"
Madara's breath quickened, his heart racing with new excitement.
While the stone tablet pointed the way, Madara had still harbored uncertainty.
It's like having your family genealogy hinting that an ancestor buried a fortune for future generations. No matter how compelling the writing, if you haven't dug up the treasure, you're left with both doubt and hope.
That's why Madara had set two plans in motion.
On the one hand: he intended to capture the Nine Tails and harness its power to defeat Hashirama and unite the ninja world.
On the other hand: he was prepared to feign his death in battle, allowing him to secretly study Hashirama's cells and fuse them to evolve the Rinnegan.
In the future timeline...
Madara ended up taking the second path after losing to Hashirama at the Battle of the Valley of the End.
Had he been able to defeat Hashirama, he wouldn't have had to hide away and research.
He would've seized all the talents in Konoha to expedite his plans.
So, if he could confirm now that he could combine Hashirama's cells with his to obtain the Rinnegan and achieve Infinite Tsukuyomi...
Why would he need to defect from Konoha or go after the Nine Tails?
Only...
Wakato shattered Madara's satisfaction with his next words.
"It's unfortunate that the second half of the tablet, the part about Infinite Tsukuyomi, is a lie."
"What did you say?!!"
Madara's eyes narrowed, demanding clarity.
"Infinite Tsukuyomi can be achieved, and it can indeed momentarily place everyone in the world in a blissful dream. But before long, all those entangled by the Divine Tree will turn into White Zetsu and die."
"To put it simply, this isn't a way to bring lasting peace to the world. It's a doomsday trap!"
Wakato wasn't interested in riddles; he despised them. He was here to complete his main mission and unite the seven parallel ninja worlds as quickly as possible.
But given Madara's personality, he needed some powerful truths to sway him.
"Impossible!"
"You're lying!"
Madara's disbelief exploded, seething in frustration.
It was like solving a complex math problem only to be told by the teacher that it was entirely wrong.
It was agonizing.
"Do you know who left this stone tablet?"
"The ancestor of the Uchiha clan."
"And who exactly?"
"I'm not certain..."
"This was left by the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, for his son Indra's descendants—the Uchiha clan."
"Left by the Sage of Six Paths? That makes it even more credible, doesn't it?"
"Have you considered that if Infinite Tsukuyomi could truly bring world peace, why didn't the Sage of Six Paths himself use it? Do you think he lacked the power?"
"..."
Madara was taken aback. He hadn't thought of it from this angle.
After obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and decoding the tablet, he had instinctively believed in its words.
He assumed that his ancestors had simply been unlucky or lacked the strength to evolve the Rinnegan and realize the Eye of the Moon plan...
But Wakato's words gave him pause.
If it's recorded on the tablet, then someone must have achieved Infinite Tsukuyomi. Regardless of whether that person was the Sage of Six Paths, if Infinite Tsukuyomi had been achieved, shouldn't the world have been at peace since then?
Why would the Uchiha descendants need to realize it again?
Isn't that contradictory?
...