Chapter 47: Madara, This World Belongs to Me
In the ninja world, there was an unspoken rule:
If your squad encounters either the Crimson Eye or the Yellow Flash, retreating is permitted. As long as you return alive, no punishment will follow.
Despite this, those who managed to escape encounters with either were few and far between.
Among the rare survivors, a piece of advice emerged:
If you pose a threat to Minato Namikaze's teammates, he might let you escape without pursuit.
But against Uchiha Kagami…
Luck.
Luck was the only factor.
If Kagami was eating and you didn't disturb him, he was likely to let you go.
Unfortunately for the Cloud-nin, they had provoked him—and at a time far removed from mealtime.
"Run!!!"
Troi screamed at the top of his lungs. Calm a moment ago, he was now consumed by panic.
Even though the odds of survival were slim, should they just give up?
Never underestimate the Cloud! Damn it!
Among the squad, only Troi managed to muster the courage to flee.
The others? Their bodies refused to move.
Thud.
Something hit the ground, followed by a rolling sound.
Troi kept running—sprinting for his life. His heart pounded as adrenaline surged.
But something felt wrong.
Why can't I see anything?
Why… why is my face against the ground?
His rolling head came to a stop, staring at his own fleeing body.
Come back!
Take me with you!
Don't you realize you've lost your head?!
Kagami lowered his hand, and several more heavy thuds echoed through the forest.
He found decapitation cleaner than slicing bodies in half. Less messy. More elegant.
These enemies didn't even warrant him naming an attack—calling it out would cheapen the moment.
---
Turning back, Kagami gazed at Kakashi.
"How weak. You can't protect anything, can you?"
Kakashi pried his blade free from the embedded shuriken, rolling his eyes.
"Do you think everyone's a monster like you? That guy was an elite Jonin with a Kekkei Genkai. This isn't the kind of opponent someone my age should be facing."
Having witnessed the vast gap between himself and his senior, Kakashi had long abandoned dreams of rivalry.
He didn't even aspire to match Kagami or Minato. For Kakashi, achieving greatness at his own level was enough.
Is this kid already giving up?
Kagami shifted his gaze to Rin.
No worries, Kakashi. One day, when you taste the pain of helplessness, you'll hunger for strength once more.
"Thank you, Kagami-sama, for saving us."
Rin's face was still flushed with fear, the encounter with death leaving her shaken.
Despite their similar ages, she knew Kagami was leagues ahead of them.
"Thanks…" Obito muttered, looking away. "Not that I needed your help. I could've protected Rin myself!"
No, Kagami thought, amused.
You couldn't.
"Why are you here?" Kakashi asked. He knew their mission was delivering supplies to the western front, while Kagami was stationed at the northern line.
"Classified," Kagami replied flatly. "Kakashi, Rin, leave us. I need to talk to Obito."
"Hey! Don't leave me here! Kagami's definitely going to beat me up! Don't go!"
"Don't think I'm scared of you!"
Obito's trembling betrayed him. Kagami said nothing, his Sharingan spinning to life.
Obito froze mid-sentence, collapsing unconscious. Kagami placed a hand on his back, murmuring:
"I'm merely using you."
A white, writhing mass emerged from Obito's body, shrieking as it seeped through his collar.
"You… you're—"
Before the White Zetsu clone could finish, Sharingan patterns filled its eyes.
An invisible connection bridged their minds.
In a hidden underground chamber.
The real White Zetsu clutched its head in pain, writhing under an assault it couldn't comprehend.
"What's wrong?"
Uchiha Madara opened his aged eyes, his expression sharpening as he noticed a Sharingan manifest in White Zetsu's gaze.
The aged man remained calm.
"Don't resist," Madara said flatly.
The Sharingan overtook Zetsu completely. Its voice turned calm, its expression neutral.
"How interesting," Madara said, smirking. "Such power. Kagami, have you awakened the Mangekyō?"
Through the connection, Kagami replied, "Madara-sama, so you are alive."
There was no need for excess words; both understood.
Madara had clearly been watching Kagami from the shadows, and Kagami wouldn't waste time explaining how he deduced Madara's existence.
Anyone with such eyes could have seen the hints etched into the Uchiha stone tablet.
"Don't harm Obito," Madara said. "He is my chosen successor."
"Of course not," Kagami replied. "Like you, I wouldn't harm my kin."
"Kin…" Madara's tone turned contemplative, recalling the twilight of his departure—when not a single Uchiha had followed him.
"Kagami, what is it you seek?"
"I wish to meet you," Kagami said. "To confirm a few things."
"There's no need. I am close to death. This decrepit form is too shameful."
"Madara-sama," Kagami said, his voice edged with a smile. "I wish to know—how far am I from legend?"
Madara chuckled hoarsely. "You remind me of Izuna… but…"
"You're far too arrogant."
Boom!
Madara unleashed a storm of malevolent chakra. A sea of corpses and blood drowned the mental plane, countless demonic wails echoing within.
But Kagami's Sharingan glowed brighter. In the midst of the carnage, his will carved out a pillar of unshakable clarity.
"You've grown old, Madara-sama," Kagami said coldly.
"How can someone like you tolerate such a frail existence? What are you scheming?"
Madara responded plainly, "Peace in the ninja world."
"Kagami, the longer you live, the more you understand the inevitabilities of reality. The victors define the losers, and their existence becomes interlinked."
"Love births hatred. Love and hate intertwined—this is war. This is reality."
"With your eyes, you cannot see the final secrets of the stone tablet. If you could, you wouldn't be asking me this."
"Tell me, what do you think of this ninja world?"
"With your power, you're qualified to succeed me."
---
Kagami paused briefly.
Then, he laughed.
"Don't think living a few extra decades gives you the right to lecture me."
"There will always be a victor. Why shouldn't that victor be me?"
"Why would I want to inherit your legacy?"
"Uchiha. The ninja world's future. It's all mine to decide."
"Madara, This World Belongs to Me"
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