— — — — — —
In the northern region of the Land of Frost, within the mountain graveyard, a massive underground space lay hidden.
"Mm?"
Uchiha Madara, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them sharply. As he processed the information returned by his wood clone upon its dispelling, a look of astonishment crossed his face.
"I didn't expect that kid, Uchiha Kaito, to refine and optimize the Flying Thunder God Technique to this level," he muttered in disbelief.
"Not just that, but his unknown teleportation ability is even more amazing—no need for a marker, no chakra fluctuations during the process—and yet he appeared right behind me and went straight for a sneak attack."
"That was definitely not the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"And that Lightning Style jutsu of his... the penetration force was terrifying, carrying a power that seemed to erase everything in its path. It seems to be something other than chakra. This kid has many secrets."
"I've been seriously underestimating this Kaito."
"At only ten years old, he's already reached such heights. If this keeps up, and he's given another ten or twenty years to grow, even if I were resurrected at my peak strength, he might still be a match—or worse, a threat."
"Even though I don't think he can surpass my level, I can't afford to be careless."
"My plan must succeed."
At this thought, a cold killing intent rose in Madara's heart.
This kid had to die.
"Also, Uchiha Naori and Uzumaki Mito," he murmured. "They've both regained their youth? And not only that, but their strength has surpassed its previous limits, reaching a close level on par with me and Hashirama back then? Unacceptable."
"And the secret behind their rejuvenation, restoring their life force, and extending their lifespan—I need to get my hands on that."
"If I could acquire it, I wouldn't even need to go through my death-and-resurrection plan to achieve my goals!"
Madara's eyes gleamed with a ruthless, insatiable greed.
His plans for resurrection and reliance on a stand-in executor had always been a backup. His fragile body, kept alive only by being tethered to the Gedo Statue, was a significant limitation. If there was a better way, Madara could always change his strategy.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the ground—half-black, half-white.
Zetsu appeared before Madara and spoke urgently, "Madara-sama! They've used the Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) to bring Senju Hashirama back to life!"
"Also, it's highly likely they've extracted our current location from the captured White Zetsu. They'll be coming for us soon. We need to prepare!"
"Oh?"
Madara raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting into a mix of surprise and amusement.
"They revived Hashirama, huh? Haha! Now, this is interesting!"
It had been far too long since he'd last seen his old friend and rival. He couldn't deny the sense of nostalgia, and the idea of facing Hashirama again filled him with twisted anticipation.
As for the threat Hashirama posed? Madara didn't even flinch.
"They're coming straight to me? Then I suppose I have no reason not to deal with them properly."
"This time, I'll step in personally and eliminate these threats once and for all."
"Though it does mean... I likely won't survive after the battle," Madara said, his tone calm, almost indifferent to his own life.
"Black Zetsu, the plans for the stand-in executor and my resurrection will be entirely in your hands."
Madara knew a Wood clone wasn't enough to deal with Hashirama, Uchiha Naori, Uzumaki Mito, and Uchiha Kaito. His real body had to take action.
If necessary, he was willing to use the power of the Rinnegan, even though it was currently implanted in Nagato.
However, Madara had foreseen this scenario and left a portion of his Rinnegan's chakra powers stored for emergency use. It wouldn't last long, but it would be enough to unleash the power he needed.
"Madara-sama, are you certain about this? There's no need to take such a risk. We could retreat for now—regroup and strike later," Black Zetsu suggested, feigning hesitation.
Of course, inwardly, Black Zetsu was ecstatic.
He wanted nothing more than for Madara to perish alongside Uchiha Kaito and the others. With Madara out of the picture, Zetsu could act freely without anyone threatening his true plans.
But knowing Madara's suspicious nature, Zetsu played his role perfectly.
Sure enough, Madara gave a faint smile. "No need for that. The rest of the plan is safe in your hands."
"With you handling things, I have no doubts."
"Besides, with that Kaito's techniques and how small the ninja world is, even if we tried to escape to make a new plan, it's unlikely we'd get far."
"The most important thing is—when have I, Uchiha Madara, ever run from a fight? That's not who I am!"
"So, don't bother trying to persuade me further."
Pausing for a moment, Madara's expression grew somber. "If I fail to eliminate Uchiha Naori, Kaito, and Uzumaki Mito before my life runs out, the plan may need to shift again."
"In that case, you'll have to use Edo Tensei to bring me back sooner than planned."
"This would not only help me finish the task but also allow me to continue the fight in my reincarnated body. Do you understand?"
Madara was confident in his abilities, but he was no fool. Emergency plans were always necessary.
As for whether Black Zetsu could use Edo Tensei—Madara wasn't concerned.
Over the years, he'd already made Zetsu learn this forbidden technique.
Of course, Black Zetsu had always worked to keep his true identity and purpose hidden, avoiding any mistakes that might expose him. After all, he was a thousand-year-old master manipulator.
"I understand! I'll do it!"
Hearing Madara's instructions, Black Zetsu quickly ran the situation through his mind and saw no issues. He agreed immediately.
If things really reached the point where the situation got out of control, it would make sense to let Madara deal with Uchiha Kaito and the others personally.
And when it came time to revive Madara through Edo Tensei, Black Zetsu could always tamper with the process, ensuring he could backstab Madara at the right moment.
Thinking this through, Black Zetsu found the plan flawless.
"Madara-sama! Uchiha Kaito, Uchiha Naori, Uzumaki Mito, and Senju Hashirama have already reached the surface above us!"
At that moment, a White Zetsu popped halfway out of the ground above the cavern, delivering the update with a carefree tone.
"Oh?"
Madara paused for a moment, extending his senses outward. Immediately, he detected the presence of Hashirama and the others.
He turned to Black Zetsu. "Stay here. If things go south on my end, make sure you evacuate the Gedo Statue and the tens of thousands of White Zetsu from this place immediately."
As he spoke, Madara stood up.
From the Gedo Statue behind him, countless streams of life force flowed through tubes directly into his body.
His aged appearance began to change rapidly, restoring his youthful prime in moments. The frail, elderly image was replaced by his former commanding and imposing figure.
With a slight gesture, he took a step forward, causing the tubes connected to his back to snap and fall away cleanly.
Madara then took the armor Black Zetsu handed him, swiftly putting it on. Fully prepared, he grabbed his war fan and said, "Let's go."
"Yes!"
The White Zetsu nodded, leading Madara as they sank into the ground. In the blink of an eye, they emerged on the surface above.
— — —
At that moment, Kaito and Uchiha Naori had activated their Susanoo, while Uzumaki Mito had entered her Nine-Tails Mode. The group was preparing to break through the ground and invade the underground base when they suddenly noticed Madara appearing on his own.
They all stopped what they were doing for a moment.
"So, it's the real Madara this time," Kaito muttered as he observed him. "Looks like he's ready to fight us to the death. Watch out for his Rinnegan!"
"Understood!"
The others nodded in agreement, their expressions solemn.
"Madara! It's been a long time. I never thought you'd fake your death back then and fool me like that!"
Hashirama spoke, his tone complex as he greeted his old rival.
"Hahaha!"
Madara's gaze focused entirely on Hashirama. Hearing his words, he couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"To think they'd actually bring you back to life at a time like this! What a surprise!"
"As for faking my death back then, I had no choice. What can I say? You were just too gullible! And, in that battle, I won."
Hashirama's expression darkened at that remark. "You're unbelievable! I clearly won that fight, okay? Faking your death doesn't count!"
"Of course, none of that matters now," he added, his tone serious. "Madara, what are you planning? Why have you been hiding in the shadows all this time?"
Despite everything, Hashirama still hoped to persuade Madara to abandon his path of destruction.
But it was clear this hope was one-sided.
Madara's expression grew cold as he replied, "That's none of your concern, Hashirama. You're dead. You should stay in the Pure Land where you belong!"
"The future of this ninja world will be decided by me!"
"Rest assured, my goal has never changed—I only want to bring peace to the ninja world, but in my own way."
"You rejected my vision of unifying the world back then. You even fought against me because of it!"
"And what was the result? The current state of the ninja world proves you were wrong."
"Your village system and your idea of distributing the tailed beasts—neither brought true peace to the world."
"Instead, they escalated the intensity of war."
"What was once chaotic clan warfare has now turned into massive wars between nations."
"Over the decades, countless lives have been lost on the battlefield."
"And children are still sent to fight and die."
"Face it, Hashirama—your ideals were flawed. Mine were correct!"
"If you had agreed to join me in unifying the world back then, we might have achieved peace long ago. There wouldn't have been the Great Ninja Wars that followed."
Madara finished his speech, watching Hashirama's expression shift through a mix of emotions. He felt a sense of satisfaction.
These were words he had wanted to say to Hashirama for a long time, and today, he finally got the chance.
"Ah..…"
After a long sigh, Hashirama looked at Madara with a conflicted expression.
"Maybe you were right back then. My approach has indeed failed. I couldn't bring lasting peace to the world," Hashirama admitted.
"But your current plan is completely different from what you originally proposed, isn't it?"
"If you truly wanted peace, you could've returned to Konoha and led it to unify the world," Hashirama added, looking over at Kaito and the others.
"I'm sure they would've supported you in that goal. After all, they're also aiming to unify the world."
"Ha?!"
Kaito raised an eyebrow, surprised by Hashirama's words. "How did you know that?"
"We haven't even told you about any of our future plans yet."
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