The Cloud Shadow Village Divided

Heading north from the Land of Fire's border, near the coast, lay a vast unclaimed basin—the Mountain Graveyard.

Once shunned by mountain villagers as a place of dread, where large animals frequently roamed, the Mountain Graveyard had in recent years suddenly become revered as a sacred sacrificial site, with villagers offering carefully prepared clothing and food every day.

At the basin's entrance to the Mountain Graveyard lay the massive skeletal remains of beasts.

On the surrounding cliffs and precipices were cave entrances of varying sizes. If one followed these caves downward, they would discover an astonishingly vast underground cavern beneath the basin.

Within the spacious cavern, living facilities had been artificially constructed.

At that moment, on a stone bed covered with a soft mat, a man with thick hair, draped in a black robe over red armor, fierce and proud, burst into unrestrained, hearty laughter.

"Heh heh heh. Hahaha. Hahahahaha!"

"Senju Tobirama, look at you now!"

"What a pity I didn't see your death with my own eyes!"

The man wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and walked cheerfully toward the side chamber where weapons were stored. Amidst a dazzling array of arms and armor sat a weapon passed down through generations of Uchiha Clan Heads—a pair of gourd-shaped fans bearing the Three Tomoe pattern, hard yet elastic, possessing the terrifying power to deflect Tailed Beast Balls.

"The Flame Gunbai..."

The man's identity was unmistakable. He was none other than Madara Uchiha, the former Uchiha Clan Head, hailed as the Asura of the Shinobi World, who was rumored to have died at the Valley of the End at the hands of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

"If I were still in Konoha, that brat would have been your successor."

Gently stroking the Flame Gunbai that had accompanied him through his military campaigns, Madara Uchiha's eyes flickered with memories of the past.

There was fervor and passion, heart-wrenching grief, a will to die, and the resolute determination of rebirth from the ashes.

"All that is past."

"Now there is only one goal!"

When Madara Uchiha opened his eyes again, his dark pupils were clear and sharp. He pulled open the collar of his robe, revealing a sword wound that pierced straight through his heart.

"Hashirama, for the sake of the Konoha I named, you really were as hard as iron."

Even now, Madara Uchiha felt a dull ache from that wound. Had he not sacrificed the sight of one eye to activate the forbidden Sharingan technique [Izanagi] and successfully revive, he would have long since returned to the Pure Land.

And in that relentless final battle, not long after Hashirama's victory, he died in Konoha from excessive strain and unhealed injuries.

Just as Madara Uchiha had predicted, the next Hokage was Senju Tobirama. The Uchiha clan members who had refused to leave Konoha with him found their lives growing increasingly stifling and miserable.

Madara Uchiha, who had once promised his younger brother Izuna Uchiha to take care of the Uchiha Clan, felt both satisfaction and sorrow.

"At least I didn't come away empty-handed."

Madara Uchiha picked up the Flame Gunbai and a sealed container beside it. Inside the liquid-filled vessel was a mass of vivid red flesh, as if freshly stripped from some living being, brimming with vigorous life force. His eyes burned with fervor, as if he were gazing at the other half of his life.

Beneath the Naka Shrine in the Uchiha ancestral land stood a stone tablet that could only be fully read with the Eternal Mangekyo. It recorded the words: "Two opposing forces, united as one, give birth to the power of All Creation"—the legendary eye of the Sage of Six Paths, the Rinnegan!

"To merge the power of Senju and Uchiha—it's time to begin."

To change the Uchiha, to transform this war-torn shinobi world, and to bring about true peace, the Rinnegan was something Madara Uchiha was determined to obtain.

Packing his belongings simply, Madara Uchiha set out on a journey. His first stop was the Land of Lightning. He was quite interested in the matter of Kinkaku and Ginkaku killing Senju Tobirama.

Another important reason was that he needed a laboratory to fuse the flesh he had obtained from Hashirama Senju with his own body, nurturing the supreme Rinnegan.

If the Land of Lightning wouldn't do, he would go to the Land of Wind, the Land of Water, or even the Land of Fire—it didn't matter. Without Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha was the invincible Asura of the Shinobi World.

As for simply shoving the flesh into his body...

That kind of mindless brute force was something Madara Uchiha wouldn't resort to, as long as there were other options.

Just as Madara Uchiha began his journey, a shocking piece of news erupted from Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning, shaking the entire shinobi world—Kumogakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, had split in two after a violent ninja rebellion and internal conflict!

With the Unraikyo Gorge in the Land of Lightning as the dividing line, the south was claimed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who established South Cloud Village, while the north was held by the original legitimate heir, the Third Raikage, who founded North Cloud Village. For a time, the entire shinobi world was in an uproar.

The Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning was furious beyond measure, smashing countless fine porcelain brought from the Land of Fire. Many singing girls and beauties perished under his brutal rage.

At the same time, a message came from the Feudal Lord's Palace in the Land of Lightning—until the two Cloud Villages were unified, no financial aid would be provided. The lord sternly admonished the leaders of both villages to negotiate and reconcile quickly, lest foreigners laugh at their discord.

The merciless wording and the arrogant envoy naturally met their end at the hands of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who, once their tempers flared, cared not who they were—they beheaded the entire envoy. Even the envoy sent to the Third Raikage in North Cloud Village was driven out.

For a time, the entire shinobi world was laughing at the Land of Lightning's misfortune.

The Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning flew into a rage, firmly refusing to provide any further financial support. Kinkaku and Ginkaku of South Cloud Village declared that since he had started it, they would finish it. Without hesitation, they boldly led their men on a zero-cost shopping spree.

With the speed of shinobi, they quickly amassed a fortune, making North Cloud Village drool with envy. Before the Third Raikage could even imitate Kinkaku and Ginkaku, this flesh-cutting move caused the Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning immense panic and dread—what if Kinkaku and Ginkaku directly ransacked the Feudal Lord's Palace?

To protect his own life, supplies began flowing to North Cloud Village like they cost nothing.

Seeing the mountain of supplies, the Third Raikage dispatched his ninja while sinking into thought—had he found the Feudal Lord's weak spot?

If Kinkaku and Ginkaku of South Cloud Village continued to exist, would North Cloud Village never lack supplies again?

Unaware that the Third Raikage's resolve was wavering, the Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the two villages begin to check each other.

But the Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning also grew dissatisfied. He began contacting the feudal lords of the other great nations to discuss how to control the shinobi villages, refusing to let these lowly tools climb above their masters!

In just five days, the Land of Lightning had descended into chaos. Iwagakure of the Land of Earth, Kirigakure of the Land of Water, and Sunagakure of the Land of Wind all sent agents to gather information, hoping to snatch a share of the spoils.

The Konoha Military, stationed at the edge of the forest in the Land of Hot Water, saw that the Land of Lightning was too preoccupied to invade Konoha again. After consulting with Konoha's high command, Nara Shikamei ordered most of the forces to return to the village, leaving only a portion to guard the Land of Fire's border.

Having kept his deeds in the Land of Lightning hidden, Uchiha Takeyasu once again set foot on the soil of the Land of Fire.

The First Ninja World War thus came to an end.