Chen Yiban had been in seclusion at the Hokage Building for three days and three nights...
During that time, the entire Shinobi World had already been thrown into an uproar:
"Lord Tsuchikage!"
"Urgent report!"
At Iwagakure, in the Land of Earth, an Iwagakure Ninja came before Ōnoki and dropped to one knee.
"Hm?" Kurotsuchi happened to be in the Tsuchikage's office, talking with her old man, the Tsuchikage. Seeing the ninja announce an urgent report, she couldn't help but pause.
Then curiosity got the better of her!
"Urgent report" weren't words to be thrown around lightly.
"What's the urgent report about? The Shinobi World, or something concerning Iwagakure?" The old Ōnoki was also a little curious and surprised.
An urgent report?
What urgent report?
In response:
"Lord Tsuchikage, it concerns the Shinobi World!"
"We received word from our informants. They say the legendary ninja, the former Asura of the Ninja World—Uchiha Madara—has returned."
Still kneeling, the Iwagakure Ninja continued his report, his voice tinged with astonishment.
At those words...
Ōnoki froze in his seat.
"The legendary Asura of the Ninja World, Uchiha Madara?" Kurotsuchi looked curious.
"Didn't everyone say he was dead? What does it mean that he's returned?"
Kurotsuchi looked at the Iwagakure Ninja, curiosity mixed with confusion.
She didn't notice the strange look on the old Tsuchikage's face beside her...
The moment he heard the words "Uchiha Madara has returned," Ōnoki was unable to stop himself from freezing.
In his mind:
"There is no such thing as an alliance."
"Submit to Konoha's power!"
The scene of Uchiha Madara, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan open, was still vivid in his memory.
At that moment, Ōnoki was lost in the past!
Until—
"Old man!"
"Hey, old man!"
Kurotsuchi's calls snapped Ōnoki out of his daze.
Coming back to himself,
Ōnoki saw his granddaughter Kurotsuchi holding out a sealed report to him!
"Our informants sent this urgent intelligence. It's about this so-called Uchiha Madara."
"Everyone talks about how powerful Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara were back then. Were they really that strong?"
After handing the report to Ōnoki, Kurotsuchi looked a little unconvinced.
She was certain she wasn't inferior to anyone!
It had to be said: youth was full of confidence!
In response,
"You have no idea how powerful those two were back then..."
Ōnoki looked at the report in his hands, but his eyes still seemed lost in unpleasant memories.
Then Ōnoki opened the report!
After reading it:
"Blue Susanoo... It really is that guy."
"Mm, wait!"
Ōnoki's expression changed again and again.
He couldn't hide his shock!
"Old man, is this really necessary?" Kurotsuchi said, unconvinced.
Only when she stepped forward and took a look at the report did she understand:
[...Uchiha Madara faced more than a thousand Konoha ninja led by Princess Tsunade all by himself. He then activated Perfect Susanoo, a colossal blue armored giant more than 230 meters tall.
Perfect Susanoo cut all of Konoha in half with a single sword strike, carving out a bottomless chasm about a hundred meters wide and several thousand meters long.
Konoha suffered countless casualties!
In the end, Konoha surrendered to Uchiha Madara.
Additionally, the Nine-Tailed Fox was also extracted from its Jinchūriki by Uchiha Madara!]
"This..."
"This..."
Kurotsuchi was dumbfounded.
What the hell!
Was this some kind of novel?
This was intelligence sent by their informants?
Damn, even novelists wouldn't dare make it this outrageous!
Kurotsuchi stared in utter disbelief.
Beside her,
Ōnoki's face had gone the color of liver.
"The Nine-Tails, the Nine-Tails..."
"He got the Nine-Tails again!"
"They say that the man known as Uchiha Madara once combined Susanoo with the Nine-Tails, creating..."
"How is this possible? How?"
"He'd been dead for ages! He died in his battle with Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End. Why, why would he show up now?"
At that moment,
Ōnoki couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Damn it, he was nearly old enough to die of old age. And now Uchiha Madara, a man even older than him, had returned to the world looking young again?
What kind of nonsense was this?!
Meanwhile:
The Land of Lightning, the Land of Wind, the Land of Water...
The other three great nations had all received the news.
Even some smaller countries had caught wind of it.
Even wandering ninja with no country of their own had heard the rumors: "The legendary ninja Uchiha Madara has been resurrected, returned to the Shinobi World, and seized Konoha."
In just three days and three nights,
because of Chen Yiban...
The entire Shinobi World was in an uproar!
At that moment, in a dark place!
"White Zetsu, is that true?"
The man wearing an Akatsuki cloak and a brown Spiral Mask glanced at a spot where no one was standing, as if asking the air a question.
But—
Whoosh—
A few seconds later, a white figure slowly emerged from the ground.
"Who knows?"
"That guy looks exactly like Lord Madara, except he's younger. And his eyes really are Lord Madara's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!"
"Even the different forms of his Susanoo are exactly like Lord Madara's used to be!"
"It's like Lord Madara really did become young again and come back to life. It's unbelievable!"
The White Zetsu who'd emerged from the ground looked at Obito Uchiha in his Spiral Mask and chattered on.
"Resurrected?" Obito Uchiha's right Kamui Sharingan narrowed slightly.
He didn't actually want "Uchiha Madara" to come back to life!
He wanted to carry out the Eye of the Moon plan himself, step by step.
Obito didn't trust Madara.
But—
"White Zetsu, what do you think... Is that really him?"
Obito Uchiha suddenly asked again.
At that,
another black figure emerged from the ground nearby.
Black Zetsu!
"That guy definitely isn't Lord Madara!"
"At least, he isn't the Lord Madara we know!"
Black Zetsu appeared and immediately denied it.
"Oh?" Obito's Sharingan glinted with interest as he looked at Black Zetsu.
He was telling Black Zetsu to go on!
So:
"We all know... Lord Madara's eyes have become the Rinnegan. And they're already in that person's eyes!"
"I just went to the Akatsuki Organization and checked. The Rinnegan is still there."
"So that alone is enough to prove... the person who appeared isn't Lord Madara!"
"And there's something else we all know: Lord Madara transplanted Hashirama Cells and could use Wood Style."
"But that guy didn't use Wood Style in his battle at Konoha four days ago. You might say he simply didn't use it, which doesn't mean he can't!"
"However, I happened to be in Konoha four days ago and saw that person from a distance. I didn't dare get too close, but I could still tell... that guy had no trace of Hashirama Cells in him!"
"So those two points are enough to prove that guy's an impostor. I just don't know what method he used to gain the same powerful strength and abilities as Lord Madara!"
Black Zetsu spoke at length, though in the end he was also curious about how Chen Yiban in Konoha had acquired the same strength and abilities as Uchiha Madara.
After hearing Black Zetsu's explanation, Obito felt much more at ease.
But—
"Looks like I'll have to go to Konoha."
Obito still wanted to see for himself and confirm that the other man wasn't Uchiha Madara.
Besides, even if he wasn't the real Uchiha Madara, Chen Yiban's power still made Obito wary.
It would be best to kill him!
That way, he wouldn't interfere with the Eye of the Moon plan!
Elsewhere, in another strange place:
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
One by one, shadowy figures arrived through some special ninjutsu that allowed each person's consciousness to travel from thousands of miles away to the same place for a meeting.
Now, the gathered figures—some mere apparitions, others physically present—stood on the fingers of a gigantic, human-shaped monster resembling a dead tree.
"Have you all heard the biggest news spreading through the Shinobi World lately?"
As soon as they arrived at the meeting place, on the fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Deidara was the first to speak up.
"I only just left Konoha and am hurrying back to the organization. I haven't had any free time on the road to listen to news," Kisame Hoshigaki said with a toothy grin beside Itachi Uchiha.
Nearby, Itachi stood impassively, quietly watching everyone as if none of it concerned him.
"It concerns Itachi!" Deva Path Pain suddenly spoke from the head of the gathering.
He was looking straight at the impassive Itachi Uchiha!
At that,
Kisame Hoshigaki, Sasori, Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, Konan, and the others all turned to look at Itachi Uchiha.
Hearing Deva Path Pain's words, Itachi also glanced at Pain in puzzlement.
"I've heard about it too. This really does have something to do with Itachi. And when you think about it, it's hard to believe," Kakuzu suddenly added from among the group.
Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi grew curious.
Then—
"Isn't it just that the legendary Uchiha Madara has been resurrected? How could he compare to Lord Jashin?!"
Hidan revealed the answer outright.
"What?" Kisame Hoshigaki couldn't help but look startled.
Even Itachi Uchiha's pupils suddenly contracted!
An image of a man wearing a Spiral Mask involuntarily surfaced in his mind!
Uchiha... Madara...?
Before you continue