Was this the Sage of Six Paths' final gambit?
No...
It wasn't the Sage of Six Paths—or rather, it wasn't only the Sage of Six Paths.
If the fate contained within Uchiha Madara's body was the Sage of Six Paths' final trump card, then the fate within First Senju Hashirama's body could not have been the Sage of Six Paths' trump card. After all, it was not the Sage of Six Paths who had resurrected the First back then. Thus, as Uchiha Yue narrowed his eyes slightly, he was almost certain that the First had been Death God's planted move.
Simply put, the First and Uchiha Madara were respectively the assets Death God and the Sage of Six Paths intended to use for a comeback.
However, how many years would they need to grow?
And in Uchiha Yue's world, could they truly defeat him?
To be responsible, Uchiha Yue did not think highly of Uchiha Madara or the First at all. Their current power had been bestowed by Uchiha Yue. If they wanted to defeat him, Uchiha Madara and the First had to leave Uchiha Yue's world and cultivate in another space before they could become capable of opposing him.
Just like Uchiha Yue had back then.
Without Death God, he would have been nothing more than a pawn of the Sage of Six Paths, with no possibility of breaking free from fate.
Only Death God had been beyond the Sage of Six Paths' calculations, which was why Uchiha Yue had ultimately turned the tables and become the victor. As for who would emerge victorious when the next battle began, the place where Uchiha Madara and the First cultivated already provided the answer. Then, curious about just how far the future Uchiha Madara and First could grow, Uchiha Yue watched