Version King-Eight-Gates Madara!

Listening to Madara's words, Obito silently turned his gaze to the rows of wooden coffins, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes:

"Ten Uchiha Impure World Reincarnation Mangekyō Sharingan, combined with the remains of powerful individuals you've found throughout the Ninja World over the years... that's indeed a formidable fighting force."

"But these alone are far from enough to defeat Kou."

Obito turned his gaze back to Madara and said in a deep voice:

"I think I mentioned it to you before, about Kotori's Mangekyō Sharingan abilities."

Madara watched him quietly, without interrupting or asking any questions, simply waiting with an almost disdainful composure for Obito to continue.

"Space Collapse, similar to the Chakra absorption ability of the Preta Path."

In addition to the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave, the Impure World Reincarnation obtained from Orochimaru and subsequently improved, and that exquisite Sealing Jutsu...

Obito recounted the details as if they were his own treasures, his expression growing increasingly serious:

"The current Kou has grown to a rather terrifying level."

If you think you can deal with him with just these things, then you're underestimating him.

"Are you misunderstanding something, Obito?"

Ban waved his hand, raised a finger, and casually pointed to the row of wooden coffins in front of him, his expression revealing no displeasure at being questioned.

"I never said I would use these weapons to deal with that brat Uchiha Kuro."

Obito's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

"These are only good for dealing with the ants that get in your way."

Madara withdrew his hand, a fighting spirit and anticipation that had not surfaced for many years rekindling in his eyes:

"Uchiha Kuro, that brat, is the only person since Hashirama who can reignite my interest."

"This delicacy should rightfully be tasted by me... personally!!"

Obito looked at Madara's face, which was full of fierce fighting spirit, remained silent for a moment, and then asked in a low voice:

"You're really confident. Are you so sure that Kou will lose to you?"

"Hmph hmph hmph... Hahahaha!!"

As if he had heard a funny joke, Madara threw his head back and burst into wild laughter.

Hearing that unrestrained laughter, Obito's already gloomy face became even more unpleasant.

But he didn't interrupt Ban, as if he had expected this arrogant man to react this way.

After a while, Ban's laughter gradually stopped.

He looked at Obito again, and smiled leisurely, almost mockingly:

"Although I've known for a long time that you've always held an almost blind trust in that kid."

But I never expected that you would say something like that, even though you already have a clear understanding of my current strength.

As he spoke, Madara's voice gradually deepened, and he took a step closer to Obito.

Strands of dark and eerie Chakra began to appear around him.

The Chakra, like living things, emerged from every inch of his skin, undulating and flowing around him.

With the appearance of those black Chakra, Madara's already terrifying aura continued to rise at an extremely alarming speed!

This grotto, which has stood for hundreds of years, trembles incessantly before this terrifying power.

Gravel fell from the dome, and the ground rippled gently like waves, as if it would completely collapse and bury this Yamanaka cave at any moment!

Just as this aura struck Obito, Obito body, before his consciousness could react, instinctively entered a state of intangibility.

The body shrouded in black robes instantly transformed into a phantom, and the surrounding air distorted slightly under the terrifying pressure at the edge of his blurred form.

Obito stared intently at Madara, saying nothing and not retreating, but his left Mangekyō Sharingan, in a blurred state, was fixed on the man opposite him who was radiating pressure.

Only someone who truly understands the nature of Madara's power at this moment would react so instinctively.

Even the mere intimidation alone is enough to make someone feel a deadly threat!

Although Obito's expression was extremely solemn, he didn't seem too surprised, as if he had already anticipated this scene.

"Uchiha Kuro... does he possess the strength to threaten me?"

Madara murmured with amusement, then gave Obito a sneer.

"When you said that, didn't you feel like laughing at all?"

"... I'm just reminding you not to underestimate him."

Obito spoke calmly, meeting Madara's gaze without the slightest hint of backing down:

"Regarding your current strength, naturally no one in the entire Ninja World knows it better than me."

"But don't forget, knocking on his door... he's the man most capable of bringing 'surprises'."

Even if your current strength is firmly above his, you'd better not let your guard down.

"Well then, I'll accept your 'kindness' for now."

Madara smiled indifferently, then withdrew the surging black Chakra around him back into his body.

The terrifying aura that had been so oppressive it was almost suffocating quickly dissipated into the cold air of the cave.

The ground and stone walls, which had been trembling violently, finally returned to deathly silence.

"I still need to process this rare and valuable material, Black Zetsu, so I'll be taking my leave now."

Ban said naturally, and then turned around decisively.

But he stopped after taking only half a step.

Madara turned his head, looking at Obito with his Three Tomoe Sharingan half-hidden in his disheveled hair, and said calmly:

"Let me say this one last time: no matter what my stance is, I will not harm Uchiha Kuro's life."

I can vouch for that with my name, Uchiha Madara.

Therefore, you can confidently carry out our plan.

Hearing Madara's words, Obito not only didn't feel happy, but instead frowned:

"... Are you doubting my resolve?"

"No."

Madara shook his head, turned back, and left Obito with only a composed yet arrogant back view.

It was just a well-intentioned reminder.

After all, we are now a community with a shared future.

Having said that, he said no more and jumped without hesitation.

That robust body, like an arrow released from a bow, violently tore open the thick cave ceiling.

With a deafening roar, countless huge rocks plummeted from above Obito's head, passing through his body and crashing onto the cold ground of the cave, raising clouds of dust.

Obito remained standing in the same spot, looking up at the huge hole that Madara had smashed through, from which fragments of rock were still falling, and gazing at the sky above, which was dyed red by the twilight.

Ban's figure had long since vanished; only the beam of light he had forcibly torn through, piercing through the rock layers and the passage of time, shone into this cave that had endured centuries of darkness.

"Oh."

After a long while, Obito chuckled briefly and muttered to himself:

"... Yeah, how could I have had such a thought?"

Obito shook his head, as if trying to shake that sudden thought out of his mind.

No matter how you look at it, Koko could never be a match for Madara in his current form.

This is the most accurate assessment made by myself, who knows their strengths best.

Yes, Kou was very strong, strong enough to kill him.

He was strong enough to easily sweep away Akatsuki, Nagato, and all of them one by one.

But that's not enough.

That alone is not enough to fight Madara in his current state!

The Uchiha Madara of today is no longer the old man who needed my help to maintain his vital signs in the Kamui Dimension.

The forbidden technique, Body Activation Technique, which Shennong brought from Konoha and was created by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, rekindled the flame of youth in Madara's aging body.

The physical regeneration not only restored him to his peak condition, but also made his body even stronger than when he fought Hashirama Senju to the death outside the Valley of the End.

The Zero-Tails, which fed on pure dark negative Chakra and was obtained from Shennong, perfectly filled the fatal backlash of the Body Activation Technique.

With the monster's regulation within Ban's body, the side effects of the Body Activation Technique, which should have been like a life-gnawing disease, have been reduced to a negligible level.

The combination of these two trump cards alone has already allowed Madara, even without the Rinnegan's enhancement, to reach a level surpassing that of "Uchiha Madara" from his time at the Valley of the End.

What truly sealed the fate of this game was what they discovered deep within the Hozuki Castle...

"The Box of Ultimate Bliss."

This ancient ninja tool, dating back to the Six Paths era a thousand years ago, contains an almost inexhaustible supply of dark, negative energy.

Zero-Tails, which feeds on and draws power from negative energy, can absorb the negative energy within the Box of Ultimate Bliss to strengthen itself and better repair the damage caused by the Body Activation Technique.

Over the years, Madara has spent a significant portion of his time locking himself in the Box of Ultimate Bliss, allowing the Zero-Tails within him to devour the dark energy that had accumulated there over thousands of years.

With the aid of the Zero-Tails, which had absorbed the negative energy contained within the Box of Ultimate Bliss over the past thousand years, the Body Activation Technique on Madara's body had reached a terrifying level of effectiveness!

Terrifying physical strength, the ability to regenerate instantly, and...

With virtually no side effects, the Eight Inner Gates can be used for extended periods with all Eight Gates open!

This is their ultimate trump card to deal with Kou!

That's also why Ban is so confident.

After all, with all Eight Gates open and possessing a Rinnegan, Uchiha Madara was probably no match for even the Sage of Six Paths in his prime...

"No matter how you look at it, this is a win-win situation."

Obito murmured softly, gazing at the dome whose original shape was no longer discernible, and chuckled lightly:

"No matter how much Kou struggles, faced with such a huge gap in strength, in the end, he can only succumb to reality."

"The ultimate victor will be us!"

Obito slowly turned around, walked to the front row of wooden coffins, and placed his hand on the cold, rough coffin lid.

"But, Koko, I'm still really looking forward to it."

He lifted his gaze from the coffin lid and looked at the sky, which was almost completely enveloped by night, leaving only a last sliver of dark red:

"I look forward to... witnessing you perform another 'miracle' in person."