Uchiha Madara's Comeback

"Ka... Kakuzu-sama! Are you alright?!"

Inside Gato's branch office, Kakuzu was clutching his chest, using the tentacles of Earth Grudge Fear to stitch up his battered body. Just then, Gato suddenly wore an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

"What is it? Are you afraid of me?!"

Gato, who valued his life above all else, had hidden the moment the battle broke out, so Kakuzu naturally assumed he was terrified by the sight of his tentacle-ridden form. But the next moment, he realized he was wrong...

Gato pointed a trembling finger toward Kakuzu's side. The moment Kakuzu turned in confusion, a face identical to his own appeared right beside him.

"A mirror? No, that's not it!"

Having relaxed after surviving the ordeal, Kakuzu suddenly realized that the reflection before him actually possessed chakra! And what's more! It was exactly the same as his own!

Without a second thought, Kakuzu immediately threw a tentacle-fist, but he was met with an identical tentacle-fist.

--Bang!

As their fists collided, both Kakuzus frowned simultaneously. "It doesn't seem to be an illusion..." Moreover, that inexplicable sense of familiarity told him that the other party was "himself."

"Who exactly are you?!"

Both Kakuzus asked at the same time, leaving Gato, who was watching from the side, completely dumbfounded. "Isn't this your Clone Technique, Kakuzu-sama?!"

Gato's emotions shifted from the initial fear of seeing two Kakuzus to the thought that "this is probably just a Clone Technique that all ninjas can use, nothing to be afraid of," and finally to, "If this isn't Kakuzu-sama's clone... then it's... a ghost?!"

As Gato was scared out of his wits, the two Kakuzus looked at each other and seemed to realize something. "Could it be... that Talisman?!"

The sensation of one soul inhabiting two bodies was truly bizarre. Both Kakuzus looked exactly the same, mastered the same ninjutsu, and even shared the same hearts. The only difference was the look in their eyes: one was incredibly vicious, while the other appeared remarkably honest and upright.

After confirming repeatedly and questioning the other about his secrets—such as "the details of the battle against the First Hokage Senju Hashirama" and "the scene of stealing the secret technique Earth Grudge Fear from Takigakure"—Kakuzu confirmed that the other was indeed another version of himself.

If there were two of them...

Recalling the scene of being ganged up on earlier, the Kakuzu representing the "evil" side only thought about getting back at them! He wanted to rip their hearts and lungs out, chop them into pieces, and throw them into the sea to feed the fish!

Meanwhile, the Kakuzu representing the "kind" side wore an expression of unbearable pity. A few tears actually flowed from those green, bean-like eyes. "The world is so beautiful, yet you are so irritable. This isn't good... Can't we just shake hands and make peace with them, and become good friends?"

Honestly, seeing the kind Kakuzu make such a sentimental expression, the evil Kakuzu almost vomited. He immediately threw a punch at him, though it was caught...

"You bastard! Don't use my face to make such a disgusting expression!"

"Really now... don't be so irritable..."

"Damn it! I told you! Don't make that face, you bastard!"

Land of Frost.

This was an inconspicuous small country located north of the Land of Fire.

"Ha..."

Uchiha Madara stood on a hillside, breathing in the fresh air he hadn't seen in decades. He had to admit, the feeling of being alive was truly wonderful.

At this moment, he had taken off his deep blue robe and changed into the black, tight-fitting combat suit of his youth, layered with red, articulated armor.

"Madara-sama~ Madara-sama~"

Every time his "moment of tranquility" was interrupted by White Zetsu's elongated voice, Uchiha Madara felt a slight headache. He said in a cold tone:

"You had better have news about the Talisman."

Uchiha Madara did not choose to track the Shadowkhan to find the Talisman like the other village squads; instead, he relied on his army of tens of thousands of White Zetsu to cast a wide net across the Ninja World to gather information.

"I have it~ Madara-sama, but I'm afraid you'll have to make a move yourself for this one."

"Hmm?"

Uchiha Madara was somewhat puzzled. Although the strength of the White Zetsu wasn't high, they should be more than enough to deal with some Chunin, and with their numbers, they could even pile up and kill a Jonin. He immediately asked, "What is it?"

"That Talisman engraved with a 'Sheep' is currently in the hands of Roshi from Iwagakure~"

"Roshi... the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, is it...?"

Uchiha Madara had once sent White Zetsu to collect intelligence on all the Jinchuriki, so he was naturally well-versed in them.

However... weren't Jinchuriki usually not allowed to leave their villages?

Never mind... it just saved him the trouble of an extra trip. He would just take the Four-Tails while he was at it!

There was no time to complain about this absurd matchmaking mechanism. Uchiha Madara moved with extreme speed. Just as Roshi was holding the Sheep Talisman and attempting to test its abilities, he had already blocked the path ahead.

He didn't hide, nor did he send the White Zetsu; he simply stood in the middle of the road in plain sight.

"Who?!"

Although Uchiha Madara currently looked like a very sturdy old man, the pressure his chakra exerted on Roshi was real.

It felt as if a giant beast was standing before him... Roshi immediately condensed his chakra, preparing for battle.

"I didn't expect that there would come a day when my name, Uchiha Madara, would be forgotten by the Ninja World..."

"What? Uchiha Madara?!"

With just a casual sentence, Uchiha Madara made Roshi tremble. As the oldest among the Jinchuriki, he had grown up hearing the name of Uchiha Madara, the "Asura of the Ninja World."

Roshi suspected the man might be an impostor; although the face was wrinkled with age and the skin sagged, the domineering aura of Uchiha Madara's youth was still discernible.

"So... what business does a relic of the old era have with me...?"

A murderous intent surged forward. Uchiha Madara had no intention of engaging in idle chatter with Roshi, instantly launching Majestic Destroyer Flame without a moment's hesitation.

Although he possessed Lava Release and theoretically should not fear Fire Release, reason told Roshi that the sea of flames rapidly spreading toward him, consuming everything in its path and turning it to ash, was not something that could be easily blocked.

However! He wanted to try!

"Lava Release: Granite!"

Roshi immediately activated his Lava Release Chakra Mode. Flowing magma adhered to the outer layer of his body, and the Lava Release chakra in his palms surged wildly, making direct contact with the incoming sea of fire.

"Aaaaaah!"

There was a difference in temperature between the magma and the flames; Roshi felt as if his entire body were melting, the pain unbearable.

After several minutes of erosion by the sea of fire, Uchiha Madara ceased his hand seals. The Eye of the Moon Plan required a living jinchuriki; if the jinchuriki were to die, the Tailed Beast would respawn randomly in the wild, which would be a loss that outweighed the gain.

However, the moment Uchiha Madara stopped, he sensed wisps of a peculiar red chakra emerging from within the sea of fire.

"Partial Tailed Beast transformation...?"

--ROAR!

A roar tore through the sea of fire. Roshi was on all fours, pressed against the ground. Although he still maintained a human shape, his body had undergone obvious changes, accompanied by a distinct outflow of Tailed Beast chakra, with dark red Tailed Beast chakra covering the outer layer of his body.