The Eye of the Moon Plan

A month later.

Genye lay on the bed, holding a small notebook and scribbling in Chinese.

"If we exclude Hamura's line on the moon and Kinkaku and Ginkaku of Kumogakure, these should be the only clans in the Shinobi World connected to the Otsutsuki."

"Confirmed: Uchiha, Senju, Uzumaki, Hyuga; uncertain: Kaguya Clan."

As far as Genye himself was concerned, he believed the Kaguya Clan was connected to the Otsutsuki.

After all, Kimimaro's "bone overgrowth" looked an awful lot like Kaguya's "All-Killing Ash Bones," and even their names were connected.

Genye crossed out the Uchiha and Hyuga. Only three clans remained in the notebook: Senju, Uzumaki, and Kaguya.

"The Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines should count as one puzzle piece."

Genye made a bold guess. "In an ideal situation, I only need to get two more pieces!"

Hmm, how should he go about it?

There was already a living member of the Uzumaki Clan in the village, but she had a husband—and he was the newly appointed village chief, no less.

It wouldn't be convenient to make a move!

He didn't know if Tsunade was still in the village, but a young sprout gobbling up an old bull didn't seem right. Genye didn't consider himself the kind of person who enjoyed lending others a hand.

How about he brought the Senju brothers back with Impure World Reincarnation and tried to build a relationship with them?

He had a feeling that after digging up their graves, they wouldn't exactly be pleased to see him...

"Forget it. I won't consider anyone in the village for now."

Genye tried looking at it from a different angle. "If I broaden my horizons, Nagato and Karin could work too!"

He didn't know if Nagato had started carrying rice yet. Maybe when the chance came, he could put on a disguise and spend a couple of years living it up in the Akatsuki.

As for Karin... Damn, had Karin even been born yet?!

In a vast underground palace.

Madara sat on a raised platform, looking down at the girl below and asking with a sorrowful expression, "Xia, you're back. How did it go? Did you save the friend you'd grown up with?"

At his words, the girl named Uchiha Xia shook her head sadly.

"No, Lord Madara. I got there too late and couldn't save Yu. I could only watch him die right in front of me."

The girl looked about fourteen or fifteen, with delicate features. Unfortunately, half her face was covered in an unnatural pallor, marring her otherwise perfect beauty.

The dark patterns spinning rapidly in her eyes showed that she wasn't calm.

"I see. What a pity," Madara sighed, his voice tinged with regret.

"If I were in my prime, who in the Shinobi World would dare harm a member of my Uchiha Clan?"

"Lord Madara." Barefoot, Uchiha Xia climbed the platform one step at a time and slowly approached Uchiha Madara.

"Please tell me how to create a dream world. I want to create a world where my parents and teacher are still alive."

"Uh..." Madara opened his mouth, looking as if he wanted to speak but couldn't.

As people got old and had nothing to do, they tended to become gossipy.

Even the once bloodthirsty Shura was no exception.

When Madara was awake, he couldn't move around freely. His only source of entertainment was listening to Black Zetsu tell him all sorts of secrets and gossip from the Shinobi World, passing the time through those tedious days.

Thinking that he might be going offline for more than a decade this time, Madara ultimately couldn't suppress his curiosity and blurted out:

"So... what about that childhood friend of yours? Is he not in the world you plan to create?"

"You mean Yu?" Xia looked a little surprised. "We grew up together, but I don't have any special feelings for him."

Madara was baffled. "Then your Mangekyō Sharingan...?"

"Oh, Yu's death just reminded me of when my parents and teacher died," Xia explained.

"Right..." Uchiha Madara smacked his lips. So he'd gone and killed Yu for nothing?

Still, getting the girl to awaken her Mangekyō Sharingan meant it hadn't been a complete waste.

"Enough, Xia. Look into my eyes." His curiosity satisfied, Madara was ready to get down to business.

Their gazes met. The next moment, their consciousness entered the genjutsu space Madara had created.

In the genjutsu space, Madara began with the origins of the Shinobi World and continued all the way to his Eye of the Moon Plan.

The plan had three steps:

1. Gather the Tailed Beasts scattered across the world.

2. Convince Nagato to revive Madara and summon the Ten-Tails.

3. Become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and unleash the most powerful genjutsu, the Eye of the Moon.

"I understand, Lord Madara." After committing it all to memory, Uchiha Xia nodded firmly.

"Excellent." Madara patted Xia on the shoulder with satisfaction and smiled. "I'll pass on everything I've learned in my life. Xia, you'll become the savior of the Shinobi World!"

Before long,

Madara taught Xia the forbidden techniques and Yin-Yang Release he had mastered.

Of course, he held back some of the details for every technique. That was part of the plan too.

"All right, Xia. I'll leave everything to you from here on." Madara ruffled Xia's hair.

"Okay, Lord Madara." Xia nodded, then suddenly spoke up again. "By the way, Lord Madara, did anyone ever tell you something when you were young?"

Madara paused. "What?"

"(๑≖◡ ≖)✧ You looked pretty handsome when you were young, Lord Madara," Xia said.

...(*////﹏////*)

Madara's old face turned red. Had he just been teased by a junior?

If Izuna found out, he'd definitely make fun of him!

"Ahem. That's not important."

Madara hurriedly turned his face away. With his back to her, he coughed twice and said, "All right, let's continue."

"Huh? Didn't you say I'd already mastered everything you taught me?"

Xia looked confused.

"People get forgetful as they get older," Madara replied without batting an eye. "I just remembered a few more techniques I can teach you."

"Now, Xia..."

Uchiha Madara raised his hand and poured a puddle of black liquid into a White Zetsu's body.

Before long, a half-black, half-white Zetsu came into being.

"This is something I created with Yin-Yang Release. You can think of it as my will."

Black Zetsu, pretending to be a newborn, nodded repeatedly and flashed an honest smile.

That's right, I'm the embodiment of Lord Madara's will.

"All right. I've told you everything you need to know."

Madara stood up and yanked out his oxygen tube with all his might (not really).

After losing the nourishment supplied by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he slumped limply into his chair and shakily pointed at Xia.

"Child, until I'm revived, you... are Uchiha Madara!"

With that, Madara tilted his head and logged off in the most abrupt way possible.

Of course, he believed that one day he would reconnect and log back in to dance again.

Sigh...

Xia sighed softly as she gazed at Madara's body. Without looking away, she asked, "Do you have any news about the matter I asked you to investigate earlier?"

"Yes." Black Zetsu hurriedly replied, "The White Zetsu say that the Konoha Jinchūriki is due on the fourteenth of next month. The location will be a safe house outside Konoha."

"I see." Xia nodded slightly and said calmly, "Then let a magnificent Konoha upheaval serve as the opening act for the 'Eye of the Moon' Plan."