Madara Uchiha

Uchiha Narong's consciousness gradually cleared from the chaos. The first thing he felt was the vast life force filling his entire body, so full it was almost overflowing, as if every cell were cheering in delight. What followed was the searing heat and sense of power from deep within his eyes, both familiar and unfamiliar—a strange perception that could "analyze" the structure of matter and "deflect" spatial vectors, branded into the depths of his soul like instinct.

The power of the Mangekyo Sharingan was real!

He slowly opened his eyes. What came into view was no longer the cold rock beneath Kannabi Bridge or the flash of enemy blades, but an enormous underground cavern, so dark and vast it seemed like a divine creation. In the center of the cavern stood an indescribable, withered-tree-like colossus. Countless pipes and vine-like objects extended from it, connecting to the ceiling and the ground, giving off a pulse that made one's heart tremble—the Gedo Statue. Just sensing its existence was enough to make the soul shudder.

Narong subconsciously moved his fingers. His body was light and full of strength. The bone-deep wounds from the previous battle had already healed, leaving not even the faintest scar. Chakra surged violently through him, far greater and purer than before he had been injured, and it carried a gentle yet powerful Yang Release aura brimming with vitality. It blended seamlessly with the Yin Release chakra of his own Uchiha bloodline, forming a perfect balance and amplification.

Hashirama cells... they fused perfectly! Narong was ecstatic, but his face remained impassive. He carefully looked inward and could "see" pale green life energy flowing through his meridians. Everything was as perfect as he had meticulously planned! Being gravely wounded and near death had been an act. Awakening the Mangekyo was real. But being rescued here and receiving Madara Uchiha's legacy—that had been his true goal! He had succeeded! Now, he needed to play out the next part well and squeeze the last bit of value from this old ancestor.

He sat up and found himself lying on a crude stone platform. Looking around, apart from the oppressive Gedo Statue in the center, the cavern was dim and terrifyingly silent.

"You're awake." An aged, hoarse voice, like a broken bellows, abruptly rang through the silent cavern, carrying the weariness and authority of endless years.

Narong suddenly raised his head and looked toward the voice. Beneath the Gedo Statue, a figure was slumped in a huge stone chair that looked like a throne. That figure... rather than a person, it was more like a dried corpse draped in a loose black robe. He was withered and small, his face covered in wrinkles as deep as ravines, his skin a lifeless ashen gray. The most heart-stopping part was his eyes. Though cloudy beyond belief, when they occasionally opened, the pupils were not the legendary Rinnegan, but a pair of... scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan with complex patterns! Though their form differed from Narong's, that unique chakra fluctuation belonging to the Mangekyo—cold, powerful, and ominous—could not be faked.

Madara Uchiha! He looked almost exactly like the image from the anime in his memories, but far older, far closer to the edge of death, and... he did not have the Rinnegan! Narong sneered inwardly, but at just the right moment, extreme vigilance, disbelief, and a perfectly measured trace of fear appeared on his face. He quickly rolled off the platform and landed on the ground, taking a defensive stance. His Sharingan opened instantly, three tomoe spinning warily.

"Who are you? What is this place?!" Narong's voice carried the hoarseness of having just awakened and the tension of being in an unknown perilous situation.

"Who am I?" The withered figure gave a low, hoarse laugh, as if he had heard something amusing. "As a younger Uchiha who has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, can you not feel the call of the same bloodline?" Madara's Mangekyo slowly spun, carrying a scrutinizing air.

Narong cooperatively made his Sharingan spin faster, showing the doubt and unease in his heart. "Mangekyo... you have the Mangekyo too! But this ancient chakra feeling... impossible! Madara Uchiha died long ago in the Valley of the End! Who exactly are you? What is your purpose in impersonating an ancestor?!"

"Impersonating?" Madara's laugh carried mockery and a trace of reminiscence. "Died in the Valley of the End? That was merely a trick to deceive the world. I, Madara Uchiha, have been alive all along, simply waiting... for an heir like you to appear." He directly stated his own name.

"An heir?" Narong's face was filled with disbelief and ridicule. "Absurd! On the strength of one sentence from you, and a pair of Mangekyo of unknown authenticity? What kind of figure was Madara Uchiha? A legend who could contend with the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju! And you, looking like you'd fall over in a breeze? Why should I believe you? Show me proof!" He deliberately revealed intense doubt and contempt. This was a goading tactic, and also a way to force the other party to display his strength. He needed to evaluate how many trump cards this "old ancestor" still had left.

"Hmph, an ignorant yet cautious brat." Madara did not seem angered. Instead, he had a hint of appreciation for Narong's "caution," though more than that, there was a kind of helplessness at "needing to show power to gain trust." He did not have much time left, and had no time to persuade him slowly. "Since you want proof... then I shall let you see with your own eyes what the power of... Madara Uchiha is!"

Before his voice had even faded, Madara's withered body suddenly straightened a little. Though he still looked unsteady, an indescribably terrifying aura erupted all at once! It was no longer that vague pressure from before, but like a sleeping beast opening its eyes!

He did not form any hand seals. Only his Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly lit up with scarlet light!

"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"

Rumble—!

The entire underground cavern shook violently! Countless thick, thorn-covered massive vines and trees, as if alive, burst wildly from the cavern walls and ground, growing and spreading at astonishing speed! They coiled, strangled, and in an instant transformed more than half the cavern into a primeval forest! Dense life force intertwined with deadly killing intent. Narong could even see several enormous flower buds rapidly blooming at the tips of the vines, releasing faint pollen with an anesthetic effect!