The Land of Hot Water, on a hilltop.
Layers of light and shadow fell across the rolling hills and the distant forest canopy.
At the highest point, Uchiha Madara wore his dark red Warring States armor, the edges of its plates glinting with flecks of metallic light in the sun.
His long hair stirred gently in the wind as he stood at the edge of the rise, gazing at the outline of a temple covered in vegetation in the distance.
"Everything settled?"
Tianyi stood beside him, looking toward the same temple. "Yes, it's settled.
I just never expected my disciple to be so gifted-he reached the third stage on his very first use of Susanoo."
"Oh? It seems this generation of the Uchiha Clan is quite promising." Uchiha Madara turned his head slightly, glancing back toward Fugaku and Shisui.
"They already have three Mangekyō Sharingan wielders. In our era, that would have been enough to suppress the Senju Clan."
Fugaku stood a little farther back with his arms folded, saying nothing. Shisui stood beside him, also looking toward the temple ahead.
Tianyi turned to Black Zetsu. "All right, what's the situation?
Black Zetsu-your mother's resurrection is riding on this."
Black Zetsu's upper body emerged from the ground, his voice steady but tinged with excitement. "Your information was very accurate.
White Zetsu has found him-in the temple up ahead, a monk named 'Jigen.'"
Tianyi said nothing and simply raised a hand to form a seal. Behind him, the markings of a Flying Thunder God Formation appeared on the ground, lighting up in a ring. The light rose from the ground, forming a brief passage in the air.
When the light faded, two figures stood in the center of the formation-Tsunade and Might Guy.
After arriving, Tsunade scanned their surroundings before her