When Hashirama Senju began knocking out tailed beasts with a single punch apiece across the Shinobi World, the Two-Tails and Seven-Tails hiding in the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Village escaped disaster. Uchiha Mu's original body, however, was no longer in the village.
He arrived at Madara Uchiha's hideout. Taking in the somewhat familiar surroundings, Uchiha Mu walked straight inside and found Madara, who had already implanted Hashirama cells into his chest.
"Lord Madara, Hashirama was the one who told the others not to touch your corpse." Uchiha Mu had strong feelings about the profound bonds of the Shinobi World.
"That certainly sounds like him. My body hasn't rejected the cells. Instead, there's been a curious reaction, and my ocular power is growing stronger too," Madara Uchiha replied quietly.
"Perhaps we and the Senju shared the same origin to begin with." As Uchiha Mu spoke, he took off his clothing bearing the Uchiha Clan's fan emblem, exposing his upper body. Part of his arm was also made of Hashirama cells.
"When did this happen?" Madara Uchiha asked.
"During the Warring States Period. I collected them while you were fighting Hashirama, Lord Madara," Uchiha Mu explained.
"No wonder your Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular power is so strong. How is your vision?"
"Still perfectly clear. With the support of Hashirama cells, it's very difficult to go blind."
"Ah, you have no siblings. That's both a blessing and a misfortune." Madara Uchiha sounded a little sorrowful. Though he had gained these eyes, he had lost his only younger brother, Izuna.
"I don't care about those eyes. If gaining power means losing someone close to me, I'd rather not have that power." Uchiha Mu hit his sore spot dead on.
After a long silence, Madara Uchiha replied, "You're right."
"Are you planning to wait for your eyes to change? That will take a long time," Uchiha Mu said.
"It's worth it." Wood Release appeared in Madara Uchiha's hand. After implanting Hashirama cells, he had gained access to Hashirama's Wood Release.
"Then why not take on a new identity and come to the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Village? Lord Madara, our goal is to surpass the Sage of Six Paths, not follow some lousy stone tablet he left behind." Uchiha Mu extended a hand.
Madara Uchiha said nothing, merely recalling the information he had obtained from the Nine-Tails. Even at his death, the Sage of Six Paths had insisted on separating the tailed beasts. Why would he leave behind a stone tablet calling for them to be gathered together? It contradicted itself.
Yet after implanting Hashirama cells, he could clearly feel his ocular power strengthening. That meant the Stone Tablet's claim about combining the Senju and Uchiha was correct. He was somewhat bewildered.
"Lord Madara, which do you think is easier to believe: an outright lie, or a lie mixed in with the truth?" Uchiha Mu pressed.
Madara Uchiha parted his lips. He thought Uchiha Mu had a point, but Mu could not prove that the Stone Tablet's words were lies either.
"Mu, I'm already a dead man."
"Oh, that? Can't you alter your appearance a little, Lord Madara? Besides, something like building a village only has meaning if you actually take part yourself, doesn't it?" Uchiha Mu continued coaxing him. Madara Uchiha had not yet been manipulated so thoroughly, so there was still a chance.
"Perhaps the problem lies with me if I keep looking for excuses. Very well, I'll go and see this village you've built." With that, Madara Uchiha used the Transformation Technique to alter his appearance. His chakra was difficult to change, but only a handful of people were familiar with it anyway.
"Lord Madara, you won't be disappointed," Uchiha Mu said with a smile.
"Mu, if the Eye of the Moon Plan is a lie, do you think peace will ever come to the Shinobi World? I've spent so long traveling, and the more I see, the more sordid this world seems. I want to hear your answer." Madara Uchiha asked after a moment's thought.
"It would be very difficult. Take Sunagakure, for example. They're poor, almost too broke to survive. Expecting them to give up survival for peace is impossible."
"Then..."
"Lord Madara, unifying the Shinobi World is another option."
"That would merely turn wars between nations into internal strife. Peace still wouldn't come." Madara Uchiha shook his head.
"But the damage would be far smaller. And if that internal strife truly escalated enough to overthrow us, it would mean the path we chose was wrong in the first place. Lord Madara, people and shinobi alike follow the crowd. They're easily incited, and what others use to incite them is precisely what we've done wrong."
"If we do more right than wrong-or even more wrong than right-as long as people can still live normal lives, there won't be a large-scale rebellion."
"So your idea is to unify the Shinobi World first? Force would work, but what comes afterward?" Back in Konoha, Madara Uchiha had initially intended to rule through force as well. Though Hashirama had stopped him, he later came to believe that even gaining control would be meaningless. Once he died, things would simply revert to whatever they would otherwise have become.
"That's why we need to lead with products, then spread our culture, and finally penetrate their thinking. That is my goal: to make the entire Shinobi World believe that the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation embraces everything and is a utopia for all humanity." Uchiha Mu finally revealed his aim.
"Your ambitions are greater than mine. It seems persuading you to join the Eye of the Moon Plan is impossible."
"I'm an Uchiha. Why would I take a relatively easy shortcut just because things are difficult?" Uchiha Mu burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Exactly. We're Uchiha. Then go and do it. Even if you fail, the Eye of the Moon Plan will still be there as a fallback." Madara Uchiha laughed as well. Uchiha Mu was right. They were Uchiha. Looking for a shortcut before even trying? That was not who they were.
Uchiha Mu smiled. As he had thought, Madara still needed guidance. Otherwise, after experiencing the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars, he would be completely beyond persuasion. There was still a chance at this stage. Next came Black Zetsu. Once Mu dealt with him, he could finally develop in complete safety.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu.
He writhed, roared, seethed with resentment and bitterness, and sank into dark thoughts. He had planned for a thousand years, and now, when success was closest, Madara was being changed-changed by that Uchiha Mu who knew about his mother. It filled him with all manner of negative emotions.
In truth, this was perfectly normal. Anyone whose thousand-year plan was disrupted would react this way. It would have been strange if he had not.
"I really do need to meet Uchiha Mu, that unusual Uchiha." Still, he left himself some leeway. He planned to leave part of himself behind, so even if their discussion failed, he could keep scheming and ensure he would not be sealed. After all, killing him was impossible.
Black Zetsu was actually much like a human. Though he had schemed for a thousand years, no one would think of giving up when success was within reach.
If Uchiha Mu truly intended to rescue Kaguya, there would be nothing wrong with helping him with everything he had. This was the closest he had ever come to rescuing his mother. He absolutely could not give up now.
He would also use the meeting to ascertain Uchiha Mu's character. He had managed to manipulate even Indra. As long as he identified Uchiha Mu's weakness, he could make him carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan just the same.
With that thought, Black Zetsu turned his attention to Uchiha Mu's two women. He was unsure how important they were to Mu. After all, nobles had multiple women, but they would not develop the same mindset as Obito in the original story.
He decided those two women were not the answer, then turned his gaze toward the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation. Purchasing it at great expense, attracting people, building a village-all the signs indicated that the village was what mattered most to Mu.
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