Madara Uchiha

The Mountain Graveyard.

Inside a dim, unknown cavern deep underground.

The deep, dark cavern shut out all wind and sunlight from the world outside.

The entire space was deathly still and damp. Chilly moisture seeped from the stone walls, and the dim light hung heavy, lending everything in the cavern a cold, eerie air.

Deep within the cavern, an elderly man nearing the end of his life reclined in a cold stone chair.

His face was aged and wrinkled, his flesh loose and withered. If one ignored the thick, tubular vessels piercing his back and rooting themselves in his flesh, the way he rested with his eyes closed even seemed somewhat peaceful and kindly.

Yet in the deathly silence of the dim underground cavern, that gentleness offered no warmth at all. Instead, it carried a spine-chilling strangeness.

The stillness broke.

A bizarre, chalk-white figure with a malformed body slowly rose from the shadows on the ground.

Then a hoarse, strange voice echoed through the empty cavern, faint and sinister.

"Lord Madara, the fires of war have been rekindled outside, and that child has already stepped onto the battlefield."

The instant the report ended.

The old man who had been resting in the stone chair with his eyes closed suddenly opened them.

A pair of scarlet eyes opened in the darkness, and the elderly man who had still looked kindly moments before seemed to transform into the legendary god of death.

Three tomoe slowly revolved within his scarlet pupils. Vast, surging Eye Power instantly swept through the entire underground cavern. A closer look would reveal faint, illusory concentric lines within those scarlet eyes.

"Heh, Hashirama, the peace you maintained truly was fragile."

Surging Eye Power continued to wash over the entire underground space alongside Madara Uchiha's low voice. Unable to contain that immense power, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly in his sockets. As the tomoe rotated, purple gradually replaced the scarlet in his eyes.

Illusory Rinnegan overlaid the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, exuding an eerie sense of pressure.

"Keep an eye on that child. An Uchiha with such great love, yet such foolishness... and born with a space-time constitution so suited to the Ascension Plan. I cannot wait that long anymore. This Shinobi World... is rotting far too quickly."

Madara Uchiha spoke coldly.

As his words fell, six figures appeared before him at once, each with tangible Rinnegan in their sockets.

"Go."

As his words fell, the six figures vanished instantly.

"Heh... after transplanting the Rinnegan into Nagato, the remaining Rinnegan Eye Power can only produce these substandard Limbo Clones.

"Still, they are more than enough to keep an eye on that child. Without Hashirama, the Shinobi World is nothing but a bunch of incompetent rabble.

"No, not all of them. At least... that rat hiding in the shadows is rather capable. Heh, the Ōtsutsuki Clan... you... are far more perfect fuel."

Watching the six Limbo Clones leave, Madara Uchiha spoke indifferently, a chill in his eyes.

"Lord Madara, there is one more thing. There is another Uchiha child. Does he need our attention? This Uchiha child also possesses a constitution rarely seen in a thousand years. I suspect he may have something special about him as well."

As White Zetsu spoke, he took out an object resembling a tablet, switched it on, and placed it before Madara Uchiha.

The next moment, several lines of transparent virtual text appeared in midair, flickering with a faint glow.

Had Uchiha Gen been there, he would have discovered that this futuristic virtual screen contained a great deal of intelligence about him, including descriptions of the various techniques and abilities he had used.

"A Three-Tomoe Sharingan at such a young age? A pity. His thinking is too self-centered, and... this child behaves far too maturely. He has already awakened a will of his own.

"As a fellow Uchiha, I will not insult another Uchiha's will. Besides, compared with Obito Uchiha, he cannot serve as my successor at all.

"The space-time constitution Obito Uchiha has awakened will reveal its true might when he opens those eyes. As for Uchiha Gen, his peak is plain to see.

"Still, he should count himself fortunate-fortunate to have been born in this era. Ascension... Shinobi World... consider yourself honored by my existence."

Madara Uchiha casually flicked a finger, shutting off the virtual screen as he spoke indifferently.

"Understood, Lord Madara."

White Zetsu immediately nodded, looking at Madara Uchiha with fervent adoration.

"Oh, right, I nearly forgot to report this. White Zetsu A13465 and White Zetsu D71724 discovered traces of Black Zetsu in the Land of Ware, but he quickly slipped out of our sight again.

"However, the instant we spotted him, we immediately sealed off the space in the Land of Ware and surrounded the entire country.

"So Black Zetsu is definitely still hiding within the Land of Ware. Lord Madara, how should we deal with him?"

As though suddenly remembering something, White Zetsu spoke with a smile.

"Black Zetsu? I had forgotten about that insect... heh, a mere creation of Yin-Yang Release dared to masquerade as my will. Laughable...

"Continue sealing off the Land of Ware. He... may provide an opportunity for Obito to master Yin-Yang Release ahead of time. Still, his power does come from that being, after all. Go keep watch yourself. With my power, he will not escape."

A trace of mockery flashed in Madara Uchiha's eyes at those words. He could not help recalling the sludge that had appeared before him when he first awakened the Rinnegan, claiming to be the manifestation of his will.

How could he, Madara Uchiha, possibly possess such a will?

Draw the entire Shinobi World into a world of genjutsu?

Heh, utterly meaningless.

Peace achieved that way would only be temporary, and utterly foolish. Rather than choose that kind of peace, I might as well erase the entire Shinobi World outright.

In any case, the only difference between the two would be experiencing a pleasant genjutsu, and with my power, I could easily create such a genjutsu.

How could such an utterly ambitionless idea possibly be-how could it be allowed to be-the will of Madara Uchiha!

His ideal, as Madara Uchiha, was to advance toward a far greater ascension.

Once I attain omnipotence and omniscience! Peace? It would be mine for the taking!

"Yes!"

At his words, White Zetsu immediately sank underground and disappeared.

"...Hashirama, why couldn't you understand? Without human intervention, peace cannot exist."

After White Zetsu left, a sigh rang out in the dim cavern. The firelight faded, the scarlet eyes closed, and the cavern returned to darkness.