Madara's Plan

In the Land of Rice Fields, within a lush forest.

Three people walked along a shaded woodland path. All had black hair, cold expressions, and high-collared black robes. On their backs were three identical Gunbai Clan Emblems.

Upon closer inspection, it was a man accompanied by a young man and a young woman.

The man was tall and imposing, handsome and upright. With a gunbai and sickle strapped to his back, every stride carried an unrivaled air of dominance.

The Girl's skin was white as snow, her features cool and elegant, with a classical beauty between her brows. She appeared petite beside the man, but her almond-shaped eyes were bright, like a pool of autumn water. Combined with her refined, unworldly bearing, she seemed naturally aloof and cold.

The Youth was as handsome as jade, his facial features exquisitely sculpted and his lashes long. Especially those clear black-and-white eyes—at first glance, they seemed gentle as water, clear and pure. Yet they concealed a radiant depth, as though linked to a vast starry sky. The transcendent gleam that occasionally surfaced could only be noticed by true experts.

These three were naturally the Uchiha Trio who had arrived in the Land of Rice Fields.

After meeting up, Shin'yu used the Spiritualization Technique to fly at top speed. In less than half an hour, he had searched the entire Land of Rice Fields, and the target of their trip was in this forest.

"Shin'yu."

Shin'yu immediately stepped forward in small, quick strides. "Lord Madara."

"I'll have to trouble you with capturing the Nine-Tails later," Madara said flatly.

"All right." Shin'yu nodded calmly.

He looked utterly composed, as though he had anticipated this outcome long ago.

Madara glanced at him. "You aren't surprised?"

"An army is raised for a thousand days to be used in a single moment." Shin'yu smiled. "Ever since you told us to meet in the Land of Rice Fields, I guessed this would happen."

"An army is raised for a thousand days to be used in a single moment..." Madara repeated thoughtfully. "Hmph. Those are rather fine words."

"Of course. You've spared no effort in training us. No matter how thick-skinned we are, we can't keep freeloading forever."

Shin'yu scratched his head. "Actually, ever since you devised the Eye of the Moon Plan, I knew the two of us would definitely have a role to play in it."

"Oh?" Madara raised a brow in surprise. "Go on."

Shin'yu casually snapped off a stalk of rice straw and held it between his lips. "The first step of the Eye of the Moon Plan is obtaining Hashirama Senju's cells. That means we'll definitely have to fight the Hidden Leaf Village before long. Capturing the Nine-Tails this time is also in preparation for that battle, to ensure the plan proceeds without a hitch."

"However, Hashirama Senju is known as the God of Shinobi, a ninja as renowned as you, Lord Madara. Even with the Nine-Tails, it's hard to say that nothing unexpected will happen in this battle..." Shin'yu secretly glanced at Madara. Seeing his brow tighten slightly, he immediately changed his tune.

"This will undoubtedly be a Great War worthy of being recorded in ninja history! But since Lord Madara has prepared for so many years, victory should be easily within your grasp!"

Shin'yu rubbed his hands with an awkward smile. "Afterward, Lord Madara will need to focus on awakening the Rinnegan. Then the task of capturing the Tailed Beasts will inevitably fall to the two of us."

"So that's how it is..." Uchiha Hikari blinked in realization. "Then it really is necessary to assess our combat strength beforehand. The Nine-Tails is the perfect trial opponent."

"Yes. If the two of us can successfully complete this capture mission, Lord Madara will have no worries left and can fight Hashirama Senju with everything he has," Shin'yu agreed with a nod.

"It seems you have misunderstood something."

Madara's voice was low and cold, sending a slight chill down Shin'yu's spine.

Madara glanced at Hikari beside him. "I never said she would help you. You alone will carry out this capture mission."

The air instantly fell silent.

"Huh?"

Shin'yu opened his mouth, looking as though he had been struck by lightning. Even the rice straw fell from his mouth.

Madara turned his gaze toward Hikari. "In this battle, you are forbidden from using Yachihoko to assist him. You are not to provide him with any help whatsoever!"

Uchiha Hikari's little mouth fell open. Clearly, she was shocked as well.

"Hmph. You're very clever. You've guessed most of my plans, but not this." Madara said seriously, "Hikari is our trump card. I have no intention of exposing her too soon, much less letting her take part in this decisive battle."

Shin'yu froze for a moment, then immediately guessed Madara's intentions. "Because of her ocular technique?"

Madara nodded. "That's right. Her ocular technique is very special. Used in the right place, it can indeed be called a trump card. But she has not yet reached the point of surpassing everyone in this age. She needs time to grow."

"If the Hidden Leaf Village discovers her existence, then even if Hashirama does not act, Tobirama will certainly try to wipe her out completely."

Hikari immediately skipped in front of Madara, raised her little pink fist, and said firmly, "Lord Madara, I can do it!"

"What I need is the you who has grown stronger." Madara reached out and patted her little head.

"Your weakness is too obvious. Your eyes are not Eternal, and using them always comes with side effects. Without Hashirama's cells, you will eventually go blind."

"Then why can he do it?" Hikari's pretty face flushed slightly as she pointed at Shin'yu with a slender finger.

Unexpectedly, Madara smiled. "The reason I'm putting him to use is precisely because his ocular technique is special."

He patted Shin'yu on the shoulder. "This kid can continuously reset his condition through Time Regression. Every battle costs him nothing, and all negative effects on his body are completely erased. There is no need to worry about the side effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan at all."

Shin'yu felt somewhat speechless, secretly relieved that he had kept something hidden. If Madara learned the true ability of Ame no Tokotachi, he would probably really be reduced to a tool.

But before he could voice an opinion, Hikari anxiously said, "But I can help you! When you fight the Senju Clan Head, I can provide you with Chakra. We marked the Gold and Silver Brothers from the Hidden Cloud Village at Cloud-Lightning Gorge. They have Nine-Tails Chakra inside their bodies... I-I can also try to mark the Nine-Tails. That way, you won't have to worry about running short on Chakra..."

"No." Madara cut her off. "This decisive battle is between Hashirama and me. Neither of you may take part. Even Shin'yu will only be responsible for matters after the battle."

He turned to Shin'yu. "If I succeed, the Hidden Leaf Village will certainly not stand by and watch me leave. You will be responsible for escorting me away. If I... fail, you need not concern yourself with my corpse. But you must recover the Nine-Tails. It is an indispensable part of the Eye of the Moon Plan."

Shin'yu was suddenly stunned. "So... this capture operation is meant to verify whether I currently possess the strength to subdue the Nine-Tails head-on..."

"You truly are clever." Madara smiled approvingly.

Shin'yu took a deep breath. "But what if I fail?"

"Don't worry. If it comes to that, I'll intervene and keep you alive."

"But..." Madara's tone shifted as he said meaningfully, "Kid, I've watched your growth over all these years."