A thousand miles away.
In the depths of a secluded canyon.
A vast and expansive space stretched out, divided into nine separate zones. At the very center stood the towering Geto Statue. Surrounding it were nine circular formations, each inscribed with black sealing characters. In the center of every circle was a Flying Thunder God kunai.
Boom!
A massive form materialized, it was the Five-Tails, Kokuo.
The beast roared furiously upon appearing inside one of the circles and tried to break free, but was instantly suppressed by the black sealing runes beneath it.
Boom!!
White smoke flashed again, the One-Tail, Shukaku, appeared in another circle.
More bursts of white smoke followed, the Four-Tails and Six-Tails were also summoned one after another. Inside the circle prepared for the Three-Tails, only a chunk of its tail appeared, twitching faintly. In the one designated for the Seven-Tails, half a wing took form.
Atop the Demonic Statue, Nagato maintained a hand seal position. He didn't even glance at the tailed beasts as they appeared, his eyes were closed in deep focus.
And then,
His eyes suddenly snapped open, as if jolted by a powerful shock. His body swayed slightly, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he gasped for breath.
"Hashirama Senju has been defeated…?"
"Even the First Hokage..."
Tobirama had already fallen under Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, completely losing control. And now, even Hashirama had been overwhelmed and sealed away by Kaede.
The entire situation was rapidly spiraling out of control.
"Kaede made his move," came a deep voice.
Black Zetsu appeared beside Nagato and said gravely,
"Now that he's acted, he'll most likely use Flying Thunder God to head directly to Sunagakure. It's no longer possible to capture the full bodies of the Three-Tails or the Seven-Tails, but at least we already have the One-Tail. Before Tobirama lost control, he sent over portions of the Three-Tails and Seven-Tails' chakra."
Nagato lowered his head slightly, voice somber.
"The Eight-Tails is still being dealt with… and the Nine-Tails is sealed inside Kaede. Without the Nine-Tails' chakra, this won't work. We'll have to eliminate Kaede."
A glimmer of strange light flickered deep in Black Zetsu's eye.
"Then it's time to resurrect Uchiha Madara," he rasped.
"If you still wish to be the one who ushers in the new world, you can use the Edo Tensei to bring him back. I'm sure Madara won't mind. We need his power to stand a chance against Kaede now."
Nagato's expression shifted, visibly torn.
But in the end, he exhaled deeply. He knew he had to act now. If Kaede caught wind of what was happening here before the plan was complete, everything would fall apart.
Using Edo Tensei instead of Rinne Tensei to bring Madara back was acceptable to him, after all, Edo Tensei was under his control.
Madara may have been a match for Hashirama back in his prime, but Nagato held the Rinnegan now. He could suppress even Madara's Edo Tensei form if needed. To him, Madara was merely another combat unit.
"Fine."
Nagato spread his hands apart, then quickly brought them together, forming a series of hand seals. Pressing his palm to the ground, a web of dark sealing runes flared to life.
A coffin slowly rose from the earth.
Its lid slid open and fell away, a figure stepped out, shaking off the dust from his armor. Long black hair trailed behind him, and he wore the signature armor of the Warring States era.
It was Uchiha Madara.
"So… it's finally begun."
Madara glanced around, eyes gleaming faintly. Then he lifted his gaze toward Nagato, locking eyes with him.
Nagato returned the look and said gravely,
"The plan is nearly complete, but there's still resistance from the Nine-Tails. We'll need your strength."
Madara's eyes swept the area once more. The Sharingan spun to life as he noted the coffins nearby, and became aware of his own condition.
He held up a hand and studied it closely, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
"This is… Edo Tensei? Not Rinne Tensei?"
"Rinne Tensei would consume too much of my chakra," Nagato replied flatly.
Just then, Black Zetsu slithered up behind Madara and touched his back, transmitting everything that had happened recently.
Madara's eyes gleamed with insight.
"I see."
"You'd best deal with Kaede quickly, " Nagato began, preparing to take control of Madara's body.
But at that moment, Madara's eyes flickered with light. A powerful surge of ocular power erupted, resonating directly with the Rinnegan in Nagato's eyes.
"What?!"
Nagato's expression changed as he found himself suddenly paralyzed, unable to move.
This immobilizing force wasn't coming from outside, it was emanating from within his own Rinnegan, and it shocked him to his core.
"My Rinnegan… how?!"
"That's not your Rinnegan."
Madara looked up at him calmly.
He brought his hands together and formed a seal. Nagato's body moved involuntarily, mirroring the gesture.
Madara's eyes transformed from Mangekyo Sharingan to Rinnegan in an instant.
Nagato's face paled in horror.
Under Madara's control, he began raising his own hands, clasping them together to form the same seal. He tried desperately to resist, but his body no longer obeyed him.
"Why… how do you have the Rinnegan…?"
Madara's voice remained calm as he formed the seal, forcing Nagato to do the same.
"Because it's mine."
"You've done enough. I'll take it from here."
Then, with a flash of cold light in his eyes, Madara shouted:
"Outer Path: Rinne Rebirth!"
BZZZZZTT!!
A burst of radiant energy erupted.
Nagato, completely out of control, unleashed the Rinne Rebirth technique. A soft, glowing light enveloped Madara's body, and the cracks and damage on his form began to vanish.
His once-hollow form began to rapidly regenerate, restoring living flesh and blood.
Then,
Madara flickered and appeared directly in front of Nagato. With a swift motion, he dug into Nagato's eye socket and pulled out the Rinnegan, immediately inserting it into his own eye.
"Aaaaarghh!"
Nagato screamed in agony, blood streaming from his empty sockets as he collapsed to the ground. His chakra rapidly began to fade.
Madara didn't even look at him.
His gaze turned toward the tailed beasts gathered below the Demonic Statue, and a calculating light danced in his eyes.
"I didn't expect that brat to be so troublesome. Even Obito lost to him. Without the Nine-Tails, this will be… tricky."
"Don't worry, Madara-sama," Black Zetsu rasped as he emerged from the shadows.
"We may not have the full Nine-Tails, but I have a way to get part of its chakra. We just need to wait for the fragments of the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails to be delivered from the other side."
Madara glanced at him, a rare smirk playing at his lips.
"Oh? Not bad."
"Your will… is my will, Madara-sama," Black Zetsu replied hoarsely.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria