"Inuzuka Clan Leader — where are the others?"
The moment Uchiha Soren received the ninja cat's report, he left only a few instructions in the Hokage's office. Under the anxious gaze of Minamoto Kaori and Uzumaki Minako, he vanished via Flying Thunder God, reappearing instantly in the Land of Lightning.
But only Inuzuka Jin and his ninken stood there.
Soren frowned.
"Hokage-sama, Captain Setsuna led the team to Cloud–Thunder Gorge."
Jin reported simply, his posture firm even after days of marching.
Soren exhaled.
Five Kage-level shinobi plus a master Byakugan user would not fall for simple ambushes. Nothing left in Lightning Country could threaten them unless they encountered thousands at once—and if things went poorly, a tactical retreat was always possible.
If he were in Setsuna's shoes, Soren would have struck the gorge first as well. Control the chokepoint, seize the assets, secure the "cake."
Satisfied they were not in immediate danger, Soren relaxed slightly.
"I'll recover my chakra first. Teleporting from Konoha to Lightning cost a lot."
He swallowed an energy pill. As the warmth spread through his chakra network, Soren glanced at Jin—then at the proud, powerful ninken beside him.
He thought of Juno, round and smug, and a question slipped out before he could stop it.
"Inuzuka Clan Leader… do you have any advice on training ninja cats?"
Jin stiffened. His dog-paw facial markings twitched.
"…Our clan specializes in ninken, not cats. My knowledge is limited. Forgive me if it is shallow."
But he still explained what he knew—carefully avoiding clan secrets.
Cloud–Thunder Gorge
High among serrated mountains, Hyūga Ashikaga was sprinting downhill like a man trying to outrun the end of the world.
"You said you saw Lord Madara!?"
Uchiha Setsuna shouted in disbelief.
"Madara died at the Valley of the End! Lord Tobirama took even his corpse! How could he still be alive!?"
Ashikaga gasped for breath, Byakugan spinning wildly.
"I didn't mistake it! I know Madara's chakra! Cold, suffocating, monstrous—no one can imitate it!"
He accelerated—over 200 meters per second—like a meteor falling sideways.
Setsuna froze.
Madara… alive?
Madara… here!?
Then a realization struck him like lightning—
Izanagi.
A forbidden Sharingan technique that rewrote fate itself, as long as preparations were made beforehand.
Shock turned into blazing exhilaration.
"THEN WHY ARE WE RUNNING!?" he roared.
"Konoha's Hokage is an Uchiha now! If Madara-sama is alive, we should bring him HOME!"
The others faltered. In theory, Setsuna's logic was flawless.
But Ashikaga, still tracking Madara with his Byakugan, paled.
Madara was coming.
Fast.
Too fast—moving twice Ashikaga's speed, tearing through the mountains like a natural disaster.
Ashikaga's last thread of sanity snapped.
He created several shadow clones—each sprinting in opposite directions.
(This is like watching a storm made of death barreling toward me.)
(Madara is absolutely trying to kill us!)
Nara Luming made a split-second decision. He grabbed Yamanaka Bamboo and Akimichi Chuya and fled the other way, also using clones.
They had no illusions.
They could never outrun Madara.
They could never fight Madara.
Their only hope was that Madara chased the one who saw him—Ashikaga.
Setsuna watched them scatter like frightened birds. His gut twisted.
But then he looked down the mountainside.
There—
A figure approached, crossing six to seven kilometers in mere heartbeats.
And Setsuna's breath caught.
The fierce face.
The wild, flowing mane.
The crimson armor.
The Gunbai fan.
The silhouette etched in his soul.
Uchiha Madara.
Setsuna's knees almost buckled—not in terror, but reverence.
But the eyes staring at him…
Calm. Black.
Filled with killing intent.
"…Madara-sama?"
Madara stepped off the cliff. His eyes shifted into three-tomoe Sharingan as he walked toward Setsuna.
"The others abandoned you?"
"I chose to stay," Setsuna whispered, throat dry.
His heartbeat thundered. Death pressed down on him like a mountain.
He forced his voice out:
"Madara-sama, Konoha is ruled by Uchiha now! If you return—if you return, you can become clan head again! You can become Hokage! All Uchiha will support you—"
Madara's expression iced over.
"Still clinging to such foolishness?"
"You've grown senile."
His voice dropped like a guillotine.
"You remind me of the version of myself who was betrayed."
Then he lowered the Gunbai.
"I truly feel sad for that boy, Soren."
Madara blurred forward.
Setsuna barely dodged the first strike—
A shockwave split the air.
He tried taijutsu.
Genjutsu.
Ninjutsu.
Nothing worked.
Under three-tomoe Sharingan, Madara still eclipsed him utterly.
A single mistake—
His sword flew free.
A shadow moved.
Everything turned black.
Then—
CRACK
His head burst beneath the descending Gunbai.
Madara examined the fading Sharingan, plucking it from the corpse. He collected two more pairs from Setsuna's body.
Leaving a shadow clone to dispose of it, he moved toward the fleeing Hyūga.
"Hmph. Tricks I invented myself."
Izanagi Fails
Somewhere in the mountains, Setsuna's body reformed—
Izanagi pulling his fate back from death.
He gasped, alive for one desperate heartbeat—
Then a single ruthless strike from behind severed everything.
He didn't even get to turn around.
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