Chapter 77: I Think You're Being a Bit Too Extreme
"It doesn't seem particularly difficult at all—awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Uchiha Kazuki casually brushed a stray hair from his forehead, a hint of genuine disappointment visible in his eyes. He sighed with theatrical frustration:
"I thought it would genuinely be as challenging as you both made it sound. But is this really all there is to it?"
There had been absolutely no challenge whatsoever. The smooth, effortless process had completely ruined his initial expectations.
So the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan is nothing particularly special after all.
"..."
The silence hanging between Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu was absolutely deafening.
This guy... is extremely annoying!
Calm down! I must calm down!
Uchiha Madara tried desperately hard to control his facial expression so that he didn't appear too obviously distorted by bitter jealousy and resentment.
Then, taking a deep, measured breath, he forcibly suppressed the rising flames of anger burning within him. He repeatedly told himself internally: There's absolutely no need to lower myself to arguing with someone so young. What haven't I witnessed in my long life?
A mere pair of Mangekyō Sharingan isn't worth taking seriously. Not for Uchiha Madara.
"Ahem. Now that you've successfully awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, there are some critical things I must tell you."
Uchiha Madara coughed lightly to clear his throat, then spoke slowly in a deliberately deep, hoarse voice:
"The Mangekyō Sharingan... behind that incredible power lies immense risk and terrible cost."
"Risk? What exactly do you mean by that?"
Uchiha Kazuki—who had been thoroughly immersed in experiencing that powerful new ocular energy—was momentarily stunned upon hearing this ominous statement. His expression shifted to show calculated surprise.
"Heh. Let me explain something to you, kid."
Uchiha Madara seemed to have finally regained his sense of 'confidence' and superiority. He leaned back with deliberate calm against the stone chair while gripping his gnarled cane:
"Before answering your question directly, tell me—do you know why the Sharingan has historically been called the 'cursed eye' by our clan?"
Holding the metaphorical script perfectly, Uchiha Kazuki pretended complete ignorance. He deliberately paused to think for a moment before answering:
"Is it... because of the traumatic conditions required for awakening the Sharingan?"
"Partially correct, but that's not the complete answer. The real reason is this—"
Uchiha Madara spoke with calculated gravity:
"With excessive and frequent use by the awakened user—immersing themselves repeatedly in that intoxicating, powerful ocular energy—it places an increasingly heavy burden on the physical body. Every single time you actively use the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, you incrementally move closer toward permanent blindness. Until finally, you completely lose your eyesight forever and fall into absolute darkness."
He deliberately paused, his calculating gaze sweeping across Uchiha Kazuki's face. And exactly as he'd hoped, he clearly saw the precise expression he'd been waiting for.
Fear. Shock. Confusion. Dread.
The expression on Uchiha Kazuki's face appeared genuinely complicated—as if he were truly frightened by this revelation. After all, no one wants to lose their precious eyesight, let alone bear such devastating side effects.
"Why... why does it have to be this way?"
Deep confusion and dismay filled the young man's face. He visibly clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, speaking with apparent anguish:
"I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and gained immense power—two incredibly joyful achievements happening simultaneously! This should have brought me even greater happiness! But why... why did it turn out like this?!"
"Now do you finally understand?"
Although Madara found that particular phrasing slightly strange, he didn't dwell on the oddity and continued his explanation:
"This is precisely why the Sharingan has been called the cursed eye throughout our clan's history."
"You should have some way to resolve this problem, correct?"
Uchiha Kazuki suddenly raised his head, staring directly and intensely at Uchiha Madara:
"As someone who has survived since the Warring States period—an old man with decades of experience—I absolutely refuse to believe you have no solution whatsoever. Besides, your eyes aren't blind, are they?"
Perfect! The fish has taken the bait!
Uchiha Madara's cracked lips curled into a satisfied smile. He deliberately kept everyone in suspense, speaking with calculated mystery:
"A solution? Heh... I do happen to know one."
Seeing this obvious manipulation, Uchiha Kazuki immediately understood the game being played. A flash of murderous aura appeared briefly between his brows as displeasure crossed his face. He spoke coldly:
"If you're intending to use this method to blackmail me into compliance, you're severely mistaken. I... do not accept threats under any circumstances."
"No, no—you're completely wrong. This isn't a threat at all. It's cooperation."
Uchiha Madara chuckled knowingly, a cunning glint appearing in his aged eyes—like a fox that had successfully cornered its prey:
"I can help you completely resolve the devastating side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan. I can teach you forbidden ninjutsu techniques that will make you exponentially stronger. Even surpassing the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages would become a trivial matter."
"Then what's the price I must pay?"
Uchiha Kazuki forcefully concealed his apparent inner desire, asking with calculated caution:
"Since you're calling this 'cooperation,' you should at least tell me what your true purpose and ultimate goal actually is, correct?"
"Before I formally reveal everything, I want to ask you one more critical question."
Uchiha Madara deliberately lowered his voice, a hint of nostalgic reminiscence appearing in his eyes:
"What is your honest opinion of the shinobi village system that was established by the First Hokage in the current ninja world?"
"I can only say that the First Hokage's fundamental ideals were correct in principle."
After delivering that opening statement, Uchiha Kazuki paused deliberately. He adjusted his glasses with one finger and continued in a deliberately deep, thoughtful voice:
"But unfortunately, he chose the completely wrong path to achieve them. The chaos and bloodshed of the Warring States period did not genuinely end with the establishment of hidden villages. As long as shinobi continue to exist in this world, warfare will never truly cease. This is our inescapable destiny."
Uchiha Madara's aged eyelids raised slightly, genuine surprise flashing through his eyes:
"Not bad at all. I genuinely didn't expect someone your age to understand matters so deeply."
"As long as human beings remain alive, they will inevitably fight over limited resources."
Uchiha Kazuki's voice dropped lower, his emotions seemingly becoming melancholic:
"But the total amount of available resources in this world is fundamentally limited and finite. Therefore, conflict and chaos become absolutely inevitable. This truth applies to Sunagakure, and it equally applies to Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure. There will always be people consumed by jealousy. Jealousy breeds festering hatred. And ultimately, that accumulated hatred gathers together like a storm... and causes devastating war!"
A kindred spirit! Finally!
Uchiha Madara—who had felt misunderstood and isolated his entire life—seemed to find a profound sense of belonging and validation in that single instant.
His heart pounded wildly with renewed purpose. Some long-dormant force seemed to surge powerfully within his old, dying body—prompting him to stand up shakily from his stone seat despite his physical weakness.
At this emotional moment, Uchiha Madara's gaze toward Kazuki revealed genuine admiration and heartfelt praise:
"You understand perfectly! I genuinely never expected someone so young to see reality so clearly! If Hashirama had possessed even half your wisdom and understanding, true peace would have been achieved decades ago!"
His passionate words carried an unmistakable undercurrent of deep resentment.
Clearly, even after all these years, Madara still couldn't let go of the fundamental philosophical differences between himself and Senju Hashirama.
"You're an orphan who grew up in an environment filled with discrimination and neglect. You've personally witnessed the brutal cruelty of the shinobi world firsthand."
Uchiha Madara unleashed his carefully prepared rhetoric, deliberately tempting the young man:
"Don't you want to finally end this thousand-year cycle of endless warfare? To permanently end the shinobi's tragic fate? To bring genuine, lasting peace to the entire ninja world? To create a beautiful world where everyone can truly live in happiness!"
"In that perfect world, there will be no more senseless war, devastating hunger, or crushing poverty!"
"Everyone will live with complete equality and genuine happiness! Every person's deepest wishes and dreams will be fulfilled! No one will ever cry tears of pain or loss again!"
"I have been working tirelessly toward achieving this dream!"
Uchiha Madara's voice grew increasingly passionate and fervent. His aged, dying body somehow burst with renewed vitality and purpose. His eyes gleamed with fanatical intensity:
"Uchiha Kazuki! I desperately hope you will join our cause and help us realize this magnificent plan!"
"That world you describe... does it really exist?"
Uchiha Kazuki's eyes appeared slightly glazed over, seemingly immersed completely in the beautiful utopian world Madara had painted so vividly.
"Yes! Of course it exists!"
Uchiha Madara laughed with genuine passion, spreading his arms wide as if physically embracing that beautiful future:
"We will collect all nine Tailed Beasts! Then I will become the new Sage of Six Paths! Using that godlike power, I will cast the ultimate genjutsu—the Infinite Tsukuyomi! And then every single person in this world will live in eternal happiness within a perfect illusion!"
"Wait. Hold on. An illusion?"
Uchiha Kazuki abruptly interrupted him mid-speech.
"That's correct—the Infinite Tsukuyomi. The ultimate genjutsu technique recorded on the ancient stone tablet kept at the Naka Shrine."
Uchiha Madara explained with absolute confidence:
"As long as we successfully cast this supreme genjutsu, we can create a beautiful world exactly like the ones we dream about!"
"But... why not try a different approach entirely?"
Kazuki adjusted his glasses thoughtfully, appearing genuinely puzzled:
"Although creating an illusory genjutsu world sounds appealing in theory, I genuinely think that to properly solve this problem, we should address it at its fundamental root cause."
"Address it... at the root?"
Uchiha Madara froze mid-gesture, his arms still held open dramatically.
"Exactly! It's brilliant!"
Uchiha Kazuki's eyes flickered with dangerous intensity as his voice suddenly turned absolutely fervent:
"Since our stated goal is to collect all the Tailed Beasts and become the new Sage of Six Paths anyway—let's solve the entire problem at its fundamental source! By systematically eliminating all shinobi from existence and completely erasing their chakra from this world permanently, we can resolve warfare in the shinobi world at its very origin point!"
Black Zetsu, standing silently nearby, shuddered involuntarily upon hearing this absolutely insane proposal.
Even Uchiha Madara—who had always considered himself rather extreme in his methods—couldn't help but visibly twitch after hearing this suggestion:
"Uh... I think you're being perhaps... just a bit too extreme with that approach."
[End of Chapter 77]
Author's Notes:
KAZUKI JUST OUT-EXTREMED UCHIHA MADARA HIMSELF!
This chapter is absolutely hilarious! Key moments:
Kazuki's Trolling:
"The Mangekyō is disappointing, too easy"
Madara seething with jealousy internally
Perfect acting when learning about blindness
"Two joys should bring greater happiness!" (meme reference)
Madara's Pitch:
Classic villain recruitment speech
Infinite Tsukuyomi explanation
Thinking he found a kindred spirit
Actually getting excited about a successor
The Punchline:
Madara: "Trap everyone in happy illusion forever!"
Kazuki: "Why not just kill all shinobi and erase chakra?"
Madara: "...that's too extreme even for me"
Black Zetsu: visible concern
What's Really Happening: Kazuki is absolutely trolling them both while gathering information. He knows:
The Infinite Tsukuyomi is Black Zetsu's plan
Madara is being manipulated
The stone tablet was altered
Everything about the plot
But he's playing the "ambitious extremist" role perfectly to gain their trust!
The Irony:
Madara thinks: "Finally someone who understands me!"
Black Zetsu thinks: "Perfect pawn for Mother!"
Kazuki thinks: "These idiots have no idea I'm playing them"
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