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Land of Earth. Hidden Base.
Uchiha Madara sat upon his personal throne. His massive scythe and Gunbai fan rested beside him.
His eyes were half-closed, his entire body in a state of extreme stillness. In the vast, empty cave, even the faint beating of his heart could be heard if one listened closely.
In that silence, a series of hurried footsteps echoed from the distance.
Madara slowly opened his eyes and turned toward the sound.
Black Zetsu walked forward with heavy steps. Only when he drew near did he slightly slow his pace.
His black-and-white face showed a mixture of unease, panic, and heavy regret.
"Lord Madara!" Black Zetsu's voice was hoarse and distorted, carrying a trace of remorse. "I failed! Matsushita Taiichi had set a trap. He was waiting for me to walk right into their ambush."
Black Zetsu recounted everything that had happened during the mission in detail. When he described how he had ultimately escaped Taiichi's pursuit using the Mayfly Technique, a hint of pride crept into his tone.
Madara didn't see it that way.
They had gone through so much trouble, and that girl named Rin was still alive. If he didn't know that Black Zetsu was an extension of his own will, he would have torn him to pieces on the spot.
"Useless!"
The sharp rebuke instantly wiped the pride from Black Zetsu's face. Seeing Madara's expression turn as cold as frost, he finally remembered that Rin's survival was the core of the mission. He immediately fell silent.
Matsushita Taiichi… again.
Madara pressed a hand to his forehead, gently rubbing his temple. He had noticed that every recent failed plan somehow involved this one man.
Just as he was considering whether he should personally eliminate this massive problem, a bolt of realization struck his mind.
His hand froze. An ominous thought surfaced uncontrollably.
He suddenly turned his head, his eyes locking onto Black Zetsu. His pitch-black pupils instantly turned crimson as three tomoe spun wildly.
Powerful ocular energy instantly enveloped Black Zetsu's entire body. Madara's Sharingan scanned every inch of his skin.
Under that gaze, Black Zetsu trembled involuntarily. He too had realized the terrifying possibility.
Suddenly, Madara's eyes focused sharply on the black-and-white boundary line across Black Zetsu's abdomen.
A tiny mark, only about a centimeter in size, was quietly hidden there. If Madara's Sharingan hadn't reached the pinnacle of insight, it would have been almost impossible to detect.
A wave of burning rage instantly shattered the icy calm on Madara's face. His hands clenched the armrests of his stone throne so hard that the solid rock cracked with a sharp crack!
"Idiot!" Madara's roar was no longer restrained. His voice shook the cave walls, sending small rocks tumbling down. "Look at what you brought back! A Flying Thunder God seal!"
Black Zetsu followed Madara's gaze and looked down at his own abdomen in horror.
That small mark now looked like a death sentence to him.
"This… impossible… When?!"
He cried out in shock. The scenes from the earlier battle flashed through his mind, finally freezing on the very first punch Taiichi had thrown.
"It was… at that moment!"
"Enough!"
Madara forcibly suppressed his fury. His voice, heavy with restraint, took on a cold, sharp edge, like an ice blade scraping against bone.
"Abandon this body immediately! Move Obito and the most important items to the backup base!"
He swung his arm toward the depths of the cave, his words carrying no hesitation.
"I'll stay behind and test his strength myself!"
As he spoke, Madara's tone actually returned to calm. A trace of anticipation even appeared in his eyes—the excitement of encountering an interesting prey.
"Lord Madara, are you abandoning this place? What about the Demonic Statue and the materials here—"
Madara's Sharingan widened slightly, radiating undeniable authority.
"Leave now. This location has been exposed. Matsushita Taiichi could appear at any moment by tracking the seal!
As for the Demonic Statue, I will summon it away when I leave."
Time was short. Black Zetsu didn't argue further. The black half of his body began to shrink like ink retracting, revealing pale skin underneath.
Eventually, all the black matter condensed into a single mass and slid to the ground like mud, slowly seeping into the earth.
A fading voice echoed in the air.
"Lord Madara, I'll go get Obito out right away."
Once Black Zetsu separated from the White Zetsu body, the main consciousness of the White Zetsu regained control.
It curiously looked down at the Flying Thunder God seal on its abdomen and kept rubbing it with both hands while muttering nonstop.
"Lord Madara, this seal won't come off no matter how hard I rub it."
Madara watched the brainless White Zetsu put on its little performance but said nothing. He simply began adjusting his own condition in silence.
He didn't have to wait long.
Space twisted violently, and Taiichi's figure suddenly appeared inside the cave.
The moment he materialized, Taiichi spun and swung his short blade, cleanly severing the White Zetsu's head.
Then he immediately used Body Flicker and vanished from his original position, putting distance between himself and Madara while taking up a defensive stance.
Two seconds later, another Taiichi appeared. The first one dispersed into white smoke with a poof.
"Oh? You're quite cautious, Matsushita Taiichi."
Madara had watched the entire sequence without moving. Only after Taiichi finished did he speak with a hint of amusement.
Taiichi's gaze followed the voice and landed on a familiar face.
One part appreciation, two parts indifference, and seven parts arrogance.
That was Taiichi's first impression upon seeing Uchiha Madara.
"The uncle from the Land of Water?" Taiichi feigned confusion. "I never expected the mastermind behind everything to be you. No, wait… those eyes… Who are you really?!"
Madara revealed a wicked smile. All other expressions on his face gradually gave way to pure arrogance.
"Young man, listen carefully. I… am… Uchiha… Madara!"
He declared his name with arrogant pride, but the expected shock never appeared. Seeing the calm expression on the young man before him, Madara couldn't help but show a trace of appreciation.
"You don't seem surprised. Have you already figured out my identity?"
Taiichi sheathed his short blade and dropped his defensive posture. He stood up straight and took the opportunity to observe the entire cave.
The most eye-catching thing was the massive Demonic Statue of the Outer Path at the very back. Although Taiichi had never seen it before, the moment he laid eyes on it, he felt an instinctive sense of danger.
This was only the husk of the Ten-Tails. Its chakra had long been extracted by the Sage of Six Paths to create the nine Tailed Beasts through Yin-Yang Release.
Yet even this empty shell gave Taiichi the feeling that it wasn't something he could deal with easily.
He pulled his gaze back to the man in front of him. Uchiha Madara still appeared to be in his prime.
But Taiichi was the finest medical ninja alive. His sharp perception had already noticed that while Madara's body was young, his spirit was being consumed at several times the normal rate.
His mind turned quickly. Combining this with what he knew from the original story, he realized Madara must be using some secret technique tied to the Demonic Statue—burning what little life force he had left to temporarily restore his youth.
It seemed today's fight wouldn't be a simple one. That was fine. He was also curious to see how much power the legendary super-Kage still possessed.
"The statues of you and the First Hokage still stand at the Valley of the End. I just never expected to see a long-dead predecessor appear in front of me, so I didn't recognize you at first. But now…"
Taiichi gestured around the cave, especially at the Demonic Statue.
"With this and the overwhelming power radiating from those eyes, how could I not realize who you are?"
"Hahahaha~"
Madara threw his head back and laughed without restraint. He gave Taiichi a thumbs-up, genuinely impressed that he had figured it out.
"Young man, have you come to any new conclusions about what we discussed back in the Land of Water?
The world you see is nothing more than a massive vortex built on lies, plunder, and endless suffering.
War, separation, betrayal—all of it cycles endlessly. The peace of the Hidden Leaf? It's nothing but a fleeting illusion before the next storm!"
His voice carried a strange, seductive quality, as if trying to brand itself directly into the listener's soul.
"Join me, Matsushita Taiichi! I alone know the path to true peace!
A world without war, without pain, where everything precious that has been lost can return—a perfect world!"
"A perfect world?"
Taiichi let out a short, mocking laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"You try to recruit people using genjutsu, and you expect me to believe in your so-called perfect world?
No war, no pain, everything lost returning… what you're describing sounds like nothing more than a false illusion.
There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Everything has a price. How can you expect to gain something without giving anything in return?
Your boring little speech—do you really think I'm a three-year-old child?!"
He took a heavy step forward. The rock beneath his foot silently cracked in a spiderweb pattern.
His chakra erupted without any restraint. A powerful aura surged forward like an invisible tsunami, crashing straight toward Madara and the Demonic Statue behind him.
He pointed directly at Uchiha Madara and delivered his final question.
"Where is Uchiha Obito? That half-black, half-white creature took him, didn't it? You went so far as to set up a plan to kill an innocent girl just to force him to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. I don't want any part of that so-called perfect world!"
Uchiha Madara listened quietly to Taiichi's words. The trace of pity that had appeared during his passionate speech had completely vanished.
His three-tomoe Sharingan locked onto Taiichi. Cold killing intent gradually spread through the entire space.
"Our paths are different. That makes us enemies."
Madara placed his hands on the massive scythe and Gunbai fan resting beside him.
"I once thought you had potential. But it seems you're just another stubborn, old-fashioned fool.
In that case… why don't you just die?"
The moment the word "die" left his lips, Uchiha Madara activated Body Flicker and charged straight at Taiichi.
Swish!
The giant scythe tore through the air with a shrill whistle, sweeping toward Taiichi at a vicious angle that sealed off all escape routes for his upper body. At the same time, the Gunbai fan casually moved to guard his side, cutting off any possibility of Taiichi closing in for close combat.
Taiichi's pupils shrank. Instead of retreating, he advanced. The instant the scythe's blade was about to reach him, he twisted his body like it had no bones and leaned backward sharply. His back nearly touched the ground as the cold blade grazed past the tip of his nose.
Using the momentum of his backward lean, he swung one leg like a scorpion's tail and kicked viciously at Madara's wrist holding the scythe.
"Hmph!"
Madara flicked his wrist. The heavy scythe spun in his single hand like a windmill. With a loud clang, the handle precisely blocked Taiichi's kick. The massive rebound force sent Taiichi sliding backward several meters.
But Madara's assault didn't stop. The Gunbai fan followed like a shadow and suddenly swung forward.
Boom!
It wasn't a physical attack. A violent, highly compressed blast of wind exploded from the fan's surface. The pressurized air cannon tore through everything in its path, carving a deep trench into the solid ground as it rushed toward Taiichi.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall.
Taiichi slammed both hands on the ground. A thick stone wall rose instantly, blocking the wind blast.
BOOM!
The wall shattered on impact. Rocks flew in every direction as dust filled the air.
In that moment of chaos, a figure slipped through the smoke like a ghost—it was Madara. He had abandoned the heavy scythe and now attacked with only his bare hands, sharp chakra blades glowing in his palms.
Uchiha Style: Gale Sword.
Using his hands as blades, Madara's swordsmanship was lightning-fast. Every strike carried a piercing whistle as it targeted Taiichi's joints, throat, and heart.
Taiichi showed no fear. His body swayed like willow branches in the wind as he used his short blade to block or dodge.
For a moment, the cave was filled with two blurs moving at high speed, constantly clashing and separating. The dull sounds of fists and feet striking flesh mixed with the sharp explosions of colliding chakra.
Madara's taijutsu was bold and domineering, backed by centuries of refined technique. Taiichi's taijutsu was steady and precise, every movement lethal.
Every exchange was extremely dangerous, yet neither could gain a decisive advantage.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique.
Unable to break through after a prolonged assault, Madara seized an opening as Taiichi leaped backward and completed his hand seals in an instant.
Three ferocious fire dragons roared out of his mouth, attacking Taiichi from above, middle, and below. The intense heat instantly evaporated the moisture in the air.
Water Release: Water Wall.
Taiichi reacted with incredible speed. A massive spinning water vortex rose from the ground, engulfing all three fire dragons.
Water and fire clashed violently, producing a loud hissing sound as thick white steam filled the cave.
Lightning Release: Lightning Pillar.
Madara's follow-up attack came without the slightest gap. Circling around the water wall from the side, a sharp lightning spear silently pierced through the mist toward Taiichi's back.
Taiichi seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Without turning around, he flung a wind blade behind him.
Wind Release: Vacuum Wave.
The wind blade accurately struck the lightning pillar. Both techniques canceled each other out in midair.
A small-scale ninjutsu exchange unfolded inside the narrow cave. Fireballs, wind blades, water bullets, lightning, and earth spikes—various elemental techniques were used masterfully by both fighters, only to be countered by the other with opposing or equally powerful jutsu.
The collisions left scorch marks, deep gouges, and pools of water on the cave walls. The entire cavern shook violently as small rocks continued to fall from the ceiling.
"Not bad taijutsu and ninjutsu skills… but the game ends here!"
Madara's three tomoe spun wildly. A terrifying amount of chakra suddenly erupted from his body.
"Susanoo!"
Deep blue chakra burst from Madara like a volcanic eruption.
Bones, meridians, and muscles rapidly formed. A massive half-bodied giant clad in samurai armor materialized in an instant.
An overwhelming pressure spread through the space like a physical force, crushing down on everything around it.
This was the third stage of Susanoo.