The Land of Iron reeked of the stench of blood.
Covered in crimson from head to toe, Uchiha Madara walked over the pile of snow, leaving the footprints just as red.
He held the eyes of the ambitious, ready to do anything to make his ideal become reality.
"...What do you hope to achieve by doing this?"
Madara stopped as he heard a weak voice from the back.
Turning, he saw the face of this land's leader, Mifune.
He was in a critical state. Judging by the wounds he bled from, he was already beyond the point of saving. Most of his body was no longer responsive to his will, and he too knew that his time was almost over.
However, his eyes still held the power.
Upon finding this, Madara smirked.
"Peace."
Without dragging on the conversation, Madara took his attention off the dying man and continued to treat forth.
"Zetsu."
Upon his call, the black Zetsu rose from the snowy plain next to him.
"That fool of a Mizukage immediately perished from your blow. The brash Raikage too didn't survive for long after. Hanzo, after suffering a heavy injury from you, did manage to flee, although barely."
Madara frowned.
"It surely is taking some time in getting my old form back... after years of hiding."
He repeatedly opened and closed his right hand.
"That little monkey and his lackeys escaped using Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God. It also looks like Onoki has gotten better..."
Then, he snorted.
"But that again, to think that that's all that they were able to do after years without me... how pathetic."
"You seem to have forgotten one. Kazekage."
Black Zetsu pointed it out, and Madara shook his head with confidence written on his face.
"I intentionally left him alive."
"How come?"
"A nation as weak as Suna would end up handing itself to Konoha... especially when this fourth Kazekage of theirs is the last Kage-worthy ninja in their army. No matter how deep their grudge runs, in the situation of submission or annihilation, they would be left without a choice."
"...And this will, although unintended, promote solidarity that would make our process of collecting the tailed beasts harder."
Black Zetsu nodded, having understood.
"Thus, keeping Kazekage alive would change their methodology in defence, keeping them in isolation from other villages. Considering how it is ideal to collect the tailed beasts in order from one tail to nine tails, I see where you are going with this."
"The deaths of four tails and five tails' jinchurikis are troubling, however... a few years would need to be spent waiting before they grow to a detectable size once more."
Madara clicked his tongue as he recalled the memories from the chakra he left in the genjutsu orb, which trapped Akashi and Konan.
'Something doesn't feel right. It's as if the time isn't in my favor any longer...'
The premise of the orb was to exclusively target Akashi. Therefore, anyone else who enters the orb would be stuck within the layer between the genjutsu and fuinjutsu portions. This was the reason why Akashi, no matter how hard he tried, wasn't able to find Konan. In a way, this was an error of some sort that Madara never intended.
Considering how the only designated way to exit the orb was through the door that would summon after the defeat of Akashi's mirror self that Madara enhanced to an abnormal degree, Konan's exit was theoretically impossible should there be no interruption.
The logic was that it would be impossible for Akashi to get past his clone with superior tools. As means of safeguarding, he also left his chakra/clone inside the orb to serve as something akin to the administrator.
Upon Akashi actually defeating his mirror self and doing the impossible, it seems that Madara's clone simultaneously incorporated plan B and C, which were to back-stab Akashi and to make Konan escape through the one-man door so that Akashi's exit would be impossible. So, it opened a gap for Konan to enter the world of genjutsu and find the two of them.
Madara identified that the plan B did succeed. Akashi was dead. However, an instinct told him that it wasn't over yet, which created a disparity.
Ignoring this discomfort, he also thought of the fact that the plan C didn't work. Konan, for whatever reason that Madara couldn't understand, didn't leave the orb. Thus, the door remained.
'But again, it shouldn't matter. The fact that that door is meant for one person only still stands... even if Akashi were to be alive somehow, based on his character, he will have Konan exit instead of him.'
This, Madara was confident, for he observed this man named Hattori Akashi... Shizen Akashi... whatever his name may be, for years.
"It is near. Yes, it truly is."
Raising his head, Madara whispered as he stared at the bright moon up in the night's sky.
Then, he abruptly turned and grabbed Black Zetsu by the neck, squeezing it with a full strength.
"W-What?!"
"Thus, I no longer have a need for you."
Black Zetsu tried to wriggle its way out of Madara's grip, but to no avail. It realized that its body wasn't responding as the ink-like seals were spreading around his body centring the neck that Madara had the grip over.
"You may think that you managed to fool me. It was indeed true that for quite a long time, I perceived you as the manifestation of my will."
Black Zetsu tried to say something, only to realize that no voice came out.
It realized that it was being sealed, much to its despair. Madara knew how to deal with it.
"It wasn't until the flop of my plan due to that accursed Akashi that I began to grow wary of my surroundings. At the edge of my life, I discovered how blind-sighted I was..."
Madara chuckled dangerously.
"How can I be capable of physically manifesting the will with Rinnegan alone, when it was the feat that even Otsutsuki Hagoromo wasn't able to do? As far as I know, there is only one historical figure capable of such a feat...
...Otsutsuki Kaguya, the first wielder of chakra."
Black Zetsu's fully black, humanoid body began to melt down, gathering around Madara's grip.
Losing its figure, it was now a pitch black sphere, laid on top of Madara's hand.
"And now... the only variable left in question, has also been dealt with."
Resuming the walk across the snow, Madara called out once more,
"Zetsu."
Another Zetsu emerged. This time around, it was white.
"Madara! It's time?"
Without an ounce of seriousness, the White Zetsu laughed.
'You, too, are likely the creations of Otsutsuki Kaguya, but...'
"Yes."
'Being of barely any salvageable intellect, you still have your uses.'
Madara ordered fiercely,
"Release the army."
It was time to announce the world that he was back.
__________
"Sensei."
Jiraiya, on one knee to match the eye-level of the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, spoke with a concern as he gazed at his teacher.
"Get yourself together."
Hiruzen looked clearly shaken, recalling the events that happened to them just a few hours ago.
"If not for young Minato, we..."
"Stop thinking about something that didn't even happen."
Orochimaru interrupted with a clear annoyance, taking a peek at Minato, who was in a deep contemplation, as he said so.
"What's true is that Uchiha Madara returned in his prime form—no, even stronger than before with those Rinnegans."
He then turned to Jiraiya,
"What do you think, Jiraiya? Don't you think those eyes of legends that Madara has came from that kid you saved in the past? Nagato was it?"
Jiraiya grimaced.
Logically speaking, having Nagato's eyes stolen had a higher likelihood than Madara somehow awakening them.
Without much information to know what truly happened, what Orochimaru said was the most likely possibility.
"If only you didn't save them... and let me kill them..."
"And you wouldn't have destroyed the Rinnegan."
Jiraiya finally refuted, glaring at Orochimaru as he said so.
"You would've kept them for your personal gains. Ultimately, they still would've ended up in Madara's hands, along with the deaths of four innocent children."
"Innocent my ass."
Orochimaru grumbled as he turned around,
"That Red Blade was one crazy bastard since back then."
"...Him."
Minato then spoke up, earning the attention of two sannins.
"Akashi. If there is anyone with hopes of defeating Madara, it's him."
"...Say that again?"
Orochimaru frowned, wondering if Minato was seeing things.
"Don't pretend as if you don't know, Orochimaru-sama."
Minato spoke calmly, believing that his rationale was logical.
"He is the strongest shinobi of this era. If there is someone with hopes of resisting the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, it is him."
Turning his head to look at Jiraiya, Minato then suggested,
"We should head over to Amegakure immediately."
"...Because that's where Akashi was last seen?"
"Yes, and also because that's where his family dwells."
"Rain... speaking of rain..."
Having managed to calm himself down a little, Hiruzen finally joined the conversation, albeit with a hoarse voice.
"Hanzo... he was the first target of Madara and was critically injured. He is an important asset in this battle against Madara."
Raising his head, Hiruzen looked at Minato with a faith,
"Namikaze Minato. I hereby hand over the title of Hokage to you. From now on, you are the Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
"?!"
Three men's eyes widened.
"Sensei!!"
Orochimaru shouted in dismay, but Hiruzen's eyes didn't leave Minato.
"Yes... I learned today that I am no longer as astute as I used to be. Perhaps, this has been the case for the long time."
Jiraiya and Minato, looking deep into Hiruzen's eyes, found themselves surprised as they saw fear.
Hiruzen was no longer the strong figure whom he used to be, but a broken old man.
"I cannot lead this operation. The village needs a new leader... that you are the ideal candidate."
Orochimaru's body trembled in rage, enraged by the fact that the seat he was gunning for was taken by the shinobi a whole lot younger than him.
"Fine then. Have your way!"
Fuming, Orochimaru turned. Slamming the door open, he exited from the office, leaving just the three of them.
"I..."
Minato closed his eyes, thinking. He eventually nodded,
"I will do my best."
Turning to Jiraiya, Minato spoke his first words as the newly appointed Hokage of the village,
"Sensei, please call Tsunade-sama for me. We will need her help in keeping Hanzo alive."
"Geez, what's with all this sudden development..."
Sighing with a fatigue written over his face, Jiraiya massaged his forehead before nodding eventually.
__________
Slowly, Akashi stood up, only to quickly lose his balance and fall.
"Akashi!"
Thankfully, Konan supported him, preventing his crash to the floor.
"Your body isn't yet stable. You were literally in a death-like state for quite some time!"
"We are running out of time, Konan. Who knows what's happening outside?"
Akashi gritted his teeth as he sweated profusely from the pain that pulsated over his body.
"That door ahead allows only one of us to exit this place. I must find another way."
It wasn't just about coming back alive.
His body was yet wounded, not just from the battle against his other self but also from the back-stabbing of Madara's clone.
Although the bleeding stopped, his body was still in an extremely weakened form. Coupled with his chakra running low and his body facing the aftermaths of Eight Gates... the fact that he was able to maintain his consciousness was a commendable feat.
"This isn't like you."
Konan shook her head as she slowly brought Akashi back down.
"Why don't we try to calm down first?"
Feeling a headache, Akashi resisted an urge to groan as he raised his shaky hand and massaged his eyes.
The regain of his sight from the previously lost eye was also generating dizziness.
This is what re-entering the control of the material world did, he supposed; everything felt foreign and novel.
"Calm down... yes, you are right."
Akashi re-entered the meditating pose within this white world.
Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath.
'Remember the sensation.'
Once he felt it, once he succeeded, doing it again the second time shouldn't be as hard.
He could feel the distinguishing characteristics of the energies—the composition of chakra.
Yin. Yang. Positive. Negative.
'Free myself from the emotion. Erase all thoughts.'
Contrary to the white world that surrounded him, his mindscape was pitch-black.
Yin and Yang swirled at a consistently slow pace.
Their sizes grew and shrank, in order to achieve the perfect harmony.
Yin-Yang Release.
What exactly was this technique about?
One would answer it as the power of creation and destruction, the ultimate technique of chakra that grants the ability to tweak with the very laws of the world.
If so, how exactly does this creation and destruction truly occur?
The key to truly mastering a technique, whatever it be, was a comprehension.
This was the main reason why the wielders of Rinnegan were unable to truly understand the essence of Yin-Yang Release. They were born with the ability to use Yin-Yang Release, and therefore, they ironically couldn't understand its fundamentals.
Without the understanding to its essence, it is impossible to utilize the full extent of what this technique is capable of.
It is only by climbing up all the way from the bottom, only by completing the path of a pilgrim, only by undergoing myriad sufferings and finding oneself in the middle of the chaos, that one discovers the true meaning behind creation and destruction, between peace and harmony.
"Huh..."
Konan gasped as she saw Akashi's wounds closing back up.
It was bizarre. As far as she could tell, there was no involvement of chakra. It was, rather, as if his body was regenerating by its own, going against the very logics.
"...I see."
Akashi, with his expression in state of peace, whispered.
"The essence of creation and destruction is..."
There was no drastic change in appearance whatsoever. There was no flashy chakra mode or some flamboyant explosion of power.
However, there was a comprehension. A revelation.
When Akashi opened his eyes, revealing their mundane hazel color, with seemingly no changes except for his wounds having healed, he raised his right hand.
Then, made a gripping motion, clenching it tightly.
Much to Konan's disbelief, the world around them began to crumble down.
Akashi learned the dynamic nature of the world.
Yin-Yang Release, it was about the augmentation of such nature of the world.
After all, the true essence hidden behind creation and destruction... was the very power to intercept with time.
Now, surrounded by the shards of the dimension that were crumbling down around him and Konan, Akashi heard the regular sound of the clock ticking.