Chapter 387: Madara
"Obito, everything is ready."
As Zetsu's voice sounded from behind Obito, Nagato instinctively sensed something ominous. Obito calmly removed his twisted mask, revealing his severely scarred face beneath.
"It's time to use my true name again," Obito announced. "Let's proceed, Black Zetsu."
At his command, the dark half of Zetsu split away, slinking across the ground like a pool of ink. Nagato tried to activate his Asura Path's abilities to regain control over his body, but Black Zetsu was faster, latching onto him and seizing him in an iron grip.
"What is this?" Nagato's eyes widened as his once responsive chakra was thrown into disarray. Even controlling his damaged body became almost impossible.
"Ahahaha, as expected of the Uzumaki clan such potent chakra even in this decrepit state," Black Zetsu's harsh, gravelly voice echoed from Nagato's left side.
"Curse you, Zetsu! What are you planning to do with my body!?" Nagato's despair grew as he realized he could no longer move, his rage building.
But his captors, unfazed by his plight, ignored him entirely.
At that moment, White Zetsu moved closer, dissolving his body bit by bit and merging it with Nagato's severely damaged form. A plume of white smoke erupted as Nagato's broken body slowly healed and stood once more, though he felt no joy only dread, knowing Obito and Black Zetsu's cruel intent.
Without another word, Obito turned and strode into a nearby room, with Nagato helplessly following.
It was a vast, empty space, bare except for a single large coffin resting at its center. Obito pushed aside the heavy coffin lid, revealing its contents: a young man dressed in the ancient red armor of the Warring States Period, his hair bristling like a thick, spiked mane.
Obito inspected the corpse within and nodded approvingly. "You've outdone yourself, Black Zetsu. Restoring this ancient body to such a prime condition is impressive."
"Ha! That's mostly thanks to today's advanced technology, combined with White Zetsu's remarkable vitality," Black Zetsu chuckled. "Now, stand back, I'm about to cast the jutsu."
Obito took a few steps back, leaving Black Zetsu space to work. Nagato, now fully aware of their intentions, felt a chill of dread wash over him. He knew what was about to happen.
"Yahiko… I'm sorry," he thought, finally filled with regret.
He watched helplessly as his own hands, merged with White Zetsu's body, formed the necessary seals. "Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life!"
A spectral figure of the King of Hell rose from the ground, its mouth slowly opening to release a single soul, which floated over to the corpse in the coffin.
As the jutsu took effect, a deathly chill spread over Nagato's body, his strength fading as his life force drained away. Black Zetsu rejoined with a White Zetsu, as Nagato's frail body collapsed.
The room fell silent, the tension thickening then, the man in the coffin suddenly opened his eyes.
In a flash, the Sharingan in his eyes spun, evolving rapidly: first a single tomoe, then two, then three, then Mangekyō Sharingan, and finally Rinnegan, fully restored.
As Madara Uchiha's powerful gaze took in the unfamiliar ceiling, he leapt from the coffin and immediately assessed his surroundings. He looked at Obito and Black Zetsu, his own will materialized as Black Zetsu, and was about to speak when a sharp pain shot through his eyes.
To Obito and Black Zetsu's shock, cracks spread across Madara's Rinnegan, and with a shattering sound, the Rinnegan fell from his eye sockets.
Unperturbed, Madara strode over to Nagato's fallen body and reclaimed the original Rinnegan, which he had entrusted to Nagato long ago. Without hesitation, he inserted the eyes back into his sockets. With a faint mist rising from his eyes, Madara Uchiha, in his prime, had fully returned.
Yet as he flexed his newly restored body, a frown crossed Madara's face. "This youthful vigor…," he muttered, his voice laced with unease. Madara was well aware that the Samsara of Heavenly Life could resurrect the dead, but it could not restore youth. This body was somehow revived in peak condition, yet it didn't match his original plan.
The original plan was for Obito to gather the Nine Tails and reawaken the Ten Tails, and then for Nagato to use Samsara of Heavenly Life to revive him in his former state. However, if he'd been restored at his prime, it would only mean one thing: someone had tampered with his plan.
He cast an intense glare at Black Zetsu and then at Obito, who seemed to falter under his gaze. Despite his own powers and the enhancements he'd received, Obito felt a chill run down his spine under the scrutiny of the man known as the "Ghost of the Uchiha."
"Obito, explain. Why am I resurrected in this form? And where is the Ten Tails?" Madara demanded, his voice cold and steely.
Obito gulped, gathering his nerves to respond. "Lord Madara, the shinobi world has undergone unprecedented upheaval. We've been unable to proceed with the plan to gather all nine Tailed Beasts and resurrect the Ten Tails, leaving us no choice but to revive you now."
Madara's eyes narrowed, a hint of frustration flashing across his face. Even with the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and White Zetsu cells, Obito's performance was less than impressive.
"A fool remains a fool, even with the Mangekyō Sharingan," Madara muttered, disdainfully glancing at Obito.
He turned his attention to Black Zetsu, his own will made manifest, wondering how even with Zetsu's guidance, they had strayed so far from his intentions.
Madara closed his eyes, expanding his senses to the maximum. "I sense a few scattered insects nearby, but nothing that should pose such a threat. Obito must have truly been outmatched."
Madara was unaware of how much control Nagato had attained over the Rinnegan or how intense the recent battles had been, but he quickly dismissed these thoughts. After all, he was Madara Uchiha the legendary shinobi who had once brought the five great nations to their knees.
(End of Chapter)
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