Uchiha Madara looked at the supremely confident Renya before him, his expression growing ever more solemn.
Those pale purple Rinnegan eyes now appeared dull and lifeless.
Without the boost of the Rinnegan, and coupled with the backlash from having used them earlier,
it was already hard enough for him to fight against Renya, who possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Youth is something even fists fear"—there was truth in that saying.
If only he were ten or so years younger, even without using the Rinnegan, he would have been confident of victory.
But he was simply too old. Without the attribute enhancement of the Rinnegan, his true strength was laid bare.
Even knowing he was likely no match for Renya, Uchiha Madara had no intention of giving up.
Even without the Rinnegan, even with an aging and injured body, he was still the undisputed king of taijutsu!
He chopped at Renya's neck with a sharp hand blade.
Faced with this powerful strike, Renya merely tilted his head slightly and easily avoided it. At the same time, his right leg lashed out like a whip, sweeping straight toward Madara's lower body.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two figures crossed rapidly, fists and feet colliding with dull, heavy sounds.
Madara's taijutsu was bold and wide, filled with destructive force. Renya's taijutsu, on the other hand, had been learned from Senju Tobirama—every move and form often countered Madara's style perfectly.
It could only be said that that old fox Senju Tobirama truly despised Uchiha Madara.
He had even gone so far as to specifically develop taijutsu to counter Madara.
In the past, when the gap in their strength had been enormous, Renya had never noticed the subtleties of this style.
Now that the two were on the same level, Renya finally realized its brilliance.
It could only be said that Senju Tobirama truly lived up to his reputation as the one most wary of the Uchiha!
Using his techniques against the innately evil Uchiha was always the right choice.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Uchiha Madara seized an opening, rapidly retreated, and formed hand seals as massive chakra gathered in an instant.
Even though he was no longer at his peak, the Fire Release he unleashed still far surpassed that of ordinary Uchiha clan members.
A raging sea of flames, like a gaping, blood-red maw, swallowed toward Renya not far away.
Facing flames hot enough to evaporate a lake, Renya directly commanded the Three-Tails, which excelled at Water Release, to spew forth a torrential stream of water.
It collided head-on with the surging firestorm.
Hiss—
Enormous white mist instantly enveloped the entire battlefield, scorching steam obscuring everyone's vision.
Within this pure white fog, Uchiha Madara suddenly felt a chill attack from behind and to the side.
Renya used the Flying Thunder God to pass through the dense mist and slammed a straight punch into Madara's back.
Uchiha Madara sensed it in time, but his aged body failed to keep up. He could only hastily turn and block.
Boom!
The tremendous force sent his entire body flying backward, his feet carving two deep furrows into the ground.
"Damn it!" Madara's face was filled with unwillingness. If only he could still use the Rinnegan—there was no way he would be in such a sorry state!
"Madara-sama, without the Rinnegan, how much strength do you really have left?"
The thick fog gradually dispersed, revealing Renya's face, confident of victory.
With the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he honestly couldn't even imagine how he might lose.
Given Madara's current condition, defeating him wasn't absurdly easy?
"Madara-sama, admit defeat. Abandon this unrealistic plan and return to Konoha Village to live out your retirement."
He tried to persuade Uchiha Madara with words.
"The peace you seek is nothing more than your own wishful thinking."
Uchiha Madara was determined to achieve peace in the ninja world, even if it meant casting Infinite Tsukuyomi and plunging everyone into a genjutsu.
Yet he had never once considered the feelings of everyone else in the ninja world.
Did they really want to spend the rest of their lives in a false illusion?
"Madara, Renya is right. Come back!"
Seeing this, Senju Hashirama hurriedly spoke up to persuade his close friend to abandon the plan.
He didn't want Madara to continue down this obsessive path.
Otherwise, Madara really would be killed!
"Shut up, this has nothing to do with you!" Uchiha Madara shot Hashirama a cold glance, then refocused his gaze on Renya.
"Brat, you don't understand anything. Don't presume to try to persuade me."
His resolve was firm; there was no way he would abandon his ideals because of a few words.
If someone gave up their ideals over mere talk, it could only mean they never truly wanted to achieve them in the first place.
Without firm conviction, failure was inevitable.
And he, Uchiha Madara, was not someone who would easily change his decisions. No matter what, he would realize the "Moon's Eye" plan.
He would bring true peace to the ninja world!
As for everyone's slander and lack of understanding, once the plan was complete, right and wrong would naturally be revealed.
Even if, as Renya claimed, the "Moon's Eye" plan was false—he still had to see it with his own eyes!
Renya looked at Uchiha Madara with a complicated expression. This guy had been thoroughly brainwashed by Black Zetsu.
You could say he was completely impervious to reason.
Renya suspected that even if he used genjutsu to show Madara his own memories, Madara would finish watching and comment:
"Kid, not bad fiction—looks real enough."
Faced with Madara's stubborn personality, Renya truly had no solutions left.
Even if he used force to make him abandon the "Moon's Eye" plan,
Madara would definitely continue scheming in secret.
There was a high chance he would, just like in the original story, manipulate a pawn like Uchiha Obito to help him achieve resurrection…
Could it be that killing him was truly the only option?
Uchiha Madara paid no attention at all to Renya's complicated expression. His gaze seemed to pass straight through Renya, looking toward something far more distant.
"Wake up to reality! This world filled with despair is nothing more than a massive prison. All who live are trapped in endless cycles of conflict and pain! War, hatred, loss… none of it will ever stop!"
His voice suddenly rose, filled with fanaticism and obsession.
"And the 'Moon's Eye' plan is the only salvation! In that eternal illusion, there will be no pain, no loss. Everyone will obtain peace within their most perfect dream! That is the true meaning of… Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
Hearing this, Renya felt as though the sky itself were collapsing.
Damn you, Black Zetsu, you twisted Madara-sama this badly—don't ever let me run into you!
"A dream woven for yourself, no matter how beautiful, is still nothing more than a false illusion."
Renya raised his hand, pointing at Uchiha Madara, and spoke coldly.
"Someone who doesn't even dare to face real pain—what right do they have to talk about peace?"
"Madara-sama, your dream—it's time to wake up!"
Since he refused to awaken, there was only one option left: special measures.
Sorry, Madara-sama.
He truly didn't want to strike Madara down, but at this point, he had no other choice.
If Madara were allowed to gather all the tailed beasts and become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, no one would be able to stop him then.
Faced with Renya's accusations, Uchiha Madara showed no reaction at all.
"You don't seriously think you've already won, do you?"
Just as Renya was about to make his move, Madara's dull Rinnegan regained their color.
Yet he had no intention of using them. Instead, he looked down at Tobi, who was poking his head out by his feet.
"Get on."