Chapter 218: Facing Madara Uchiha
A few days later, Onoki led the Iwa forces in a surprise attack on the neighboring Land of Lightning.
The Third Raikage, upon hearing the news, reportedly flew into a rage, overturning several tables in his office. With Minato Namikaze now on the northwestern front, Konoha's remaining forces were not enough to hold back the Raikage's assault. Just as he was on the verge of crushing his enemy, his own village was now in peril.
But what could he do? He couldn't just abandon his home. With a wave of his hand, the Third Raikage ordered a full retreat to defend against the Iwa invasion.
With that, the war on the Kumo front was effectively over. Regardless of the outcome of the battle between Iwa and Kumo, the Raikage would no longer have the strength to attack the Land of Fire.
After Iwagakure's defeat and subsequent attack on the Cloud, the Northwestern Corps was officially disbanded. Aside from a small garrison, the remaining shinobi were either sent to reinforce other fronts or returned to Konoha.
Only Uchiha Kyosuke remained behind, citing "poor health" as a reason to recuperate at the stationed outpost in the Land of Grass. Konoha readily agreed to his request. They assumed he was having problems with his eyes, a development that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others were quite pleased with. A weakened Kyosuke was a less threatening Kyosuke. This, combined with his past contributions to the village, was more than enough to quell any lingering suspicions about him.
Of course, while his eyes were indeed deteriorating, he was far from blind. He had stayed behind for one reason, and one reason only.
To face Uchiha Madara.
In the subterranean cavern, Madara and his cohorts were unaware of the approaching danger. They had spent the last several days monitoring the war and "training" their future successor, Uchiha Obito.
The day after the "accident," a comatose Obito had slowly regained consciousness. He had done nothing but sit on the ground, cradling Rin's mangled corpse, lost in a catatonic state. He remained that way for a full day, until Madara's voice finally broke through the haze of his grief.
The rest was simple. Obito's despair was perhaps even greater than Nagisa's. He quickly fell under the spell of Madara's fabricated "dream world," dedicating himself to the creation of a perfect "Infinite Tsukuyomi."
At this moment, Obito was sparring with Tobi, his current mission being to familiarize himself with his new, Hashirama-cell-infused body and the powers of his Mangekyo Sharingan.
After a period of observation, Madara and the others had concluded that Obito's raw talent was inferior to Nagisa's. This was evident not only in his slower adaptation to the Hashirama cells, but also in his combat intuition. If not for the ridiculously overpowered ability of his "Kamui," Tobi suspected the girl might have been chosen as the successor instead.
But Obito had surprised them in another area: his understanding of strategy and subterfuge was far beyond their expectations. This was what had solidified Madara's decision to entrust the plan for his own resurrection to the despair-ridden boy.
Of course, Madara had also secretly instructed White Zetsu to continuously expose Obito to the dark underbelly of the shinobi world, to ensure his despair remained absolute.
Now, with everything proceeding according to plan, Madara felt it was time for him to depart for the legendary Pure Land.
But just as he was about to end his own life, something unexpected happened.
As he was using his own will to create Black Zetsu, White Zetsu's urgent voice cut through the air. "Madara! Uchiha Kyosuke is heading this way at high speed! Do you think..."
"Uchiha Kyosuke... he's found this place? Such a keen sense of smell," Madara mused, his tone unchanged. "Excellent. Before the plan truly begins, allow me, as his elder, to 'guide' this promising young successor."
Nearby, Obito, encased in the Tobi shell, was muttering Kyosuke's name over and over.
"Kyosuke... what's the point of you coming now? Rin is already... You, Minato-sensei... you are all responsible for Rin's death."
Seeing the barely suppressed rage on Obito's face, Madara chuckled. "Obito, from this day forward, you have my permission to walk this world under the name of Uchiha Madara, and bring 'peace' to it."
"Heh. That name will only bring fear," Obito said with a sneer.
But it was that very fear that would make others so easy to manipulate. He said nothing more.
He and "Zetsu" then sped away. He could not allow Kyosuke to see him. Not yet. It would introduce too many variables into the plan.
Just you wait. The day I return, this world will know true, everlasting peace.
A world without conflict, without hatred... a world... with Rin...
"White Zetsu, you should leave as well. Do not let him sense your presence," Madara ordered.
"Yes, Lord Madara," the original White Zetsu said, giving him one last look before sinking into the ground.
With that, Madara raised his hands and formed a seal.
"Demonic Statue of the Outer Path: Release!"
He drew back the chakra he had stored within it for so many years, and the grotesque statue that had stood there for an eternity vanished with a soft pop.
He stood, stretching his limbs. For the first time in a long time, he felt truly alive. If not for the plan, he would never have allowed himself to wither away in such a decrepit state for so long.
"To think that I would be able to enjoy the thrill of battle one last time before I die. I suppose I should thank the boy for that."
He began to chuckle, the sound growing louder until it echoed throughout the entire cavern.
"Hahahaha!"
The laughter continued for a long time, only stopping when another voice joined his.
"What's so amusing? Care to share?"
Madara looked up at the figure slowly descending from the ceiling. "Uchiha," he said, his voice slow and deliberate, "Kyosuke."
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kyosuke replied with a smile.
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