As Madara finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.
Who would dare argue with him?
Sasuke felt the same. By bloodline, Madara was essentially his ancestor—but that was not why Sasuke yielded. He stepped back because Naruto had already made a decision.
And more importantly—this mission was too dangerous for Neji.
If something happened to Madara, that was one thing. But letting Neji walk into a trap laid by an Ōtsutsuki was unacceptable. Besides, Madara's current strength was unfathomable; no one knew how far he had pushed himself in these years of quiet cultivation.
Perhaps only Senju Hashirama, the man who had fought Madara countless times, truly understood his limits.
"That sounds interesting. Maybe I should go too."
Hashirama suddenly spoke with a cheerful tone, but his presence was anything but light. He was genuinely intrigued by Ōtsutsuki Isshiki—the being mentioned by Future Sasuke.
According to that future version of Sasuke, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki possessed overwhelming Chakra, near-limitless adaptability, and physical abilities capable of crushing even average Six Paths–level shinobi.
His dojutsu was also dangerously versatile.
"If Hashirama-sama wants to go, then please—take a look for yourself. With your strength, I doubt there will be any real issue."
Naruto said with an easy smile.
He wasn't particularly worried. Over the past few years, his own strength had risen steadily—especially after absorbing the Rinnegan insights passed down by Future Sasuke.
Once this incident was resolved, the Six Paths of Reincarnation might finally awaken.
The "Demigod Realm," however, remained elusive to him.
He had no idea how his future self ultimately entered that state.
Future Sasuke had not provided detailed information either—he himself had advanced because the world had blessed him with the Demigod-level power.
With the decision made, the meeting concluded.
Meanwhile… in a hidden Kara base
In a dimly lit chamber, a man draped in a white feathered cloak sat quietly, maintaining an elegant, almost regal posture. Below his left eye, a Roman numeral symbol was tattooed vertically.
He remained perfectly composed, as if the chaos around him did not exist at all.
This man was Jigen, current vessel of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki.
A furious voice suddenly erupted:
"Jigen-sama! Uzumaki Naruto has gone too far! Nearly all my bases have been destroyed! How am I supposed to conduct experiments now?"
The speaker was Katsumura Yota.
Now an Inner Kara member, he had recently presented what he believed was his greatest creation:
Shura.
Shura—once an Uzumaki clansman—had long since forgotten his original name. The "Shura" from before was merely an inferior replica of the current one.
Shura's overwhelming combat potential had impressed Jigen enough to elevate Katsumura Yota from Outer to Inner ranks.
But not everyone respected him.
"Hmph. Waste is waste. You can't even defend your facilities against a few grunts."
A cold, disdainful female voice cut through the room.
It belonged to Delta, one of Kara's Inner members.
She stood with curled blonde hair, light purple eyes shadowed with yellow, and black lines extending vertically across her pupils and irises.
Her gaze radiated madness—volatile, explosive.
Her temper was infamous within the organization, and only Katsumura Yota seemed visibly shaken by her words. He clenched his fists but dared not respond. Every Inner Kara member was a monster in their own right.
Kara today was not the Kara from the original story.
The aura of every member here was dense and suffocating.
In the corner sat Kawaki, not yet defected—silent, observing.
"Jigen-sama," Delta continued, "leave this to me. Your Shura and that useless Yota are good for nothing. Hmph!"
She turned sharply and strode out without waiting for permission.
Jigen did not stop her—he merely tilted his head slightly, still elegant, watching her disappear.
"What a volatile woman," he murmured.
Katsumura Yota trembled with anger, his face pale.
I am Katsumura Yota—Jigen-sama's strongest subordinate…
You dare look down on my research?
Just wait. I will prove the might of biotechnology!
Perhaps it was time…Time to begin that experiment.
"…So these are the people who drove that worthless Katsumura Yota running for his life?"
A deep voice echoed through the corridor, marking the arrival of another figure.
The stage was set.
Battle lines were forming.
Delta stared down at the shinobi below, who were desperately defending against Kara's assault.
A faint curl of disdain lifted the corner of her lips.
Clad in her black combat cloak, she hovered in the air. Her long legs swung out—and in an instant, one of them morphed into a whitish-gray blade.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Enemy attack! Stay alert!"
Her sweeping strike carved through the battlefield like a scythe. Over a dozen shinobi were flung backward, vomiting blood as they crashed across the ground.
BOOM!!
A sudden explosion erupted.
A figure flashed in from behind and delivered a brutal kick straight to Delta's torso, sending her plummeting from the sky and smashing into the ground.
A young shinobi knelt beside the injured, weaving medical chakra through his hands. In moments, the most critical wounds closed.
If not for the warning shouted earlier, they would have been dead the moment Delta struck.
Delta's cold voice echoed as she dragged herself back to her feet.
"Heh… finally, someone interesting."
Rage twisted her expression.
"Damn it! Who the hell are you?!"
Her gaze locked on the newcomer—Madara.
With another furious kick, Delta's leg expanded to dozens of meters in length, transforming once more into a monstrous blade.
But before it could reach him, Susanoo's ribcage manifested around Madara in an instant, intercepting the attack.
Madara didn't even lower his arms. They remained folded across his chest, as if to say:
Is this really all you can do?
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
With a single hand sign, a blazing dragon of fire erupted into the air, roaring toward Delta.
Just as it was about to strike, a sharp gleam flashed across Delta's eyes.
She absorbed the entire technique in an instant.
"Hmph! Let me return it to you!"
She fired the same fire dragon back at Madara, but it crashed harmlessly against Susanoo, unable to pierce it at all.
Madara's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Interesting."
So—this was her ability?
Her eyes didn't resemble the Rinnegan, yet they could absorb ninjutsu and release it back.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Madara's mouth.
He was about to move again when Delta's eyes flared bright purple.
In the next instant—
A brilliant laser-like beam shot out, cutting through the battlefield and slamming into Susanoo.
To Madara's mild surprise, Susanoo disintegrated—reduced to ash.
He twisted his body, avoiding the remainder of the blast as the beam continued carving a deep trench across the earth.
This technique…
It reminded him of Dust Release, the Kekkei Tōta used by that brat Ōnoki.
One technique reduced matter to particles—The other annihilated it outright.