Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
From the top of the Hokage Monument, Uchiha Madara looked down upon the village he and Senju Hashirama had once built together. Seeing it again with his own eyes stirred many emotions deep in his chest.
Madara was not insane, though some might have called him obsessed. His ambition had always been driven by one thing: the desire to create a world without war.
And now, that world—his world—was within reach. Only one tailed beast remained.
Black Zetsu lingered at Madara's side in silence, equally exhilarated. The thought that their great plan had finally come down to this final step made its body quiver. Soon, it could bring its mother back into the world.
But just as Madara prepared to leap down from the Monument to capture the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, the air beside him twisted violently.
Space itself warped—and from it stepped a man in the black cloak of the Akatsuki.
"You're here, Obito."
Madara barely cast him a glance. He had expected him.
Obito gave a curt nod and tossed a great fan—the Uchiha gunbai—toward Madara. "This belongs to you. I'm returning it now."
For years, Obito had carried out his plan under Madara's name. But his own strength had always been limited. Now, at this point in the plan, all he could do was surrender to Madara's will.
Madara caught the fan in one hand, then immediately flung it back at him.
"I have no need of such things anymore."
As the weapon landed back in Obito's grasp, Madara leapt down from the Hokage Monument, his long hair trailing behind him like a banner.
On his way here, Black Zetsu had already filled him in on everything about the village. This generation's Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was Uzumaki Naruto.
Though just a genin, the boy could wield the Nine-Tails' chakra. Not only that—he had mastered Sage Mode. His strength was far from ordinary.
But that was fine. If chaos broke out in the village, Naruto was almost certain to appear. After all…
"He's a reckless fool," Madara muttered, voice low and heavy.
That would make things simpler. If Naruto had been hidden away somewhere, finding him would have been troublesome.
BOOM!
Madara struck the ground with explosive force, the impact shaking the earth, splitting the soil, and filling the air with dust.
The moment Madara and Black Zetsu breached the village barrier, the Konoha leadership had been alerted. And with the thunderous impact Madara had caused, the ANBU and Root operatives rushed quickly to the scene.
But when they saw the figure standing before them, their scalps went numb.
"Y-You're… Madara?"
At the front, Yamato froze, stunned.
Any shinobi who had visited the Valley of the End knew that face. They all knew the legend. His power. His stone effigy that loomed over the valley.
"Unexpected. To think there are still those in this era who remember me."
Madara's crimson eyes swept lazily over the shinobi blocking his way. He didn't strike—not yet.
"I only have one question. Where is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?"
His voice was deep, heavy with menace.
The ANBU and Root shinobi stiffened. They all knew the Akatsuki were hunting the jinchūriki. But, unfortunately… Senju Haruto was not in the village at this moment.
Yamato slid one hand behind his back, flashing a covert signal to the Root shinobi: Go. Inform Kakashi.
As for Madara, Yamato himself would stall him.
The instant the Root shinobi darted away, Yamato clapped his hands together and summoned the power of Wood Release, attempting to bind Madara.
But how could Yamato's power compare?
Madara didn't even bother to weave a sign. He evaded Yamato's wooden branches with nothing but simple, fluid taijutsu, weaving through them effortlessly. And in that same moment, he closed in.
"So… you're the one who inherited the Wood Release kekkei genkai? Disappointing. Compared to Hashirama, you are worlds apart."
Madara's tone was sharp as he extended his arm, seizing Yamato by the throat and hoisting him into the air.
Though both used Wood Release, to Madara the man before him was nothing but an insult to Hashirama's legacy.
"He is not Haruto. That's Yamato," Black Zetsu cut in, slithering up beside Madara. "Nothing more than a flawed imitation born from grafted Hashirama cells. Don't waste your time on him."
Even with Madara's overwhelming confidence, Black Zetsu couldn't help but feel uneasy. It had witnessed Senju Haruto's divine strength with its own eyes. If Konoha shinobi stalled Madara long enough for Haruto to return, things might not go as smoothly.
The smart move was to seize the Nine-Tails while Haruto was gone.
"You think I would lose to Senju Haruto?"
Madara's Sharingan flicked toward Black Zetsu, his lips curling with disdain. Then, with a single kick, he sent Yamato flying.
The ANBU and Root operatives rushed Madara at once, unleashing jutsu of every kind.
Not wanting to be caught in the clash, Black Zetsu melted into the shadows, masking its presence to watch from the dark.
Meanwhile, Obito dispersed into the village, intent on locating Naruto. With eight beasts already gathered, if he could capture the Nine-Tails first, he still had a chance.
"That fool, Obito…"
Madara, his senses sharpened by Hashirama's cells, easily followed Obito's movements throughout the village. But he paid it no mind. His power was so far above his current opponents that even without full focus, he could crush them effortlessly.
Yamato, battered but stubborn, forced himself to his feet and charged Madara once more. But no amount of willpower could bridge the gulf between them.
"Enough. I'll show you what true Wood Release looks like."
Madara clapped his hands together.
It was not Yamato's crude imitation he performed, but Hashirama's true technique.
"Deep Forest Emergence!"
Enormous roots and vines erupted from the ground, as thick as tree trunks, spreading with terrifying speed. The earth shook and screamed beneath the onslaught as the forest swallowed everything in its path.
Madara unleashed his Wood Release with no restraint. His assault cared nothing for friend or foe—ANBU, Root, villagers, even the buildings of Konoha itself were devoured by the surging forest.
The shinobi stood no chance. One after another, they were ensnared.
Yamato retreated desperately, but a single misstep left his leg snared by a coiling vine.
Before he could react, a towering tree swallowed him whole. His body was bound tight, his hands sealed, unable to move, unable to weave a sign.
"Why… how can Madara… wield the First Hokage's Wood Release…?"
Yamato's throat constricted as he choked on the words, horror in his eyes.
...
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