The battle against Senju Haruto had already drained an immense amount of chakra from Nagato. Now, being forcibly compelled by Black Zetsu to unleash the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, his condition worsened dramatically.
Nagato's long crimson hair rapidly lost its color, fading into stark white — the most distinct trait of the Uzumaki clan.
As if that weren't enough, Black Zetsu ruthlessly gouged out his Rinnegan. After all, those eyes had never truly belonged to Nagato; they were the result of Uchiha Madara's fusion with Hashirama's cells. The Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique could indeed revive Madara, but it could not grant him a new set of Rinnegan.
Obito, standing nearby, was left utterly at a loss. In his original plan, reviving Uchiha Madara was never part of the equation. Yet now, the situation had shifted beyond his control. Even if he snatched the Rinnegan from Black Zetsu, it would be meaningless — the real Uchiha Madara was already alive once more. And Obito knew well… he had no power to oppose him.
"I am Uchiha Madara's will," Black Zetsu intoned, his voice heavy with urgency. "Haruto's growth has already spiraled beyond our control. If the real Madara isn't revived now, our entire plan will collapse."
The way he stressed our was deliberate, but he didn't wait for Obito's reaction. Black Zetsu immediately merged back into White Zetsu, then employed the Mayfly Technique to vanish at high speed, heading directly for Madara's location.
The Mayfly Technique was, without question, one of the most terrifying arts in the shinobi world. With it, Zetsu could instantly travel vast distances, erasing all traces of his chakra. His ability to collect intelligence undetected stemmed entirely from this technique.
Obito stood over Nagato's lifeless body, his mind boiling with rage. But the thought of Rin tempered his fury and steadied his resolve. Even though Madara had been revived, Obito knew he still had a chance. The strongest of the tailed beasts — the Nine-Tails — was not inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
That alone left him hope.
Activating Kamui, Obito disappeared from the scene.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu sped toward Madara's resting place.
"Finally, that boy Nagato fulfilled his role."
Deep beneath the Kannabi Bridge, inside a cavern cloaked in shadow, Uchiha Madara sat alone on a stone bench.
Everything before him was darkness — yet he could feel it. His body, restored to youth, surged with an overwhelming, unprecedented power. His spirit throbbed with exhilaration, eager to test this newfound strength.
It didn't take long before he sensed Zetsu's approach. Though his vision had yet to return, his perception ability made it unnecessary.
"Uchiha Madara," Black Zetsu emerged swiftly, still masquerading as the embodiment of Madara's will. He extended the stolen Rinnegan toward him. "Nagato is dead."
"…I see."
Madara's tone carried only a faint tinge of regret at the news. In truth, the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique did not inherently kill its user. But Nagato had been critically depleted of chakra. Forcing the technique under such conditions inevitably consumed his life.
To Madara, Nagato's only true purpose had been to bring him back to life — and afterward, to return the Rinnegan. With that accomplished, the man was of no further value.
"Very well. Let us begin the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Madara pressed the Rinnegan back into his sockets. Slowly, the rippling tomoe pattern faded, shifting back into ordinary eyes. For it was he — Uchiha Madara — who had first awakened the Rinnegan. Only he could seamlessly move between normal vision, the Sharingan, and the Rinnegan at will.
Rising from the stone bench, Madara flexed his fingers into a fist, then launched himself upward with explosive force, striking the rock that sealed the cavern.
Boom!
The barrier shattered into fragments. Sunlight and fresh air poured inside, flooding the darkness.
A gentle breeze brushed against Madara's cheek — a sensation he had not felt for decades. His heart stirred.
Most importantly… in this era, there was no Senju Hashirama.
Which meant no one could stand in his way.
"Madara," Black Zetsu followed close behind, but his expression was heavy with hesitation.
"What is it?" Madara asked, glancing back.
"Obito's Akatsuki has captured the First through the Eighth Tailed Beasts. But the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails… resides in Konoha."
"…Konoha."
The name stirred a deep, complicated emotion in Madara. That was the village he and Hashirama had founded together. Their shared dream — to end the cycle of endless wars, to create a haven where children could grow without fear, where trust and understanding could flourish.
And yet… Hashirama had struck him down to protect it.
The weight of that memory filled him with a storm of conflicted feelings.
But now, there was only one goal left for Madara: the Eye of the Moon Plan. To cast Infinite Tsukuyomi, and drown all shinobi in a dream without war, without betrayal, without lies. A world of eternal peace.
"We go to Konoha," he declared, his voice low and resolute.
Whether Obito and Nagato had failed in their task mattered little. Only one beast remained. Just a Nine-Tails. Once, he had bent the creature to his will and unleashed it against Hashirama. Now, he would simply seize it again.
Still, Black Zetsu's hesitation lingered.
"Konoha is stronger than ever. Its Fifth Hokage is a man named Senju Haruto."
"…The Fifth?"
Madara recalled that when he had last walked the earth, it had been the era of the Third Hokage. That so much time had passed was disorienting. But the name that followed unsettled him more.
Senju Haruto…
The sound of it grated strangely, like an anomaly in the shinobi world itself.
"And not only that," Black Zetsu continued. "Senju Haruto has inherited the blood of both the Senju and the Uchiha. He wields the Wood Release of the First Hokage, the Sharingan of the Uchiha, the Byakugan of the Hyūga, and the sealing arts of the Uzumaki."
Madara's gaze darkened.
Of those powers, he dismissed most. Byakugan? Sealing arts? Such things held little weight in his eyes. But the Wood Release, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and the Rinnegan…
Even one of those was enough to dominate the shinobi world.
And yet this man — this Haruto — possessed all three.
It was as though history itself was repeating.
"A union of the Senju and Uchiha bloodlines…" Madara muttered, his chest tightening with disbelief. He had never imagined such a thing possible — that the clans who once tore each other apart would one day join by marriage.
Almost involuntarily, an image flickered in his mind.
If Hashirama had been a woman…
His thoughts trailed off into silence.