-----
-----
"What… what kind of monster is this?"
Atop the colossal Buddha statue, Madara Uchiha's Susanoo-controlled figure stumbled backward.
Even a thousand-meter-tall Buddha, reinforced by Susanoo's divine armor, couldn't withstand the raging storm of golden energy crashing down upon it.
Cracks spread across its surface like a spider web.
"Gah—!"
Madara spat blood again, his aged body trembling. For the first time in his life, fear flickered in those battle-hardened eyes.
The man who had mastered the Rinnegan, who wielded the power of all creation, felt a chill deep in his soul.
His body—and even his spirit—no longer seemed to belong to him.
He felt like a tiny, helpless boat tossed about on a raging sea, seconds away from capsizing.
"I…"
Even his consciousness felt like it was freezing over.
Madara could only watch as the golden waves of energy tore through the Buddha's layers of wood and chakra. Even Wood Release combined with Susanoo's defense crumbled like sand before that overwhelming power.
The once-divine Thousand-Armed Buddha splintered into countless chunks of shattered wood, raining down toward the earth.
Madara himself fell from the sky, barely able to control his descent.
"Ha… ha… ha…"
He gasped for air, sweat dripping down his wrinkled face. His long white hair, a mark of his life force burning out, hung in messy strands.
Raising his head with great effort, he looked toward the girl—Rose.
Golden energy still blazed around her, spreading across the battlefield like a living storm.
But strangely, the waves of power flowed around Madara, carefully avoiding him.
The precision of that control… even someone as proud as Madara had to admit—he couldn't compare.
"Cough… cough… Such power… It's beyond the Sage of Six Paths himself."
He had never met the Sage, but instinct told him—even if the old god crawled out of his coffin, he wouldn't stand a chance against this girl who looked barely sixteen. She might end him in a single strike.
Her golden aura flared higher, so bright even the Rinnegan could barely perceive her.
Then, she vanished.
And reappeared—right in front of him.
Those violet eyes stared down at him, calm and emotionless.
Madara was on one knee, using one arm to prop himself up, his life force nearly spent.
Looking up at the indifferent girl, he forced the words out with his remaining strength."You win…"
Rose's face didn't change.
She slowly raised her right hand, palm aimed at him.
Her hand hovered less than half a meter from his forehead.
"Destruction."
Madara didn't even have time to speak.
His eyes widened in disbelief as his legs, then his torso, and finally his head dissolved into nothingness—like someone was erasing him from existence with a rubber.
And then, he was gone.
After wiping out Madara as casually as brushing away dust, Rose turned and walked out of the arena.
The live broadcast ended abruptly.
The battlefield disappeared.
But Kikyo and Spider Girl, who had been watching, couldn't shake the shock in their hearts.
The image still burned in their minds: a girl with radiant golden hair, her entire body wrapped in blazing light that reached the heavens.
A single lock of gold fell across her forehead, slightly shading her eyes—but it couldn't hide those cold, soul-piercing violet pupils.
[Spider Girl]: "Um… is… is the old man Madara still alive?"
Her voice trembled. That golden figure was burned into her mind, making her whole body quiver uncontrollably.
Madara's power had been terrifying—but Rose's strength… that was something else entirely.
Even through the screen, she could feel it.
Was it just her imagination, or had the entire planet trembled when Rose transformed?
No one answered her question. The chat fell silent.
[Spider Girl]: "She didn't actually kill him, right? The arena rules said no one can die…"
Her tone was uncertain. She had read the rules, but somehow… they didn't feel reliable anymore.
Rose was the group leader. Madara was just a member.
Maybe the rules only applied to members—not her?
People die when they're killed.
And if you're killed by the admin… maybe that's really the end.
Spider Girl wrapped all eight legs around herself and curled up in her silk cocoon. The warmth of her web steadied her breathing a little.
[World's #1 Princess]: "Relax, Spider Girl. Madara's fine. You sound like you're scared of me."
[Spider Girl]: "Eh? He's not dead?"
[Kikyo]: "His profile's still lit."
Both of them looked at Madara's avatar—his pale-haired face still glowing, not grayed out or disconnected.
He wasn't talking, but… he was still there.
In the Pure Land, Naruto World.
Even as a soul, Madara's entire being trembled.
Part of it was fear—the terror of feeling his body and soul erased piece by piece.But another part… was exhilaration.
"I could feel it—that power that made even Hashirama seem like an insect before a storm…"
"So terrifying…"
His eyes were blank, lost in thought.
When the fight began, he hadn't even been able to sense Rose's energy. The gap between them was that vast.
But when she said she'd fight him seriously—and transformed—her white hair had gradually turned gold, every strand becoming sharp and radiant.
Her whole presence changed.
He wasn't sure which version of her was stronger, but after her transformation, her aura reminded him of when he first awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—like her very nature had shifted.
Of course, that was just his guess.
Regaining focus, he pictured the chat interface in his mind.
"The Multiverse…"
"Worlds beyond worlds, each with power beyond imagination… truly fascinating."
He didn't resent losing. Even being erased didn't bother him much. Madara was a warrior. Defeat wasn't shameful—he just needed to win next time.
Besides, he wasn't really dead… well, sort of. He still had consciousness, didn't he?
Madara began typing.
[Madara Uchiha]: "I'm still here. Stop mourning me."
The tone was far more casual than before. The battle had humbled him a bit; he no longer spoke as if he were above everyone else.
He understood now—the chat group was a priceless opportunity.
And if he wanted to make the most of it, he had to build connections.
He'd spent decades alone in a cave, watching the ninja world decay, reflecting on his own failures.
He knew now what kind of leader he'd been—and what kind of man.
But that was all behind him. The Uchiha Clan had turned away, and he had let them.
No point dwelling on the past.
"The Eye of the Moon…"
He recalled the words etched into the Uchiha Stone Tablet, feeling determination ignite again.
"Hashirama… when our dream is fulfilled, I'll go even further—to new realms, higher dimensions. The ninja world will be just a speck in the distance."
"You and I… we were never the same."
"....."