Madara Uchiha was well aware of Obito Uchiha's potential, but the White Zetsu before him had no clue.
Given another chance, neither White Zetsu nor the yet-to-be-born Black Zetsu was worthy of full trust.
"Shūichi, knowing everything as I do now, do you think I would still lose?"
With a cold snort, Madara slowly closed his eyes.
A few days later, White Zetsu brought the gravely injured Obito Uchiha back to the mountain tomb.
After implanting Hashirama cells and observing Obito's fiery determination, Madara maintained his icy demeanor and quietly made the same arrangements as before.
He chose a moment when Minato Namikaze was absent, orchestrated a crisis for Kakashi and Rin Nohara, and ensured White Zetsu informed Obito at just the right time to witness his beloved's tragic death.
Madara watched silently from the shadows as an enraged Obito massacred the Mist-nin.
It was at that moment Madara finally understood what Shūichi had said to him before.
"Hashirama, so-called mutual understanding is simply impossible!"
Madara seemed to forget he was merely within an illusion.
This time, without the disruption of Shūichi, Obito fell perfectly into darkness under Madara's manipulation.
However, what Madara failed to realize was that when he was imparting the secrets of Yin-Yang Release to Obito, he was actually teaching Shūichi, who had assumed Obito's form within the illusion.
Although Madara's teachings on Yin-Yang Release weren't particularly significant to Shūichi, they were still a worthwhile acquisition.
After transferring the secret techniques to Obito and "creating" Black Zetsu once again, Madara confidently allowed himself to die, fully convinced of his plan's success.
Madara remembered Black Zetsu's true identity but was equally clear on one thing:
Black Zetsu, focused on reviving Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, would not act prematurely. On the contrary, it would go to great lengths to ensure Madara became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
Armed with full knowledge, Madara simply needed to eliminate Black Zetsu after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
---
When Madara opened his eyes again, he found himself revived through Edo Tensei and frowned. "Another unforeseen event?"
Looking to his side, he saw the Second Tsuchikage. "Orochimaru?"
The Second Tsuchikage, controlled by Kabuto Yakushi (or rather, Shūichi Hoshita), chuckled. "My apologies, but no. Orochimaru has already been sealed by Itachi Uchiha. I am his subordinate, having inherited his power, and I have summoned you."
"This body is specially prepared for you so that you can unleash your full strength."
Madara felt an urge to laugh. "Oh?"
"Have you ever seen my prime state?"
Kabuto smirked. "Not yet. So why don't you let me witness the legendary power of Uchiha Madara now?"
"Very well."
Madara opened his Sharingan and leapt gracefully from the rock pillar into the battlefield.
Shūichi observed the scene from above, watching the recreated classic scenario as Madara danced elegantly, mowing down the Allied Shinobi Forces.
"Never thought I'd see this again..."
Shūichi felt a tinge of nostalgia.
It was far more thrilling to experience it firsthand than to view it through a screen.
Of course, what made it even more entertaining was that he had scripted the scene, while Madara performed wholeheartedly.
After marveling at Madara's solo battle against the Allied Forces, Shūichi awaited the main course.
Chibaku Tensei, followed by the long-anticipated Limbo: Border Jail after Madara's resurrection.
"So this is it… doesn't seem that complicated!"
Leaving Kabuto's guise behind, Shūichi silently reflected, appearing as an ordinary ninja.
At this moment, all of Madara's power was being provided by him, Shūichi Hoshita.
Thus, Madara's every ability had no secrets in his eyes.
With his single Rinnegan, Madara swiftly subdued the tailed beasts.
After snatching Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan and reclaiming the other Rinnegan, Madara suddenly struck at Black Zetsu, which had possessed Obito.
Thud!
The black rods formed from the Truth-Seeking Orbs pierced through Black Zetsu and half of Obito's body.
Madara raised his gaze to the moon above. "Though all this may be an illusion, it… can still become reality!"
Shifting his focus downward, Madara locked eyes with Six Paths Naruto and Rinnegan Sasuke. "Once these two nuisances are dealt with…"
Limbo: Border Jail!
Madara unleashed his clones, now four in number, to keep Naruto and Sasuke occupied. He then ascended, conjuring massive meteors with a large-scale Chibaku Tensei to further hinder his opponents.
While Naruto and Sasuke were preoccupied with sealing the shadows and obliterating the meteors, Madara absorbed the God Tree into himself, tore open the eye on his forehead, and activated the Rinne Sharingan with nine tomoe.
As his figure ascended, Madara reflected the Rinne Sharingan onto the moon: "Infinite Tsukuyomi, descend!"
With Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and other Edo Tensei-revived individuals resisting, everyone else succumbed to Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Madara then descended and unleashed the Divine: Deep Forest Emergence.
One by one, shinobi were wrapped in cocoons and hung up, their chakra converging into a massive surge that roared from the earth and flowed into Madara.
Just when Madara thought he could alter the course of his past failures, another consciousness emerged within him.
It was the will of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—or rather, Shūichi Hoshita, imitating her.
As the colossal influx of chakra surged through him, Madara once again lost control of his body, which began to swell uncontrollably.
"What… is this?"
In the moment his consciousness faded, Madara found himself once again atop the Hokage Rock in Konoha, with Shūichi smiling at him.
"Why?" Madara couldn't help but ask.
Shūichi chuckled and said, "Black Zetsu is indeed a key factor."
"But you've misunderstood something: the Infinite Tsukuyomi is actually the method to free Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
"Black Zetsu is merely a fragment of her consciousness. The true way to resurrect her is through the God: Nativity of a World of Trees, where the chakra you've absorbed is funneled into your body."
"When you cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's consciousness is projected into the bodies of those trapped under its effects."
Madara Uchiha suddenly understood. Indeed, this was a detail he hadn't fully grasped. But he quickly asked, "That Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, and Uchiha Sasuke—did you arrange their existence?"
Shūichi shook his head. "Their existence is akin to yours and the First Hokage's."
"One is the reincarnation of Asura, the other of Indra, which is why Uchiha Sasuke can awaken the Rinnegan, and the other can harness the power of the Six Paths."
"Of course, in this dream, the powers they wield are ones I granted them."
"But in reality, the Sage of Six Paths would appear."
Madara's eyes narrowed. "The Sage of Six Paths!"
Shūichi nodded, smiling. "The Sage of Six Paths was the first Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was his mother, whom he and his brother sealed away."
"Such an existence doesn't vanish so easily."
"The reason you could awaken the Rinnegan was due to the fusion of Indra's and Asura's powers, forming the power of the Sage of Six Paths."
Madara spoke gravely, "I see now."
"So my true opponent is the Sage of Six Paths?"
Shūichi replied, "No, it's everyone."
"And that's why you lost."
"How about it? Ready to try again?"
Without hesitation, Madara said, "Of course!"
Though it was just a dream, he was willing to live it. He refused to accept defeat!
Shūichi naturally had no objections.
Thus, Madara's dream continued.
This time, he was better prepared and attempted to eliminate the reincarnations of Indra and Asura early on, only to fail due to various circumstances.
Soon, the Fourth Shinobi World War arrived once again.
This time, Madara not only killed Uchiha Sasuke but also dismembered him to seize his Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, with Tobirama Senju's soul-sealing jutsu and Kabuto Yakushi's healing, Sasuke was revived. His lost eyes were regenerated through the power of the Six Paths—not as Rinnegan with tomoe, but as a pair of standard Rinnegan.
Naturally, Sasuke's ocular ability, Amenotejikara, remained.
Once again, events returned to their original trajectory.
This time, after defeating Black Zetsu, Madara still chose to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi. However, he refrained from using the God: Nativity of a World of Trees.
Instead, his plan was to deal with the remaining few opponents and directly absorb their Six Paths powers through his Rinnegan.
And yet... Madara was defeated once more.
Even with his Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan, the techniques he accessed were limited to the Infinite Tsukuyomi and God: Nativity of a World of Trees. He couldn't use abilities like All-Killing Ash Bones.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi had no effect on Naruto and the others, making the God: Nativity of a World of Trees useless.
Facing Six Paths Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Edo Tensei resurrected forces like Tobirama Senju, Madara was ultimately sealed once again by Naruto and Sasuke using Six Paths Chibaku Tensei.
Back atop the Hokage Rock, Madara's gaze was hollow and filled with despair. "Is everything truly predestined and unchangeable?"
Shūichi mercilessly nodded. "I told you, your enemy isn't just one or two people—it's everyone, including the Sage of Six Paths, who has already passed."
"If you cannot obtain Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's power, you'll never surpass the Sage of Six Paths."
"You tried to eliminate the reincarnations of Indra and Asura, but you failed to realize that even if you killed them, their souls would continue to reincarnate."
Madara closed his eyes, utterly defeated.
First betrayed by Black Zetsu, rendering a lifetime of effort into a cruel joke, and now guided into a tormenting dream by Shūichi, Madara's resilient spirit finally shattered.
Crack!
Madara's body began to fracture.
Boom!
Madara's form exploded, scattering countless fragments of light into the air.
His mind had collapsed.
Shūichi smiled and exhaled softly. Bubbles emerged, enveloping the fragments of light and projecting all of Madara's memories.
From this moment on, everything about Madara—his memories, techniques, ocular abilities—would be laid bare before Shūichi.
No secrets would remain.
Shūichi could study and replicate them at will, far more conveniently than through direct physical training.
This, after all, had been his intention in manipulating Madara from the start.
Of course, it wasn't because Madara was a man that Shūichi disliked the idea of direct physical contact for training.
He understood very well that someone like Uchiha Madara, even after suffering a massive blow, would never easily submit to others.
This was entirely different from the case of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
After dealing with Madara, Shūichi focused wholeheartedly on extracting nourishment from the fragments of Madara's shattered soul.
Techniques like Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star Tengai Shinsei), Limbo: Border Jail Rinbo: Hengoku), and—to Shūichi's slight surprise—the Mangekyō Sharingan abilities unique to Madara.
Madara's left eye possessed an illusion technique named Heavenly Divergence.
His right eye enhanced Fire Release, known as Blazing Command.
Shūichi compared Heavenly Divergence to Shisui's Kotoamatsukami.
Shisui's Kotoamatsukami had one eye for control and the other to directly alter someone's will.
In contrast, Heavenly Divergence had control and immobilization effects. In terms of sheer capability, it was slightly inferior to Kotoamatsukami, which could directly alter a person's will.
Of course, that was just Madara's left-eye ability.
As for the right eye's Blazing Command, it shared a thematic origin with the Kagutsuchi Mark Shūichi had named, symbolizing the Fire God.
While Sasuke Uchiha's Kagutsuchi focused on shape manipulation, Madara's Blazing Command amplified the power of Fire Release techniques.
This bore some resemblance to Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki's Rinnegan technique, Takamimusubinokami, though Madara's ability was far less potent.
Blazing Command could only enhance Fire Release.
Meanwhile, Takamimusubinokami absorbed techniques and re-released them with amplified power.
Still, Shūichi had no complaints.
The more ocular techniques available, the better—each one had unique applications in different scenarios.
The more versatile he became, the fewer weaknesses he would have.
Time ticked by.
By the time Shizune and the others returned, startling Shūichi out of his focus, he had already mastered the three ocular techniques: Heavenly Divergence, Blazing Command, and Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star.
Next, his goal was Limbo: Border Jail.
Meanwhile, progress on Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's side could not be stalled.
Stretching lazily, Shūichi stepped out of his study.
In the kitchen, Asuka and Tenka were preparing a late-night snack, while Pakura and Mei Terumi were busy in the bathroom. Only Konan was in the living room.
"Konan, where are Shizune and Tsunade?" Shūichi asked.
Before Konan could answer, Nono Yakushi emerged from a bedroom and said, "Tsunade went back to the Senju Clan Estate. Shizune went along to take care of her."
Shūichi sighed helplessly.
But knowing Tsunade's temperament, keeping her here indefinitely was harder than reaching the moon.
"I'll go check on Tsunade, then come back for supper."
With that, Shūichi disappeared from where he stood.
---
Senju Clan Estate
Shizune was incessantly trying to convince Tsunade to stay at Shūichi's place, but Tsunade, annoyed by the nagging, snorted coldly, "I don't want to stay where I constantly hear strange noises at night."
Shizune instantly flushed with embarrassment.
After all, those strange noises often included her. She did her best to stay quiet, but Shūichi was just too... overpowering.
"But, Lady Tsunade, if you keep staying here, everyone will worry about you," Shizune murmured softly.
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively, her tone casual. "Don't worry about me. I'm not some ordinary woman!"
"You're certainly not ordinary—you're the greatest female medical ninja in the shinobi world."
Shūichi's laughter echoed as he arrived.
Shizune turned around, her face lighting up with delight. "Shūichi!"
Shūichi stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Shizune's waist, and said with a smile, "I'm here to take you two back for supper."
Tsunade glanced at the affectionate pair and subtly rolled her eyes. "Not interested. I'm going to sleep."
Even jealous of Shizune?
Shūichi chuckled inwardly. Since becoming pregnant, Tsunade's demeanor had indeed changed—she now exuded a softer, more feminine aura.
(End of Chapter)
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