RedX43
patreon
[Konoha] Chapter 285: Resurrection, Uchiha Madara!
🕑 Added 2024-12-22 06:17:45 +0000 UTC"Nagato, you’ve lost!"
Shūichi looked down at Nagato, whose body was now reduced to only his upper half.
"Yes...," Nagato murmured, slowly closing his eyes as memories of his past flooded his mind.
His parents, killed by Konoha shinobi. His solitary wandering, struggling to survive with Yahiko and Konan. Training under Jiraiya. The betrayal by Hanzō and Danzō...
"I truly have failed," Nagato said, opening his eyes.
Shūichi replied, "It’s too early to say that. You’ve only lost to me."
Turning to glance in Uchiha Madara’s direction, Shūichi continued, "Now rise, and join me in eliminating the greatest obstacle to world peace!"
Nagato grabbed his staff as the last of his Truth-Seeking Orbs descended. His lower half slowly began to regenerate.
"I will keep my promise," Nagato declared.
However, just then, Black Zetsu emerged from the ground, swiftly engulfing Nagato’s body.
"What?!"
"Black Zetsu..."
Nagato was shocked to find his body rapidly losing control. He tried desperately to muster his strength to resist the invasion.
Shūichi noticed the change immediately, frowning.
"The Akatsuki’s shadow… So this is Madara’s contingency plan?"
Black Zetsu had already taken over half of Nagato’s face. Laughing, it said, "Oh, it doesn’t end here!"
Shūichi sensed something and turned to where Senju Hashirama was battling.
There, another Uchiha Madara emerged from the ground.
Both Hashirama and Minato were startled.
"It’s a Wood Clone!"
The Wood Clone of Madara raised a hand, and Nagato, still resisting Black Zetsu, screamed in agony as black rods sprouted from the uncovered side of his body.
Nagato gritted his teeth. "I already removed that cursed seal!"
Shūichi explained calmly, "Because your Rinnegan originally belonged to Madara, part of his chakra remains within you."
"Madara has been waiting for this moment, when you’re at your weakest."
Black Zetsu, startled by Shūichi’s insight, didn’t have time to dwell on it. Joining forces with Madara’s Wood Clone, it quickly accelerated its takeover of Nagato’s body.
Shūichi observed silently.
On the other side, Hashirama and Minato also refrained from acting immediately as they eyed Madara’s Wood Clone.
"It seems they want to use Nagato to perform the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to resurrect Madara," Minato said, beads of sweat forming on his brow.
"Shūichi’s strategy of luring out the true mastermind is far too risky."
Hashirama frowned, conflicted.
He knew of Shūichi’s plan, which was why he hadn’t intervened yet.
But considering how powerful Nagato was as the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, letting Madara succeed would be even more catastrophic.
Under the pressure of the Gate of the Great God, the real Madara furrowed his brow.
Neither Shūichi, Hashirama, nor Minato had interfered with Black Zetsu or his Wood Clone. This was not what he had anticipated.
"It’s not adding up," Madara muttered. "Though it’s favorable for my resurrection."
For the first time, Madara couldn’t discern Shūichi’s true intentions.
"Still, none of that matters. Resurrection is the key."
A grin spread across Madara’s face.
"Once I’m revived, I’ll eliminate all obstacles!"
---
"That Black Zetsu… To think it could even control Nagato. It must have been hiding its true power all along!"
Uchiha Obito was shocked, but even more puzzled by Shūichi’s lack of intervention.
"Why isn’t he stopping this?"
"Is he really going to let Madara be resurrected, just to confirm the existence of some elusive mastermind?"
Obito’s frustration boiled over, and he could no longer sit still.
Uchiha Shisui, sensing Obito’s unease, withdrew his gaze from Shūichi.
"Though this is extremely dangerous, I trust Shūichi’s judgment completely."
Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan glimmered faintly as he prepared to activate his dōjutsu at a moment’s notice.
Nearby, the eight newly freed tailed beasts watched Shūichi with equal confusion.
However, out of trust in him, they too held their ground.
---
Clang!
Nagato’s staff fell to the ground. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "Shūichi, end me now!"
He could no longer resist.
Unlike the Obito in the original timeline, his ability to fight back was weaker because he bore both of Madara’s Rinnegan.
Shūichi, however, replied calmly, "To be honest, I’m curious to see how strong Madara is at his peak."
"The Edo Tensei version of him doesn’t even interest me."
Under the combined control of Black Zetsu and Madara’s Wood Clone, Nagato slowly raised his hand and formed seals.
Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!
The jutsu activated, and under the Gate of the Great God, Madara’s Edo Tensei body began emitting white smoke.
Hashirama’s eyes darkened.
"Fourth Hokage, Madara is being revived. Stay alert!"
Minato nodded. "Understood!"
Boom!
The Gate of the Great God shattered, and Madara rose to his feet.
His armor began crumbling away, as did his eyes, leaving empty sockets.
Closing his eyes, Madara laughed heartily, shirtless and brimming with confidence.
"Hahaha! I’ve finally returned!"
"Now then..."
Even with his eyes closed, Madara seemed to "look" at Hashirama.
Boom!
The ground beneath Hashirama exploded.
When the dust cleared, only Madara stood there.
"You’re fast… but you can’t run forever."
---
Shūichi stood calmly, while Minato Namikaze and Hashirama Senju appeared beside him.
At the same time, Nagato’s body suddenly rose from the ground, propelled toward Uchiha Madara.
Still, Shūichi didn’t make a move, silently watching as Black Zetsu brought Nagato to reunite with Madara.
"That Shūichi is a little strange," Black Zetsu said, alerting Madara.
Madara chuckled lightly.
"He’s just an arrogant fool. He thinks that defeating Nagato, the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, means he can take on anything."
As he spoke, Madara had already taken the Rinnegan from Nagato’s eyes and implanted them into his own sockets.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu manipulated Nagato’s hand to press against the ground, summoning the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
It felt as though everything had returned to the starting point.
Madara opened his newly acquired Rinnegan, his gaze shifting to the eight tailed beasts in the distance.
"Next, it’s time to reclaim those creatures."
"Of course, we should deal with a certain nuisance first," he added.
Black Zetsu suggested, "My advice is to first reclaim the eight tailed beasts and become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki. After that, we can deal with Shūichi."
Madara turned toward Shūichi.
"Don’t worry about him."
Though supremely confident, Madara recognized the power Shūichi had demonstrated earlier.
Taking him down with just the Sharingan would be no simple task.
---
Elsewhere, Shūichi spoke to Minato.
"Sensei, let’s proceed with the plan."
Minato nodded and vanished in a flash.
Hashirama then asked, "Shūichi, have you identified the mastermind you mentioned?"
Shūichi nodded.
"First Hokage-sama, I’m now certain that the so-called ‘Eye of the Moon Plan’ is a massive trap."
"Although I don’t yet know the trap’s purpose, that Black Zetsu who controlled Nagato couldn’t possibly have been created with just the power of the Rinnegan."
Hashirama’s eyes narrowed as he turned his attention to the black substance covering half of Nagato’s body near Madara.
"It seems to be a product of Yin-Yang Release."
Shūichi continued, "And then there’s the White Zetsu army. If all of them are clones of you, First Hokage-sama, the sheer number is suspiciously large."
The indirect guidance left Hashirama frowning, unable to decipher the mystery.
Meanwhile, Minato reappeared beside Obito, bringing Rin Nohara with him.
"Rin!"
Obito was stunned.
"Sensei, Rin shouldn’t be on the battlefield."
Minato explained, "This is just to make sure you have a complete Mangekyō Sharingan. From now on, you’ll need to coordinate with Shūichi."
"Uchiha Madara as the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki will be far more dangerous than Nagato ever was."
Rin smiled brightly.
"Don’t worry, Obito. I’m no longer a Jinchūriki and won’t be a major target anymore."
"Besides, I’m not the same as I was back then," she added with a grin, glancing at the sword strapped to her back.
Obito hesitated for a moment before removing his mask.
"Fine."
"But Rin, you’re still better off helping the medical unit. That’s where you’re most needed."
Rin smiled warmly.
"Got it. Let’s get started, then."
Obito nodded and began the process of replacing his eye.
For Rin, the operation was straightforward. She removed Obito’s Mangekyō Sharingan and restored his original eye.
As for the three-tomoe Sharingan that Obito removed, he didn’t let it go to waste. Instead, he immediately prepared for Izanagi by embedding it with a sealing jutsu.
The entire eye replacement process took less than a minute.
Minato then turned to Shisui.
"Shisui, I’ll need you to handle the one controlling Nagato. Force them to abandon Nagato and rescue him."
Shisui immediately nodded.
"Understood, Fourth Hokage-sama!"
With that, Minato disappeared again, taking Rin with him.
Shisui turned to Obito with a smile.
"Looks like we’ll be fighting side by side now."
Obito replied, "I hope your choices are the right ones."
"Don’t worry," Shisui said confidently. "Shūichi never makes mistakes."
With that, Shisui leapt into action.
Obito activated Kamui, disappearing from his position.
Shūichi nodded to Hashirama Senju before ascending into the sky, intercepting Uchiha Madara, who was heading toward the tailed beasts.
Limbo: Border Jail!
Without hesitation, Madara used the unique ocular ability of his Rinnegan, summoning three clones at once.
Sensing the ability, Shūichi feigned surprise.
"A Rinnegan technique?"
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Three clones of Shūichi appeared by his side, engaging in battle with Madara’s shadows.
The clash was intense.
"As expected, quite troublesome…" Madara muttered.
Ascending higher, Madara condensed an enormous black sphere in his hands. The sphere then split into smaller fragments and dispersed.
Chibaku Tensei!
Before Shūichi could stop him, Madara completed the technique.
Boom!
The ground trembled and shattered as massive chunks of earth soared into the sky, quickly forming colossal meteors that began to plummet.
Shisui Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, Hashirama Senju, and Minato Namikaze—who had just returned after escorting Rin Nohara—were all within the attack’s range.
Feigning urgency, Shūichi shouted,
"Gyūki! You all hold off Uchiha Madara for a while. I’ll take care of these meteors!"
Gyūki bellowed,
"Understood! We can handle this level of Uchiha Madara."
Shukaku, however, was uneasy.
"Don’t underestimate him. His Rinnegan’s abilities differ from Nagato’s."
"Pay attention to the fight over there. Be careful—we just got freed; we can’t afford to be captured again."
Gyūki replied gravely,
"Of course, I know that."
"But with the eight of us, we should manage."
Son Gokū warned,
"He’s coming. Be ready!"
Shukaku let out a long roar.
"Let’s show this bastard the true power of the tailed beasts!"
The other tailed beasts roared in agreement, preparing for their most ferocious attacks.
However, before Madara himself arrived, his attack silently landed.
Though Shūichi, at Sage of Six Paths level, could sense the Limbo clones, the tailed beasts could not.
Madara’s two Limbo clones launched a surprise attack. One by one, the tailed beasts were sent flying amidst muffled impacts.
"What’s happening?"
Hashirama and Minato were shocked to see the mighty tailed beasts being thrown around like mere children.
"Even with the same Rinnegan, the difference is immense!" Hashirama exclaimed in amazement.
Minato nodded silently, thinking,
"If this continues, there’ll be no stopping Madara from becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki."
---
Elsewhere, after being chased for some time by Shisui, Black Zetsu decisively abandoned Nagato.
Although Nagato, as a former Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, was still useful, being pursued hindered Black Zetsu’s plans.
As Black Zetsu disappeared into the ground, Shisui couldn’t help but grow wary.
"This guy is truly something else—he completely ignored my Kotoamatsukami!"
Indeed, Shisui had used Kotoamatsukami on Black Zetsu, hoping to control him, but it had no effect.
This was highly unusual.
---
Nagato, having regained consciousness, asked weakly,
"Why is Shūichi allowing Uchiha Madara to revive?"
Helping the frail Nagato up, Shisui explained,
"To lure out the one behind the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"Shūichi has realized that Madara is just a pawn. There’s someone even more terrifying hidden behind the scenes."
"The one who controlled you—didn’t you sense how extraordinary it was?"
Nagato glanced upward at Shūichi and Obito in the sky, watching as they dealt with the meteors. He nodded.
"Indeed."
"But if there’s someone even more dangerous, does he have the confidence to handle them?"
Shisui smiled.
"I trust Shūichi!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One by one, the massive meteors exploded into fragments, sending countless rocks raining down.
When Shūichi finished dispersing the meteors and descended from the sky, Madara had already resealed the eight tailed beasts into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
At the same time, however, Madara’s three Limbo clones were immobilized by Shūichi’s shadow clones using Electromagnetic Release.
Approaching his clones, Shūichi manifested Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him. Transforming them into black rods, he pinned Madara’s Limbo clones down, preventing their retrieval.
While Shūichi had allowed Madara to revive and become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, he was subtly weakening him step by step.
Boom!
A fully armored Susanoo landed beside Shūichi. Obito deactivated his Susanoo and looked toward Madara on top of the Demonic Statue.
"What’s the next step?"
Shūichi grinned.
"Naturally, we’re going to beat up Uchiha Madara!"
"Obito, don’t you want to?"
Hearing this, the red glow in Obito’s eyes intensified.
"Of course!"
(End of Chapter)
