"Hehe... Nagato was indeed your pawn, as I thought. It seems the Rinnegan has the ability to revive others."
Upon hearing Uchiha Madara's first words upon his appearance, an unknown powerful soul, whose consciousness had been taken over by Orochimaru, let out a peculiar laugh.
"Who are you?"
The shadow in the dust merely waved his hand, and a gust of wind dispersed the thick dust, revealing Uchiha Madara, clad in red armor, with long black hair, his body covered in cracks, clearly an ancient figure.
Looking at the soul-covered in cracks, a figure he had no memory of, Uchiha Madara frowned slightly and said, "The Impure World Reincarnation technique, but this tone doesn't seem like that fool Tobirama's style... Hmm?"
Before he could finish, Uchiha Madara seemed to sense something and looked down at his black-gloved hands, clenching them slightly, feeling no sensation of revival.
Instantly, his frown deepened, and he muttered to himself, "It's not the Rinne Rebirth technique. It seems the plan has gone awry."
"My name is Orochimaru, the one who modified your corpse to its current state, and the caster of the Impure World Reincarnation."
Orochimaru introduced himself first, then added with a playful smile, "The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan is truly a miraculous Kekkei Genkai, evolving from one tomoe to three, then to the Mangekyō, and further to the Eternal Mangekyō... I thought that was the limit, but who knew it could evolve again beyond the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the true possessor of the Rinnegan, the fusion of Senju and Uchiha."
Hearing this, Uchiha Madara's eyes slightly narrowed, finally taking Orochimaru seriously.
A few seconds later, he suddenly realized, "I remember now, you're the disciple of that monkey from the Sarutobi clan, the grand-disciple of that fool Tobirama."
"Hehe, what impressive intelligence."
Orochimaru laughed, "The Battle at the Valley of the End, you indeed didn't die, no... you did die, but you reversed it, using the Uchiha clan's Izanagi, right?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it was during that battle that you obtained the First Hokage's power, allowing your bloodline to regress, evolving the Rinnegan!"
Orochimaru's tone was full of certainty in his last statement.
"To think a brat like you knows so much."
Uchiha Madara sneered, "It's a pity your strength is too weak. If you were speaking to me in your true form, I might have thought more highly of you."
"My strength is indeed insufficient to participate, so I just want to be a spectator."
Orochimaru wasn't angered but turned to look towards the Ten-Tails, smiling, "The stage is set for you now, please, as the lead actor, unveil the truth of the world for me."
"Quite self-aware, then watch carefully."
Uchiha Madara finally showed a hint of appreciation, unafraid and uncaring of any hidden schemes Orochimaru might have.
In his eyes, all schemers were just rats hiding in the sewers, incapable of real strength.
No matter what tricks these rats had, they were insignificant in the face of absolute power.
Uchiha Madara was the embodiment of absolute power.
As for Orochimaru, the frog wanting to climb out of the well to see the real world, as a reward for reviving him, Uchiha Madara didn't mind fulfilling this small wish.
Thus, Uchiha Madara turned his gaze forward where the dust had cleared.
The next second, his eyes slightly widened, showing excitement.
Not because of the Ten-Tails swaying its tail under the night sky, causing earth-shaking tremors, but because...
"Hashirama!!!"
Uchiha Madara couldn't help but excitedly call out the name of his rival.
His gaze was fixed on the night sky, under the moonlight, where a figure resembling a deity descended, the Thousand-Armed Kannon.
No one was more familiar with this Thousand-Armed Kannon than Uchiha Madara.
When he first saw it, his feelings were the same as those ninjas who first witnessed the Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands—utterly shocked, yet also filled with frustration, and ultimately, a deep respect for Hashirama Senju.
Uchiha Madara had thought his strength was on par with Hashirama's, perhaps only slightly inferior.
This slight inferiority was due to Hashirama's three signature moves: Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, Wood Release: Wood Human Technique, and Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique.
The first represented environmental advantage, with inherent binding and hallucinatory effects.
The Wood Human was a Martial God on par with the Complete Body — Susanoo, and the Wood Dragon could absorb and seal.
To be precise, both the Advent of a World of Flowering Trees and the Wood Dragon had innate chakra absorption and sealing abilities, along with a paralyzing toxin that would render one powerless upon the slightest inhalation.
It was these three moves that made Uchiha Madara, even with the ability to activate the Complete Body — Susanoo, no match for Hashirama.
After wandering and learning that the fusion of two extremes would grant the power of the Sage of Six Paths, Uchiha Madara specifically captured the complete Nine-Tails, forcing it to become his summoning beast, all to obtain Hashirama's cells.
At that moment, Uchiha Madara thought he had bridged the gap with Hashirama, even feeling a bit embarrassed for cheating.
After all, his Nine-Tails was like an external aid, with infinite chakra.
But he never expected Hashirama to still have hidden the Sage Mode and the Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.
At that moment, Uchiha Madara felt like a clown.
Hashirama had indeed given him face, for if Hashirama had gone all out, the Uchiha clan would have perished long ago.
And even after using such Wood Release secrets, Hashirama did not kill him or the Nine-Tails.
Although he eventually died, Uchiha Madara held no grudge against Hashirama.
At that time, he truly was no match for Hashirama.
But upon awakening the Rinnegan, feeling the immense power of its unique ocular techniques, along with the innate Six Paths Techniques and Yin-Yang Release, Uchiha Madara was confident he could defeat Hashirama without relying on the Nine-Tails or the Wood Release he obtained from Hashirama.
Unfortunately, by then he was old, and Hashirama had been dead for many years.
Until his death, Uchiha Madara never fulfilled his lifelong wish to defeat Hashirama in a one-on-one battle.
This very reason made Uchiha Madara the biggest Hashirama fan in the original story.
Now, seeing the Thousand-Armed Kannon that had once nearly, no... accurately, could have killed him and the Nine-Tails at any moment, Uchiha Madara first thought that Hashirama had also been reincarnated through the Impure World Reincarnation, or even revived, which couldn't help but excite him.
This way, he had the chance to fulfill his unachieved wish from his lifetime.
Uchiha Madara's thoughts, of course, were known to no one.
But hearing him so excitedly call out Hashirama's name, Orochimaru couldn't help but smile and explain, "That Thousand-Armed Kannon was not created by the First Hokage, but by his descendant."
"Hashirama's descendant?!"
Hearing this, the excitement on Uchiha Madara's face slightly froze, looking at Orochimaru with surprise and shock, finding it hard to believe, "Hashirama's granddaughter also awakened Wood Release? She has chakra of this level?"
"Not the First Hokage's granddaughter either."
Orochimaru shook his head, slowly saying, "When Konoha was first established, the barriers between the major ninja villages still existed, and the class gap between ninja clans and ordinary people was very pronounced. To bridge their gaps and make Konoha a big family, the First Hokage voluntarily had his clan members give up their surnames, integrating into the common folk."
"These Senju clan members who gave up their surnames continuously married and had children, gradually becoming part of the common folk, until many years later, only Tsunade remained of the Senju clan in name."
"Until a few years ago, an exceptionally talented commoner genius used the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, which no one in Konoha had mastered since the First Hokage, and unlike the Wood Release experiment subjects, his Wood Release was incredibly powerful, with a vast sea of chakra within him, an undeniable proof of identity."
Hearing this, Uchiha Madara's pupils slightly contracted, looking at the Thousand-Armed Kannon under the starry sky, slightly shocked, "So, Hashirama's descendant is only about twenty years old?"
"He's only sixteen this year."
Orochimaru greatly enjoyed Uchiha Madara's expression.
Because once upon a time, his reaction was exactly the same as Uchiha Madara's.
And every time he met Yagyu, his previous perceptions were refreshed.
From initial covetousness, to feeling powerless at the second meeting, to finally having no thoughts at all... in just a few encounters, Yagyu had crushed Orochimaru's ambitions.
If it weren't for Black and White Zetsu suddenly guiding him to Uchiha Madara's corpse, and through the effects of White Zetsu's doppelganger, restoring Uchiha Madara's corpse to its golden age, and gradually discovering part of the world's truth through the face of Hashirama on Uchiha Madara's chest, Orochimaru might not have even planned to get involved.
As he said earlier, this stage was not one he was qualified to participate in.
To be precise, with Yagyu present, no matter what schemes or ideas he had, they were impossible to realize.
In the end, it was likely he would lose his life.
Orochimaru, who no longer needed to continue reincarnating, had long since let go of his obsession with the Sharingan, just like in the original story.
But now, he wanted to know the deeper truths of the world.
Was this Ten-Tails with ten tails the original form of the nine tailed beasts!
Was the Sage of Six Paths truly the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki!
"Interesting..."
Orochimaru's thoughts were also unknown to anyone.
After his shock, Uchiha Madara's face showed excitement again, with a slight smile, "To think besides Hashirama, his descendant could also use such a technique, and at such a young age, possesses chakra of this level."
Though reluctant to admit, Uchiha Madara had to accept reality.
Hashirama's descendant was more outstanding than both him and Hashirama.
At least at sixteen, neither he nor Hashirama could activate the Complete Body — Susanoo, hadn't even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, nor had they inherited the positions of clan leaders of the Uchiha and Senju clans.
They only began to become the protagonists of the Warring States Period after their twenties, passing their growth phases and entering their peak.
By the time of the Battle at the Valley of the End, they were already middle-aged.
That age was still the golden age, but their strength could no longer advance.
Once the limits of this stage were not broken, their strength would regress as they aged past this golden phase.
Thus, the Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands was undoubtedly Hashirama's strongest technique during his lifetime.
And now, his descendant could use Hashirama's strongest technique at the age of sixteen, during his growth phase, which made Uchiha Madara, who had broken his limits and advanced his strength, boil with fighting spirit.
This descendant of Hashirama might be even stronger than Hashirama himself, perhaps even more suited to be the opponent of himself, the possessor of the Rinnegan!
Thinking this, Uchiha Madara couldn't help but ask Orochimaru, "What's that brat's name?"
"Yagyu."
Orochimaru immediately replied.
At the same time, he also saw Uchiha Madara's thoughts, his heart filled with anticipation.
The reason Hashirama's title as the God of Shinobi was so resounding was because of Uchiha Madara's set off.
Uchiha Madara's terrifying strength was unmatched in the ninja world; without Hashirama's restraint, the entire ninja world might have become a affiliates of the Uchiha clan.
But there are no ifs.
In Uchiha Madara's era, there was Hashirama, a God of Shinobi he could never defeat.
This made the famous Asura of the Ninja World the eternal second.
No one wants to be second, unless they truly can't win.
The Uchiha Madara of the past undoubtedly couldn't win, otherwise the Battle at the Valley of the End wouldn't have been Hashirama's victory.
Clearly, Uchiha Madara obtained the Rinnegan after the Battle at the Valley of the End, even after Hashirama's death, otherwise Hashirama wouldn't have died in Konoha.
Becoming the second Sage of Six Paths, only to find that the rival he could never defeat was dead, Uchiha Madara's feelings, Orochimaru understood very well.
Defeating a Wood Release user would inevitably become little Uchiha Madara's obsession.
Now, with a powerhouse as strong as Hashirama, even surpassing Hashirama at the same age, Uchiha Madara would surely be compelled to seek out Yagyu.
And this scene was exactly what Orochimaru wanted to see.
This peak duel would also determine the future of the ninja world, whether it would be Yagyu or Uchiha Madara who had the final say.
But one thing was certain, it definitely wouldn't be that impostor.
Looking at the Ten-Tails seemingly absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, roaring at the sky, recklessly releasing chakra, Orochimaru seemed to see, across the vast distance, Uchiha Obito standing on the Ten-Tails' head, thinking to himself.
Poor guy, he has no idea how powerful Uchiha Madara is.
Orochimaru absolutely did not believe that an old warhorse like Uchiha Madara from the Warring States Period wouldn't have left other resurrection backups.
Having a pawn guide him to his corpse was just one of the backups.