Konoha's coal yard.
"I heard there are even men interested in you, and you're one of them."
The space before him twisted violently.
A trembling body appeared. The moment it saw him, its expression turned mad.
There was no record of this title anywhere.
Another so-called descendant of the Sage of Six Paths?
Not once did he consider what a truly peaceful world should be.
Black Zetsu's voice echoed out of nowhere.
He stared at Bai Ye like he was gazing at a naive fool.
Being captured and sentenced to labor reform—completely reasonable.
Bai Ye shook his head in front of Madara, sighing in mock regret.
This was brought about by Uchiha Madara himself—he hadn't even provoked anyone yet.
Bai Ye had deliberately arranged a disruption seal formation, especially for those who knew space-time ninjutsu.
He smiled faintly and offered some encouragement.
"Shouldn't it be... Uchiha Bai Ye?"
And just as he was considering how to reverse the situation and escape.
Madara froze.
"Yes…"
Then came the establishment of the Ninja Village system.
But the defeated Uchiha were still pushed to the margins.
"I want everything on Uchiha Satoshi 4.6! Now!"
He was the Guard Captain. Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara was treated like a thug threatening the Konoha Police Force.
"This isn't the place. Let's move first."
But Madara's strength and ambition couldn't be denied.
Before he could reply, space rippled again—Obito appeared, bloodied and gasping.
Perhaps he never cared for anything beyond the shinobi world.
Yet, in the next moment...
That look Madara had—it was like someone weary of playing the same game, now trying Hashirama's route.
But that serious face—it nearly made him cry.
Obito clearly approached him intentionally.
Uchiha Satoshi?
It meant nothing.
Everyone around was forced to the ground.
He seemed numb to it.
Uchiha Madara even laughed.
A hand tapped him on the shoulder.
Hashirama had bowed before others when they believed in him.
But he never warned the Uchiha that disaster was coming.
The unofficial title they gave him: "Shura of the Shinobi."
He was someone who could endure decades for a plan—until a successor was found and he could leave this world behind.
Maybe.
"I'm sorry," the man said.
Clearly.
Bai Ye picked up the shovel Madara had thrown down, handed it back to him.
In that earth-shattering battle, it was Madara who ultimately lost.
That was during the Five Kage Summit!
"This isn't punishment, right? You do love Hashirama so much you keep him in your heart..."
A totally different tone than Madara's.
Bai Ye slapped a sealing talisman across Madara's mouth.
Madara sensed Bai Ye's tranquil, suffocating chakra.
He had tried to blend into the village—helped children when they fell.
Yet others only saw a fool when they looked at the First Hokage.
"First change... for Hashirama."
Leisurely, he raised his hand, placing it on Madara's head.
Madara eyed the shovel in his grasp thoughtfully.
He had already prepared—Hiraishin, Kamui, everything calculated.
Which meant he had tallied everything he suffered from Konoha.
"Of course."
"The name of the jutsu... is Qilin!!"
But strange things began happening.
Those who violate the rules must bear the consequences.
He is the rule.
Or, he could just choose not to retaliate.
Madara stared at the rabbit's forehead—nine tomoe Rinnegan, glowing like Infinite Tsukuyomi's radiance.
Kaguya and Bai Ye didn't care—beings outside the scale of power.
Hokage was originally "Zero Three Three"—meant to belong to Uchiha Madara.
Bai Ye gave a slight smile.
Finally, Bai Ye could appreciate the true worth of Kabuto's reincarnated warriors.
But Madara had never told his clan the real reason he left Konoha.
That, too, was part of the price of his pride.
Just like when he proposed to the First Hokage to unite the Five Nations all at once.
After realizing Konoha wasn't true peace, he was manipulated by Black Zetsu into walking the path of darkness.
"Lord Madara!"
It was a bit awkward. But you get used to it.
Undeniably.
It had been the same decades ago.
"Done laughing?"
It was here.
If you make a mistake, admit it. If you're beaten, stand proud.
His vision caged his dreams.
Too weak!
After realizing Bai Ye was more ruthless than expected, Uchiha Madara gave in—strategically.
The moment the teleportation finished, and he saw who stood before him, his rage surged.
Yes, he had thought about it.
Cold, expressionless.
Just a rabbit.
When the moment came, he'd strike back without hesitation.
Uchiha had betrayed Madara.
No.
Madara had betrayed Uchiha.
Those petty grudges mortals care about—he couldn't be bothered.
"I don't need you to say anything."
Since then, everything was a tool to him—for Infinite Tsukuyomi.
It left a foul taste in his mouth.
Still a fool shackled by the idea of the shinobi village, like Hashirama.
It was hard to believe—that very mountain where Madara and Hashirama once stood, naming the place "Konoha."
After Bai Ye left.
The sorrow of the powerless.
So now, the calmer Madara looked, the more dangerous he seemed.
Madara burst into manic laughter, reflecting.
No wonder Konan saw through his identity instantly.
Madara clenched her fists.
But that arrogant slap still hit hard and broke his composure.
But in the end, the result was wrong.
Naturally.
A head emerged from the soil.
Right.
But no other clan supported them. So Hashirama had no choice but to assume the Hokage role.
"Tsk. Impure World Reincarnation shouldn't allow sense of touch. I wonder what that guy feels like—a walking paper corpse."
That was it.
Discrimination started quietly, and tension between the Uchiha and the village steadily grew.
Who was Uchiha Madara?
As long as it wasn't intolerable, he endured it.
Stay low, stay alive!
"This gravel isn't even half as good as mine."
She was now used to this close contact—for absorbing chakra.
But if it had been anyone else…
"That line should've been mine."
Kaguya pulled her gaze back, slipped inside Bai Ye's robe, and rested her head at his collar.
"Ignite the air with fire. Draw lightning through yourself."
That was how Konoha began.
If it had really been Hashirama—Madara couldn't accept it.
A demon born of bloodshed in the Warring States era.
But Konoha's security had exceeded expectations.
Black Zetsu was momentarily speechless.
That slap—Kabuto would regret it one day.
Then—
He knew nothing.
He had once forgiven Uchiha Izuna's death. But when faced with the helplessness of the Second Hokage, he still whipped his corpse with that black rod.
He even shamelessly stole lines meant for Madara.
Back during the Warring States era—when war tired him—he simply lay there, waiting to die.
Bai Ye turned and walked away, shaking his head.
To Madara, saving the shinobi world meant tearing down the flawed shinobi village system.
Madara reassembled his arrogance. The man before him—he could tell—feared no threat.
People laughed when the Fourth Great Ninja War came and Full-Body Susanoo was revealed.
He hadn't seen that moment—the grand duel, the dance, the overwhelming might.
Run?
The time hadn't come yet.
Did they really think it was Uchiha Bai Ye?
Madara's pride ran deep.
But that rabbit—
From that glance, Madara felt only scorn.
This isn't over.
With Bai Ye's strengthening of his Impure World Reincarnation technique, the revived may be stronger than they were in life.
His face, and even his entire body, was stained with soot. A complete mess.
"Madara, you bastard."
He was the self-proclaimed savior of the shinobi world.
History had written little about the defeated.
Madara returned to his assigned quarters after a full day of work.
Such a proud man.
Bai Ye still kept his elder-like posture, as if caring for a junior—never raising a hand.
Apparently, that suggestion had never been taken seriously.
Then, from the portal, a cold and elegant rabbit stepped out.
Laughing wildly, brimming with disdain.
"If you've laughed enough, get back to work. There's an interrogation scheduled for tonight."
"Of course, if you refuse, that's fine. But I will make someone look like Hashirama and lock you both in a tiny room."
A fangless tiger—useless.
When Uchiha Madara stared into Bai Ye's eyes—eyes devoid of emotion—
There was something Uchiha Satoshi had said that rang true.
Who told her to be a rabbit?
In that moment—
"Too weak."
When Obito teleported back to Konoha, even his Kamui seemed unstable—his coordinates scrambled.
"This world's too small. There's only room for my chaos."
Surrender was inevitable.
Those Warring States-era monsters—
Pity.
This is a world where power reigns supreme.
At this moment, all contempt had drained from his expression.
"So you…"
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For the sake of Infinite Tsukuyomi, he had gone completely mad.
Beaten into submission by Hashirama?
"Senior…"
Hashirama once had that kind of smile—the kind that made people want to believe.
This Madara—he was far too weak. Even Bai Ye couldn't understand why Kabuto revived him right now.
Damn it all.
It truly felt like fate was crashing down again.
He was gone.
But the last one who'd earned such treatment... had at least been Hokage-level.
A passage opened in the shadows.
This was the gap.
He thought of taking his clan with him. But Uchiha chose not to follow.
Obito, holding someone in each arm, activated Kamui.
"Junior?"
He only spared Madara a glance—expressionless—and turned away.
A breakthrough? Likely sealed.
After a brief hesitation, Madara's pride won out over sentiment. He clenched his teeth and started working.
That's just who he was.
After overhearing Tobirama one day outside Hashirama's door, he realized—Uchiha would never be trusted.
Obito still wore his mask. Even before Madara, he used a different voice to keep up the facade.
Suicide? No. Not quite.
No wonder he ruled over three shinobi villages but ended up just a captain of the guard.
Black Zetsu prepped his body—but why was it so weak?!
Night fell.
"Mere gravel… uh."
The Duel doesn't end here… it only gets more intense.
30+ chapters ahead are already waiting.
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