Illusion Space
Uchiha Obito once again stood before Uchiha Madara.
Meanwhile, Chi Yu observed the entire process through the snakes he had left hidden in the cave.
After Uchiha Madara expressed his willingness to cooperate, he ignored the presence of the snakes, tacitly allowing Chi Yu to continue watching. Chi Yu understood: Madara wasn't just manipulating Obito—he was also attempting to influence him by proxy.
Obito looked at Madara, who sat atop a crude stone throne formed from the cave wall.
"Tell me how to create this world of dreams, Madara," Obito demanded.
Madara smiled faintly. "No need for gratitude. Come closer. From today onward, you are the savior. Look into my eyes."
Obito stepped forward. Madara's Sharingan began to spin, and in that instant, Obito—and the snakes acting as Chi Yu's visual proxies—were drawn into a genjutsu.
Within a vast, blank white space, Madara spoke calmly, "This is my genjutsu realm. It's still a blank slate, but within it, I can create and control anything I wish, simply by projecting my will. As long as I'm linked to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, I can achieve anything—even something as large-scale as this..."
As he finished speaking, Madara's form shifted—his old, withered body transformed into a youthful version of himself, full of vitality and strength.
Obito's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing.
"This is how we will construct the ideal world," Madara continued. "By casting an infinite genjutsu on all of humanity, we can trap everyone within this perfect dream. To do that, we'll project the genjutsu through the moon itself. The final evolution of this technique... is the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Obito frowned. "That sounds like fantasy. I don't even know where to begin processing all of this."
"Then let's start at the beginning—with the Sage of Six Paths and the Ten-Tails."
With a thought, Madara caused a massive stone tablet to appear. Carved into its surface were depictions of the Sage of Six Paths and the monstrous Ten-Tails.
Obito glanced at it with skepticism. "I thought the Ten-Tails was just a legend."
"Legends are often based in truth," Madara replied. "The nine tailed beasts scattered across the world were all formed from the chakra of the Ten-Tails, after it was divided by the Sage of Six Paths."
"Do you have any proof?"
Madara nodded. "After transplanting Senju Hashirama's cells into my body, nothing happened for a long time. But shortly before my death, I awakened the Rinnegan. And with it, a seal—one embedded in the moon—was broken. Through that, I was able to summon the husk of the Ten-Tails."
"The husk?"
"I call it the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. And the moon itself is the vessel that seals the Ten-Tails' essence."
Obito's eyes widened in disbelief.
Madara continued without pause, "I used the Demonic Statue's body to cultivate Hashirama's cells, creating pseudo-clones—degraded versions, but useful nonetheless. To control the statue or awaken the Rinnegan, one must possess both Uchiha and Senju lineage. Your right side contains Hashirama's cells, so even without the Rinnegan, you should be able to control the statue."
He stepped forward. "My Rinnegan... is currently implanted in a man named Nagato. He's an Uzumaki, a distant relative of the Senju. You must find him. Use his power. Make him serve you."
The genjutsu dissipated.
Madara, now visibly weakened, turned to Obito and said, "Obito, I will teach you the Uchiha's most forbidden techniques—the Six Paths Techniques and Yin-Yang Release."
He placed his hand on the body of a nearby White Zetsu. Half of it turned pitch black, and from that mass, Black Zetsu emerged.
"I've embedded my will into this creature," Madara said. "You can think of half of it as me. These beings—formed from Yin-Yang Release—are failed experiments, but they'll serve you well."
Madara formed a hand seal, and a black chakra rod materialized from the tree-like wall behind him.
"This rod is a physical extension of my will. You'll need it when executing Six Paths techniques."
Then, with visible effort, Madara took several steps forward and tore off the chakra-draining pipe connecting him to the Demonic Statue.
His body immediately weakened—his breath became shallow.
"Go," he rasped. "Until the day I'm revived, you..."
Before he could finish, his body slumped lifelessly into the throne.
Obito stared at Madara's corpse for a long moment before gesturing to White Zetsu. "Cover my face again."
The Zetsu complied, reshaping the mask over Obito's face.
"Let's go."
Obito and Black Zetsu departed the cave.
But after they left, Madara's body flickered, revealing it to be an illusion—just a genjutsu construct. The real Madara remained hidden, watching.
He glanced toward the corner of the cave, where one of Chi Yu's snakes was still silently watching.
"I'll wait for you here," Madara whispered.
---
Chi Yu closed his visual link and activated his system interface.
A cascade of notification chimes echoed in his mind.
> [Witnessed Rin Nohara's death – 500 Witness Points]
[Witnessed Uchiha Obito awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan – 500 Witness Points]
[Witnessed Uchiha Obito's descent into darkness – 1,000 Witness Points]
[Witnessed the inception of Madara and Obito's Eye of the Moon Plan – 200 Witness Points]
Individually, the rewards weren't much, but collectively, they added up to something significant.
Chi Yu stood up and murmured to himself, "Then I'll come see you."
Without hesitation, he sought out Orochimaru, requested leave, and set off toward the Mountain Graveyard.
---
A few days later.
Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu stood at the gates of the Hidden Rain Village.
"See that red-haired one?" Zetsu gestured. "That's Nagato, the one with Madara's real Rinnegan. It was secretly implanted in him as a child. As an Uzumaki, his vitality allows him to withstand the eye's power. Besides Madara, he's the only one capable of summoning the Demonic Statue."
"But that's not Nagato's true body," Zetsu added. "The one you're seeing now is just a puppet—Pain, modeled after his dead friend, Yahiko."
Obito ignored the explanation and strode forward.
Zetsu blinked. "Hey, what are you doing? Shouldn't we formulate a plan?"
"No need," Obito replied.
Pain—Yahiko's visage recreated through Nagato's puppetry—stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
"Who are you?"
Obito answered in a deep voice, echoing Madara's tone, "Uchiha Madara."
Pain's expression remained icy. "Madara? Then tell me—what is your purpose in approaching us? Why wear a mask and speak in riddles?"
Obito answered, "The Rinnegan. Guiding those who awaken it has been the mission of our clan since ancient times."
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