Madara revealed a playful smile as he addressed the people of Konoha:
"I admire you quite a lot, so I'll give you a chance to make a choice.
Submit to me and help complete the Eye of the Moon Plan, and continue living in the new era that follows it—or stand against me, do everything in your power to stop me, or perhaps… entertain me."
Hearing this, the shinobi of Konoha exchanged glances. Although none of them approved of this strange, unknown man, the fact that he could casually summon such a terrifying meteor made them deeply wary.
Others felt fear, but Naruto was different. Like Might Guy, he had a bit of a thick skin and was the first to jump out, pointing at Madara and shouting rudely:
"Huh? You want us to submit to you? Who do you think you are? Take a look in the mirror and see if you're even worthy!"
Madara wasn't angered by Naruto's provocation. He merely looked down at him and spoke calmly:
"My name… is Uchiha Madara."
At those words, everyone's expressions changed. The name Uchiha Madara carried far too much weight. For a moment, the group stood frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening.
Why had Madara suddenly been revived? Why hadn't he aged after all these years? And what was the truth behind those eyes?
Shikaku, the sharpest mind among them, was the first to regain his composure. As Konoha's chief strategist, staying calm and focused at all times was his basic discipline.
He raised a hand to stop Naruto's shouting, then looked up at Madara and asked cautiously:
"The Eye of the Moon Plan you keep mentioning—what exactly is it?"
Madara glanced at Shikaku and, without concealing anything, laid out his plan. In essence, it wasn't very different from Nagato's.
The difference was that Nagato intended to collect the tailed beasts and use overwhelming terror to violently suppress all rebellion.
Madara, however, went even further. He planned to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, awaken the Rinne Sharingan with nine tomoe, and use its power to project Infinite Tsukuyomi onto the moon—thereby creating a perfect, illusory world without war.
When he finished, everyone's expressions darkened.
This wasn't a "new world"—it was the destruction of the world.
Forcing everyone to live like plants inside a genjutsu—how was that any different from killing them all?
The people of Konoha already opposed Madara, and hearing such a mad plan only made them shake their heads inwardly.
Naruto jumped out again. Even now, he still didn't fully grasp just how terrifying Uchiha Madara truly was—or perhaps he simply didn't care.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Do you seriously think this would bring happiness to anyone? You guys are completely insane!"
This time, many people openly stood on Naruto's side. Madara's plan was simply too horrifying—no one with a normal sense of values could ever accept it.
Seeing Konoha's shinobi so decisively stand against him, Madara shook his head with mild regret.
"As I thought… this world is already beyond saving."
The smile faded from his face. He looked coldly at the shinobi of Konoha—including Hoshiyomi in the distance—and declared with overwhelming authority:
"Since you've made your choice, I hereby officially announce… the Fourth Great Ninja War begins now."
Naruto frowned and spoke up again:
"Why are you acting so high and mighty? Declaring the Fourth Great Ninja War like that—what, do you think you can take on the entire shinobi world by yourself?"
Hearing this, Minato pulled his son behind him with a strange expression. He did not doubt the accuracy of Madara's words in the slightest.
Because this man was Uchiha Madara—a name that, in an era where Hashirama was no longer alive, truly qualified him to challenge the entire ninja world.
And looking across the whole shinobi world, the only person who might be able to stop him… Minato glanced at Hoshiyomi, who had remained silent all this time, and for some reason felt uncertain even then.
Although Minato had always believed his sensei' s strength to be unfathomable, this was the legendary Uchiha Madara—an existence second only to the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
No—Madara had only been suppressed by Hashirama when he possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Now, however, the eyes in his sockets were genuine Rinnegan. Perhaps his current power had already surpassed that legendary figure.
Just as this thought surfaced in Minato's mind, the Nine-Tails inside Naruto spoke up:
"Alright, Naruto. Stop provoking that guy. He's truly terrifying."
Hearing the Nine-Tails say this shocked even Naruto. In his eyes, the Nine-Tails was nearly invincible, yet now Naruto could clearly hear a trace of trembling in its voice when facing that man.
Was the person in front of them really that frightening?
Seeming to sense Naruto's curiosity, the Nine-Tails gave a bitter chuckle and continued:
"Before I was sealed inside Uzumaki Mito, I was free. Back then, Madara suddenly appeared and controlled me with just a single glance. Of course, that had something to do with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan's natural ability to suppress tailed beasts.
But even so, I have to admit—this guy is truly strong. And the eyes he has now are no longer the Eternal Mangekyō, but genuine Rinnegan—the eyes of the old Sage of Six Paths.
So when he says he can challenge the entire shinobi world by himself, he's not joking. If he really goes mad, even the combined power of the entire shinobi world might not be able to stop him."
Hearing this, even Naruto swallowed nervously.
Madara seemed to see right through Naruto's thoughts. With a hint of malicious amusement, he said to him:
"Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, you talk a bit too much, brat. Although taking the Nine-Tails from you right now would be effortless, doing so would make this game far too boring. So…"
At those words, the expressions of everyone present became exceedingly complicated.
"Taking the Nine-Tails would be effortless?"—that single sentence instantly reminded them of the desperate struggle they had endured when facing the Nine-Tails themselves.
They had fought to exhaustion as a group, yet he spoke as if it were something he could casually take—and even complained that doing so now would make the game boring.
So to him, fighting the entire shinobi world was just a game? Even showing off should follow some basic rules, shouldn't it?
But what truly left them stunned was what came next.
Madara spoke casually:
"To make this game more challenging, I've decided to give you all a small gift."
As he spoke, Madara raised his hand and rapidly formed hand seals. With a clap in the air, thick clouds of smoke instantly surged up from the ground.
When the smoke dispersed and everyone looked over, they saw that Madara had summoned two coffins.
And on those coffins were large labels.
Clearly marked on them were the bold characters: One and Two.
...
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