Inside a remote island within the Land of Water, deep inside a cave.
"Wah!"
Madara Uchiha, with his completely white hair, suddenly leaned forward violently, spitting out a large mouthful of murky blood. When he lifted his head again, three new wrinkles had appeared on his forehead, making him look even older.
He had been utterly crushed by Otsutsuki Heiyan.
All his former ambition, all his grand schemes, dissolved from Madara's heart in this moment.
He gave up completely, his heart broken.
After a while, Madara forced himself to regain composure and summoned Zetsu and young Nagato inside.
"My lord Madara, what happened to you?"
Seeing the bloodstains at Madara's feet and how frail he looked, both were startled and rushed forward to check on him.
"Listen carefully."
While coughing up blood, Madara recounted everything that had happened, admitting his defeat and Otsutsuki Heiyan's invincibility.
"Just as Hashirama said, my era has passed. Therefore, I'm going to end my life here and head to the Yokai Realm to find that guy Hashirama. I will no longer involve myself in the conflicts of the shinobi world."
Madara spoke with deep emotion. Then, holding young Nagato's hand and looking toward Zetsu, he instructed:
"Immediately after my death, perform surgery to transplant my Rinnegan into Nagato. I've already abandoned the Moon Eye Plan. Do not force Nagato to become my successor any longer. Don't make him walk the same path I did. What future Nagato may have is entirely up to himself."
Then he gently patted Nagato's head, kindly asking: "Nagato, you told me you'd always obey me, right?"
"Yes! I want to stay with Grandfather Madara forever!" Nagato, teary-eyed, nodded strongly.
"Then remember this—never seek vengeance against Uzumaki Heiyan... no, rather, Otsutsuki Heiyan! Let me repeat: don't take revenge on him. You'll never be able to match that guy. Also, regarding your parents' deaths, they actually had nothing to do with Heiyan. They simply paid the price that outcasts often pay."
Looking Nagato in the eyes, Madara warned him sincerely.
As one's life draws to a close, their words often turn kind.
Before his death, Madara was no longer the ruthless tyrant who treated lives like grass, but a warm and gentle elder instead.
After speaking these words,
Madara hesitated no more, nor did he cling to life. He reached out directly and pulled the oxygen tubes off his body, then slowly reclined onto the chair.
As those eyes—the once commanding Rinnegan—closed slowly, as his breathing weakened progressively, after ten-odd seconds, this legendary figure of the shinobi world, who had stirred things up across his entire life, died by suicide.
"Grandfather Madara!"
Young Nagato rushed forward, tears flooding down his face, filled with grief.
In contrast, Zetsu remained quite calm, standing aside and watching Madara's corpse indifferently.
Actually, Black Zetsu's heart was far from tranquil. He too felt loss and despair inside.
From Madara's words, he learned that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and most of the Tailed Beasts had been devoured by Heiyan. This meant the Ten-Tails could never be revived again, and the Moon Eye Plan would have to be forcibly halted.
Unless Black Zetsu tried his old trick again—deceiving Heiyan just as he had deceived Madara—tempting the latter into casting [Infinite Tsukuyomi], then seizing his body as a sacrificial vessel to resurrect his mother, Kaguya.
But the chances of this happening were zero.
Black Zetsu had no doubt that if he dared appear before Heiyan again, losing an arm wouldn't be his biggest problem—he might very well end up completely dead, his entire body captured by Heiyan for research purposes.
Another option was simply to wait until Heiyan died.
However, Heiyan had now become a being like the Sage of Six Paths, possessing an extremely long lifespan, practically immortal. Waiting for him to die of old age was almost impossible.
For Black Zetsu, the final hope lay only with that clan—
The Otsutsuki Clan.
The strongest race in the cosmos would inevitably arrive on this planet sooner or later, seeking to reclaim the God Tree and the Chakra Fruit. At that time, fierce conflict and battle between them and Heiyan would inevitably erupt.
The dreadful figures from the Otsutsuki main branch—beings so powerful that even Kaguya harbored deep fear of them.
Perhaps during that time, while the Otsutsuki Clan clashed head-on with Heiyan, Black Zetsu would find his opportunity to resurrect Kaguya.
At this thought, hope rekindled in Black Zetsu's heart. His eyes gleamed with schemes as his mind began churning with plans once more.
He approached and placed a hand on Nagato's shoulder, feigning concern as he addressed the boy:
"Nagato, Lord Madara isn't really dead. Don't you remember? I was created by him—I am the embodiment of his will. From now on, I will take Madara's place to care for you."
After saying this, Black Zetsu bent down and removed the pair of Rinnegan from Madara's eye sockets.
Then, he formed hand seals and used Earth Release techniques to bury Madara's corpse deep beneath the earth right there.
"Let's go."
After tidying everything up, Black Zetsu took young Nagato's hand, left the island carrying Madara's Rinnegan.
No one knew where they went.
Black Zetsu already knew exactly what needed to be done next—he must mold Nagato into a second Madara Uchiha, brainwashing and controlling him until Nagato became a compliant puppet.
Then began the long period of concealment and waiting. Once the Otsutsuki Clan traversed space and arrived, that would be the day of Heiyan's doom.
In the Village Hidden in Mist—
"Tell me where young Nagato is. Otherwise, not a single one of you will survive."
Pein's Deva Path hovered three meters above ground, gazing coldly down at the Mist shinobi below.
On the ground lay over a dozen bloody Mist ninja bodies, sufficient proof that he wasn't bluffing.
"We truly don't know."
Sage Master trembled as he leaned on his cane, stepping forward to beg desperately before the Deva Path, hoping the latter wouldn't slaughter everyone indiscriminately. He was willing to sacrifice his own elderly life to win a chance at survival for the younger generation.
"Master Onoki, please stop pleading with such a monster. We Mist shinobi won't back down! If we must, we'll fight him to the death!"
Ao stepped forward in outrage and was instantly supported by many Mist ninja. One after another, they brandished their kunai or ninjato, ready to fight the enemy with all their might.
"If that's how it is, then die."
The Deva Path lost his patience as well. He spread his arms wide and coldly declared, "I am God. In the name of God, I bestow death upon you mortals."
Just as his words fell—
"God? Does this god need my permission before taking lives?"
A sudden voice rang out, startling everyone present.
Hm?
The Deva Path was taken aback, instantly sensing danger. An intense feeling of crisis surged within him.
Above!
As soon as he looked up, he saw a dark shadow hurtling down from above. As he prepared to unleash Shinra Tensei, a massive chakra hand suddenly smashed downward.
This palm contained an unparalleled force of oppression. It even compressed the space around the Deva Path, increasing gravity several times over in an instant. Unprepared for such sudden pressure, he struggled to control his internal chakra.
And then — BOOM!
In the blink of an eye, the Deva Path—who had just claimed divinity—was slapped into the earth like a fly, sinking deeply into the ground.
"The Immortal Sage! The Immortal Sage has returned!"
Recognizing their savior, the Mist ninja erupted into cheers, shouting with joy.
The Immortal Sage's safe return meant that the evil force which had ruled over Kirigakure for years would finally be eradicated starting today.
Heiyan, now assuming the form of the Immortal Sage, raised a hand to quiet the excited Kiri ninja.
Then, a black chain burst forth from his palm, coiling tightly around the Deva Path, cutting off its connection to the Black Receivers and preventing Nagato nearby from sensing anything.
Next, Heiyan flew into the sky with the Deva Path in tow. Using his powerful sensory abilities, he searched for Nagato's true body.
Several minutes later.
Outside the village of Kirigakure, deep within the mountain ranges.
Tap tap tap.
With the sound of footsteps echoing, Heiyan entered a cave. At its deepest end, he indeed found Nagato seated on a large wheelchair, alongside Konan and Obito.
"You... managed to track us down here?"
Obito's face changed when he saw the Immortal Sage appear, sending chills down his spine. After all, not long ago when he arrived in this world, this old man had ambushed him, stabbing through his back with near-fatal consequences.
Such memories of almost dying were unforgettable.
"Yahiko!"
Upon seeing the Deva Path held by the Immortal Sage and bound in chains, Konan instantly became furious.
Swiftly forming seals, she transmuted her body into countless paper fragments. Infusing her chakra into the paper, she hardened them into sharp projectiles, producing numerous paper shuriken, kunai, and spears.
[Dance of the Shikigami]!
Konan's unique Ninjutsu allowed her to transform into paper, making her nearly immune to all physical attacks. She could attack, create clones, and even fly, making this art suitable for various situations including combat and reconnaissance.
In the original timeline, only a few kunoichi had ever reached Kage-level strength, and Konan was among them.
Swish swish swish swish!
Under her control, paper shuriken and hidden needles rained down like a storm upon the Immortal Sage.
Unfortunately for her, she was facing Heiyan.
Before him, Kage-level experts were no different from helpless three-year-olds.
With a casual wave of his hand, Heiyan unleashed a fierce gale that sent all of Konan's attacks rebounding back at her. Konan slammed heavily into the wall behind, completely powerless to fight back.
Not good.
Obito, witnessing this scene, activated Kamui without hesitation and vanished into Kamui's space.
But in the next second,
Heiyan thrust his arm directly into the space, vigorously stirring it like someone churning water inside a vat, creating ripple-like fluctuations across the space.
Before Nagato and Konan's horrified eyes, Heiyan suddenly pulled hard, grabbing Obito by the neck and yanking him forcefully out from Kamui's space.
Heiyan had previously used the Seventy-Two Transformations to copy Obito's abilities, and now his Seventy-Two Transformations had evolved into Kekkei Mora. His mastery of the Kamui technique far surpassed Obito's, by any measurable standard.
Therefore, trying to escape while Heiyan was watching? Nothing short of delusional.
"How is this possible…"
Choking as Heiyan gripped his throat, Obito's face beneath the mask turned deathly pale.
"Do you want our lives — mine, Konan's, and Nagato's?"
At this moment, Nagato, who had been silently observing until now, finally spoke up.
Leaning on the arms of his wheelchair, his Rinnegan eyes locked onto Heiyan. Though outwardly calm, Nagato's voice and body trembled slightly.
He didn't try to attack or run — Konan and Obito had already shown just how stupid that would be.
Upon hearing this, Heiyan fell silent for a while.
To Nagato, Konan, and Obito, this silence was pure torment.
This feeling of powerlessness, awaiting judgment from another, was something those self-proclaimed superior members of Akatsuki had never experienced before.
Heiyan contemplated one question:
What should he do with Nagato, Konan, and Obito?
The easiest and most brutal choice was to kill them all, seizing their precious treasures like the Rinnegan, Dragon Vein, and Mangekyo Sharingan.
Yet doing so would undoubtedly cause unpredictable disruptions to the historical trajectory of the original timeline.
Though Heiyan hadn't visited the original timeline yet, he had already altered part of its history—at the very least, with the destruction of the Six Paths of Pain, there was no way Nagato could launch the Super Shinra Tensei against Konoha anymore.
After careful consideration,
Heiyan decided to let these three return.
He wanted Akatsuki to keep playing the role of villains, pushing Naruto and Sasuke to grow stronger. He also hoped that once back, Obito would continue with the Moon's Eye Plan, eventually resurrecting Kaguya Otsutsuki.
After all, in Heiyan's world, Kaguya had no chance of ever coming back.
As a clan member of the Otsutsuki Clan, she must know many secrets about her kin—secrets invaluable to Heiyan as crucial intelligence.
Thus, his plan was simple: travel to the original timeline when the time was right, subdue Kaguya Otsutsuki, and extract all the Otsutsuki Clan's secrets from her mouth.
With this, Heiyan would stand a far stronger chance against the Otsutsuki Clan.
Thinking this,
Bang!
Heiyan threw both Obito and Deva Path onto the ground beside Nagato's wheelchair.
Then, step by step, he approached Nagato, who watched him with fearful eyes. He grabbed the crystal device on the wheelchair and pulled it free.
Inside that crystal, a dragon-shaped energy roared violently, radiating an extremely fierce aura, as if it might break free from the crystal at any moment.
This was none other than the Dragon Vein of Louran from the original timeline.
"You all should go back now," Heiyan said calmly while injecting his deep, bottomless Chakra into the Dragon Vein, causing the crystal to emit dazzling light. "This world is not for the likes of you to meddle with."
"How… how do you know we're not natives of this timeline?"
Nagato's heart pounded with fear. This mysterious Immortal Sage before him not only saw through their identities as transmigrators but also handled the Dragon Vein so skillfully, as if he had done it countless times before.
Could he be a divine guardian protecting this planet?
At that moment, the space-time gate began to take shape within the cave. Obito got back on his feet, while Konan supported Deva Path, watching Heiyan nervously.
"Leave. Now."
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