Uchiha Madara's vision was swallowed by an expanse of ink-black fog.
From within its depths came eerie shrieks and roars, as if countless demons and monsters lurked just out of sight.
He had no idea what was happening to him, or why he was here.
Instinctively, he recoiled from the encroaching mist.
"Don't run from it, Madara!" A familiar voice cut through the silence.
Madara looked up. Standing before him was Hashirama Senju, clad in his dark crimson armor.
His expression was stern, devoid of its usual warmth, his voice calm and measured.
"Do you intend to languish in this place forever, Madara?"
"Hashirama? How are you—" Madara stared, bewildered, his eyes wide.
"It's coming, Madara!" Hashirama ignored his question, his tone turning cold. "Don't you dare lose to it. Overcome it!"
'What?'
Before Madara could process the words, a shadowy figure launched itself at him from the gloom.
THUMP.
Caught off guard, Madara was sent flying over a dozen meters. A metallic taste filled his mouth, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Pfft.
As his vision cleared, he saw the black shadow that had attacked him was a miniature version of the Nine-Tails!
Its two eyes burned with killing intent, its nine tails lashing wildly behind it.
'The Nine-Tails?'
Still confused, Madara watched as the beast charged again.
Mangekyo Sharingan!
There was no time to think. Madara activated his Mangekyo without hesitation. His dark eyes shifted to a bloody crimson, the pupils morphing into a pattern akin to a taiji symbol.
Click.
Under the influence of the Mangekyo, the Nine-Tails froze mid-motion.
Good. The Mangekyo still works here…
Madara let out a slight sigh of relief, though a faint frown creased his brow. He might not know where this place was, but if he could still use his ninjutsu and Kekkei Genkai, things weren't completely hopeless.
The key question was: how does he get out?
"Hashirama… seemed to have vanished."
Madara could no longer see any sign of Hashirama Senju. Only the Nine-Tails remained, its body trembling.
'Wait. Trembling?'
Madara's expression shifted to one of surprise. A Tailed Beast, fully controlled by the Mangekyo Sharingan, shouldn't be able to tremble.
Before he could think any further, the Nine-Tails before him morphed, transforming into a black, human-like silhouette.
"Y-You are…?"
Madara sucked in a sharp breath, his face a mask of disbelief.
The shadowy figure, however, showed no intention of conversing. It simply raised its hands and rapidly formed hand signs.
Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!
WHOOSH!
A blistering wave of fire erupted, causing the temperature around them to skyrocket.
Watching the wide, fan-shaped inferno roar toward him, Madara took a deep breath and formed the exact same hand signs with equal speed.
Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!
The same technique. The same Fire Style.
But Madara's flames were superior. They not only overwhelmed the opponent's attack but roared back toward the shadowy figure with overwhelming force.
Sizzle.
The black silhouette was completely engulfed. But, just before being consumed, a carefree, almost proud smile spread across its featureless face.
"You've grown, Madara."
"…Father?" Madara stared at the vanishing figure, his voice a low murmur.
There was no mistake. That figure was his father, Tajima Uchiha!
"What is this place? First Hashirama, and now my father?"
"Perplexed?" a sharp voice suddenly rang out.
"Who's there?" Madara's expression tightened, his guard rising.
"I asked if you were perplexed!" The voice echoed from all directions. "Why you are here… Why you are seeing loved ones long since passed…"
"What are you?" Madara demanded, his face grave.
"Me?"
The voice let out a chuckle. Simultaneously, a streak of light shot directly toward Madara's face.
Madara's body moved on instinct, dodging to the side. The light struck the ground before him, solidifying into a sleek, black longsword.
A man, pitch-black from head to toe with long, flowing hair, appeared before him, his hand closing around the sword's hilt.
'This is impossible!'
Madara stared at the man's face and stood frozen.
This jet-black entity was none other than himself!
More precisely, it was a pure black version of himself, a sinister smirk plastered across its face.
"Heh, now that you see me like this," the black Madara's lips curled into a grin, "who do you think I am?"
Madara was silent for a long moment before finally taking a deep breath.
"An inner demon?"
The black Madara seemed taken aback, then threw his head back and burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahahaha! An inner demon? Interesting! What a fascinating answer! And here you are, having seen the story of the Soul Society. Doesn't this feel more like... another part of yourself?"
"Are you trying to say you're my Zanpakutō?" Madara shook his head dismissively. "Impossible. I know for a fact I don't care for black."
"So that's how you're deciding I'm an inner demon? By fashion sense?" The black Madara sneered coldly, raising his longsword.
"Come on then! If you want to complete your Arrancar transformation, you have to defeat me! Let me be clear about one thing—I won't be going easy on you!"
Arrancar transformation!
In that instant, everything came rushing back.
He was in the process of becoming an Arrancar.
To complete the transformation, he must undergo the "Test of the Heart."
'So, this thing in front of him… is the trial administrator.'
"Defeat you?" Madara's pupils had already transformed into a pale purple, ripple-like pattern. He tilted his chin up, exuding arrogance. "To think it's something so trivial. How boring."
WHOOSH!
The moment the words left his mouth, the black Madara's dark blade slashed downward.
A wave of energy swept past his side, severing a few strands of his hair, which fluttered to the ground.
"Maybe consider whether you can back up your big talk before you start boasting! Such an annoying personality," the black Madara scoffed, resting the blade on his shoulder and looking down condescendingly.
"Let me remind you again, you'd better hurry this along! Otherwise, there's not a single soul in all of Konoha who can stop you once you lose your mind!"
"Konoha? You think I care about that place?" Madara's expression remained aloof as he raised his hands. "If I'm going to kill you, it's simply because I find you deeply irritating!"
Planetary Devastation!
Madara was no fool. He knew this black version of himself was a formidable opponent. So, without any chatter, he led with one of his most powerful attacks.
A black gravitational sphere hurtled into the air, its terrifying pull radiating outward. It sucked tendrils of black mist from across the space, rapidly coalescing into a massive orb.
The black Madara's face seemed to adopt a look of seriousness. He raised his right hand and cleaved directly through the black gravitational sphere with his sword.
SHINK.
To Madara's astonishment, the gravitational sphere shattered upon impact.
"Well, well. What a dull toy," the black Madara said, a smirk spreading across his features. "You didn't actually think I was afraid of that, did you? Fooled you, you idiot! Hahahahaha!"
He wore the trademark Uchiha maniac laugh, a sight that made the real Madara's fingers itch to slap it right off his face.
But now a problem had presented itself.
If even the techniques of his Rinnegan were ineffective, how was he supposed to complete this Arrancar transformation?
_____
_______
Show your support with Power Stones guys!
[email protected]/Raven_scroll (30+ Advance Chapters)