Near the Kannabi Bridge, the site that once altered the course of the Third Great Ninja War.
Deep within a gloomy underground cavern sat an ancient figure. He was perched upon a seat, his back connected to numerous "tubes" protruding from the Gedo Mazo, the husk of the Ten-Tails stripped of its Chakra.
Without question, this withered man was none other than Uchiha Madara, now entering his state of "decaying wood."
Back then, after the battle at the Valley of the End, Madara did not truly die at the hands of Hashirama. He had utilized a Forbidden Jutsu of the Uchiha clan—Izanagi. Through this technique, he rewrote the reality of his death and successfully obtained the flesh of his "best friend," Senju Hashirama.
Later, he transplanted Hashirama's flesh into his own wounds. According to the intelligence he deciphered from the Stone Tablet, combining the Sharingan with the body of a Sage would eventually awaken a new power: the Rinnegan.
However, for many years, there was no reaction at all. It was only when he reached extreme old age, at the very end of his natural life, that he unexpectedly awakened the Rinnegan. Afterward, he secretly transplanted those eyes into that poor brat, Nagato. Now, the eyes he used were merely ordinary Sharingan, not the Rinnegan.
Nearly two years ago, he had coincidentally rescued Uchiha Obito. Following a period of contact, he deemed Obito a perfect candidate to be his "successor." However, Obito had not yet "fallen." While the boy was grateful to the old man who had saved his life, he didn't listen to a single word of the nonsense Madara spewed.
For over a year, Obito had been undergoing rehabilitation, struggling to adapt to his White Zetsu body while also gaining a degree of mastery over Wood Release. The exact principle remained unknown, perhaps it was because White Zetsu themselves were created from Hashirama's cells and Obito had transplanted half a body's worth, or perhaps it was because his Uchiha bloodline was naturally compatible with the Sage's body.
Obito's current plan was simple: once he had recovered sufficiently, he would bid farewell and rush back to Konohagakure to give Kakashi and Rin a surprise, then continue his grand ambition of becoming Hokage.
Lately, Obito felt he was almost there. His body was recovering well, and after waiting so long without seeing Rin, the longing in his heart had overflowed. He was constantly thinking of when he could leave. However, the exit was sealed by Madara, who claimed that if Obito couldn't break through it, he wasn't allowed to go. Thus, Obito had recently been focused on trying to demolish that blocked entrance.
Even though Obito had rejected Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan, Madara had not given up on enticing him. Being an Uchiha himself, Madara understood the clan better than anyone. Most members of their lineage were monomaniacs whose minds were always a bit... off.
At times, he could even sympathize with that bastard Tobirama, who had killed his brother. He too believed the Uchiha were a cursed clan; they truly seemed to possess an inherent streak of evil, with most being functionally psychotic. He even felt he was one of them.
In truth, after the death of his brother, Izuna, Madara had begun to loathe the Uchiha bloodline. And once the clan had utterly betrayed and abandoned him in Konoha, he lost all interest in them. He no longer associated himself with them.
Precisely because he understood the Uchiha's extremism and stubbornness, he wasn't worried despite Obito's rejection. He knew exactly how to make Obito have a "change of heart." Specifically, he could feel a "tenacity" in the boy that would never let go.
Nohara Rin... she must be a girl he likes very much. The Eye of the Moon Plan would ultimately depend on her.
"Decaying wood" was the perfect description for Madara at this moment. He possessed none of the peerless elegance of his youth; he was merely a flickering candle in the wind, an old man who found it a chore to even walk a few steps.
Sitting in his "infusion" chair, Madara spoke softly, "How is the situation?"
"The Kirigakure Anbu have begun executing the plan. Rest assured," a White Zetsu said with a chuckle.
At this point, Madara had no intention of passing away just yet, at least not before Obito took over. Consequently, he had not yet "created Black Zetsu." Thus, the only things by Madara's side were the mass-produced White Zetsu he had engineered through Hashirama's cells and the Gedo Statue. He used these White Zetsu to monitor the entire Shinobi World in real-time.
Of course, Black Zetsu had existed long ago as the will of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, lurking in the shadows and observing this ambitious man, Madara. He would only truly "debut" once Madara attempted to manifest his own "will."
Compared to Black Zetsu, the White Zetsu were undoubtedly more naive and simple. After reporting the status, one asked, "Is it really okay to scheme against a kid like Obito this way?"
"Scheme?" Madara's withered face twitched as he raised an eyebrow, still radiating a sense of untamable arrogance.
"This isn't a scheme; it is for the sake of the entire Shinobi World. That idiot Hashirama, the philosophy he upheld is undoubtedly wrong. These Great Ninja Wars have proven it all. Peace does not arrive naturally as he claimed. Humanity never learns its lesson. Only the Eye of the Moon is correct," Madara said coldly.
He didn't care about the manipulation of Obito. He pursued only one goal: eternal peace. Only when everyone entered the Eye of the Moon could the world truly be at peace, and everyone could obtain the "future" they desired. Because his pursuit was pure and noble, Madara never felt he was doing anything "evil."
He also believed that once the Eye of the Moon Plan succeeded, Obito would find the happiness he sought. Therefore, he felt no guilt toward the boy. He was merely letting him experience the "pain of the world," which was necessary to help him mature.
It must be said, however, that while Madara was extreme, his statement that "humanity never learns its lesson" rang true. From ancient times to the present, if humans could actually learn from their mistakes and correct them, they might have flown beyond the solar system long ago.
The White Zetsu simply brushed the comment aside, not dwelling on the morality of it.
"When the timing is right, go and tell that brat the news. Then take him there to see for himself just how disgusting this damned world is," Madara added.
The White Zetsu nodded. "Understood."
When Obito returned, he would likely understand and implement the Eye of the Moon Plan... Such was the nature of the Uchiha.
After arranging this, Madara asked, "What about the investigation into that man?"
"We've looked into him extensively. He seems to have appeared out of thin air, but his strength is undeniably real. He truly used a technique called Tengai Shinsei, and it appeared to be even stronger than yours. After observing him for a long time, we are fairly certain he does not possess the power of the Rinnegan. Recently, he has been studying Senjutsu. He has quite strange abilities, or perhaps a Kekkei Genkai, that seems able to devour all attacks and manipulate darkness and gravity," White Zetsu reported.
Without a doubt, the subject of their research was Diarmuid. Diarmuid indeed hadn't noticed the White Zetsu as they possessed almost no detectable presence. Unless one mastered the fundamental power of this world, Natural Energy, it was nearly impossible to perceive them. Of course, even if he had discovered them, Diarmuid likely wouldn't have cared. If they wanted to watch, let them watch.
"Interesting..." Madara murmured softly.
Because he controlled a vast network of White Zetsu, there was very little in the Shinobi World that Madara didn't know. Consequently, the sudden, inexplicable appearance of Rodriguez Diarmuid piqued his curiosity.
"As expected, every era produces a few brilliant individuals. Previously it was Hashirama and I; is it this man's turn now?" Madara smiled, then asked, "You say he is strong. How strong?"
"Strong enough to defeat a Tailed Beast with ease. Previously in the Land of Waves, he faced the Three-Tails head-on. In just a single exchange, he defeated it," White Zetsu added.
"A Tailed Beast? What kind of 'strength' is that?" Madara said with a hint of disdain.
Even the Nine-Tails, hailed as the strongest, could be suppressed by a single glance from him. Hashirama could thrash the Nine-Tails with one hand while saying, "You're too strong, so I have to seal you..." Where exactly was the "strength" in being pinned to the ground?
But on second thought, Madara set aside his arrogance. Being able to defeat a Tailed Beast in one move was indeed objectively strong by conventional standards.
"Keep observing him. After I die, see if we can cooperate with him. Recruiting such a power would surely benefit the Eye of the Moon," Madara said after some thought.
"Recruiting him shouldn't be an issue. They have an organization called the Yorozuya. It's not bad, they only care about money, not people. If we need something, we could likely commission them as a mission," White Zetsu suggested.
"You handle those details yourselves when the time comes," Madara nodded and replied softly. He then gave one final instruction: "Make sure Nagato is well looked after. At the right moment, have him use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to resurrect me."
Madara remained supremely confident. Though he "valued" Diarmuid slightly, that was the extent of it. Once the Heavenly Life technique was activated and he was restored to life, Madara believed he could crush all opposition and set the world right.
In this world, only Hashirama was his equal. But he... he had already reached the "other shore."
"Understood..." White Zetsu replied calmly.
Madara waved a weak hand, signaling he would speak no more. The White Zetsu tactfully withdrew. The lonely old man sat in his solitary corner, awaiting the final conspiracy, awaiting Obito's transformation, and awaiting his own fast-approaching death.
Having died once before, Madara felt no fear. On the contrary, in his eyes, this death was merely the beginning of a new life. Not just for himself, but for the entire world.
"Hashirama..." Madara whispered, closing his eyes. Before long, a faint snoring filled the cavern. Perhaps his desperate push for the Eye of the Moon was, in some way, for the sake of Hashirama as well?
On the other side, White Zetsu walked over to the hard-at-work Obito with a grin. "Obito, Obito! We discovered something outside. We thought we should tell you."
"What is it?" Obito asked casually.
"Rin… the Nohara Rin you're always talking about. She's the girl you like, right? It seems she's in danger. Kirigakure is launching a conspiracy against her..." White Zetsu giggled.
But Obito wasn't laughing anymore.