"Let's see how the Totsuka Blade feels in my hand."
Mū summoned the ethereal sword into existence, its glow cold and ominous.
But the moment his fingers wrapped around its hilt, his expression shifted. Chakra began to drain from his body like water rushing from a broken dam.
"Tch…"
He grit his teeth and quickly dispelled it, the weapon vanishing from his grasp.
'So… my reserves aren't enough yet. To wield this blade freely, I'll need far greater chakra.'
His thoughts raced, sifting through what he knew. There was only one clear path.
The Tailed Beasts.
That was the answer.
Their chakra was vast, boundless, enough to elevate his power to new heights.
He had no intention of becoming a Jinchūriki himself. That kind of sentimental bond with the beast nonsense didn't interest him.
His approach would be cold and scientific, harvest and study their chakra, replicate the methods of the Gold and Silver Brothers, and weaponize it.
He dismissed the crow perched at his shoulder with a thought. "Return."
Yatagarasu vanished in a swirl of smoke.
"Earth Release: Earthquake Slam"
The ground shook violently as Mū obliterated the entire site, reducing it to rubble. He wouldn't leave behind any trace for others to stumble upon.
If someone else uncovered that strange crow domain, it would cheapen his fortune.
Back at Iwagakure, he summoned his operatives.
"Bring me the head of the Anbu, Fūma Shichihachi."
Soon after, a masked shinobi in Iwa's plated armor knelt before him.
"Lord Mū, your command?"
"Spread out immediately. Track the Tailed Beasts. Any will do, but if possible, find the Nine-Tails first."
His tone was cold, decisive.
Of all the beasts, the Kyūbi was the greatest. If he could seize it, his own power would leap to the next tier. With his Dust Release, the elite of Iwa at his back, and the village's sealing techniques, it was not impossible. Risky, yes, but not impossible.
"Understood!"
The operative was about to leave when Mū's voice cut him off again.
"And the Hashirama wood I brought back from Konoha, has it been used?"
Shichihachi hesitated. "No, my lord. Without your order, we dared not touch it."
"Good. Then use it now. Forge me shackles, seals to restrain the beasts. Wood Release suppresses them. Even if the effect is weaker now, it will be enough to keep one in chains."
The operative bowed low. "It will be done."
---
Meanwhile, far away at the Valley of the End,
"Hashirama, do you really think I don't see it?"
Madara's voice was heavy, his eyes cold as he stared at the Hokage standing opposite him.
"Madara…" Hashirama's expression was strained, almost pleading.
"I'll speak to Tobirama, rein him in."
"Don't let suspicion drive a wedge between us. You are my comrade, my brother. Help me perfect this village we built together!"
He stepped closer, desperation in his voice.
"One day the people will see you as I do. And when they do… you will be the Second Hokage."
Hashirama's words echoed against the roar of the waterfall, his sincerity unwavering, while deep in Madara's eyes, shadows stirred.
Madara's face was as unreadable as stone, his Sharingan calm yet fathomless. After a long silence, his voice came cold and heavy.
"When you are gone… the one who succeeds you will be Tobirama. And when that happens, the Uchiha will inevitably be erased."
Hashirama's heart sank. He hurriedly shook his head.
"Madara, don't say such things! Yes, ever since Tobirama returned from Iwagakure, he's been more wary of your clan. But I won't let him cross that line. He would never destroy the very clan that helped found Konoha!"
Madara gave a short, bitter laugh.
"That's only because I'm still here. If both of us were gone, who could say what he might do? He wouldn't even need to dirty his own hands. He would raise students who would finish the job."
Hashirama faltered. His words caught in his throat. He could not refute him.
"You speak of me as a brother," Madara continued, eyes fixed on the burning flame of a candle.
"But tell me, Hashirama… when the moment comes, will you choose me, or the village?"
The question cut deep.
Hashirama's chest tightened painfully. He could not bear to lose Madara, yet he could not abandon the dream of the village either.
Madara's gaze grew distant. "I wanted to take my clan and leave. But not a single one of them would follow me." His lips twisted into a thin smile. "So be it. I've found another path. A road that leads to the true dream."
He turned away, his voice low yet sharp.
"Madara! What are you saying?" Hashirama called out in desperation. "Wasn't the village our dream? We've already achieved it. What more could you want?"
Madara didn't answer.
Instead, the tomoe in his eyes spun, twisting into the pattern of the Mangekyō. He looked at Hashirama and said,
"I'll savor our battles, Hashirama."
A cruel smile tugged at his lips before he went away, his silhouette swallowed by shadows.
Hashirama stood frozen, dread gnawing at his chest.
A terrible premonition stirred, Madara was about to walk a path of no return.
---
Later that night, the Uchiha compound.
Madara summoned the clan for assembly. His words were blunt and final.
"Those who would leave with me, come. Those who won't, stay here in Konoha."
He didn't wait for their responses. With a flicker of his cloak, he vanished into the night.
---
The next day, at Konoha's main gate.
Alone, with his war fan strapped across his back, Madara stood tall beneath the dying glow of the sun. His eyes reflected the horizon, sharp and resolute.
No one followed.
Not a single clansman had chosen to walk beside him.
As the sun dipped, night fell. Rain poured down, cold and relentless.
At Konoha's rear gate, a group of Uchiha still waited stubbornly. Uchiha Kazan and Uchiha Shana stood among them, yawning as the hours dragged on.
"Didn't Lord Madara say he'd defect? We've been waiting all night. Where the hell is he?" Shana scratched his head, baffled.
Kazan frowned, shifting uneasily. "We've been here since morning… this is ridiculous. Maybe… maybe he left through the front gate?"
The silence broke into sudden laughter.
"You serious? You think Lord Madara's that stupid?"
"Who the hell defects through the front gate?!"
"Relax. He's probably just testing our resolve!"
And so they waited. The storm intensified, sheets of rain drumming against their heads. Yet the Uchiha stood motionless, silent and grim, like wooden posts hammered into the mud.
A patrol of Konoha shinobi passed by, spotting the eerie scene.
"…Are those Uchiha really human?" one muttered, unnerved.
"Unbelievable," another snorted.