Click...
The coffin in the secret chamber slowly creaked open from the inside.
A sturdy man with long, disheveled hair climbed out. He opened his mouth and spat a piece of flesh onto his palm before once again savoring the taste of being alive.
It was Madara Uchiha.
No one would have thought he was still alive. The entire ninja world might have already learned that Madara Uchiha was killed by Senju Hashirama's own hands; they would never imagine he could come back from the dead.
"The timing is just right," Madara mused, surveying the secret chamber. A contemptuous sneer twisted his lips as he mocked the person he detested most. "It seems my guess was correct. Even if I died, that insidious villain Senju Tobirama wouldn't dispose of my body immediately."
He subconsciously touched his eyes. One was grayish-white, blind. It was the price for his resurrection. "I set the Izanagi and its activation time in advance, delayed through a Transcription Seal left in my Sharingan. The method succeeded."
Izanagi was the Uchiha's ultimate secret technique, capable of turning any unfavorable event, even death, into a dream. The Transcription Seal allowed a jutsu to be prepared and sealed within a Sharingan, set to activate at a specific time or under certain conditions, even after the user's death. Before his battle with Hashirama, Madara had prepared for his own defeat.
He felt a pang of regret for his blind eye. "A pity about the eye Izuna left me." But when he thought about the purpose of the fight, his spirits lifted.
"Hashirama's flesh," he said, his gaze scorching as he looked at the morsel in his hand. It was what he had bitten from Hashirama during their battle, his true spoils. This was more important than the outcome of the fight itself.
This was the result he had provoked the battle to achieve. "As long as I transplant this onto my wound, I will be able to obtain his cells, and I should also be able to obtain his chakra."
He clenched the piece of flesh, feeling its vibrant life force. "The interaction of positive and negative forces creates all things in nature. By fusing the chakra of the warring Senju and Uchiha, one can obtain the power to save the world. I hope it won't disappoint me."
Before leaving, he raised his fingers. "Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A clone appeared beside him. Madara watched it lie down in the coffin, a cold smile on his face. "I'll leave a clone for now. If something happens to it, it will feed back all the information it encountered to me when it disappears. That way, I'll know exactly when that villain Tobirama's research comes up empty and he realizes I'm still alive. I can make preparations early."
As a ninja from the Warring States period, Madara didn't think he could completely escape by faking his death. He just wanted to buy as much time as possible. The shadow clone was a safety valve.
With his preparations complete, he quietly left the chamber. He needed a place to transplant Hashirama's flesh. But first, he wanted to see his old friend one last time. This battle had been their most intense. Though he had lost, he knew he must have inflicted unprecedented injuries.
Perhaps that fool is near death? His self-healing is strong, but I dealt him a heavy blow. He shouldn't wake up so soon.
This final visit would be a farewell to his past self. When he next confronted Hashirama, he too would fight with the resolve to kill.
"Hashirama," he murmured, remembering the pain of being stabbed through the back. "I have also learned from you. Whether it's one's own brother, friend, or child... to realize one's own beliefs, they are all beings that can be killed. This is what you taught me. This dark will... I accept it."
With the choice made, everything seemed less difficult. His expression returned to normal as he walked into the darkness of Konoha. The tight security was useless against him; these guards were like children playing house. In all of Konoha, only Hashirama could truly trouble him.
-----
He never would have expected that as he was leaving, Black Zetsu had been following right beneath him, observing his every move without raising any suspicion.
Heh heh heh... this fellow Madara is really smart.
Black Zetsu was surprised by the secret plan; it had almost deceived even him. An insidious, triumphant smile spread across its face.
I didn't expect to see the hope of the plan succeeding in Madara. A twist of fate!
Its mood couldn't be more joyful.
Let me help you, Black Zetsu thought, following Madara's footsteps while hidden underground. That fellow Tobirama wants to research Madara's body. I'll cause some trouble for him so he won't have time to pay attention. As long as no one pays attention to Madara's faked death, he can wait peacefully for the Rinnegan to awaken.
As Black Zetsu pictured the beautiful prospect of its plan being implemented, its smile became even more sinister.
When that power belonging to the Sage of Six Paths awakens in Madara, it will be my turn to truly make my appearance!
Just as it was gleefully continuing to follow, it found that Madara had suddenly stopped and hidden himself.
Hmm? Could I have been exposed? No, this concealment ability comes from Mom; even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't detect it!
Soon, Black Zetsu realized why Madara had stopped. It had also discovered two people walking on the streets of Konoha, discussing Hashirama's condition. One of them was Senju Tobirama, the very person it was planning to cause trouble for.
As for the other person, Black Zetsu initially thought he was just an ordinary Konoha ninja. To Black Zetsu, everyone except Hashirama was an ordinary ninja.
Then, it casually glanced at the other person.
That one glance made its mind go blank. It began to doubt its own reality.
This... is this a thousand years in the future? Why do I seem to... see Emiya Shirou?