A thunderous waterfall plunged between two towering cliffs, its spray turning sunlight into a trembling veil of diamonds.
This was the Valley of the End — the grave of a generation, and perhaps soon, of another.
A squad of Hyūga branch-family sentinels stood on early watch. One young shinobi gazed up at the colossal stone visages of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, immortalized in their final clash.
His reflection rippled in the water below.
His Byakugan bloomed—
And his breath stopped.
"A monstrous chakra… a bijū… the Seven-Tails!"
"There's a man riding it—standing on its back!"
"He's controlling it—?!"
His throat closed in dread.
He flung a message through a ninja-cat and stabbed a Flying Thunder God kunai into the soil.
The message flashed toward Konoha:
Uchiha Madara has arrived at the Valley of the End.
Preparing the Hokage — The Wives' Resolve
At the Uchiha manor, Uchiha Soren stood calmly as Uchiha Osame tightened the red-lacquered plates of traditional armor around his chest.
Beside her, Minako held the Hokage's ceremonial robe, watching her husband with quiet devotion.
Osame's brows knit.
"An-kun… Madara riding a Seven-Tails… Are you sure we shouldn't go together?"
Minako slipped the robe over Soren's shoulders, arms wrapping softly around his waist.
"Darling… it's better to stack the odds."
Soren chuckled and tapped Minako's hand where it lay at his hip.
"The greatest advantage is already in my hand."
He kissed one wife, then the other.
"Be good and wait for me tonight.
As a reward… that position—"
"A-An-kun! Hikari's here!"
Osame flushed scarlet. Minako ducked her head, equally red.
Soren turned to the girl standing near the door.
"Hikari, don't slack in class today."
And then—
He vanished in a flash of Flying Thunder God.
Hokage Office — A Legend in Armor
Uzumaki Mito waited within — regal, calm, armor fitted for the first time since Konoha's founding.
Soren grinned.
"You look fierce in that."
"This is the first time I've worn it since Konoha's birth," she said. "And the last."
He extended his hand.
She took it.
Together, they teleported to the Valley of the End.
The Valley — Old God vs. New
Madara stood before his stone likeness, a dark figure beneath the roaring falls.
The Seven-Tails crouched behind him, wings folded, its immense body trembling under the weight of his control.
When Soren and Mito appeared, Madara didn't turn—only spoke.
"Hokage. Minister."
Soren's eyes swept the field and he smirked.
"Thanks for not killing the guards."
"Trash. Whether alive or dead matters little."
Madara finally faced them. "I was waiting for you."
A pulse of arrogance rippled from him — familiar, ancient, intoxicating.
"I expected you'd ally with them.
But to see such harmony… it seems the Uchiha and Senju have finally joined hands."
His expression flickered — a ghost of amusement.
"Hashirama would laugh like a fool.
Tobirama would call you a troublesome little Uchiha brat."
Soren barked a laugh.
"Tobirama was always a sour old Senju."
Madara stretched his arms, wild and proud.
"I will create a peace with no killing, no suffering.
Soren — walk with me.
Let me show you the view from the summit of the world."
Soren grinned.
"No thanks.
I'll be the one showing you the view… old man."
Mito hid a startled look.
The cliff edge roared with tension, ideology crashing as fiercely as the waterfall beneath them.
Two Philosophies, Two Futures
Soren's voice rose, sharp as a drawn blade.
"My world will weave order and chaos.
Peace and slaughter.
A fierce but kind reality."
"People want profit? Fine.
They want blood-forged strength? Fine.
They want peace? Stay within their borders.
They want to play hero? Save the Land of Thunder by force."
"Break the rules — and all are equal in death."
"Thunder will be the lesson.
Konoha's rules will be the teacher."
Madara's reply cut like a knife.
"And when you die, your rules collapse… like Hashirama's did."
"Then I won't die."
Madara snorted.
"Even the Sage of Six Paths died."
"Bijū live for millennia; holy beasts enjoy longevity — why not I?"
"Because this world belongs to talent," Soren answered. "And if you die before them… you're the joke."
The two men stared at each other.
Then—
Both pairs of eyes bloomed into the Eternal Mangekyō.
Madara's voice softened — almost reverent.
"We are the same at our core.
Both want everything.
But I won't let you awaken the Rinnegan before me."
"True peace can only be birthed under my fist.
Surrender — or be buried with your ambition."
Soren's Eternal Mangekyō blazed.
"Drowning the world in illusion isn't peace.
Your 'eternity' can't even tell truth from lie."
He stepped forward.
"I'll bury your fantasy in this valley.
And this time — don't count on Izanagi to save you."
Chakra ignited around them.
The world shuddered.
Madara threw his head back and laughed — a legend awakened, drunk on the promise of carnage.
"Then fight."
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