"Uchiha Madara!"
When Minato heard him announce his name, he froze on the spot.
Thanks to Seisui's influence, he'd been studying history diligently. And with Uzumaki Mito's teachings over the years, he knew very well who Madara was.
Uchiha Madara —Ghost of the Uchiha, a man whose name stood alongside that of the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage. Together, they founded Konoha.
But according to Grandma Mito, Madara had died long ago in his battle against the First Hokage.
So why was he still alive?
And more importantly—why was he here?
Minato tugged at Seisui's sleeve discreetly. This man was unimaginably dangerous. He didn't believe for a second that the three of them could win against Uchiha Madara.
After Madara spoke his name, silence fell.
The wind rustled through the trees, carrying dry leaves through the air. The sounds of birds and insects had vanished, leaving behind an eerie stillness, as if life itself was holding its breath.
"Boy, why not join me?" Madara said evenly, extending one hand toward Seisui. "Peace has always been my lifelong pursuit as well."
"I quite admire your idea of unification."
His eyes flicked briefly to Minato and Haru beside Seisui — lingering particularly on the Uchiha girl — before the corner of his mouth curved slightly.
He saw potential in her too.
"Unification?" Seisui smiled faintly. "So your goal is the same as mine?"
"No," Madara shook his head slowly. "Your ideals are admirable… but far too naïve."
"Only when humanity lives within an eternal dream can there be true peace!"
"In that world, everyone lives the life they desire!"
"No more war, no more sickness or pain!"
"No more separation or death — that is true peace!"
Madara's voice grew fervent, almost manic.
"Join me. Together, we will realize the Eye of the Moon Plan!"
Seisui wasn't surprised.
As a purebred Uchiha, Madara was the embodiment of their clan's nature — obsessive, unyielding, and utterly convinced of his own righteousness.
Such people could be called dedicated… or simply mad.
That was the Uchiha way.
The stronger their Sharingan evolved, the deeper their madness ran.
And as the one who awakened the Rinnegan, Madara was the very pinnacle of that madness.
Still, Seisui knew the truth — the Eye of the Moon Plan was nothing more than a lie.
Even if it weren't, forcing people into dreams wasn't peace at all.
Any kindness forced upon others… is just another form of cruelty.
"No," Seisui said, shaking his head. "Peace built on dreams isn't peace!"
"It's falsehood — self-deception!"
"To escape reality and call it paradise… that's nothing but cowardice!"
"Hmph."
Madara snorted, his eyes narrowing. He reached behind him, unstrapping the massive war fan from his back.
"Foolish, stubborn child," he said coldly. "If you won't join me, then you're just in my way!"
"Madara-sama, your body—!"
Black Zetsu appeared from the shadows, supporting him with a worried look.
"My body is far from useless," Madara growled. "And besides—"
"Just three little brats."
Seisui slowly drew his sword, his gaze locked on Madara's every movement. His grip tightened.
"Minato," he said under his breath, "be ready to escape at any time."
White light flared around his body as sage markings appeared on his face, his golden eyes blazing with focus. "I'll hold him off."
"No!" Minato's tone was firm, his expression grave as he took out his tri-pronged kunai. "Since when does a captain cover for his teammates?"
"We're a team, Seisui. If we die, we die together."
"Right, Haru?" He smiled faintly at the Uchiha girl beside him, without a hint of fear.
Haru didn't speak — she simply drew her blade, her two-tomoe Sharingan spinning faster and faster as she fixed her eyes on Madara.
"Oh?"
Madara chuckled darkly. "You know who I am… and yet you still don't run? Do you think I'm beneath you?"
As he spoke, a terrifying pressure erupted from him, blasting through the clearing like a storm. The trees groaned; leaves tore free and scattered.
The sheer force of it dwarfed even Uchiha Setsuna's killing intent — at least twice as strong, Seisui realized.
So this… is the man who ended the Warring States Era.
"Impressive," Minato murmured beside him, clutching his kunai so tightly his knuckles went pale. Despite his calm front, he was trembling.
This was the first time any of them had faced someone like him.
"But even if you are Uchiha Madara," Minato said, "we're not running!"
"Then show me," Madara said, grinning broadly. "Show me the strength that gives you such confidence!"
He clapped his hands together.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A sea of fire roared forth, devouring the forest and racing toward them.
"So this is the clan leader's strength?" Haru whispered, her eyes wide. "His Fire Style… it's unbelievable!"
"Watch me," Seisui said calmly. He raised his blade, channeling chakra as mist swirled around him. With a powerful swing, he unleashed a wave of water that surged forward, colliding with the inferno.
Steam exploded everywhere, blanketing the area in heat and fog.
Had anyone been measuring, the temperature would have spiked several degrees.
Within moments, Seisui's torrent snuffed out the flames entirely.
As the mist cleared, Madara stood exactly where he'd been — arms folded, expression unreadable.
"You remind me of that white-haired old ghost," he said with disdain.
"Your Water Style… it disgusts me."
"You should've run when you had the chance."
He lifted his fan, chakra swirling around him. "Now die!"
"Fire Blade!"
"Wind Blade!"
"Iaijutsu: Water Severing Strike!"
Seisui sheathed his sword and dashed forward. Minato and Haru's attacks followed close beside him.
Two flashes of light cut through the mist as Seisui closed the distance.
Madara laughed. "So, you want to dance with me too?"
Then his smile turned sharp. "A mere pebble dares to challenge the mountain?!"
"Let's find out who breaks first!" Seisui shouted, unsheathing his sword again. Dozens of shimmering slashes streaked toward Madara.
His form flickered again and again—vanishing and reappearing faster than the eye could follow.
"Oh?" Madara's eyes narrowed. "Flying Raijin?"
"How familiar…" he muttered. "Water techniques… that accursed teleportation… even the swordplay."
"No matter how many times I see it—still disgusting."
He swung his fan. The energy blades Seisui launched were absorbed, then instantly reversed as a raging windstorm.
This was the Gunbai, a relic forged from a unique spirit tree— one of the most powerful weapons in existence. It absorbed chakra and returned it as a storm of destructive wind — Uchiha Return.
Madara had slaughtered countless shinobi with this technique during the Warring States.
As the storm came barreling back — rocks and debris whipping through the air — Seisui didn't dodge.
The gravel struck him like bullets, ringing off his skin.
"So this is your Sage Mode?" Madara sneered, rushing forward.
Seisui gathered the glowing white energy around his arm — enhancing his strength to its peak — and swung.
Madara deflected the blow with his fan, absorbing the chakra and sending another gale toward Minato and Haru. Then, with a brutal kick, he drove his foot into Seisui's gut, sending him flying.
Before Seisui even hit the ground, Madara vanished and reappeared above him — bringing the fan down in a crushing strike.
Because most of Seisui's energy had been focused in his arms, his defense had weakened — and Madara's blow shattered his skull.
Blood and brain matter splattered through the air.
Madara landed lightly, his expression one of cold contempt.
"Did you really think a mere grain of sand was fit to dance with me?"
"Now then," he said, turning toward Minato and Haru, "you two are next."
His gaze lingered on Haru. "You have talent. Join me."
Haru stared at Seisui's lifeless, headless body — her sword slipping from her grasp. Her lips trembled as she whispered, "No… impossible… this can't be happening…"
Her voice rose into a scream. "He can't be dead! He can't!"
"Oh?" Madara smirked, folding his arms, watching her intently.
He'd seen this before. So, it's love, is it?
Her eyes began to spin violently.
The two tomoe became three — and then began to merge together.
"Ohhh?" Madara murmured, intrigued. "Is it the depth of your love that awakens it?"
He didn't move. Fear? Not from him.
He was Uchiha Madara — Ghost of the Uchiha.
What was a single Mangekyo to him?
"This world is hell…"
Haru's eyes completed their transformation — her newly awakened Mangekyo Sharingan gleaming blood-red.
Her killing intent flooded the clearing.
With a flick of her fingers, her fallen blade flew back into her hand as if pulled by gravity.
"A world without Seisui…" she said softly, her eyes filled with despair and hatred.
"…has no reason to exist."
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