Obito Uchiha stood once more before Madara Uchiha.
And Qianyu continued to watch the entire process through the snake he had left behind.
After Madara showed his intent to cooperate, he seemed to ignore the snake in the cave, allowing Qianyu to observe freely.
Qianyu understood perfectly well. Madara also wanted to influence him by influencing Obito.
Obito looked at Madara seated before him and demanded, "Tell me how to create the world of my dreams, Madara!"
Madara chuckled. "No need for thanks. Come closer. From today, you are the savior. Look into my eyes."
Obito stepped forward, standing directly before Madara.
Madara's Sharingan spun. Obito—and along with him, the snake Qianyu was using to observe—were pulled into an illusionary world.
Inside a pure white space, Madara spoke to Obito. "This is my illusionary realm. Blank for now, but I can project my will to create anything. Control everything. By linking to the Gedo Statue and borrowing its power, anything is possible. Great or small. Like this…"
Madara's form shifted instantly from an old man to his youthful prime.
Obito was visibly startled.
Madara continued. "Use this illusion to craft the ideal world. Then, cast the Genjutsu upon all mankind and bring them inside. Use the moon as a proxy for this eye, expand the scale of the technique… and the world of dreams will be born."
Obito frowned. "You're talking too big. I can't digest this."
"To explain… we must start with the Sage of Six Paths and the Ten-Tails."
Using the illusion, Madara conjured a massive stone mural. On it were depicted the Sage and the monstrous Ten-Tails.
Obito was skeptical. "The Ten-Tails is a creature of legend."
"Myths have a basis in fact," Madara explained. "The Tailed Beasts scattered across the world were formed from the divided power of the Ten-Tails, which was split apart by the Sage."
"Is there proof this is true?"
"There is." Madara's tone was absolute. "After obtaining Hashirama Senju's cells, I transplanted them onto my wound. Nothing happened at first. Then, just before my death, I awakened the Rinnegan. But at the same moment, a certain seal was also undone. I learned to summon something. From the sealing stone… I summoned the husk of the Ten-Tails."
"The husk?"
"I call it the Gedo Statue. And that sealing stone… is what people call the moon."
Obito's one visible eye widened. His face was a mask of disbelief.
Ignoring his reaction, Madara pressed on. "After that, I immediately used the statue's body as a catalyst to cultivate more Hashirama cells. These artificial humans are, in a sense, copies of Hashirama. Severely degraded ones, of course.
Without the combined power of Uchiha and Senju, one cannot awaken the Rinnegan. Much less control the statue. Your right side is infused with Senju cells. Even without the Rinnegan, you should be able to control it.
My Rinnegan currently resides with a man named Nagato. You must find him. Subjugate him. Make him yours."
The illusion dissolved.
Madara addressed Obito. "Obito, I will teach you the Uchiha's forbidden techniques, the Six Paths Techniques, and the Yin-Yang Release arts…"
He placed a hand on the White Zetsu beside him. Half of the Zetsu's body turned black. Black Zetsu made his formal debut.
"I have infused it with my will. You may consider half of it to be me. Another degraded product. You can use these beings, created with Yin-Yang Release, as your pieces."
Madara formed a hand seal. A black rod extended from the tree wall behind him.
"That rod is the physical form of my consciousness. You may use it when employing the Six Paths Techniques."
Madara took a few shaky steps forward and tore the pipes connecting him to the Gedo Statue.
Instantly, he was gasping for breath, his body frail and weak.
"Now, go. In the time before my resurrection, you…"
Before he could finish, Madara died, slumping in his seat.
Obito stared at the corpse. He let the White Zetsu cover his face once more.
"Let's go, Zetsu."
Obito and Black Zetsu left the cave.
After they were gone, Madara's "corpse" gradually grew hazy, then vanished completely. The death Obito had witnessed was nothing but an illusion Madara had cast upon him.
The real Madara turned his gaze towards the snake lurking in the corner. "I will wait for you here."
…
Qianyu severed the visual link and opened his system.
A series of chimes rang in his mind.
[Witnessed Rin Nohara's death. Reward: 500 Witness Points.]
[Witnessed Obito Uchiha awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan. Reward: 500 Witness Points.]
[Witnessed Obito Uchiha's fall to darkness. Reward: 1000 Witness Points.]
[Witnessed the plan of Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha. Reward: 200 Witness Points.]
…
The amounts weren't huge, but they added up nicely.
Qianyu stood up. "Well then," he murmured to himself. "I suppose I should go meet you."
He found Orochimaru, requested leave, and set off for the Mountain Graveyard.
Days later.
Obito and Zetsu arrived at the Village Hidden in the Rain.
"See that yellow-haired one's eyes?" Black Zetsu whispered. "Those are Madara's true eyes. Transplanted when he was just a child. Nagato is of the Uzumaki clan, distant relatives of the Senju. Aside from Madara himself, he is the only one who can summon the Gedo Statue.
But that's just a puppet. Not the real Nagato. First, do as Madara said. Subdue him…"
Obito began walking forward without hesitation.
Zetsu sounded puzzled. "Huh? What are you doing?"
"Telling the truth."
"Shouldn't we… formulate a strategy?"
"Unnecessary."
Obito stopped directly before the yellow-haired Pain—whose face was that of Yahiko.
Of course, Yahiko was still alive. This was merely Nagato's puppet, altered to resemble his friend.
Pain frowned slightly, eyeing the masked intruder. "Who are you?"
Using Madara's cadence and tone, Obito declared, "I am Madara Uchiha!"
Pain's gaze turned icy. "Madara? And what purpose does one who dares claim that name have in approaching me?"
"The Rinnegan. To guide the one who awakens it correctly… that is the mission our organization has borne since ancient times."
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