Riverside.
A tall, beautiful woman with long blue hair leaned casually against a massive boulder, her lips curled in a faint smile as if completely relaxed.
In her hand, she twirled a blood-stained white animal mask. Underfoot lay the corpse of an Aburame clan Root ninja who had been secretly tailing her.
Beside the woman stood a short, straw-hatted stranger—clearly her subordinate.
Danzo's expression darkened. Without a word, he raised his left hand in a signal. Immediately, Root's Fourth Squad burst forward, surrounding the woman for an assassination strike.
"Oh my, coming in so strong," Black Zetsu muttered nervously before vanishing underground once again.
"Hmph."
Madara Uchiha snorted coldly, maintaining his usual arrogant posture. Arms crossed, he only activated his triple-tomoe Sharingan when several Root ninjas charged directly at him.
Swish!
Mid-battle, an indestructible net suddenly dropped from above Madara's head. Four Root agents pulled each corner, forming a perfect formation.
Covering the net were black chakra threads pulsing with sealing power.
"The woman has nowhere to run now. It's over."
From a distance, Danzo commented coolly.
He commanded four squads under Root, and the current Fourth Squad—his Sealing Team—was considered his deadliest weapon.
Years of synchronized training made them a near-perfect unit. They even practiced by reenacting assassination attempts on the Third Hokage himself—Hiruzen Sarutobi.
According to Danzo's explanation, he created the Fourth Squad to conduct live drills simulating assassination scenarios targeting the Hokage, exposing any weaknesses in Anbu defenses so they could be fixed. After all, as the Hokage's advisor, how could he possibly intend to assassinate the Hokage?
Soon enough, the battle ended—as Danzo predicted.
But not in the way he expected.
Tchhh!
With a sharp tearing sound, the sealing net shattered into fragments under some unknown force.
The blue-haired woman had already vanished.
Puh-puh-puh-puh!
In the next instant, four dull thuds echoed as the four Root agents were struck one by one, collapsing unconscious.
Madara reappeared moments later, walking coldly toward Danzo and Orochimaru.
His eyes had changed—from triple-tomoe Sharingan to the shape of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.
Even Madara had to admit—the Root operatives' coordination was a bit of a headache, maybe even slightly annoying. But that was only because he hadn't been serious yet.
Once he used the power of the Eternal Mangekyou, these enemies became laughably helpless, like toddlers taking their first clumsy steps.
"This...?"
Watching Madara approach step by step, Danzo felt turmoil rise inside him.
He noticed the change in the opponent's eyes—from triple-tomoe to a far more complex pattern. And after that change, the enemy's speed and strength had skyrocketed, wiping out the Fourth Squad effortlessly.
Could it really be... the Mangekyou Sharingan?
A term flashed through Danzo's mind.
Though he had never seen a Mangekyo Sharingan with his own eyes, during his days following the Second Hokage, he had heard the latter mention it many times.
Back then, Madara Uchiha possessed a pair of Mangekyo. With these eyes, he and the First Hokage were called "legendary ninja."
Thinking of this, Danzo's gaze suddenly became fanatical, almost losing his sanity.
He fixed his gaze on Nagare's eyes, captivated by their dreamy beauty.
These eyes—he must obtain them.
Swish!
Without hesitation, Danzo tore away the bandages over his right eye, revealing a Sharingan with triple-tomoe.
It belonged to Kagami Uchiha.
"!"
Orochimaru, seeing this, narrowed his golden snake-like pupils. He had always believed Danzo's right eye was injured in battle—never expecting...
Yet what shocked Orochimaru even more came next.
Danzo's right eye spun—the three tomoe rotating—and released intense ocular chakra waves, unleashing Genjutsu directly at Madara Uchiha.
Then… he just collapsed like that.
Bang!
Under Orochimaru's astonished gaze, Danzo collapsed backward, blood trickling from his right eye socket like tears, his appearance terrifying.
You're nothing but a worm.
Madara Uchiha smirked disdainfully, scoffing at Danzo's suicidal behavior.
This fool actually dared to use an ordinary Sharingan transplanted from who-knows-where to stare directly at his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, even attempting to cast Genjutsu on him?
Trying to show off before a master—no, trying to play with eyes before Madara himself.
Swoosh!
[Body Flicker Technique], he appeared before Danzo in an instant, stepping heavily onto the latter's face.
"This eye—you're unworthy of possessing it."
Coldly declaring this, Madara Uchiha extended one hand, ruthlessly tearing out Danzo's right eye amidst screams of agony.
Danzo's body convulsed violently, eventually fainting from unbearable pain.
"Though not Mangekyo, it seems to be of decent quality."
Madara examined Kagami Uchiha's Sharingan, offering a casual evaluation.
"..."
Orochimaru stood aside, watching as Nagare held the Sharingan between two slender fingers—blood trailing down from the eyeball along her fingertips, staining her pale hand crimson.
The scene had a hauntingly beautiful quality.
[Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!] Orochimaru suddenly struck. A dozen venomous snakes shot out from his sleeves like ropes, wrapping Nagare from every direction.
At such close range, he successfully launched a surprise attack.
However, this Hidden Shadow Snake Hands technique wasn't truly Ninjutsu—it was actually a Summoning technique. These snakes had been summoned by Orochimaru from Ryuchi Cave; compared to regular snakes, they possessed far greater strength and intelligence.
Hiss-hiss-hiss!
After wrapping around Madara's body and restricting his movements, the snakes raised their heads, flicking their tongues toward him for attack.
And then—
Orochimaru met the same fate—and just… collapsed like that.
Madara Uchiha hadn't been restrained by Hidden Shadow Snake Hands at all. Instead, Orochimaru himself was dragged into an illusion space, suffering torment inside.
Thud!
Orochimaru knelt on the ground, drenched in sweat.
Only after personally experiencing the power of those eyes did he truly understand what despair meant.
At this moment, all hope vanished from his heart.
Madara Uchiha raised his hand, ready to casually end the lives of Danzo and Orochimaru.
"Lord Madara, this is a rare opportunity."
Black Zetsu emerged from deep beneath the earth, attempting to stop him.
"These two are high-ranking elders within Konoha. The one lying on the ground is the advisor to the Hokage, and the one kneeling is the Hokage's disciple. Both have strategic value to be used."
After introducing their identities to Madara, Black Zetsu made a suggestion, "In my opinion, we should control them and place them inside Konoha as pawns, gathering intelligence for you."
"That makes sense."
Upon hearing this, Madara Uchiha nodded in agreement.
Though it looked easy when he defeated Danzo and Orochimaru, these two were no pushovers. It was only because he used the eye power of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan that he managed to instantly overwhelm them.
Before they could even show their true strength, Madara's genjutsu had already overwhelmed them, rendering them helpless in an instant.
However, continuously using dojutsu had already consumed a significant amount of Madara's chakra.
This sacrificial vessel wouldn't last much longer.
Having remained deep beneath the earth for over twenty years, this was his first return to the surface—and very likely his last. With Black Zetsu's reminder, Madara realized he should seize this chance to make strategic arrangements.
Thinking thus, Madara activated his Mangekyou Sharingan once more.
With a thunderous boom,
Five flames ignited across the fingers of his right hand, blazing a fierce crimson—a hellfire that never relented.
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