Uchiha's Taijutsu Supreme

The Graveyard of Mountains~

Uchiha Madara sat atop the head of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, gently massaging his eyes. His actions were unnaturally tender, as if he were handling the most precious treasure.

However, the eyes in his sockets were not the Rinnegan he had worked so hard to obtain, but a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan glimmering with sinister patterns.

"I'm sorry to disturb your rest, Izuna. But in this world, you are the only one I can truly trust..."

"Help your brother one last time. This is the destiny of the Uchiha clan—to bring ultimate peace to the ninja world..."

Madara whispered softly, as though by touching these eyes, he could feel the presence of his younger brother who had been with him all his life.

The eyes currently in Madara's sockets belonged to Uchiha Izuna. Madara was using the power of the Demonic Statue and his own lifeforce to replenish the depleted energy within the eyes.

As he recalled the day Izuna died, Madara increased the flow of chakra and smiled warmly.

"My dear brother, though I must trouble you to roam this filthy ninja world again, I promise to craft you the most perfect Sharingan so you won't be dishonored..."

Contrary to what many might think, although Madara did transplant Izuna's eyes, he ultimately awakened the Rinnegan using his own.

Unlike Sasuke in the original timeline, whose eyes had gone completely blind, forcing him to transplant Itachi's eyes to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō, Madara still had residual power in his eyes when Izuna was killed by Tobirama Senju.

However, they were no longer sufficient to combat Hashirama, who had fully awakened the Senju bloodline.

The transplantation of Izuna's Mangekyō was an attempt to gain greater strength.

Before Madara and Izuna, the Uchiha clan had only vague mentions of relatives exchanging Mangekyō eyes, mostly in a negative light, citing numerous failed attempts.

But pressed by Hashirama's growing power, Madara cautiously transplanted one of Izuna's eyes at a time, slowly absorbing its power to awaken the legendary Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

The result was a success. Izuna's ocular energy transferred to Madara's own eyes, enabling him to unleash the full-body Susanoo of Indra's lineage, granting him the means to contend with Hashirama's Sage Mode.

However, Madara's success also planted a deep-seated curse for future generations of the Uchiha clan, leading to numerous tragedies of mutual slaughter among clansmen.

In the original timeline, Itachi once deceived Sasuke by saying, "Not everyone can gain power the way Madara did. History, with all its sacrifices, proves this truth..."

It turned out that relying solely on bloodline connections to emulate the ancestors' power had incredibly high thresholds. Possessing the "Chakra of Indra" was not something "ordinary people" could aspire to...

Black Zetsu, hidden within the rock walls, listened intently to Madara's murmurs, internally ecstatic.

"That fool Madara has finally grown slightly smarter after being defeated by Uchiha Fuma, abandoning some of his foolish obsessions!!"

"Give up on your plan already, Madara. Among the Uchiha clan, only Izuna has enough wisdom to help me free Mother Kaguya!!"

After replacing the will clone Madara had created, Black Zetsu began to serve as the old man's loyal assistant.

Over time, Madara noticed that this clone, though entirely under his control, seemed to have its own independent thought, becoming a vibrant existence in its own right.

This brought Madara great comfort. After Izuna's death, he had no one to rely on and was forced to bear the burden of saving the ninja world alone. The task weighed heavily on the nearly century-old man.

Gradually, Madara began to see Black Zetsu as a blood-bound kin, sharing his plans and thoughts.

However, these plans nearly gave Black Zetsu an aneurysm, making him consider abandoning Madara entirely despite him being the first Indra reincarnate to awaken the Rinnegan in centuries.

Madara's plan still revolved around finding a successor within the Uchiha clan, unwilling to disturb Izuna's rest.

From Black Zetsu's perspective, the current state of the Uchiha clan was such that few would even remember their old clan leader.

Moreover, Uchiha Fuma, having already confronted Madara, would undoubtedly have contingencies in place and could be actively searching for him to seize the Rinnegan.

If Madara followed his current plan, Black Zetsu would prepare to ambush Nagato and steal the Rinnegan, finding the next reincarnate instead of wasting time on Madara.

Even if the Uchiha were prone to madness, few would trade their peaceful lives for the dream of Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Suppressing his disdain multiple times, Black Zetsu finally found a reason to console himself.

"If Indra's reincarnates weren't so arrogantly delusional, no one would believe that stupid stone tablet. This is just the price we pay. I'll endure it a little longer..."

Black Zetsu began to appeal to reason and emotion, leveraging his millennia of experience observing Indra's reincarnates to sway Madara.

"If it were Izuna, knowing you faced difficulties yet didn't seek his help, he would undoubtedly be heartbroken."

"With Izuna's wisdom, he's the only one who could ensure the success of your plan for true peace."

"Madara-sama, just thinking about Izuna-sama dying so young, without seeing the world's beauty or leaving behind a legacy, all for the sake of your grand cause—it truly pains me..."

Having unparalleled insight into the Uchiha psyche, Black Zetsu struck directly at Madara's heart.

And since Black Zetsu was perceived as an extension of Madara's will, his words carried even greater weight.

"Indeed. Izuna gave up the woman he loved to immerse himself in training for my sake. He died before thirty, leaving no chance to continue our bloodline."

"If only I had an adorable nephew, how wonderful that would be..."

The Uchiha clan was peculiar that way; many of them cared little for their own children but were deeply attached to their younger siblings and their descendants.

As the clan's elder patriarch, Madara exhibited this tendency to an extreme degree.

Seizing this opportunity, Black Zetsu manipulated Madara's thoughts, successfully convincing him to revive Izuna.

In Black Zetsu's plan, if Izuna were resurrected, he would become a natural ally, assisting in controlling Nagato and forcibly reviving Madara as the ultimate sacrifice for Kaguya's resurrection.

Izuna, who deeply loved his brother, would undoubtedly seek a way to bring Madara back to life, becoming Black Zetsu's strongest asset.

Conversely, even if Madara found another Uchiha to awaken their bloodline powers, Black Zetsu doubted they would follow Madara's plan.

History supported this skepticism.

In the original timeline, Obito had no intention of reviving Madara. If not for Kabuto's interference, Madara would have remained in the afterlife forever...

"Madara-sama, I've gathered recent intel on Uchiha Fuma for you."

A White Zetsu entered, hopping cheerfully with a mysterious smile.

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