After a long absence, Uchiha Madara felt the rare stirrings of kinship—but regrettably, they were enemies.
And perhaps, fortunately, they were enemies.
---
Sky Base – Akatsuki Organization
The encounter between Kawaki Aoba and Uchiha Madara had been significant—enough to solidify both of their standings. For Madara, this meeting left no room for waiting on long-term resurrection schemes, as he had once done with Nagato and Obito in the original timeline.
Kawaki Aoba's presence changed the rules. As long as he existed, Madara couldn't count on dying and coming back—Aoba would ensure his remains were scattered to the winds, erased from the world permanently.
And yet, for all of Aoba's provocations, Madara had not once suspected the true depth of his opponent's insight.
They parted ways.
On the road to the Land of Water, as Madara manipulated the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, he found himself brooding. There was no doubt—Aoba was powerful. But his mystery was even more dangerous. Madara could not be sure what tricks or knowledge Aoba still kept hidden.
Even if he regained his full strength—his Rinnegan, his Susano'o, even the powers of the Sage of Six Paths—he couldn't shake his unease.
He needed more. He needed to break past the boundaries of what it meant to be a shinobi.
Feeling the effects of age and decay returning, Madara's patience began to crack.
> "I can't drag this out any longer," he muttered. "The plan must be accelerated. And that brat—he's no longer worth grooming. If he's unfit, then he dies. Him and that kunoichi."
Madara had resolved to move against Obito—one way or another.
---
On the other side, Kawaki Aoba had not been idle either.
Madara was harder to deal with than expected. Still, with partial knowledge of the "script" of this world—gained through his meta-awareness—Aoba knew where Madara's greatest weakness lay.
No matter what scheme Madara was planning, the Tailed Beasts would be at the center of it.
---
Land of Earth – Iwagakure
Kawaki Aoba had returned to the rocky domain of the Stone Village for one reason: the Four-Tails.
Capturing Son Gokū, the Four-Tails, would serve two purposes—it would both fuel the evolution of his own unique bloodline, and prevent Madara from ever uniting the nine Bijū into the Ten-Tails.
> "A win-win," Aoba thought. "Well—two wins for me."
The cost? Iwagakure might lose a Jinchūriki. But in Aoba's view, that was a small sacrifice in the greater balance of the shinobi world.
> "Found you," Aoba muttered. "Rōshi... You've been hiding well."
Though Rōshi was weakened and semi-retired, the Four-Tails still dwelled within him. Until Iwagakure found a replacement host, they had no choice but to keep him alive.
With a flash of Instant Transmission, Kawaki Aoba appeared just outside Rōshi's guarded quarters.
The Iwagakure ANBU responded instantly. Trained to protect their Jinchūriki, they descended in force—each at least Tokubetsu Jōnin or stronger.
But...
A thin beam of concentrated Qi shot from Aoba's fingertips, piercing the chest of the nearest ANBU like a laser.
Another died in seconds—neck snapped mid-sentence.
> "I'm not here to cause trouble," Aoba said sincerely. "I just came to borrow your Four-Tails."
The sincerity was undermined, somewhat, by the cracking of vertebrae beneath his grip.
> "They attacked first," he rationalized, stepping over another corpse. "If they hadn't, I wouldn't have had to do this."
> "You guys hold him off! I'll alert the Tsuchikage!"
One of the ANBU leapt away. Aoba raised his hand to launch a Hole Hole Wave, but the remaining guards surged forward, stalling him.
Knowing his taijutsu outclassed them, they shifted tactics—falling back and launching ranged Earth Release attacks to suppress him.
Futile.
Their chakra levels, their formation, even their desperation—it was all too familiar. Too weak.
Soon, Aoba stood before the door to Rōshi's chamber.
Dense sealing runes glowed across the threshold, forming a protective web designed by Iwagakure's elite fūinjutsu experts. These weren't weak—they were layered and dangerous.
Aoba frowned.
> "Seals. Damn things are the real plague of this world."
Even the Bijū agreed—sealing techniques were their natural enemy.
He couldn't teleport the Four-Tails out while the barrier stood. Worse, the trap was designed to kill the host if broken improperly—ensuring the Four-Tails would die with him.
That was unacceptable.
> "I didn't come here for a dead beast," Aoba thought grimly.
Thankfully, he had learned rudimentary Uzumaki sealing arts from Minato years ago—though far from mastery, the Uzumaki's legacy far outclassed Iwagakure's cobbled techniques.
Piece by piece, he began dismantling the array, careful not to trigger the suicide failsafe.
He was nearly done when his Observation Haki picked up a presence approaching from miles away—fast.
> "Heh... So the Tsuchikage's dogs are finally catching up. But you're still too late."
With a final surge, he tore open the door.
But when he stepped inside, his grin vanished.
Rōshi sat slumped inside, eyes wide with fear—but very much alive.
> "Try it," Aoba said coldly, sensing Rōshi's intent to kill himself. "If you even think about suicide—I'll slaughter your entire clan."
There was no emotion in his tone. No anger. No cruelty. Just certainty.
And that made it all the more terrifying.
Inside the dimly lit room, Roshi—crippled and unable to mold chakra—pressed a kunai against his own neck.
Blood streamed from a shallow self-inflicted wound, threatening to deepen at any second. Kawaki Aoba knew that if Roshi applied just a bit more pressure, his life would end instantly.
But instead of despair, Roshi let out a hoarse laugh.
"You think threatening me through my family will work? Hah! You're going to be disappointed. I've been an orphan since childhood. I don't have anyone left to threaten."
Kawaki Aoba fell silent for a moment.
"…Tch. Should've guessed. This world's full of orphans."
"You bastard… What are you doing back in Iwagakure?"
Despite the blood loss, Roshi's defiance bought him time—reinforcements were already on their way.
Kawaki Aoba turned to see the arrival of Ōnoki, the retired Third Tsuchikage. He sneered, eyes narrowing with contempt.
"Ōnoki. You managed to survive last time, old man. You should've stayed buried in your retirement. Jumping around like this again—aren't you worried I'll squash you like the insect you are?"
"Bastard!" Ōnoki snapped, fists trembling with fury.
But Kawaki Aoba dismissed him with a lazy wave. "Spare me the tantrums. I'm not here to pick a fight with you—yet. My goal is simple: the Four-Tails. Hand over Son Gokū, and I won't turn Iwagakure into a crater. Deal?"
Ōnoki clenched his jaw. He had no answer.
Had the Five Great Nations still stood united, he might have resisted. But facing this monster alone? He could already feel the despair spreading like a virus among the nearby shinobi.
Kawaki Aoba smirked. "Tsuchikage-dono, there's no need for all this tension. I'm working for the peace of the shinobi world, after all. Uchiha Madara—or the shadow of him that still lingers—continues to lurk, seeking the Tailed Beasts. If anything, me taking the Four-Tails off your hands is a public service."
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed. The audacity! This lunatic spoke of peace while threatening mass slaughter?
"You're worse than Madara…" he thought.
But hesitation hung heavy in the air. Kawaki Aoba sensed it and took a step forward.
Roshi's body swayed from blood loss. Time was running out.
"Kaio-ken."
With a low roar, a blood-red aura exploded from Kawaki Aoba's body. The very air trembled. Though not chakra, every shinobi present could feel its destructive nature.
Then—
"Kaio-ken x2."
The aura deepened in hue, doubling the pressure. Ōnoki's eyes widened as he instinctively floated backward, feeling the sheer killing intent saturate the space.
Roshi stumbled and collapsed, overwhelmed by the oppressive energy.
"Why is it you always force me to use violence?" Kawaki Aoba muttered.
He raised a hand and casually fired a glowing sphere of energy—a ki blast—toward a mountain in the distance.
BOOM!
The distant peak exploded in a thunderous shockwave. Rocks rained from the heavens.
Ōnoki's breath caught in his throat. This wasn't ninjutsu… This was something else—something made only to destroy.
Maintaining the doubled Kaio-ken strained Kawaki Aoba's body, but he didn't let it show. His goal was simple: end this fast and leave an impression no one would dare forget.
"Roshi. Last warning. Don't do anything stupid. Let me extract the Four-Tails peacefully—or I'll bury this entire village along with you."
Roshi let out a bloody laugh, voice rasping. He raised the kunai once more.
But before he could strike—
"Stop." Ōnoki's voice finally cut through the tension.
Roshi froze, stunned.
Ōnoki's gaze avoided his. "Much has changed since you were injured. This man… his power is real. If we refuse, Iwagakure will be annihilated. Do as he says."
Roshi stared at the elder who had once doubted him and scorned him for his recklessness. A thousand questions filled his heart, but the fear in Ōnoki's eyes told him everything.
The threat was real.
And so was the price of resistance.
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