Uchiha Madara.
An uninvited guest.
Emiya Shihara had some knowledge about this name.
But he couldn't afford to show it—not in front of Black Zetsu. In fact, he even turned to Black Zetsu with a look of mild surprise, hoping it would offer some information about the mysterious arrival.
"Black Zetsu… do you know who he is?"
"…"
Black Zetsu hesitated, unsure how to answer.
After all, Uchiha Madara was the pawn it had selected in its long game to revive Kaguya. It had spent years orchestrating every step of Madara's descent into its trap, weaving an elaborate plan to exploit his ambitions. And yet, after meeting Emiya Shihara, Black Zetsu was prepared to discard Madara without a second thought.
Of course—
That wasn't something it could ever admit.
"I know him," Black Zetsu said at last, nodding.
But there was no time for an in-depth conversation. Madara's presence loomed ever closer, and Black Zetsu had to ask the most pressing question of all.
"Shihara," it said urgently, "when you inherited the power of the Sage of Six Paths…"
Its gaze fell on Shihara's ordinary-looking eyes.
"…the Rinnegan you once implanted—does it still exist in this world?"
The Rinnegan.
The starting point of Black Zetsu's plan to resurrect Kaguya. It had always been the most critical element.
"That pair of Rinnegan…"
"I remember asking Katsuyu to destroy them," Shihara said, rubbing his temple with a troubled expression. "Back then, I was planning to donate my body to medical research after death. I feared those eyes could fall into the wrong hands and be used to wreak havoc on the ninja world. So, once I returned to Shikkotsu Forest, I removed them and restored my original eyes."
"…"
Black Zetsu fell silent.
Well… it had suspected as much.
If the Sage of Six Paths' eyes were gone, they were gone.
To be honest, Black Zetsu had always feared that keeping the Rinnegan around would only invite trouble.
"…Forget it," Black Zetsu finally said, waving a hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter."
"Even though recreating the Rinnegan is extremely difficult… it's not impossible."
"And the person who's coming now—"
"He might just be the perfect candidate."
Someone truly capable of awakening the Rinnegan.
Black Zetsu could already feel Uchiha Madara drawing closer. It sank silently into the shadows, leaving only a final instruction behind.
"Shihara. Don't reveal our secret. Don't harm him. Just… find out what he wants."
"…"
Emiya Shihara's eye twitched.
This was going to be difficult.
He wasn't a good liar—not in front of Black Zetsu. He couldn't afford to fabricate a story carelessly, and lying too convincingly might make Zetsu suspicious of him.
He couldn't speak freely—not without losing Zetsu's trust.
And he couldn't afford to deceive Madara too poorly either—or the man might grow wary.
Too clumsy, and Madara would notice something was off.
Too skilled, and Zetsu would.
Besides…
Uchiha Madara was clearly not here with good intentions.
As an Edo Tensei corpse, Shihara's power was already restricted. And with Zetsu watching, he couldn't freely use his Eternal Mangekyō or the Rinnegan either. If Madara picked a fight, it wouldn't be easy to win…
Worse still…
Madara probably was here to start a fight.
Unless—
Unless the arrogant bastard didn't bother investigating and tried to hit him with a Sharingan genjutsu right off the bat…
Creaaak.
The window opened with a whisper.
Shihara instinctively turned around.
A single, crimson eye stared back at him.
It was like a full moon, reflected in his own pupils. Three black tomoe orbited its center, eerie and hypnotic.
"Hmph…"
"Drown in the illusions of the Sharingan."
Madara's lips curled into a cold smirk.
Arrogant as ever, he formed a single seal with his fingers and unleashed his Sharingan genjutsu from the window—his preferred method of battle.
Simple.
Effective.
Safe.
He had no interest in stirring up commotion. He intended to kidnap Emiya Shihara quietly, cleanly, and with total control.
And he had the power to do so.
His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was the most advanced of its kind. Even with one eye sacrificed to cast Izanagi, his remaining eye could still subdue a tailed beast with ease.
"Other than Hashirama…"
"No one in this world can resist a genjutsu of this level," Madara muttered, his voice laced with disdain.
…
Shihara's consciousness sank instantly into the illusion.
But—
Genjutsu was a clash of wills, a battle of spiritual energy.
And when Madara's consciousness entered Shihara's mental realm, seeking to plant the seeds of control…
Something was wrong.
He saw… a leg.
Normally, when a member of the Uchiha clan invaded someone's mind through genjutsu, they appeared like a god—towering, divine, irresistible.
The sheer spiritual force they carried overwhelmed their target's will, instilling fear so profound it rendered the mind pliable to the Sharingan's commands.
But this time—
Madara, the strongest of all Uchiha—
Found something terribly wrong.
He looked up.
And up.
And up—
Towering over him in this spiritual domain was a giant, majestic figure. The sheer force of its soul dwarfed his own.
This man…
What kind of monster has a soul like this?!
"!!!"
Madara's Sharingan flared in shock.
"Good evening."
Emiya Shihara's voice boomed like thunder across the psychic plane. His hand extended from the void above, descending gently to rest on Madara's shoulder—
—and in an instant, shattered his will.
"Impossible…"
Madara staggered back, clutching his eye in agony.
What kind of joke is this?!
Other than Hashirama, no one should be able to resist his illusions—let alone crush them effortlessly!
The backlash from a broken genjutsu reverberated through his mind, sharper than a blade.
Before he could even react, Shihara was already upon him. A black curse mark lit up at his fingertip, jabbing toward Madara's arm!
"A curse seal?!"
Madara tried to dodge—
Too late.
His chakra reserves were too low.
Shihara's finger touched his arm, and the black curse seal instantly spread across his skin.
"Tch… just a curse mark…"
Madara gritted his teeth through the searing mental pain. He raised his hand to dispel it—but froze.
This energy… wasn't ordinary.
It was nature energy.
Madara knew of it—Hashirama had bragged more than once about mastering Sage Mode through nature energy.
Just who the hell is this man?
Where had Tobirama found a doctor like this?
He couldn't believe someone this powerful had been hidden away in the ninja world.
Only one thing echoed in his mind:
**"Lord Emiya"—**the title Tobirama had once used.
Madara had thought it was just a show of respect for a court physician.
He hadn't imagined…
It was respect for power.
Damn it.
His plan—
He knew his own state well.
After the battle with Hashirama, he'd used Izanagi to fake his death. But it had left him nearly depleted. His chakra was running on fumes, and his vision hadn't recovered.
At best, he could summon a third-stage Susanoo.
This was bad.
He'd misjudged.
Worst of all—
His attempt to abduct Emiya Shihara quietly had failed. Any more noise would alert Konoha.
No—Konoha was already alerted.
Everything was falling apart.
He had meant to stay hidden…
Now, he was going to be exposed.
Madara gritted his teeth and leapt toward the ceiling.
He had to escape.
"You think you can run?"
Shihara raised his fingers.
The curse mark across Madara's body flared again. The natural energy embedded within it disrupted his chakra flow completely.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't even twitch.
Unless—
Unless he used Susanoo.
But if he activated it—
Everyone would know he was alive.
Still—
If the fight continued like this, he would lose.
And if Hashirama found out he was alive, he'd come. With his absurd regenerative powers, he'd recover faster than Madara ever could.
Then there was Tobirama—the sneaky rat—and the rest of the Hidden Leaf…
"This man…"
Madara clenched his teeth in fury, his hands shaking.
He gathered the last of his chakra.
The strain triggered a violent surge in his Sharingan—
Only through his Susanoo could he shatter the seal and regain mobility!
BOOM!
A massive, blue Susanoo erupted into existence.
It wasn't armored—its form barely complete, its head still unfinished.
But—
This Susanoo was unmistakable.
Everyone in the village had seen it before.
In that instant—
All of Konoha boiled over.
"Is that—"
"Uchiha Madara's Susanoo?!"