Uchiha Madara was shocked—then furious.
The man immediately quit the game. Rage surged from his body in a terrifying pressure that made the entire underground cavern tremble. The army of White Zetsu trembled in fear, completely clueless as to what had set off Lord Madara.
Right now, Uchiha Madara was truly angry. Throughout his life, he hadn't cared about many people, but those he *did* care about were his reverse scale—his untouchable weakness. And of those, the most important were undoubtedly his best friend, Hashirama Senju, and his beloved younger brother, Uchiha Izuna.
Anyone who dared to use either of them to mess with him would face his wrath.
Now, the Shura of the shinobi world was enraged.
Not just angry—enraged beyond reason. He nearly wanted to reattach his Rinnegan and go to the Hidden Leaf just to start dancing madly again.
Fortunately, Madara hadn't lost all reason. Though boiling with fury, he maintained his composure, his presence like a volcano on the verge of eruption—terrifying to behold.
After a moment, once he calmed slightly, Madara spoke coldly. "White Zetsu... do you know what the hell is going on with that game? Why are Hashirama and Izuna appearing in it?"
The White Zetsu looked utterly baffled. They exchanged glances, and after a pause, one of them spoke up, saying they'd never heard of Hashirama or Izuna appearing in the game. But apparently, the game scanned each player's memories and included the two people they cared about most as NPCs.
Upon hearing this explanation, Madara went silent. Then his rage faded, and he sighed with emotion. "So that's it... Even after all these years, Hashirama, you're still irreplaceable to me."
Melancholy. Nostalgia. In that moment, Madara remembered countless things—his days as the Shura of the shinobi world, and his youthful memories with Hashirama.
Even the first time they met as children, he remembered it with vivid clarity. Time had not dulled the preciousness of those memories.
As for Uchiha Izuna...
Well, Izuna was his most important younger brother. It made perfect sense for him to appear in the game. No need to overthink it. The real issue... was *Hashirama*.
"Of course, Hashirama... Even now, I've never changed."
"But Hashirama, I'll prove to you that you were wrong. Only by executing the Eye of the Moon Plan can true peace ever come to this world."
"So before we meet again, let me spend some time with you in this genjutsu game..."
As he spoke, Madara re-entered the genjutsu game, returning to the scene where he stood behind bars, looking at his two companions.
Then came interaction with the NPCs. Their voices matched his memories exactly, and for a moment, Madara was dazed—it felt like he had truly returned to the past.
But he quickly snapped out of it. NPC Hashirama's overly serious tone felt completely off, nothing like the real Hashirama from his memories. It was jarring.
NPC Izuna, though, was spot on. Stern, serious, yet warm and close to him—just like the real Izuna. The only difference was that he didn't call Madara "Onii-chan."
Still, even if the game's Hashirama was different, Madara had to save both NPCs. Their appearances were identical to the ones in his memories.
Especially when they handed him investigative reports on the Gen Organization and the evil hospital in the game world. They urged him to flee immediately with the data and not worry about them. At that moment, Madara's expression turned cold.
A fire ignited in his chest. The lion in his eyes could no longer be hidden.
Today, Madara would save the two of them. No matter what. Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't stop him. If Madara said it, it *would* happen!
So he took action. He entered conquest mode—just like Danzo Shimura had two weeks ago, desperately trying to save NPC Tobirama Senju and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
And the result?
Danzo had already proven—after failing a hundred times—that the game's storyline was unchangeable.
And so—
"Damn it! I was so close! Why?!"
"Bastard! Damn monster!"
"Izunaaaaaaa!!"
"I'll kill you!!!"
"Why, Hashirama? Why would you save me?!"
"ARGHHHH—HASHIRAMAAAAAAA!!"
All his efforts were in vain. He watched Izuna die protecting him. Then Hashirama too, sacrificed himself fighting a lunatic monster to protect Madara.
Madara completely snapped.
Rage overwhelmed him. Pain he thought he had buried surged back, sharper than ever.
Because this time, it wasn't just Izuna.
Even Hashirama had died.
Both of them—died saving *him*. He was powerless. Useless. He couldn't save either of them.
Unforgivable. Unacceptable!
This ending. This story. This world—it was all a damn lie!
"AAAHHHH—!!"
A furious roar echoed.
The genjutsu game world shattered. Madara broke free of the scroll's restraints with sheer willpower. His consciousness snapped back to reality.
And at that moment—his Sharingan, previously a standard three-tomoe, began to transform. The tomoe melted and morphed, fusing into a triple-sickle blade design.
In that instant, Madara's aura exploded! Power surged around him.
Unmatched dominance. Unmatched presence. A chakra vortex burst from his body, shaking the entire underground chamber. The pressure made dozens of White Zetsu collapse flat to the ground.
That overwhelming might—was the return of the Madara of old. The terrifying young force that once crushed the entire shinobi world!
The White Zetsu were terrified, trembling, screaming. Only Tobi was excited, shouting:
"So awesome! So awesome! What happened to Lord Madara?! I don't get it, but it's so cool!"
"Eh? Why did Lord Madara's eyes change? That's the Mangekyō Sharingan, right? It is, isn't it?! So awesome! Lord Madara awakened the Mangekyō again? But why? Why now? Tobi's super curious!"
As he spoke, Tobi squirmed in excitement, full of anticipation and curiosity.
Then Madara, face expressionless, suddenly raised his gaze to Tobi and said:
"Tobi. Come here. Possess me."
Tobi, still confused, obeyed obediently. He wrapped himself around Madara. The vitality of the White Zetsu instantly surged into Madara's body, stabilizing what had nearly collapsed. Tobi finally realized—Madara had nearly died just moments ago.
It couldn't be helped. Madara was old. He relied on life support to survive. Awakening the Mangekyō in such a frail state was suicide.
Hadn't even the much younger and healthier Uchiha Setsuna died shortly after awakening his Mangekyō?
Opening the Mangekyō in a broken body really *was* asking for death.