Inside the caverns of Shikkotsu Forest.
Ever since they had begun learning to sense and manipulate natural energy, Madara had been secretly competing with Kaito at every opportunity.
Especially during the sensory training phase, Kaito ‘s seemingly instinctive talent made Madara feel as though he was being outperformed.
As a result, he trained day and night without rest.
Smack!
He was struck again.
“Don’t rush it!” Katsuyu scolded.
“You nearly turned into a slug just now!”
“Damn it…”
Madara shot an irritated glance to the side.
There sat Hashirama, cross-legged atop a stalactite, surrounded by green natural energy.
Yet despite gathering it around himself, he still couldn’t absorb it properly.
“Tch…”
The Mangekyō Sharingan in Madara’s eyes swirled with frustration.
“So this is the advantage of a Sage Body?
Fine.
I’m not inferior to you.”
A few days later, however, the situation reversed.
Madara had already begun absorbing natural energy successfully, while Kaito was still struggling.
“Hmph, hmph~”
Madara’s eyes curved with amusement as he revealed a rare smile.
“Well, Hashirama?
Need my help?”
“Tch!
You’re only ahead of me by a little!
I’ll surpass you soon enough!”
“Impossible.”
For the next stretch of time, the two competed constantly.
Although Madara was exceptionally powerful, his progress in mastering Senjutsu remained slow.
Kaito , despite possessing the body of a natural sage, had no actual foundation and had to learn everything from scratch.
Gradually, the two developed a unique rivalry.
For Madara, it also became an outlet for the frustrations he had bottled up for years.
But when they reached the stage of entering Sage Mode, both of them suffered immensely.
Kaito nearly lost his mind.
To train, they were forced to immerse themselves in a pool of highly corrosive liquid.
His eyes, ears, nose, and every inch of his skin felt as though they were being dissolved by acid.
The pain was unbearable.
Only by circulating natural energy throughout his body could he alleviate the agony, forcing him to maintain constant control and improve his mastery.
…
“You’ve finally learned to absorb and utilize natural energy proficiently.”
Katsuyu’s enormous voice echoed through the cavern.
“If not for Hashirama’s unusual constitution, I would never have had the patience to teach you this much.”
“Now hurry and go to Mount Myōboku.”
Madara let out a cold laugh and was about to retort.
“Thank you, Lady Katsuyu, for your patient guidance.
We’ll honor our agreement.”
Kaito quickly interrupted before Madara could speak.
“Time waits for no one.
Let’s go.”
After leaving the cave—
Madara remained silent, his face cold.
“Still angry?” Kaito asked helplessly.
“They helped us quite a bit.
There’s no need to complain about that.”
Madara snorted.
“A mere old slug, calling itself a sage.”
“If it weren’t useful, I would have split it in half long ago.”
“And it actually dared to throw us out.”
Smack.
Kaito slapped his own forehead.
“Fine.
You’re right.”
He sighed.
“When we meet the Great Toad Sage, I’ll handle all the negotiations.”
Madara simply turned his head away.
Seeing that, Kaito changed the subject.
“I wonder where Black Zetsu is hiding right now…”
After a day’s travel, they arrived at a pond somewhere within the Land of Fire.
Diving into the water, they soon encountered something extraordinary.
The underwater passage became narrower and narrower, yet seemed endless.
Powerful currents carried massive boulders toward them.
Madara and Kaito forced their way through with ninjutsu and finally emerged from the water, drenched and exhausted.
The moment he surfaced, Kaito gasped desperately for air.
He had nearly become the most pathetic transmigrator in history by drowning.
“Huff…
huff…”
Even Madara had reached his limit.
“Next time, I’m never trusting you again.”
Kaito coughed repeatedly.
“I didn’t know the passage wasn’t actually meant for humans.”
The route they had taken was the same hidden pathway used by Shima during the Pain Invasion.
“So this is Mount Myōboku…”
Kaito looked around.
The leaves of the enormous plants were as large as rooftops.
Strange cone-shaped structures dotted the cliffsides like houses.
Far in the distance, waterfalls split the dark green forests like silver ribbons.
The sounds of insects and rushing water intertwined.
“Welcome, honored guests!”
Two small middle-aged toads suddenly leaped in front of them, smiling warmly.
“I am Fukasaku,” one said.
“And this is my wife, Shima.”
“The Great Toad Sage foresaw your arrival and sent us to receive you.”
“Oh?”
Madara raised an eyebrow.
“So that old toad has some skill after all.”
“And its attitude is much better than that old slug’s.”
“Uh…
haha…”
Fukasaku and Shima immediately broke into cold sweats.
Kaito spared them the embarrassment.
“I assume you already know why we’ve come.
Lead the way, and we can talk as we walk.”
The two sages began hopping forward.
“Actually, we don’t know.”
Fukasaku shook his head.
“The Great Toad Sage only occasionally glimpses fragments of the future while dreaming.”
“We’ve come to learn Mount Myōboku’s methods of utilizing natural energy.”
Fukasaku paused.
“Then perhaps the Great Toad Sage wishes to ask you something.”
“Normally, he doesn’t concern himself with minor matters like teaching Sage Arts.”
After crossing forests and barren fields, they arrived at a massive cave atop the mountain.
Madara couldn’t help but comment:
“Another cave?”
“As expected of animals.”
Kaito , however, seemed thoughtful.
“I think it’s because caves preserve natural energy more effectively and improve absorption efficiency.”
Shima nodded approvingly.
“Smart boy.
You’ve got talent.”
At that moment, a gigantic red elderly toad seated ahead of them finally spoke.
“You’ve arrived just in time.”
“Before I fall asleep again, let us get to the point.”
“My name is Gamamaru.”
“When I was young, I guided Hagoromo—the one you call the Sage of Six Paths—in the study of Sage Arts.”
Madara immediately abandoned his skepticism.
His expression became solemn.
“How do you prove that?”
“The dead require no proof.”
Gamamaru slowly closed one eye.
“What matters is what comes next.”
“Recently, I witnessed two visions in my dreams.”
“In one, two men changed the fate of the entire world.”
“Through overwhelming power and extraordinary means, they ended all conflict, unified the world, and brought about true peace.”
“The two worked together flawlessly.”
“Although one of them lost his way for a time, he eventually regained his resolve.”
“Together, they created a golden age.”
Madara frowned.
“Lost his way?”
“Hashirama?”
“The protagonists of this story…”
Gamamaru slowly opened his eyes.
“…were the two of you.”
Before either man could celebrate, the Great Toad Sage’s expression darkened.
“However, that peace did not last.”
“In another vision…”
“The world had become barren.”
“Uchiha Madara lay in a pool of blood.”
“His eye sockets were empty.”
“Senju Hashirama had become little more than a dried corpse.”
“Bodies covered the land.”
“And above them floated a black shadow.”
“Before I could see clearly, I awoke.”
“What?!”
“Nani?!”
Both men were stunned.
“Impossible!”
Madara’s anger exploded.
“With Hashirama’s strength and mine, there is no one in this world capable of defeating us!”
He stomped the ground.
Cracks spread throughout the cavern.
Several small toads were sent flying into the walls by the shockwave, croaking miserably.
A blue skeletal structure materialized behind him.
Fragments of stone began raining from the ceiling.
“Ridiculous!”
“Utter nonsense!”
His crimson Mangekyō Sharingan locked onto Gamamaru.
Fukasaku and Shima immediately leaped in front of the Great Toad Sage.
Hands clasped together, they activated a barrier to withstand the pressure radiating from Madara’s Susanoo.
Meanwhile, Kaito clenched his fists.
His mind raced desperately through everything he remembered from Naruto.
A Divine Tree puppet?
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki?
Some unknown Ōtsutsuki?
What the hell was it?
He nearly drove himself mad trying to figure it out.
“Hey.”
Madara’s deep voice suddenly sounded beside him.
“Are you alright?”
Kaito snapped back to reality.
He shook his head.
“I’m fine.
I just…”
“Hashirama.”
Madara interrupted him.
“You’ve lost your composure.”
“It doesn’t matter who they are.”
“If our strength is sufficient, then the prophecy will never come true.”
Cough.
The Great Toad Sage interrupted.
“Do not panic.”
“That future likely lies many years ahead.”
“We still have time.”
“If there is anything you require, ask.”
“We?”
Kaito looked up.
“That’s right.”
Gamamaru nodded.
“No one escapes a catastrophe that destroys the world.”
“Mount Myōboku will aid you with everything it can.”
“I will also contact the other two Great Sage Regions and ask for their assistance.”
“Unfortunately, that is all we can do.”
Kaito grumbled inwardly.
That’s all?
Back then, you gave Hagoromo the talisman that resurrected him.
Funny how that doesn’t come up now.
Only then did Madara dismiss his Susanoo.
Still, he replied arrogantly:
“Creatures like you should serve the strong.”
“I thought we agreed that I’d handle the negotiations…”
Kaito muttered.
Madara glared at him.
“And you should stop acting so pathetic.”
“You’re the man who defeated me.”
“Understand?”
“Heh…”
Kaito laughed awkwardly.
“Thanks for worrying about me.”
“I’ve figured it out.”
“Those were only possible futures.”
“Now that we know about them, we won’t allow them to happen.”
Satisfaction appeared in Madara’s eyes.
His expression finally softened.
“One more question.”
Kaito turned toward the Great Toad Sage.
“When you saw Uchiha Madara in that vision…
what did his eyes look like?”
“Hmm…”
Gamamaru thought for a moment.
“I believe they had red patterns.”
“I see.”
Kaito ‘s heart surged with excitement.
Good.
The Rinnegan project has to begin immediately.
But first, we need more power.
We have to speed things up.
He immediately began forming hand seals.
Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique!
Eight wooden figures burst from his back, rapidly transforming into identical copies of himself.
They scattered in different directions.
“Let’s proceed according to the original plan.”