The city of Budekan lay under a crimson sky, its impossible walls shimmering faintly with the Eternal Prison's glow. Inside, silence reigned—a calm that had grown heavy with power.
Madara Uchiha walked along the polished stone corridors of his fortress, cloak flowing like liquid shadow. The Akatsuki—Pain, Itachi, Konan, Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Obito—followed closely behind, moving with a mix of reverence and familiarity. Their usual rivalries and sarcasms softened in Budekan's halls; here, power and loyalty intertwined, binding them in ways they had never known outside.
Pain broke the quiet first, voice calm but firm.
"Monarch, the supply of chakra for the Demi Eternal Beasts is stable, but the seals are showing minor fluctuations."
Madara glanced at him, one Eternal 16-Tomoe Rinnegan spinning lazily.
"I expected nothing less. We'll refine them further. They must serve perfectly."
Itachi's gaze shifted toward a distant window, where Budekan's sky was a bleeding canvas of red. "And when the others realize what we have built?" he asked softly. "The shinobi world… it will tremble."
"Let them tremble," Madara replied, voice low and controlled. "We are beyond their understanding now."
Konan stepped beside him, her paper wings folding neatly behind her. "Yet even now, you are restless. You always walk as if seeking something else."
Madara paused, recalling a memory long buried.
---
A Glimpse of the Past
Years before, long before Budekan rose from the ashes of the Rain Village, Madara had been walking through a forgotten forest on the outskirts of the world. The trees whispered with wind, the shadows of beasts flitting between the trunks.
Then he saw her—a small girl, huddled behind a jagged rock, trembling as wild animals approached. Her eyes were wide, frightened, yet they burned with an intelligence that struck him.
"Why do you hide?" Madara asked, stepping into the clearing.
The girl flinched but did not run. "They… they'll kill me," she whispered.
Madara crouched low, calm, watching her. "Then you will learn to fight. You will not hide anymore."
From that day, he brought her to his side, training her in Budekan as the city began to take shape. Hours of combat drills, chakra control, and strategy—she learned quickly, absorbing everything as if her life depended on it. And it did.
---
Back in the present, Madara's lips curved into a faint smile. The memory was sharp, like a knife across his calm.
The girl—Neya—was somewhere in Budekan now, sparring with a combination of shadows and Obito's chakra constructs, her movements precise, ruthless, yet still holding the spark of her humanity.
Obito, noticing Madara's glance, smirked. "She's adapting well. Faster than I expected."
Madara's eye softened for a moment. "Good. She must survive what is coming. And she must be ready when the Eternal Eyes awaken fully."
Kisame chuckled, shaking the water from his hair. "The kid's scary enough already. What happens when she grows into your full expectations, huh?"
Hidan twirled his scythe absentmindedly, muttering, "As long as she doesn't start giving me orders, I'm fine."
Madara's attention returned to the corridor. "You all know your roles. Obito, Itachi, Hidan—coordinate the Demi Eternal Beasts' drills. Pain, Konan—refine the seals. Kisame, Kakuzu—fortify the outer defenses. Budekan cannot fail under the Eternal Eye's scrutiny."
The Akatsuki moved with silent agreement, each carrying the weight of purpose Madara had given them.
---
Outside Budekan
Far away, the world had not stopped moving. The threat of the Akatsuki's Eternal Eyes loomed like a storm on the horizon.
Boruto and Sarada trained relentlessly on a rocky plateau, sunlight glinting off their weapons and chakra flares.
Boruto wiped sweat from his brow. "I can feel them, Sarada… the Akatsuki. They're stronger than ever."
Sarada's Sharingan flickered, analyzing the distant horizon. "It's not just them. Madara's power—he's back. And the Eternal Eyes… they're more dangerous than before."
Boruto asked sarada 'where is sasuke"
She replied"dad just got his rinnegan back by idk how that fight with the autsutsuki and eternal beasts rally drwn dad and the seventh hokage'
They sparred with each other, exchanging blows in a deadly dance of skill and instinct. Every strike, every maneuver was a lesson in anticipation, preparing them for the inevitable clash with Budekan's forces.
---
Back in Budekan, Neya's training ended with her kneeling before Madara, breathing heavily.
"Again tomorrow," Madara said, his voice calm, almost fatherly. "You have to surpass even my expectations. The world will not wait."
She nodded, determination in her eyes. "I will be ready, Master."
Itachi approached quietly. "She's improving faster than anticipated. One day, she may even rival your Eternal Eyes' influence."
Madara's Rinnegan shifted slightly, a shadow of pride passing through his calm demeanor. "Perhaps. But she must understand… power alone does not command respect. Discipline, patience, strategy—that is what she will need to survive."
Outside, the wind carried whispers of the coming storms, of battles that would shape the future. The Eternal Eyes of the Akatsuki glimmered across Budekan, unblinking, eternal, waiting.
And in the quiet of Budekan, training and plotting, the future's threads were being woven—carefully, dangerously, and with purpose.
---