After traveling all the way to the border between the Land of Grass and Konoha, White Zetsu pointed toward a pitch-black cave ahead. "Madara's inside. Come with me."
Yuzuru Uchiha glanced at the cave and said calmly, "Let's go."
By now, Madara could likely only rely on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to sustain his life. Still, with his dual Kamui and numerous hidden cards, Yuzuru wasn't particularly worried about any danger.
The two entered the mountain cave one after the other, soon arriving in a dim underground chamber.
The cavern wasn't large; just a dozen candles were enough to light it entirely.
Weapons of every kind hung from the walls, and within many wall recesses lay countless scrolls and several cultivation jars holding scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan.
At the deepest part of the cave, an old man with wrinkled, withered skin and a full head of white hair sat quietly on a stone chair.
As Yuzuru Uchiha and White Zetsu entered, the old man slowly opened his eyes.
"You've come…"
His voice was weak, yet the three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes radiated terrifying Dōjutsu Power.
Yuzuru spoke evenly. "You are Uchiha Madara?"
"That's right." The old man nodded and, leaning on his staff, stepped up to Yuzuru.
After studying him carefully, Madara's lips curved into a faint smile. "An impressive child. I can feel the immense power within your eyes."
"You've… awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, haven't you?"
Yuzuru replied coolly, "That's something nearly every shinobi in the world already knows. No need to bring it up."
"Though you…" Yuzuru feigned surprise. "Didn't you die in the Valley of the End?"
Of course, he already knew the truth, but he couldn't reveal it.
His greatest secret—was that he had transmigrated into this world.
Madara's gaze dimmed with reminiscence before he spoke slowly. "Back then, Hashirama and I fought for three days and nights in the Valley of the End. In the end, his blade pierced my chest."
"Everyone thought I was dead. But, that was all part of my plan."
"You're now the Uchiha clan head, so you must know of Izanagi—the forbidden Sharingan technique, yes?"
Yuzuru nodded silently.
Madara continued. "I used Izanagi in advance to rewrite my death and secretly left Konoha."
"My true goal was always to obtain Hashirama's flesh and blood."
With that, Madara pulled down his robe to reveal Hashirama's face embedded in his chest. "On the stone tablet in the Naka Shrine, I learned many truths and gained the power of All Creation."
"And in my twilight years, I obtained the eyes once belonging to the Sage of Six Paths—the Rinnegan."
"In the Land of Rain, you must have seen that child of the Uzumaki clan."
Yuzuru stroked his chin. "You made Nagato the vessel for nurturing the Rinnegan? What is your true goal?"
Madara chuckled. "Naturally, to find a successor—someone who could use those eyes to carry out my plan."
"So that's it…" Yuzuru finally understood why Madara had sought him out. "You've chosen me as your successor?"
"Indeed." Madara's tone grew solemn. "Nagato has already gone to the Hidden Cloud to seek your allegiance. With your current strength and his Rinnegan, it shouldn't be too difficult to gather all nine tailed beasts."
"Once the Ten Tails is revived, you can become its jinchuriki and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"In that illusionary world, everyone's wishes will come true, and the shinobi world will know no more war."
"Well? Are you willing to become the ruler of the new world in my stead?"
Seeing Madara's expectant eyes, Yuzuru thought for a moment, then smiled. "It does sound rather appealing."
"But after all your years of planning, you'd really just let me execute it for you? Does such luck exist in this world?"
Madara sighed. "You've seen my state. I have the will, but not the strength."
"I only ask that before you cast the Eye of the Moon Plan, you use the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive me—so that I can witness that moment with my own eyes."
Yuzuru rubbed his chin again and nodded. "That's acceptable."
Seeing Yuzuru agree, Madara said in a deep voice, "Come closer. I'll reveal everything to you within a genjutsu world."
But Yuzuru shook his head. "No need. Just tell me your plan directly."
Madara shrugged indifferently and gestured to White Zetsu.
When White Zetsu stepped forward, Madara placed his hand on the creature's shoulder.
In the next moment, black matter spread, engulfing half of White Zetsu's body.
"This is the embodiment of my will. In the future, it will tell you everything about the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"It is also time for me, this wandering soul, to go where I belong."
With that, Madara forced himself forward, snapping the tubes connecting his body to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Moments later, all vitality drained from him, leaving behind only a lifeless corpse.
After his death, Yuzuru sealed all of Madara's possessions into a scroll.
The Uchiha fan he slung across his back.
Once everything was done, Zetsu asked, "Yuzuru, what should we do next?"
Yuzuru smiled and patted his shoulder. "Next… Kamui!"
Before Zetsu could react, Yuzuru activated his Mangekyō Sharingan ability and warped him into the Kamui space.
The sudden change left Zetsu bewildered. "Yuzuru, what are you doing sending me here?"
Arms crossed, Yuzuru said calmly, "Madara's plan doesn't interest me. From now on, you'll stay here forever."
"What?!"
Black Zetsu's expression twisted in panic.
If he were trapped inside Kamui, what would happen to his plan? He had no way out of this cursed dimension!
More importantly, he couldn't understand—how had Yuzuru gone from agreeing to the Eye of the Moon Plan one moment to rejecting it the next?
"Yuzuru," Black Zetsu growled, "don't you want to see true peace in the shinobi world?"
"Don't you desire eternal life and absolute power?"
"Madara is dead, and you've taken all his legacy—what more could you possibly need?"