Uchiha Madara threw his head back and laughed, loud and triumphant, enjoying the chance to boast.
Uchiha Gen let him. His expression stayed relaxed, almost amused. Madara's plan had already been wrecked, so letting the old man vent a little was harmless.
There was no point arguing with someone who was already dead.
Besides, Madara's scheme truly had been impressive. He had played Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama with absolute precision.
Everyone else listening felt a spark of excitement. Secrets from the past always stirred something inside people.
Only Tsunade and Jiraiya reacted differently. Tsunade had her own reasons, and Jiraiya was reminded of Nagato. The idea that the Rinnegan had appeared twice in the world was so unlikely that the implications became terrifying.
Pakura lowered her voice. "Gen, what exactly is Izanagi?"
Gen projected his voice so the entire room could hear. He no longer cared about keeping the technique hidden. Revealing it only strengthened the Uchiha name and deterred the world.
"Izanagi is one of the Uchiha Clan's forbidden techniques. When activated, it turns any harmful event that happens to the user during its duration into something that never occurred, while allowing favorable results to remain real. It is an ocular technique that rewrites death and makes the user temporarily invincible."
Many people stiffened at his explanation. A few barely reacted. Uchiha Shisui looked proud, which said a lot, considering how reserved he normally was. If Sasuke had been here, he would have been wagging his tail in excitement.
Hashirama suddenly frowned and glared at Tobirama. "You secretly dug up Madara's body for research? Did what I said go in one ear and out the other?"
Tobirama shrank back slightly. When his brother was truly angry, he felt it. He lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Big Brother."
He then turned his glare on Madara. "Don't look so pleased. After all your elaborate schemes, didn't a junior still ruin everything?"
Madara's face twitched, annoyed but trying not to show it.
"That is not necessarily true. There is still a chance for recovery." His eyes slid toward Gen. "Isn't that right?"
He took on a calm tone. "Gen, you are not that old. If you follow my instructions, you still have a great chance to awaken the Rinnegan. After you awaken it, how about completing my plan? You would bring peace to this world. You would become this world's savior and its master."
Tobirama's expression darkened and he quickly spoke up. "You are Tsunade's man, right? Grandson in law, do not listen to him. Nothing good ever comes that easily. My intuition says this is a bad idea."
He had no intuition at all. He simply did not want Madara to get his way.
Hashirama smiled. "Madara, what is your plan? Tell us."
"I will not tell you." Madara sounded normal, but the refusal came off almost childish.
"What I said is true. If I were not restrained, I would complete it myself."
Gen shook his head lightly. "Senior, based on what you described, I cannot awaken the Rinnegan."
"Impossible. I accomplished it myself. If you lack the resolve, do not blame me," Madara said firmly.
Gen continued with a steady voice. "I once traveled through the Pure Land in spirit and encountered Otsutsuki Hamura. You may not know the name, but you certainly know his older brother, the Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Hagoromo."
The room fell silent.
"Hamura's strength was on par with his brother's. The Hyuga Clan is descended from his line. Hamura told me that Hagoromo had two sons. The elder, Indra, is the ancestor of the Uchiha. The younger, Ashura, is the ancestor of the Senju and the Uzumaki."
Shock rippled deep among the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki clans. Even the others were stunned.
"The brothers' ideals clashed just like yours and First Hokage's. Even after their deaths, their chakra remained in the world, constantly reincarnating through your three clans. Under that influence, the Uchiha and Senju fought for a thousand years."
Gen's gaze passed over Hashirama and Madara. "You two were their previous incarnations."
"Hamura told me that only when Indra and Ashura's chakra merge and evolve into the chakra of the Sage of Six Paths can the Rinnegan awaken. Ordinary unions of Senju and Uchiha power do nothing. This is not a theory. It is fact. I saw both of your souls sleeping in the Pure Land within the domain of Hamura and the Sage of Six Paths."
His tone shifted, more pragmatic. "And I have no interest in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. I inherited your old ideals, Senior Madara, and built on them."
He took a quiet breath. "After First and Second Hokage passed, three great wars devastated the world. Each was worse than the last. In the Third War, even children were sent to the front. I was one of those children."
He looked directly at them. "The First Hokage's ideals could not hold. So I intend to realize yours. But I will go further. I will not only unify the hidden villages but also unify the nations so that the world becomes one country."
"To be honest, the reason I summoned the three of you with Edo Tensei was to request your help. Hidden Sand has already agreed to merge with Konoha. Our next target is Hidden Cloud, then Iwagakure and Hidden Mist. After that, the smaller villages and finally the lands themselves."
He finished calmly. "Are the three of you willing to help? If not, I can only forcefully control your bodies. You would not like that, would you?"
Silence settled over the room. The weight of the information forced everyone to absorb it slowly.
Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were shocked. They had only known fragments, if anything.
Gen spoke again. "Konoha has already come to a unified decision. This must be done."
After a long pause, Tobirama was the first to respond. Arms crossed, voice cold, he said, "I am willing. I always felt Big Brother was too merciful. So merciful that he lost strength. Madara was too extreme. In those early years, the world was exhausted from the Warring States era. People wanted peace. I believed we needed to wait, but too many unexpected things happened."
Gen offered a faint smile and stayed quiet. What mattered was that Tobirama agreed.
Hashirama's expression grew heavy. "Children are dying again, and the wars are worse than before. This is my failure. It seems my ideals truly cannot work."
He lifted his chin. "Then let us try Madara's and yours. I am willing to help."
The room brightened with relief.
Madara looked conflicted. He had never expected this junior to inherit his dream and expand it beyond anything he imagined. The inheritor of the old ideals had defeated the inheritor of the new ones and overturned the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Madara wondered if this was destiny.