Meanwhile, Obito and White Zetsu emerged once more near Madara, the distortion of Kamui fading into the scorched air.
Madara turned toward him, his gaze sharp but faintly amused. "So, you're still alive, Obito. You've changed and grown… and you even reclaimed the other eye. Hmph, seems you're not entirely useless after all."
Obito lowered his head slightly, hiding his expression. "I followed your path, as planned," he said quietly.
His tone carried neither defiance nor pride—just acceptance.
A year ago, he might have imagined himself surpassing Madara, carrying out the Eye of the Moon Plan on his own without ever summoning him back.
But after witnessing Madara stand against that godlike intruder, forcing it to retreat, the truth became painfully clear.
He could never match this man.
Obito exhaled slowly, his remaining pride settling into silent obedience.
He now understood his place, not as the successor, but as the shadow that would ensure Madara's plan reached completion.
After a moment of silence, the conversation shifted.
The battle had ended, the dust had settled, and only the three of them remained amid what used to be a small but proper hidden village.
They discussed what had happened in the world during his short, but turbulent, absence.
Obito first explained the progress of Akatsuki under him, how its structure had already spread quietly across nations: cells, hideouts, supply routes, informants, everything.
He mentioned that before the intruder's attack, they had nearly finished extracting their first catch, the One-Tail, at least ninety-five percent of it sealed successfully into the Statue.
Madara listened with his arms crossed, eyes half-closed, his expression unreadable. "So that's why the statue reacted so violently," he said at last. "And the attack struck right inside the chamber… fitting. He must have followed its chakra massive signature straight to here somehow, despite your technology and Rinnegan's transmission miscellaneous powers."
His expression darkened slightly as he remembered the red-haired boy, Nagato, for some reason. In truth, he hadn't seen his death.
During the chaos, he had been focused on his own unexpected revival, first as Edo Tensei, then fully alive again through Rinne Rebirth, reacquainting himself with the warmth of flesh and the vigor of prime youth.
Now that he thought of it, though, it all added up. Black Zetsu had already taken the boy's eyes before his full return, and with such a frail body, Nagato had likely perished in the aftermath of the clash, perhaps alongside that paper-user who followed him everywhere.
Madara exhaled through his nose. "So that's the end of that piece," he said quietly. "A waste of potential, but inevitable."
Obito nodded once, not daring to add anything.
They turned next to the issue that mattered most—exposure.
The destruction of Amegakure was absolute.
No one could have survived within the blast radius, and by now, word would spread across every major village.
An entire hidden village and half a small nation were erased in one night.
It would draw attention faster than anything they'd done before.
"We'll need a new base of operations," Madara said flatly. "This place is compromised beyond repair."
Obito's Sharingan flickered. "I already have one. Kirigakure," he said. "The Fourth Mizukage is under my control. The village follows his orders without question."
Madara's eyes opened slightly, a flicker of intrigue passing through them, perhaps at the irony of Obito choosing the very village he had once used for his own unseen schemes against him.
Still, his tone remained composed as he replied, "Kirigakure, hm… isolated, shrouded, and politically fractured great village. A perfect breeding ground."
He glanced at Obito, his tone faintly approving. "You've done well, then. Perhaps you're finally learning what it means to think like me."
Obito didn't respond. He only nodded, quietly relieved that the praise came without mockery this time.
Madara turned, facing the horizon where the ruins met the rising dawn. "Then it's decided. We'll move the statue there. Secure it, and rebuild."
"The world will soon be trembling from what's happened here, and before long, war will swallow it again."
He paused briefly, the wind tugging at his hair as if time itself had stopped to listen.
"And when it does," he added softly, "We will rise from the ashes of that chaos and remake this world in truth."
They continued talking about the ongoing global war and similar matters next when Madara's gaze suddenly sharpened the moment Obito mentioned the Second Hokage's name again.
"Tobirama…" he repeated slowly, voice low and edged. "So that snake was really dragged back into this world. Typical of him to also crawl out of the grave the moment something threatens his order."
Obito gave a short nod. "Yes. According to our intel, Hiruzen and Danzō used the perfected Edo Tensei when they were cornered by that Ryusei Senju. He's… not just another rogue. The village wanted him dead for years, as you already know. But he grew even more tremendously powerful before your passing, even, and he's not alone anymore. Tsunade is still on his side, Orochimaru, Uchiha clan, perhaps, and so is Ashina Uzumaki, reanimated or reborn somehow into a younger host. Together, they forced Danzō and Hiruzen to summon Tobirama just to survive in return. Afterward, Tobirama stayed and took control of Konoha in everything but name. Some time later, he also revived Hashirama to stabilize the situation."
For a long moment, Madara said nothing. The faint wind was the only sound between them.
Then he exhaled quietly, though his eyes gleamed with both irritation and something resembling curiosity.
"So," he said, "the village really has fallen that far. First, they resurrect the dead to clean up their failures, and now even my old rival and his brother rule as corpses refusing to quit." His tone was calm, but a thin smile tugged at his lips. "It's almost poetic."
He closed his eyes briefly, recalling the Senju he once fought against and beside. "But Ryusei Senju... I remember that name. A descendant of the revivalist faction."
Madara's expression hardened. "So, one of Hashirama's bloodline finally started thinking properly. No blind idealism, just will and strength. Interesting."
Obito stayed silent, watching his master think.
Madara's hand came to rest under his chin. "Tobirama ruling the Leaf again, Ryusei rising from the ashes of the Senju, and even Ashina Uzumaki walking the world once more... this balance is collapsing faster than I imagined."
He turned his gaze toward the horizon, his Rinnegan glinting faintly. "Perhaps that boy's rebellion will serve its purpose. If he continues pushing, he'll break the Leaf from within... and then, there will be no one left to stop me."
A small, knowing smile appeared on his face. "Let the Senju and their ghosts eat each other. When they're done, I'll pick up the pieces and finish what I started."
"Our plan will proceed as intended once we've fully settled into Kirigakure."
"There's something else," Obito said after a pause, his tone measured. "Something connected to the one who attacked us."
Madara's eyes narrowed, interest immediately sharpening. "Go on."
Obito hesitated briefly before continuing, while Black Zetsu, still latched to Madara's side, felt a cold unease ripple through him.
"I've been investigating the records from the past year," Obito said. "About nine months ago, there was another large-scale incident in Konoha. The attacker matched the description of that same man, same chakra signature, same type of energy."
Madara's brow furrowed slightly. "He attacked Konoha? For what reason?"
Obito shook his head. "Not the whole village, just one clan, more precisely. The Hyūga. He went straight for them, killed dozens of their Main Branch members, and took many of their eyes. Witnesses said he was trying to breach deeper into their compound, but some kind of hidden energy, something ancient, repelled him before he could finish. After that, he vanished."
Madara fell silent. For several seconds, only the faint rustling of wind moved through the ruined land.
Then his expression shifted, shock first, then fascination, and finally, a faint smile.
"So… I was right," he murmured. "That chakra, that bloodline, his eyes really are connected to the Hyūga. But then…"
His gaze grew distant, his thoughts spiraling. "If his power rivals the Rinnegan, and he wields an advanced mutation of the Byakugan, then perhaps the Sage of Six Paths wasn't the only source of divine blood in the world, after all."
"Could it be that another lineage, another deity, stood beside him once, erased by time or something else?"
He tilted his head slightly upward, almost lost in thought. "Or… are the Hyūga and those Moon dwellers his descendants too, another hidden branch of that same god's legacy?"
Black Zetsu's form stiffened, hidden panic coursing through him.
"Damn you, Obito," he thought bitterly.
"He's thinking too much again. If he connects it to Hamura, or—worse—to her—it's over."
Madara's gaze remained fixed on the horizon, the faintest glint of excitement returning to his eyes.
"So that's the missing piece," he said quietly. "This world's history is far smaller than the truth it hides."
Black Zetsu said nothing.
But inside, he cursed them both, Obito for speaking too much at the moment, and Madara for beginning to see too clearly.