"I see now... so that's how it is."
Before long, the black-robed figure had finished extracting the memories from the two heads.
As she sifted through the fragments, she saw Nagato's tragic childhood, Konan's aspirations, and the true motives behind the Biju Capture Plan. She couldn't help but sigh, "Sure enough, those who take such extreme paths usually have stories behind them."
"Stories?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He had no interest in sob stories or tragic backgrounds. His only concern was the identities of his enemies, "Who else participated in that chaos back then? And where is Masked Madara?"
The black-robed figure explained, "During the Kyubi's attack and the Uchiha Clan's incident, none of the Akatsuki's members were involved. At that time, Nagato and Konan were still inexperienced. The mastermind and sole participant was Masked Madara. And right now, he's in Amegakure."
"Damn it!"
Sasuke clenched his teeth. It was becoming clear that the events of that time all tied back to Danzo and Masked Madara.
Without wasting time on questions about the Biju Capture Plan, Sasuke cut straight to the point, "Can track Masked Madara down and capture him now?"
"Of course."
The black-robed figure nodded and said, "Earlier, I detected spatial fluctuations in Amegakure and kept an eye on them. Based on Nagato's memories, only Masked Madara possesses Space-Time Ninjutsu. Finding him shouldn't be difficult."
After saying that, a green, ripple-like glow emanated from her body. As the light spread outward, the black-robed figure entered a deep meditative state.
"Found him!"
Suddenly, the black-robed figure locked onto a direction.
"Then let's get going without further delay."
Sasuke urged.
The black-robed figure waved her hand and said, "There's no need. He's already teleporting and heading here. He must've sensed Nagato's death. We just need to wait for him to come to us."
"Okay!"
Sasuke didn't doubt her words for a second.
…
About a minute later, a vortex-like black hole materialized in the cave. From it emerged a tall man wearing a swirling orange mask. His mask had a single hole over his right eye, which glinted with the crimson hue of a three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Sharingan?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth. There was no doubt that the guy in front of him was the Masked Madara, matching the description the black-robed figure had gleaned from Danzo's memories.
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke steadied his raging emotions, "You're the one who conspired with Danzo to unleash the Kyubi and the one who helped Itachi massacre the Uchiha Clan, aren't you?"
His voice was ice-cold, each word dripping with murderous intent.
The Masked Madara, who is initially prepared to adopt his usual playful demeanor, paused. Sasuke's confident tone made him reconsider. His eye narrowed, and he responded gravely, "So, Danzo's death really was your doing. I see you've learned everything."
"So you admit it?"
Sasuke hissed, his fury barely contained.
Masked Madara sighed and said, "It was all for the sake of true peace. Small sacrifices are worth it for the greater good. In the end, everyone will live in happiness. You've defeated Nagato, which proves your strength. I know you have seven Biju under your control. Why not join forces with me to create a perfect world?"
"Small sacrifices?!" Sasuke spat venomously, "Only a beast like you would murder your own kin and then dare to preach such nonsense!"
Sasuke finally understood that the Masked Madara was a beast.
Sasuke had seen enough to understand. Unlike Itachi, who had been manipulated and misunderstood, this Masked Madara was a true lunatic… a cold-blooded monster without an ounce of remorse.
Killing a guy who has no empathy won't make him feel better.
"You've left me no choice!"
Sasuke's voice turned colder than ever, "I've decided… I won't kill you. Instead, I'll make you suffer, slowly and painfully, until you realize the magnitude of your stupidity!"
As he said that, Sasuke stomped the groundand suddenly charged towards the Masked Madara.
Whoosh!
Sasuke's fist shot out… but the next moment, his eyes widened in disbelief.
His hand passed clean through Masked Madara's body. There wasn't a drop of blood, nor the resistance of striking flesh. It was like punching air.
Bang!
However, just as Sasuke pulled his arm back, the Masked Madara's fist hit his face, sending him stumbling backward.
"Damn tricks!"
Sasuke growled, spitting out blood. Glaring at the hand that struck him, he lunged forward, swiping with his claw-like grip.
Whoosh!
As Sasuke's claw swiped through Masked Madara's arm, the same disorienting sensation of emptiness struck him again.
"How is this possible!?"
Sasuke froze in shock.
From his perspective, Masked Madara avoiding a chest attack could be explained by a modified body… perhaps cybernetic enhancements that nullified physical damage.
However, he had clearly been punched by Masked Madara just moments earlier. Now, his counterattack had passed cleanly through Madara without even ruffling his clothes. It defied all logic.
Bang!
Taking advantage of Sasuke's stunned hesitation, Masked Madara landed another heavy punch, sending Sasuke crashing to the ground.
"Cough, cough!"
Sasuke coughed violently, and after staggering to his feet, his eyes were still full of confusion.
'What method did he use?'
'Without finding out his method, I had no way to launch an attack.'
"If you're not going to attack, then it's my turn!" Masked Madara sneered, then dashed toward Sasuke.
Swoosh, swoosh!
Sasuke instinctively stepped back, his fighting spirit faltering.
But at this moment, accompanied by a loud bang, the Masked Madara was sent flying backward.
Sasuke's head snapped up in surprise, and then he saw the black-robed figure stood calmly, retracting her leg after a devastating kick.
"You…"
Sasuke hesitated.
The black-robed figure shook her head slightly, "How could I stand by and watch my future husband be bullied?"
Sasuke felt a twinge of warmth in his chest but quickly masked it, changing the subject, "What's the deal with this guy? What's going on?"
The black-robed figure explained, " This guy might fool others, but not me. The moment he's attacked, there's a spatial disturbance around him. He must be shifting parts of his body into another dimension, making it seem like he's untouchable."
"I see… But then, how did you land that kick?"
Sasuke asked, still confused.
The black-robed figure smirked and said, "Don't forget that I can manipulate space too. I just followed him into his dimension and kicked him out."
"Uh…"
Sasuke had assumed there was some complex technique behind the black-robed figure's attack, but it turned out to be a straightforward, brute-force solution.
Still, he realized, her ability to invade another dimension and strike was no ordinary feat. After all, few in the world possessed such a capability.
"Damn it!"
The Masked Madara staggered to his feet. He had seen the kick coming and didn't dodge… not because he couldn't, but because he didn't believe the black-robed figure could reach him.
Relying on his Mangekyo's Dojutsu, Kamui, he had always considered himself invincible. But now, it seemed he had a problem on his hands.
Realizing he couldn't afford to be careless, Masked Madara regarded the black-robed figure with newfound caution… and growing shock.
At first glance, she appeared unremarkable. Masked Madara hadn't seen her as a threat. But now, he realized how gravely mistaken he had been.
Even with his Sharingan, he couldn't see through her black robe.
'And then there was her attack. I had underestimated her entirely.'
'It was clear now: the one who had defeated Nagato and the Six Paths of Pain wasn't Sasuke… it was this mysterious figure.'