Looking at the bloodstains on the ground, Jūzō Biwa was furious.
A whole group of them had surrounded and attacked just two people, yet one still managed to escape. Though one was killed, the most important Sharingan was nowhere to be found.
What a headache.
"Jūzō-sama, what now?"
A Kirigakure shinobi beside him asked for his opinion. Jūzō Biwa spat in annoyance.
"What else can we do? Retreat. The opportunity is fleeting."
"Let's go, head back."
Jūzō Biwa was someone who knew when to pick up and when to put down. Though he was deeply displeased, he was on the battlefield—he couldn't afford a shred of hesitation.
With the Kirigakure shinobi's retreat, this small-scale skirmish came to an end.
...
No one knew how much time had passed.
White Zetsu carried the unconscious Uchiha Makito back into the underground cave.
Seeing him return—and that he had even brought back the chosen one—Uchiha Madara was very pleased.
"Well done, White Zetsu."
"So? How is the Three-Tails now? Has everything gone smoothly as planned?"
White Zetsu set Uchiha Makito aside, a trace of pride showing on his face.
Just as he was about to speak, Madara raised his hand to stop him. He slowly stepped up to Uchiha Makito, casually picked up a scythe, and lightly pressed it against his body.
"What are you doing? Isn't he unconscious?"
Madara glanced at him and said casually,
"It never hurts to be cautious. If I hadn't been cautious back then, I would've died long ago."
"And you wouldn't even exist now."
Resuming his seat, Madara waited for White Zetsu's report.
"The Three-Tails plan hasn't been activated. Or rather, there was no need to activate it."
"When I arrived, the two of them were already surrounded by Kirigakure forces. So I gave the Kirigakure forces a little reminder."
"As a result, they were ambushed by none other than the so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"Uchiha Seim died on the spot. Before his death, he gouged out both his eyes and gave them to Uchiha Makito. Then he unleashed a Fire Release ninjutsu. He blew himself into dust on the spot."
"Uchiha Makito was devastated by the sight, but still managed to break out of the encirclement before eventually collapsing into unconsciousness. I brought him back."
Hearing White Zetsu's report, Madara nodded. Though the outcome strayed from his original plan, overall there was no problem.
So long as the successor he had chosen was provoked and then brought back, it was fine.
Originally, his candidates had been four: Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Makito, Uchiha Seim, and a brat—Uchiha Obito.
Among them, Fugaku was the strongest, hot-tempered too, which in Madara's eyes made him easy to manipulate.
But things didn't go as planned. That brat actually got married, gained attachments, and thus Madara abandoned him.
As for Obito, he was an orphan and should have been easy to control as well. But Gekko Chizan had suddenly appeared and ruined that plan.
In other words, the two he most wanted to control slipped from his grasp. He was left with only the slightly weaker Uchiha Seim and Uchiha Makito.
Looking at the battered Uchiha Makito before him, Madara's Sharingan slowly spun. The scythe in his hand flashed coldly.
From Makito's shoulder downward, half his body was instantly cleaved apart.
The sharp slash even left a deep scar across his face.
Blood gushed out, staining the cave floor red.
A once-whole Uchiha had been turned into a cripple by their own ancestor.
And because Madara had tampered with him earlier, Uchiha Makito didn't react at all—even as his body was repeatedly sliced apart. It wasn't really him being cut down.
"Tch, I went through the trouble of bringing him back. If you kill him like this, won't all that effort be wasted?"
"Madara, what are you doing?"
White Zetsu immediately stepped forward, crouching beside Uchiha Makito to check his condition, confusion written all over his face.
"To build up, one must first break down. Destroy before rebirth."
"If I don't destroy his original body, how could he possibly withstand Hashirama's cells?"
"Now comes the moment for me to create a miracle. With my understanding of Hashirama's cells, he will be able to wield this power after me."
Darkness gradually engulfed the cave, leaving only those blood-red Sharingan glowing with an eerie light.
...
No one knew how long had passed before the pain jolted Uchiha Makito awake.
He suddenly realized he couldn't move. Pain radiated from every part of his body.
"What… what happened to me?"
"My body…?"
He couldn't move. Half his body was wrapped in unknown bandages, even his face was bound.
He tried to move, but the pain only intensified—he couldn't budge an inch.
"You're awake…"
Suddenly, a low, aged voice came from not far away.
Uchiha Makito struggled to turn his head toward the sound.
The first thing he saw was a pair of Sharingan, hauntingly familiar. But their owner was an old man, face full of wrinkles, already at death's door.
"Who are you…"
"Me? I'm just someone history has long forgotten…"
Madara looked at Uchiha Makito, satisfied. The plan was already in motion. He was confident he could lead the young man before him onto the right path.
"Those eyes… you're Uchiha too."
"But I've never seen you. Who exactly are you?"
"And where is this place? What happened to me?"
Three questions in a row. But his frail body couldn't handle it. After speaking, Makito felt the world spin.
"Rest well…"
"We'll talk once your body has recovered…"
...
At the same time, far away in the Land of Frost, Gekko Chizan was still honing himself.
On the northernmost coast of the Land of Frost, two adults and a child were locked in sparring.
"Yugito, make use of your strengths—speed and agility. Don't just charge headlong."
"You're the Two-Tails, not the Eight-Tails. Learn something worthwhile!"
With a whip-like kick, Chizan sent Yugito flying, pointing out her shortcomings as he did.
Tagitsuhime, sitting off to the side, was casually eating snakeberries while watching, a smile tugging at her lips.
To her, this master and disciple pair were nothing less than a show—amusing to watch!
The reason Yugito and Tagitsuhime were here at all was entirely because of Gekko Chizan.
In recent days, he had assessed the situation and realized he couldn't continue as things were.
Uchiha Madara had already appeared—and he was one of the targets. If he sat idle, he'd surely be crushed.
Even with Chōmei, he felt no sense of security. So he needed to cultivate Yugito into fighting strength, laying down plans in advance.
"Yugito, in a few days we'll be heading to the Land of Rain."