Chapter 121: Madara of the Infinite Army
Danzo's exit had nothing to do with Minato personally. If anything, Danzo had a problem with everyone.
As the leader of the Army Without Borders, the more he learned about what the Five Great Powers had done to the smaller nations, and to each other, the more his disgust curdled into resentment. Back when he still operated as part of Konoha's Root, his methods were brutal but still within the boundaries of ninja warfare. By the Moon Dream era, those boundaries had rotted away. What remained barely deserved to be called war. It was closer to terror.
Kumogakure once spread Moon Dream on a massive scale through minor villages, aiming to cripple them before they could ever grow strong enough to resist. In other places, groups seeking to preserve their industrial edge resorted to dropping poison gas so entire factories would collapse overnight. Danzo didn't even know how many Moon Dream deaths were truly caused by the disease, and how many were quietly "helped along" by the politics of big nations. The numbers blurred together. The stench did not.
Yet he felt a faint, bitter relief. Without the Army Without Borders forcing restraint, the post Moon Dream world would have exploded into another war already. Danzo couldn't even guess what weapons they would use now, only that very few humans would still be standing afterward.
As for the pure white "robot" Minato displayed, Danzo already had suspects. But at the conference he kept them to himself. Confidentiality was still a rule worth following, even when the world it protected was rotten.
Leaving the meeting hall that had turned into a stage for the Five Great Nations to carve up lesser interests, Danzo melted into shadow. Chakra coiled through his body, lines on his palms linking together like a seal coming alive. A pitch black door rose soundlessly from the darkness.
He snorted, pushed it open, and stepped inside.
Three projected figures were already waiting.
Compared to the glitter outside, this Shadow Council was where Danzo actually got answers.
"These strange machines were found underground in Konoha."
He dropped the photos and reports on the table. Wrapped in bandages, leaning on his cane, his single visible eye swept over the three faces.
"Orochimaru. Aizen. Madara. Which of you did it?"
The projection of Madara Uchiha, old to the bone and embedded in tubes, let out a cold laugh.
"Ridiculous. You little brat don't get to question me."
His voice carried the sharpness of pride that time had failed to dull.
"You've already cracked the Infinite Virus that would have let everyone reach the Eye of the Moon quickly, and I haven't even settled that score with you. That was the true road to peace. You arrogant fools ruined it, and now you come in here pointing fingers?"
"So you're admitting it?"
"Enough."
Orochimaru slid forward in his projection, smiling like a polite snake.
"We each have our own vision of peace, but here we are partners in research. There's no need to tear at each other, Madara senpai."
Madara's sneer deepened.
"Don't play the saint with me, Orochimaru. I found your genetic immortality scheme and cut it out. Your behavior back then was far more disgusting than Danzo's. Putting on a friendly mask now just makes you look pathetic."
"It was a simple suggestion," Orochimaru replied softly, eyes narrowing. "How you take it is your choice."
Danzo watched in silence.
Aizen remained relaxed at the head seat, smiling as though this were a play performed for his amusement. The four of them had undermined each other's plans a thousand times over. They were allies only in the loosest sense, and enemies in every other.
Orochimaru had plunged into biotechnology. A year ago he created a biohazard on the scale of a nightmare, and Madara had crushed it with Yin Yang Release before anyone outside their circle even realized it happened.
Danzo sabotaged Orochimaru's projects and Madara's schemes whenever they threatened the balance of the world. Their definitions of "peace" could not be more different.
Danzo wanted equilibrium. The Army Without Borders would keep every nation from tipping the scales, forcing cooperation and shared growth.
Orochimaru believed true peace was immortality and endless productivity. Nations and politics meant nothing to him compared to the perfection of life itself.
Madara, worn down by age and sharpened by stubbornness, grew more fanatical after the Moon Dream. He clung to the Eye of the Moon as the only salvation. Overlap illusion with reality, erase suffering, and fear disappears. Even parts of today's signal tower technology were born from his drive.
And Aizen?
Aizen didn't need to push the world. Its chaos already served his evolution. If anything, the other three spent their time crashing into his designs like waves against a cliff.
This was their daily rhythm. Maybe more would join someday. In their own twisted way, they respected it. Conflict bred progress.
Madara, though, refused to yield even in conversation. His body was failing, but his spirit still bit like a wolf.
"We're all chasing peace in our own way. None of you are more pitiable than me, and I'm no more ambitious than any of you."
His gaze carried a strange, almost delighted light.
"I never thought the three of you would appear in this world. I believed it would always be a playground for me and Hashirama. You surprised me."
If he still had the strength, he would have clapped. Instead the tubes pumped life into him like brutal mercy, feeding chakra and nutrients to a body that was already half a corpse.
Madara knew death was near. To him, that only made the game sweeter. The struggle felt like his youth again, trading blows with Hashirama, only now through research and ideology instead of fists.
The once crude Eye of the Moon project had been refined by countless failures and arguments. It was no longer a blanket of blissful death. It had been woven into the global chakra network. Madara drew inspiration from the network's virus like growth, its endless spread of signals and desires, until he birthed a new masterpiece.
"Still, this time is different, brats. My infinite army isn't something as simple as Blut Vene or Blut Arterie."
He leaned against the great tree behind him, smiling wide.
"Yeah, these things are mine. My infinite army."
His voice rose like thunder in a tomb.
"Gentle methods can't break the Eye of the Moon's dream anymore, so I'll use force. Let them accumulate. Once they reach a certain scale, they will attack the surface on their own."
He chuckled, almost boyish in his cruelty.
"And it isn't just replication. Anyone struck by their weapons will have the chakra virus multiply inside them, turning their flesh into part of the army. Every weapon they carry is made from Wood Release material. Ordinary chakra defenses will not stop it."
Madara laughed until his projection trembled.
"I want to see your faces then. Hahahaha!"
Silence followed, heavy and sharp.
Aizen finally sighed, resting his cheek on one hand, expression more weary than surprised.
"So that's it?" he said softly. "I admit, Madara senpai… I'm a little disappointed."
<><><><><>
[P@treon Christmas Discount: 20% OFF]
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]