The air in the underground cavern was heavy and still, like solid iron. Flickering candlelight cast long shadows of Uchiha Madara's aged figure across the stone throne.
His white hair draped over his shoulders, and his deeply wrinkled face showed no trace of emotion. Slowly, his long-dormant Sharingan opened, crimson tomoe spinning lazily within his eyes as he calmly observed Asuka approaching.
There was no panic, no surprise—as if Asuka's arrival had long been expected.
His voice was flat, almost indifferent.
"Who are you?"
Asuka stopped a short distance away and replied with a faint smile,
"You can call me 'Mu.'"
"Mu? The Second Tsuchikage? No… you're not him. Who exactly are you?"
A slight twitch appeared at the corner of Asuka's mouth beneath the mask. As expected of Uchiha Madara, fooling him wouldn't be easy.
He gave a soft cough and answered in a low voice,
"A name is just a label. There's no need to dwell on it. As for me… I'm just a wandering soul in the ninja world. Not worth mentioning."
Madara remained unmoved.
"If you're just a wandering soul, why come here instead of drifting through the world?"
Asuka's gaze fell on Madara's frail body. Despite clearly being at death's door, the old man still radiated absolute dominance, as if he stood above all.
"I came," Asuka said calmly, "to make a deal with you. One concerning the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"!!!"
For the first time, Uchiha Madara's composure shattered.
A terrifying surge of chakra erupted from his body like a volcano. The shockwave tore through the cavern, cracking the ground and shaking loose chunks of rock from above. Debris rained down as the air itself seemed to tremble.
Nearby, White Zetsu clutched Obito's body tightly, trembling as he retreated, not daring to make a sound.
Yet Asuka remained completely still.
His robes whipped violently in the storm of chakra, his hair thrown into disarray—but his stance was as immovable as a reef in crashing waves.
Just as quickly as it came, the pressure vanished. Madara forcefully suppressed his chakra, fully aware that his current body could not sustain prolonged exertion.
His crimson gaze locked onto Asuka.
"What do you know?"
Asuka chuckled lightly.
"A lot. Your Rinnegan. The Infinite Tsukuyomi… things like that. So—can we talk now?"
Madara said nothing, his Sharingan burning as he stared, trying to see through him.
Silence filled the cavern. The air felt thick enough to suffocate.
After what felt like an eternity, Madara finally spoke:
"What is your purpose?"
Asuka raised an eyebrow, tone casual.
"Nothing complicated. I just happen to be interested in the legendary Ten-Tails."
"You want to become its Jinchūriki?" Madara's eyes sharpened instantly.
"No, no." Asuka waved his hand dismissively.
"I have no interest in that. I just want to see for myself how powerful the source of all chakra truly is."
"Just that?" Madara clearly didn't believe him.
"Of course."
Asuka met his gaze directly, then added with a hint of amusement,
"As a sign of goodwill, I helped preserve your chosen pawn's greatest asset—a complete pair of Sharingan."
His eyes shifted toward Obito.
Madara ignored the remark, still watching him silently.
Asuka continued, his tone turning slightly sharper:
"And right now… you don't really have a choice, do you?"
He paused briefly.
"Having one more ally is better than having one more enemy. Unless…"
his voice dipped slightly,
"you're confident you can keep me here."
That was the spark.
The ground trembled violently as thick, barbed roots burst upward like giant serpents, lunging to bind Asuka.
But he didn't move.
The roots passed straight through his body—completely ineffective, as if he didn't exist in the same space.
Madara's eyes narrowed.
He rose slowly, his frail body erupting with astonishing presence. His hands flashed through seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction!"
A massive torrent of flames roared forth, scorching the air and melting stone as it surged toward Asuka like a blazing inferno.
Yet Asuka simply raised one hand.
The raging fire suddenly lost all momentum—drawn into his palm like water into a void.
In an instant, it vanished.
Only residual heat remained in the air.
Madara's expression finally shifted. This ability… it resembled the Rinnegan's absorption power.
His mind raced.
Physical attacks were useless. Ninjutsu was absorbed. In his current weakened state, prolonging this fight would be disastrous.
After a brief silence, the killing intent in his eyes faded.
Madara lowered his hands and sat back down.
He had made his decision.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Asuka's lips.
"It seems you understand now," he said calmly. "Think about my proposal. I'll come back for your answer."
As his words fell, his figure vanished instantly, leaving behind a single white feather drifting slowly to the ground.
Silence returned.
Madara stared at the feather in his palm, his Sharingan flickering thoughtfully.
"Space-time ninjutsu… this 'Mu' has quite a few tricks."
White Zetsu cautiously spoke,
"Lord Madara… should we contact him?"
Madara didn't answer immediately. He gently brushed the feather with his fingers.
After a long pause, he finally said in a low voice:
"Observe him first."
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