Mastermind of the Akatsuki

Under Madara Uchiha's gaze, everyone standing on the rooftop felt a chill run down their spine.

They didn't know who he was, but from the power behind his attack, they could feel his overwhelming strength, he was at least on the level of the Five Kage, possibly even stronger.

The jutsu he used seemed to be the legendary Susanoo. Wasn't that a technique exclusive to the Uchiha clan? But the Uchiha had declined for years, how did such a powerful ninja appear from them now?

Everyone turned to the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, with confused expressions. Tsunade herself was bewildered. His attire seemed somewhat familiar, and his eyes were unmistakably the Mangekyō Sharingan, but she couldn't recall his name. Had he taken the Mangekyō from Itachi Uchiha?

After a brief moment of contemplation, Tsunade spoke, "He's definitely an Uchiha, but not a shinobi from Konoha. I'm not entirely sure of his identity. However, everyone, be extremely cautious, every Mangekyō possesses different abilities."

"An Uchiha even the Hokage doesn't recognize?"

The group exchanged glances, unsure what to say.

The number of Uchiha with Mangekyō was beginning to feel excessive, first the masked man, then Itachi Uchiha, and now this mysterious powerhouse. Still, they felt somewhat relieved. Had all these Uchiha been loyal to Konoha, their power would be overwhelming, enough to crush the other great ninja villages.

At that moment, Byakuya, standing in the center of the group, reminded them, "Let's save the shock for later. We need to find a way to deal with this mysterious Uchiha. I think he's even stronger than the masked man!"

Prompted by Byakuya, everyone refocused on Madara Uchiha and the Susanoo. To an average ninja, Susanoo appeared to be an unbeatable power that could determine the outcome of a regional war on its own. However, those present were all Kage-level shinobi, capable of overwhelming armies by themselves.

The sight of Susanoo slicing through the fortress was intimidating, yet it also ignited their fighting spirit. After exchanging glances, Zabuza and Mei Terumī of Kirigakure sprang into action.

They created a dense mist around the fortress and, using the fog as cover, launched an attack on Susanoo.

Clang

Zabuza swung his Executioner's Blade against Susanoo.

Cracks appeared instantly on the blade's surface, and it shattered into two pieces. However, the Executioner's Blade possessed regenerative properties, after being soaked in prepared blood, it swiftly restored itself.

Seeing the blade fail, Madara Uchiha chuckled. "So this is Kirigakure's Executioner's Blade? Looks like it's nothing special."

However, Zabuza wasn't the main attacker, Mei Terumī, with her dual Bloodline Limit, was.

After quickly weaving hand seals, she released an extremely corrosive acid mist.

It could corrode chakra, and before long, it melted a large hole into Susanoo.

With the defense broken, Zabuza dove inside, swinging his blade directly at Madara Uchiha. The sound of slicing filled the air.

Madara looked at Zabuza with a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

The next instant, he vanished from where he stood and reappeared behind Zabuza, delivering a kick to his back that sent him flying out of Susanoo.

Susanoo didn't stay idle, it swung both of its swords toward Mei Terumī.

Mei knew she couldn't take that attack head-on and retreated to the top of the fortress, rejoining the others. "The enemy is powerful, stronger than the Fourth Mizukage!"

Both Mei and Zabuza gave their assessment. They believed Madara had surpassed even the Fourth Mizukage, who had been a perfect Jinchūriki and still the strongest shinobi in Kirigakure's history.

Ōnoki seemed to realize something, letting out a sigh. "Of course, he's stronger than the Fourth Mizukage. Frankly, none of the current Five Kage can defeat him. Just seeing him again sends a chill down my spine."

Ōnoki was a seasoned Kage-level veteran, among the elite of that tier.

Seeing him speak so gravely about the mysterious Uchiha, the other shinobi furrowed their brows.

Tsunade went straight to the point and asked, "Tsuchikage-sama, do you know who he is? When did he leave Konoha? I have no recollection of him at all."

Ōnoki gave a bitter smile. "Princess Tsunade, it's only natural you don't know him. Few in the shinobi world today remember his name. Compared to him, we Five Kage are merely juniors."

"Then who is he? Stop speaking in riddles, Tsuchikage-sama!"

Someone in the group voiced their impatience.

Ōnoki sighed again, then looked toward the distant Madara. "As much as I hate to admit it… you must be Madara Uchiha, the one who once stood shoulder to shoulder with Hashirama Senju. I can't believe you're still alive after all these years."

"Madara Uchiha?"

Everyone froze upon hearing the name.

They weren't unfamiliar with it, Madara was the man who, alongside the God of Shinobi, brought peace to the chaotic world. He bore the title of the Shinobi World's Shura.

But hadn't he died at the Valley of the End? Why was he here? And even if he had somehow survived back then, by now he should be an old man, how could he look so young?

Madara looked back at Ōnoki, squinting. "Is that you, Ōnoki? I can't believe that little brat has grown old. You've aged, but your strength hasn't improved much. So, will you surrender quietly, or do you want to challenge me again, like back then?"

That familiar tone brought back fear for Ōnoki. During the first Five Kage Summit, he had followed the First Tsuchikage. That night, he and his teacher were confronted by Madara. Young and brash at the time, he challenged Madara for the honor of his village. In the end, both he and his teacher lost.

To his younger self, Madara was an insurmountable mountain. But that was the past. Now, he was the Third Tsuchikage, who had ruled Iwagakure for many years. It was time to confront the humiliation of his youth.

He took a deep breath and said, "Princess Tsunade, Sasori of the Red Sand, let's the three of us join forces against Madara. He's a peak-era ninja of the old world. Only by combining our strength can we hope to defeat him."

Tsunade nodded in agreement.

Though she'd never seen Madara fight before, anyone who could rival her grandfather must have been far beyond the current Five Kage.

Facing a powerhouse like this, fighting him with superior numbers could no longer be considered dishonorable.

Sasori glanced at Byakuya, then looked toward Madara Uchiha not far off, secretly thinking: Lord Byakuya really knows how to make things dramatic, he actually summoned a relic from the old era like this.

But could his puppet army really stand against Susanoo?

Byakuya returned Sasori's look with a signal, meaning he was free to act, no need to hold back.

With that silent permission, Sasori pulled out a scroll and said to Ōnoki, "Tsuchikage, I'll join you and the Hokage in meeting this so-called Shura of the shinobi world."

Before the words had even fully landed, the three figures vanished from the rooftop and descended to the ground below.

As soon as they landed, Ōnoki cracked his knuckles, preparing to unleash a barrage of Earth Release techniques. Tsunade immediately activated her Strength of a Hundred Seal and entered battle mode.

Sasori went even further, he summoned dozens of iron puppets, weapons raised, all pointed straight at Madara.

Against something like Susanoo, which was basically a stationary target, Dust Release was naturally the ideal counter. As the light beam of Dust Release shot forth, Susanoo was disintegrated and evaporated in an instant.

Madara, long used to seeing his Susanoo broken, landed lightly on the ground.

The strength of Dust Release was its destructive power. But its weakness was equally clear, it could only target stationary or large-scale enemies. Once the opponent closed in, the chance to use it again became slim.

As Madara suddenly closed the distance between them, Ōnoki immediately went into defense, covering himself in a layer of Earth-style armor. He successfully blocked Madara's attack, then smashed a gravity-enhanced rock fist straight at him.

Madara weaved hand seals, using a wall of flames to cover his escape and dodge the attack.

That was when Tsunade, already lying in wait, launched a rear attack. Sensing the threat of her monstrous strength, Madara reflexively summoned Susanoo to block the blow head-on.

Tsunade's strength was no joke. Cracks instantly spread across Susanoo's surface.

Taking advantage of the opening, Madara slashed Tsunade's arm with a kunai, then landed steadily, no longer underestimating Tsunade or Ōnoki. "Impressive Earth-style techniques. Impressive raw power," Madara said, his tone mocking. "Too bad your abilities are still too weak to bring out the true potential of Earth Release or monstrous strength."

Ōnoki sneered. "Spare me the flattery. A Kage's strength doesn't need your approval. You may be just as strong as you were decades ago, but I am no longer the man I was back then."

Tsunade mocked him in turn, "Madara, my strength may not match my grandfather's, but it's not something you can just brush off. I bet you're in pain now, aren't you? Feels like your organs are screaming, doesn't it?"

Madara's expression darkened slightly. Then he said coldly, "You're not without skill, I'll give you that. But if you rely on numbers to win, what's there to be proud of?"

Before he could finish, Sasori's iron puppets surged forward like a tidal wave, swallowing Madara whole.

These puppets, unafraid of death, couldn't truly harm Madara, but they could buy precious time. With Madara pinned down, Ōnoki was free to unleash his Dust Release without fear of friendly fire.

Surrounded, Madara tried to locate the chakra threads controlling the puppets. But even with his Sharingan, he couldn't detect a single one. He turned his gaze toward Sasori.

Sasori smirked.

They were allies for now, but if he had the chance to defeat Madara with puppet techniques, he wouldn't hesitate. It would be a perfect opportunity to showcase the brilliance of puppetry. "Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"

Ōnoki trapped Madara in a ten-meter-wide zone and unleashed another Dust Release cube. The explosion was massive. Everything caught in its range, including Sasori's iron puppets, was reduced to atomic dust.

Madara, too, was caught in the blast. With his movement restricted by the puppets, nearly half of his body disintegrated, an arm, a leg. He could barely remain standing. Seeing the nightmare of the past in such a miserable state, Ōnoki finally exhaled in relief.

He stepped toward Madara and said slowly, "Madara… as a remnant of the old era, you shouldn't exist in today's shinobi world. You shouldn't have become the puppet of that masked man, carrying out a plan to destroy everything. You were once a terrifying figure I feared. But now? Now, you're nothing but a corpse waiting for its second death."

Sasori looked at the half-destroyed Madara and felt something was off. If this was all Madara had, he shouldn't have been qualified to be Lord Byakuya's ally.

And the legendary Madara Uchiha, was this really all he amounted to?

Balancing on one foot, Madara looked at Ōnoki and said, "Ōnoki, you really think you've won? You think I'm just that masked man's pawn? You're just as naive as you were all those years ago."

Ōnoki's face changed. He prepared to use Dust Release to finish Madara off once and for all.

Tsunade quickly intervened. "Tsuchikage-sama, instead of killing him now, I think we should heal him. We might be able to extract the whereabouts of the Jinchūriki from him."

Hearing that, Ōnoki reluctantly backed down.

Madara's return had made him forget the real purpose of this summit. Their goal wasn't to kill one man, it was to retrieve the captured Jinchūriki.

Tsunade stepped forward.

But when she got within ten meters of Madara, she narrowed her eyes. Something felt wrong. She instinctively pulled Ōnoki back and said, "Tsuchikage… there's something off. He's hurt, but there's no blood."

Thanks to Tsunade's warning, Ōnoki noticed it too. A man who had lost half his body wouldn't still be standing and talking trash like this.

Then, Madara chuckled… and dispelled the Transformation Technique.

The color drained from the figure, leaving it a lifeless wooden statue.

It was a Wood Clone, a legendary technique exclusive to the Wood Release bloodline.

Ōnoki's face paled. He stammered, "A Wood Clone… I only defeated a Wood Clone..."

Madara's laughter echoed all around. "Of course, it was just a clone. But to your credit, defeating my Wood Clone means you five Kage are… barely passable. So tell me, are you ready to face the real challenge?"