Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 322: Gengetsu, Are My Rinnegan Eyes Useful?

Fully aware of the Eye of the Moon Plan and what Hagoromo Gengetsu intended to do, Uchiha Madara, after wreaking havoc in Konoha, quickly arrived at the site of the Divine Tree. He had observed the previous battle.

Though shocked by the power Gengetsu now wielded, Madara came to a clear understanding: he couldn't defeat Gengetsu on his own.

He needed an ally.

And now, the only one who could meet his standards was Senju Hashirama.

After absorbing Namikaze Minato's Sage Chakra, which gave him some resistance against the Truth-Seeking Orbs, Madara turned his attention to the one person he never forgot—Hashirama—and extended an invitation.

Hashirama, his gaze complicated, looked at his old friend and, after a brief pause, asked, "Madara, why are you helping us?"

From what Hashirama knew of Madara, he wasn't one to join the fray just for excitement.

The Allied Shinobi Forces were still unaware that Madara was the true mastermind behind the Eye of the Moon Plan.

Madara's gaze locked onto Hagoromo Gengetsu as he coldly replied, "Helping you? I'm just here to reclaim what's mine!"

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the Tailed Beasts, the Eye of the Moon Plan, and his Rinnegan!

Noticing that Gengetsu was now looking at him, Madara asked with a deep, intense gaze, "Gengetsu, how are you finding my Rinnegan?"

"Quite useful," Gengetsu responded calmly with a nod.

Madara's arrival didn't surprise him. When Madara brought up his Rinnegan, Gengetsu understood what he meant.

But there was no way Gengetsu would return them.

What he had seized with his own strength was his to keep.

Moreover, the Rinnegan was crucial to the success of the Eye of the Moon Plan. If, after everything, the eyes still existed, Gengetsu wouldn't mind returning them.

However, by then, Madara would likely be long gone.

In the end, the outcome would still see the Rinnegan in his hands. So why go through the trouble of returning them halfway?

Because of this, Gengetsu remained indifferent from start to finish regarding the Rinnegan that Madara wanted back.

Madara was a bit surprised by this reaction.

Seeing Gengetsu's calmness during their reunion after so many decades was unexpected.

In the past, Gengetsu would never have responded with such a casual, "Quite useful."

Madara wasn't one for idle chatter.

Plus, he couldn't help but respect Gengetsu's brazen attitude, even if it meant Madara had to fight to reclaim what was his.

"Hashirama."

Madara turned to look at Hashirama again.

Understanding what his old friend wanted, Hashirama nodded firmly, then smiled, "Madara, who would have thought we'd join forces again?"

Madara, arms crossed, responded, "Hashirama, there are many things you can't imagine."

"Hopefully, none of them are too disastrous."

"Perhaps."

After exchanging these few words, Hashirama and Madara looked at each other, their expressions turning serious as they turned to face Gengetsu. Both leaned forward, legs coiled in preparation, the tension thick as a great battle loomed.

Tobirama drew his Flying Thunder God kunai, ready to join in.

But Madara glanced at him and said coldly, "The weak shouldn't join in. Against someone like Gengetsu, who is at this level of power, strategies and intelligence are useless after the first attempt."

Madara's words weren't just directed at Tobirama, but to everyone else as well.

The vast disparity in strength, combined with the lack of Sage Chakra, meant that joining the fight would only be a hindrance.

Moreover, Madara didn't want any unnecessary interruptions in the long-awaited battle between him, Hashirama, and Gengetsu. "It begins now, Hashirama!"

Without waiting for a response, Madara launched himself at Gengetsu, creating a massive crater underfoot as he charged with terrifying momentum.

Hashirama moved in tandem.

Though stung by Madara's words, Tobirama remained motionless. Despite Madara's harsh tone, he wasn't wrong.

After Kakashi Hatake's near-lethal strike, Tobirama realized that trying to challenge Gengetsu further would be futile.

All he could do was wait.

Wait for a chance that might come—or might never come.

"So, in the end, this great war of the ninja world has become a stage for the Three Heroes of the Warring States?"

With his left leg missing, Ōnoki, his face pale as Tsunade treated him, sighed deeply.

"I once thought the Five Kage were the strongest ninja. But now..."

With her chakra nearly depleted and barely able to fight, Mei Terumī shook her head with a bitter smile.

The other Kage, A, the Fourth Raikage, and Tsunade, remained silent.

They all wanted to do their part as representatives of the current generation.

But reality was harsh.

If it weren't for the protection provided by the previous Kage and the strong ninja of each village, taking the brunt of Gengetsu's attacks, they might not even be alive now.

"Though I hate to admit it, it seems only those of the same era can truly challenge each other."

Covered in wounds, with the largest gash nearly piercing his chest—an injury that Tsunade had to pull him back from death's door—Raikage A spoke with a sense of resignation.

Tsunade said nothing, her gaze fixed on the backs of her grandfather and Madara, now fighting side by side.

She had never imagined that the two founders of Konoha, long severed from each other, would one day join forces again.

The sight of them together was inspiring, filling one with confidence.

But then, considering the opponent capable of forcing Hashirama and Madara to join forces, the thought was terrifying.

As she continued to treat Ōnoki's wounds, Tsunade looked at Gengetsu, feeling her heart sink.

She noticed that Gengetsu's expression remained calm, devoid of any tension.

At most, he seemed a bit nostalgic.

"Hashirama, Madara, and myself—what a surprise. Who would have thought the battle that should have happened during the Warring States would happen decades later."

Noticing that Hashirama and Madara were now charging toward him, Gengetsu chuckled softly, speaking to himself.

The Three Heroes of the Warring States were legendary, but truthfully, they had never all been in the same place at the same time.

The imagined clash of the three never happened.

What was left were two famous battles: the Battle of the Valley of the Gods and the Valley of the End, along with Hashirama's unmatched reputation.

But after today, everything would change.

At this moment, a rare flicker of excitement sparked in Gengetsu's usually calm eyes as he looked at the two men charging toward him, both legends in their own right.

Hashirama, the victor of old, and Madara, who, though seemingly defeated at the Valley of the End, ultimately had the last laugh—both were about to become the stepping stones on Gengetsu's path to supremacy.

Warring States, present day—only one shall reign supreme!