The Shadow Beneath the Moon
The full moon cast its pale light over the dense forest of the Land of Grass, illuminating the terrain in a cold silver glow. From within the underbrush, a lone figure emerged — Uchiha Kai, his Sharingan glowing crimson, glinting ominously in the moonlight.
"This is the place," said a small voice.
Pakkun — a pug-sized summoning ninken with a wrinkled face and a headband around his neck — spoke gruffly. "I've tracked the scent you asked for. But… something about you tonight feels off."
Kai gave a slight nod. "Thank you. You've done enough."
"If you'd summoned me earlier, this would've gone faster," Pakkun muttered. "Well, whatever. I'm heading back."
With a puff of smoke, the little ninja dog vanished, leaving only the breeze and the whisper of trees behind.
Kai turned his gaze toward a dark crevice nestled beneath a cliff — a hidden cave, unremarkable to the eye but not to his purpose.
He had already rested, consumed Uchiha clan-grade military ration pills, and allowed his chakra to recover nearly to full. It had been four or five hours since he declined Kakashi's proposal to join the mission. He still remembered the look on Kakashi's face — somewhere between betrayal and frustration.
But Kai couldn't let sentimentality or Kakashi's guilt interfere.
Kakashi, though unwilling to leave, knew better than to let his emotions compromise the mission. In the end, he sighed, summoned Pakkun, and walked away without another word.
Kai had waited. He knew the area could be crawling with White Zetsu clones, and if the old monster himself — Uchiha Madara — was still lingering in this realm, then caution was essential. Though Madara's body was nearing its limits, connected as it was to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, his strength was likely still monstrous.
Kai couldn't afford to provoke the legendary Uchiha just yet. And from what he remembered of history — vague as it sometimes was — Madara shouldn't have had more than a few hours left to live.
Madara had staged everything so perfectly. He unveiled his vision to Obito, explained the so-called truth, then seemingly embraced death — a masterstroke of manipulation to inspire blind loyalty. It was a powerful message: "I trust you. You will carry out our will."
And so Obito did, even when he doubted it.
Once Pakkun vanished, Kai donned a plain anbu-style mask, and flickered down to the entrance of the shadowy cave.
A chill wafted from within.
He stepped inside.
The cave was narrow, its walls rough-hewn and natural, but as he progressed deeper, the setting changed — signs of habitation appeared. First, a weapon rack, rusted but sturdy. Then, in the flickering light of his chakra-empowered vision, he caught a glimpse of something startling:
A gunbai — a large war fan marked with the Uchiha crest, leaning against the far wall.
Kai didn't even glance twice at it. Symbols meant nothing if they couldn't be explained. Bringing that fan back would raise too many questions — hot potatoes, best left alone.
Instead, he scanned the cave for something else — documents, scrolls, notes, anything Madara might've left behind. Tactical data. Jutsu theories. Battle strategies.
His cloak rustled slightly as his hand gripped the hilt of his ninjatō, ready for combat. Too quiet. No signs of life. That was unnatural.
For all he knew, Obito could already be here — fused with White Zetsu, slipping through walls.
Then—
"...!"
He stopped.
Beyond a shattered stone archway, slumped upon a crude stone bench, was an old man. White hair. Lean, lifeless frame. Head lowered. Still.
Kai tensed.
Even dead, Uchiha Madara's presence was overwhelming. It was unmistakable.
Only when Kai observed the lifeless chakra signature — and the severed tube trailing from Madara's back — did he release the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Dead. Really dead.
But no sooner had the realization come than he heard something behind him.
Ding!
With a flash, Kai whirled, his ninjatō drawn in an arc of glowing blue chakra. Sparks danced in the darkness — the sound of steel on steel.
Kamui... too late.
A figure had appeared in the gloom. One eye glowed scarlet, the other socket empty — Uchiha Obito.
Kai's blade had intercepted Obito's kunai just in time. A second too late, and his neck might have been slashed.
"Sneaky bastard."
Kai's boot lashed out — Obito phased just in time, his body flickering. The kick met air.
No matter. Kai somersaulted backward, arcing lightning into his palm while twisting his sword into a slashing motion. Obito retreated, warping backward using his space-time jutsu.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
He's still not used to his depth perception being off. The blind spot on the right is still there...
Earlier, they'd fought. Kai had learned.
Obito cursed under his breath but maintained distance.
"You've got guts, showing up again after I let you walk away," Kai said coldly, the blade of chakra humming at his side. "You must really want to die here."
"Hmph," Obito snorted. "Don't flatter yourself. If I weren't injured, those eyes of yours would already be mine."
Kai laughed under his mask. "That confidence doesn't match your skills, senior."
Obito's brow twitched.
He said nothing, but chakra flared in his clenched fist.
Kai stepped forward, his Sharingan spinning with deadly resolve. Retrospect of Time pulsed faintly in his vision — an option if things went south. But he hesitated.
If I use it here… I might kill him. But I also might cripple myself. And that shadow — Black Zetsu — could be lurking anywhere.
He dashed forward instead, striking again toward Obito's blind spot — a clean arc aimed at the neck.
Obito phased.
But something had changed. He stepped back — then vanished entirely, sucked into a swirling vortex.
Madara's body disappeared with him.
Only silence remained.
Kai stood there for a moment, still poised to strike.
"...Tch."
He lowered the blade.
I could've done it. If I'd gone all in, I might have ended this story early. But the risk… not yet.
He turned.
Near the broken archway, he spotted a severed white arm — likely a discarded Zetsu remnant.
He nodded.
"Good enough," he muttered.
"Goal achieved."