Become someone's subordinate?
No way.
Every ninja village inherited its own legacy.
They weren't some frail new generation.
Madara Uchiha? As long as they could overcome fear, there was nothing they couldn't face.
"Did you hear that, Madara?" Yukika said with a small smile. "They're planning to take you down."
He leapt down effortlessly and sat beside Mikoto, letting out a soft sigh.
This was going to be boring.
He had predicted this outcome from the start.
There was no way the Five Great Villages would bow their heads so easily.
These were all battle-hardened veterans who only learned the hard way.
They weren't Pain—they wouldn't give up resistance so easily.
And it was still unclear how far they were from Madara's level.
Yes, Sunagakure had already faced disaster.
But this time, the entire strength of the Five Villages was assembled.
If they didn't try, how would they know if they could resist?
"I'm not interested in the weak," Madara said coldly. "But that Senju brat does intrigue me."
His killing intent flared as he looked at Yukika.
An illegitimate Senju.
A man who dared to cut his own salary, whose women dared talk back to Madara himself.
The shinobi world had forgotten the name "Uchiha Madara"?
Time to remind them what it meant.
Still...
What Mikoto had said earlier lingered in Madara's mind.
He wasn't stupid.
Infinite Tsukuyomi was his obsession—but if it truly brought peace, why hadn't the Sage used it? Why leave behind only instructions?
He needed to think.
"I'll wait for you at the old place."
There was no point in arguing with Madara.
He wouldn't truly listen until his pride was shattered.
Yukika understood that.
Their battlefield would be the place tied to both Uchiha and Senju—the Valley of the End, in the Land of Fire.
Without a word to the village leaders, Yukika took Mikoto and Kushina and vanished in a flash of wings.
Madara followed shortly after, with Black Zetsu in tow.
And the remaining shadows in the room?
They were nothing.
To Madara, they were never people worth noticing.
Even in the original story, the Kage were toys—when he got serious, they were nothing to him.
The Tailed Beasts needed to be handled carefully too.
He had already used the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to absorb one—but the rest were still controlled only by illusion.
He needed more than one.
He needed to defeat Senju Yukika to preserve his pride.
The Senju was his true target.
The rest?
Trash—easy to crush.
The so-called Allied Shinobi Forces posed no threat.
Still, Ōnoki and the others began planning—trying to form an alliance while Yukika distracted Madara.
Land of Fire.
Near the Hidden Leaf.
A young man stood between two statues, hands clasped behind his back.
Between them, a waterfall roared violently.
This was where Senju Hashirama had once defeated Uchiha Madara.
Their battle had reshaped the land.
To honor their clash, statues of both were erected.
The Valley of the End.
In the future, Naruto and Sasuke would destroy these statues and replace them with their own.
Just like Indra and Asura—an endless cycle.
As Madara arrived, his eyes flickered with nostalgia.
Last time he fought here, it was against Hashirama.
Now it was the man's grandson.
Fate was strange like that.
But truthfully, Madara didn't think this kid was worthy.
He had only agreed to come to show Hashirama how pathetic his grandson was.
Senju Yukika—he must die!
He was the first to challenge Madara directly.
Even Hashirama had never dared that.
He had even been attacked by Yukika's pet Nine-Tails beneath his own base—an unbearable humiliation.
No more words.
Madara reached out and summoned the Uchiha's war fan—aiming it at Yukika.
They had nothing to say.
They were enemies.
To Madara, no one but Hashirama had the right to truly understand him.
"You know... I never agreed with my grandfather," Yukika said, slowly drawing his sword, Blade of the Evening Flame.
Madara had heard the rumors.
Even early on, Yukika had denounced Hashirama—taking over his memorial shrine and calling out his decisions.
Selling Tailed Beasts during the founding of Konoha.
Disagreeing with the concept of a united ninja village.
Yukika believed the wars that followed were even bloodier than the Warring States era.
Madara actually respected him for that.
Because in all his years, he'd seen the truth—villages didn't bring peace.
They only brought larger, more efficient war.
Even as he was dying, Hashirama had sighed and said, "Some things are better left to the next generation."
But that was just an excuse.
Hashirama's sister?
Other than Tsunade, there was no one left.
Let alone someone who could carry on his dream.
Two shadows dashed across the water.
A fan and a blade clashed, ringing out with force.
The battle had begun.
And as soon as they exchanged blows, Madara realized—he had underestimated Yukika.
The recoil from the fan told him: if this was just raw strength, Yukika might be even stronger.
"Ninja battles aren't won by strength alone," Madara said, leaping back, clutching his chest.
"Fire Style—Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A sea of fire surged forward.
Even above a waterfall, Madara's Fire Style was still S-rank.
Everyone knew—Uchiha fire jutsu could overpower Water Style.
But it depended on who was casting the water.
Yukika didn't panic.
He didn't even form hand signs.
He just raised the Blade of the Evening Flame and pointed it at the oncoming fire.
"Fire Style—Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
The same jutsu—launched right back.
And to Madara's shock, Yukika's flames burned even hotter.
Enhanced by spiritual pressure, his fire wasn't just jutsu anymore.
Madara didn't understand.
Yukika was said to excel in Water Style—especially here, at a waterfall.
Yet he chose to counter fire... with fire?
What did it mean?
"Being beaten at Fire Style... this feels insulting," Madara muttered. "You're supposed to be the master of fire."
Indeed.
To be overpowered at his own specialty—that was a blow to Madara's pride.
Yukika grinned, watching Madara's flames get swallowed by his own.
He raised a finger and gestured mockingly.
"Keep dancing."
"Don't disappoint me."
"Smile for the statue of my grandfather behind me."
Behind Yukika stood the statue of Senju Hashirama.
Round one had gone to Yukika—clearly witnessed by the stone Hashirama.
Madara tossed aside his fan and formed a hand seal.
"In that case, let me show you your grandfather's real power!"
"Wood Style—Deep Forest Emergence!"