The Ninja World War had only just begun.
Perhaps no one ever imagined that a single person could turn the tide of battle entirely on their own.
There was even a moment when one man's presence overshadowed the entire Allied Shinobi Forces.
That man was Uchiha Madara.
He redefined the limits of what people thought was possible for a ninja and ninjutsu.
No one expected the Allied Forces to lose so devastatingly.
They knew Madara was powerful, but not to the extent that he could no longer be considered merely a ninja.
When Madara piloted his Susanoo like a massive war machine across the battlefield, people finally realized the truth—none of them could match Uchiha Madara's peak strength.
So, after Madara was summoned away by Senju Yukika, the higher-ups of Iwagakure and Kirigakure, along with the rest of the Sand Village leaders, quickly convened a meeting.
They had only one agenda: how to prepare for Madara's next attack.
Their first direct confrontation had shown that their so-called ninja alliance was as fragile as paper in front of him.
The power of unity?
Sorry, this world belongs to those who dominate.
In the end, they concluded that aside from Senju Yukika, no one in the ninja world was capable of fighting Madara on equal footing.
It was a harsh and cruel reality.
They all knew that Yukika and Madara had once battled in the Valley of the End, and the state of that place now was proof of their clash.
They didn't know the exact outcome of that battle, but the fact that Madara lived and Yukika still walked among the Senju and Konoha lands was proof enough that Yukika had the strength to stand against Madara.
The previous conditions set by the Senju Clan had been harsh, but now, in the face of world destruction, those demands seemed trivial.
If the ninja world were a chessboard, the Senju Clan and Konoha represented one faction, Uchiha Madara alone was another, and the rest of the ninja villages made up the third faction.
But these three forces were not in balance. Initially, they believed their ninja alliance was the strongest side. Now, they understood that compared to the Senju and Madara, they were the weakest.
The weak have always had to choose a side.
They could either join forces with Senju Yukika or submit to Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi plan without resistance.
The first option meant becoming subordinates to the Senju, governed entirely by their rules, potentially losing their status and independence.
That would turn all ninja villages into one unified entity, dissolving their barriers and autonomy—a direct conflict with their interests.
But if they chose not to align with anyone, Madara would crush them all without mercy.
Release the Tailed Beasts, activate Infinite Tsukuyomi—what good would endless dreams do them?
Senju Yukika didn't fear Infinite Tsukuyomi; he had the means to fight against it.
The choice was obvious, even for fools: stubborn resistance was better than living an eternal dream without freedom.
"Can't hold on any longer?"
Outside the Senju compound, Yukika stood calmly, hands behind his back, observing the assembled ninjas. They wore different uniforms, but their headbands were the same.
It was clear.
At this point in time, the two saviors from the original story were still in their infancy, not even tadpoles yet. The Allied Shinobi Forces were useless against Madara.
Just like the original story.
Naruto's so-called Allied Forces were ineffective.
Even in the Fourth Great Ninja War, aside from Naruto and Sasuke, no one else made much of a difference.
Especially Sakura, who thought she'd closed the gap after winning in Infinite Tsukuyomi, only to realize how far behind she still was.
Yukika shook his head, gave the ninjas a calm look, and then turned back toward the Senju compound.
He had given them a chance before, but they failed to seize it. Letting them suffer a bit was only fair.
Yukika often said things opposite to Nagato, and he wasn't wrong—just a bit off.
Only those who understand pain can abandon war. Ideals are one thing, but reality is rarely that simple.
Let Madara have his fun. He wasn't even here yet.
Meanwhile...
In Orochimaru's laboratory.
The usual clutter of jars and heaps of data filled the room.
Near a massive vessel, Orochimaru watched a red-haired man inside.
"Master Yukika."
Sensing Yukika's arrival, Orochimaru immediately bowed respectfully.
"How is he doing?" Yukika nodded toward the man in the container, his face contorted in pain.
It was Nagato.
Since the day Yukika retrieved Nagato's body from the Land of Rain, the experiment had begun.
Yukika hadn't bothered to save Yahiko. His death, in pursuit of mutual understanding, had always been Yahiko's true fate—and his death had become the fuel for Nagato's resolve.
Nagato's void experiment was special.
It was similar to Yammy from the Bleach universe: the angrier he became, the stronger he grew. In Nagato's case, however, his power stemmed not from anger, but from pain.
The deeper the pain, the stronger he became.
But this power had a time limit and consumed life force with every surge.
After discussions with Nagato, Yukika had left the choice to him.
Despair breeds growth. Pain brought clarity.
Unlike the original story, Yahiko had died before Nagato's eyes, and Madara had taken his Rinnegan. That agony drove Nagato to the brink.
Even if it was just once, defeating Madara would be enough for him—a rebellion against fate.
He needed power, no matter the cost.
And pain was the price.
The vessel and Nagato's transformation were Yukika's carefully crafted plan. Once completed, Nagato would gain incomparable strength—a trump card against Madara.
Just then, a crack appeared on the container.
A massive burst of pressure exploded outward!
CRACK!