Shua———
At that moment, two figures—both appearing as Uchiha Madara—leapt down from the steel rooftop.
In an instant, they crossed several hundred meters—
Boom——!
They landed simultaneously.
A massive cloud of smoke and dust exploded around them.
When the dust finally settled...
Not far away, Konan and Uchiha Sasuke looked up to see—
Two nearly identical "Uchiha Madara" standing side by side before them!
"Teacher...?"
Uchiha Sasuke took a few steps forward, dazed.
Konan looked equally confused. Just a moment ago, the two had been fighting... but now they stood together?
Was it a battle between a person and his clone?
No—that was impossible.
Could it be... there were really two Uchiha Madaras?!
"Hm?"
At that moment, the original Uchiha Madara, now standing next to Leo, noticed Sasuke's presence.
His eyes narrowed.
"Izuna?"
Indeed—he had mistaken Sasuke's appearance for his younger brother, Uchiha Izuna.
Leo chuckled and responded, "His name is Uchiha Sasuke. He just resembles Izuna. But he's not him."
"I see..." Uchiha Madara's expression softened for a moment as if lost in memory.
Leo looked at him and said, "Once we unify the ninja world, we might be able to revive Izuna with the Rinnegan's power."
"Revive... Izuna?!" Madara's eyes widened in shock.
Then, clenching his fists tightly, he shouted, "Yes! You're right!"
"I will revive Izuna! I want him to see the world we've reshaped—no matter the cost!"
Leo nodded. "Let's bring order to this chaotic world—together!"
Madara turned toward Leo with a firm nod, his eyes filled with a new determination.
---
At the same time—
"In that illusion space earlier, you said the first step wasn't capturing the Tailed Beasts or conquering the Five Great Shinobi Nations."
"But instead... to deal with the Akatsuki first?"
"Is there something unusual about the Akatsuki that Nagato formed?"
Madara gave Leo a curious glance.
But before Leo could answer—
"Teacher!"
Uchiha Sasuke ran toward the two Madaras, confused yet excited.
Upon arriving, he looked between the two identical figures, clearly unsure who to speak to.
"Did you use Wood Clone again? That battle just now... was incredible!"
He assumed one of them was just a clone—perhaps a Wood Clone.
Leo and Madara looked almost the same now. With Madara's body restored to its youthful state after resurrection, they were practically indistinguishable.
Even with his fully activated Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Sasuke couldn't tell which one was real.
Because both were.
Madara smirked. "So, brat—can you guess which one of us is the real one?"
"This... I..." Sasuke hesitated. He honestly couldn't tell.
Leo stepped forward, laughing lightly. "Alright, let's stop teasing him."
"Sasuke, we're both real. Not a clone among us."
Sasuke blinked, confused. "Both... real?"
Before he could process it—
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
Boom boom boom——!!
Explosive paper bombs suddenly rained down from the sky, crashing down like a fiery storm.
A massive chain of explosions rocked the area!
It was Konan. She had just gone to check on Nagato and discovered his death. Enraged, she returned, launching a desperate attack on the two Madaras.
But when the smoke cleared—
A towering blue Susanoo (Second Stage) stood firm.
Madara had summoned it just in time, shielding himself, Leo, and Sasuke. None of them were harmed.
"You... You want to die that badly?" Madara's scarlet Sharingan glared coldly at Konan as she hovered in the air, her paper wings spread wide.
"Agh... You killed Nagato..." Konan coughed up blood, her energy rapidly fading.
Her paper wings dissolved, and she fell helplessly to the ground.
Thud.
She landed safely but remained crouched, clutching her chest and coughing blood. She was gravely injured.
Madara looked down on her. "You had the courage to attack me. That's the only thing I can commend."
He raised one hand. Susanoo's massive arm followed his motion, forming a Yasaka Magatama, ready to obliterate her.
But before the attack launched—
"Wait."
Leo gently placed a hand on Madara's shoulder.
Madara paused, glancing sideways, curious.
Even Sasuke looked toward Leo, unsure of what was about to happen. He still couldn't figure out which one of them had been his original teacher.
"I recently acquired an interesting Forbidden Technique," Leo said calmly. "I want to test its effects."
Madara arched an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh?"
With a grin, he waved off his Susanoo. "Very well. Let's see what you've got."
The blue armor vanished with a hum.
Leo turned to Madara. "Since Black Zetsu appeared here earlier, there should be White Zetsu nearby."
"Summon a few. They'll be useful for what I'm about to do."
Madara nodded, understanding the plan without further explanation.
As Madara made preparations, Leo stepped toward the weakened Konan.
Sasuke watched from behind, still torn between the two Madaras, but his instinct drove him to follow Leo.
Soon, Leo stood before Konan.
She was weak, kneeling on the ground, blood dripping from her lips.
"Can you gather the remaining members of the Akatsuki?" Leo asked coldly.
Konan didn't reply. Instead, she pulled out several kunai and shuriken, each tagged with explosive seals, and raised her hand to throw them.
Even though she couldn't use her Paper Jutsu in her current state, she was still ready to fight.
Leo's expression didn't change.
"I can revive the one called Nagato," he said quietly.
Konan froze.
---
Silence fell.
For several seconds, she remained motionless—kunai still in her grip.
"What... did you say?" she asked hoarsely.
"I can bring him back. But I need the remaining Akatsuki members present."
Leo's tone was firm and emotionless.
Konan stared at him, unsure whether to believe him—or if this was some cruel trick.
"I know you're loyal to Nagato. If you want to see him alive again, then you'll help us."
Leo's eyes locked with hers, unwavering.
Behind him, Madara finished summoning a few White Zetsu clones, which quickly emerged from the ground.
They were positioned in a small circle, waiting for further instructions.
Konan bit her lip. Then slowly, painfully, she lowered her weapons.
"I'll do it... but if you're lying..."
"You'll know soon enough," Leo interrupted.
He stepped aside.
With a single hand sign, Leo activated a strange black seal across the air above them.
A swirling vortex of chakra began to twist open—a spiraling gate-like rift—and dark energy surged from his palm.
The White Zetsu clones stepped into the designated spots.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched.
"What is this jutsu...?" he muttered.
Leo's eyes glowed faintly with purple Rinnegan light.
"The Forbidden Technique I found—it doesn't exist in any shinobi records."
"I call it... 'Kōten Fukkatsu no Jutsu'—Heavenly Resurrection Art."
The name echoed through the air.
A pulse of energy rippled out.
Konan gritted her teeth. Her body trembled with a strange anticipation and terror.
Madara, standing to the side, observed intently.
And Leo—
With his hands now forming an unfamiliar string of hand seals, he stepped into the center of the ritual circle.
A massive seal emerged beneath them, glowing with ominous crimson light.
"Now..." Leo whispered, "let's bring back the man who once bore the burden of peace."
The darkness deepened.
The technique began.
---
To Be Continued...
---