Five years ter.

  On a high ptform atop the mountains of the Land of Lightning.

  "Be careful, don't look into their eyes!"

  Three Kumogakure shinobi were frantically fleeing, the sound of breaking air incessant, as a dense barrage of shurikeowards them like bullets, f them into a er.

  Standing opposite them on the sandstone were a handsome man and a beautiful woman dressed in high-colred bck clothing, their pairs of crimson three-tomoe Sharingan eyes exuding a mesmerizing gleam.

  At their feet y the bodies of over a dozen Kumogakure shinobi, charred corpses scattered everywhere, blood flowing like a river, the air thick with the smell of burning and blood.

  "Tell us the whereabouts of the ails, and we'll spare your lives," the girl's voice was cold and clear, tinged with impatience. "Otherwise, don't bme us for taking matters into our own hands."

  Her skin was as white as snow, atuated by her long, glossy bck hair. Her long, delicate eyebrows arched like crest moons, her beautiful face cold as frost, her bright eyes like autumn waters, yet filled with undisguised killing i.

  "Yoing too far!" one of the Kumogakure shinobi shouted angrily. "The information about the ails is a secret of our vilge. How could we possibly tell you!"

  "So, you choose death?" the girl slightly raised her eyes, her pupils instantly transf into the Mangekyō Sharingan, with dark patterns swirling like three swallows freely cirg in the sky.

  A cold, oppressive chakra aura spread out, causing the three to shiver simultaneously.

  "Damn Uchiha, are y to provoke a war between Kumogakure and Konoha?" the Kumogakure shinobi who seemed to be the leader gritted his teeth and stepped forward. "You've entered our try, wantonly sughtering Kumogakure shinobi. Did Hashirama-sama done all this?"

  "Watouth. We have no e with Konoha," the boy on the left spoke up.

  His face was as fwless as jade, with clear and delicate features, his short bck hair naturally falling, a faint smile on his lips, but his cold and aloof eyes exuded an air ance.

  "...And don't mention that person's name in front of us."

  As soon as he finished speaking, his figure suddenly blurred without warning, appearing instantly in the ter of the three.

  "Whoosh!"

  A fsh of light, a bde of icy blue chakra, apanied by spurting blood, a head with a bewildered expression was sent flying into the air.

  "What!"

  "Captain!"

  The remaining two were shocked, but as seasoned veterans, they quickly reacted despite their panic, drawing their swords and thrusting towards the boy's bad side.

  "Zap!" Brilliaricity flickered along the bdes, the secret teique of Kumogakure: Supersonic Vibrating Lightning Release Bde.

  At that moment, the boy's cheeks slightly puffed up, "Fire Release: Ash cealment Teique."

  A massive amount of ash pletely engulfed the group, the ash filled with unimaginable heat. The two Kumogakure shinobi instinctively closed their eyes, but their respiratory tracts were still scorched, causing them to cough untrolbly.

  One of the Kumogakure shinobi, enduring the disfort, immediately retreated in the opposite dire, but was met with a heavy blow, a hand like an iron cmp gripping his throat!

  The sound of wind whistled past his ears, the air turning cool again, as if someone had taken him out of the ash.

  He instinctively opened his eyes, immediately meeting a pair of eerie, bright Sharingan eyes!

  "Genjutsu: Puppet Teique!"

  The three tomoe slightly rotated, and his expression became bnk, pletely lost in the illusion.

  Oher side, the surging ash was apanied by a series of explosions, fmes rippling out. A scream was heard, the ash scattered, revealing a charred corpse.

  "Your Body Flicker Teique is being more and more elusive, Kamihahe girl leapt down, her bck clothes fluttering like a butterfly.

  "You're not bad either, both your taijutsu and shurikenjutsu surpass the level of an average jōnin," the boy smiled slightly, giving her a thumbs up.

  This pair of young man and woman were naturally the aplished Kamihane and Uchiha Hikari.

  And the reason they were here...

  "Tell us the whereabouts of the ails," Kamihane anded.

  The Kumogakure shinobi looked bnk, his mouth opening and closing, "I don't know."

  "How is that possible? Didn't your vilge attempt to capture the ails three months ago?"

  "That operation ended in failure, and we lost many people," the Kumogakure shinobi responded as instructed.

  Kamihane's gaze shifted slightly, "Who knows the whereabouts of the ails?"

  "Lord Kinkaku and Linkaku might know, as they were once swallowed by the ails during its capture. Two weeks ter, they emerged unscathed and obtaihe ails' chakra."

  "Is that so..." Kamiharoked his and g Hikari beside him, saying, "It seems we o make a choice."

  "What choice?"

  "To obediently return and leave this matter to Lord Madara for decision; or... to press our advantage araformation from Kinkaku and Ginkaku before returning."

  Kamihaended his hand towards Uchiha Hikari, presenting her with the options, "So, what will it be? Remain a nameless pawn or rise to fame? I'll follow your lead."

  Hikari showed a ptive expression, "Kinkaku and Ginkaku... are these tw?"

  Kamihane shrugged, "From what I know, these two are desdants of the Sage of Six Paths, capable of freely wielding the Sage's five great ninja tools. They ily possess chakra on par with tailed beasts, and now they've even obtaihe ails' chakra. They are undoubtedly troublesome."

  "However, I'm more ed about Kumogakure," he shifted the topic, "These two hold extremely high status in Kumogakure, belonging to the upper echelons. If we barge in recklessly, we might cause signifit trouble for Lord Madara."

  "Why not just avoid beied?" Hikari raised her eyebrows, casting a puzzled look at him. Somehow, this expression seemed full of provocation to Kamihane.

  "I'm merely stating the facts. If we're exposed, this i will undoubtedly cause a huge uproar in the ninja world. If Konoha catches wind of it, it could jeopardize Lord Madara's pns," Kamihane gred back.

  He felt somewhat frustrated; he was already 13 years old, yet he was still half a head shorter than Uchiha Hikari.

  Hikari thought seriously for a moment, "I choose fame!"

  "Alright, then I'll risk my life to apany you," Kamihane elegantly cpped his hands.

  "Wait, why is it always me making the final decision? e to think of it, the same thing happened during our previous missions..." she finally caught on.

  "Why bring that up..."

  ...

  In the Land of Fire, on a desote pin.

  "Uchiha Refle!"

  A hurrie swept through, scattering the formation of dozens of Konoha ninja, who fell to the ground like dumplings. The area hundreds of meters ahead was fttened by the gale.

  Uchiha Madara retracted his fan and gazed in the dire of Konoha Vilge, his cold eyes gradually softening.

  "Now, Hashirama will have no choice but to act."

  After five years of traveling, he had nearly traversed the entire ninja world. Whether it was major or minor nations, any try with some strength was emuting Hashirama Senju's vilge system, establishing one ninja vilge after another.

  But he had also e to uand that this peace was like duckweed on calm water. Oneoirred the surface, it would iably up endless foam.

  The ninja world seemed stable, but almost every vilge was actively cultivating its forces. Some tries evely petitioheir daimyo for funds, amassing troops in the shadows, their burgeoning ambitions id bare.

  'So-called peace is merely built upon Hashirama's martial deterrence. Ohe stro force is lost, this false peace will quickly shatter.'

  As time passed, Madara gradually formed this perspective.

  Especially when the First Mizukage, upon learning that he had left Konoha, secretly invited him to join Kirigakure, this belief solidified to its extreme.

  'Hashirama, you're wrong. As long as people exist, fli this world is iable.' He was utterly disillusioned with Hashirama's approach.

  The "Eye of the Moon" pn thus began to unfold!

  The first step of the pn was to awaken the power of the Rinnegan;

  Acc to the stoablet, he first o obtain Hashirama's cells, merging the powers of Indra and Asura, to awaken Yin-Yang Release and open these legendary eyes.

  This would iably lead to a battle with Hashirama.

  Recalling his previous crushi... Madara decided that before the final showdown, he would capture the stro of the ailed beasts to pensate for his ck of enduran prolonged battles.

  It was also to slightly increase his ces of victory... cough and to guard against Tobirama, that sly old fox.

  This was why Kamihane and Hikari appeared in the Land of Lightning.

  The sed step was to summon the Gedo Statue, the shell of the Ten-Tails, using the Rinnegan;

  The third step was to gather the ailed beasts, revive the Ten-Tails, and then cast the Six Paths — Ten-Tails Coffin Seal, being the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki;

  He calcuted that awakening the Rinnegan would be a lengthy process and that after the battle with Hashirama, he might lose his bat abilities. Thus, Kamihane and Uchiha Hikari were now of utmost importance.

  To this end, he would spare no effort in training them and ensuring they ied his ideology.

  Iime to e, the two would a his name iside world, capturing the ailed beasts before he awakehe Rinnegan.

  The final step was to approach the moon with the power of the Six Paths, awaken the Rinne Sharingan, and cast the "Infisukuyomi," trolling all people in the world, unifying the world, and creating aernal "peace" within the illusion!

  After casting the Infisukuyomi, the Diviree would desd, sealing people into tree cos. Their bodies would be nourished by the Diviree, thus preventih.

  Their souls would forever remain immersed in the illusion of the Infisukuyomi, each person living in their ideal dream world.

  Reality and illusion would no longer matter. The sun would shine upon the earth, and the world would fall into silence, with no more wars or smoke.

  And Madara himself... would bee the guardian, enduring this eternal solitude alone.