Late at night, within the depths of his secluded domain, Uchiha Madara stood before the ancient stone tablet, his Rinnegan glowing faintly in the darkness.
He stared at the inscriptions for a long time.
"…Two opposing forces intertwine," Madara murmured, his voice low and heavy, "and from their conflict, all creation is born."
The more he analyzed the stone tablet alongside the knowledge granted by his Rinnegan, the more unsettling his conclusions became.
Impossible.
And yet… undeniable.
Madara clenched his fists.
The truth he had always refused to acknowledge now pressed against his mind with terrifying clarity—the ancestors of the Uchiha and Senju clans were none other than the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths himself.
No.
That alone was not the most dangerous part.
The most dangerous variable was Si.
Madara's expression darkened.
"No… I must eliminate Si as soon as possible," he said coldly. "I cannot allow him to continue this research."
From the shadows, Kara Zetsu listened in silence.
Inside him, alarm bells rang violently.
Regret flooded his thoughts.
I should have killed Si earlier.
If Si had been removed before uncovering these truths, things would never have reached this point.
But now…
Now it was already too late.
Madara remained lost in thought for most of the night. Only when exhaustion finally claimed him did he lie down and fall into a deep sleep.
Kara Zetsu waited.
Patiently.
After observing for a long time and confirming that Madara's breathing had steadied, Kara Zetsu finally acted.
Using the Mayfly Technique, he merged with the earth and moved underground at tremendous speed. White Zetsu followed his guidance, slipping silently beneath the surface as they headed straight toward the island laboratory base.
Kara Zetsu's objective was simple and ruthless.
Kill Si.
Then manipulate the scene so that it appeared Hashirama had died after losing control during experiments on his own cells.
If everything went according to plan, Madara would never suspect foul play.
Inside the laboratory base, bright lights illuminated rows of cultivation tanks.
Si stood before one of them, staring intently at the Hashirama cells floating inside nutrient solution.
"Incredible…" Si murmured, genuine excitement in her voice.
Although Hashirama himself had never shown much interest in cellular research, Si could not resist the temptation. The moment she began studying the cells in depth, she realized just how terrifying their properties were.
Ashura's reincarnation.
A body that perfectly inherited the Sage's vitality.
Its regenerative ability, chakra compatibility, and adaptability were far beyond normal biological limits.
Behind her, Kara Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground.
Silently.
He stretched out a blackened hand toward Si's back.
Just as his fingers were about to touch her—
Complex sealing formulas suddenly erupted from his palm.
They spread like chains, wrapping around his arm and body in an instant.
"Sealing technique…?!"
Kara Zetsu froze in shock.
His movements were completely restrained.
He stared at Si in disbelief.
"You're not Si," he said coldly. "You can't be. According to Madara's description, Si does not possess sealing techniques powerful enough to bind me."
Si turned around slowly.
A faint smile curved her lips—cold, calm, and unsettling.
"I am Si," she replied softly. "But more accurately… I am the consciousness of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
"I have been waiting for you for a very long time."
Kara Zetsu's pupils contracted.
"Who… exactly are you?" he demanded.
Regret surged through him like poison.
This was a trap.
A trap from the very beginning.
Was this Hagoromo's contingency plan?
Si folded her arms, watching Kara Zetsu struggle uselessly against the seals.
"Relax," she said lightly. "I won't kill you. I have no hostility toward you—or toward the Rabbit Goddess."
"What do you know?" Kara Zetsu asked hoarsely.
The sealing formulas coursing through his body disrupted his Yin–Yang structure. Logically, such techniques should have little effect on a being created through Yin–Yang Release.
And yet… they worked.
"The reason I discovered you," Si continued, "was because I studied tissue samples from your body."
Her words struck like lightning.
"Within the Gedo Statue's flesh, I found more than one type of cell. In addition to the statue's own cells, there were two other distinct cellular structures."
She raised two fingers.
Kara Zetsu's heart sank.
Impossible.
The Gedo Statue should only contain its original cells.
Then whose were the others?
Si continued calmly.
"One belongs to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—the Rabbit Goddess. The other originates from a being of the same clan."
She paused, then added casually, "Interestingly, when I compared the genetic data of Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara, I discovered similarities to Kaguya's cells."
"This suggests that the ancestors of the Senju and Uchiha clans were directly related to her."
Si fell silent and stared straight at Kara Zetsu.
"Is my analysis correct… Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's consciousness?"
"…Truly remarkable," Kara Zetsu admitted quietly.
With only fragmented information, Si had already brushed against the deepest truth of this world.
"Si," Kara Zetsu asked carefully, "what exactly do you want?"
Si did not hesitate.
"I want to free the Rabbit Goddess from the Gedo Statue."
She met his gaze without fear.
"For that, I need your help."
Without Kara Zetsu, the process would take far longer.
And Madara's obsession with the Eye of the Moon Plan made time a luxury she did not have.
If Madara's experiments with Hashirama cells succeeded, he would begin collecting the Tailed Beasts.
Si had no interest in allowing that plan to succeed.
As for the Eye of the Moon Plan…
She intended to bury the Gedo Statue with Sage Art explosive tags and erase both Madara and the Ten-Tails once the plan neared completion.
"Impossible!" Kara Zetsu snapped. "Your method cannot revive my mother!"
"There is no such thing as impossible," Si replied coldly. "With your help as a consciousness carrier, I can extract her from the statue—just as you guided Madara to discover the statue in the first place."
Kara Zetsu shook his head violently.
"No! That is not the correct method!"
"Then answer me," Si said, her tone turning dangerous. "Will you cooperate with me… or will I kill you here and research another way?"
She raised a paper talisman sealed with chakra explosives, laughter bubbling up almost hysterically.
Bloodshot eyes.
Unrestrained excitement.
A mad scientist incarnate.
Kara Zetsu felt cold sweat drip down his body.
"You're insane!" he hissed.
"Which scientist isn't?" Si replied, her smile fading into icy indifference.
The talisman moved closer.
"…I'll cooperate," Kara Zetsu said at last.
He wasn't ready to die.
And more importantly—Si truly believed his mother was sealed within the Gedo Statue.
That alone made her useful.
"Good," Si said, releasing the seal.
They shook hands.
"Now," Si said calmly, "tell me why the Rabbit Goddess was sealed."
Kara Zetsu began his story—altered, twisted, painted to serve his purpose.
A tragic goddess.
Betrayed by her sons.
Imprisoned unjustly.
Si listened silently, correcting the truth in her mind.
Shameless, she thought.
But useful.
"I believe we can free her," Si said fervently.
And once I'm done, she added silently, you'll be useless.
Battlefield — Konoha vs Iwagakure
A crimson giant serpent, a dark-blue serpent, and a violet serpent tore through the battlefield, shattering Iwagakure's formations.
Stone ninjas fell one after another.
Then—
Boom!
A massive toad descended from the sky.
"Bunta!" Jiraiya shouted.
Gamabunta drew his blade.
"One slash!"
The stone monster split apart.
Lightning gathered.
Five Iwagakure ninjas sacrificed themselves, unleashing a devastating lightning strike.
The summons vanished in smoke.
Yet it was already too late.
Orochimaru.
Jiraiya.
Tsunade.
Their names echoed across the battlefield.
From that day on, the ninja world would know them as—
The Konoha Sannin.
And their fame spread like wildfire.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)