"My son, you have already learned two complex ninjutsu. You must be exhausted. Come, sit with your godfather for a while. You need to rest…"
Shiro possessed a level of comprehension and talent that was truly staggering, and Madara desperately wanted to teach the boy everything he knew. But his old bones and weary muscles protested. He had no choice but to find an excuse to take a much-needed break.
Shiro, with an insight far beyond his years, understood the physical strain on the old man. He stopped his eager pestering and sat down beside Madara, and the two began to chat.
"Godfather, I heard you mention the name Hashirama earlier. Is he strong?"
"Yes, very strong," Madara admitted, a flicker of a long-lost past in his eyes. "He was my lifelong friend, and my only true rival."
"Wow! I can't believe there's a man in this world who was stronger than my godfather!"
"What are you talking about? When did I ever say Hashirama was stronger than me? Hmph!" Uchiha Madara's pale face flushed with color. He shut his eyes, lifted his chin, and declared proudly:
"We fought each other many times since we were boys. On the surface, one could say we were evenly matched! But in truth, I was… mm… slightly stronger than him. Yes, that's right, that's how it was!"
Shiro smiled to himself. He knew the truth of Madara's history but had no desire to expose the old man's pride. Instead, he played along.
"That's what I thought! How could there possibly be someone stronger than my godfather?"
"Godfather, since you fought so many times, who won more often?"
As soon as the words left Shiro's mouth, Uchiha Madara's brow furrowed, and he shot the boy an indignant look. "What do you think? Son, are you questioning your father's ability?"
"Ah, forgive me! What a stupid question!" Shiro noticed Madara's displeasure and quickly tried to backtrack.
"You're stronger than him, so of course you won more! Absolutely!"
"Uh… um…" Uchiha Madara's face grew even redder. Perhaps he couldn't bring himself to lie to the child any longer, but his pride as a father warred with the truth. He turned his face away awkwardly and muttered under his breath.
"Actually… I haven't won that many times. We only really fought three times."
"The first time, I didn't want to win. The second time, he refused to lose. And the third time… well, we were brothers. I let him win on purpose… Yes."
"…" Shiro was momentarily stunned by Madara's convoluted explanation. After a moment of mental gymnastics, he realized that Madara's summary was a very creative way of saying he had lost all three fights.
"Godfather! Then what about…?"
The curious boy wanted to press further, but before he could finish, Uchiha Madara shot to his feet, dusting off his robes as he abruptly changed the subject.
"Ahem! The break is over. Come, son, let us continue your training!"
"Okay, godfather!"
"Come now! Since my son is such a prodigy, I will only perform the following ninjutsu once. Remember to watch me carefully."
"I understand, godfather!"
"Good. I am beginning. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready, godfather!"
"Fire Style…!"
On that day, Uchiha Madara demonstrated every fire-style ninjutsu in his vast arsenal. With the blessing of his innate talent, Shiro mastered each one perfectly, often performing them with a skill and power that seemed to surpass Madara's own.
Under the light of the moon, Uchiha Madara leaned against a tree, panting from exhaustion. He waved a weary hand at Shiro, who still looked eager for more.
"Alright, my son, it is getting late. That is enough practice for one day. We should head back."
"Tomorrow, I will have Obito teach you some other techniques."
After a full day of non-stop demonstrations, even with rests, Madara's aged body could no longer keep up.
Shiro took Uchiha Madara's large hand in his small one, and the two walked back toward the cavern together.
"Godfather, it's so late. Why hasn't Obito returned yet?"
"He and White Zetsu are busy attending to the matter I assigned them."
"It's the first time I've been away from them for this long. I miss them a little."
"Hmph. The day is nearly over. It shouldn't take this long to handle a simple task. Do not worry, son. I will call them back to keep you company."
Uchiha Madara's eyes narrowed, and in a ripple of earth, a White Zetsu clone emerged at his feet.
"Lord Madara, what are your orders?"
"Where is Obito? Has he not yet dealt with the task I gave him?"
"Hehe, Obito has successfully convinced Nagato. They are now in the Land of Water. Obito has used his Sharingan to place the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, under his control. The entire Hidden Mist Village is now effectively ours."
"The Fourth Mizukage?" Uchiha Madara's lips curled into an intrigued sneer. "Heh… If I recall, he is the jinchūriki of the Three-Tails…"
The White Zetsu clone confirmed, "Yes, Lord Madara. Right now, Obito, Nagato, and my original self are scouting for powerful shinobi to recruit into the Akatsuki."
"Well, they have done a fine job," Madara nodded. "Notify them to return as soon as possible. Shiro misses them."
"Yes!"
________________
In the Land of Water, deep within a forest bordering the Hidden Mist Village, three dark figures moved silently along a path. In the center was Obito, to his right was the fused form of Black and White Zetsu, and to his left was the Deva Path, created from Yahiko's corpse.
Obito spoke. "Nagato, will you always appear in this form from now on?"
The Deva Path replied, its voice flat and devoid of emotion. "Yes. My true body is too weak to walk. From now on, I will let Yahiko's legs walk the path for me."
Obito nodded. "Alright. Nagato, those eyes of yours are the Rinnegan, the eyes that can bring true change to this world. I hope you understand that."
After a moment of silence, the Deva Path replied softly, "I understand. I will change this world."
"When people experience true pain, they learn to fear it. They will become terrified of pain returning, and they will cease inflicting it upon the weak and the small."
"I will make everyone in this world feel Yahiko's pain. Then… they will no longer hurt one another. There will be no more disputes, no more wars. That is what my Rinnegan has shown me… the only path to world peace."
Hearing this, Obito's visible eye seemed to dim. "Yes. That is why I came to you. It is our shared goal. But… it may not be the only way to achieve peace."
"…?" The Deva Path turned its head, looking at Obito's profile, waiting.
After a long pause, Obito finally spoke, his voice quiet. "As long as everyone in the world is asleep, they will stop hurting each other."
The Deva Path was stunned. "Is such a thing… even possible, Madara?"
"Haha, just a thought," Obito shook his head, saying no more.
The three continued onward. After a few minutes, a message from the clone echoed in the minds of Zetsu and Obito. "Lord Madara commands your immediate return. Shiro misses you!"
"!!!"
Shiro misses us?
Obito and White Zetsu were both deeply moved. It was a warmth that cut through their cold ambitions.
"Nagato, Zetsu and I have other matters to attend to," Obito said, stopping. "For now, you will focus on recruiting members for the organization. When I have need of you, I will find you."
Obito gave his final instructions, and then, with a swirl of distorted space, he vanished. At the same time, Zetsu melted back into the earth, their presence gone from the Land of Water.
After they disappeared, a cloud of paper butterflies fluttered toward the Deva Path, coalescing into the form of Konan.
"Nagato, can this man who calls himself Uchiha Madara truly be trusted?"
"I do not know," the Deva Path replied, shaking its head slightly.
"I only know that he understands the Rinnegan. He is the only one who can teach me its secrets. He is a legend, after all."
Konan asked, "Then what is our path forward?"
"We will follow his instructions, for now. But first, the Akatsuki needs a home." As he said this, the Deva Path's purple eyes grew colder.
"The Hidden Rain Village is our home. Hanzō is not worthy of being its master! Konan, have you found the five bodies I require?"
"I have," she confirmed. "And… these five bodies all share one thing in common. Perhaps it is fate."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"Before they died, all five of them had a brief encounter with our former master."