There was something a little off about Uchiha Madara.
When Madara saw that the Eye of the Moon Plan could not yet be carried out, he took it upon himself to watch over and train Uchiha Sasuke. While Black Zetsu was out searching for Obito, Madara personally cleared a training ground and put Sasuke through an extremely tough regimen.
"Attack faster!"
Standing in the training field with his arms folded, Madara dodged Sasuke's attacks without a change in expression, his voice cold as he criticized the young boy.
Madara didn't think much of Sasuke's fighting style. Even though Sasuke was only twelve and had a two-tomoe Sharingan, he was thrown into battle training against Madara, who was near his peak form—it was definitely a lot for a kid to handle.
But the results were obvious.
Having trained with his brother Izuna from a young age, Madara knew exactly what it took to forge a child into a true killer.
Of course, taijutsu training was just the beginning. The ninjutsu training was just as rigorous.
Madara wasn't stingy about teaching Sasuke his Fire Style jutsu. His own mastery of the element was at its pinnacle, far beyond what Jiraiya had taught Sasuke, and there was no one in the ninja world better with Fire Style.
But what truly mattered most was the training of the Sharingan.
Madara quickly noticed that Sasuke's use of the Sharingan was rather shallow. He couldn't even use it properly for genjutsu yet, he was only good for copying and tracking movements.
"The power of genjutsu is far more suited for battle than you think," Madara explained. "If you're not up against someone like Hashirama Senju or Lord Emiya, genjutsu can instantly end a fight with a single look. For you, it can be used on a complex battlefield to save chakra or create a critical opening against an opponent…"
"..."
Sasuke frowned deeply.
What he really wanted was power. "Is this enough to let me kill Uchiha Itachi? I want to learn the power you used that day—the technique called Susanoo!"
"Susanoo, huh?" Madara couldn't help but smile, quite proud of his technique, but he quickly warned the boy, "Susanoo's power can only be unlocked if you awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"But to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan…" Madara's expression grew more serious as he spoke. "You must go through unbearable, overwhelming pain. The deeper your pain, the more powerful your Sharingan will become…"
The best way was to open one's eyes through such pain.
Listening to Madara's words about the Mangekyo Sharingan, Emiya Shirou frowned slightly.
Had the Uchiha clan's path gone so far off track?
Still… it was certainly the fastest way.
Compared to the difficult process of strengthening one's emotions to trigger the unique chakra circuit in an Uchiha's brain, this method had many proven precedents and was frankly simple and direct.
"Alright. Let's keep training." Madara glanced at Sasuke and dropped the topic of the Sharingan. "If you don't have a strong body, you won't be able to handle the physical toll the Sharingan brings."
"..."
Sasuke gritted his teeth and stood up straight again.
There was no denying it—Madara's guidance and sparring were effective. Sasuke could clearly feel himself growing stronger.
At first, he was unable to land a single hit, but gradually he became able to withstand Madara's second and third attacks.
In this environment, Sasuke began to mature.
-----
The dark-haired youth started accompanying Akatsuki members on missions, and his combat ability grew with each one. The only problem was that Sasuke still hadn't awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
However, with Madara's training, he had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan and had truly mastered many of the clan's techniques. His power now rivaled that of any Akatsuki member, and he was even stronger than some.
But one thing hadn't changed: his mindset. Sasuke's only focus was on killing Uchiha Itachi. He cared nothing for the Akatsuki's plans for world peace.
In the Land of Rain, on the Akatsuki's training ground, two blurs exchanged strikes at breakneck speed.
Sasuke swung his ninja blade fiercely at Madara, his face sharp and determined. He never had to worry about Madara's safety during their sessions.
"Still not fast enough! Not ruthless enough!" Madara, wielding a blade of his own, parried Sasuke's strikes effortlessly, offering blunt critiques.
This junior of his… he still wasn't ruthless enough.
Madara could tell that Sasuke's cold mask hid a certain softness. Unless it was a true life-or-death situation, Sasuke was hesitant to kill anyone except Itachi.
That weakness was far too easy to spot.
"Brat, remember what I taught you!" Madara yelled as he countered with his blade. "This kind of weakness was fatal during the Warring States era! If you can't strike down your target at close range, then finish it all with a powerful jutsu!"
Sasuke leaped back, forming hand seals and unleashing a wall of fire with a single breath. "Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
"The power still isn't strong enough!" From within the flames, a massive blue Susanoo emerged.
Wielding his fourth-stage Susanoo, Madara cleaved through the firestorm with a single slash, the sheer force parting the flames.
"Even Great Fire Annihilation can't break Susanoo…" Sasuke took a deep breath, dodging the blue Susanoo's attack while forming new hand seals. "Fire Style: Brilliant Flame Dragon!"
Flaming dragon heads shot forward one after another.
"Keep going!" Madara was a strict instructor, using his blue Susanoo to slice each fire dragon head apart. "Itachi's Susanoo has an ultimate defense tool. Don't think minor attacks can break through it!"
In the sky overhead, lightning crackled through the clouds.
Sasuke raised his hand and drew the lightning from the sky, shaping it into a gigantic Kirin that crashed down toward Madara's Susanoo.
Lightning Style: Kirin!
This was Sasuke's specialty—a jutsu that used natural weather phenomena. Its power was astounding, and its speed made it nearly impossible to dodge.
However, to Madara, a jutsu that depended so much on the environment was useless.
"Don't bother creating pointless jutsu!" Madara frowned as his armored, fourth-stage Susanoo withstood Kirin's strike, only wobbling for a moment.
"Did I fail?" Sasuke lay exhausted on the ground.
"For a fourth-stage Susanoo, none of your current attacks are enough to break its defense." Madara stepped closer to the weakened Sasuke. "If you want to break Susanoo, you must awaken your own Mangekyo Sharingan."
"..."
Sasuke said nothing. Ever since he began training with Madara, he had heard countless lessons about the Mangekyo Sharingan. The process always involved killing someone important and letting negative feelings consume him.
Team 7. Uzumaki Naruto.
Sasuke knew exactly what he would need to do to awaken the Mangekyo, but every time he thought about his teammate—the one he had trusted with his life—he just couldn't bring himself to kill Naruto for power.
Over the past few years, he had secretly observed Naruto but could never make the decision. After the massacre of his clan, Naruto was the only warmth he had found.
"It doesn't matter." Sasuke gripped his sword and forced himself to stand. "Even without the Mangekyo Sharingan, I will kill Uchiha Itachi."
"..."
Madara's expression became hard to read.
"Forget it," he finally sighed, as if mocking either himself or Sasuke's ideals. "We haven't tracked down their whereabouts anyway. Come help with the Akatsuki mission. Let's begin collecting the Tailed Beasts to prevent any more problems."
"After all…" Madara's fingers came together, his eyes flashing dangerously. "No matter how deep they hide, they won't just watch as we gather every Tailed Beast in the world. This is the perfect opportunity to see if we can finally drag those little rats out of hiding."