"Kid!!! What did you just say?!"
The moment the words left Ito Akira's mouth, Uchiha Madara's heart was thrown into chaos.
How did this brat know so much?
Madara's mind raced. Had Uchiha Obito failed? That useless fool—if he failed, then so be it, but did he really go so far as to leak everything? And what about Black Zetsu? What was that thing even doing?
Useless. All of them—useless.
Madara ground his teeth, killing intent leaking out in waves. Akira, however, could only sigh helplessly.
"See?" Akira said lightly. "You're getting worked up again."
Madara snapped his gaze back to him."Kid, where did you get all this information?" he demanded. "Or… has my plan already been exposed?"
"No," Akira replied calmly. "Your plan is still progressing more or less as intended. It's just that there's been an accident."
He gestured vaguely at Madara.
"After all, your current state can already be considered a form of resurrection."
Madara's eyes narrowed."Then how do you know all this?"
"Don't ask," Akira said with a shrug. "Even if you ask, I won't tell you."
"…Tch."
Madara felt a rare sense of frustration.
This kid—Ito Akira—acted far too casually. Worse, he spoke as if he were already familiar with him. Their exchange felt less like a confrontation between legend and child, and more like an argument between old acquaintances.
And the most infuriating part?
Madara couldn't do a damn thing about it.
Because right now, he was a summon.
"…Damn it."
Madara took a slow breath, forcing himself to regain composure.
"Kid," he said darkly, "what do you actually want?"
"I don't want anything," Akira replied. "I've said it plenty of times—I just—"
"Enough," Madara cut him off. "I don't want to hear about the world of the dead again."
He fixed Akira with a sharp stare.
"I want to know what you intend to do. What do you mean to me?"
Akira's eyes widened.
"What do I mean to you?" he repeated. "Hey, don't misunderstand—I have zero interest in competing with Senju Hashirama over a man."
He pointed at himself for emphasis.
"My orientation is perfectly normal. I like women."
"Damn it!" Madara roared. "You're still going on about that?!"
He clenched his fists.
"What I'm asking is—what are you planning to do?!"
Akira froze.
What… was he planning to do?
Truthfully, he hadn't thought that far ahead.
Before obtaining the system, his plan had been simple: survive. The waters of this world were far too deep. The Ito clan was small, and he himself was insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
There was Uchiha Obito, the Akatsuki, Uchiha Madara, and beyond them, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—and even more alien threats lurking in the shadows.
Originally, Akira had planned to train as much as he could, experience chakra for what it was, and then wait patiently for Uzumaki Naruto to save the world.
After that? Marry someone beautiful. Live a quiet life.Yamanaka Ino wasn't a bad option—pretty, from a good family, and she even seemed interested in him.
But that was all before.
Before the system.
Before he gained a clear path to power.
Now that he had the means to grow stronger—why couldn't he become a central figure in this world?
He had always loved Naruto. The passion. The bonds. The unyielding drive toward a better future.
So why couldn't he step onto that stage himself?
Especially when the system had already told him: for now, he could only bind the dead of Konoha—but once he became the ruler of the ninja world, he could bind all the dead spirits that existed.
Strength.Unification.True peace.
The idea sent a chill through him.
Akira swallowed hard.
Madara's plan had always been Infinite Tsukuyomi—using illusion to impose peace on the world. His intentions weren't evil, but his methods were fundamentally flawed. Worse, he'd been completely manipulated by Black Zetsu.
With the system… could Akira achieve what Madara never could?
Real peace.
He looked up at Madara and spoke carefully.
"…What if we unify the ninja world first?"
Madara stared at him.
"Unify the ninja world?" he said coldly. "Just you?"
"No," Akira replied immediately. "Not just me."
"You too."
"And them."
Madara's eyes sharpened."Them? What do you mean?"
"Besides you," Akira said, "I can contract other undead—just like I did with you."
"I can summon powerful shinobi who have already died."
"With enough of them, absolute power is possible."
He met Madara's gaze steadily.
"With that power, we can suppress the ninja world, unify it… and bring true peace."
Madara's pupils shook violently.
True peace.
That had always been his dream.
From the founding of Konoha… to the day he left it behind… even his resurrection plan had been driven by that same goal.
And now this brat was saying he could summon other dead shinobi.
Which meant—
"…Kid," Madara said slowly, his breathing growing uneven, "you said you can summon other undead?"
Akira caught the change in his tone instantly.
There were only two people in this world who could shake Uchiha Madara like this.
One was Senju Hashirama.
The other was his younger brother—Uchiha Izuna.
Akira hesitated internally.
At present, he was only bound to the dead of Konoha. Izuna had died before Konoha was founded. Strictly speaking, Izuna might not fall within the current summoning range.
So Akira couldn't be certain.
"…Yes," he said honestly. "But there are restrictions."
"For now, I can only summon spirits connected to Konoha, and the cost is extremely high."
"But if I unify the ninja world…"
He paused.
"Then I can summon all the dead across it."
Madara fell silent.
He lowered his head slightly, thinking.
"…What an ignorant brat," he muttered. "And yet…"
A slow, dangerous smile crept across his face.
"…This sounds interesting."
"Summoning the dead. Binding the world of the dead itself."
He let out a low laugh.
"Heh… hahahaha…"
Then Madara looked up sharply.
"Kid," he said, eyes burning, "do you know something?"
Akira raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"What I truly wanted to do from the beginning," Madara said slowly, "was to unify the ninja world."