There was no doubt—the strongest person in the shinobi world now was Shigen. Following him were Uchiha Madara, who had received the power of the Yang Path, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke, who had obtained the Yin Path. Everyone else was hardly worth mentioning anymore.
The future…
Would truly be decided by them.
Before their might, even entire armies of shinobi were meaningless. These few individuals alone held the strength to be armies unto themselves.
However…
Uchiha Madara knew that even the combined power of him and those two kids, strong enough to suppress the entire world, would not be enough to rival Shigen.
Madara believed he understood Shigen's intentions. He began considering the future of the shinobi world in earnest. After all, this was a renewed pursuit of everlasting peace following the failure of the Infinite Tsukuyomi—and Madara was determined to see it through.
Of course—
The strong rule the fate of the weak.
This was a principle that Madara inherently agreed with.
"In that case…"
Madara thoughtfully stroked his chin and glanced toward Shigen. "Then perhaps you should be the one to—"
"I won't be staying here."
Shigen shook his head, flatly rejecting Madara's idea. He added, "Madara, the future of this world's peace depends entirely on you. So never speak lightly of your own death."
Earlier, Madara had clearly been trying to imitate Hashirama. So Shigen had no choice but to reveal his plan to leave the shinobi world altogether.
"You're going to deal with those Ōtsutsuki from beyond the stars?"
Madara seemed to understand what Shigen was getting at.
There was no one in this world who could stand against Shigen—except perhaps those terrifying beings from beyond, whom even Kaguya had feared.
"Something like that…"
Shigen's words were deliberately vague. But he didn't mind encouraging Madara a bit: "If I don't return, then the future of this world…"
"I've only just acquired power on the level of the Sage of Six Paths."
Madara chuckled lightly, a glint of pride in his eyes. He seemed confident that he would only grow stronger from here.
And why wouldn't he?
This was a man who had always pushed his power to the limit. He was a master of combat—born and bred for war.
"But…"
Even as he spoke of protecting the world, Madara couldn't help but raise another concern: "Those two brats—Naruto and Sasuke…"
"They'll probably come back soon."
Shigen wasn't worried. He knew that the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't abandon Naruto and Sasuke. Tapping his finger lightly on the table, he said with quiet certainty, "It won't be long before Sasuke comes looking for us."
"…"
Madara didn't buy it.
He didn't think Sasuke would willingly ally with them again. In fact, he was already wondering what to do if Naruto and Sasuke teamed up to resist their peaceful new world after Shigen's departure…
But then again—
Shigen had never once been wrong.
Still, what more could Shigen possibly do at this point?
The war was over. Logically, Sasuke would return to Konoha with Naruto…
Konoha?
Madara suddenly realized something.
He smirked. "Ah, I see. When we brought Sasuke into Akatsuki back then, he was already a rogue ninja. He probably doesn't have a place in Konoha anymore, does he?"
"Konoha will always find a way to take him back."
"But Sasuke won't want to return."
Shigen shook his head slightly, unfazed. "If you're curious, go see for yourself."
"All right."
Madara really was curious.
After the Infinite Tsukuyomi was undone…
There was still one soul left wandering.
He wasn't among the living—he was a revived shinobi, brought back through Edo Tensei before the Infinite Tsukuyomi began. He hadn't been summoned to the afterlife by the Sage of Six Paths, either.
Because…
He wasn't one of the Five Kage.
Uchiha Itachi.
Whether that was his fortune or misfortune remained to be seen.
Back when Kabuto fought Orochimaru using Sage Mode, Orochimaru had used Itachi's body for Edo Tensei as a final trump card. But before he could even do anything with Itachi, both Orochimaru and Kabuto fell under the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Only Itachi remained.
As an Edo Tensei, he was immune to the genjutsu and broke free of Kabuto's control. He wandered the battlefield, searching for any sign of his younger brother Sasuke.
But…
No matter how many bodies he dug up…
He couldn't find Sasuke anywhere.
What worried him most—
Was how quickly the Infinite Tsukuyomi had been lifted.
Which meant Orochimaru could soon regain control over Edo Tensei… and him.
"There's no time…"
Itachi, still bound by Edo Tensei, quickly began setting up contingencies. He located the crow he had hidden before his death.
In that crow's eye socket was a single Mangekyō Sharingan—Shisui's legacy. Within it was the Kotoamatsukami, a genjutsu powerful enough to rewrite a person's will.
Uchiha Itachi…
Was also a man who had calculated even his own death.
Unable to free himself before dying, Itachi had anticipated everything. He guessed that Orochimaru and Tobi would eventually fall into conflict with Akatsuki and use his body as a pawn. Knowing Orochimaru's fondness for Edo Tensei, he had planned accordingly.
This…
Was his chance.
And everything had indeed unfolded as he expected.
"Sasuke's future…"
Itachi knew his brother all too well. He feared that Sasuke might fall under the influence of dangerous men like Shigen or Madara.
That…
Was never what he wanted.
Especially if Sasuke, having awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, joined their side—he would be a huge threat to Konoha.
To eliminate that possibility…
Itachi prepared for his own resurrection in advance.
He raised his eyes to the crow before him, staring into its Sharingan—into the Kotoamatsukami. He used a sealing technique to encode a jutsu within it, along with his memories and hopes for his brother.
That Sharingan…
Could never fall into the wrong hands.
Before Orochimaru could regain control of him, Itachi released the crow into the sky. In it was his wish for Sasuke's future.
To prevent any mishap…
And to stop Orochimaru from summoning the crow and using the Kotoamatsukami, Itachi severed their summoning contract.
"Everything…"
"Has been arranged."