Mastermind of the Akatsuki

After leaving Amegakure, Byakuya arrived at a temporary base nearby, where he met with Black Zetsu and White Zetsu. White Zetsu was as usual, appearing dull and silly, but Black Zetsu's expression had changed. Upon seeing Byakuya, Black Zetsu immediately spoke, "Byakuya, you're finally here. I've been waiting for you here for a long time."

Byakuya frowned, confused, and asked, "Is there something important, Black Zetsu?"

Black Zetsu nodded and replied, "Yes, there's something very important. Masked Man has recently revived Madara Uchiha. Madara-sama wants to see you."

"Masked Man revived Madara-sama? Madara-sama wants to see me?" Byakuya repeated, a number of questions appearing in his mind.

Byakuya wasn't particularly surprised by the fact that Obito had revived Madara Uchiha. Given the pressure brought by himself and the powers of Edo Tensei, Obito was bound to turn to it. This was his only chance to seize the initiative.

What surprised Byakuya was that Black Zetsu had taken the initiative to inform him of this news instead of collaborating with Obito and Madara to set a trap for him.

It seemed that Byakuya's years of efforts in shaping his persona in front of Black Zetsu had paid off, as Black Zetsu now regarded him as an "ally."

Of course, it also didn't rule out the possibility that Madara Uchiha had developed an interest in Byakuya. After all, Byakuya's growth in recent years had definitely surpassed Madara's expectations, and it would be perfectly normal for Madara to want to meet him.

The problem now was whether or not to go meet Madara Uchiha. If Madara were just the standard Edo Tensei version, Byakuya wouldn't fear him. But if he were the fully revived version mixed with the cells of Hashirama, that would require some thought.

The full-power Madara Uchiha, capable of using the Susanoo, could slice through mountain peaks with a single blow.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Byakuya gave a harmless smile and said to Black Zetsu,

"Black Zetsu, when do we leave? I've been wanting to meet the Shura of the ninja world and see just how much stronger he is compared to that imposter."

"Masked Man is certainly no match for Madara-sama, but I'm not entirely sure about the exact difference between them," Black Zetsu said, pausing before continuing, "But when you meet Madara Uchiha, be sure to show respect. Madara-sama's temper isn't very good."

"I know that…" Byakuya nodded, and then, remembering something, asked Black Zetsu, "By the way, Black Zetsu, who exactly is the leader of the Eye of the Moon plan, yourself or Madara-sama?"

Black Zetsu's expression darkened. He took a deep breath and replied, "I am the one who created the plan. But for now, we still need to rely on Madara-sama and Masked Man's combat strength, so for the time being, they are in charge."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow, confusion showing in his gaze as he asked, "With our current strength, it seems we could do the plan on our own without cooperating with them. And do they really believe in the so-called Eye of the Moon? A genjutsu that envelops the entire ninja world? It sounds ridiculous just thinking about it."

Black Zetsu fell silent, unsure how to respond. The Eye of the Moon plan was indeed real. As long as all the Tailed Beasts were gathered to revive the Ten-Tails, they could use the Ten-Tails' power to perform the Infinite Tsukuyomi, trapping all living beings in an eternal dream.

During this process, everyone would experience a beautiful dream, their bodies slowly transforming into White Zetsu. After absorbing most of the chakra, the Ten-Tails would turn into the God Tree and free the mother from the Sage of Six Paths' seal.

What Black Zetsu said was true, but Byakuya remained skeptical about the Infinite Tsukuyomi. However, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Byakuya since his disbelief in the Eye of the Moon plan would solidify his position on his side, making him a useful pawn against Madara and Obito.

After a moment of thought, Black Zetsu slowly spoke, "The more allies we have, the fewer enemies we'll have to face. Collecting the Tailed Beasts will be a hassle if Madara and Masked Man become enemies."

Byakuya nodded in agreement. After chatting for a bit longer, the two quickly set off for Madara's location.

Before they arrived, Byakuya sensed two chakra signatures, one large and one small. It was most likely Madara and Obito.

Obito's chakra was still within the range of a normal Kage-level, but Madara's chakra was on a whole different level. Even in his Edo Tensei state, Madara's chakra rivaled that of a Tailed Beast, even surpassing the chakra of Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast.

However, thinking about Madara's power, this amount of chakra was perfectly normal. Tailed Beasts were powerful enough to easily destroy a city. Without chakra of that level, it would be impossible to bind the Nine-Tails as a summoning beast.

Soon, Byakuya saw Madara Uchiha, dressed in the armor of the Warring States period. Madara noticed him, too, and gazed in his direction. He had long since sensed Byakuya's chakra and was curious about it, as it was only second to his and Hashirama's in terms of chakra quantity.

Upon reaching the open field, Black Zetsu addressed Madara, "Madara-sama, I have brought Byakuya here. Do you have any further instructions?"

Madara gestured for Black Zetsu to step back. While examining Byakuya, he asked,

"You are the leader of the Akatsuki, Byakuya? I've heard you are a descendant of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans, inheriting the combined legacies of both?"

Byakuya shook his head and replied, "I do indeed have the bloodlines of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans, but I only use the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques. The Wood Release bloodline was obtained through Black Zetsu's assistance.

As for the legacy of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, that was just a performance I did in front of the Five Great Shinobi Villages with Masked Man. If I hadn't stepped forward to oppose Masked Man, the Five Great Shinobi Villages would have united after the Tailed Beast attacks. At that point, collecting the Tailed Beasts would have become much more difficult."

Upon hearing Byakuya's words, Madara nodded slightly. After being revived through Edo Tensei, Madara learned a lot about what had transpired during his long slumber.

While he was unconscious, Obito had been nothing but a failure, acting prematurely, attempting to take the Nine-Tails from Konoha too early, and ultimately being defeated by the Fourth Hokage.

Later, if it hadn't been for Byakuya's interference, the ninja world would have been rid of Obito, and the Eye of the Moon plan would likely have been exposed, preventing Madara's revival altogether.

In contrast to Obito's failure, Byakuya had performed outstandingly. After joining the Eye of the Moon plan, Byakuya gained complete control over Nagato and secretly took control of Sunagakure and Kirigakure, securing most of the Tailed Beasts for himself. Once the Eye of the Moon plan officially began, he would quickly collect all the Tailed Beasts.

After a moment of contemplation, Madara spoke slowly, "Byakuya, I've heard about your actions. You've done a better job preparing for the Eye of the Moon plan than Masked Man. I'm quite pleased with that."

Byakuya spoke neither humble nor arrogant, "Madara-sama, I'm simply doing what is expected of me."

Madara nodded again, clearly satisfied with Byakuya's attitude. He possessed enough strength and showed sufficient respect toward him, making it impossible for him to find fault.

Seeing this, Obito gritted his teeth, nearly grinding his molars to dust. He had revived Madara to suppress Byakuya's arrogance, but unexpectedly, Byakuya had earned Madara's approval. This made him feel like his fists were striking cotton. His anger had nowhere to go.

At this moment, Byakuya also looked at Obito, and the provocation in his eyes was clear.

Madara noticed this exchange and smiled knowingly. When he had many younger brothers, they used to argue like this. However, all his brothers had died in the conflict with the Senju clan.

Now, Madara had long since abandoned any notions of familial or friendly bonds. His only remaining desire was to execute the Infinite Tsukuyomi and bring an end to the suffering in the Shinobi World.

Madara snapped out of his thoughts and stepped between Byakuya and Obito, speaking slowly, "I know that you two have had disagreements in the past. But now that I am awake, everything should be according to my plan. Let's discuss how we should carry out the Eye of the Moon plan."

Upon hearing Madara's words, Byakuya and Obito stopped their silent battle, and the three of them sat at a table made of Wood Release, spreading out the Shinobi World map to begin discussing their next move.

Byakuya glanced at the map and spoke, "Madara-sama, aside from the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Eight-Tails, we currently have control over all the other Tailed Beasts. However, if we attack the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Eight-Tails simultaneously, our forces may still fall short."

Hearing this, Madara chuckled lightly and said, "Before coming here, I already located the Four-Tails. The Jinchuriki's strength is decent; he lasted a few rounds under my control. If the Five-Tails Jinchuriki and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki only possess similar strength, we will be able to complete the Eye of the Moon plan within a month."

Madara's tone suggested that defeating a Jinchuriki was as easy as eating or drinking.

Indeed, during his prime, Madara could easily crush a single Tailed Beast. Even multiple Tailed Beasts working together would not pose a threat to him.

In the current Shinobi World, there was no Jinchuriki or Shinobi Village that could match Madara's strength.

However, this scenario made it difficult for Byakuya to maximize his interests. His goal was not to complete the Eye of the Moon plan but to make the Akatsuki stronger. If every human fell into a deep sleep, the Akatsuki would effectively be destroyed.

While it was true that the Akatsuki wouldn't perish as long as Byakuya was alive, his growth would become extremely difficult, so he needed to stop Madara from recklessly advancing.

After a brief pause, Byakuya spoke to Madara, "Madara-sama, you must not underestimate the Five Great Shinobi Villages. While we hold an advantage in high-level power, if the Five Great Shinobi Villages fight with everything they have, we will still suffer significant losses. Our goal is to achieve peace in the Shinobi World, and we should minimize casualties in the process."

Madara looked at Byakuya, understanding that Byakuya had joined the Eye of the Moon plan not to achieve the Infinite Tsukuyomi but to use the power of the Ten-Tails to rule the Shinobi World.

This idea reminded him of his previous thoughts when he had watched the Uchiha Tablet. He had considered unifying the Shinobi World like Hashirama's unification of the Land of Fire but wondered why Hashirama had abandoned expansion after unifying the Land of Fire.

Thus, he became intrigued when he heard that Byakuya had similar ideas.

Looking at Byakuya, who shared his past dreams, Madara decided to give him a chance and asked, "Speedy victories are the fastest way to defeat our enemies. Do you have another plan?"

Byakuya shook his head and said, "My idea is also to finish things quickly, but I believe gathering them together to defeat them all at once will minimize losses."

"Gather the higher-ups of the Five Great Shinobi Villages together?"

Before Madara could speak, Obito furrowed his brows and said, "You don't mean to force the Five Great Shinobi Villages to convene the Five Kage Summit, do you? The Five Kage are the pinnacle of the Shinobi World. If they gather together, with our current combat power, it will be very difficult to defeat them all at once."

"It's true…" Byakuya nodded lightly and said, "But if we can use force to subdue the Five Kage, it will be much easier to force the Five Great Shinobi Villages to surrender. Then, by showcasing the power of the Ten-Tails, we can unify the Shinobi World and keep it in a state of lasting peace and stability."

Byakuya then raised a finger, "What's more important is that I don't want an empty victory. Before creating the Tailed Beast weapons, I want to test my limits and see if I can defeat the Five Kage on my own."

"You want to defeat the Five Kage by yourself?"

Obito, hidden behind his mask, was shocked. When he had first received Madara's inheritance, he too had a brief period where he thought he was invincible, believing he could easily defeat the Hokage and complete the Eye of the Moon plan.

But the reality was brutal. The Fourth Hokage in a hostile situation was far more terrifying than he had expected.

Byakuya's idea of facing the Five Kage alone was undoubtedly a delusion, an impossible feat. Madara would likely not approve of such a crazy idea.

However, hiding in the shadows, Kaguya's will stiffened in disagreement with Byakuya's suggestion. He didn't want any disruption in their perfectly laid plan to collect the Tailed Beasts. But he knew Madara well enough to understand that he wouldn't be able to reject Byakuya's proposition.

As expected, Madara, upon hearing Byakuya's bold statement, displayed a thoughtful expression, "Byakuya, kid, do you really want to face the Five Kage alone?"

Byakuya nodded and said, "I've faced many opponents over the years, but whether it was the semi-divine Hanzō or Masked Man, none of them were my match. I crave a new challenge."

Madara narrowed his eyes, clearly excited by the prospect. He said, "The idea of defeating the Five Kage is crazy, but I like it. However, if you want to change the plan I've set, you'll have to pay the price."

Madara then smirked, "Fight me. I will listen to your suggestion if you can show me satisfactory combat strength."

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