Chapter 550: Whoever is Stronger is the Original

"Wow! Teacher and the others won!"

Hiding in the shadows, the F6 members clenched their fists in excitement. Having witnessed Uchiha Madara suppress the clones they viewed as nightmares with such overwhelming force, their faces were filled with joy and pride.

"Can we... really reach the heights of the Hokage?"

But as their hot-blooded excitement cooled, looking at Uchiha Madara standing proudly above the crowd, they felt an insurmountable mountain standing before them, one they would likely never overcome in their entire lives.

Although the village had no hard rule that the next leader must be stronger than the previous one, the philosophy that the strong are respected was deeply ingrained in their hearts. Each of them had grown up harboring the dream of becoming the Hokage.

Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Uchiha Madara were all the targets they chased. In order to become strong enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them, the passionate F6 had been training diligently.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

Now, having been conquered once again by Uchiha Madara's formidable strength, the dream they had held onto for years wavered for the first time, and they shook their heads in despair.

The lot of them combined didn't even amount to a fraction of the Hokage; how could they dare to dream of reaching his level? It was nothing but a pipe dream.

"If I could have half—no! One-tenth of the Hokage's strength, I'd wake up laughing in the middle of the night."

Uchiha Gin watched his idol from afar, his face full of adoration. As for reaching Uchiha Madara's level of strength, as a rare, level-headed Uchiha, he at least had a realistic sense of his own limitations.

"Teacher is coming over, hide quickly."

Immersed in their complex emotions, the group suddenly spotted Tobirama Senju speeding toward them and were immediately terrified out of their wits. Disobeying orders was the greatest taboo for a ninja.

Disregarding their teacher's instructions was a capital offense in wartime.

Fortunately, holding their breath, the group noticed that Tobirama Senju did not head straight for their hiding spot, but instead landed where the gas explosion had just occurred, looking down and searching for something.

"Phew, that was close. Let's leave after Teacher and the others go."

The group finally felt a sense of relief, but they dared not act rashly, lurking carefully for fear of being discovered by Tobirama Senju.

On Uchiha Madara's side, after shooing away Tobirama Senju, who wanted to snatch his spoils of war, he turned to look at the injured clones lying on the ground, a flash of doubt crossing his eyes.

Although he hadn't held back in his previous attacks, given the constitution of Hashirama, they shouldn't have taken this long to recover. Could it be that these clones had some kind of defect?

However, he wasn't a professional. Uchiha Madara's doubt lasted only a few seconds before he cast it to the back of his mind, reaching into his ninja tool pouch to pull out professional binding gear.

Looking at the sturdy yet flexible rope in his hand, the expression on Uchiha Madara's face became subtle. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze toward the clones took on an ambiguous look.

"Hehehe~"

I can't bear to mess with the original, but for you knock-offs, I'll go all out.

As if sensing the malice radiating from Uchiha Madara, the clones felt a chill run down their spines and their muscles tighten.

Number One, having just been thrown away by Uchiha Madara's great strength, was lying on the ground with his eyes closed and mouth agape. His internal organs, displaced by centrifugal force, had not yet returned to their proper positions, and his punching arm hung limply and twisted, but he remained conscious.

"You... you don't come over here!"

He struggled to sit up, shouting with a livid face, but it only earned him an even faster approach from Uchiha Madara.

"Hehe~"

The more you scream, the more excited I get!

Like grabbing a small chick, Uchiha Madara hoisted the terrified Number One up and skillfully tied him in a turtle-shell bind.

Looking at the binding technique he had practiced in his heart for years, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Not bad, just as I expected."

"Damn it! If it weren't for this strange power..."

Although Hashirama Senju's constitution was monstrous, it was not invincible.

The reason the defeated clones' injuries hadn't healed rapidly was entirely because Uchiha Madara's recent attacks contained a trace of power different from the usual, preventing them from recovering to full health immediately.

And this power was something even Uchiha Madara himself hadn't noticed.

"Finally... finally! I've finally waited for it!"

In an unknown corner of the battlefield, besides the F6, there was another long-lurking spectator.

Black Zetsu, who had been extremely disappointed and ready to leave, was now so excited he was nearly boiling over. His bean-like eyes were filled with intense greed, staring fixedly at the victorious Uchiha Madara, wishing he could swallow him whole.

Just a moment ago, as he was about to turn and leave, he saw Uchiha Madara perform the Wood Style, which shocked him into stopping in his tracks and sitting back down to continue watching.

As it turned out, the more Black Zetsu watched, the more pleasantly surprised he became.

When did this Uchiha Madara manage to get his hands on Hashirama Senju's power, and use it so skillfully? With just a little guidance, in a few decades, he would have the key to opening his mother's cage.

But Black Zetsu never expected that even bigger surprises were waiting for him.

If things had followed the path he had previously set, Uchiha Madara might have awakened the Power of All Things before dying of old age, obtaining the Rinnegan he dreamed of.

But Black Zetsu overlooked one problem.

Combat is the best catalyst.

In the process of frequently using Wood Style in battle, the power hidden deep in Hashirama Senju's blood began to fuse with the power Uchiha Madara himself carried.

The two merged perfectly, and a trace of the Power of All Things that Black Zetsu dreamed of appeared just like that.

Although it was only a trace, one that even Uchiha Madara himself couldn't detect, let alone awaken the Rinnegan with, it was real.

I must get him under my control!

This was the only thought in Black Zetsu's mind, but he soon woke up from his beautiful fantasy, his pitch-black face full of conflict.

Given Uchiha Madara's current situation, with his life and career both flourishing, it was highly unlikely he would be tricked into leaving his home.

"This is going to be difficult~"

Black Zetsu scratched his head, frowning as he pondered.

Meanwhile, Number One also found it difficult; he had been tied up by Uchiha Madara in an extremely shameful posture.

Since the power in his body hadn't fully recovered, he could only curse the unfairness of the world, his useless teammates, and the overly fast version updates in his heart.

"State Three, authorization to activate."

Just as he was in despair, Cixian's cold voice suddenly rang in his mind. As this voice sounded, Number One's eyes widened, and a shackle hidden deep within his body was slowly unlocked.

The remaining six clones received this order as well; whether they were unconscious or awake, lying on the ground or crawling, their eyes were filled with a predatory, beastly nature.

"Huh?"

Uchiha Madara, who was playing a binding game with the equally disobedient Number Nine, felt several violent auras behind him. The brow that had smoothed out due to joy instantly furrowed.

"Roar!"

The next second, Number Nine, whom he held in his hand, suddenly let out a beast-like roar. Uchiha Madara looked down and met the clone's beastly, slit pupils filled with violence.

"Let! Go! Of! Me!"

He had seen these eyes before; they were exactly the same as the Nine-Tails on his transformation card.

Boom!

Hot Tailed Beast chakra erupted from within, quickly turning into a jelly-like Tailed Beast Cloak that tightly wrapped around Number Nine's body.

"Sizzle!"

Feeling the stinging pain in his palm, Uchiha Madara threw the violently struggling Number Nine away. Looking at his gauntlet, which had been corroded to black, a strange look appeared on his face.

"What kind of stuff is this?"

Turning his head, the scene before him was as he expected: the clones he had just knocked down were, like Number Nine, covered in hot Tailed Beast chakra.

Their original black pupils had long been replaced by various beast eyes, and pairs of eyes filled with violent intent stared fixedly at Uchiha Madara, as if they would tear him to shreds the next moment.

"State Three."

Number One, who had been tied up, violently snapped the ropes binding him and licked his scarlet lips. Those coin-like beast pupils were filled with killing intent, and the Tailed Beast Cloak on his body was solidifying at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"I thought you were hiding some big move; it's just a mere Tailed Beast transformation~"

However, facing the clones who had stolen Tailed Beast power from who knows where, Uchiha Madara felt no panic, but rather a touch of disdain.

As a leader among the first generation of Tailed Beast Riders, Uchiha Madara's understanding of Tailed Beasts was second to none.

The Tailed Beast transformation of the clones before him was merely a crude way of utilizing Tailed Beast power.

Having "reconciled" with the Nine-Tails, he could enter the Tailed Beast transformation state through the Nine-Tails card even without using a driver.

It was just a slight increase in various stats; compared to the Rider System, it was like the difference between clouds and mud.

"This time, I'll make you lose with complete conviction."

Uchiha Madara sneered and assumed a fighting stance again. This time, he was going to get serious.

"Swish! ~"

At this moment, the armor he wore shone with a dazzling light. Countless light particles escaped from his body as if out of control, finally turning into nine huge red-and-white fox tails trailing behind him, with a profound power gestating within them.

Seeing this scene, from the dark red portal above the void, Cixian shook a red wine glass he had pulled from nowhere, watching the Uchiha display another kind of power for the first time with great interest.

"Destruction and regeneration? Truly excellent power, but you can't underestimate my technology~"

"Nine-Tails, did you do this? You actually dared to hide things from me!"

Compared to Cixian's admiration, Uchiha Madara was more bewildered. He turned his head to look at the nine tails trailing behind him, hesitated for less than a second, and began beating up his disobedient pet in his sea of consciousness.

"Wuwuwu, it has nothing to do with me~"

The Nine-Tails, having been beaten for no reason, shrank into the corner of the cage originally prepared for it like a wronged little wife, trembling as it explained to the disgruntled Uchiha Madara, its inner bitterness known to none.

I'm the MVP; if it weren't for my support, you would have been beaten into a ball of fluff by those guys outside long ago.

"Do you take me for an idiot? Who else is here besides you?"

But how could Uchiha Madara believe the beast's words? He immediately glared with his scarlet eyes, giving the Nine-Tails a fierce look.

"Answer me!"

Look at my eyes!

"There's also..."

The Nine-Tails swallowed its saliva in grievance, just about to explain that the composition of residents in this consciousness space was quite complex, when its throat was gripped by a pair of scarlet eyes that lit up in the darkness behind Uchiha Madara.

"... nothing, aren't you the one who knows best~"

There was no help for it; under the eaves, one must bow one's head. The Nine-Tails could only smile sheepishly and take the blame for this.

That's right, I am the Tailed Beast King who excels at Yin-Yang Release, just as awesome as the old man!

"Hmph!"

Seeing that the Nine-Tails was so obedient, Madara Uchiha decided to let bygones be bygones regarding its crime of hoarding power; he let out a cold snort and turned to leave the consciousness space.

Once only the Nine-Tails remained in the space, Indra, who had been lurking for a long time, walked out from the darkness, surprisingly cradling a pot of emerald green plants in his hands.

"You performed well."

Carefully tending to the plant pot brimming with vitality, the naturally pale-skinned Indra nodded at the Nine-Tails with an expressionless face.

"Th-this is what I should do~"

Hearing this, the Nine-Tails widened its eyes in pleasant surprise; in its impression, Indra was a cold-blooded, heartless demon who took pleasure in plucking the fur from Tailed Beast tails.

After speaking, Indra did not continue to pay attention to the pug-like Nine-Tails, and holding the plant pot that appeared from nowhere, he vanished from the consciousness space.

"If you don't make your move now, I won't be polite."

In reality, Madara Uchiha treated the power he had newly awakened as a little trick the Nine-Tails had kept hidden, so he did not pursue the matter further; instead, he looked at the group of clones still gathering Tailed Beast power, a flash of impatience crossing his face.

It's just a Tailed Beast transformation, is it really necessary to charge up for so long?

Facing Madara Uchiha's provocation, the clones made no response; they were currently exerting all their efforts to refine the meager amount of Tailed Beast chakra within their bodies.

"Hoo."

Finally, after refining all the previously absorbed Tailed Beast chakra, a look of relief appeared on Number One's face; he raised his head to glance at the impatient Madara Uchiha, the corners of his mouth curling into an inexplicable smile.

Slowly raising one hand, under Madara Uchiha's puzzled gaze, a grayish-brown seed sprouted from the palm of Number One.

"That is..."

Madara Uchiha frowned; although he had never seen it before, he recognized this thing.

In the intelligence brought back by Gin Uchiha, there was information regarding this seed; the Second Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village was almost sucked dry by this thing.

An item capable of absorbing the origin power of Tailed Beasts—what were they doing bringing this out?

Seeing the seven clones all pull out grayish-brown God Tree spores in unison, Madara Uchiha, unaware of what schemes they were plotting, guardedly assumed an attack stance.

"Tailed Beast transformation? Heh~"

Looking at the battle-ready Madara Uchiha, a faint look of disdain appeared on Number One's face; as all the Tailed Beast chakra in his body was refined, the bright red chakra surged into the God Tree spores as if it had a life of its own.

"We are the true knights."

Under Madara Uchiha's shocked and suspicious gaze, he squeezed hard, and the seed's hard shell shattered completely under the immense force, revealing a circular watch dial inside that emitted an ominous aura.

"AnotherTime!" (End of chapter)