Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"Do I have any other choice? To put up a stubborn resistance... even at my peak, I'm no match for you. To be honest, in my current state, I probably couldn't even handle those two dead men over there who aren't at their best. I'm not confident I can be resurrected a second time, so surrendering is allowed, right?"

Orochimaru asked.

"If that's truly what you're thinking, then of course I have no reason to refuse."

The Heavenly Path clone stared at Orochimaru and said something meaningful.

"Don't worry! Unless I'm sentenced to death, don't worry about me escaping. I finally managed to steal the Rinnegan, but I didn't even have a chance to touch it before it was taken away by Zetsu... Indeed, our era is over. The present and the future belong to you."

this moment,

Orochimaru's eyes seemed to gleam with sincerity.

but--

Trusting Orochimaru is impossible; Sogen doesn't trust this guy. However... there's no need to rush to execute this research talent, who is unparalleled in the ninja world for over a thousand years. Controlling him is also a good option if there's still room for maneuver.

Beiluhu has not yet been executed.

He's still working tirelessly in the lab, contributing to the development of Konoha.

Then,

One more Orochimaru wouldn't matter.

It's a pity that Sasori doesn't know how to cherish what he has. He doesn't appreciate Zongxian's kindness at all and tramples on Zongxian's care. Next time I catch Sasori, I will definitely teach him a lesson.

"The Sixth Generation."

"Lord Shodaime."

The Deva Path clone turned around and greeted Hashirama Senju as he approached.

When Haku was ambushed by Zetsu, his Impure World Reincarnation technique was on the verge of collapse due to his near-death experience. Although he was eventually saved, that brief loss of control was enough for the two previous Hokage, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, to break free of their restraints.

What Madara Uchiha could do

They could have done it too, but previously, due to limited recovery strength, they were unable to break free from Bai's constraints.

of course,

Even though they broke free from Bai's control, their strength was not improved due to the quality of the offerings. They remained at the same level as before. At most, they could fight with more focus. Previously, they and Zongxian's six clones were all fighting on instinct, following Bai's orders.

Therefore,

After freeing himself from Haku's restraints, Tobirama Senju wanted to deal with Madara Uchiha, but was stopped by his older brother.

"Do you need our help in the battle against Madara Uchiha?"

Hashirama Senju stopped in front of the Deva Path clone and asked seriously, "If you're not confident, we can try to lend you a hand. Of course, we're not in good condition right now, but as long as we have a decent offering, even if we can't truly return to our peak strength, we can still help you deal with Madara."

"Thank you for your concern, seniors, but there's no need to trouble you. This battle will soon come to an end," the Heavenly Dao clone said softly.

"Uchiha brat, don't be so arrogant. Madara Uchiha is not easy to deal with. Don't be fooled by how disheveled my brother and I are now. It's because the quality of the offerings is limiting our strength. We can only use this much power. If we just change to a higher-grade offering, we can help you deal with Madara Uchiha."

Tobirama Senju also spoke.

The two former Hokage were clearly preoccupied with the battle between Sogen's true form and Madara Uchiha, and were afraid of hearing bad news of defeat.

"No, no need."

Zongxian chuckled and shook his head, saying casually:

"I told you, the battle will be over soon."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Taking advantage of Haku's overjoyed state and loss of his usual vigilance, Black Zetsu decisively struck, snatching the scroll containing the Rinnegan from Haku's body. He then fled for his life, fearing pursuit from Uchiha Sogen. However, it was unclear whether he should feel fortunate or disappointed.

No one came to chase them.

Zongxian's six Paths clones protected the newly resurrected Orochimaru and the dying Haku, without even glancing at the escaped Zetsu.

However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

He didn't care about Orochimaru's fate as long as he could get the Rinnegan back.

"Fortunately, a mark was left in the Rinnegan."

Black Zetsu secretly rejoiced.

He had tampered with the Rinnegan a long time ago. It wasn't originally meant for something as trivial as pinpointing a location. It was just that his bigger scheme hadn't been implemented yet. Instead, it served as a locator to help confirm that the Rinnegan was indeed on Haku.

Only then can we accurately obtain the scroll that seals the Rinnegan from Haku.

Regarding the sealing technique of the scroll,

It doesn't hinder the ability of Black to sense the marks he left behind; the closer the distance, the clearer the senses become.

"The Rinnegan is withdrawn, and next... Madara is no match for Uchiha Sogen?" Peeking out from the treetop, he watched the battle between the two Susanoo in despair. What he saw was a blue Susanoo with two faces and four arms, wielding two wild swords and two Susanoo swords, being forced back step by step by the deep crimson Susanoo.

Falling meteorites

To be honest, it's nothing to Zongxian.

Wielding a greatsword in deep crimson, she shattered the falling meteorite with a single strike. Then, the blade spun, finally abandoning her previous passive defensive stance and maintaining balance, and launched an offensive against Uchiha Madara. One powerful sword strike after another forced Uchiha Madara to retreat.

As for the issue of chakra consumption,

Zongxian forms a hand seal.

He summoned the Three-Tailed Beast directly.

With the chakra support provided by the Three-Tails, Sogen unleashed a barrage of fiery sword strikes with unbridled abandon. Sogen's mastery of fire-style techniques had reached an unprecedented level. He couldn't be compared to the Sage of Six Paths since they hadn't clashed, but Madara Uchiha was clearly weaker than Sogen in this aspect.

He was unable to completely withstand the powerful attacks of the Fiery Sword.

The explosive flames that erupted in that instant were so powerful that even Susanoo could hardly withstand them. Fortunately, Madara Uchiha in his Edo Tensei form had almost inexhaustible chakra. He promptly used a large amount of chakra to repair the damaged Susanoo, which could barely hold on for a while.

But they could only defend themselves, with no power to retaliate.

If this continues,

Defeat was inevitable.

unless--

Revealing another trump card.

However, to be honest, in this Edo Tensei form, Madara Uchiha can only use part of the Rinnegan's abilities and cannot fully restore all the power of the Rinnegan. He cannot use his strongest trump cards, and the power of the trump cards he can use is not stronger than that of Susanoo!

"Dishonorable accounts!!!"

Madara Uchiha was extremely annoyed.

It's so frustrating not being able to unleash my full potential!

If he were in his prime, how could he possibly be ridden on and have his ass defecate and urinate on by a mere junior? It's utterly humiliating!

[434. Chapter 428 The Curtain Has Fallen Temporarily]

, !

"Imperial armor? Susanoo, I never thought that besides Madara, there would be someone else who could do something like this." Hashirama Senju stood at the top of a tree, gazing at the two behemoths still locked in fierce combat in the distance. He was all too familiar with the azure figure among them; he had beaten it up countless times in his lifetime.

I haven't noticed any difference yet.

and so,

This time, his focus was on another deep crimson Susanoo.

Unlike Madara Uchiha's Susanoo with its two faces and four arms, this deep crimson Susanoo completely abandons its humanoid form, clad the Three-Tails in deep crimson armor from head to toe, and extends two arms from behind the Three-Tails, each holding a large katana.

The current situation,

Madara Uchiha was at a disadvantage.

However, he did not see any signs of the battle ending. Even though Madara Uchiha was at a disadvantage, he was not afraid of chakra consumption in his Edo Tensei form. If the battle continued at this intensity, it was not impossible for Madara Uchiha to last for three to five days.

This is based on his personal experience.

He knew all too well how stubborn and tenacious Madara was. Even in his prime, he never dared to be careless when facing Madara. Especially in the final battle, he truly used every last bit of his strength and exhausted his last bit of chakra to barely defeat Madara.

"Really... you don't need our help?"

Hashirama Senju glanced sideways at the Deva Path clone beside him.

"Need not."

The Heavenly Path clone repeated its previous answer, its relaxed attitude seemingly genuine. It could sense the unease of Hashirama and Tobirama Senju. After a moment's thought, it said, "Our clan's ancestor did not rise from the Netherworld to destroy the ninja world. He truly fought with the initial intention of making this world a better place. Even death could not make him give up; he would rise from his grave to continue his struggle."

"ridiculous."

Tobirama Senju seemed to have heard the biggest joke of his life, both before and after his death.

To say that Madara Uchiha was fighting for the ninja world? Such nonsense is truly offensive to the ears. So this brat is still an Uchiha after all???? What is that useless Sarutobi doing? With Kagami as an example, the Uchiha clan could have been truly assimilated into the village.

Instead, the Uchiha seized control of Konoha.

A Hokage born into the Uchiha clan?????? That's just too fantastical.

Unfortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi was outmatched in his battle against Sogen's Six Paths clones, and Sogen's Human Path extracted his soul, forcibly breaking the Impure World Reincarnation technique. This prevented Tobirama Senju from disciplining his worthless disciple.

He could only point the gun at Zongxian and fire:

"Besides killing and war, Madara Uchiha can't bring anything of value to the ninja world."

Tobirama!

Hearing his younger brother speak ill of his friend like that, Hashirama Senju frowned in displeasure.

"Brother, you're the one who should shut up. Am I not telling the truth? If it weren't for Madara Uchiha, you wouldn't have died so young. It disrupted all our plans. Do you know how much effort I put into correcting those plans? And in the end... I still couldn't change much."

Speaking of last,

Tobirama Senju's tone immediately fell low again.

The two brothers established a system of one country and one village, ending the Warring States period. They did not fantasize about keeping war and suffering away from this land forever. They knew very well that fighting could never be completely eliminated in any era, but only hoped to prolong the cycle of war as much as possible.

To give the people living on this land a chance to breathe, so that they don't have to spend their entire lives in war. Having lived through the Warring States period, they know better than anyone how cruel it is to live in times of war!

only--

They brought an end to the Warring States period.

However, due to the series of consequences brought about by his break with Madara Uchiha, he was ultimately unable to create the ideal future.