Death

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Wind Valley Battlefield…

No one even knew what to call this place anymore.

Under the destructive might of Madara's Susanoo and Akio's Dust Release, the battlefield was constantly shattered and reformed.

The Seventh Gate within Akio had already closed. His body was covered in injuries, and he felt that opening another gate might just shorten his lifespan. But when he looked at Madara's condition, he figured he wouldn't need to go that far.

It had been nearly two hours since their battle began. Dawn was breaking across the horizon. In truth, Akio was already showing signs of being at a disadvantage—ultimately, his power still fell short of Madara Uchiha, who now wielded part of Hashirama's strength. Akio had considered "cheating" by spending his remaining 200 Witness Points to recover his stamina, but—

The Susanoo giant crumbled into dust, and Madara's youthful appearance began to fade, no longer sustained.

"Tch… So, time's up, huh?"

Madara snorted coldly and sat down.

Akio let out a long sigh and slumped to the ground, his body too sore and battered to remain standing.

"Madara… in the end, you won," Akio said with a bitter smile and shook his head.

"You old fool, are you pitying me? The one who lives in the end is the true victor!"

Akio was momentarily stunned, then quickly shook his head.

"Trying to comfort yourself? You think you actually defeated Hashirama?"

Madara's aging face darkened. After a moment, he muttered again,

"You old bastard… still so damn punchable."

Akio chuckled. "Then come and punch me."

Silence fell between them.

After a long pause, Akio cautiously asked,

"Madara, do you regret any of it?"

Madara was momentarily caught off guard, then replied firmly,

"No!"

"I see…"

"Storm Style: Laser Circus!" Akio formed hand seals, and a laser beam shot from his palm. Screams rang out from behind Madara—it was a group of scouts from the Hidden Grass Village, sent to observe now that the fighting had ceased.

"You still have the strength to use that technique?" Madara raised an eyebrow.

Akio shook his head. "Stop calling me an old man. Have you looked at yourself lately?"

Madara's appearance had become even more aged, now resembling how he looked in the original timeline during his confrontation with Obito.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death—such is the way of life. You'll face it too someday, old fool. I'll be waiting for you in the afterlife."

Akio frowned slightly. "You talk like you're dying already. With your strength, you could drag it out for at least a few more months."

Madara was momentarily silent, then muttered,

"Old man…"

"Are you pitying me!?"

Akio clutched his stomach and shook his head. "Suddenly got a stomachache. Gotta use the restroom, so I'll let someone else see you off. The battle's over, and more people are heading this way. Don't die to some small fry."

He stood up and hesitated for a moment.

"Well then… farewell, Madara."

With that, he flew swiftly southward.

"Stomachache? Bathroom? What a ridiculous excuse. But… farewell, old man." Madara mumbled as he watched Akio leave, then turned his gaze toward a slowly approaching figure.

"I'm not dying to some weakling…"

As the figure drew closer, their appearance became clear.

Madara frowned slightly. "You… a clone made from Hashirama's cells?"

White Zetsu actually spoke slowly,

"Uchiha Madara… it seems you need my help."

Akio flew southward at full speed—not toward Konoha, but toward the Ryūchi Cave. He really did have a stomachache.

After opening the Seventh Gate, Black Zetsu had begun stirring within him, sensing his weakened state. Akio needed to find a secure place to reinforce the seal.

Midway through his flight, he was already struggling to hold on. Glancing down, he spotted a remote and uninhabited mountain forest. His sharp eyes caught sight of a cave.

"This'll do," he muttered, diving in headfirst.

"Sealing Technique: Crimson Yang Array!"

He used a weakened version of the Four Crimson Ray Formation to seal the cave entrance.

"Now then—time to deal with you!"

This time, Akio got serious about re-sealing Black Zetsu. He used nearly every sealing technique he knew on himself. The seal on his abdomen had become a tangled blur—probably no one could even decipher what it was anymore.

Once he could no longer feel Black Zetsu struggling, he sighed in relief. His chakra reserves were nearly depleted, and even his consciousness was fading. Summoning all the strength he had left, he performed a summoning jutsu.

"Lady Katsuyu… I'll trouble you just to keep me alive."

He could tell he'd probably be out cold for a week. He didn't want to wake up as a skeleton from starvation. In hindsight, maybe he should've flown to Konoha instead of Ryūchi Cave—he'd worried about the embarrassment of younger shinobi feeding him if he passed out, so he instinctively went for the forest.

Katsuyu seemed to say something in response, but Akio could no longer hear. His vision blurred.

Suddenly, a familiar line flashed across his mind, jolting him slightly awake:

"You've witnessed and permanently altered a major event in the Naruto timeline: The death of Uchiha Madara. Witness Points earned: 50 (/2) ×10."

"Madara died?"

"Took his own life?"

Even weakened, Akio doubted Madara would fall to nobodies.

"I lost a lot of Witness Points… and the Rinnegan, too…"

That was his last thought before losing consciousness completely.

Back at Wind Valley.

Hiruzen had arrived with Konoha's elite forces. Mito was among them.

"Lady Mito…"

Entering her Nine-Tails Mode, Mito concentrated and scanned the area. After a few moments, she shook her head.

"There's no trace of either chakra. But my second granduncle seems to have gone south—he's still alive."

Hiruzen let out a small sigh. "Looks like Elder Akio won. Alright, let's go home and wait for his return."

Tsunade, marching in the group, also breathed a sigh of relief—unaware of the gleam in Orochimaru's eyes.

A small snake slithered by, taking a few drops of blood with it. Whose blood it was—Akio's or Madara's—no one could say.

Time passed.

Inside the mountain cave, Akio slowly regained consciousness.

He moved his stiff limbs slightly. His body felt creaky, but his mind was clearing.

Scanning his surroundings, he noticed that Lady Katsuyu had already been de-summoned. The Crimson Yang Array sealing the entrance had also disappeared. In its place was a massive spiderweb.

Akio's mouth twitched. "What the hell? Did I stumble into the Spider Queen's lair? How long have I been out?"

Taking a few steps forward, he incinerated the web with a Fire Style jutsu. Walking outside, the glaring sunlight made him squint. Suddenly, an intense pain shot through his waist.

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"Granduncle!" A distant voice called out—Tobirama's.

Akio froze.

"You old fool—die!!"

He looked up. A ferocious face—Madara's, clad in his second-stage Susanoo—rushed at him.

He glanced down at the massive wound across his waist, then at the Uchiha and Senju clans fighting all around.

Akio murmured quietly,

"What the hell? Tobirama's alive? This… this is the war where Izuna Uchiha died?"

"Did I fall into one of Madara's genjutsu…?"

His vision began to fade.

"…Am I dead?"

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