Chapter Sixty-Five: Attempting to Revive Madara

... On an island, two figures clad in black robes adorned with red clouds were engaged in a fierce battle with the locals. A colossal, two-faced energy giant swept through everything in its path. This was the Susanoo of Itachi Uchiha.

Kisame, hefting his massive Samehada blade, laughed, “There’s absolutely no need for me to intervene.” Itachi, having switched to Shisui’s Sharingan and absorbed the power of the Grell Stone’s mineral veins, had successfully ascended to the Ultimate Sharingan. Now his Susanoo was much larger than before, and bore two faces.

“The color’s not exactly appealing though,” Kisame chuckled. Itachi’s Susanoo was red, Shisui’s was green; their fusion yielded a yellow hue. Now, Itachi possessed a yellow, double-faced Susanoo.

“So, how’s your new jutsu research coming along?” Kisame asked. Despite being in the midst of combat, neither took the fight seriously; they chatted casually.

“I’m designing the hand seals,” Itachi replied. With the double-faced Susanoo, he could sense the power of the stars—if mastered, it would be formidable.

“Has anyone else in the Uchiha clan ever manifested a double-faced Susanoo?” Kisame was curious—was Itachi the first, or was it an ability awakened whenever certain conditions were met?

Itachi shook his head. “I don’t know if any of my clan have ever had this, but I can feel that anyone who meets the conditions can awaken it.” It was a sense from beyond, a capability gained upon advancing Susanoo—not unique to him.

“Ah, it’s still not as impressive as your advanced Amaterasu,” Kisame lost interest in an instant. Itachi’s advanced Amaterasu, once unleashed, would ignite black flames within a hundred-mile radius—those without means would perish outright. The black flames, hailed as the strongest physical attack, would not extinguish until their target was consumed. Kisame wondered if there existed water capable of dousing them; if so, he would certainly seek it out.

“What about your genjutsu? Shisui Uchiha was famed for his illusions, even dubbed the strongest illusionist.” Kisame assumed Itachi’s illusions had undergone dramatic change, yet Itachi hadn’t used them.

Itachi didn’t answer that, instead saying, “I’ve found it.”

The double-faced yellow Susanoo wielded the Totsuka Blade, cleaving the ground to reveal a box surrounded by four doors inscribed with the words Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Pleasure. Susanoo’s massive hand reached out, retrieving the Bliss Box and placing it flat.

“So this is the Bliss Box,” Kisame’s attention was drawn. The Bliss Box was enormous; legend had it that whoever opened it could make a wish, and the box would grant it.

“How do you open the Bliss Box?” Itachi asked the residents of Kirigakure who were fighting him.

The city lord, Wu Wei, blood trickling from his lips, snorted coldly, “You’ll never find out!” He charged again with the Hellfire Sword, only to be casually swatted away by Susanoo.

“I know, I know!” cried a figure wearing an animal mask from afar—an elder of Kirigakure. He hurried over, ignoring Wu Wei’s furious expression, removed his mask to reveal an aged face, and ingratiated himself, “It only needs vast amounts of chakra—the Bliss Box opens once it absorbs enough chakra!”

He was terrified; Itachi’s strength was overwhelming, leaving him no desire to resist.

“Finally, my time to shine,” Kisame stepped forward. If nothing else, he had abundant chakra, and could even siphon it from others. If his own was insufficient, he’d absorb it from those present until he had enough.

Kisame approached the Bliss Box and began injecting chakra; the box immediately opened its gaping maw and devoured it.

“It sure can absorb,” Kisame unleashed his aura, sending chakra surging into the Bliss Box like a vast ocean.

Soon, the box began to emit clicking sounds; something inside was operating, and it stopped absorbing Kisame’s chakra.

“That’s it? I overestimated you,” Kisame was a bit astonished; he hadn’t even exerted himself.

Stepping back, Kisame asked Itachi, “Are we just going to shout ‘Resurrect Madara Uchiha’ at the box? Doesn’t that seem a little silly?”

Isn’t that how wishes are made? Still, it felt foolish.

Itachi ignored him.

Click, click.

One door of the Bliss Box opened; inside, darkness reigned, and a young man stepped out. Upon seeing him, Wu Wei, the city lord, was stunned—wasn’t that his deceased son, Wu Gou?

Years ago, to open the Bliss Box, he had sacrificed his son’s chakra to the box. Now, after so many years, his son had returned.

“Wu… Wu Gou!”

Wu Wei cared nothing for Susanoo anymore; he rushed to his son, trembling as he tried to touch his face, overwhelmed by longing.

Kisame was puzzled—a young man had appeared? Were they supposed to make their wish to him?

“Father, I’ve missed you too,” the youth smiled warmly, opening his arms and embracing the emotional Wu Wei.

“My child, you’ve suffered…”

But before Wu Wei could finish, the youth’s arms suddenly tightened—crackling sounds echoed as Wu Wei’s waist and chest bones snapped.

“You!” Wu Wei stared in disbelief.

The youth kicked him aside, showing not a shred of filial piety—as if he’d done nothing of consequence. The youth, breathing in the outside air, grew increasingly excited.

“I’m finally free!” He’d been trapped in the box for so long.

Inside the Bliss Box, there was only destruction and terror; those who entered were daily subjected to their corrupting influence, eventually transformed into monsters—Enlightened Ones.

Though the youth had been revived and retained Wu Gou’s memories, he had already been assimilated by destruction and terror, now a new generation monster: an Enlightened One.

And an Enlightened One had only one goal in life: to destroy the world.

Kisame stepped forward and addressed the youth, “Hey, are we supposed to make our wish to you? Can you really bring the dead back?”

It seemed dubious.

The youth looked at Kisame and smiled coldly, “Resurrect the dead? Impossible. Everyone is merely fodder!”

He acted instantly, transforming into a gigantic black monster—his true form as an Enlightened One, capable of reading fear. He sought to throw Kisame into the Bliss Box, which would refine him into pure energy, strengthening the monster.

Kisame leapt back to dodge; at present, the Enlightened One wasn’t particularly strong, and Kisame evaded with ease.

“Hey, Itachi, this doesn’t match the legend at all,” Kisame retreated to Itachi’s side.

The Enlightened One didn’t pursue, but instead activated a jutsu atop the Bliss Box, unleashing a powerful suction that captured all living creatures nearby. Those who weren’t firmly anchored were sucked into the Bliss Box, transformed into pure energy.

Itachi dispelled Susanoo, took out a sealing scroll, and after unsealing it, a yellow coffin appeared on the ground—inside lay Madara Uchiha’s corpse.

“Hm? Itachi, what are you doing?” Kisame was baffled—what use was Madara’s corpse? The Bliss Box didn’t grant wishes.

Itachi’s face was expressionless; after retrieving the coffin, he kicked it with a loud bang, sending it hurtling toward the Bliss Box.

The Enlightened One welcomed it eagerly, letting out a delighted roar as he absorbed Madara’s corpse into the Bliss Box.

Itachi said, “Let’s see if Madara becomes fodder, or if he comes back and replaces you as the new Enlightened One.”