Before you ever pretended to be Madara, I had already done so myself.

"Obito, my time is running out. Before I die, I will tell you how to create a world of dreams and become the savior of this world. Cough, cough... As for whether you choose to listen, that is for you to decide. Neither I nor White Zetsu will stand in your way..."

Madara spoke while coughing up blood, as if he might breathe his last at any moment.

"...Tell me," Obito sighed, unable to bear the sight.

"Look into my eyes."

Saying this, Madara’s expression turned solemn, and he released a genjutsu upon Obito. He brought him into his mental space, explaining the principles of the Infinite Tsukuyomi and the insane yet grand Eye of the Moon Plan. The world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi was a true ideal, free from war and strife, filled only with peace and happiness.

Within the genjutsu space, Madara also imparted the forbidden techniques of the Uchiha, the techniques of the Six Paths, and the Yin-Yang Release to Obito one by one.

Some time later.

"I agree."

After digesting Madara's philosophy, Obito made his promise with burning eyes, taking up the mantle. He did not trust Madara, but he was deeply intrigued by the world the latter described, because he... wanted to create a world where Rin existed.

"Very good."

Madara smiled with satisfaction, then signaled for the spike-covered White Zetsu to approach. He injected his own will into the creature, turning half of its body black. Thus, Black Zetsu was "born." Madara told Obito that Black Zetsu was the manifestation of his will and would assist him in realizing the grand Eye of the Moon Plan. In addition, Madara handed over the physical embodiment of his consciousness—a black rod—to Obito.

Finally, he cautioned:

"Be very careful of that Kisame Hoshigaki. I have a premonition that he will be your greatest enemy. Remember, do not provoke that guy until you have obtained sufficient power. Go to the Village Hidden in the Rain and find Nagato first..."

After finishing these final arrangements, Madara Uchiha no longer felt any attachment to the world. In front of Obito and Zetsu, he pulled out his own oxygen tube. A legend had finally come to an end.

Obito recovered Madara’s pair of Sharingan, buried his corpse, and then sat upon the massive wooden chair in his place. He had become the new master of White and Black Zetsu.

"Kisame Hoshigaki, just you wait..."

In the chair, Obito bowed his head, clenching his fists as he muttered. Kisame was his lifelong rival. He had learned from Madara that the Uchiha clan’s heirloom, the Gunbai, had also been snatched by Kisame. He would kill Kisame and reclaim the fan.

However, before that, to be safe, Obito decided to heal his injuries first and master the forbidden techniques Madara had passed on. Following Madara's instructions, he would head to the Land of Rain to subdue Nagato... and only then would he settle the score with Kisame.

Meanwhile.

After fleeing the coast of the Land of Fire, Kisame crossed the sea and returned to the borders of the Land of Water. He reunited with Yuki-onna and Yugito at a small town.

He began to audit his spoils.

First was Rin Nohara. Kisame knew that Madara had planted a cursed seal in her heart, meaning her life hung by a thread at his whim. Fortunately, being stored in the Box of the Ultimate Bliss had temporarily isolated Madara’s chakra, preventing him from killing her remotely. Therefore, Kisame decided to let Rin sleep in the box for a while longer, until he estimated that Madara was truly dead and the seal had lost its effect. Only then would he wake her.

Next was Kakashi’s Mangekyo Sharingan. Of the two Kamui eyes, the right eye—possessed by Obito—was characterized by its ability to turn the user intangible, shifting them to a different dimension to evade all attacks. It could also shift objects it touched. Kakashi’s left eye, however, lacked the ability to make the user intangible, but could shift specific targets into the other dimension from a distance. Together, they formed the complete Kamui, capable of power that, in some ways, rivaled the Rinnegan.

Standing before a mirror, Kisame took a deep breath. Suddenly, he raised his left hand and... forcibly gouged out his own left eye, placing it into a test tube. He then inserted the left eye of Kamui into his empty socket, waiting for it to fuse.

There are two ways to transplant a Sharingan. The first relies on medical ninjutsu—like the surgery performed by Rin on Kakashi. By comparison, the second method is much simpler: utilizing Hashirama cells for automatic medical care and wound healing, allowing for a "hot-swap"—plug and play.

Although Kisame did not have Hashirama cells, his natural constitution was immensely powerful, and his chakra levels were on par with descendants of the "Senju and Uzumaki" lineages like Nagato. Thus, he could sustain not just a Sharingan, but even a Rinnegan. Moreover, having devoured so many ninja tools—especially the Box of the Ultimate Bliss—his body had been repeatedly reinforced, far exceeding the limits of ordinary men. That was why he dared to attempt this crude method of transplantation.

Kisame was not disappointed. After wriggling in his socket for a while, Obito’s Sharingan gradually fused with his own cells, becoming one. Kisame felt a sharp pain in his left eye. This was because the Sharingan was constantly draining his chakra; it could not be deactivated and consumed energy twenty-four hours a day. This was the drawback of transplanting a Sharingan.

In the original story, Itachi told Kakashi during their duel that his body did not belong to the Uchiha clan, and he was destined to be unable to use the Sharingan’s power as skillfully as they could. After transplanting Obito's eye, Kakashi spent a massive amount of energy and chakra adapting to it, which caused his growth to stagnate for a time. For a long while, he only used the Sharingan's "copy" ability superficially, never truly controlling it.

Beyond his greed for the Sharingan, there was another reason Kisame took Kakashi’s eye: he wanted to see if Kakashi, returning to his original path of growth without the Sharingan, might become a second White Fang of the Leaf, or even surpass him. After all, in terms of talent, Kakashi was superior to his father, Sakumo Hatake. Perhaps Kisame’s actions would end up helping Kakashi. Of course, only time would tell.

Nagato was in a similar situation. His case was even more tragic: despite possessing the most powerful constitution, he was almost drained dry by the Rinnegan. Even so, he had never truly tapped into the Rinnegan’s full power. Ultimately, it was a matter of bloodline. After all, this was a world dominated by bloodline theory.

Back to Kisame. This left eye of Obito’s did not necessarily provide a massive boost to his strength, but it was uncomfortable to have it installed. Therefore, he did not plan to keep it in for long. Since his physique was strong enough, he would simply plug it in when he needed it and take it out when he didn't—very convenient.

So, how could he maximize the utility of this Sharingan? Kisame had an idea.

"Poof!"

He activated the "Change" seal on his right shoulder, transforming into the likeness of another man. The figure was about 1.8 meters tall, wearing red, Warring States-era armor, with long, spiky black hair and an aura of arrogant, cool dominance. It was Madara Uchiha in his youth.

Kisame then retrieved the Gunbai, holding it in his hand as he inspected himself in the mirror. Advanced Transformation, a Sharingan, and the Uchiha clan’s heirloom Gunbai. At this moment, he was Madara Uchiha.

"If Obito can pose as Madara, why can't I, Kisame Hoshigaki?" Kisame muttered, revealing a wild, evil grin. Obito would never imagine that before he even started posing as Madara, Kisame had beaten him to it. Using the identity of "Madara Uchiha," Kisame might be able to do some interesting things. For that reason, he had no plans to devour the Gunbai yet—the same reason he kept Samehada: it was more useful kept intact.

For the next while, Kisame focused on adapting to the power of the Sharingan and exploring its functions. Seven days later, by a riverbank, Kisame sat cross-legged on a large rock, meditating. Suddenly, he opened his left eye. In that instant, the scarlet three-tomoe pattern in his pupil blurred, gradually evolving into the shape of three red scythes.

Mangekyo Sharingan, activated.

The next second, Kisame focused his gaze on a pile of dog excrement a dozen meters away and activated the power of Kamui.

*Swish.*

The space nearby twisted, sending the dung into another dimension.

Success. Kisame looked pleased. He was no weakling like Kakashi. His chakra reserves were dozens, if not hundreds, of times greater than Kakashi’s, allowing him to adapt to and utilize the Sharingan much faster. Even so, after activating Kamui, a line of bloody tears streamed from his left eye, and he felt a wave of dizziness. This was the price of using a Sharingan one was not born with. However, with Kisame’s powerful physique and recovery, this cost was negligible—entirely bearable.

Shortly thereafter, Yugito, who had been out gathering intelligence, returned in a hurry and approached Kisame with a grave expression.

"Konoha has launched a massive offensive against the Mist, and fierce battles have broken out on the border. The Hidden Mist’s front lines are collapsing, and all units are retreating into the Land of Water. They will reach this town soon," she reported in one breath.

"Oh? Faster than I anticipated," Kisame narrowed his eyes, clearly having foreseen this situation.

At present, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, and the ANBU leader, Fuguki Suikazan, were both dead. The hundreds of ANBU under their command had been wiped out, with Kisame being the sole survivor. With Fuguki’s death, the infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had officially come to an end, becoming history. The Mist was now leaderless—or rather, a group of insects without a head—arguably at its weakest point in history.

Conversely, Konoha had achieved victory on both the Rock and Cloud fronts. With the general situation settled, only mopping up remained. This meant Konoha could spare the bulk of its forces to deal with the Mist. Having caught them just as their leader died and their ANBU was decimated, Konoha would never miss such an opportunity. Under the orders of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha had assembled an army of five thousand ninja to invade the Land of Water.

The vanguard consisted of the two great ocular-jutsu clans of Konoha: the Uchiha and the Hyuga. The Land of Water was often shrouded in dense fog, and Mist ninja were skilled in the Hidden Mist Jutsu, which could confuse enemy vision and make it difficult for other villages to invade. However, with the Hyuga clan’s Byakugan, the Hidden Mist Jutsu was useless and easily seen through. While the Uchiha’s Sharingan wasn't as effective as the Byakugan, it was relatively resistant to the Hidden Mist. Coupled with the fact that the Uchiha were a group of powerful, bellicose fighters, the majority of the Mist’s ninja forces were unable to offer any resistance. They crumbled at the first touch.

Currently, the Konoha forces were advancing triumphantly. At this rate, it wouldn't take ten or fifteen days before they reached the Mist village itself and leveled it to the ground.

"Mr. Kisame, what should we do now?" Yuki-onna and Yugito asked simultaneously in the courtyard.

They both thought the same thing: Konoha was too strong, unstoppable, and the only option now was likely to leave the Land of Water and find a new place to stay. However, Kisame was, after all, a Mist ninja. He was born and raised there, and now that his village was in peril, they didn't know what he was thinking.

Kisame pondered for a moment. He had never felt much sense of belonging to the Mist. Although Fuguki had begged him before dying to become the Mizukage and save the village, Kisame hadn't taken it to heart.

However—the annihilation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and the deaths of the Fourth Mizukage and Fuguki, were directly linked to him, and had indirectly caused Konoha’s massive invasion. There were, after all, many innocent civilians in the Land of Water and the Mist village, and they were now caught in the crossfire. Kisame felt a certain degree of responsibility for this devastation.

Furthermore, there was one more crucial reason influencing his decision: he couldn't stand Konoha. He loathed the village—a point on which he and Madara Uchiha and Obito reached a rare consensus. Konoha was simply a history of internal infighting among the "second-generation" heirs of the Six Paths Sage. Konoha always stood in the dazzling sunlight, while other villages and ninja were forced to live in the dark shadows, serving as foils and villains in the eyes of Konoha.

The hypocritical Will of Fire, the hypocritical Konoha ninja. In Kisame’s eyes, whether it was the high-ranking officials like Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, or those Uchiha troublemakers who plagued the ninja world, each was more detestable than the last. If Konoha annexed the Mist and won the Third Great Ninja War decisively, their power would expand to an unprecedented peak. This was something Kisame did not want to see and could not tolerate.

Therefore, he decided to strike at Konoha. Kisame had been accumulating strength for so long, always acting with caution; now, it was time to stretch his wings and let the entire ninja world, especially Konoha, be shocked.