Hokage:madara level start

After regrouping, Leo held a meeting with the Akatsuki members to discuss preliminary actions and the rough outline of their grand plan—unifying the ninja world.

Interestingly, both Leo and Uchiha Madara's goals aligned closely with the original vision of Akatsuki. The strategy remained largely unchanged:

Capture the Tailed Beasts.

At this point in time, Leo and Uchiha Madara believed it was entirely feasible to begin a full-scale conquest of the Five Great Nations. After all, the Tailed Beasts were still under the control of those very countries.

Well—except for the Land of Fire.

That one could be excluded. Half of the Nine Tails was already sealed within Leo himself.

As for the other half of the Nine Tails...

Leo smirked to himself. Looks like I'll need to pay a little visit to that "Orochimaru" from the original series sometime soon...

---

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. The overall plan hasn't really changed from what you've been doing before."

Leo and Uchiha Madara sat in the seats of authority within the Akatsuki base. Leo spoke calmly, his eyes sweeping across the familiar faces of Akatsuki.

"Also," he added, "from now on, Kakuzu will be in charge of all financial matters—income and expenditure."

Kakuzu nodded eagerly. "Yes, Chief. Leave it to me!"

"Good. You can all go for now and continue your current tasks. But remember—stay alert regarding developments in the Genin world. I want any information on Jinchūriki movements. Especially if any of them leave their home villages. Report it to Madara or me immediately."

He leaned back in his seat, resting his chin on one hand, his voice dropping into a thoughtful murmur. "It's not impossible to seize the tailed beasts first... then crush the five villages one by one."

"Yes!" The Akatsuki members answered in unison.

Among them were Hidan, Nagato, and Konan. Hidan, in particular, looked dissatisfied, but he dared not voice his frustration. Not after what he had witnessed.

He might worship his so-called Evil God, but even that faith could not mask the crushing power of Uchiha Madara.

His supposed "immortality" looked utterly laughable before someone like Madara.

---

Uchiha Madara remained silent throughout, observing Leo as he issued commands and organized future actions. He didn't mind letting Leo take the lead—Leo's decisions made sense, after all.

"Alright, dismissed," Leo finally said with a wave of his hand. "Oh—Itachi, stay."

That single sentence made everyone pause. Curious glances were exchanged, particularly toward the two "Uchiha Madara" and Uchiha Itachi.

Nonetheless, no one questioned it. One by one, they left.

Nagato and Konan left together, quietly fading into the shadows.

---

In the end, only Leo, Uchiha Madara, and Uchiha Itachi remained inside the negotiation chamber.

"Leader?" Itachi asked, his gaze flicking warily between the two Madaras—though his focus settled more heavily on Leo. He had a hunch about the reason he'd been asked to stay.

As a long-time spy within Akatsuki, Itachi was naturally sensitive to subtle shifts in atmosphere.

He was also extremely cautious.

After all, standing in front of him were not one, but two versions of the Uchiha Madara—the legendary ancestor of the Uchiha clan.

Why did Madara appear to have two bodies? Itachi had no idea.

But regardless of the answer, one thing was clear:

If anything seemed off, he would escape immediately.

Itachi wasn't about to be stupid. He wasn't going to throw himself at two wielders of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan when all he had was a standard Mangekyō.

That would be suicide.

Especially now that rumors spoke of Madara's complete-body Susanoo towering over 200 meters in height.

His own Susanoo? The Karasu Tengu stage, barely 30 or 40 meters tall.

A joke in comparison.

---

"That's you, isn't it?"

Madara finally broke his silence. His eyes were locked on Itachi, a subtle tone of disdain in his voice.

"You're the young Uchiha who butchered his own clan... for Konoha."

Itachi's breath caught in his throat.

Those words—for Konoha—shook him to the core.

How could Madara know the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre?

Was this Madara the same as the one who once called himself Tobi?

A hundred thoughts spun in his head.

"My clan betrayed me once," Madara continued with a cold smile. "So I understand the urge to kill traitors."

Itachi's heartbeat spiked. His Mangekyō Sharingan was already beginning to swirl with chakra. He didn't want to fight—but he wouldn't go down without a defense.

That's when Leo, still sitting beside Madara, spoke for the first time since the room had cleared.

"Is Uchiha Shisui's left eye in your possession?"

The question pierced through the room like a kunai.

Itachi flinched.

How...?

How could Leo possibly know about that?

Had he guessed from past intel? Or... did he know far more than he should?

"Don't worry about how I know," Leo said, his voice lowering.

"Just hand it over—and I'll spare your life."

As he spoke, Leo's eyes shifted—changing into the unmistakable ripple pattern of the Rinnegan.

The lavender glow of the eye filled the room with immense pressure.

"Rinnegan... again?" Itachi mumbled in disbelief.

So Leo had the Rinnegan too? But he hadn't seen Leo use it before.

Was he not just a clone of Madara? Then who exactly was he?

A thousand questions flooded Itachi's mind, but he kept his thoughts guarded.

The reality was dawning on him quickly—Leo was far more dangerous than he had ever realized.

But what could he do?

Could he fight back?

Leo and Madara were both here—and both wielding powers far beyond his current capabilities.

---

Then Leo delivered the final blow:

"Sasuke... is in my hands now."

Those words struck like lightning.

Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan flared to its limit.

But he still didn't attack.

Now it wasn't just his life on the line—Sasuke's was too.

He couldn't risk it.

With a heavy sigh, Itachi slowly raised one hand.

A familiar fluttering echoed through the chamber as crows emerged from the shadows—his Summoning Crow.

Within moments, one particular crow appeared. It had a unique Mangekyō Sharingan glimmering in its right eye.

Shisui's Eye.

But just as the crow flapped into view—slash!

Its head was cleanly severed.

An invisible force had sliced it apart before anyone could react.

The severed head floated in the air, then drifted gently toward Leo as if carried by an unseen hand.

Itachi stared in horror.

"What... What just happened?"

Uchiha Madara chuckled quietly. "He used Wheel Grave: Shadow."

Leo's Limbo Clone had acted instantly, outside the visible world, and taken Shisui's eye without a struggle.

Leo took the eye carefully and stored it in his system space with a satisfied grin.

---

"Is that Mangekyō special?" Madara asked casually, curiosity flickering across his face.

Leo smirked and nodded. "Yeah. Very special."

Meanwhile, Itachi stood silently, fists clenched tightly in frustration and helplessness.

He had failed to protect Shisui's legacy. Again.

---

To be continued.