Konoha was now completely shrouded in darkness under the layers of Wood Release.
"Tsunade, maybe you should remove the Wood Release..."
After a while, Orochimaru's voice suddenly came from the darkness.
While the thick layers of Wood Release surrounding the village did provide a sense of security...
Still...
In this pitch-black environment where they couldn't even see their own hands, it was hard to get a clear read on the situation outside.
Hearing this, Tsunade awkwardly rubbed her nose.
She didn't argue about the possible consequences of removing it.
After all, by now, the outside should be more or less safe.
After a moment…
"Tsunade?"
Senju Tobirama's voice came from the pitch-black darkness.
"I've already removed the Wood Release!"
Tsunade blinked and looked up at the sky. It was still dark…
"No way… are we dead?"
Just then, Jiraiya's voice echoed in the darkness.
Namikaze Minato was about to say something to stop his teacher from spouting nonsense when suddenly, light flooded into Konohagakure.
As if it had lost its support, the pitch-black sky shattered instantly.
All that remained were countless tiny fragments floating in the air.
"That is…"
Orochimaru looked up at the sight, blinking in shock.
"Magnet Release."
Tsunade spoke softly.
Up in the sky, Raijin and Madara stood facing each other.
At this moment, the weather was clear, and the wind was calm.
If you ignored the fact that everything around Konohagakure had been reduced to scorched earth, it was almost as if nothing had happened.
"Not bad…"
Inside the Genjutsu space, Madara looked at Raijin with a relaxed expression.
But in reality, his condition wasn't as good as he made it seem.
After becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Madara's chakra was practically limitless compared to the average ninja in this world.
However, exhaustion didn't just come from chakra consumption.
Using Six Paths-level Ninjutsu also took a toll on his body and drained his mental energy.
But no matter how he truly felt, he had only one thing to say:
Zero fatigue.
"Wasn't that an easy thing to do?"
Raijin chuckled, speaking casually to Madara.
But the exhaustion creeping into his mind told him otherwise—he needed a break.
As his words faded, at some unknown moment, their eyes met.
"Heh…"
The next second, both of them let out a cold laugh and turned their heads in opposite directions.
"Jigen has appeared."
"Zetsu has appeared."
A moment later, they both turned back almost at the same time.
"I'm not saying Zetsu isn't a problem, but shouldn't we be more concerned about Jigen right now?"
Madara looked at Raijin with a hint of helplessness. What was with this kid? Why was he so fixated on Zetsu?
"Zetsu isn't going anywhere."
After saying that, Madara added,
"Let's focus on Jigen first."
Raijin shrugged casually and said to Madara,
"Alright."
Madara nodded.
…
Why are these two suddenly fighting?
Jigen looked up at Raijin and Madara, who were floating in midair, feeling completely lost.
Even though he didn't understand everything, he could tell that these two were clashing using Genjutsu.
But… why?
Did something happen between them?
Or…
Are all ninjas in this world this reckless?
…
What's going on?
Black Zetsu watched the scene unfold, just as confused.
When he left Konohagakure earlier, Madara and Raijin didn't seem like they were on the verge of falling out.
Or…
A thought suddenly crossed Zetsu's mind—
Could it be that Raijin and Madara were staging all of this just to set up Jigen?
If that was the case…
Then they were doing a really convincing job…
…
"You actually dared to use Genjutsu on me?"
As soon as they left the illusion, Madara pointed at the nine-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan on his forehead, staring at Uchiha Raijin in disbelief.
"Honestly, your Genjutsu skills are just average."
Raijin raised an eyebrow. This guy… was seriously sneaky.
That line made him sound like a complete idiot.
"Hah? You really must have a death wish!"
Madara swung his staff and charged at Raijin.
"You think you're that strong?"
Raijin sneered and rushed forward to meet him.
This was something he and Madara had already planned out inside the Genjutsu space.
The fight they were putting on now was mainly to stall for time while Limbo: Border Jail's cooldown finished.
After all, ambushing Jigen wasn't going to be easy.
Finally, after three to five minutes of intense Taijutsu exchanges, Madara's Rinnegan spun ever so slightly.
…
"That should be enough…"
Jigen watched as Raijin and Madara clashed in close combat, silently thinking to himself.
Jigen had experienced high-level battles before, so he understood their situation perfectly.
No matter how strong someone was, using too many high-level jutsus in a short time would always lead to exhaustion.
It wasn't just mental pressure—there was also physical pain.
Wait, something's wrong!
Jigen's eyes widened as he suddenly realized something was off.
Almost instinctively, he moved away from his spot.
The very next moment, a massive crater appeared where he had just been standing.
A deafening explosion followed.
But Jigen had no time to pay attention to that now.
His body shrank rapidly in midair, barely dodging another invisible attack.
*Crackle!*
At that instant, a flash of purple-gold lightning streaked across the air.
Got you!
The next moment, the purple-gold lightning erupted with dazzling brightness.
Billions of volts of electricity were compressed to the extreme in that instant!
Even Madara instinctively raised his hand slightly to shield his eyes.
His nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan remained locked onto the center of the light, ensuring Jigen didn't escape using space-time jutsu.
After a long moment, when Raijin felt nothing left, the purple-gold lightning finally faded away.
Raijin reappeared in front of Madara.
"Is he dead?"
Madara blinked and asked Raijin.
"Probably. There's nothing left."
Raijin nodded at Madara.
"As expected of Madara-sama and Lord Raijin. You took down Jigen with ease."
At that moment, Black Zetsu appeared in front of Raijin and Madara.
He didn't think for a second that his arrival could go unnoticed by them.
But now that things had settled, it wasn't unreasonable for him to show up.
Madara and Raijin exchanged a glance and then turned their heads toward Zetsu.
…
"So…"
Tsunade blinked in confusion at the scene before her.
The sudden turn of events with Raijin and Madara left her completely stunned.
"The answer is obvious now, isn't it?"
Senju Tobirama let out a soft sigh, clasped his hands behind his back, and turned toward Konohagakure's research center.
"That entire battle… was just to lure out the enemy hiding in the shadows?"
Namikaze Minato gazed at Uchiha Raijin in the distance, finding it hard to believe.
"But it was worth it, wasn't it?"
Jiraiya turned around and glanced at his student.
Although the entire village of Konohagakure had been on edge and mobilized because of this, in the end, things had turned out well.
But was it really a good thing?
Once the external threats were gone, would the village really remain stable?
Jiraiya still had his doubts...
"Was it worth it?"
Orochimaru gave Jiraiya a smirk, then turned and walked away.
Whether it was worth it or not, Orochimaru didn't have much say in these matters.
So, he could only take things one step at a time.
"Uchiha Raijin! Get over here and die!"
Nearby, Tsunade had already pulled out an iron rod, leaping high into the air and swinging it fiercely toward Raijin.
"Oh, come on... Madara was the one who started it!"
Raijin didn't hesitate at all. In a flash, he vanished from his spot.
Even Zetsu was momentarily stunned by how fast he moved.
But in that split second, before Zetsu could react, he suddenly felt a weightless sensation pulling him back to reality.
"Madara-sama...!"
Zetsu looked at Madara in shock, not understanding why Madara had suddenly turned on him.
"Zetsu... at some point, I realized I could no longer see through your thoughts."
Ignoring Raijin and Tsunade's scuffle, Madara simply stared at Zetsu, who was now firmly in his grasp.
"You..."
Zetsu froze for a moment, his mind racing.
But after spending so many years with Madara, he knew one thing for sure—
When Madara made a move like this, there was always a reason.
But... how could this be happening?!
"Relax. This won't take long. If you have nothing to hide, I won't harm you."
Madara gave a slight smile as his Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan emitted an eerie glow.
Establishing a mental connection and reading memories—
For the Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan, this was nothing difficult.
In fact, even a skilled Genjutsu user could pull it off.
So, the moment Madara finished speaking, Zetsu completely lost consciousness.
...
"Tobirama-sama..."
Outside the laboratory, Orochimaru, looking a bit pale, called out to Senju Tobirama as he slowly approached.
"What happened?"
Senju Tobirama was stunned for a moment. Wait, what was going on today? So many ups and downs in just one day?
"The test subject with the same mark as Tatsu has disappeared!"
Orochimaru turned to Senju Tobirama and said.
"Are there any signs of someone entering the lab?"
Senju Tobirama frowned as he asked. He pushed past Orochimaru and walked straight into the lab.
"No, everything is exactly the same as when we left."
Orochimaru followed Tobirama and replied.
"Go inform Uchiha Raijin. Tell him to bring Tatsu to see Mito-sama. I'll be waiting there."
Senju Tobirama gave the order. If Tatsu was fine, then there was only one possible explanation.
Anyone marked by Jigen would become something like his substitute.
"Understood!"
Orochimaru nodded and disappeared from the spot.
…
"The Eye of the Moon Plan… Infinite Tsukuyomi… Asura and Indra… Black Zetsu…"
Uchiha Madara chuckled as he looked down at the figure in his hands. No, from now on, he should be called Black Zetsu.
Madara had always suspected Zetsu might have his own agenda, but he never expected the truth to be this shocking.
A thousand-year-long deception.
A scheme that had been in motion since the time of the Sage of Six Paths.
Truly… a masterpiece!
A black, all-consuming Truth-Seeking Orb formed in Madara's hand.
Zetsu's body silently vanished.
Madara had no interest in waking Black Zetsu up to talk.
That damn feeling of betrayal… again!
"What's wrong? Did you find what you were looking for?"
Raijin suddenly appeared in front of Madara.
"Are you still going through with the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
Raijin asked.
"What? You knew about this all along?"
Madara's gaze darkened as he looked at Uchiha Raijin.
"Well… I sort of knew. I wasn't completely sure, but I had a general idea."
Raijin laughed lightly.
"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Madara slowly lowered his head, trying to calm the rage that had built up from being deceived for nearly a century.
"I had no proof. If I had just told you, would you have believed me?"
Raijin spread his hands helplessly.
"Hmm."
Madara nodded. It was true—if Raijin didn't have enough proof to back up his claims, there was no way Madara would believe him.
"By the way, are you still going through with the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
Raijin suddenly asked Uchiha Madara.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I? Putting everything else aside, there's nothing wrong with the Infinite Tsukuyomi itself."
Madara raised an eyebrow and answered without hesitation.
No matter who asked today, even if the Sage of Six Paths climbed out of the underworld or if Otsutsuki Kaguya crawled out from the moon, Uchiha Madara had only one answer—he would see the Eye of the Moon Plan through to the end. As for what happened after... that was a problem for the future.
"Tch... You stubborn old man, huh? There's really no reasoning with you, is there?"
Raijin clicked his tongue, looking at Madara with a headache.
"And you unreliable brat have no right to tell me what to do."
Madara lifted his chin slightly, looking down at Raijin with an air of superiority.
"Heh! Uchiha Madara, now that no one's interrupting us, shall we continue?"
Raijin sneered, rolling up his sleeves as he spoke.
"Fine. Today, I'll show you what it means to be the ancestor of chakra!"
(End of Chapter)
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