At the border of the Land of Lightning, the Ten-Tails was reborn!
Indra formed the Six Paths: Ten-Tails Coffin Seal, becoming its jinchūriki!
The Ten-Tails' colossal body writhed, liquefying into a torrent that surged into Indra's back!
Whoosh!
His jet-black hair turned ashen white, and symmetrical horns sprouted from his forehead!
The white robe he wore—identical to the Sage of Six Paths, the pure cloth uniform of the ancient Ninshū—suddenly ignited with white chakra flames along its edges the instant he became the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki!
A symbol had become reality.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Truth-Seeking Orbs he'd spent defending against Obito's Kamui were restored—and now, two more joined them, for a total of twelve!
A thirteenth orb formed by his left hand and transformed into a staff.
It was a double-headed staff.
One end was a closed ring threaded with six shackles; the other, a half-open ring—representing Yang and Yin, respectively!
Black Zetsu marveled, "Truth-Seeking Orbs can take any form the user desires, but only the staff embodies the 'Way'—that cannot be changed at will! When one attains the full power of the Ten-Tails and the Six Paths, the nature of that power manifests in the staff—either a Yang Six Paths Staff, or a Yin Six Paths Staff! Only those who truly balance Yin and Yang can wield a perfect Yin-Yang Six Paths Staff. Indra, that staff marks you as a true inheritor of the Six Paths!"
Clang!
The staff's open ring struck the earth as Indra declared, voice ringing out, "So this is the power of the Six Paths… It's only so much."
Black Zetsu stepped forward. "The Ten-Tails was revived missing half of the Nine-Tails, so its power isn't complete. To unleash Infinite Tsukuyomi, the Ten-Tails must evolve into the Divine Tree!"
Indra shot him a sidelong glance. "Evolve into the Divine Tree… Why didn't you mention that before I absorbed the Ten-Tails?"
Black Zetsu replied smoothly, "Here's the thing, Indra. For the Ten-Tails to become the Divine Tree, it needs to absorb a massive amount of natural energy. Minato has already escaped back to the Hidden Rain Village, and I expect Naruto and the others will arrive soon. To avoid complications, it's best to become the jinchūriki early—there's no downside. Besides, the Ten-Tails can still evolve while inside you, it's just that…"
Indra pressed, "Just that what?"
Black Zetsu explained, "You'll need to release the Ten-Tails outside your body… but that's fine. Now that you're the jinchūriki, even externalizing the Ten-Tails won't affect your synchronization. Once it evolves into the Divine Tree and you reabsorb it, you'll gain immortal life. Then, as you approach the moon, the Divine Tree's eye on your forehead will open, and Infinite Tsukuyomi will shine down on the world…"
Of course, there was another way to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi—letting the Divine Tree bloom instead of absorbing it—but Black Zetsu left that unsaid.
Because if the Divine Tree bloomed, Indra's chakra would be lost to Black Zetsu's plans. He wanted to preserve as much chakra as possible for the soon-to-be-revived Kaguya!
"…" Indra fixed Black Zetsu with a long, deep look, then turned away.
Snap! He crouched, staff in his left hand, pressing his right palm to the ground.
RUMBLE…!
The Ten-Tails was released directly onto the land!
Indra straightened, his voice thunderous: "Absorb the power of this land. Evolve—to your ultimate form, the Divine Tree!"
...
On the soil of the Land of Rain.
Madara cradled Hanahan in his arms, resting atop a mountain peak, gazing toward the Land of Lightning.
"A massive chakra, gathered all at once… There's no mistake. Just now, a Ten-Tails jinchūriki was born. This chakra… is unpleasant."
"So, what to do with you, Hanahan…"
Madara's gaze softened as he looked at the cat he'd finally coaxed to sleep.
"Hm?"
His attention shifted downward.
A squad of Leaf shinobi sprinted along a narrow mountain path!
At their head was a man with a Hokage hat tied at the nape of his neck, silver hair, and a black mask.
Even now, with both eyes Sharingan, Kakashi kept his left eye covered with his headband to conserve chakra!
Madara's eyes glinted with intrigue.
"The silver-haired, masked ninja… That's Obito's old teammate, Kakashi Hatake. Hmph. The little fledgling from back then… is now Hokage."
Whoosh!
Madara dropped from above, blocking their path!
Thud! Kakashi skidded to a stop!
"Who's there?!"
Behind him, his two ANBU escorts drew their blades and stepped forward!
Kakashi quickly called out, "Yugao, Zō, hold!"
Uzuki Yugao and Zō hesitated. "Lord Hokage?"
Kakashi stared at the face identical to the Valley of the End statue, pronouncing each word, "He is… Uchiha Madara!"
"What?!" Yugao and Zō gasped in shock.
Yugao: "The man who matched the First Hokage blow for blow?!"
Zō: "ANBU had intel on his revival, but to meet him here, on this narrow path… Life's full of twists, isn't it?"
Kakashi: "Both of you, fall back. If Madara really wanted to kill us, we'd already be dead…"
So Yugao and Zō carefully retreated to Kakashi's side.
Kakashi's mind churned: The latest reports say Madara has reconciled with Naruto, but with war about to break out, why is he here—holding a cat, no less? What kind of violence lies beneath that calm exterior?
Still tense but unyielding, Kakashi asked, "Madara, may I ask… what brings you here?"
Madara countered, "Where are you headed?"
Kakashi knew lying was pointless, so he answered honestly, "War is upon us. Indra plans to use the Ten-Tails to launch his campaign. We received orders to rally the entire village at Hidden Rain."
Madara understood instantly: "Ah, so this is that Naruto kid's strategy… The whole village, but why only a few of you? Where's the main force?"
Kakashi explained succinctly: sudden developments, a dilemma, splitting into smaller groups, and using training as cover.
Madara stroked his cat, murmuring, "I see. Seems you've got some sharp minds among you…"
Kakashi pressed, "May I ask… what are your intentions?"
Madara replied offhandedly, "I can't wait any longer. I'm going to face the Ten-Tails jinchūriki myself."
Kakashi was stunned. "Why not wait for the main force to assemble before acting?"
"If I waited, I'd have to follow that Naruto kid's plan—too many restrictions, not enough fun."
As he spoke, a rare smile flickered across Madara's usually impassive face. "So, want to come with me? You've got Obito's eye—you might be useful."
Kakashi tested the waters. "Uh… what if I say no?"
Madara gently stroked the sleeping cat in his arms. "That's fine. Just leave the eye behind. My Hanahan is still missing a right eye."
Only then did Kakashi notice Hanahan's closed left eye—showing the unmistakable glint of a Sharingan!
He was shocked: You… you actually implanted a Sharingan into a cat? How ruthless can you get?!
Madara looked past Kakashi, voice low. "You, the purple-haired woman—come here."
Beneath her mask, Uzuki Yugao's face showed hesitation. "Me?"
Madara insisted, "Who else? Come here."
So Yugao nervously stepped forward.
Madara thrust the cat into her arms. "I'm giving you a mission—take good care of this cat."
Uzuki Yugao looked at Kakashi in confusion.
Kakashi: "Yugao, I'm counting on you."
"…Alright. If it's the Hokage's order, I'll watch her for you."
Once Yugao took the cat, she quickly retreated to safety.
Madara burst out laughing. "Hahahaha… Now I can finally fight without a care in the world!"
Kakashi truly couldn't figure him out: Is he a devil or an angel…? I really can't tell!
"Yugao, Zō, keep moving. When you reach Hidden Rain, tell Shikaku what happened here. Tell him to settle on the Seventh Hokage candidate early—I might not make it back…"
And so, the resolute Kakashi and the battle-mad Madara—an unlikely duo—set off together for the Land of Lightning's battlefield!
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