[Author's note: After careful consideration, the previous plotline where Indra and Black Zetsu fell out and sealed each other has been removed.]
The plains of the Land of Lightning. The Ten-Tails was absorbing the energy of nature, slowly transitioning toward the Divine Tree.
Indra hovered cross-legged above the Ten-Tails' head, eyes closed in silent meditation, the Yin-Yang Six Paths Staff resting across his lap.
In front of the Ten-Tails, Black Zetsu was deep in thought. Minato Namikaze's surrender was clearly a ruse, orchestrated by Naruto. But why? Why would Naruto knowingly hand over the Nine-Tails, when it was obviously to his disadvantage?
Whenever something seems off, there's always a trick. Black Zetsu felt a growing unease.
By all logic, if Minato's ploy had been seen through, Naruto should have shown up immediately to clean up the mess. So why hadn't he appeared yet?
Could it be… he was just going to stand by and watch Infinite Tsukuyomi unfold?
No, impossible. What could he possibly gain from that?
Forget it. At this point, all he could do was hold steady and adapt to whatever came next.
Black Zetsu glanced up at the Ten-Tails and Indra, calculating: before it fully became the Divine Tree, the Ten-Tails would undergo two more transformations. As long as those stages passed safely, and Indra absorbed the Divine Tree, nothing could stop the coming of Infinite Tsukuyomi!
Once the jutsu was complete, Indra would be left utterly drained. Then, with Mother's will inside the Divine Tree and his own machinations, they could easily seize control from Indra…
Right now, the only thing that mattered was staying calm—absolutely calm.
At that moment, atop the Ten-Tails' head, Indra opened his eyes and gazed toward the far horizon.
There, two figures approached at breakneck speed—one after the other.
Uchiha Madara and Kakashi Hatake!
Black Zetsu sneered, "Well, well, what a parade. The clown Obito just left the stage, and now our star performer, Uchiha Madara, can't wait to make his grand entrance!"
Madara couldn't be bothered with Black Zetsu's mockery. In his eyes, Black Zetsu was as good as dead—what living man would argue with a corpse?
"So that's the Ten-Tails… what an abstract monstrosity…"
Behind him, Kakashi lifted the headband covering his left eye, the three tomoe spinning into an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
His left eye's "telescope" function activated, zooming in across several kilometers to lock precisely onto Indra atop the Ten-Tails.
"That's Indra, the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. Let's run a simulation…"
—Ōtonaben!
Whoosh!
In seconds, a hundred simulations played out in his mind—each ending in disaster.
The results left Kakashi cold with dread.
He called out to Madara's back, "Madara, the enemy's left eye is terrifying! He can drain your life force from a distance. In less than a second, I was sucked dry every time!"
Madara didn't respond.
Kakashi pressed on, "The range of that eye technique is about 150 meters—almost the same as my left eye's Kamui!"
Still, Madara said nothing.
Thud.
Two hundred meters out, Madara came to a halt, his tone icy. "So the left eye drains life force. What about the right?"
Kakashi sounded a little sheepish. "Sorry… I couldn't figure out the right eye's power."
Madara's eyes flickered. "So, killing you only takes one eye…"
Kakashi continued, "In later simulations, I tried using my left eye's long-range Kamui to attack first, but he always predicted it and used those black orbs floating around him for defense. They can morph into any shape for offense or defense, but his control range is about 70 meters—less than half his ocular jutsu's range. So he mainly uses them for defense."
Madara analyzed, "If he needs those orbs for defense, your Kamui still poses a threat. By the way… how did he counter your right eye's intangibility? That kind of phase-shifting should be untouchable, even by ocular powers."
Kakashi replied, "Every move he makes stirs up a storm of ninjutsu. The area of effect is so wide, I can't keep phasing. I'm not like Obito—I can't maintain it indefinitely. The instant I materialize, I'm basically dead…"
Madara's face betrayed nothing. "Understood. Your intel is valuable—saves me a lot of trial and error."
He said it, but in truth, Madara was a little disappointed: knowing the enemy's tricks in advance took away some of the thrill. Still, this opponent was a treasure trove, and this was just the appetizer.
At that moment, Indra formed a two-finger seal.
Whoosh! The Ten-Tails beneath him opened its massive, fanged maw, gathering dark red chakra into a perfectly round sphere!
Madara's eyes lit up. "Oh? That's the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb!!"
Boom!
The Tailed Beast Bomb surged forward, tearing up the earth with a roaring shockwave!
Kakashi shouted urgently, "At that scale, I can't warp it away!!"
Madara's excitement was palpable. "Hahaha! Who said anything about warping it?!"
Whoosh! He finished weaving hand signs and took a deep breath!
—Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!
FWOOM!
A torrent of scorching fire erupted from Madara's mouth, slamming into the Tailed Beast Bomb!
Black Zetsu mocked, "Hahaha! Using Fire Release against the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb—Madara, are you insane?!"
Indra merely watched in silence, offering no comment.
The Tailed Beast Bomb pressed relentlessly against the flames, its advance seemingly unstoppable!
Kakashi's face was grim. "This isn't enough!"
Madara poured even more chakra into his jutsu, the flames roaring higher and harder.
The fire pillar became as solid as steel!
Kakashi gasped, "It's… actually slowing down!!"
Madara's eyes reflected the inferno. He slowly tilted his head back, adjusting the angle of the flames.
And then—something incredible happened. The fire column actually lifted the Tailed Beast Bomb, sending it arcing up into the sky!
Kakashi watched in disbelief. "The Tailed Beast Bomb's trajectory… it's changing!"
BOOM!!
The fire column snapped at its tip, transforming into a meteor shower that drove the Tailed Beast Bomb hundreds of meters into the air!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
A cataclysmic explosion lit up the night!
Madara threw his head back in wild laughter. "Hahahahaha! What a glorious spectacle!!!"
Kakashi was awestruck. "So this… this is the man called Uchiha Madara!!"
Even Black Zetsu was stunned, though he had to admit the truth. "Madara… he's gotten even stronger!"
"Interesting…" Indra's cold lips curled into a faint smile. Gripping the Yin-Yang Six Paths Staff, he floated down from the Ten-Tails' head and strode forward. "As my reincarnation, you seem to have inherited my restless spirit. What do you say? You're my reincarnation, and my descendant. Why not join forces with me and shake the world?"
Indra extended his olive branch to Uchiha Madara!
Madara's lips twisted into a proud smirk. "And who gave you permission to call me your reincarnation? Just because a bit of your chakra flows in my veins? What truly flows in me is the Uchiha's burning battle-lust—and that's not something you gave me, ancestor!!!"
Indra grinned wickedly. "What a shame. In that case, fight to your heart's content—until you fall, my descendant!!!"
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