Madara hugged Obito, activated his Susanoo, and began escaping the battlefield.
Obito gritted his teeth, glaring at Madara.
"Madara, I've always known you planted a curse seal on my heart. I was planning to use an external force to destroy it... but Naruto never gave me that chance."
Madara snorted coldly as he continued fleeing.
"You were still too careless, Obito. You actually believed that after becoming a pseudo Sage of Six Paths, a mere curse seal could no longer affect you?"
Obito attempted to resist the control, but the moment he tried to use his strength, searing pain radiated from his heart. His entire body locked up in agony.
And just when he was vulnerable, Black Zetsu made his move—spreading like liquid darkness, beginning to take over Obito's body.
Obito groaned and clenched his fists.
"So you planned for this all along… You feared my will and left Black Zetsu in my body to control me!"
While evading pursuit, Madara sneered:
"Of course. You gained powers akin to the Sage of Six Paths. It was too dangerous to leave you unchecked. Black Zetsu is my insurance policy."
Madara laughed darkly.
"You still don't understand, Obito. Everything—your rage, your despair, even your betrayal—was anticipated."
Obito let out a furious scream.
"You think you can control me?! You don't understand what I've been through! I possess the body of the Sage!"
He gathered his chakra and released a burst of powerful energy from within, trying to shatter the curse seal and eject Black Zetsu.
Madara's expression shifted—he could feel it. Obito's energy was tearing at the seal.
"Black Zetsu! Can you suppress him?!" Madara shouted.
Black Zetsu nodded.
"Of course. I'm the true shadow behind history. I've studied the Sage's power for millennia. This was never just about you or Obito—this is about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
Black Zetsu understood the danger. If Obito broke free now, Madara couldn't be revived. And if Madara couldn't be revived, Kaguya's resurrection would be impossible.
Without hesitation, Black Zetsu liquefied his form further and surged into Obito's body—this time, piercing directly into his heart.
Obito let out a strangled cry before going completely still.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the black sludge engulfing him.
"You... actually dared…"
Black Zetsu chuckled. To prevent Obito from speaking further, he smothered Obito's entire body in his black ooze—leaving only his Rinnegan eyes exposed.
Madara, watching this unfold, raised an eyebrow in shock.
"Black Zetsu… You can actually control an immortal body?"
Madara had always thought he was in control. But for the first time, he was uncertain.
Sensing this hesitation, Black Zetsu quickly responded.
"Madara-sama, I am the will you gave birth to—your shadow. I only obey your commands. Although Obito wields the Sage's power, I was born from your will fused with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. I can suppress the powers of immortality through the orders you implanted in me."
Madara nodded slowly.
"Yes… I created you. You've always obeyed me. Even if Obito betrayed me, you never did."
He chuckled.
"It seems I've overthought things."
With his doubts cleared, Madara ordered:
"Black Zetsu, prepare the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu!"
Black Zetsu immediately activated Obito's hand signs, controlling his chakra to initiate the jutsu.
But within Obito's consciousness, something was wrong.
He felt it.
"Black Zetsu… he's lying…"
Obito's mind reeled. Something didn't add up. Naruto's words echoed in his mind:
"The Eye of the Moon Plan was never about peace."
"What if Madara was just a pawn too?"
And suddenly, Obito understood.
"Black Zetsu… is manipulating Madara. Could it be... Madara's been deceived too?"
He tried to speak—to warn someone—but his mouth was sealed shut by the black mass. He couldn't make a sound.
On the battlefield, Hashirama Senju clapped his hands together, summoning a massive Wood Golem, which lunged toward Madara's Susanoo. Beside him, Tobirama followed, leaping alongside his brother with kunai in hand.
Meanwhile, Sasuke rushed toward Naruto, eyes serious.
"What are you waiting for? We're going together!"
He activated his Complete Body Susanoo and took off.
On the sidelines, Rin watched helplessly as Obito was engulfed in black sludge.
"Obito! Obito!"
She cried out, voice trembling with emotion.
Kakashi grabbed her arm, stopping her from running forward.
"Rin, no! It's too dangerous. He'll be fine… we'll save him."
Obito, still conscious within, heard Rin's voice.
His heart twisted with regret.
"So everything… all this hatred I held… was planted by Madara. And I played the role of a fool… a clown dancing to someone else's script."
He looked at Rin in the distance, her eyes filled with tears and concern.
His chest ached—not from the curse seal, but from shame.
"If I hadn't fallen for Madara's lies… If I had chosen a different path, maybe Rin and I would've been happy. Maybe Kakashi and I would've worked together, and I could have become Hokage… Rin might've had our children… and we all would've lived in peace."
He imagined it.
Minato-sensei and Kushina alive. Naruto growing up in a loving family.
But because of him… all of it was shattered.
"I'm the one who caused all that pain. I brought death to my teacher. I cursed his son with loneliness."
Obito's heart sank into despair.
"I don't deserve forgiveness. I deserve to die."
Sensing this surrender, Black Zetsu laughed.
"That's right. That's exactly what I need from you."
In the distance, Naruto watched Madara's body begin to glow with golden light. The Rinne Rebirth Jutsu was about to activate.
Naruto's fists clenched.
"Come back to life, Madara. I'm waiting. Once you're flesh and blood again, I'll rip Black Zetsu from your chest myself. That's when it ends."
He swallowed hard.
"Whether the Sage of Six Paths returns depends on this moment… because if he doesn't, we're all going to face Kaguya Ōtsutsuki without a chance."
At the center of it all, Obito's body—under Black Zetsu's control—completed the hand seals.
"Rinne Tensei no Jutsu! (Six Paths Reincarnation Technique)"
With a low hum, Madara's body erupted with spiritual energy.
His grin widened.
"Finally… I can fight you again, Hashirama!"
His entire form shimmered, the remnants of Edo Tensei fading away as his body returned to life—real flesh and blood. He could feel his pulse again. He could feel the warmth in his limbs.
Madara laughed.
Then, with precision, he appeared beside Obito and reached out with both hands.
Obito let out a muffled scream, eyes wide in pain as Black Zetsu continued to suppress him.
Madara reached for Obito's Rinnegan, the sacred eyes he once gave away.
With a chilling squelch, Madara ripped both Rinnegan from Obito's sockets.
Obito shuddered violently, unable to scream with his mouth sealed.
The armor on Madara's body cracked and fell away, revealing his upper torso. His Edo Tensei eyes turned to ash and fell from his sockets—his reincarnation as a living being complete.
"This is more like it!" Madara exclaimed.
He pressed Obito's Rinnegan into his own empty eye sockets.
The moment he did, his head jolted back and blood streamed down his face. His eyes—no longer just tools—were now alive, their power fully restored.
Watching this, Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"Damn… He's way stronger than I am. I needed recovery after transplanting Itachi's eyes—this guy just plugs in Rinnegan and immediately fights like it's nothing!"
Furious, Sasuke drew back his bow and fired a Susanoo Arrow straight at Madara.
Simultaneously, Hashirama launched his Wood Dragon from the Wood Golem, aiming to restrain the reborn Uchiha legend.
The final stage of the war… had begun.
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