"What?! Damn it, you idiot!"
Madara was furious. "What was he even doing? All four jinchūriki got taken? That means we don't have a single jinchūriki left in our hands now! Then what the hell are we even fighting for?!"
Black Zetsu was also feeling a kind of despair.
He hadn't expected Obito to be that stupid. After finally capturing the tailed beasts, he actually let them get stolen back.
Black Zetsu's plan to save his mother had taken so long to set up. Was it all going to collapse again?
Madara kept cursing. "He thought his Edo Tensei Pain were so amazing, and he even yanked the tailed beasts back out of the Gedō Mazō after it absorbed them, then stuffed them back into the jinchūriki bodies, thinking it would boost combat power. And what did it amount to? Just not strong enough. Otherwise, how could he come up with such a brain-dead way to get stronger? Isn't this just handing the enemy a chance to take the tailed beasts back?"
Black Zetsu said nothing. He couldn't even be bothered to complain anymore.
That was exactly why he rushed over to report to Madara, hoping Madara could turn things around.
Otherwise, all his work would be wasted again, and his mother still wouldn't be freed.
But then, he suddenly felt a hostile gaze.
Natsuki, standing across from Madara, locked onto him with a dangerously sharp look. "Heh. Black Zetsu, you're out in the open, huh? Then die."
The moment the words fell, Natsuki was already behind him, sweeping a light-speed kick toward him.
Bang!
Madara's kick intercepted the light-speed strike. A Storm Release laser grazed past Black Zetsu's scalp, blasting nearby half of a meteor into碎片.
Black Zetsu felt death breathing down his neck. He immediately dove underground to get away, then surfaced from a safer spot.
Even so, the back of his head still felt icy. He turned around—and instantly met Tenten's cold stare. Behind her, Kakashi, Tsunade, A, Onoki, and even Guy—still lying there—were all watching him with killing intent.
What… was going on?
Why were they directing such murderous hostility at him?
"Heh. Black Zetsu is out, then he can die! Raiton Chakura Shunshin no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Chakra Body Flicker Technique)!"
A flashed out in an instant, his fist driving straight for Black Zetsu's head.
Black Zetsu yelped and slipped back underground. The ground was smashed into a huge crater, but there was no corpse in sight.
"Doton: Kaitsuchi Shōkutsu (Earth Release: Open Earth Rising Excavation)!"
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Onoki's Earth Release spread over a wide area. The rocks below bulged upward in an instant—actually forcing up several White Zetsu. Clearly, Black Zetsu had been relying on underground White Zetsu to monitor everywhere and relay information through their network.
But Black Zetsu himself was nowhere to be seen.
"Seems like he's here!"
Tsunade slammed a monstrous-strength punch that split apart a section of ground, yet Black Zetsu still didn't appear.
Kakashi shrugged. "That guy's the number one runner. Killing him is really not easy."
Everyone looked regretful. It was rare for Black Zetsu to show himself; if they could have killed him, that would have been ideal. With that deepest-hidden snake gone, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya probably wouldn't be released.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Natsuki and Madara exchanged another clash, then pulled apart to face each other at distance.
Madara stared at Tenten. "I heard you used the Kohaku no Jōhei (Amber Purifying Pot) to take away four Edo Tensei jinchūriki?"
Tenten put her hands on her hips proudly. "Yeah! That teammate of yours, Obito, was way too polite—he delivered the tailed beasts right to me. I couldn't exactly refuse, right?"
"A 'teammate' like that? Maybe he really is."
Madara clearly looked down on Obito too, but his tone turned threatening. "Hand the Kohaku no Jōhei (Amber Purifying Pot) over to me. I can spare you and Natsuki. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Natsuki laughed. "Big talk, but you still haven't beaten me."
Tenten spread her hands. "It's not with me. That tool wasn't mine to begin with. I was only borrowing it. You're threatening the wrong person."
Not with her?
Madara's eyes sharpened as he swept his gaze over the people behind.
A admitted it bluntly. "It's with me. After this, I'll send it to Killer Bee. Then all nine tailed beasts will be hidden away. You and Obito can forget about getting even one."
"Good. As long as you admit it."
Madara took a long look at A, then glanced at the sky. Finally, he said, "I'm tired of fighting today, and it's getting late. We'll fight again tomorrow. Natsuki, you've got a cute girlfriend, so cherish your life. I advise you to know what's good for you and stop opposing me. Otherwise, tomorrow I won't hold back. And you Kage—go ahead, hide your jinchūriki as well as you can. Tomorrow, I will seize every last one back! Hahahahaha!"
He was still that confident.
Even with all the tailed beasts gone—practically back to square one in a single day.
But he was confident anyway, because he was a true overlord. He had the right to be confident.
Natsuki, however, seemed to think of something. "Tomorrow is the full moon?"
Madara chuckled. "You're smart enough. That's right—tomorrow is the full moon, the best time to activate Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi). Before tomorrow night ends, I will open Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi). Go die."
Bang. Madara vanished.
Everyone stared at the spot where he disappeared, silent for a long time.
This was only the second day since the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War, and yet it had already reached this point—far beyond what anyone imagined.
Still, the Allied Shinobi Forces had achieved an enormous victory. They had eliminated the White Zetsu army, destroyed the Edo Tensei army, dealt a heavy blow to Madara and Obito, and even snatched back four tailed beasts in the end.
It was a victory worth being proud of and happy about.
But the war wasn't over. They absolutely couldn't get complacent over a single win—otherwise the enemy could flip the table and kill them all.
After thinking for a moment, Natsuki suggested, "Is there a way to make tomorrow night overcast?"
"Make it overcast? That's a creative idea."
Even Kakashi couldn't help smiling. "But you're right. If Madara needs to cast Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi) through the moon, then we make the sky overcast for him—better yet, a thunderstorm—so the moon can't be seen. Let's see how he activates it then!"
Everyone laughed, but they were also running the feasibility through their minds.
Maybe it really could work.
After all, if you can't see the moon, then Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi) can't activate, right?
Creating rainy weather wasn't hard, either. Put enough water vapor into the sky and the clouds would thicken, darkening the heavens.
But for a monster like Madara—someone who could even drag down meteors—dispersing clouds should be easy. It probably wouldn't be enough to stop him.
They'd need something stronger.
As Madara withdrew, the fighting here could finally be considered a win.
The shinobi in the rear all erupted into cheers—not just celebrating victory, but celebrating that they were still alive.
Just then, an eagle's cry rang down from above. Neji and the others leapt down as well. Seeing the scene so jubilant, they thought Madara had been killed.
After asking, they learned it wasn't that. Madara had simply retreated—but it still counted as a victory, more or less.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]