The Blood Moon hung high in the sky.
The nine-tomoe Rinnegan on Obito Uchiha's forehead completely shone onto the moon, and an unparalleled, vast Dōjutsu power instantly burst forth at this moment.
"Shroud the world!"
Obito clasped his hands together.
"Infinite Tsukuyomi—unleash!"
In the next moment, a blinding radiance burst forth from the moon. The dim, ruined world was instantly flooded with dazzling light, as though day had come.
"This is… not good!"
Yuki Kiri's heart sank as she saw the white light blaze from the blood moon. She quickly shouted:
"Everyone, don't look at the moon—gather your spiritual power and resist it!"
Uzumaki Hiromi, Terumī Mei, Uchiha Hikari, and the others hastily unleashed their spiritual power, trying to form barriers to protect themselves. Behind them, the Shinigami mimicked their efforts, pushing their power to the limit.
But within moments, their resistance faltered—their movements stilled, their eyes turned glassy… then transformed into Rinnegan.
Tsunade, Kushina, Hōzuki Mangetsu…
Even Orochimaru, whom Uchiha Hikari had taken with her, was completely ensnared. The Infinite Tsukuyomi's power brutally stripped away the control of the Eight Thousand Spears, dragging him into an eternal dream.
And it wasn't just Kirigakure.
Moonlight spilled down upon the entire shinobi world, covering it in the Infinite Tsukuyomi's glow.
Konoha, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Amegakure…
Many of them were still recovering from the aftermath of the moon's destruction. Some were dealing with falling meteorites, some were rebuilding the shattered structures in their villages, and some were mourning fallen comrades and family at the memorial stone.
But when the moonlight fell, all of them froze where they stood. Their eyes glazed over, each and every pair becoming Rinnegan.
Not just humans—beasts, birds, even summoned creatures—all fell under the illusion, their eyes transformed as they sank into endless dreams.
...
In Konoha.
The Six Paths brothers and Gamamaru, who had just emerged from the Ōtsutsuki dimension, looked at the Blood Moon radiating light in the sky, their expressions complex.
"It's been a long time since I've felt this power…"
Gamamaru's tone carried deep emotion. This was not his first time witnessing Infinite Tsukuyomi. Thousands of years ago, he had already felt its might—and back then, both its scale and intensity far surpassed what was now unfolding.
He had never expected that after all these millennia, the jutsu would reappear in the shinobi world.
"The Eye of the Moon has been activated… Brother, if this continues, Mother's seal may be sensed by Obito." Ōtsutsuki Hamura's voice was solemn.
"Ah. And isn't that precisely what I desire?" replied Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, his expression calm. Once the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, he of all people understood the Eye of the Moon's true nature—but this was exactly what he needed.
"Mother's seal has lasted over a thousand years. It is time for it to be renewed. Besides… our third brother has lingered in the shinobi world long enough. It's time he returned to Mother's embrace."
Hamura opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing.
At his side, Gamamaru's eyes flashed with mocking disdain.
This family really was ironic. They schemed and fought endlessly—yet in the end, it was always the people of the shinobi world who paid the price…
...
In the Land of Water, on the deserted island.
Gazing at the brightly radiating Blood Moon, the figure of 'Madara Uchiha' paused slightly, his Rinnegan squinting at the sky.
"So this is… Infinite Tsukuyomi?"
Inside his consciousness, Uchiha Madara's eyes flickered with hope—expectation.
Even though he knew he was nothing more than a pawn in the eyes of those great figures, he knew that the essence of the Infinite Tsukuyomi Jutsu was actually real.
And now, with the Eye of the Moon Plan complete, with the dream of Infinite Tsukuyomi come true—strangely, Madara felt a weight lift from his heart.
"A technique that blankets the entire shinobi world… dragging all who fall under it into a false world of the caster's design. A world without pain, without sorrow, only peace and beauty. A dream world where all can find true rest…"
"This is only the first layer of the technique."
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's cold, detached voice shattered Uchiha Madara's hopeful fantasies.
"The true essence of this jutsu is to help the caster more efficiently extract chakra. By controlling targets with illusion, it ensures that those ensnared cannot resist too violently." Isshiki paused, then added, "Of course, if you want to call this jutsu an act of mercy on the caster's part, you wouldn't be wrong. After all, anyone capable of casting this technique already possesses the power to slaughter an entire planet."
"…More efficient chakra extraction? What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Uchiha Madara fell silent.
This world seemed to be veiled in endless layers of mist. Each time he peeled one away, there was always another, deeper fog waiting behind it.
"Do not concern yourself. This jutsu won't affect us. On the contrary, it will draw the attention of Kaguya's two sons."
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, controlling Madara's body, stepped before the Ten-Tails and extended a hand.
Power surged—the Ten-Tails' chakra flowed endlessly into him.
The beast contorted in visible pain, curling its body inward.
Meanwhile, as Madara absorbed the enormous influx of chakra, the black markings across his body grew more intricate, and the horn atop his head thickened, stretching backward like a towering crown.
His aura grew stronger and stronger, until finally reaching a critical point. Only then did the absorption cease.
"So this is all I can draw out?"
Isshiki flexed his gloved hand, quietly gauging the power now coursing within him. "It's enough."
In the next instant, his right eye—the black cross-shaped pattern—suddenly contracted. The air before him quivered, and a spatial portal tore open.
"Prepare yourselves for my grand gift, you lowly wretches!"
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki sneered, then vanished into the portal in a blur.
...
The blood moon loomed high, and Uchiha Obito stood supreme above all beings.
Below him, nearly everyone had fallen into the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Only a scant few remained lucid:
Uzumaki Hiromi, Terumī Mei, Tōna Yukiko, Yuki Kiri, Uchiha Hikari, Miroku, and Kimimaro.
Seven in total.
Though untouched by the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Obito's eyes glimmered with pity.
To him, failing to enter the dream world was not a blessing—but the cruelest tragedy. To remain trapped in this scarred and sorrowful reality instead of ascending into the perfect dream was the greatest misfortune.
"You cannot even step into the perfect dream world." Obito shook his head. "Pitiful… laughable… truly lamentable."
"Don't joke with us! All we've done is resist your illusion!" Mei spat coldly, though her gaze swept over the comrades behind her now trapped in the genjutsu, and her expression grew heavier.
"Resist?"
Uchiha Obito let out a faint chuckle.
"What awaits you is nothing but a future even more hellish."
Yuki Kiri and the others said nothing, instead surging forward with spiritual power to strike at him. But in the blink of an eye, they were sent flying back even faster than they had advanced.
Kimimaro, in his giant-of-light form, swung his divine blade down, only for it to be effortlessly severed by the Sword of Nunoboko.
The Eight Thousand Spears was like a child before the nine-tomoe Rinnegan, and Miroku's vitalization was completely meaningless.
"Do you feel despair now?"
Obito's indifferent voice reverberated across heaven and earth.
With the Eye of the Moon fully awakened, his power had ascended yet again—reaching the terrifying heights once attained only by the ancient Rabbit Goddess herself!
Before such might, the shinobi of the Kirigakure were utterly powerless to resist.
Black rods rained down, pinning the group to the ground. Their spiritual power still burned strong enough to keep them alive, but in the scope of the entire world, the future was already set—unchangeable.
"It's all over."
Obito whispered, his gaze seeming to pierce through space itself, seeing the countless souls across the shinobi world now ensnared in Infinite Tsukuyomi.
In that flawless dream realm, each one found their perfect world, just as Eikaku had once found his perfect timeline.
That was the most ideal ending.
"Oh, Obito—you did it! You changed this world! You are its savior! From this day forth, no one in this world will ever again be swallowed by sorrow or pain!"
Black Zetsu emerged, trembling with excitement as he crept closer and closer toward Obito.
The Six Paths' power once left by the Rabbit Goddess was now beginning to condense within him. But just as Black Zetsu was about to reach him—
Thunk!
A black rod stabbed into the ground before Zetsu, halting him in his tracks.
His expression froze, disbelief flashing across his face.
"Obito… what do you mean by this?!"
"Even now, you're still trying to pretend?"
Obito turned, his gaze calm but cutting as it fell upon Black Zetsu. At his brow, the blood-red nine-tomoe Rinnegan gleamed with a soul-piercing brilliance.
"You were never Madara's will, were you… Black Zetsu?"
"What are you talking about, Obito? I don't understand what you mean."
"Heh…"
Obito sneered, not even bothering to hide the scorn flickering in his eyes.
"You're all the same. You take me for some ignorant fool—a puppet you can manipulate at will. Madara did it. And so did you."
"The curse mark placed upon my heart… turning Rin into the Three-Tails' jinchūriki… Do you really think I don't know who was behind all of that?"
"Guiding me to seize the Tailed Beasts, resurrect the Ten Tails, and finally awaken the Eye of the Moon—you think I don't know what you've been trying to do?"
"I've known it all along!"
Uchiha Obito's voice was sharp and merciless, making Black Zetsu's already featureless, shadowy face darken with gravity.
The disguise as 'Madara's will' probably couldn't be maintained, but completely revealing himself was impossible. Right now, he wasn't Obito's match at all. Not even the hidden contingency he had planted inside Obito's body would work.
The reason was simple—Obito's body contained far too much chaotic power!
Because of Yuki Yoru's existence, Black Zetsu had been forced to push the plan forward at all costs.
Obito's breakthrough to the Sage of Six Paths realm had relied on the immense fusion ability of the Chimera Technique, which merged bloodlines and awakened ancestral power. This alone made Obito's origin incredibly impure.
But if that were the only factor, it might have been manageable, as he was only mixing Six Paths bloodlines.
However, afterward, Obito devoured the Ten-Tails, became its jinchūriki, and then absorbed the massive ocular power of the Giant Tenseigan. Multiple overwhelming forces had fused inside him, producing the monster that now stood before Black Zetsu.
Against such a being, even Black Zetsu had no certainty of victory.
He needed Obito to lower his guard.
"...As things stand, it seems I truly must be honest with you."
After a long silence, under Obito's piercing glare, Black Zetsu let out a heavy sigh and said with feigned sincerity:
"You are right. I am not Madara's will. My true identity… is none other than the eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths, ancestor of the Uchiha—Indra!"
"What?"
Obito's brow furrowed deeply. Even for him, hearing that name left him momentarily stunned.
"Stop joking around, Black Zetsu. Indra…?"
"I'm not joking, Obito." Black Zetsu's tone remained calm and steady.
"Long ago, I fought with my younger brother Asura and was ultimately defeated. My lingering obsession, together with the chakra my father left me, twisted me into this form—a black specter wandering the shinobi world."
"I was unwilling to accept it. Why should that fool Asura be able to defeat me? Why would Father trust him more, handing down Ninshū for him to lead?"
"I roamed this world, guiding my descendants, urging them to grow stronger, stronger than Asura's descendants. But time and again, my foolish descendants only let me down… until I found Madara. Until I found you, Obito."
"You and Madara are my most outstanding descendants. No, you are even more exceptional than Madara. Though he awakened the Eternal Mangekyō and even the Rinnegan under my guidance, he still fell before Asura's reincarnation, Senju Hashirama."
"But you are different."
"You have accomplished everything. You have surpassed Madara, surpassed me, and even surpassed Father himself—you've achieved what even he could not!"
Obito's cold gaze softened slightly at the praise. As the saying goes: every armor can be pierced, except flattery.
Even though his current power rivaled that of the Rabbit Goddess, at the end of the day, he was still just Obito—still vulnerable to having his ego stroked.
Sensing the lessening of Obito's killing intent, Black Zetsu rejoiced inwardly. There's hope after all. He paid no mind that he had essentially impersonated his own unlucky nephew, continuing to spin his tale.
"Back then, Father traveled throughout the shinobi world to pacify the warring states. But after Father passed away, the shinobi world remained chaotic and war-torn."
"But now—under the light of Infinite Tsukuyomi—there will be no more war, no more sorrow. Obito, you have achieved what Father himself never could. You are my pride. You are the true savior of this world!"