There was not even a trace left behind.
It was as if the meteorites had vanished before everyone's eyes, disappearing like bubbles swallowed by darkness.
Uchiha Madara had been born during the Warring States Period. He had spent his entire life fighting. No one could say he was unfamiliar with the shinobi world. Most techniques, no matter how strange, could be read through by him at a glance.
And yet…
Ever since the brat in front of him had released that black mist, Madara had begun to doubt himself.
Did the shinobi world truly contain a power he had never seen before?
Even the power of the Ten-Tails was something he could roughly understand.
But now, he had actually been shaken by a descendant?
Under countless gazes, the two meteorites disappeared in midair, and the curtain of darkness vanished along with them.
The villagers of the Gensokyo Konoha Village erupted into cheers.
If one stood among them, they could hear everyone shouting the same words.
"Lord Kirito!"
"Lord Kirito!"
Namikaze Kirito's ability was already famous throughout the village. The moment that darkness appeared, no one panicked.
Instead, their eyes burned with excitement.
That was their lord.
The stronger he became, the better it was for them.
The peace they had now had not come easily.
After unification, the people finally understood the benefits of a single nation. The written language, currency, laws, and village systems were all unified. When shinobi left the village to carry out missions, they no longer had to worry about enemy villages sending assassins after them.
Even Sunagakure, a village once poor in resources, had received full support from the Gensokyo Kingdom. Now, life there was far better than before.
With that kind of change, who would not be happy?
Naturally, everyone hoped Namikaze Kirito would grow stronger and stronger.
No matter what happened, their lord would solve it.
There were still villains in the world, of course.
But in the current shinobi world, who would dare openly stand against the Gensokyo Kingdom?
As for what Uchiha Madara had said earlier, the elders who heard it only felt disdain.
An illusionary world?
Eternal life?
In the end, were those not just empty promises?
Only the present was real.
At first, some of them had indeed resented Namikaze Kirito. After all, the unification of the shinobi world had not been done through righteous words and gentle methods.
But after true unification, they finally understood what peace of mind meant.
Not to mention, they had all obtained the highest status within the Gensokyo Kingdom—the position of elder.
What was there left to be dissatisfied with?
After Namikaze Kirito withdrew the black curtain, his gaze returned to Uchiha Madara.
"How was it?" Kirito asked calmly. "Satisfied with the surprise?"
Madara did not respond to the mockery in his tone.
Instead, his eyes narrowed.
"Brat… who are you?"
This time, his voice was serious.
Hearing that, Namikaze Kirito glanced toward the black-and-white Akatsuki member not far away and raised his chin slightly.
"Who am I?" Kirito said. "Didn't that plant-looking guy tell you?"
Madara's gaze did not move.
"No," he said coldly. "You are not that simple."
His eyes sharpened.
"The power you used just now has never appeared in the shinobi world. And even if you transplanted the Rinnegan, it should not have adapted to your body so perfectly."
Madara stared at him.
"If I did not believe it before, I am beginning to believe it now."
His voice dropped.
"Are you… some kind of legendary Sage?"
For a moment, Namikaze Kirito almost failed to keep his expression steady.
"Sage?" he repeated. "You mean the Sage of Six Paths?"
He gave a faint smile.
"That old man has been dead for years."
Then his gaze shifted, landing directly on Black Zetsu.
"But if he were still alive…"
The instant those words left his mouth, Black Zetsu felt his entire body go cold.
That look.
That tone.
It was as if Namikaze Kirito knew something he should not know.
Black Zetsu's heart tightened. He was afraid Kirito would say something that could never be allowed to reach Madara's ears.
Kirito's smile deepened slightly.
"…he would probably come looking for someone in your organization."
His words were light.
But the meaning behind them was far from simple.
Madara's eyes flickered.
For a brief instant, he felt as though he had caught something.
A thread.
A hidden truth.
Something buried beneath everything he believed.
But in the next moment, that feeling disappeared.
For some reason, the sensation made his instincts scream.
Danger.
Yet at the same time, another voice seemed to whisper inside him.
Do not listen.
He is trying to confuse you.
Madara's expression darkened.
"Little brat," he said, "let us consider today our first meeting."
His hands began forming seals.
"Next time, we will meet again."
Madara was not leaving because he was afraid.
His mind was in disorder now. Too many things did not fit. He had to return to Obito and find out what had happened in the shinobi world recently.
Kirito did not stop him.
Right now, Uchiha Madara was still only a dead man summoned by Edo Tensei.
Even sealing him here would not carry much meaning.
Letting him return was more useful.
It would also help with what came next.
Thinking of that, Namikaze Kirito spoke with a faint, meaningful smile.
"Of course we'll meet again."
Madara paused.
Kirito looked at him calmly.
"But next time we meet… you'll probably die for real."
Madara almost laughed from anger.
To him, Kirito's words sounded like a declaration.
As if this brat was saying he would personally kill him during their next encounter.
How ridiculous.
Once Madara was truly resurrected, he would become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki.
At that point, who in this world could kill him?
Forget eternal life.
Just the strength of a Ten-Tails jinchūriki alone was not something these people could resist.
Naturally, he misunderstood what Namikaze Kirito meant.
Kirito did not explain.
The two looked at each other for another moment.
Then Madara completed his hand seals and vanished from where he stood.
Not far away, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu also began sinking slowly into the ground.
Before disappearing completely, Black Zetsu's eyes remained fixed on Namikaze Kirito.
The words Kirito had spoken just now…
That meaningful gaze…
Black Zetsu was now certain.
Namikaze Kirito knew something.
And that realization made his chest tighten.
His mother's resurrection was already close.
At this stage, there could be no mistakes.
But defeating Namikaze Kirito head-on was impossible.
Madara had appeared just now and still failed to do anything to him.
If even Madara could not force him back, what could Black Zetsu do?
Black Zetsu had never relied on overwhelming combat power.
What he possessed was patience, deception, and a mind that had hidden in the shadows of the shinobi world for a thousand years.
That was how he had shaped everything until now.
But when he remembered Namikaze Kirito's eyes, Black Zetsu felt an unease he could not suppress.
The plan was still in his hands.
Everything was still moving according to the path he had designed.
But…
Could it really succeed?
Or even if it succeeded, would the result truly be what he wanted?
Namikaze Kirito already possessed strength that could be called invincible.
He clearly knew some hidden truths.
And yet, he had not stopped Black Zetsu.
Why?
Did he want to see Kaguya resurrected?
Or was his target the Ten-Tails?
Neither possibility was good for Black Zetsu.
If it was the former, then what was Kirito's purpose in allowing his mother's resurrection?
Others might not know.
But Black Zetsu had seen it with his own eyes.
Namikaze Kirito had absorbed Urashiki Ōtsutsuki.
A member of his mother's own clan.
Could he be planning to repeat the same thing?
To absorb his mother's power as well?
The thought alone made Black Zetsu's mind sink.
For the first time in a thousand years, he hesitated.
Should the plan continue?
What if…
What if Mother couldn't beat Namikaze Kirito?
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