Buzzz! Buzzz! Buzzz!
A swarm erupted and, in an instant, engulfed Kabuto.
The snake head protruding from Kabuto's abdomen morphed into Kidomaru's face, and it immediately began spitting out webs. It did snag plenty of bugs—but he'd tried this long ago, and it had never worked.
The insects tore free of the webbing almost at once and kept tightening the ring around him.
With no choice left, Kabuto threw out Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push), blasting the swarm back and crushing a good number of them on the spot.
Then he reached out and used Banshō Ten'in (Universal Pull) on Tenten—yanking her toward him in an attempt to seize her as a hostage.
But Tenten was anything but easy prey. She snapped open the Bashōsen (Banana Palm Fan) and, with a single swing, unleashed a gale-force storm. Kabuto was swept away like debris, and he coughed blood midair—the hit clearly did serious damage.
"Kh—kh… I almost forgot you've got Six Paths tools. Looks like I'm dead this time!"
Kabuto laughed bitterly. Back then, he'd used Banshō Ten'in (Universal Pull) on Shino and only managed to drag in a bug clone—he'd nearly been eaten alive. This time he figured pulling Tenten would go better, and instead he got this.
Tenten was even more vicious than Shino. One swing of that fan could kill a normal jōnin outright.
Only Kabuto's unnaturally tough body let him tank it with "just" injuries—but he was already riddled with damage.
He hurriedly cast Kusanagi no Mai (Dance of Kusanagi). Bone spikes speared up from the ground in clusters, forcing Tenten and Shino to retreat.
What he forgot was that both of them could fly.
They kicked off into Geppō (Moonwalk), sprinting through the air as they chased him down. Shino's swarm followed like a living tide—if Kabuto let up for even a second, the bugs would drown him.
Seeing how absurdly fast he could run, Tenten simply pulled out Raitō: Kiba (Lightning Fang) and called down a bolt.
It struck him dead-on.
Kabuto screamed, his body charred black as he crashed to the ground—then the swarm poured over him, chewing and tearing.
In truth, Kabuto was strong. But ever since he'd swapped in a Rinnegan, the chakra drain was savage, and he couldn't even fully bring out its power. Instead of boosting him, it had dulled his edge.
And Tenten and Shino were strong in their own right. Working together, they brought him down with ease.
Kabuto's voice turned raw with unwillingness and confusion. "Is this really how my life ends? So… what was my dream, anyway? Was it wrong that I wanted to become someone like Orochimaru-sama? Nono-sensei… can you tell me…"
"Hmph. You've done evil beyond counting. Dying here is all you deserve."
Tenten sentenced him without a flicker of sympathy.
Just as she was about to finish him, a thunderous roar rolled across the battlefield. She and Shino snapped their heads around—only to see the colossal Ten-Tails severed clean in half at the waist, and an enormous air tiger bursting out from the torn cross-section.
The rampaging air tiger churned the sky, whipping up a violent tempest. The terrain itself was rewritten in seconds.
Tenten's eyes lit up with joy. "That's Natsuki's Hirudora (Daytime Tiger)! He cut the Ten-Tails in half with one move!"
Shino's dark lenses flashed with reflected light as he spoke with quiet pride. "That's only the natural outcome. Natsuki is the strongest. A mere Ten-Tails is nothing to him."
Kabuto stared at the Ten-Tails, now split into two writhing halves, utterly dumbstruck.
So he'd underestimated Natsuki after all. He'd thought Natsuki was, at best, evenly matched with Madara—but he'd never imagined he could become even stronger than that.
So… from the beginning, had choosing the opposite side been the wrong call?
But what choice did he have? He could only run with villains. Even if he'd tried to defect to the Allied Shinobi Forces, they would never have accepted him.
This wasn't the original story. There was no Itachi to cleanse him with Izanami—so all he could do was keep playing the villain, until the only ending left was death.
And then, at the very moment despair swallowed him, a shadow erupted from the earth, spreading over his lower body in an instant.
A hoarse voice rasped out. "Since you're finished anyway, it's time to reclaim the Rinnegan. This was never power you had the right to covet. Now—Rinne Tensei no Jutsu (Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique)."
Tenten and Shino whipped back at the sudden voice, their faces draining.
Because the shadow—Black Zetsu—was already manipulating Kabuto, forcing him to cast Rinne Tensei no Jutsu (Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique).
Elsewhere, after an earthshaking battle with Hashirama, Madara's Susanoo defenses had been smashed apart. He himself was pinned to the ground beneath a massive wooden Buddha hand—like Sun Wukong trapped under Five Elements Mountain, unable to escape.
Madara laughed. "Hahahaha! That's the good stuff! Hashirama! Fighting you is the only thing that ever really hits!"
"Madara…"
Hashirama went momentarily still, as if the past had surged up in him—memories that couldn't be erased.
But he snapped back quickly, voice hard with scolding. "Madara, you baka! What are you even thinking? This 'Mugen Tsukuyomi'—trapping the entire shinobi world in genjutsu—how could that ever create peace? Illusions are still illusions. People have to live in reality. Otherwise, what you call 'peace' is meaningless…"
Madara shook his head, resolute. "Hashirama, we've always seen the world differently. I can't convince you, and you can't stop me. No matter what you say now, it's useless. I believe what my eyes have shown me—that is the truth. Only Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi) can save the shinobi world. I've given everything to this goal."
Hashirama still couldn't accept it. "For 'peace,' you start a war that engulfs the world?"
"Yes. For a truly perfect peace, even war is worth it."
Madara's voice suddenly flared with intensity. "And you can't stop me! Because I'm about to come back to life. Rinne Tensei no Jutsu (Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique)—hahahaha!"
In the next instant, Madara's body began to change.
The technique was taking effect. The corpse-like shell that had seemed thin as paper gained real weight and flesh. The cracks along his face vanished. He had a living body again.
At the same time, the counterfeit Rinnegan in his eyes began to peel away—shedding completely and stripping his vision.
But it didn't matter. Even without eyes, Madara was still the strongest.
Hashirama's shock broke through. "Madara… you—you…"
"That's right. I'm revived!"
Madara roared the declaration—and then violently tore free of the Mokuton (Wood Release) restraints. He snapped a kick out so fast it sent Hashirama flying.
Cracks spidered across Hashirama's body as he tumbled across the ground. The moment he stopped, Madara seized him by the head, and a terrifying suction force began ripping away the natural energy within him.
Then Hashirama saw it—on the face embedded in Madara's chest, a faint outline formed at the corners of its eyes.
He understood at once. When Madara had bitten off a piece of him back then, it wasn't just for the cells. He'd planted them here—and now he was stealing the power of Sage Mode as well.
"So you really did get stronger, huh… Madara." Hashirama sounded almost awed. He couldn't even fight back.
"Hashirama," Madara said, voice heavy with certainty. "When I cast Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi) and become the new Sage of Six Paths, you'll finally understand how great what I've done truly is."
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]