Madara burst out of the smoke, his arm dripping with blood, one leg mangled, his upper body covered in burns.
He took a ragged breath and laughed.
"Ha... you really made me look pathetic."
"Hey, hey, don't say it like that. Someone might take it the wrong way. My wife's down there watching—if she hears that, I'll be kneeling on a washboard tonight."
Madara snorted.
"You? Afraid of your wife?"
"What's wrong with that? You got a problem? Do you even have a wife?"
"Are you insane?! You looking for death?"
Madara had been single all his life—dedicated to his dream of peace. To him, women were only a distraction from that goal.
The two started bickering like street vendors trading insults.
White Zetsu silently reattached Madara's limbs and sighed.
"Madara-sama, please don't argue about things like this."
"Shut up!" Madara barked and kicked White Zetsu apart in a single blow.
Hashirama wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I told him he should've gotten married back then. Look at him now—getting mocked by some young guy."
Tobirama and Uzumaki Mito both froze, black lines forming on their faces.
Now was not the time for this conversation!
"Big Brother, could you maybe... not talk sometimes?" Tobirama patted his brother's shoulder.
"Eh? Did I say something wrong again? Don't look at me like that, Tobirama!"
"Hashirama... sigh." Mito looked exhausted.
"Mito, not you too..."
Hashirama's whole expression turned pale and lifeless.
...
Madara turned back toward Kiyosuke, his tone calm yet dangerous.
"You're far more entertaining than I expected. But if this fight drags on, you'll just trap me eventually. So... I won't wait any longer."
He leapt to the top of the Ten-Tails' head.
Kiyosuke rushed after him.
"Don't even think about it!"
Suddenly, Kiyosuke crossed his arms—blocking an attack from the Limbo: Border Jail.
He slid backward, then caught one of the shadows by the neck and slammed it into the ground.
The shadow's injuries instantly reflected onto the real Madara, opening fresh wounds across his body.
But it bought Madara the time he needed.
The Ten-Tails beneath him began to contract, its form shrinking and merging into his body.
"Come forth! The power of the Ten-Tails—might enough to remake the world itself!"
The beast's entire mass condensed into a sphere, flooding the battlefield with terrifying chakra. The air itself seemed to tremble.
Kiyosuke shouted,
"First and Second Hokage! The bloodline web of a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki can nullify Edo Tensei regeneration! Don't let him hit you—if you're struck, you won't recover!"
That warning applied to him as well.
Even he would be injured if hit by that bloodline force.
"So it counters Edo Tensei... like an upgraded version of those black rods?" Tobirama muttered, analyzing.
Above them, the glowing sphere began to pulsate—then shattered.
Madara emerged, wearing snow-white Sage robes, his hair turned pure white, his face pale, and behind him floated black Truth-Seeking Orbs.
In his hand was the Six Paths staff.
"This isn't my full power," he said calmly, "but it's more than enough to deal with you."
He blurred forward—almost teleporting—and drove his fist straight into Kiyosuke's chest.
A thunderous boom shook the ground as Kiyosuke skidded back, gouging a long trench across the earth.
His back was torn open, blood pouring freely.
He staggered up, wiped his face, and grinned through the pain.
"Now that's what I call a punch."
"Kiyosuke!" Mei Terumī ran toward him, her face pale—she'd never seen her husband this badly hurt before.
"Stay back!"
He pushed her aside, thrust out his fist, and unleashed a torrent of flames that engulfed Madara.
Madara burst through the inferno unharmed, his hand closing around Kiyosuke's throat as he lifted him into the air.
"You've lost."
"No... I've won."
"Let go of Kiyosuke-san!"
Naruto appeared behind Madara and kicked him hard in the neck.
Boom!
Madara flew backward.
Sasuke flashed in, catching Kiyosuke before he fell. One of his eyes had turned into a six-tomoe Rinnegan.
"Kiyosuke-sama... you predicted this moment, didn't you?"
"No. I didn't expect you to run in and risk your life," Kiyosuke replied, landing on his feet. "So... you met the Sage of Six Paths?"
Sasuke nodded.
"He gave us power."
"Yeah!" Naruto added excitedly. "Kiyosuke-san, that old Sage guy gave us new powers! Said we have to stop Madara before Kaguya revives! Oh, right—how'd you know about the Sage anyway?"
"Because I was stalling for time so you two could get those powers. The Sage finally passed the torch to you. Now it's time to seal Madara."
The old man had made his move—the time of destiny had arrived.
Now, it was the moment to seal Madara Uchiha.
Kiyosuke glanced toward Black Zetsu, who was lurking nearby inside Uchiha Shin's body.
He sneered and stepped back.
"You two handle Madara. I've got another pest to deal with."
"Got it!"
Naruto's body flared with golden light. Truth-Seeking Orbs appeared behind him, and a cross-shaped pattern glowed in his eyes—the Six Paths Mode.
Kiyosuke approached Obito.
"See that pitch-black thing over there? Obito, you and Kakashi use Kamui to send him into the Kamui dimension. Then you and Minato seal him there. Once he's gone, we'll have one less thing to worry about."
As long as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki didn't appear, he couldn't die anyway.
That's what you call... a tactical retreat.
"Understood."
Obito located Kakashi, and together they aimed.
In the next instant, Black Zetsu vanished into the Kamui space.
"Sensei! Kiyosuke!" Obito shouted.
"Kamui!"
Minato, Obito, and Kiyosuke entered the Kamui dimension together.
Black Zetsu stumbled back, shocked.
The space around him was cold, barren stone—his powers wouldn't activate here.
Kiyosuke grinned.
"Outside, Naruto and Sasuke are fighting Madara. That means... it's just you left. Once I take you down, I can finally relax."
He sounded exactly like a villain—but it was all for the greater good.
"Y-you... Madara-sama won't let you get away with this!" Black Zetsu stammered, though his voice trembled.
If he couldn't escape... what about Mother Kaguya's resurrection?
He had fought for millennia to bring her back—failure was unthinkable!
Kiyosuke chuckled darkly.
"Your Madara-sama's about to lose. And once I seal you, your dear mommy isn't coming back. So yeah—you've failed, Black Zetsu."
Black Zetsu shrieked like a rat cornered.
"How do you know that?! Who are you?!"
"Guess."
Kiyosuke smirked, summoning a black rod in his palm.
He stabbed it straight into Black Zetsu's body.
The Yin–Yang Release sealed his movements instantly.
Then another rod. And another.
He kept going until Black Zetsu looked like a human pincushion.
Only then did Kiyosuke exhale in relief.
"Alright... now for Madara."