260 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Senju Tobirama looked at Akira with a hint of urgency. "Fifth Hokage, can you sense what's happening outside?"

Inside Akira's Susanoo, their sensory abilities were completely blocked. There was no way to know what was happening beyond.

"The radiance of the Infinite Tsukuyomi has engulfed the world. Aside from us, Jigen, and the three Summoning Beast Sanctuaries, everyone has fallen into this ultimate genjutsu," Akira explained.

Tobirama frowned. "How long will the light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi persist?"

"Not for too long," Akira replied.

Then he added, "If you're concerned, you can use Flying Thunder God Technique to go check. Since you're in an Edo Tensei body, the genjutsu won't affect you."

"It doesn't work on Edo Tensei bodies?"

Everyone present was visibly surprised. That was something they hadn't known before.

"I'll take a look. As soon as the light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi fades, I'll return immediately to report." Without hesitation, Tobirama vanished.

No barrier or jutsu could stop space-time ninjutsu.

He reappeared at the nearest Flying Thunder God Technique mark—and was momentarily stunned.

A pale, misty glow blanketed the world in an eerie white radiance.

Massive roots had burst through the earth, arching like bows, with white cocoons hanging beneath them.

From within homes, white tendrils continuously descended, wrapping around those trapped in the genjutsu and dragging them up into the roots to be suspended.

Tobirama tore open a cocoon with a sharp rip, trying to free the person inside.

However, the moment the white bindings were torn, more tendrils immediately descended, wrapping around the individual even tighter.

No matter how hard Tobirama tried, it was futile.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. "These roots are absorbing the chakra of those trapped in the genjutsu!"

Through his keen senses, he could feel the steady stream of chakra being extracted from the cocoons, flowing into the roots and surging toward a distant location.

"If Madara absorbs this much chakra from the entire planet, just how powerful will he become?" A grave expression settled over Tobirama's face, deep concern evident in his eyes.

With that thought, he vanished.

When he reappeared, he was back with Akira and the others.

Tobirama looked at Akira with deep seriousness. "Fifth Hokage, it's bad. Madara is siphoning the chakra from everyone caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi."

Akira sighed inwardly. The worst-case scenario had arrived after all.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was about to be revived.

Between facing Kaguya and fighting Madara, Akira would much rather deal with Madara.

Kaguya was practically unkillable, ridiculously strong, and capable of escaping even dire situations. Aside from her apparent lack of strategic thinking, she far surpassed Madara in raw power.

With Madara, there was still the option of forcibly extracting the Ten Tails from him, like what had been done to Nagato.

But against Kaguya? That method was unlikely to work.

Kaguya and the Ten Tails were one and the same. Once her will awakened, she was the Ten Tails.

Forcibly pulling her apart was impossible.

Without the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei, sealing her was nearly unthinkable!

Before Akira could speak, Uchiha Hikari interjected. "Madara must be trying to fully restore the Ten Tails."

"Prepare for battle," Akira said solemnly. "Our next opponent might be more powerful than anything we've faced before!"

Everyone present grew tense. If Madara truly completed the Ten Tails, he would undoubtedly surpass Nagato in strength.

A difficult battle was inevitable.

...

Meanwhile, where Madara stood—

Crack— Crack—

The sound of shattering echoed as vast stretches of land split apart, forming massive fissures.

From the abyssal depths, chakra gushed out like a subterranean flood, surging toward Madara. It was continuously absorbed into his body, feeding the Ten Tails within him.

"Hahahaha…" Madara laughed wildly, reveling in the sensation of power surging through him.

He could feel it—at an astonishing rate, the Ten Tails was becoming complete.

"This feeling… it's exquisite… It won't be long before I truly become the second Sage of Six Paths!" Madara's elation was boundless.

As the Ten Tails regained its full form, the air behind Madara trembled slightly. Two pristine Truth-Seeking Orbs manifested.

Nine Truth-Seeking Orbs.

This signified that the Ten Tails was now whole.

And yet, the chakra flood from the ground had not stopped. It continued to pour into Madara's body, feeding the ever-strengthening Ten Tails within him.

"Perfect! This power is absolute!" Madara was enraptured, lost in the intoxicating surge of strength.

Suddenly—

Schlurk!

A sharp pain tore through his chest.

Madara's body stiffened.

"I… I can't move!" A surge of terror flooded his mind as he realized that only his eyes could shift.

He rolled them back—and saw Black Zetsu.

It was Black Zetsu's hand that had pierced his chest, its black, inky form seeping into his body.

"Madara, you did well. I'm quite satisfied with you!" Black Zetsu's voice dripped with smug amusement.

Madara felt his consciousness slipping. He struggled to speak. "Black Zetsu… you are… my will… Why…?"

"Your will? Hah! What a joke! You really think you had the power to create me?" Black Zetsu sneered.

Only now did Madara recall Akira's previous warnings.

He had dismissed them as a crude attempt at sowing discord.

But now… he realized it had been a genuine warning.

"Then… who are you?" Madara's thoughts blurred as his body swelled grotesquely, bloated from the excessive chakra, twisting into a massive black sphere.

"Heh…" Black Zetsu chuckled, elated at the culmination of its centuries-long plan. "Who am I? I am Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's third son. I am not your will, Madara!"

"Ōtsutsuki… Kaguya…" Madara's consciousness faded entirely as his body swelled into an enormous, pulsating sphere.

With an endless influx of chakra, the black mass began to morph and writhe.

Then—

A figure emerged.

She had flowing blue-white hair, a pale complexion, and was draped in a regal white robe. Two horns adorned her head, and her presence was both beautiful and terrifying.

"Mother~" came Black Zetsu's reverent voice from within the folds of her sleeve.

Hearing the call, Kaguya's blank white eyes shifted slightly, her foggy consciousness sharpening into full awareness.

"So… it was you, Black Zetsu," Kaguya murmured, her voice eerily calm, like the still surface of a deep lake.

Her gaze swept over the land, and she whispered, "How many years has it been? At last, I have escaped the seal of my two treacherous sons… and returned to my rightful garden."

Then, her expression twisted.

Veins bulged on her forehead as her brow furrowed in confusion.

"The Infinite Tsukuyomi… has been broken?"

Her voice carried disbelief.

Yes, the Infinite Tsukuyomi was undone. The once-crimson moon had returned to its pristine white.

The massive roots withdrew underground, and the countless people trapped in the genjutsu awoke, their faces filled with panic and confusion.

Chaos erupted across the world.