But before he could process it, another figure descended from the sky—Uchiha Madara!
The man who had given his all... had he been cast aside too?
With Yukika sustaining Kaguya's chakra and consciousness, Madara was no longer needed as a vessel. The "light bulb" Yukika had mentioned.
Meeting Madara's gaze, Black Zetsu despaired. Madara, though drained of the Ten Tails' chakra, wasn't dead—Yukika had left him with just enough vitality.
Seeing Madara survive was bad news for Black Zetsu. He decided to flee and deal with things later when Kaguya returned.
But just as he was about to burrow underground, an immense pull yanked him back. He turned to see Madara's Rinnegan blazing.
"Where are you going?" Madara's Universal Pull caught him.
"Madara-sama, if I say this is a misunderstanding, would you believe me?" Black Zetsu forced a painful smile.
Madara's furious punch was his reply.
Boom! The two crashed to the ground.
In the pit, Madara grinned grimly and continued pounding Black Zetsu, who had no escape.
"So, he finally knows how it feels to be used," Nagato said sarcastically from afar, understanding that bitter feeling of being a mere pawn.
"You should thank Yukika-sama for giving you a shot at redemption," Orochimaru added calmly. He'd seen too many like Madara, unwilling to accept their role as pawns.
Nagato nodded, gazing skyward at the two figures floating toward the moon.
The ground trembled longer than expected. When Madara's rage subsided, he slumped weakly, staring blankly at the sky. He didn't even notice Hashirama's arrival.
"You're really dark," Hashirama sighed, sitting beside Madara and glancing at the battered Black Zetsu. Madara, lost in thought, didn't respond.
He had failed—worse than he imagined. He thought Yukika's Infinite Tsukuyomi plan was about co-ruling the world. But in the end, Madara realized he'd been a pawn all along, just a means to resurrect Kaguya.
"It's ironic," Madara murmured. "I thought I was in control, but I was the puppet."
Hashirama smiled wryly. "Funny hearing that from you. I used to think peace would be simple once the villages balanced each other, but I was naïve. Even after my death, war broke out. Still, people will always fight to protect their homes and loved ones."
He looked up nostalgically. "Konoha was your idea; Hokage was mine. I thought people would easily understand each other—but I was wrong."
Madara glanced at him. "You've changed. Those weird ideals of yours seem gone."
Hashirama chuckled. "Not sure what happened, but I'm different now. Asura's soul is gone; only chakra remains. Without Asura or Indra's influence, I'm just me."
He added thoughtfully, "I never opposed unifying the world by force. But we're just human; even the Sage of Six Paths died. Once we're gone, won't greed bring war again? Still, it's better than endless division."
Madara gave a bitter smile. If Hashirama had thought that way earlier, the ninja world might have been united by now.
Madara finally said, "Your grandson—I'm thinking of following the path I once walked."
Nearby, Senju clansmen watched and waited. The Infinite Tsukuyomi would eventually be lifted, and the five ninja villages were under pressure.
Hashirama smiled. "In the end, it's you who must resolve the world's conflicts. But Yukika... he's different. He might not die."
Madara was taken aback but said nothing, unsure what to believe.
Suddenly, a deafening boom erupted, and the "bandages" around people began to loosen, the God Tree's branches crumbling.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi's time was ending, leaving a complex expression on Madara's face.
Meanwhile, the high-level officials of the other four ninja villages scrambled to respond, realizing their leverage with Hashirama could be their best hope against Yukika's might.
But when they confronted Hashirama, hoping to sway him, his answer stunned them: "What's the problem? If Yukika wants to unify the world by force and needs my help, as his grandfather, of course I'll support him."
Their jaws dropped, their plans crumbling in an instant.
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