Click, click, click—
Creak, creak—
The moment Black Zetsu caught the two weapons tossed by Uchiha Madara—a red flash suddenly pierced the air.
In that split second…
Black Zetsu was instantly seized by an unseen force!
Countless black rods stabbed into his body with merciless precision.
Rinnegan: Limbo Clone!
Rinnegan Black Rods!
"Ugh… You…!"
Black Zetsu could hardly register what was happening.
Lifted off the ground, impaled by black rods from all directions, his mind spun in disbelief.
And then, before his fading vision—
He saw Leo—his eyes glowing with one Rinnegan and one Mangekyō Sharingan—suddenly standing right before him.
He'd crossed hundreds of meters in an instant.
"Flying Thunder God…?!"
Black Zetsu's face twisted with shock.
"You… You secretly marked Madara-sama's weapons with a Flying Thunder God seal?!"
He looked to Leo for confirmation, still clinging to hope that the real Uchiha Madara might intervene.
"Secretly?" Leo raised a brow with a devilish grin. "Who said I did it secretly?"
He chuckled darkly and added, "Madara knew."
That sentence stunned Black Zetsu—but before he could respond—
Pffft!
Another black rod pierced straight through his heart from behind.
"Gah…!"
The restraining force only tightened further.
Behind him now stood Uchiha Madara, eyes blazing with Rinnegan, his hand gripping the rod that had just skewered Black Zetsu's heart.
"Still calling me 'Madara-sama,' are you?" Madara said coldly. "Even though I was just your first pawn in resurrecting Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?"
He narrowed his eyes, a voice thick with resentment.
"Black Zetsu… This time, it's my turn to say something heartfelt."
Black Zetsu was frozen. "Madara… You…"
"How could I not realize?" Madara muttered, glancing sideways at Leo.
He then smirked. "Maybe I owe him thanks."
During this exchange, Leo observed with calm satisfaction.
"Well, this thing's too dangerous to leave lying around," he said. "Let me seal it up permanently."
Just as Leo was about to banish Black Zetsu—
"Wait." Madara raised a hand. "I have one last question for it."
Leo paused, then smiled knowingly. "Fine. We're partners now, after all."
Madara gave a brief, near-imperceptible nod.
"Lord Madara! Don't be fooled by him!" Black Zetsu cried desperately. "You wanted to bring peace through the Eye of the Moon Plan! Don't forget that!"
But he was tightly bound by both Limbo and black rods—completely helpless.
"Peace?" Madara sneered.
Stab!
Another black rod pierced Black Zetsu, drawing a pained groan.
"A peace that turns all of humanity into White Zetsu? Is that what you call peace, Black Zetsu?!"
Madara's Rinnegan blazed with fury.
"I wanted to ask what was truly written on the Uchiha Stone Tablet," he said. "But now… I don't even care anymore."
He turned to Leo. "Finish it."
"Wait! Wait! Listen! The Divine Tree's programming can be changed!" Black Zetsu screamed in panic. "We can prevent the White Zetsu transformation! I swear!"
But Madara wasn't listening.
"Everything Leo told me earlier… It was true."
He clenched his fist.
"Black Zetsu… You really used me all this time."
Madara's face twisted in frustration and pain, realizing how thoroughly he had been manipulated.
"ZETSU!!"
Just as he was about to explode in rage—
Shuaa—
Leo calmly raised his hand and sealed Black Zetsu into his Beast Pet Subspace—an eternal prison where escape was impossible.
"What are you doing?" Madara turned toward Leo, frowning.
Leo shrugged. "Relax. We finally caught him—we don't want him slipping away again, do we?"
Madara scowled but said nothing.
"Don't act like a sulky child," Leo added with a smirk. "We still have work to do."
"Hmph. I don't need your lessons," Madara grumbled, turning away arrogantly.
Leo crossed his arms and watched him.
He knew what Madara was feeling right now: betrayal, disillusionment, and a deep aching void.
Sure enough—
"Hashirama… was I wrong?"
Standing atop a tall steel structure, Madara stared down at the Rain Village below, his voice bitter and hollow.
"My dream… has crumbled."
Leo floated up beside him.
"What? Thinking of jumping?" he teased. "Won't do you any good. You and I both have Hashirama's power. A fall like this won't kill us."
"Try something else."
Madara turned toward him, eyes narrowed.
But Leo's voice turned serious.
"The failure of this one plan doesn't mean everything else will fail too."
"Remember back when Konoha was first founded? Were your ideals truly wrong?"
"Let the world kneel before our power. Let's unify the ninja world."
Leo's tone hardened with conviction.
"Hashirama's dream only brought more war. First, Second, and Third Great Ninja Wars. Do you know how many died?"
"Are we really going to wait for a Fourth… a Fifth Great War before doing something?"
"Unification. That's the only real path to lasting peace."
"And you and I—we have the power to make it happen!"
He reached out his hand.
Madara stared at him for a long moment.
Then slowly—
Snap—
He took Leo's hand.
Their gazes met. Both smiled.
Two "Uchiha Madara," side by side at last.
From this moment forward—
They would work together to unite the entire ninja world.
So tremble—
World of Shinobi!!
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