"You will regret this. You definitely will…"
Black Zetsu was furious.
The bitterness of betrayal flooded his heart. Yet at this moment, all he could do was rage helplessly—there was nothing he could do. The Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei sealing him was far more solid than before.
If the Chibaku Tensei created by Kyoichi and Nagato had only sealed a portion of him—its core's gravitational pull gradually weakening over time—then the version Madara personally reinforced was already close to a complete seal.
After all, although Madara had not reached Six Paths Mode, he had already mastered Yin–Yang Release. Otherwise, he would never have coincidentally "created" Black Zetsu in the first place.
So…
This seal…
Even if it could one day be broken, it would likely take decades—perhaps even centuries.
After sealing him away, Madara lowered his head and gazed down at the vast shinobi world below, then let out a soft sigh.
"The shinobi world is so small. And yet so many people fight and kill like mad over this tiny patch of land. I really don't know what they're struggling for."
Standing at such a height, the feeling was indeed different.
Looking down upon the land, all living beings spread out beneath his feet, it felt as though he were the master of the world itself—able to grasp everything in his hands.
Madara's mindset had, undeniably, shifted a little.
In the next moment, one of Kyoichi's clones brought Shisui up to the Chibaku Sphere. The instant Shisui arrived, he went on full alert—only to freeze in surprise when he saw Madara's eyes.
One was an ordinary eye.
The other was a Rinnegan.
Likewise…
Kyoichi himself was the same.
"So you're Uchiha Shisui? A fine successor."
Madara nodded in approval.
Shisui's strength and ocular power were both impressive—and that was without transplanting Hashirama's cells. If he had done so, his eyes would be far more powerful.
"Madara-senpai…"
Shisui bowed lightly.
He didn't yet know what had happened, but he could tell that the Madara before him bore no hostility. On the contrary, he had even helped seal Black Zetsu—a posture befitting an admirable senior.
It was too strange.
What he had thought was a crisis turned out to be Black Zetsu's disaster instead, seemingly unrelated to Konoha at all…
"Want to go take a look at the moon?"
Kyoichi glanced at Madara and Shisui.
Madara raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised, then sighed.
"I never imagined that a brat like you would even reach the moon. I suppose you've already unraveled the mystery."
"I wouldn't call it a mystery," Kyoichi said, shaking his head.
"Maybe once you see it for yourself, you'll understand. That thing… might actually be worse than you."
Kyoichi sighed again.
After truly seeing Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, he honestly felt she was inferior to Uchiha Madara. If Madara had possessed Kaguya's level of power, Sasuke and Naruto wouldn't even matter—he would've wiped them out long ago.
Kaguya's performance was, frankly, embarrassing.
Of course…
In a sense, the entire Ōtsutsuki clan was rather embarrassing.
They possessed overwhelming power, but precisely because of that, their enemies had always been easy to crush. They never had the chance to refine their skills, resulting in crude, shallow use of their strength.
"I'm getting curious now," Madara said.
"Let me borrow some of your chakra."
"Huh?"
Madara was momentarily confused. In the next instant, however, he felt his chakra being siphoned away—
With the Rinnegan, Kyoichi didn't need to make much effort. He simply absorbed it directly.
After taking a considerable amount of chakra, he used Flying Thunder God and instantly moved the three of them.
The next moment—
Shisui's eyes widened.
This was…
The moon!
Barren and desolate. Looking up, one could see the ruined, crumbling temple. The entire moon was steeped in an aura of destruction.
"There was a civil war here," Madara said at a glance.
"These traces are from internal conflict and betrayal. One side barely left any marks—it was clearly caught completely off guard."
Shisui nodded.
The signs were unmistakable: a one-sided massacre.
"This place used to be the domain of the Hamura branch of the Ōtsutsuki clan—the lineage of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother. Of course, most people may not recognize his name, but you should know his descendants."
"The Byakugan…"
Madara and Shisui spoke in unison.
Of the three great dōjutsu, the origins of two had already been uncovered. Only the Byakugan had remained something of a mystery.
But once Kyoichi mentioned this, the answer was obvious.
"That's right—the Byakugan. And also the Macabre Bone Pulse."
"The Kaguya clan," Madara added.
"They've always had close ties with the Hyūga clan. If I remember correctly, the Hyūga still visit the Kaguya clan periodically even now."
As a veteran powerhouse, Madara naturally knew far more than Shisui.
Though Shisui had been leading an ANBU training squad for some time, he still wasn't deeply familiar with the hidden histories of certain clans.
"So that means the Hamura lineage was actually active in the shinobi world all along," Shisui said thoughtfully.
"But the Hyūga don't seem to know any of this. They trace their ancestry back only to the so-called Hyūga Ten'nin."
Was it possible that when Hamura's descendants came to the shinobi world and had children, they never told them who they truly were?
Madara shook his head.
"Only those who lived through it know the truth. Many things that were recorded aren't necessarily accurate."
This was a lesson learned in blood.
Had Kyoichi not appeared, Madara felt he might truly have been deceived by Black Zetsu to the very end—gathering all nine tailed beasts only to end up sewing a wedding dress for someone else.
Thinking of that, Madara felt a wave of melancholy.
"Kaguya-senpai, are you there? If you are, make a sound," Kyoichi called out cheerfully.
"It's been so many years since we last visited you—aren't you lonely? I brought people with me this time. Take a look at the two on my right—both are your descendants."
"…!"
Madara and Shisui both twitched at the corners of their mouths.
This guy…
As if he himself wasn't the same.
Even if Kyoichi didn't carry the Senju name, he still had Senju blood. According to the stone tablet, both the Senju and the Uchiha were descendants of the Sage of Six Paths—that was why the Rinnegan could be born from their union.
Whatever.
You're strong. You're right.
They silently scanned their surroundings. Finally, Madara looked toward the depths below.
Deep underground, there was a sealed consciousness.
After a long while—
A faint sigh echoed up from beneath the surface.
"You little brats… forget it. Do whatever you want. It's not like you're going to let me out anyway."
"Senpai, isn't it nice to have a place to stay?" Kyoichi replied casually.
"With your current condition, even if you came out, where would you go?"
"You—!"
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was furious.
This man had only come twice, and each time he made her want to end the world.
Detestable creature!
She took a deep breath.
Endure it!
She couldn't let these juniors laugh at her.
Madara finally understood what Kyoichi had meant earlier.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya might indeed be incredibly powerful—but in every other respect, she was… deeply lacking. Almost like a blank sheet of paper.
It was, honestly…
A bit of a letdown.
He had imagined a terrifying, cunning, overwhelming enemy.
For a time, no one spoke.
"Oh, right," Kyoichi added casually.
"The little thing you made escaped, worked really hard to resurrect you, and then we kindly sealed it back up—and fixed the flaws in the original seal while we were at it. It's not coming out again."
"Aren't you grateful?"
He continued to provoke Kaguya.
This time, she didn't respond at all—choosing silence instead.
At first, she'd thought that having living people around, even just to listen to or observe the rise and fall of the mortal world, was better than nothing.
But now…
She regretted it.
Sometimes, being alone was better. At least then there wouldn't be something buzzing nonstop in her ears.
Above all—
It was infuriating.
Black Zetsu had indeed been her trump card, yet this man came again and again just to rub it in.
Madara, meanwhile, further confirmed his suspicions.
Black Zetsu truly was Kaguya's subordinate.
"You didn't bring me here just to look around, did you?" Madara asked.
"Mm… that's true."
Kyoichi thought for a moment, then decided not to hide anything.
When dealing with Madara, tricks didn't work. From the very beginning, Kyoichi had always been honest with him, avoiding unnecessary friction over small matters.
This time was no exception.
Madara fell silent for a moment.
He'd asked casually—he hadn't expected there to actually be a purpose.
This guy really never moved without profit.
"Back then, the Hamura lineage split off and stayed here mainly to monitor Ōtsutsuki Kaguya," Kyoichi said.
"But as you can see, as long as no one gathers the Ten-Tails, she basically can't escape."
He paused, then looked out into the void.
"In truth, the most dangerous enemies are out there—among the stars."
"Sensei, you mean the God Tree?" Shisui asked.
Serving in ANBU, Shisui had some exposure to classified information—such as the God Tree.
Even the artificial version could drain the planet's ley lines. The original would be far worse.
He thought for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "You're saying… the God Tree might be extraterrestrial?"
"A thing that feeds on a planet's ley lines—do you really believe it could naturally grow on that same planet?"
"I don't. At least, I don't."
Kyoichi said it plainly.
Madara remained silent.
Most of what they were discussing was completely new to him—it made him feel like a clown.
Still…
Reading between the lines, he could piece some things together.
The God Tree…
If such a creature existed, it could only be connected to the Gedo Statue.
The Gedo Statue, the Ten-Tails, the God Tree…
Was that the chain?
After thinking it through, Madara spoke.
"If it comes from beyond and feeds on ley lines, then once it grows, it must undergo some transformation. That transformation may be what the Ōtsutsuki truly care about."
"Exactly, Madara-senpai—you got there before I did!"
"…."
Madara couldn't be bothered to respond.
This guy had obviously thought of it long ago.
Then—
A thought struck him.
Wait.
"Since that's the case," Kyoichi said with a grin,
"Madara-senpai, you're already infamous throughout the shinobi world anyway. Why not stay here? If enemies from beyond show up, you can hold them off for a while. We'll rush over to support you immediately."
"…What?"
You bastard.
I knew it would come to this!
Madara's head throbbed.
Worse still, in the very next second, Kyoichi actually left—Flying Thunder God whisked Shisui away, leaving Madara alone on the moon.
Of course…
Strictly speaking, Madara wasn't incapable of going back. But after thinking it over…
He sighed.
Forget it.
Even if he returned, he wouldn't know what to do.
He might as well stay here and observe for now.
Once he figured out what he wanted to do, he could always go back later.
After all—
With Susanoo and the Rinnegan at his disposal, returning would be easy enough.