"Sensei… is it really okay to leave Madara over there?"
Shisui still wasn't at ease.
That was Uchiha Madara—the man who once shook the world and sought to rule the shinobi world. Leaving someone like that on the moon felt inherently unsafe. Who knew when he might start stirring trouble again?
Kyoichi smiled.
"It's fine. If Madara truly wanted to make trouble, he could do it even without the Rinnegan—and he wouldn't need to come all the way to Konoha to tip us off."
What made Madara terrifying wasn't just his raw power, but his mind—his intellect and research ability. Techniques like mind-controlling seals were, as far as anyone knew, mastered only by him. Many powerful jutsu were his creations, and Fire Release in his hands reached an absurd level of refinement.
If Madara wanted to operate from the shadows, his revived, youthful body made it even easier. He wouldn't show himself—he'd lie low and wait for the right moment. For example…
Years later, when the Ōtsutsuki clan descended.
At that point, if Madara and Black Zetsu wanted to act, it would be effortless.
Even if they didn't know that future yet, they certainly understood the value of patience.
That was why Madara had quietly sent word in the first place.
If it had been too obvious, Black Zetsu would have fled immediately—and catching it again wouldn't be so easy.
That said…
Even Kyoichi had been surprised.
Black Zetsu had slipped past every layer of sealing he'd prepared and escaped without anyone noticing. When it came to survival, that thing really did have some tricks.
"But you left him a Rinnegan," Shisui said thoughtfully. "If he harbors any ill intent, we still have a way to restrain him. And… about the Ōtsutsuki clan—everything you said earlier, is it all true?"
Shisui's curiosity surfaced at the end.
At first, he'd believed it. But after Kyoichi left Madara there, doubt crept in. Even Shisui knew the best way to deal with Madara was to give him a worthy opponent.
The Ōtsutsuki clan clearly fit that role.
"It's all true," Kyoichi said seriously. "These conclusions come from my research on the imitation God Tree. Ours is only a replica. I can hardly imagine how terrifying it would be if the Ten-Tails were revived and restored to its true God Tree form."
Shisui didn't know much about the God Tree, but even from fragments he'd encountered through ANBU, he could sense its horror. That kind of power could probably drain an entire planet dry.
"So… they're after the fruit produced after the God Tree absorbs the planet's life force?"
Shisui voiced the thought.
Tree. Flower. Fruit.
The logic followed naturally—especially with Kyoichi subtly guiding the discussion.
Kyoichi nodded in satisfaction.
"That's my conclusion as well. And I have another theory. You should know this—long ago, our world didn't even have shinobi. Ninja sects began with the Sage of Six Paths."
"Right," Shisui replied immediately. "Nearly all our legends trace back to the Sage. Before that was the age of samurai—Land of Iron still preserves many of those traditions."
Then Shisui froze.
Samurai. Shinobi.
Between the two lay a crucial turning point—
Chakra.
Only with chakra could ninjutsu be developed, leading to ninja sects. Without chakra, there could be no ninjutsu—and no shinobi at all.
So the real key was chakra itself.
Where did chakra come from?
No one had really questioned it. Everyone knew the Sage of Six Paths founded ninshū, so it was natural to assume chakra originated with him. But tracing the roots further back, Shisui realized that assumption might be flawed.
Because above the Sage stood Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—and the Ōtsutsuki clan she belonged to was clearly anything but ordinary.
The realization hit him.
Chakra came from the Ōtsutsuki clan.
More precisely—
From the God Tree, after it absorbed a planet's life force.
Kaguya had come to this world so the God Tree could take root, drain the planet, and condense a fruit.
"Did she succeed?" Shisui asked.
"She must have," Kyoichi replied. "Otherwise, the age of shinobi wouldn't exist. And think about it—why did her creation insist on carrying out Infinite Tsukuyomi? Was it really just to deceive Madara into gathering the tailed beasts?"
"Infinite Tsukuyomi…"
Now that Shisui possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, he had some understanding of dōjutsu.
Tsukuyomi was a Uchiha ocular technique that trapped targets in a controllable illusion.
Taken literally, Infinite Tsukuyomi meant an illusion without end—but perhaps it served another purpose as well—
"Absorbing chakra."
Shisui understood.
If the God Tree was the source of chakra, then in theory all chakra in the shinobi world belonged to Kaguya.
To revive her, Black Zetsu would naturally need to gather chakra.
"A sound deduction," Shisui said, drawing a deep breath.
Now he finally understood why Kyoichi had left Madara alive.
The Ōtsutsuki clan couldn't consist of Kaguya alone. If others possessed the power of God Tree fruit, their strength would far exceed what one or two people could handle.
So they needed to unite every force they could.
Madara had his issues—but after his revival, his attitude had clearly changed.
He no longer obsessed over Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Nor did he care about ruling the shinobi world.
Someone like that, despite his past, wasn't someone who absolutely had to be killed.
Shisui grasped Kyoichi's intent.
But that was only his interpretation.
In truth, Kyoichi's biggest reason wasn't what he'd just explained.
After all—
Can words spoken aloud really be called one's true feelings?
Of course not.
Kyoichi hadn't dealt with Madara partly for those reasons—but the real reason was far simpler: fighting the Ōtsutsuki alone would be exhausting.
An exhausting battle with an uncertain outcome—so why not keep Madara alive as the first line of defense?
With his own Rinnegan, Madara was undeniably powerful. He could hold off weaker Ōtsutsuki clan members for a while—maybe even counterkill them with his experience.
Such a perfect tool… killing him would be a waste.
As for Kyoichi himself?
He'd rather go home and live with his wife and child. That was far better than stationing a clone on the moon day after day.
Shisui was still deep in thought when Kyoichi yawned and glanced at the time.
"Oh—class is about to end. I need to pick up my kid. You can report to Minato for me; I'm busy."
"Ah—yes!"
Before Shisui could say anything more, Kyoichi vanished.
Life seemed to return to normal. Madara's revival appeared to have caused no ripples at all.
Of course…
That wasn't the case for Black Zetsu.
Because this time—
It truly wasn't getting out again.