Chapter 235: Different Paths Cannot Work Together
Uchiha Madara planned to use his own shadow clone to perform the Reanimation Jutsu and revive his true body.
This wasn't the first time he had done something like this.
It was basically exploiting a glitch in the system—and it worked perfectly.
At this moment, his shadow clone was hiding beneath the forest floor.
Right now, Madara was waiting for one answer: he wanted to see whether Uchiha Dali would be willing to cooperate with him.
If they could work together, the benefits would be tremendous.
Previously, Madara had already suspected that Jigen possessed another Ten-Tails.
If this guess was true, that meant there were currently two Ten-Tails in the shinobi world.
One was in Jigen's hands, and the other originally belonged to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. After Kaguya was sealed away, the Ten-Tails fell into the hands of the Sage of Six Paths.
The Sage split the Ten-Tails' chakra into nine parts, which became today's Nine Tailed Beasts, from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails.
The Ten-Tails' body became the Gedo Statue, which was also sealed away in another dimension, requiring a special summoning technique to call it forth.
As long as the chakra of the nine Tailed Beasts was sealed back into the Gedo Statue's body, the Ten-Tails could be revived.
This information had been recorded by Black Zetsu on the Uchiha clan's stone tablet in the Naka Shrine.
So of course Madara knew about it.
If he could work with Uchiha Dali, then he might be able to obtain one of the Ten-Tails without lifting a finger.
Once he had that Ten-Tails, taking Jigen's other one would be much easier.
"I've heard from Obito that you're collecting Tailed Beasts to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan in order to create a world of eternal peace. Back then, Obito also held such lofty ideals and agreed to help you, so I considered both of you to be revolutionaries."
"But, Madara, the Eye of the Moon Plan is nothing but a complete scam—a scheme by Black Zetsu to revive Ōtsutsuki Kaguya by sacrificing everyone in the world to the Divine Tree."
"Since you already know the truth, it seems you've confirmed this information yourself. Now that the shinobi world is already unified and eternal peace is within reach, why would you still go against us?"
"If the cooperation you're talking about means we can join forces to maintain peace in this world, then I welcome it with open arms."
Uchiha Dali's words made Madara feel a wave of displeasure.
Eternal peace?
Once, he truly believed in that and worked hard for it with all his heart.
But all it brought him was disappointment and betrayal again and again.
After too many failures—and after seeing a different kind of world—Madara no longer entertained such illusions.
"Eternal peace is nothing more than a meaningless illusion. You and I will both grow old. Once we die, this world will lose its deterrent force, and sooner or later, big problems will arise again. Besides, how will you deal with outside threats?"
"The peace we desire will always have someone trying to destroy it. I no longer hold on to such thoughts. The cooperation I speak of is something else entirely."
With that, Madara shared his idea with Dali.
He didn't hide his ambition.
He openly invited Dali to help him seal the nine Tailed Beasts, nurture the Ten-Tails to grow the Divine Tree, and, after harvesting the chakra fruit, share its power between the two of them.
"As long as we can obtain absolute power and become eternal, immortal beings, we will have the strength to maintain a truly peaceful world."
"Before that, anything we do is pointless. No matter how prosperous and harmonious the world seems now, it won't last."
"So why not join me in reviving the Ten-Tails, and then we can share the chakra fruit?"
After speaking, Madara spread his hands expectantly.
Once again, he earnestly extended his invitation to Uchiha Dali.
In his mind, he had already explained all the pros and cons. As long as Dali wasn't an idiot, he would understand.
After all, who in this world could resist becoming an eternal god?
Even a sage might not resist such temptation.
And in truth, there were no real sages.
Every person was born with a dark side—people just kept it hidden most of the time.
"Heh…"
Dali's gaze shifted to the Fourth Raikage dangling from Madara's hand.
That subtle, mocking chuckle made Madara's eyes and expression instantly darken.
The air between them immediately became tense, like drawn swords ready to clash.
"So, you're unwilling."
"What a short-sighted fool. I'm starting to feel disappointed in you now. So you're nothing special after all."
"Your vision and scope are still inferior to mine."
Madara voiced his lofty disdain in disappointment.
But Dali wasn't about to back down, replying sharply, "And I once thought you were a true idealist and a man of action. For a time, I even admired and respected you enough to call you 'Lord Madara.'"
"Now I see I was too young and you… you are truly disappointing."
"There is no way I'll hand over the Ten-Tails to you. As for the chakra fruit, don't even think about it."
"I don't need to rely on power gained by sacrificing the lives of everyone in the world to grow stronger. And I will stop you—and any of those you worry about—from realizing your ambitions!"
"Whether it's the Ōtsutsuki clan or any other alien invaders, whoever tries to destroy this world will be my enemy!"
As the tension between them spiked again, Madara's shadow clone had already begun preparations.
The moment Dali finished speaking, the clone activated the Reanimation Jutsu.
The sacrifice was the captured Fourth Raikage.
The one being resurrected—was Madara's true body.
"Time will tell which of us is the naïve one."
"I look forward to watching as the peaceful world you built crumbles before your very eyes—while you're powerless to stop it."
"Only absolute power is the foundation of peace—the most effective and final solution!"
"And now, I declare—the Fourth Great Ninja War begins! Let me personally show you how to truly create eternal peace!"
As he spoke, Madara's body began to slowly dissipate.
At the same time, another body was forming from dust and ash.
It was like shedding an old shell and being reborn anew.
As his body gradually regenerated, his chakra presence grew stronger and stronger.
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)