Even someone as proud as Madara Uchiha couldn't accept being inferior to a mere product of his own willpower.
He noticed that his enemy, after defeating him, had turned their focus entirely to Black Zetsu. This irritated him greatly.
Satori Hyūga raised his gaze and looked at Madara Uchiha with a faint smile. "Madara Uchiha, this creature isn't something created by your will."
Madara caught the hidden meaning behind Satori's words and frowned. "What exactly do you mean? If Black Zetsu isn't born from my will, then what is he?"
Black Zetsu was instantly shocked by Satori's statement. He quickly responded, "Don't speak nonsense! If I'm not a creation of Lord Madara's will, then what else could I possibly be?"
Madara himself agreed with Black Zetsu's words.
After all, he had been present when Black Zetsu was born. Though Zetsu was crude-minded and didn't align with his nature or habits, Madara had still trusted him.
Satori chuckled. "Black Zetsu, if you keep claiming other people as your master like this, won't Kaguya be upset when she finds out?"
"Kaguya? Who is that?" Madara asked curiously.
The name sounded familiar, as though he'd heard it before somewhere.
But upon hearing those words, Black Zetsu's pupils sharply contracted. He immediately turned toward Satori in shock, asking suspiciously, "Just who exactly are you? How do you know so much?"
"Are you an ancient human who has survived until today?"
Upon hearing Black Zetsu speak, Madara's eyes widened in fury and glared furiously at him.
Although Black Zetsu hadn't directly admitted anything, his reaction spoke volumes—it was practically a confession in itself.
Madara had been deceived.
Tricked by this dark, mysterious entity whose origins he had never truly understood. The realization made Madara furious, his eyes burning with rage.
As Madara raged, Black Zetsu remained calm.
It was Satori's enigmatic nature that now unsettled him deeply.
Someone who knew so much about his origins—and yet, he had never detected them before?
Could he possibly be one of Hagoromo or Hamura's descendants?
No, those two disobedient sons were far more powerful than this man, and their auras felt different.
This person appeared to have only recently reached Six Paths-level strength, nowhere near matching the might of Hagoromo or Hamura.
Satori calmly met Madara's enraged gaze and began explaining.
"This thing is called Black Zetsu. He is the third son of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the original source of chakra a thousand years ago—the union of Yin and Yang Release."
"When Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was defeated and sealed away by her eldest and second sons, she created Black Zetsu before her imprisonment to help her break free."
"He approached you because he needed your Rinnegan to activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan and free his mother."
After hearing Satori's explanation, some of Madara's hostility toward Satori faded and shifted instead toward Black Zetsu.
His face hardened like ice, exuding an icy chill as he glared coldly at Black Zetsu.
"Black Zetsu—is what he said true? Was the Infinite Tsukuyomi a lie? Was everything just your conspiracy?"
Realizing the truth had been exposed, Black Zetsu was filled with frustration but no longer held back the truth.
"Yes, everything he said is true."
"How could I possibly be a mere manifestation of your will? My mother is none other than Kaguya Otsutsuki, the legendary originator of chakra. Who do you think you are to compare yourself to me, Madara Uchiha?"
"The Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan was *my* plan—to save our mother. Even those stone tablets within your Uchiha clan compound were altered by me."
"Do you really think someone like *you*, with your so-called intellect, could've uncovered the truths of ultimate reality?"
Black Zetsu's words struck Madara like a slap across the face, turning his expression cold and grim.
He clenched his fists as if his chest felt like a violently spinning washing machine, his heart pounding wildly inside.
If not for the fact that Black Zetsu was under Satori Hyūga's control, Madara would've made him see just why flowers bloom so vividly red—with blood.
After a long pause,
he erupted into bitter laughter, suddenly looking like a man who'd lost all support and drive, as if years had suddenly aged him.
Staring at his now aged arms, his mind drifted back to that day when he first left the village.
"Hashirama, the path you chose was wrong—but mine wasn't right either."
"Izuna…brother…I failed. I never found a way to bring peace to this world."
The very belief that had sustained him—his faith in the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan—was revealed as false, stripping him instantly of any will to live.
Watching the once-proud Madara laugh through his grief, Satori couldn't help but acknowledge his place among the Four Great Laughers of the ninja world. Still, he extended an olive branch.
"Madara Uchiha, even you—the Demon God of the Ninja World—longs for peace and stability in this world. Then why not join me instead?"
"Our goals align perfectly—we both seek to reshape this world."
"This world is full of untold secrets. Alone, even my strength has limits. Help me, and I will restore your Rinnegan."
Hearing Satori's words, Madara halted mid-laugh, falling into deep thought.
"You're also trying to change the world—to create one without war?" he asked cautiously.
Satori nodded firmly. "You likely already know my name—Satori Hyūga."
"I'm doing things my own way to end the endless battles and ceaseless conflicts of the ninja world."
At Satori's revealing of his identity, Madara's eyes widened in surprise.
"Satori Hyūga—the business genius of the Hyūga Clan?"
Then Madara's face twisted into something strange.
"You've hidden yourself well. Everyone believed you were nothing more than a skilled businessman, yet you concealed unimaginable power."
"Even during my Warring States period with Hashirama, you would've stood among the greatest shinobi."
"I heard from White Zetsu about your Umbrella Corporation—it spans across multiple nations, building factories, implementing reforms..."
As Madara recalled information on Satori Hyuga from his memory, he reflected on what he'd witnessed along his journey.
The people of the ninja world were clearly better off—not yet living in peace and prosperity, but at least no longer struggling for food and shelter.
This transformation had happened at an astonishing pace, and no one knew what the future might hold.
Previously absorbed in his Infinite Tsukuyomi ambitions, he hadn't paid much attention.
But now, seeing things differently, he realized that Satori Hyūga's vision of reshaping the world and bringing peace wasn't mere rhetoric after all.
The other party wasn't just making vague statements or clinging to a false plan for decades.
They were truly enacting change, actively improving people's lives and gradually making the world a better place.
When he thought about it carefully, Madara Uchiha realized he was truly out of touch.
It seemed like his dream of reshaping the world had faded. But the boy before him still carried boundless potential and hope.
He fixed his gaze on Satori Hyūga and said sincerely, "If you really can change the world, I wouldn't object to lending you a hand."
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