"Although it is useless to you, my dream has come true—making the entire shinobi world fall into an eternal sleep and bringing peace to the world!"
Uchiha Madara grinned grimly as cracks like cobwebs spread across his body.
"This is the power of the progenitor of chakra?" Ayanami Kaito muttered to himself, sensing the overwhelming fluctuations of chakra in the air.
At that moment, Black Zetsu surged forward, its tar-like body clinging to Madara's back.
"Jie jie jie jie!"
"Madara! You're dying. Help me with one last thing!" Black Zetsu's hoarse voice rasped ominously.
"What? Black Zetsu, what do you want?!" Madara's eyes widened.
Black Zetsu gave no answer, only sneering. Its control spread through Madara's body, forcing his hands into seals. The great Uchiha struggled, but his strength was failing, his life nearly extinguished.
"The Divine Tree shall descend!" Black Zetsu hissed.
On Madara's forehead, the Rinne Sharingan released a blinding light. That light shot upward, striking the moon. In an instant, the Rinne Sharingan reflected there magnified, projecting ripples that spread across the entire shinobi world.
Boom… boom!
The earth shook violently as colossal roots burst forth, twisting like titanic serpents. They stretched across nations, indestructible, binding all within their grasp as glowing tendrils connected every living being to the Divine Tree.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Chakra surged wildly. Though Madara's body should have vanished under Zetsu's control, he instead swelled unnaturally, absorbing endless streams of energy as if dragged by an invisible force.
Madara's expression contorted in pain. "Black Zetsu… you bastard! What have you done?!"
"Jie jie jie jie!" Black Zetsu cackled. "The so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi was never meant to bring peace. It is a jutsu to gather the world's chakra and resurrect my mother!"
Madara's voice broke with disbelief. "No… impossible! The Uchiha stone tablet—it spoke of peace! I deciphered it myself! There must be no mistake!"
"You fool," Black Zetsu hissed. "I have existed far longer than you. I rewrote that tablet long ago. What you read was nothing but my deception."
"You—!" Madara's body trembled as chakra flooded into him uncontrollably. The Divine Tree drained the world, rivers of pure chakra tearing from mountains, rivers, and the very earth itself, merging violently into him.
Kaito stood at a distance, watching the impossible scene. His voice was low, steady. "So it begins. Ōtsutsuki Kaguya… she finally awakens."
Black Zetsu, still clinging to Madara, turned its gaze to Kaito. Its thoughts darkened.
"Why isn't he affected by the Infinite Tsukuyomi? He has no Rinnegan. Impossible… no matter. Once mother returns, all will be remade!"
Madara's consciousness began to fade, his Rinnegan slowly closing.
Kaito's eyes narrowed. "So you're finished, Madara. That's fine."
"Jie jie jie jie… pathetic. In the end, you were nothing more than a pawn," Black Zetsu mocked.
In the endless white void, Madara appeared once more. He looked at his body, his eyes heavy with regret.
"You're finally here, Madara," a voice called.
Turning, Madara beheld familiar figures—Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Uzumaki Mito, and the Sage of Six Paths himself, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
"Hashirama… I never thought we'd meet again," Madara said, his tone hollow.
Hashirama's expression softened with sorrow. "We no longer belong to that world, Madara. Yet you refused to let go. And now… you've unleashed a disaster. If the new generation fails to stop it, the shinobi world may be lost forever."
Madara's gaze shifted to Hagoromo. Though he had never seen the Sage before, he recognized him instantly.
The Sage raised his staff, and the void rippled like a mirror, showing the events unfolding below. Madara stared calmly, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
"So in the end, I too was nothing more than a tool."
Hagoromo sighed. "You thought yourself in control, but you were controlled instead."
"I know," Madara muttered. "Black Zetsu told me as I fell. I see it now… everything was a lie."
Hashirama placed a hand over his heart. "We are already dead, Madara. The future lies only with those still living."
Back in the shinobi world, rivers of chakra continued to converge. Madara's body expanded like an overfilled vessel until it shone with unbearable brilliance, as though a second sun had risen.
When the blinding light faded, Madara was gone. In his place, a phantom took form before Kaito's eyes.
A woman emerged, descending like a deity. Her silver-white hair cascaded like a waterfall through the air. Her skin gleamed with unnatural perfection, as though sculpted by the gods themselves.
Her face was delicate, beautiful, yet cold beyond measure. Pale Byakugan eyes radiated majesty and disdain, while the Rinne Sharingan glowed crimson on her forehead. Twin horns marked her as something beyond human, and the white robes she wore shimmered with intricate tomoe patterns.
This was Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—the mother of chakra, the progenitor of all jutsu.
A being both divine and cursed.