RADG: Chapter 243/244

Chapter 243: Infinite Tsukuyomi Arrives, Uchiha Madara Is Very Unpleasant

There was a blood moon in the sky.

Orochimaru felt his state of mind elevate, and the chakra in his body surged to its peak. Even the Ten Tails had completely surrendered to him, cooperating fully as he prepared to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi.

When his shadow overlapped with the moon, the entire moon suddenly erupted into blinding white light.

In an instant, the whole ninja world was as bright as day.

Orochimaru smiled darkly and spoke in a deep voice,

"Infinite Tsukuyomi."

The beautiful moonlight poured over the earth. Sasuke instantly sensed something was wrong, activating his full-body Susanoo and shouting,

"Naruto! Yami-sensei! Shisui-san! Get inside my Susanoo!"

Naruto didn't hesitate, grabbing Shisui and rushing over, followed by Kakashi and Minato. Then Tobirama arrived with Hashirama and Tsunade, using the Flying Thunder God.

Yami didn't move toward Sasuke. Instead, he formed a seal.

"Wood Release: Tree World Birth."

Massive, thick roots burst from the ground, wrapping tightly around Izumi, Hikari, Kurenai, and Yugao.

Apart from them, every ninja caught in the moonlight instinctively looked up. Their eyes dulled within moments, and their consciousness blurred.

Rinnegan ripples spread across their pupils. Yami glanced around, and even had the leisure to snap a few photos with his camera.

Madara's consciousness was slipping too, but with the remaining Rinnegan power in his body, he held out just long enough to dive under Sasuke's Susanoo wings, where his mind stabilized.

"Don't."

He caught Naruto's raised fist before it landed, not fighting back.

"We have a common enemy now. I'll settle our grudges after Orochimaru is dealt with."

Madara even wagged his finger. "No one understands Infinite Tsukuyomi better than I do."

"Naruto, the situation isn't good. Look outside." Tobirama pushed Naruto's fist down.

Naruto turned, and his eyes widened. From the ground, massive vines were sprouting everywhere, splitting into countless smaller vines that coiled around captured shinobi. White bandages wrapped them up like cocoons hanging from the trees.

The sight made everyone's skin crawl.

"Madara, what exactly is Infinite Tsukuyomi?" Hashirama asked.

Madara snorted and tilted his chin up. "It's a ninjutsu even the Sage of Six Paths found difficult to perform. Obito was right—Infinite Tsukuyomi is a super illusion. It creates a perfect world."

"But it requires an immense amount of chakra to maintain. Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't do it alone, so… the power of others is needed."

"I can feel it!" Naruto suddenly said. "The God Tree is draining everyone's chakra!"

Tobirama's face darkened. "Madara, you're killing the entire ninja world. Once they lose all their chakra, they'll die!"

"Their spirits will live forever in the new world," Madara said without a shred of guilt. "Chakra is the root of conflict. Too many people wielding power is why the ninja world will never know peace."

Others glared at him in disbelief. These were the lives of the entire world.

Only Hashirama, who knew him best, looked on with a complicated expression. "Madara… if Infinite Tsukuyomi succeeds, you'll be the only one left in the ninja world. Don't you feel lonely?"

Madara's brow furrowed slightly. "It's the price of peace. Back then, you stabbed me for Konoha. Now I can make sacrifices for peace too."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Shisui fell silent.

They could already picture it: the entire world silent, with only Madara seated in the void, watching the vines below, enduring endless loneliness to maintain Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Even imagining it made the weight of it feel unbearable.

For a moment, their eyes toward Madara became complicated.

He was a terrible man, but his goal… was almost noble. It was maddeningly contradictory.

"Then why stop Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked. "If it's Infinite Tsukuyomi anyway, just let him do it."

"Because others are selfish," Madara said coldly. "Only I can create a truly fair world."

Then his gaze shifted toward Yami, who was snapping a photo of Terumi Mei. "And as a warrior, I will defeat Yami at full strength to prove I am the strongest."

"There are still a few bugs left… as expected, the Rinnegan can resist Infinite Tsukuyomi."

Orochimaru's eyes swept the transformed earth before finally locking onto Yami, his expression turning cold.

As for Sasuke and the others, he didn't care. Escaping Infinite Tsukuyomi meant nothing if you were still an ant.

But Yami was different. He had crushed Obito, who was at Six Paths level, nearly reducing him to pieces.

"Do we still have to fight after all?"

Orochimaru reshaped a Truth-Seeking Ball into a Kusanagi sword, gripping it tightly. He felt both wary and confident.

A large portion of the God Tree's absorbed chakra had already entered his body, restoring him after casting Infinite Tsukuyomi. Once he absorbed everyone's chakra, he was certain he could crush Yami.

Buzz.

"Yami-kun."

Orochimaru pointed the sword tip toward him.

"I will take back all the humiliation you've ever given me."

Yami scratched his ear, sounding helpless. "Obito said that. Madara said that. Now you're saying it. You villains… every time you get some power, you get arrogant. Ever think about being humble?"

"I'm not who I used to be."

Orochimaru smiled arrogantly. "Now I'm a true immortal, a true god."

"No, you're not."

The next instant, a black hand burst through Orochimaru's chest, clutching his still-beating heart.

Black Zetsu emerged from behind him, grinning wickedly.

"Now that the jutsu is complete, I'll let the real god deal with Yami. You've served your purpose, Orochimaru."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 244: Madara, You Should Really

Sasuke was confused.

Naruto was confused.

Tobirama was confused.

Hashirama was also confused.

But the one most baffled of all was Madara.

Was Black Zetsu really this strong?

Even he hadn't sensed how Black Zetsu slipped into Orochimaru's body and managed to turn around and rip out his heart.

But after the shock passed, his mood flipped instantly. He bolted out from under Sasuke's Susanoo without a word.

That talk earlier about working together to deal with Orochimaru? Yeah, that was pure nonsense.

He was the only one who could become the Sage of Six Paths and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi.

"Great job, Black!"

"Get the Rinnegan back right now, don't waste time fighting!"

Madara didn't care about appearances anymore, sprinting over while shouting at Black Zetsu and Orochimaru.

…Except Black Zetsu didn't care about him at all. Still clutching Orochimaru's heart, he sneered.

Orochimaru's eyes moved with difficulty. His chakra felt like it had been sealed by a Yin-Yang black rod, completely unusable.

"Orochimaru, Yami is too strong," Black Zetsu's hoarse voice echoed in his ears.

"He's a heretic in this world, an existence beyond common sense. You're still far from being able to handle him. What we need is a true god… the Rabbit Goddess."

"Only she can erase this unstable factor."

Madara slowed, frowning.

"The Rabbit Goddess?"

"Black Zetsu, what the hell are you talking about? Who's the Rabbit Goddess?"

Even if you were talking about me… wouldn't I be the Rabbit God instead???

"Madara, you're such a disappointment."

Black Zetsu's form spread, covering half of Orochimaru's body. His voice now came from Orochimaru's mouth. "Not only was the pawn I chose a waste, but you're also a waste. You can't even handle Yami."

Madara's fists tightened. "Do you even know what you're saying? Black Zetsu… you're my creation. I could turn you into sludge with a thought."

"Hahaha!"

Black Zetsu laughed using Orochimaru's body, shaking his head. "Madara, you want the whole world immersed in an illusion, but you don't even realize you're the first one living in one. The dream you've been chasing? I painted it for you."

His voice sharpened. "I've never been your will. I am Kaguya's will!"

…

Hearing that name, Sasuke's heart skipped, his pupils shrinking.

"Sasuke, you know who that is?" Naruto asked quickly, and the others turned to look.

"It's Yami-sensei," Sasuke said seriously. "Yami mentioned that name once."

Naruto scratched his head. "Why don't I remember that?"

"You weren't there."

Sasuke took a breath. "That time Yami took Yuichi and me to get a foot massage, he said the most beautiful woman in the world was Kaguya, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. But I'm not sure if it's the same Kaguya Black Zetsu is talking about."

The moment the words left his mouth, a faint voice slid into Sasuke's ear, startling everyone.

"Going for a pedicure again? When was this?"

Hikari and Izumi appeared out of nowhere, Hikari looking at Sasuke with a hint of hostility.

Sasuke forced a smile. "Not long ago. Did you two ever hear Yami-sensei talk about this Kaguya?"

Unlike Tsunade's baffled, shocked reaction, Hikari and Izumi were calm, showing no surprise at this twist.

Izumi nodded slightly. "You'll understand soon enough. Yami's been working toward bringing the Rabbit Goddess here."

In truth, they were also curious to see what the "most beautiful woman in the ninja world" that Yami spoke of looked like.

Just earlier, a shadow had briefly passed across the moon, too quick and blurred for anyone to see clearly.

Not far away, Yami appeared beside Madara, patting his shoulder with a sigh.

"Look at you… after all this, you got played by a lump of black mud. Pitiful, really."

"But honestly, you should be thanking Orochimaru. If he hadn't taken the Rinnegan, you'd be the one getting your heart ripped out."

…

Black Zetsu had been about to keep mocking Madara, maybe smack him around a bit, but the moment he saw Yami coming, he didn't dare stall any longer. He unleashed Devouring Jutsu at full force.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

Orochimaru screamed as chakra burst from his body.

Black Zetsu's form melted into liquid, spreading from the heart outward, flooding the rest of Orochimaru's body.

At the same time, massive amounts of materialized chakra erupted from the earth like a fountain, tearing the ground apart. Along with the chakra absorbed from the God Tree, it surged into Orochimaru at terrifying speed.

In the next instant, Orochimaru's body began to swell.

Like a balloon, it expanded rapidly.

"Stop him now!"

Madara snapped out of his shock. Ignoring Yami's jab, he quickly formed seals.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"

Naruto and Sasuke followed up with their own long-range attacks.

"Lightning Style: Chidori Sharp Spear!"

"Sage Art: Super Heavy Rain Rasenshuriken!"

The three attacks of wind, fire, and lightning blended perfectly, growing more destructive as they collided but Orochimaru's hair suddenly grew wildly, whipping around like tentacles and easily dispersing the combined blast.

He couldn't control the chakra flooding him. His body kept swelling, lifting into the air.

Black Zetsu's form was now completely white.

With only one eye left, he looked at Yami. Even now, his smile was calm. When he noticed his gaze, he smiled and waved at him.

It was like he was saying goodbye.

Yami… is this part of your plan too?

What exactly are you trying to do?

Rip—!

[Host and Orochimaru have reached the third stage of the Regret Bond. Reward: Ten Tails Chakra (90%).]

(To be continued.)