Chapter 236
Madara's condition at this moment looked strange—his entire body wrapped in a massive shell of defeat. To the untrained eye, he appeared as though he had been sealed by Chibaku Tensei instead of becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki.
Zixu, true to the warrior's code of striking hard while the enemy transforms, didn't hesitate. He launched his attack on Madara without mercy. Hatsuizumi joined in instantly, as if the two had coordinated it beforehand—bolts of lightning and swarms of chakra-charged insects shot toward Madara like twin storms.
But Obito wasn't going to just stand by and watch. The plan had already gone off the rails. He'd hoped to replace Madara as the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, but Zixu had "destroyed" the Ten-Tails before that could happen, leaving him dejected. Even after regaining his eyes, he had little will left to face a world drenched in hopelessness.
It became clear now—Madara had cast an illusion on everyone, including Obito himself. The old fox had even planned for this moment, masking his true intentions beneath layers of genjutsu. It was easy to forget that behind Madara's overwhelming ninjutsu prowess was the formidable illusionist talent of a true Uchiha.
"And that snake Orochimaru... he must've made some kind of deal with Madara behind the scenes. But the Rinnegan should've been mine. Only I should be able to wield its power..."
The space in front of Obito began to warp. His ability was simple in theory, yet nearly impossible to counter in practice. The suicide bugs, powered to their limits, were swallowed up by his space-time vortex before they could reach Madara. For better or worse, he had no choice now—Madara was the only one capable of carrying out the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Black Zetsu floated above the battlefield, the flames surrounding him growing even fiercer. A cold smirk played on his lips—if he even had the capacity for any other expression.
Fire wrapped around his fists as he pulled back his arms, his rubber-like body stretching unnaturally. Then, like a slingshot let loose, his fists whipped forward, flames intensified by friction, turning them into two blazing serpents.
"I've been itching to beat your smug face in," Zixu growled, coughing up a mouthful of blood. His muscles tensed like steel cables. As the fire serpents closed in, he didn't flinch. With invisible force surging through his hands, Zixu met the attack head-on, clamping down on Black Zetsu's wrists like iron traps. The impact drove him backward, his heels digging two shallow trenches into the ground.