Chapter 189: Take a Few More Glances at This World for Me.
"You just mentioned Infinite Tsukuyomi.”
Madara’s gaze was fixed on Hakken Yoru.
The person ultimately resurrected by Infinite Tsukuyomi...
What does that mean?
“It’s exactly as you heard. The so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi isn’t a technique meant to bring peace to the world—it’s simply the prerequisite for reviving Kaguya.”
Hakken explained casually. “The Stone Monument you saw in the Uchiha Shrine? Its contents weren’t the true words left by the Sage of Six Paths either.”
“He altered them.”
Hakken pointed at Black Zetsu, openly revealing his adopted son’s role in the matter.
“He isn’t your consciousness either, but Kaguya’s consciousness, the one who guided you into activating Infinite Tsukuyomi.”
“Hm, you might not understand this part right away.”
“It’s like how you saw Tobi as a pawn, but Black Zetsu also viewed you as one.”
“As for Kaguya, she was the mother of both the Sage of Six Paths and Black Zetsu. A thousand years ago, she was sealed away by her own son, and Black Zetsu was left behind.”
“Infinite Tsukuyomi is the method to break that seal.”
Pointing toward the sky, Hakken continued.
“The location of the seal is the moon above us.”
“As luck would have it, I was bored one day and decided to visit the moon. I ended up smashing it in half and ran into her.”
“So now, there’s no need to activate Infinite Tsukuyomi anymore.”
“The Konoha you see before you now is the true symbol of peace.”
A deathly silence followed.
Madara’s breathing shifted from steady to strained, his eyes bloodshot with growing anger.
Then, it spiraled into despair and confusion.
He seemed to experience a lifetime’s worth of emotions in an instant.
Infinite Tsukuyomi...
It wasn’t a technique meant to bring peace!
It was a conspiracy against him?!
How could he possibly accept this?!
Decades of planning for his resurrection...
What the hell have I been living for?
Staring at his hands, Madara’s mind went blank.
Hakken Yoru had no reason to deceive him.
A powerful opponent—especially one who could defeat him effortlessly—had no motive to lie.
So, Madara had no choice but to believe the truth about Infinite Tsukuyomi.
He wasn’t a fool.
When he saw Black Zetsu’s attitude toward that woman, he knew something was wrong.
The truth was too cruel.
It was natural that he couldn’t accept it immediately.
Slumped on the ground, Madara suddenly realized that everything he had done had lost its purpose.
Peace...
Sighing deeply, Hashirama squeezed in beside Madara.
Perhaps only now could Madara finally talk to himself in peace.
“Hashirama.”
Madara slowly raised his head and met Hashirama’s gaze. The bewildered look in his eyes made Hashirama feel a bit lost.
For the first time, he saw Madara without his fighting spirit.
“What is the meaning of my existence?”
Madara pointed to his Rinnegan, then tore open the front of his shirt. Hashirama’s face, visible through the tear, also looked somewhat confused.
After decades of scheming, all I got in the end was a mere dream.
Now that I've awakened, what can I possibly do?
The peace I once held onto...
Madara didn't go after Black Zetsu for revenge. The only thing left in his heart, hollow and desolate, was bitterness.
"Hey, this isn't like you at all."
Hashirama patted Madara's shoulder, then, without hesitation, grabbed his hand and led him toward Konoha.
"Whether the Infinite Tsukuyomi truly brings peace or not—does any of that matter anymore?"
"This Konoha we're seeing now, isn't it the very village we discussed beside the Naka River?"
"It doesn't matter if I couldn't achieve it myself. Entrust the belief in peace to the next generation. They'll learn from our experiences and mistakes, figuring out how to pave the way."
"Just like how Tobirama's wrong example with the Uchiha clan has already been overturned by the Fifth."
Hashirama gave Madara's hand another squeeze, feeling a deep sense of contentment.
"Both you and I have our own paths. If yours doesn't work out, try helping others instead."
"I'm already dead, Madara. But you're alive again."
"If you can, keep watching over Konoha for me. When you die again, tell me what you've seen."
"Consider it our promise."
He lightly punched his own face against Madara's chest, finding the moment a little amusing.
His opponent, at times, wasn't all that unreasonable.
Just a bit childish, perhaps. Well, he was much the same.
Had the Infinite Tsukuyomi really lost its importance?
A flicker of light returned to Madara's eyes.
Yes.
For now, peace had arrived.
But how long would it last? No one knew. If possible, becoming its guardian seemed like a worthy pursuit.
But...
Would he even have the chance?
Madara glanced at the Hakken, ready to speak.
But before he could, several figures appeared on the horizon, making their way toward them.
The defeated Orochimaru, who had lost his will and was now being brought to justice, blood dripping from his body. Alongside him was the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, covered in blood as well.
Also present were the Night Owl Team from the Hakken, and Tsunade.
Accompanying them was Obito Uchiha. Like Orochimaru, his body bore the markings of sealing jutsu, and he was escorted by Kakashi.
Minato hadn't arrived.
After all, he was responsible for receiving information from all the major ninja villages, and he would likely be busy for much of the night.
Moreover, the Chūnin Exams at the Central Tower were still ongoing, requiring supervision.
"Fifth.."
Sarutobi seemed somewhat awkward with Hakken's new title, hesitating before addressing him.
"Orochimaru wishes to see you."
"Mr. Orochimaru..."
Hakken nodded and stepped in front of him. Orochimaru seemed to have given up resisting.
In a world like this, continuing to play the villain seemed pointless.
"Hakken-kun."
Orochimaru nodded at Hakken, his voice tinged with emotion.
"Though I don't know how you'll deal with me, if pleasing you is the goal, I've done all I can."
"So before anything else, I want to ask you one question."
"Peace has indeed arrived, but how will you face the day when you gradually grow old and lose your power to rule?"
It was a profound question.
One that Orochimaru had spent his entire life trying to avoid.
Immortality.
"I know what you're asking, but what I can tell you is this."
"Time has lost all meaning for me. If I desire, I can seal off someone's flow of time... as easily as snapping my fingers."
"Do you understand what that means?"
His gaze shifted, the depths of his blue eyes reflecting an endless cosmos.
The fusion of the Tenseigan's power with the Divine Cry ability unleashes time-stopping!
And this method of depriving others of their time flow... is immortality!
His eyes hadn't yet reached their ultimate potential.
But freezing someone's time was hardly difficult.
“Immortality!”
Orochimaru’s eyes burned with fanatical fervor.
“Not your forbidden technique, Living Corpse Reincarnation, which requires draining mental and soul energy to sustain life. I’m talking about true, eternal life.”
“Do you want it?”
His voice dripped with temptation. In that moment, Hakken appeared nothing short of a charlatan.
Do you want it?
Orochimaru stared at Hakken in shock.
Even the Third Hokage, battered and bloodied, was dumbfounded.
“Yes!”
Orochimaru nodded fiercely, eager to seize the opportunity.
“Fifth Hokage, this... this is probably...”
After finally capturing Orochimaru, were they really going to let him go?
And judging by Hakken Yoru’s words, he might even offer Orochimaru the chance at immortality?
The Third Hokage was completely baffled, unable to comprehend Hakken Yoru’s train of thought.
“Oh, I almost forgot about you.”
Hakken slapped his forehead and turned to Sarutobi. “Earlier, you used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal on Orochimaru, right?”
Sarutobi had indeed used it.
But awkwardly, the death god’s specter had disappeared as soon as it saw Hakken Yoru.
Not only had Orochimaru’s soul escaped, but even his own soul, along with that of his sensei Tobirama, had been left uncollected.
“Good. Even at your age, your convictions remain unshaken.”
Hakken patted the Third Hokage’s shoulder, contemplating.
“This is why you deserve to be called a Kage.”
“Willing to sacrifice for Konoha—you’ve earned your place on the Wall of Honor.”
On the wall?
Sarutobi’s heart surged with emotion.
“But, Third Hokage, even now, you still fail to see Orochimaru’s true value.”
After making his point, Hakken shook his head.
“Are his human experiments really as harmful as they seem?”
“Weren’t you once in favor of his research on the First Hokage’s cells? But, of course, everything has its limits.”
“Killing him is far less cost-effective than keeping him alive and channeling his research into something useful.”
His gaze returned to Orochimaru, and Hakken punched him square in the chest.
It hurt!
Orochimaru rolled his eyes, nearly losing consciousness.
The punch wasn’t particularly hard, but if it had been, it could have killed Orochimaru right there.
“Tsunade, he’s yours now. In two years, I want to see Konoha’s medical standards raised to the next level.”
“Work hard. When your merits outweigh your past mistakes and you make outstanding contributions, I’ll give you the chance at immortality.”
He gave Orochimaru one last pat on the shoulder, then turned to gaze down at Konoha.
Everything before him was finally complete. His Konoha.
His village!
His world!
Yet, the conflict between two individuals had only just begun to erupt.
Turning his head, he saw Obito and Madara already locked in a standoff in the distance.
“What exactly am I to you?”
Obito, now maskless, fixed his gaze on Madara, seemingly searching for an answer in his face.
“A pawn. What else?”
Unfortunately, Obito had chosen the wrong person to confront. Words like “final partner” or “comrade” would never leave Madara’s lips.
Unless you could defeat Madara!
Like Hakken had.
So, in his usual blunt manner, Madara responded with two simple words.
“A pawn.”
If you want to know, here it is.
This is me, Uchiha Madara.
I used you—and I still think you're useless!
A pawn?
Obito’s breath quickened, his body, already unstable from absorbing White Zetsu’s form and soul, began trembling violently.
“So, that means Rin’s death...”
Even his soul began to tear apart.
The White Zetsu soul, which he had previously suppressed with his willpower, now lashed back fiercely.
“I did it.”
Madara remained calm.
As he had said, he was Uchiha Madara—a man who had committed countless evils throughout his life.
He had even used Obito’s feelings to turn him dark.
“But Obito, it seems you didn’t really care about Rin Nohara either.”
Madara’s contempt was evident.
“You had countless chances to revive Rin with my eyes, didn’t you?”
“At the very least, you could have spoken to her using Edo Tensei.”
“Why didn’t you do anything?”
Why didn’t I do anything?!
Obito’s eyes widened in disbelief, consumed by despair.
Hakken, too, felt a flicker of confusion.
There were many ways to bring someone back to life.
Yet, in the end, Obito had failed to revive Rin.
Was it because of the seal on his heart? Or because of Black Zetsu’s constant surveillance?
Hakken didn’t know.
He was just as perplexed.
If it was because Nagato’s power had once prevented him from taking the Rinnegan, then...
But after Konan’s death, Obito still hadn’t chosen to find someone to free the Rinnegan and bring Rin back.
Why?
Courage?
His heart raced.
Obito stiffly turned his head to glance at Kakashi.
Having finally understood the true purpose of his existence, Obito lost all will to live. The damage his soul had endured from the Hakken-style Zanpakutō, which he had been unable to suppress, only grew worse now.
Exhausting his last ounce of strength, Obito coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Trembling, he reached out his hand toward Kakashi.
“Kakashi...”
“Help me... apologize to Minato-sensei...”
Obito!
A man who had plunged into despair no longer had any choice but to move forward.
He was Uchiha Obito.
He had lived for one person.
Now that his dream had shattered, he had lost all reason to keep going.
The pain tearing at his soul numbed him, and the wounds on his body seemed almost nonexistent.
Thud!
Finally, in that fading moment of consciousness, he saw the person from his dreams.
This time, he found the courage to confess to her.
“Goodbye.”
“Kakashi…”
He was a man beyond redemption.
So was Madara.
But Madara still held onto the will to live.
Obito no longer did.
The only person he owed an apology to was the friend standing beside him.
His consciousness drifted back to his days with Team Minato. Clumsy and reckless, he had repeatedly put himself in danger.
And it was Minato-sensei who saved him each time.
Yet, he remembered none of that.
What he remembered instead was standing before Minato, not recognizing him, and remembering the two times he failed to arrive in time.
“Was it so hard to tell him you considered him a comrade and successor?”
Obito had already turned to dust.
The agony tearing at his soul finally consumed his body.
Such a man didn't need saving or words.
Perhaps, for Obito, leaving this world for the infinite dreamscape was the best ending.
He dared to love, dared to hate, and had his own ideals.
That was Uchiha Obito.
As for being acknowledged like Naruto did?
Sorry, Hakken couldn't do that.
Comrade? Successor?
Madara snorted and shook his head.
Those words would never leave his lips—after all, he was not Senju Hashirama.
“Edo Tensei!”
“Release!”
The Pure Land was where souls belonged.
In the distance, before departing, Orochimaru formed a seal to release the Edo Tensei.
After all, only Madara could forcibly break the control. Madara had already used Nagato's Rinnegan to resurrect himself. The contracts with Hashirama and Tobirama Senju hadn’t been dissolved; Orochimaru’s sacrifice simply stopped Hashirama Senju from being restrained. The contracts still stood.
Hurriedly glancing at Hashirama, who radiated light, Madara opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
But before Hashirama could respond, Tobirama, standing nearby, coldly muttered three words, then ascended to the heavens with pride.
This must be what they called the Second.
His apology wasn’t for Madara.
It was for the Uchiha Clan.
Perhaps, even upon seeing the Uchiha clan respected, Tobirama still couldn’t trust them.
But this belated apology was only right.
“Well then.”
The Hashirama in the sky merely gazed down with a gentle smile at the man he had acknowledged.
“Keep watching over this world for me.”
“Don’t return to the Pure Land without saying a word.”
“Also, go see your name on Konoha’s Wall of Honor.”
Suddenly remembering something at the final moment,
Hashirama hurriedly looked at Hakken Yoru.
“Fifth Hokage, take good care of Tsunade! The mission of revival is entrusted to you!”
“Do your best, just do it!”