The vast earth was riddled with deep trenches and craters, showing no trace of the once-prosperous Hidden Rain Village.
Uchiha Madara lay sprawled on the ground in a disheveled state, forming the character "大" . As for the Outer Path Statue, having lost Madara's control and expended a massive amount of chakra, it had fallen completely silent.
The clouds began to gather again, a result of the permanent weather alteration caused by the ancient battle between Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and her sons, the Sage of Six Paths. The area was perpetually shrouded in rain.
As the drizzle fell, Madara made no attempt to move. The once-arrogant Warlord of the Ninja World, who had believed himself peerless, had been utterly crushed by overwhelming power, leaving him without a shred of will to resist.
There was no other reason—it was simply a matter of insurmountable disparity in strength. Just as a lowly genin using every trick in the book could never defeat a jonin, resistance, though possible, would be meaningless. If this man truly wished to kill him, Madara fully understood just how hollow his so-called Six Paths powers were.
From start to finish, this man had been toying with him.
"Truly monstrous," Madara muttered in resignation.
With such a monster in existence, the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan was utterly unfeasible.
Even if there were a one-in-ten-thousand chance of successfully activating the Infinite Tsukuyomi, this man, far stronger than himself, could easily suppress him in an instant.
In this situation, what was the point of even trying?
Ye Wen approached slowly, admiring Uchiha Madara.
After all, here was a man who could sacrifice everything for his ideals—a ruthless individual.
Moreover, Madara's combat skills were exceptional. In terms of pure fighting technique, many first-tier gods might not be able to match him. What Madara lacked was simply a force known as divine power.
As for the Six Paths powers—hmph.
It wasn't that Ye Wen looked down on the lineage derived from Kaguya Ōtsutsuki; rather, even Kaguya herself had only a superficial understanding of her own family's power system. She was merely a user of chakra, not its creator.
Isshiki, though powerful, was not a core member of the Ōtsutsuki clan and possessed limited knowledge.
Ye Wen grew increasingly restless. Kinshiki, Momoshiki, why haven't you two shown up yet?
But then again, it wouldn't be long now. After all, Naruto Uzumaki was now at the age to attend school, and once he graduated, it would signal the arrival of visitors from parallel worlds.
Ah, it was truly something to look forward to. The Ōtsutsuki were indeed a rare and invaluable treasure of a civilization.
Madara glanced at Kakashi, who seemed distracted despite staring at him, and spoke coldly with a hint of displeasure.
"Boy, I know I'm going to die, but could you satisfy an old man's curiosity? Why couldn't my Rinnegan abilities affect your soul or chakra?"
Madara's voice pulled Ye Wen back from his brief lapse in focus.
Glancing at the half-dead Madara, Ye Wen chuckled softly.
"When did I say I was going to kill you?"
?!
At first, Madara was surprised that his opponent would spare someone like him, whose hands were stained with countless misdeeds. But soon, he calmed down. Without the possibility of realizing the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan and bringing eternal peace to the ninja world, he might as well die.
"Do as you wish. Right now, I'm more curious about how you nullified my Six Paths powers."
Ye Wen internally sighed. This was typical of the Uchiha, a clan often labeled as insane—even in this situation, they still sought to satisfy their curiosity.
Or perhaps it was fitting for those chosen by Indra's chakra—they were pure to the core.
Still, victors often sought superiority in every aspect, and satisfying their enemies' curiosity was one of the most common ways to do so.
Fortunately, Ye Wen wasn't a villain who would meet his end through excessive dialogue. He calmly began to explain.
"It's a simple question. Do you know the difference between water and oil?"
Madara nodded slightly, his instincts as a shinobi kicking in as he anticipated the explanation.
"To use an analogy, my power is like water, while your Six Paths powers are like oil. Oil has a lower density than water, much like how oil floats on top of water in soup. Your abilities can only remain on the surface and cannot interfere with me."
The reasoning was straightforward, and Madara immediately grasped the secret behind it.
"I see," Madara murmured, falling silent afterward.
The supreme power of the ninja world—the Six Paths powers—was, ironically, the weaker force. It was almost laughable.
But Madara knew his perception hadn't failed him. The person before him, though appearing to be Kakashi, had clearly transformed into something else entirely.
"So, who are you?"
As an ancient relic of the Warring States era, Madara had no concept of beings from beyond the mortal realm. He assumed this person might be an existence older than himself, akin to the demons of the Ghost Country or the tailed beasts.
Ye Wen merely chuckled and shook his head, countering with a question of his own.
"Uchiha Madara, I have high hopes for you. Would you be willing to become my apostle and spread my light across the ninja world?"
Hearing this, Madara furrowed his brow. This tone sounded eerily similar to the followers of the evil gods from the Land of Hot Water.
"Who exactly are you?" Madara asked again.
Strangely enough, Ye Wen reflected, Madara could be incredibly stubborn at times, to the point where ten donkeys couldn't drag him away from his convictions.
"Who am I?"
At that moment, the sacred aura of Ye Wen spread outward. Though there was no visible change in his appearance, the divine presence left Madara deeply shaken. It was a miraculous power he hadn't felt in over seventy years.
Vast, sacred, inclusive—no words could fully describe the essence of this power.
"I am the god of peace brought to the ninja world, and also the god who will bring an end to this era of shinobi.
You may call me—the God of the Vast Ocean."
"A god!?"
Madara's eyes widened in disbelief. Though the ninja world had many who bore the title of "god"—the God of Shinobi, evil gods, demigods—the list went on.
Instinctively, Madara wanted to deny it. But recalling the overwhelming force that had suppressed his Six Paths powers, he fell silent once more.
Without further explanation, Ye Wen stepped forward and raised his hand slightly. A point of golden light entered Madara's body.
The greatness of a god needed no elaboration.
Chakra depletion, physical exhaustion, and grievous injuries vanished in an instant, as if the toll of all previous battles had been nothing but an illusion. Though techniques like Izanagi could achieve similar effects, Madara clearly sensed that this transformation was caused by that single point of golden light. Now, the light burned within his dantian, providing him with an endless source of power.
Unconsciously, Madara began to believe that this man might truly be the embodiment of the god of peace.
The abandoned plan reignited within him. Madara sprang to his feet eagerly and addressed Ye Wen earnestly.
"Great God of Peace, I have a method to bring eternal peace to the ninja world."
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