"Pfft!"
Ye Wen couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Even at this point, Uchiha Madara was still clinging tightly to his so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi plan. Ye Wen hadn't expected anything less.
But then again, considering that all Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan were obsessively stubborn, it made perfect sense.
Gently patting Madara's shoulder with his right hand, Ye Wen spoke in a calm tone, "Madara, the method you're about to propose for achieving eternal peace wouldn't happen to be the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan, would it?"
???
Madara's head was filled with question marks. After all, having just been resurrected and immediately thrown into battle, he hadn't had the chance to thoroughly analyze the current state of the ninja world.
"The Infinite Tsukuyomi plan is a lie."
Ye Wen didn't intend to deceive Madara. Sincerity was the ultimate weapon for gaining trust.
"Impossible—" Madara instinctively wanted to deny it, but recalling the transcendent nature of the man before him, it seemed there was no reason for him to lie. Unconsciously, Madara's Rinnegan began to waver.
"What is this…?"
Madara muttered to himself, wanting to accept Ye Wen's words but unable to bring himself to do so.
Because if he accepted what Ye Wen said, then what did all his years of faking death, enduring humiliation, and unlocking the secrets of the Rinnegan mean?
At this moment, Ye Wen continued, "The waters of the ninja world run deeper than you think, Madara. Explaining it in words would take too long. You'd better see for yourself."
With that, Ye Wen tapped Madara's forehead with a finger. As a flash of golden light passed, Madara's eyes went blank for a moment before regaining clarity.
An unmistakable look of disbelief appeared on Madara's face.
"How could this be? How could this be…"
Madara kept muttering to himself, visibly shaken to his core.
After all, for someone who believed they had been secretly manipulating the ninja world for decades, discovering that they were the real clown was unbearable!
But soon, true to his title as the Warlord of the Ninja World, after a wave of intense self-denial, Madara erupted with an overwhelming killing intent.
"Ōtsutsuki—Black Zetsu!!!"
Indeed, even at his peak, merely radiating such murderous intent was enough to make one's hair stand on end.
At this moment, Ye Wen's voice rang out, "Calm down, Madara."
Faced with this once-overwhelming enemy who had now become Ye Wen's apostle, Madara's body stiffened momentarily before he reluctantly submitted, suppressing his killing intent. However, his frosty expression clearly conveyed his desire to kill Black Zetsu.
Ye Wen understood Madara's feelings. After all, anyone would harbor strong resentment toward deception and betrayal.
But Black Zetsu was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's incomplete third child.
Allowing someone to act as a guide only to let their child be killed right in front of them felt deeply dishonorable to Ye Wen. So, if there was a way to resolve the conflict, it was worth trying.
"I know you're angry, Madara, but I still have use for Black Zetsu.
So, how about this—I'll fully resurrect your younger brother, and allow him to join my ranks as a priest, granting him the right to eternal life. What do you say?"
Madara froze. For the Uchiha clan, notorious for their sibling devotion, aside from his rival Hashirama Senju, his younger brother Izuna Uchiha was the most important person in his life.
Though Madara, with his Rinnegan, could revive Izuna through other means, the fragile lives of shinobi were fleeting, even for someone like Madara.
Ye Wen's offer was simply too tempting. Even someone as resolute as Madara found himself setting aside his hatred for Black Zetsu.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Ye Wen nodded approvingly. As for the possibility of Madara betraying him later—though Ye Wen often appeared easygoing, he wouldn't hesitate to deal ruthlessly with any traitors.
At this moment, Ye Wen turned to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki standing beside him on the moon.
"Kaguya, go there and retrieve your third child. While you're at it, help Konoha oversee the upcoming war."
Through Ye Wen's divine transmission, Kaguya received a wealth of information.
The aloof Kaguya nodded slightly and activated Yomotsu Hirasaka, entering the ninja world and appearing beside Madara.
As the progenitor of chakra in the ninja world, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki immediately sensed a familiar presence upon arrival.
Kaguya had been sealed long before Indra and Asura were born, but thanks to her filial son Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, she had learned of their births a millennium ago.
Though she had never met these two grandsons, Kaguya's deep understanding of chakra allowed her to instantly recognize the residual chakra of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki—diluted Six Paths Yin energy—in Madara's body.
However, Kaguya quickly refocused, as the chakra belonging to Indra in Madara's body was exceedingly faint.
"Esteemed God, I pay my respects."
Kaguya bowed to Kakashi, whose body was under Ye Wen's divine control. Though this wasn't Ye Wen's true form, respect for strength was ingrained in Kaguya's very being.
Unless, of course, that powerful individual intended to kill her.
Ye Wen was already tired of explaining Kaguya's elaborate etiquette and simply gestured for her to retrieve Black Zetsu.
"Byakugan!"
Kaguya nodded, her massive white eyes—far larger than those of the Hyūga clan—bulging with visible veins.
But Black Zetsu, who had been on the outer battlefield, had already abandoned his good friend Obito Uchiha the moment Kaguya appeared.
"Mother."
There was no need to search.
Looking at this third child she had hastily created before her sealing, even the cold-hearted Kaguya's eyes softened slightly. After all, during these thousand years, only this child had been tirelessly working to save her.
Compared to her two rebellious sons, Black Zetsu was truly her loyal child.
Seeing Black Zetsu appear, though Madara had resolved to let go of his hatred, he instinctively emitted a surge of killing intent.
This prompted Black Zetsu to suddenly remember that this Uchiha Madara, who wielded both Yin and Yang Release, was more than capable of killing him. Trembling with fear, he quickly hid behind Kaguya.
Mommy, there's a bad guy!
Kaguya remained unfazed by Madara's reaction. In her eyes, no matter how strong Madara was, he was nothing more than a slightly larger ant before the Ōtsutsuki clan, the supreme controllers of chakra in the ninja world.
With a glance from Ye Wen, Madara ultimately relented.
Everything was for the sake of his beloved younger brother, Izuna Uchiha.
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