Chapter 297: Dan, Madara, and Naruto
On a hillside outside Konoha Village.
Dan, Madara, and Black Zetsu formed a standoff.
"What are you laughing at?"
Seeing Black Zetsu suddenly laugh sinisterly, Madara felt uneasy. Could it be that everything Uchiha Dan just said was true?
"What a pity, I didn't expect that after all my planning, I would still fail in the end."
Black Zetsu sighed, then looked at Madara with a mocking expression, "But to be honest, I'm surprised that you, this fool, never doubted me from the beginning."
Fool.
The word instantly triggered Madara's nerves, making his killing intent surge like a volcano about to erupt.
At this moment, Kisame also understood.
Black Zetsu was not Madara's will incarnate, and the so-called Eye of the Moon Plan was all a lie.
Kisame's dream shattered.
As a straightforward ninja, he had been deceived and used all these years, always being Black Zetsu's pawn.
His life really was a joke.
Kisame showed a self-mocking smile, then retreated and disappeared into the forest.
At this point, no one cared about the departure of such an insignificant character.
The enraged Madara didn't even care about Dan anymore. His gaze locked onto Black Zetsu, his face full of coldness:
"You schemed all this to use me as a sacrifice to revive your mother?"
Facing Madara's questioning, Black Zetsu spread its hands, responding with a smile:
"That's right; it's your honour, Uchiha Madara.
As a living sacrifice, your consciousness will be devoured by my mother, becoming part of her forever. Such an opportunity is not something just anyone can get..."
Before it finished speaking.
Swoosh.
Madara's figure flashed, disappearing from his original position. When he reappeared, his right hand had already pierced through Black Zetsu's chest.
"Die, trash."
He gritted his teeth as he said this.
Such a being had deceived the invincible Uchiha Madara for so many years. The thought of it would make many people laugh their heads off.
For the always proud Madara, this was the biggest stain of his life.
Even killing Black Zetsu ten times, or even a hundred times, wouldn't be enough to vent his anger.
However, surprisingly.
"Hehehe."
Despite being pierced through the heart by Madara, Black Zetsu was still laughing, its expression clearly mocking Madara: You're losing your cool.
While laughing, with a bang.
Black Zetsu exploded, forcing Madara to retreat temporarily.
Then, a large amount of black liquid wriggled on the ground, regrouping not far away, forming Black Zetsu's figure again.
At the same time.
Bang.
Madara's right arm, which had pierced through Black Zetsu's heart, seemed to be corroded by the black liquid, falling off his body and onto the ground.
Initially, Madara didn't care, after all, he was in an Edo Tensei body, and could regenerate even if his entire body was destroyed.
But what Madara didn't expect was.
Hmm?
He looked down, several seconds had passed, but there was no sign of his severed arm regenerating.
What was going on?
Seeing Madara's confusion, Black Zetsu's eyes flashed, and it spoke in a superior tone:
"I possess part of my mother's power, which surpasses Bloodline Limits and Bloodline Selection, reigning above all ninjutsu—Bloodline Ensnarement.
This noble power can easily destroy you, weak human ninjas.
Even an Edo Tensei body cannot regenerate under this power and will eventually turn to dust."
Its tone was filled with pride.
"Bloodline Ensnarement..."
Madara muttered these four words, and then his eyes gleamed, "Is that so? Then let me, Uchiha Madara, see how powerful this so-called Bloodline Ensnarement really is."
He had never submitted to anyone his whole life; not even Hashirama Senju could make him submit.
There was no way he would bow to Black Zetsu now.
Moreover.
He was already revived with Edo Tensei; if he died, he could just return to the Pure Land.
Black Zetsu, however, didn't want to fight Madara for long.
It had some of Kaguya Otsutsuki's power but not much. If it fought, it would quickly be depleted and was no match for Madara.
Otherwise, Black Zetsu wouldn't have been hiding and scheming for over a thousand years.
Its power could only be used at the most critical moment, which was when reviving its mother.
Moreover, Uchiha Dan was also eyeing them. To Black Zetsu, Dan was far more dangerous than Madara, and it couldn't handle both at the same time.
So, Black Zetsu decided to retreat.
"Such a pity, I'm not interested in playing with you today. Maybe next time."
As Black Zetsu spoke, it began sinking into the ground.
The earth was Black Zetsu itself, and once it entered the ground, not even the Sage of Six Paths would be able to deal with it.
Trying to run?
Madara snapped out of it, but it was too late to stop Black Zetsu from escaping.
At that moment.
Za Warudo!
Dan extended a finger, activating the power of the Stand, and the entire world lost its colour, everything frozen in place.
In this world where time was stopped, Dan was the only one who could move freely.
He calmly crossed dozens of meters, appearing behind Black Zetsu, placing a large hand on its shoulder.
Time resumed its flow.
Hmm?
Black Zetsu, sinking into the ground, suddenly shuddered, the smile vanishing from its face.
It glanced at the large hand on its shoulder, feeling a strange power emanating from the palm, rendering it immobile.
"Uchiha Dan..."
Black Zetsu turned its head stiffly, meeting Dan's Rinnegan.
Buzz.
The Rinnegan's concentric circles released a powerful ocular jutsu, making Black Zetsu's vision spin.
Damn it.
It resisted Dan's ocular power, as the consciousness fragment of Kaguya Otsutsuki, its mental strength, was its greatest asset, immune to all genjutsu.
Even Dan with the Rinnegan couldn't control Black Zetsu with genjutsu.
"As expected of Kaguya Otsutsuki, even a residual consciousness can resist my Rinnegan. It seems there's still quite a gap between me and that woman."
Dan muttered, his expression contemplative.
However.
He had anticipated this, so the genjutsu was just a test. He had other means to deal with Black Zetsu.
Swoosh.
Taking advantage of Black Zetsu being frozen, Dan waved his large hand, tearing a rift in the space before him, like a pocket, and stuffed Black Zetsu into it.
There, it was a prison woven by Dan's spatial power.
Witnessing this, Madara frowned and then questioned Dan:
"What do you mean by this? Black Zetsu is my prey, hand it over to me!"
"No."
Dan hesitantly refused and explained, "I need it to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki."
Reviving Kaguya required the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki as a sacrifice, but the specific method was known only to Black Zetsu.
So it couldn't die just yet.
Revive Kaguya?
Hearing Dan's insane idea, Madara's pupils contracted. His first reaction was that this guy was truly mad.
Knowing it was Black Zetsu's scheme, yet still wanting to help it—Kaguya Otsutsuki, the source of chakra in the ninja world, the mother of the Sage of Six Paths, a true monster.
Snapping back, Madara took a deep breath:
"I didn't expect you to be even more arrogant than me. Tell me, what do you plan to do after reviving that woman?"
Dan smiled and gave a shocking answer:
"Nothing much, just looking for some fun. I hope the legendary Kaguya Otsutsuki can bring me a bit of entertainment."
"…"
Madara was stunned, then held his forehead, unable to stop laughing, "Haha, hahahaha..."
Too interesting.
Uchiha Dan, this guy, was too interesting.
Reviving Kaguya just for some fun. Suppose Black Zetsu had heard this; who knows what it would have thought.
Anyway, Madara was impressed.
"Hahahahaha."
Dan joined in Madara's laughter, and for a moment, the hillside echoed with their wild laughter like two lunatics.
After laughing for a while, Madara calmed down, then stared at Dan with a determined look, suddenly making a request:
"Uchiha Dan, I want to fight you, with a wager!"
"What wager?"
Dan looked at Madara with a faint smile and asked, "What are you proposing?"
"If I win, you must use the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu to revive me! However, if I lose, I will willingly submit to you and follow your orders. You want to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki, right? I want to see how far a madman like you can go..." Madara stated his terms.
Dan heard this but neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead, he asked, "You do realize that the cost of using the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu is the caster's life, right? Your wager seems rather unfair."
"What's the matter? Are you so lacking in confidence in your abilities that you're worried you can't beat me?" Madara retorted, using reverse psychology, and then reminded Dan, "Yes, the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu does cost a life, but it doesn't necessarily have to be yours."
"What do you mean...?"
"It's simple. You can do what I did and transplant the Rinnegan into a suitable person, have them use the Rinne Rebirth, and then take the eyes back. As the Sixth Hokage of Konoha and the most powerful person in the ninja world, finding a suitable sacrifice should be no problem for you," Madara suggested, having thought it all out for Dan.
In reality, upon meeting Uchiha Dan, Madara had already decided to use his power for a perfect resurrection.
"Interesting," Dan nodded, seemingly taking the bait and becoming interested in Madara's wager. "However..."
He paused, scrutinising Madara before continuing, "You are in an Edo Tensei body, far weaker than your peak when you were alive, and now you've even lost an arm thanks to Black Zetsu. Despite how confident you feel, I can tell you clearly that you don't stand a chance.
And such a one-sided wager is too boring for me, so I refuse."
Do you think I'm weak?
Madara laughed angrily at Dan's disdain, "Then what do you propose? Just say you don't dare fight me."
"Don't be hasty. I just don't want to bully you. How about this: I'll call a helper for you," Dan placated Madara, then looked towards the nearby forest and said, "You've been listening for a while now, it's time to come out and say hello."
There's someone else?
Madara was surprised and followed Dan's gaze, wondering who was hiding that he hadn't noticed.
After a few seconds.
A ripple appeared in the light among the trees, and a giant chameleon emerged from its invisibility.
Then, a blond boy stepped out as the chameleon opened its mouth.
It was Naruto Uzumaki.
On his way to Konoha, Naruto sensed Madara's powerful chakra and, out of curiosity, approached.
Since then, Naruto had been hiding inside the body of the chameleon he summoned, eavesdropping on the conversation between Dan, Madara, and Black Zetsu.
The more Naruto listened, the more shocked he became.
He finally learned of the earth-shattering conspiracy hidden in the ninja world.
It turned out that everything was part of Black Zetsu's plan, and every one was its pawn, all to one day revive its mother.
Seeing the Rinnegan in Naruto's eyes, Madara was also surprised:
"So this kid is Naruto Uzumaki? I didn't expect anyone other than Nagato to be able to bear my Rinnegan. The Uzumaki clan is impressive."
"You are Uchiha Madara."
Naruto looked at Madara expressionlessly and said coldly.
Madara's gaze sharpened as he stepped forward and commanded Naruto in an overbearing tone, "Kid, return my eyes to me, or use them to revive me. I want to fight Uchiha Dan."
Naruto smirked coldly, unfazed by Madara's imposing manner:
"Uchiha Madara, you thought you were clever by implanting the Rinnegan into Nagato, but you never expected things to turn out like this, did you?
I'll tell you the truth: I'd rather destroy these eyes than give them back to you.
In other words, you're finished!"
"You're courting death!"
Madara erupted in fury, rushing at Naruto with massive chakra erupting from his body.
Boom!
Naruto, not backing down, unleashed a surge of wild red chakra from within, clashing with Madara.
He had borrowed the power of the Nine-Tails.
One wore a blood-red Tailed Beast Cloak, while the other summoned the blue Susanoo.
Boom.
The clash generated a terrifying shockwave centred on them, sweeping across hundreds of meters.
Mountains crumbled, the ground sank, trees fell, and birds took flight in panic.
If this had happened in the densely populated Konoha Village, it would have killed thousands on the spot.
Whoosh.
After the collision, Naruto and Madara each retreated several dozen meters.
"The Nine-Tails' chakra, huh? Hmph, that beast is just my plaything. Do you think having it can rival me?"
Madara's expression was one of superiority as his Susanoo expanded further, moving towards its complete form.
Naruto was equally unyielding, ready to awaken the Nine-Tails and respond with full-tailed Beast Mode.
"Hey, you two, why are you fighting now?"
Dan suddenly appeared between them, trying to mediate, "Listen to me, stop right now and then both of you come at me together."
(Chapter ends.)