SWNOVELXO Chapter 164: Chapter 174
But unfortunately, Killer Bee was directly sacrificed to feed the Ten Tails.
The Eight Tails had considered Killer Bee a good person… but if Killer Bee hadn't gone to feed the Ten Tails, the next one fed would've been it.
To a tailed beast, seeing the Ten Tails brought nothing but disgust and terror.
A primal fear—it instinctively knew it had once been a part of that thing.
But the Eight Tails... had no desire to go back.
Moreover—
It still hadn't completed the mission entrusted to it by the Sage of Six Paths.
So… being a little cowardly right now? Made perfect sense.
As long as it never had to see the Ten Tails again, that was the best outcome.
And...
Killer Bee was gone. The Cloud Village had collapsed. There was no coming back from that.
So…
Let it be.
Killer Bee's mouth held a stone inscribed with the Flying Thunder God seal crafted by Tobirama. Then, it dived into the water.
Half ox, half octopus, it moved through water like a natural swimmer.
It could dive very deep.
And the only thing it could do for the Cloud Village now was bury that marker as deep as possible, so that even if a Tailed Beast Bomb or Truth-Seeking Orb was sent here, maybe—just maybe—Cloud Village would be a little bit safer.
"Speaking of which…" Tobirama stood on the shore. "That Flying Thunder God marker just now—you carved two different types of seals?"
"I won't deny your talent, but trying to master too much is no good."
"One Flying Thunder God seal is enough." Tobirama said.
"One of them is my own personal version," Kitahara Kaede replied. "The other—I replicated the design used by the Fourth Hokage on his kunai."
"This way, if he's ever resurrected or summoned back by Edo Tensei in the future, he can also throw any Tailed Beast Bombs or Truth-Seeking Orbs here as well."
"…I see." Tobirama nodded.
So it's like that, huh?
So in other words—you're already planning to Edo Tensei both your dumb big brother and the Fourth Hokage?
"Eh!?"
Tobirama was about to make a sarcastic remark when suddenly—his expression turned serious.
"Quick—look at the sky!" Tobirama warned.
Kitahara Kaede looked up—and saw the newly risen bright moon.
Just like yesterday, it was glowing brilliantly—but slightly off its usual course, far closer to the shinobi world than normal.
... … …
But a figure was flying directly toward the moon.
Flying—
It was actually flying to the moon.
"What is that…"
"Could it be… the same Ōtsutsuki Toneri from before?" Tobirama asked.
But Kitahara Kaede shook his head.
The moon being so close was a sign of Incomplete Infinite Tsukuyomi being activated again.
And if that were the case…
Kitahara Kaede looked toward the direction of the Cloud Village.
As expected—the Ten Tails that had been tossed there was gone.
Most likely, it had been used to cast another Infinite Tsukuyomi.
And then, matching what he could now see in the distance—that silhouette flying toward the moon...
It was Uchiha Madara.
Kitahara Kaede lowered his gaze to the tiny bunny in his coat pocket.
Two little paws clung tightly to the pocket's edge, and its wide eyes were staring intensely at the moon above.
"..." The little white ninja bunny.
It must've recognized it.
The one heading to the moon now was Uchiha Madara—and he was half white and half black.
Which meant… he wasn't acting alone.
Black Zetsu was with him.
Which meant… this unlucky bastard was finally making his move.
To confirm whether Ōtsutsuki Kaguya truly existed on the moon.
And that… was something Kitahara Kaede also wanted to know.
Above the sky…
"Are there… two moons?"
Uchiha Madara had used the pseudo-Infinite Tsukuyomi to pull the moon closer. Then, with the gravitational powers of his Rinnegan, he flew upward toward the moon.
But after reaching it, he discovered something strange—he was standing on the moon, yet to the side, there was another, smaller moon-like satellite.
Something he had never seen before.
"This…"
Black Zetsu, still fused with Madara's body, hesitated a moment.
"That should be from when I first came here—back then, I met the descendant of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother—Ōtsutsuki Toneri."
"He pulled me back to the Shinobi World, wanting to destroy it. But he was defeated by Konoha, and eventually sealed away."
"And now, it's taken on this form," said Black Zetsu.
"Hehehe…"
Madara chuckled at that.
"Konoha these days is quite fascinating."
"I had no idea Hashirama had that kind of power."
"Looks like I was completely fooled by him…"
"So he was always this strong, huh…"
"It was all lies from the start!"
Uchiha Madara laughed again—but this time, it sounded more like a bitter laugh.
"..." Black Zetsu.
Madara, you say you won't get tricked?
You don't even know about Kitahara Kaede, and you still think Hashirama's the one who beat you!?
But… Black Zetsu wasn't about to tell Madara the truth.
After all, Madara was just a tool. As long as the tool worked, who cared what it knew?
And so…
Man and parasite began exploring the moon together. Now that Madara's Rinnegan had fully recovered, he could float and fly easily.
Their speed was fast.
"Tell me more about this Ōtsutsuki Toneri and his clan on the moon," Madara said.
"Of course."
Black Zetsu wanted Madara to cut open the moon anyway, so of course it wouldn't hold back.
In its narration, Madara learned about 80% truth.
The other 20% was a lie—namely, that within the moon lies the power of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother—Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
When Black Zetsu lied, it always sprinkled in just enough truth to make the lie believable.
But because this was Madara—
It could go with 80% lies and 20% truth, and it'd still work.
"I see…"
Madara came to understand that the branch family of Ōtsutsuki Hamura had fought among themselves on the moon for generations, until only one descendant—Ōtsutsuki Toneri—remained.
"As I thought…"
He muttered, "Where there are people—and where there is power—there will always be conflict."
"And my plan—for Infinite Tsukuyomi, where everyone is enveloped in peace—that's far more gentle than what this Ōtsutsuki Hamura's clan has done."
Said Uchiha Madara.
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