Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 545 "Betrayal"

Madara Uchiha saw that... old man before he landed.

What should one feel upon suddenly seeing their ancestor? Surprise? Curiosity? Or perhaps a proud display of their masterpiece? Yet, surprisingly, he felt none of these emotions. Instead, a faint sadness and... intense longing welled up within him.

Of course, that desire was not for communication, but for devouring.

Ban had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. His desire grew with each step of the descent, and by the time he stood at a distance, he had forgotten his doubts and was left only with the excitement fueled by his longing.

That was the hunter's excitement at seeing his prey; he not only wanted to devour the lump in the air, but also felt a mixture of greed and awe towards the conspicuous golden figure.

Wait... a golden person?

Madara sensed something was wrong again. When a golden figure appeared in his field of vision, he didn't find it strange at all. Instead, he kept staring at the group of old men, then habitually scrutinized the luminous figure. In reality, when he observed Naruto with normal eyes, this person's appearance hadn't changed at all; he was just... a normal person.

Why is he turning a blind eye to this situation? Is this really... his idea?

"Is this what you wanted? A world where there is nothing but you." Naruto's expression didn't seem to be facing an enemy; his compassionate gaze seemed to pierce through Naruto's future.

Is this truly the expression one should have when facing the most powerful being? Sympathy for one's enemy? Ha, truly worthy of being the leader who united that organization. Such immense power, coupled with a pure and naive ideal, may indeed guide the good to be even more virtuous, but it cannot curb the greed in people's hearts. Those people will surely make insatiable demands of him until even the "savior" is unable to bear the weight of human desires.

"I have severed the cause and effect of this world, and cut off human suffering and emptiness. Look, this is a world where no one has to fight anymore. I have turned hell into heaven, and I have finally corrected the mistakes that Hashirama made. The war has never stopped. This is the ninja world that Hashirama created."

Madara Uchiha had never admitted defeat to anyone. Having just achieved his long-cherished wish, he was somewhat blinded by his own success and failed to notice the approaching footsteps behind him.

"Now, everyone is dreaming their own happy dreams in the Divine Tree, each in their own ideal world."

“No, the Infinite Tsukuyomi isn’t just for dreaming.” Hagoromo, who hadn’t disappeared, finally found a point to interject. He understood the previous Indra reincarnation’s obsession with ending the war, but why would the Infinite Tsukuyomi become the ultimate goal? He still couldn’t understand. According to this generation of Indra reincarnation, the stone tablet passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan might have had a portion of its contents erased, and he simply couldn’t figure out who had done it.

The most urgent task now is to quickly educate the public about the dangers of Infinite Tsukuyomi, and ideally, to help the other party dispel their obsession and break the illusion as soon as possible.

"My name is Hagoromo, and I am also the Sage of Six Paths. I should be the most qualified to tell the history of the past. I am the previous reincarnation of Indra. Please believe what I am about to say."

Ban's fervent joy cooled slightly, and his three eyes were fixed on the old man, as if trying to determine whether the other party was a creation of illusion.

"You've been dead for a long time, why should I believe that someone who's been dead for so long can still appear?"

"My soul has always lingered in the Pure Land, watching over the human world at all times."

The two sides seemed to be deadlocked over the issue of truth and falsehood. Sasuke gave the Six Paths a look of extreme disdain for his rambling. He was just about to reveal the most important truth himself when someone arrived at the worst possible time and interrupted everyone's rhythm with a single word.

"spot!"

It wasn't particularly surprising that Hashirama Senju wasn't asleep, but Madara still turned his head after hearing the voice, inevitably having his attention diverted. However, the one who was best at seizing opportunities never missed, and almost without hesitation, he stabbed Madara Uchiha in the back.

Naruto, who had been keeping a close eye on Black Zetsu, was the first to "see" the situation. He leaped over ten meters in a single bound, using the Truth-Seeking Balls on Madara's back to block "Obito's" neck. His speed was astonishing, startling even Black Zetsu. Fortunately, the Truth-Seeking Balls did provide some resistance. To counter the Impure World Reincarnation, Madara had specifically adjusted the energy within the Truth-Seeking Balls, enabling them to damage the soul. Naruto's outstretched arm was smashed, but this only slowed him down slightly.

Black Zetsu fled onto Madara without hesitation. He had already heard his mother's response; only with his mother was he truly safe.

"Madara!!" Hashirama was the second to react. The moment he realized something was wrong, the ground beneath Madara's feet began to tremble. However, no matter how many tree seeds Hashirama scattered across the continent, they couldn't save Madara in time. Bound by the tree seeds was only a resentful corpse, and there was no longer any trace of blackness.

The roots of the divine tree, which had encircled half the planet, began to move. They were frantically stealing the chakra of those bound and spontaneously converging towards the center. The black markings on Madara's body were also growing wildly, as if they wanted to engulf him entirely.

"Don't come any closer!" Naruto shouted, stopping Sasuke who was trying to approach. Sasuke's form was disintegrating, but it wasn't because he was being attacked; rather... he had finally broken free of his shackles and released enough of his soul. Even a living body couldn't withstand the power, let alone this illusory shell. It crumbled away, revealing a golden humanoid form within.

When he touched Ban's shoulder, the darkness naturally dissipated, for he was light, destined to cause the demise of all the dark, light-fearing creatures that crawled in darkness.

The shout also stopped Hashirama in his tracks, but he didn't do nothing. He immediately unleashed all the seeds he could muster. They coiled around the roots of the Divine Tree, desperately squeezing into the gaps between them, unleashing their most powerful absorption abilities to suppress the roaring torrent of chakra. They intertwined and fought each other in the struggle, and finally, they even showed a faint tendency to merge.

At that moment, Hashirama suddenly understood what he had to do. He remembered that outlandish attempt, which only achieved its effect with the help of clones, but now there was no time. To save Uchiha Madara, what was a gamble?

So he let his consciousness sink into the soil, expanding outwards along with the thriving roots, until that familiar yet dangerous monster reappeared.