Chapter 395: Broken Defense and Reunion of Mother and Son
"Pfft!"
Ye Wen couldn't hold back his laughter. Even now, after everything, Madara Uchiha was still clinging to his "Eye of the Moon Plan" as if it were his lifeline. It was almost too much.
He patted Madara on the shoulder, suppressing his mirth, and said with gentle irony, "Madara, don't tell me that your method to achieve everlasting peace… is the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
Madara's mind reeled with questions. Having been resurrected and thrown into intense combat so quickly, he hadn't had time to assess much of the current situation in the ninja world.
"The Eye of the Moon Plan is a lie," Ye Wen stated plainly, seeing no point in deceiving Madara. Sometimes, truth was the strongest weapon.
"That's impossible!" Madara's instinct was to deny it, but considering Ye Wen's obvious transcendence beyond any ordinary power, he hesitated. Was it truly inconceivable that such a being would lie? The certainty in his Rinnegan wavered.
"Then what is it?" Madara murmured to himself, torn between belief and denial. Accepting Ye Wen's words would mean that his entire life his fake death, years in hiding, the mysteries of the Rinnegan all of it would amount to nothing.
Seeing Madara's turmoil, Ye Wen continued, "The ninja world is far deeper and more complex than you realize, Madara. Trying to explain it with words would take too long. It's better if you see for yourself."
With that, Ye Wen placed a finger on Madara's forehead. As a flash of golden light passed through, Madara's gaze turned dazed, then returned to sharp clarity as realization dawned.
"No… how could this be?" Madara muttered over and over, his psychological defenses clearly shattered. To realize that all his meticulous planning, the deceptions he thought he controlled, were nothing more than the machinations of another that he was, in the end, the fool was a devastating revelation.
But the next moment, Madara's deep seated rage flared, his body radiating deadly intent that was unmistakable, even on the ground.
"Ō Tsu Su Ki Black Zetsu!" Madara's words dripped with venom.
Ye Wen's voice cut through the tension. "Calm down, Madara."
Even as Madara glared at him, seething, he suppressed his rage, body stiffening in compliance with the being before him, though his expression revealed the thirst for Black Zetsu's blood. Ye Wen understood Madara's fury all too well anyone would feel an intense hatred toward someone who had deceived and betrayed them for so long.
Yet Black Zetsu, after all, was Kaguya's imperfect creation, and Ye Wen had already managed to sway Kaguya to his side. Letting her son be killed would be, to say the least, a poor show of faith. If a reconciliation was possible, it was worth the effort.
"I understand your rage, Madara, but I still need Black Zetsu alive. If you can set aside your vengeance, I will offer you something in return: the complete resurrection of your brother, Uchiha Izuna. Not only that your brother will also join my ranks, enjoying eternal life as one of my apostles. What do you say?"
Madara froze. Among the Uchiha, known for their fierce bonds with family, the love between brothers was paramount. To Madara, nothing was more important than his brother, Izuna. While he could theoretically use the Rinnegan's power to bring his brother back to life, such a revival would be fleeting, as all shinobi's lives were ultimately ephemeral.
Ye Wen's offer was far too tempting. In that instant, even Madara's steely heart set aside its vengeful hatred. Seeing his willingness to negotiate, Ye Wen gave a nod of approval, though he mentally noted that should Madara ever betray him, mercy would not be on the table.
Meanwhile, far away on the moon, Ye Wen turned to Kaguya, who stood nearby.
"Kaguya, go to this place and retrieve your third son. Also, oversee the upcoming conflicts in Konoha."
With his divine sense, Ye Wen transmitted all necessary information to Kaguya. She nodded her understanding and used her Dimensional Rift to appear on the battlefield beside Madara.
The moment she stepped foot into the ninja world, Kaguya's chakra familiar yet ancient radiated across the land. Although she had been sealed long before the birth of Indra and Asura, her devoted son, Hamura, had informed her of their existence a millennium prior. Though she had never met her grandsons, her connection to chakra allowed her to immediately recognize the diluted Six Paths chakra flowing within Madara, clearly from Indra's line.
After a brief inspection, Kaguya looked away dismissively, sensing that the chakra traces of Indra within Madara were faint.
"Greetings, my lord," Kaguya said, bowing to the avatar of Ye Wen's divine essence. She showed respect fitting of her master, though she was still careful and distant, wary of any being powerful enough to command her allegiance.
Ye Wen acknowledged her with a wave, then motioned for her to retrieve Black Zetsu.
"Byakugan!" Kaguya's eyes, much larger and fiercer than those of the Hyuga clan, bulged as she activated her vision.
But as soon as she arrived, Black Zetsu had already abandoned his longtime ally, Uchiha Obito, the moment he sensed Kaguya's presence.
"Mother…" he called out instinctively.
With a single glance, Kaguya's eyes softened. Despite the thousand year separation, Black Zetsu was the only one who had dedicated himself to her freedom. Unlike her traitorous sons, Black Zetsu was her true child.
Madara instinctively released a renewed wave of killing intent, but Zetsu, recalling his imminent danger, quickly fled to hide behind Kaguya.
Seeing her child's distress, Kaguya remained calm, confident that she could handle even a powerhouse like Madara. In response to a look from Ye Wen, Madara reluctantly reined in his anger and stood down.
All of this, Madara reminded himself, is for Izuna.
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