Last Time ...
Even after so many years, the pain of lasing his brother Izuna was still a raw wound for Madara, and he suddenly felt the urge to impale Tobirama with his black rods.
The chakra pressure between the two clashed, and they glared at each other angrily. The Third Hokage and Minato watched them with some consern.
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Fortunately, Hashirama quickly intervened, turning to Tobirama with a hint of anger.
"Tobirama, stop talking. Can't you be more considerate of Madara's feelings right now?"
Seeing his older brother angry, Tobirama immediately backed down, snorting coldly and turning his head away, no longer provoking Uchiha Madara.
Only then did Hashirama turn back to comfort Madara.
"Uh, Madara, don't mind what Tobirama said. He just doesn't know how to speak properly. I know you're upset about being deceived, but you need to pull yourself together. Now is the time for you to correct your mistakes. We need your help. Speaking of which, I still don't know exactly what happened. After all, the Sage of Six Paths was also unclear. Before you get too down, at least explain things clearly so I understand, otherwise how can I comfort you?"
By the end, Hashirama was even pouting and complaining, leaving Madara speechless. Hashirama was still so naturally oblivious. He composed himself and said helplessly,
"Alright, what do you want to know?"
"The battle situation, the final battle situation," Tobirama quickly prompted, afraid that his older brother would get sidetracked again with Madara.
Uchiha Madara gave Tobirama a cold glance before beginning to explain.
Minato finally summarized, "So, Black Zetsu betrayed you, you went from being the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki to having your body taken over by Kaguya, and you don't know anything after that?"
"The information isn't much more than what we already knew," Tobirama said, somewhat dissatisfied, expecting more details to be revealed.
Madara was also displeased, and said coldly, "That's all I know. If you're so capable, why don't you try using Edo Tensei to revive the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and that Uchiha boy? Oh, and there's also a silver-haired man and a pink-haired girl. Or, you could try finding that boy Obito."
"Are you saying they're all dead? If so, this world is truly doomed!" Minato finally couldn't help but get angry.
Naruto was his son, Kakashi and Obito were his students. As the five people who might be the last ones alive to save the world, Uchiha Madara clearly didn't wish them well.
Madara crossed his arms, arrogantly and cruelly getting straight to the point.
"I'm just telling the truth. Kaguya's power is not on the same level as mine at all. They couldn't even defeat me, how could they possibly deal with Kaguya? Even the Sage of Six Paths, didn't you say he suddenly disappeared? Who knows if Kaguya did something?"
Minato wanted to refute him, but deep down he knew Madara wasn't wrong. The possibility of them still being alive was actually very small, but until they found them, Minato still held onto hope.
Tobirama was always calm. Although he didn't get along with Uchiha Madara, he thought Madara's suggestion was good. Whether they were dead or not, wouldn't they know after using Edo Tensei? Hashirama hesitated, and Minato was conflicted, but in the end, both agreed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had no objections at all. In front of the powerful Second Hokage Tobirama Senju and Uchiha Madara, and Hashirama Senju, who, although not as powerful, still held sway over the two, he felt like he was back to being a student and subordinate, only able to obey their commands. To perform the Edo Tensei jutsu, cells are needed. Naruto's bloodstains were still on Minato's clothes, and Uchiha Sasuke had also been injured; Tobirama had even taken him to the battlefield, so obtaining their cells wasn't difficult. Obito and Kakashi were also seriously injured, and after some searching, their cells were collected. As for the pink-haired girl, Hashirama remembered that she was his granddaughter Tsunade's apprentice. Uchiha Madara provided information, as he had attacked the girl and gotten her blood on him. He searched his remaining half-corpse and managed to collect some cells.
Facing the five White Zetsu corpses lying on the ground, Minato almost held his breath as he watched Tobirama perform the Edo Tensei. He didn't want to see Naruto actually being resurrected. Fortunately, after a commotion, only Uchiha Obito was resurrected.
Minato immediately patted his chest, relieved, and said happily, "That's great, Naruto isn't dead."
As for feeling sorry for Obito's death, Minato had long known that Obito harbored a death wish, fighting with his crippled body only to atone for his sins. Now that he was dead, it was simply a matter of getting what he wanted.
"Obito, only you died? You're so useless," Madara said, surprised, then immediately showed some disdain. Uchiha Obito was, after all, someone he had trained himself. Now that everyone else was still alive and only he had died, it felt like he had lost.
Obito was stunned for a moment before he recognized the Hokages and Uchiha Madara in front of him. Facing Madara's criticism, he frowned,
"Madara, why have you been resurrected again? Are you unwilling to accept defeat and planning revenge against Black Zetsu and Kaguya?"
Upon hearing this, Obito actually started considering the idea.
"I really want to, but I don't know where Black Zetsu and Kaguya are. Do you know?"
"Yes, are Naruto and Kakashi alright?" Minato also asked anxiously.
After describing his situation before his death, Obito affirmed,
"It's normal that you can't find them. They're in another dimension. Kaguya can travel between different worlds, and the battlefield is constantly shifting locations. They might still be fighting. I can use Kamui to sense their location."
Hashirama excitedly patted Obito's shoulder.
"Ah, that's a great ability! It's rare to have a space-type ability in the Sharingan. That's great! If we can find them, we can go and help."
Tobirama still didn't have a good impression of this Uchiha who was previously an enemy but had now reformed, so he simply crossed his arms and didn't comment.
It was another day where Hiruzen Sarutobi was routinely ignored.
The Edo Tensei Obito finally didn't have chakra depletion problems, so he used his two Sharingan eyes freely. Almost immediately after using them, he sensed someone in his Kamui dimension. He quickly said,
"There's someone in my Kamui dimension, it might be Kakashi and the others. I'll go and bring them out."
His figure slowly disappeared. Minato could only suppress his anxiety and wait. Hashirama and the others were quite patient. Soon, Obito reappeared, pulling a person with him—it was Kakashi.
Minato first happily called out, "Kakashi!" But seeing that no one else came out, his heart sank, "Where Naruto and the others..."
Obito quickly explained, "They're not in my Kamui dimension, only Kakashi was there."
"What's wrong with your eyes?" Madara Uchiha's attention was immediately drawn to Kakashi's eyes. He narrowed his eyes slightly, questioning, "I remember I already dug out the eyes Obito gave you, so why do you still have Obito's eyes? And both of them?"
Kakashi touched his eyes. He couldn't see his own face, but he could indeed still use Obito's Sharingan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to return to the Kamui dimension after being abandoned in that barren space by Kaguya, nor would he have been able to encounter the Edo Tensei'd Obito again.
But he didn't know how he got these eyes back. He honestly said,
"I don't know how they came back. I always thought it was Obito's spirit sending them to help me after he died."
After Obito's sudden realization, his playful, almost childish side resurfaced. Although he was certainly willing to help Kakashi, their years of animosity meant that even though he had reconciled with Kakashi in his heart, he still couldn't resist being sarcastic and boastful.
"Hmph, idiot Kakashi, you're really useless without me. My Sharingan is still the best!"
Kakashi gave him a deadpan look, watching Obito, who seemed to have regained some of his youthful energy, and reluctantly replied,
"Yes, yes, I really have to thank your Sharingan. It was a great help."
Tobirama interrupted the conversation, getting straight to the point,
"We can chat later. First, tell me why you're the only one here? Where are the others? And where is Kaguya?"
Kakashi explained what had happened to the others, and Tobirama frowned.
"So, Kaguya must have moved to another dimension again, leaving you alone? Why would she do that? And this Haruno Sakura she mentioned, that's the name, right? Your subordinate?"
After receiving Kakashi's nod of confirmation, Tobirama continued, "Why would Kaguya say she was looking forward to her transformation? What transformation?"
"This Transformation... I feel like this is a key point, and it might be related to Kaguya's subsequent actions?" Minato pondered, stroking his chin, and looked at Kakashi.
"And you said that even the Sage of Six Paths was surprised that the seal failed. I feel like what the Sage of Six Paths told us might not necessarily be the real truth."
Kakashi was also worried about Sakura, but after learning that Tobirama had tried the Edo Tensei jutsu but failed to resurrect Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke, he finally felt somewhat relieved.
The question remained: where were Kaguya, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura?
Hashirama, Tobirama, Minato, and Hiruzen Sarutobi resumed their large-scale search in the real world of the shinobi, trying to find them, while Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito, and Kakashi used their Sharingan to search other dimensions for their whereabouts.
Three days passed with no results. A week passed, and although Madara, Obito, and Kakashi found many different dimensions, and even entered them to search, they still found no trace of Kaguya and the others.
Ten days later, during a brief routine rest period, Tobirama spoke with a grave expression.
"Let's put aside searching for Naruto and Sakura for now. We have something more important to do."
"What? What could be more important than finding Naruto and Sakura?" Kakashi asked, secretly pouring milk from a bag into his mouth. Everyone else was dead and didn't need to eat, but he was still alive and couldn't escape the need for food.
"To release the Infinite Tsukuyomi," Tobirama said emphatically.
Kakashi was startled. "But the key to releasing the Infinite Tsukuyomi lies with Naruto and Sasuke. They are the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura; only they can release the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Tobirama frowned. "So far, there's no sign of them, but I'm afraid the people trapped inside can't wait any longer. Even if we don't give up searching for them, we must work on releasing the Infinite Tsukuyomi simultaneously."
"Can't wait? What do you mean?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, surprised.
Tobirama Senju glanced at Madara Uchiha and Minato Namikaze and said,
"Madara and the Fourth Hokage should have noticed this too. The people trapped in the cocoons aren't simply caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi; they're also having their chakra continuously drained by the Divine Tree. Chakra isn't something that can be generated indefinitely. You all know what happens when it's completely drained. I've been observing for the past two days and found that it's not just ninjas wrapped in the Divine Tree cocoons, but also ordinary people and various creatures. Two days ago, I noticed that a cocoon that had been covering a mouse disappeared. I initially thought I had misremembered, but after paying close attention, I realized that those small creatures with very little chakra were completely absorbed by the Divine Tree after all their chakra was drained. In other words, they all died."
Minato nodded solemnly. He had discovered this at roughly the same time as Tobirama and had planned to mention it today, but Tobirama spoke first.
Madara Uchiha remained silent. The mistake he had made was growing larger and larger. He wanted to make amends, but he didn't know how, because he didn't know how to release the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Seeing Madara's expression, Hashirama immediately understood that what Tobirama said was true. His face became unusually serious. "Is this true? Then we absolutely cannot afford to waste any time; we must break the Infinite Tsukuyomi as quickly as possible."
Kakashi's expression was also grim. He was busy searching the alternate dimension and couldn't pay attention to what was happening in the real world.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was old, and many things didn't register with him as quickly or acutely as before, so he didn't notice this, but that didn't prevent him from realizing the seriousness of the situation.
Tobirama continued from where Kakashi left off:
"You said that only the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura can break the Infinite Tsukuyomi, but we have the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura here, don't we?"
Kakashi was startled, and then everyone's gaze turned to Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Indeed, they were also the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura.
"Huh, me?" Hashirama belatedly pointed to himself, and after a moment, he asked Madara in distress, "But I don't know how to do it? Do you know, Madara?"
Madara immediately rolled his eyes. "If I knew, would I keep it a secret?"
Finally, the group split into two. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, as the possible people who could break the Infinite Tsukuyomi, worked together to figure out how to break it. Tobirama Senju, the sealing master and jutsu inventor, assisted them. Kakashi Hatake, as the last person to see Naruto and Sasuke and who had seen the seals on their hands up close, joined them to recall details, hoping to provide some direction.
Although Minato Namikaze was also proficient in sealing techniques, his skills were all learned from Kushina and Jiraiya, overlapping with Tobirama's abilities. Having him there wouldn't make much difference. Obito Uchiha, in his current state of mental instability, was naturally useless. Hiruzen Sarutobi was old and frail, his mental faculties not what they used to be, so the three continued searching for Naruto and the others.
Another week passed, and neither side made any progress. They still couldn't find Kaguya or Naruto and the others. Tobirama, Hashirama, and Madara tried several times, experimenting with various hand seals and unsealing methods. Kakashi confirmed that these were similar to what he had seen from Naruto and Sasuke, but none of them worked.
Tobirama rubbed his temples, feeling a headache from the frustrating impasse.
"Although it's the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it's still a type of genjutsu, right? If we only consider unsealing methods from the perspective of sealing techniques, are we missing something? We need someone more proficient in genjutsu to participate in the research."
Obito Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake simultaneously thought of one person.
"Speaking of the strongest in genjutsu, it should be Itachi Uchiha," Kakashi suggested first.
"Yes, one of the abilities of his Sharingan is Tsukuyomi. Although it's missing two words compared to The Infinite Tsukuyomi, it's still Tsukuyomi, right?" Obito Uchiha said with certainty.
Neither of them knew about Shisui Uchiha's Kotoamatsukami; that was a secret only Itachi and Danzo knew.
"Tsukuyomi and The Infinite Tsukuyomi are quite different, you know," Madara muttered helplessly, but at this point, the situation regarding dispelling the Infinite Tsukuyomi was completely deadlocked, so they had to try anything.
If they couldn't break the Infinite Tsukuyomi, this world would be completely destroyed, so no one was considering whether this would disturb the peace of the dead anymore. After finding Itachi's cells, Tobirama activated the Edo Tensei again, bringing Itachi back to the world of the living.
Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes and looked at the four Hokage in front of him. Before he could even express his surprise, he saw Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito. He initially thought the war wasn't over yet and immediately became vigilant. However, Kakashi stepped forward and began to explain the situation.
When he learned that Sasuke was missing, Uchiha Itachi, the doting older brother, immediately became agitated. The Infinite Tsukuyomi was something that could be studied later, but shouldn't finding Sasuke be the more important priority right now?
"It's been almost a month, and honestly, I don't think they're still in this world."
Noticing Uchiha Itachi's agitated expression, Senju Tobirama waved his hand to stop him from speaking and continued.
"I didn't say they were dead, because they haven't been resurrected by Edo Tensei, which is the most conclusive evidence. However, we don't know where Kaguya took them."
Uchiha Obito then spoke up.
"We've searched all six of Kaguya's dimensional spaces, and they're not there. However, both my Sharingan and Madara's Rinnegan have detected even more alternate dimensions beyond the original six. We've searched nearly a hundred of these dimensions, but haven't found any trace of them."
"So you're just going to give up searching? Don't tell me you don't plan to continue looking?" Uchiha Itachi had calmed down slightly and questioned them steadily.
Uchiha Madara crossed his arms arrogantly, his tone rough. "You don't understand at all! It's not that we don't want to find them, but the number of alternate dimensions we need to search is an incredibly astronomical figure! Each alternate dimension radiates to six other dimensions—up, down, left, right, front, and back—and each of those dimensions radiates to another six dimensions. Some of them can't even be called alternate dimensions anymore, but rather independent worlds, vast in scope, no less than our own world. Although most of these worlds are uninhabited, some are so dangerous that entering them means certain death, so they can be excluded from the search. But without more precise search criteria to eliminate those impossible worlds, we probably won't be able to find all those alternate worlds even if everyone in this world is completely absorbed by the Divine Tree."
Itachi Uchiha fell silent. A simple mental calculation was enough to show him that Madara Uchiha was right. Cubed, then cubed again, and cubed again—it would go on infinitely. No wonder they had to resurrect themselves using the Edo Tensei technique; the possibility of undoing the Infinite Tsukuyomi was greater than the possibility of finding Sasuke and the others, without better filtering and positioning methods.
To Be Continued...