There was a blood moon in the sky.

Orochimaru felt his state of mind elevate, and the chakra in his body surged to its peak. Even the Ten Tails had completely surrendered to him, cooperating fully as he prepared to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi.

When his shadow overlapped with the moon, the entire moon suddenly erupted into blinding white light.

In an instant, the whole ninja world was as bright as day.

Orochimaru smiled darkly and spoke in a deep voice,

"Infinite Tsukuyomi."

The beautiful moonlight poured over the earth. Sasuke instantly sensed something was wrong, activating his full-body Susanoo and shouting, "Naruto! Yami-sensei! Shisui-san! Get inside my Susanoo!"

Naruto didn't hesitate, grabbing Shisui and rushing over, followed by Kakashi and Minato. Then Tobirama arrived with Hashirama and Tsunade, using the Flying Thunder God.

Yami didn't move toward Sasuke. Instead, he formed a seal.

"Wood Release: Tree World Birth."

Massive, thick roots burst from the ground, wrapping tightly around Izumi, Hikari, Kurenai, and Yugao.

Apart from them, every ninja caught in the moonlight instinctively looked up. Their eyes dulled within moments, and their consciousness blurred.

Rinnegan ripples spread across their pupils. Yami glanced around, and even had the leisure to snap a few photos with his camera.

Madara's consciousness was slipping too, but with the remaining Rinnegan power in his body, he held out just long enough to dive under Sasuke's Susanoo wings, where his mind stabilized.

"Don't."

He caught Naruto's raised fist before it landed, not fighting back.

"We have a common enemy now. I'll settle our grudges after Orochimaru is dealt with."

Madara even wagged his finger. "No one understands Infinite Tsukuyomi better than I do."

"Naruto, the situation isn't good. Look outside." Tobirama pushed Naruto's fist down.

Naruto turned, and his eyes widened. From the ground, massive vines were sprouting everywhere, splitting into countless smaller vines that coiled around captured shinobi. White bandages wrapped them up like cocoons hanging from the trees.

The sight made everyone's skin crawl.

"Madara, what exactly is Infinite Tsukuyomi?" Hashirama asked.

Madara snorted and tilted his chin up. "It's a ninjutsu even the Sage of Six Paths found difficult to perform. Obito was right—Infinite Tsukuyomi is a super illusion. It creates a perfect world."

"But it requires an immense amount of chakra to maintain. Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't do it alone, so… the power of others is needed."

"I can feel it!" Naruto suddenly said. "The God Tree is draining everyone's chakra!"

Tobirama's face darkened. "Madara, you're killing the entire ninja world. Once they lose all their chakra, they'll die!"

"Their spirits will live forever in the new world," Madara said without a shred of guilt. "Chakra is the root of conflict. Too many people wielding power is why the ninja world will never know peace."

Others glared at him in disbelief. These were the lives of the entire world.

Only Hashirama, who knew him best, looked on with a complicated expression. "Madara… if Infinite Tsukuyomi succeeds, you'll be the only one left in the ninja world. Don't you feel lonely?"

Madara's brow furrowed slightly. "It's the price of peace. Back then, you stabbed me for Konoha. Now I can make sacrifices for peace too."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Shisui fell silent.

They could already picture it: the entire world silent, with only Madara seated in the void, watching the vines below, enduring endless loneliness to maintain Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Even imagining it made the weight of it feel unbearable.

For a moment, their eyes toward Madara became complicated.

He was a terrible man, but his goal… was almost noble. It was maddeningly contradictory.

"Then why stop Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked. "If it's Infinite Tsukuyomi anyway, just let him do it."

"Because others are selfish," Madara said coldly. "Only I can create a truly fair world."

Then his gaze shifted toward Yami, who was snapping a photo of Terumi Mei. "And as a warrior, I will defeat Yami at full strength to prove I am the strongest."

"There are still a few bugs left… as expected, the Rinnegan can resist Infinite Tsukuyomi."

Orochimaru's eyes swept the transformed earth before finally locking onto Yami, his expression turning cold.

As for Sasuke and the others, he didn't care. Escaping Infinite Tsukuyomi meant nothing if you were still an ant.

But Yami was different. He had crushed Obito, who was at Six Paths level, nearly reducing him to pieces.

"Do we still have to fight after all?"

Orochimaru reshaped a Truth-Seeking Ball into a Kusanagi sword, gripping it tightly. He felt both wary and confident.

A large portion of the God Tree's absorbed chakra had already entered his body, restoring him after casting Infinite Tsukuyomi. Once he absorbed everyone's chakra, he was certain he could crush Yami.

Buzz.

"Yami-kun."

Orochimaru pointed the sword tip toward him.

"I will take back all the humiliation you've ever given me."

Yami scratched his ear, sounding helpless. "Obito said that. Madara said that. Now you're saying it. You villains… every time you get some power, you get arrogant. Ever think about being humble?"

"I'm not who I used to be."

Orochimaru smiled arrogantly. "Now I'm a true immortal, a true god."

"No, you're not."

The next instant, a black hand burst through Orochimaru's chest, clutching his still-beating heart.

Black Zetsu emerged from behind him, grinning wickedly.

"Now that the jutsu is complete, I'll let the real god deal with Yami. You've served your purpose, Orochimaru."

(To be continued.)

***

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