Chapter 408: Have I Already Fallen Under the Infinite Tsukuyomi?
What… is this supposed to mean?
The masked man, who had been eating curry rice, paused mid-motion with his spoon.
What did it mean that "the person he cared about most had fallen"?
Did he even have anyone he still cared about?
Wasn't the thing he cared about most right now the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan?
So… was it Nagato?
Or could it be Kakashi?
But as for Kakashi, the masked man felt that was impossible.
Kakashi's mental resilience and endurance were widely acknowledged.
Even after everyone around him had died, he still hadn't turned dark.
His father, his sensei, his teammates, his superiors.
Even by the time of the Boruto era, both of his students were gone too.
Honestly, if the ninja world believed in superstition, Kakashi would definitely have been labeled as someone with a "lone star of misfortune."
"Is it Nagato or Kakashi?"
The masked man finally asked.
But the moment he said it, he suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Back when Madara had rescued him and he was recovering in a cave, hadn't a White Zetsu suddenly appeared shouting "Something terrible has happened", and then dragged him out to witness a scene of hell?
Even so, the masked man remained calm.
Because he couldn't think of anything that could truly surprise him anymore.
"It's not them. Well, it does involve Kakashi, but he hasn't fallen."
White Zetsu shook his head, "It's Madara. Madara has been revived by Orochimaru using Impure World Reincarnation!"
"What?!"
The masked man's expression immediately changed.
Madara had been revived?
In his plan, there was never any step that involved reviving Madara.
His plan was for himself to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki and personally cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
As for Madara?
The dead should stay buried.
Could it be that Black Zetsu had sensed his intentions? Was that why he had suddenly disappeared recently, cutting off all contact, secretly going to cooperate with someone else?
The more the masked man thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
After all, only Black Zetsu knew where Madara's corpse was. How else could Orochimaru have obtained it and performed Impure World Reincarnation?
At this point, the masked man's thoughts were entirely focused on how to deal with Madara. He had completely ignored the word "fallen" that White Zetsu had mentioned earlier.
White Zetsu's thought process was bizarre to begin with. Strange wording wasn't unusual, so it could be selectively ignored.
But this time, the masked man was wrong.
White Zetsu's wording was actually very precise.
Because this time, he wasn't speaking on his own, he was simply acting out and reciting lines that had been prepared for him.
"Where is Madara now?"
The masked man asked in a serious tone.
"In the Sunagakure Village."
"The Sunagakure Village? What is he doing there… the One-Tail?! Did he go there to capture Shukaku directly?!"
The masked man instinctively questioned Madara's presence there, but quickly understood his intention.
Madara was planning to rely on his own strength to capture the tailed beasts first and secure them.
That way, regardless of whether the masked man betrayed him or not, as long as Madara held the tailed beasts, the initiative for the Infinite Tsukuyomi would remain in his hands!
"No, it's not about the One-Tail."
White Zetsu shook his head and continued: "After being revived with Impure World Reincarnation, Madara was taken by the First Hokage to observe the current state of the Five Great Ninja Villages."
"Then, in the Sunagakure Village, Madara encountered the love of his life that he had missed in the past, Granny Chiyo."
"Back in the day, Madara was the Asura who shook the ninja world, while Chiyo was just an ordinary little girl. At that time, the Konohagakure Village had just been established, and the other villages sent representatives to negotiate with the First Hokage and Madara."
"The First Hokage was willing to pursue peace, and Madara initially agreed as well. But then Madara saw Chiyo. One glance at Chiyo, and it ruined him for life. A single affectionate look, a love that would last ten thousand years."
"It was love at first sight. But due to the vast difference in their status and seniority, Madara had no choice but to suppress his feelings. Then, an unexpected turn occurred."
"Since representatives from all four other great villages had gathered in Konoha, the young Ōnoki, who had not yet become the Third Tsuchikage, came along with Mū as part of Iwagakure's delegation."
"The First Tsuchikage went to negotiate with the First Hokage, while they went to meet Madara."
"But before meeting him, young Ōnoki also saw the adorable Chiyo and began pursuing her. Madara witnessed everything. Ōnoki and Chiyo were of the same age, with equal standing."
"This cruel reality broke Madara's heart. So during the negotiations that followed, he mercilessly crushed Mū and Ōnoki and rejected their request for peace. He even used genjutsu on Ōnoki and cruelly placed a sealing curse on him that prevented him from ever growing taller."
"After dealing with his romantic rival, Madara thought things would settle down. Once the negotiations were over, he planned to secretly pursue Chiyo. But unexpectedly, the First Hokage betrayed him."
"Chiyo was attacked by a bear outside Konoha and was saved by the First Hokage's Wood Clone in a heroic rescue. In front of her, the Wood Clone revealed its true wooden body."
"Chiyo's life was changed by that encounter. She brought the Wood Clone back to the Sunagakure Village. In order to make it move, to bring it to life, Chiyo devoted herself to learning puppet manipulation."
"When Madara learned that his beloved had been taken by his closest friend, he was devastated. In grief and fury, he left Konoha and turned against the First Hokage."
"Thus came the battle at the Valley of the End. On the eve of that battle, it just so happened that Chiyo was getting married in the Sunagakure Village."
"Madara turned his grief into strength. He had to defeat the First Hokage and reclaim Chiyo's heart. But now even her body would no longer belong to him. So Madara had to act in advance. At the cost of gouging out several clan members' eyes, he implanted Izanagi within the Sharingan and secretly placed it on Chiyo's back."
"That night, during her wedding chamber, the moment the groom caused 'harm' to Chiyo, Izanagi would activate and restore her to her original state. But the groom was persistent, continuously launching 'attacks' against Izanagi."
"At the same time, Madara was locked in a life-and-death battle with the First Hokage. Unfortunately, Izanagi has its limits. In the end, Madara's beloved Chiyo became another man's wife, and Madara himself was defeated by the First Hokage. He failed to protect either her heart or her body."
"So when he was revived and saw Granny Chiyo again, all those past memories came flooding back. Learning that she had long since been widowed, Madara immediately began pursuing her, intending to make up for his regrets from when he was alive."
"…Have I already fallen under the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"
After listening to White Zetsu's entire story, the masked man fell silent for a long time before finally forcing out that single sentence.
(End of this chapter)