"Hahahaha!! Is there anything else you can do to entertain me?!" Uchiha Madara laughed maniacally, his expression fully displaying the madness of one who had transcended mortal limits. However, his laughter soon came to an abrupt halt—because he noticed two figures appearing in the sky.
One was Kakuzu, and the other was Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. Kaguya clung to Kakuzu's arm, seemingly gazing down at the world beneath her. But her face was filled with confusion, as if she were comparing the world before her with the one she had known a thousand years ago.
"Stay here and watch carefully. I'll handle things." Kakuzu instructed.
Kaguya obediently nodded, while Kakuzu smirked and floated down toward Madara, positioning himself above him in the air.
"Madara, you're quite arrogant, aren't you?" Kakuzu's lips curled into a faintly amused smile.
Madara narrowed his eyes slightly. Much had transpired in the ninja world over the past two days while Kakuzu had been absent. Obito had absorbed the Ten-Tails but was ultimately cut down by Madara. Now, Madara himself had become the new Ten-Tails Jinchūriki. Clad in the robes of the Sage of Six Paths, he had gathered both Rinnegan and even awakened a third eye on his forehead. If nothing unexpected happened, then he—Uchiha Madara—was the strongest being in this world.
"That woman behind you…" Madara's sharp instincts immediately sensed something unusual about Kaguya. The sheer density of her chakra rivaled his own.
"You don't need to worry about her. She's my wife now. She won't be joining this battle—taking care of you is my job alone." Kakuzu responded confidently.
Indeed, the Rabbit Goddess was the progenitor of chakra, but the Ōtsutsuki clan had a glaring weakness: their sheer abundance of chakra often compensated for their lack of combat experience. In fact, Kaguya might not even be a match for Madara at this moment.
"For all these years, if it weren't for Kaguya, I might have been slightly weaker than you in chakra alone. But now… just try and feel it for yourself." Kakuzu's words made Madara's expression grow serious.
If it were just Kakuzu himself, his chakra might still fall short of Madara's. But Madara couldn't ignore the fact that Kakuzu had fused with Kaguya's power. The very essence of the progenitor of chakra had become one with him.
...
"Besides, Madara, have you ever considered that chakra is not the only power in this world?"
"Hmm? Are you referring to Sage Jutsu?" Madara quickly deduced Kakuzu's meaning.
Since Madara had already figured it out, Kakuzu saw no need to keep him guessing.
"Let me show you the true source of this world's power."
Kakuzu pressed his hands together. His hair fluttered wildly in the wind as he activated his technique.
"Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode—Activate!"
As dark markings appeared around his eyes, combined with the howling winds around him, Kakuzu looked like a demonic god descending upon the world. Madara's expression darkened slightly. He had seen this state before—decades ago, in his battles against Hashirama.
"So this is Hashirama's Sage Mode? Hmph. Times have changed. Why don't you summon that colossal Buddha of his and see if it still stands a chance against me?" Madara's voice brimmed with unwavering confidence. He had lost once before, but he refused to believe he would lose a second time.
Kakuzu merely chuckled and said nothing.
"Mount Myōboku Sage Mode—Activate!"
The dark markings merged with a new set, forming a unique golden pattern that shimmered faintly. At this moment, both his physical strength and mental energy had achieved perfect harmony. And yet, this was still not the end.
Kakuzu cast a sidelong glance at Kaguya standing behind him. If it weren't for their complete fusion, even he wouldn't have been able to reach this state. But now—he was ready.
"Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode—Activate!"
The three Sage Modes interwove within him, forming a grand cycle inside his body. Physical prowess, spiritual energy, and life essence fused together perfectly. At this moment, Kakuzu felt as though a new self had awakened within him. The intricate patterns on his face gradually faded, leaving behind an appearance as calm as ever—yet he was fundamentally different.
Even Madara, along with the onlookers, couldn't help but feel an eerie sensation wash over them.
"Why does it feel like Kakuzu-sama's figure is becoming… unreal?"
"What do you mean? He's standing right there. But I know what you mean—there's something… surreal about him."
"I feel like, as he moves, the space around him moves with him…"
"Wait, look carefully! If you don't focus, it's almost like he's not even there…"
"I… I feel like Kakuzu-sama is this world… and this world is Kakuzu…"
...
Suspended in midair, Kakuzu slowly lowered his hands. His now-pure white eyes gazed calmly at Madara. The Rinnegan on his forehead shimmered, exuding an aura of divine judgment.
"You…" Madara was at a rare loss for words. He had never felt such an overwhelming presence before. Even after evolving to the level of the Six Paths, he could not shake this sensation.
With a slow breath, Madara brought his hands together in a seal. Above him, a blood-red moon began to take shape. The Divine Tree writhed, extending its roots to ensnare everything in its grasp, wrapping countless individuals in its embrace as nourishment.
"Enough of this mysticism! Let's see who will truly become this world's ultimate god!"
Madara's voice rang out like a declaration of war. Kakuzu's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Interesting."
Madara wasn't wrong—after mastering the power of the Six Paths, he had become god-like. In this world, he had no equal.
But Kakuzu was something else entirely.
He was the Earthly Immortal.
"Let me show you the true power of this world!"
Kakuzu clasped his hands together, and the world itself seemed to respond. The forces of nature surged wildly, rushing into his body. The winds howled so fiercely that even Kaguya had to raise a hand to shield her face.
This was an unprecedented force.
"Let's start with you."
"What?!"
Madara frowned deeply at Kakuzu's calm words.
"Wood Release: Sage Art—True Several Thousand Hands!"
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!! RUMBLE!!!
A colossal wooden Buddha erupted from the ground. Even Madara instinctively leaped back a hundred meters, his entire body enveloped in blue chakra. But as the immense Buddha fully emerged, he couldn't help but feel a rare moment of insignificance.
In the past, when he fought Hashirama, he had lost to this technique. However, that Buddha had only been 500 meters tall.
This one stood over a kilometer tall.
Before it, he was nothing more than a flickering ember before the full moon.
"Wood Release is merely a ninja technique derived from chakra…"
"But Sage Mode—this is the true power of the world!"
"Have fun with it!"
The moment those words fell, thousands of arms struck out with overwhelming force. Each blow carried the power to shatter mountains and shift the stars. The towering Susanoo, standing at a hundred meters tall, began to crumble under this relentless onslaught. In just a few seconds, it started to collapse, breaking apart piece by piece.
Kakuzu paid no attention to the destruction below. He knew that if he truly wanted to eliminate Uchiha Madara, there was one more thing he had to do. His gaze turned to the full moon shining overhead.
"You are the greatest illusionist in this world."
"In that case, I will use the greatest taijutsu to break through!"
"Eight Gates—Death Gate, open!"
A massive dragon of flames surged from the ground, roaring like a beast that could devour the heavens. Kakuzu shot into the sky at a hundred meters per second, his body radiating the terrifying aura of a land-bound deity. With unstoppable momentum, he lunged toward the blood-red moon and consumed it in a blaze of fire.
Crack... Crack...
"The sky... it's back to how it was..."
Kaguya slowly lowered her arms. Her pale white eyes reflected her astonishment—an expression rarely seen on her face. It was as if she had been transported back to the moment she first descended upon this world a thousand years ago, when the sky was just as dazzling, just as pure.
With the shattering of the moon, the God Tree, which symbolized the power of chakra, ceased its absorption. Kaguya unrolled her scroll-like sleeves, gently releasing the people trapped within. The World Tree stopped growing, and the chakra absorption came to an end. The surviving shinobi, having escaped death, were overwhelmed with relief and joy.
At the center of the divine tree, a lone figure lay motionless. It was none other than Uchiha Madara, now stripped of his Six Paths form.
Kakuzu descended slowly from the sky, while Kaguya stepped forward at just the right moment to take his arm. One, the Goddess of the Rabbit, the other, a land-bound deity. Together, they walked toward the fallen Madara.
Madara forced his eyes open, locking gazes with Kakuzu. He said nothing, but his expression seemed to ask:
"Did I... truly lose?"
Kakuzu did not answer. In this world, everyone had their own beliefs, their own convictions for which they fought. Who was right and who was wrong was never a simple matter. The world could be cruel—there was no fairness, only victory and defeat.
But regardless of the outcome, this was the dawn of a new era.
Kakuzu formed a hand seal. The ground trembled as dust and debris swirled, taking the shape of another person. That person was none other than the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
Temporarily, Kakuzu had summoned his soul from the realm of the Impure World Reincarnation.
"Madara... Kakuzu...?" The God of Shinobi looked utterly bewildered.
But Hashirama was no fool. His granddaughter, Tsunade, had already arrived. A few words from her, and he would soon grasp the situation.
Madara's unresolved emotions—let Hashirama deal with them.
"Let's go."
"Go where?" Kaguya asked, still holding Kakuzu's arm, uncertainty in her voice.
"You'll know when we get there."
The task of cleaning up the battlefield was left to the remaining shinobi. As for Kakuzu and Kaguya, the two deities of this world, they took to the skies. A few minutes later, Kakuzu had already found his target.
"Naruto, what exactly were you doing just now?"
"Sasuke, why are you yelling? I was trying to save you!"
The two troublemakers were at it again, locked in yet another heated argument. But Kakuzu had no patience for their bickering.
...
Naruto noticed Kakuzu approaching and immediately dragged Sasuke over, his usual carefree demeanor unshaken.
"Kakuzu-sama, help us settle this! Sasuke's being way too arrogant!"
Watching their argument, Kakuzu chuckled.
"There's no need to argue. There's actually a very simple way to resolve this."
His casual remark instantly captured their attention.
Kakuzu glanced at them both, then suddenly pointed at Sasuke.
"Let's go with this."
Before Sasuke could react, Kakuzu lightly tapped his forehead. In the next moment, Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as blood spurted out, and he collapsed to the ground.
Naruto was completely stunned. He threw himself over Sasuke's body, shaking him desperately.
"Sasuke! What happened?! Wake up!"
"I won't argue with you anymore!"
"Waaahhh!"
...
Not only Naruto but everyone present was left in a daze.
What just happened?
It was one thing for Kakuzu to intervene in a childish dispute, but did he really need to go this far over a petty argument?
Only Kaguya seemed to understand. She gazed at Kakuzu with a knowing look.
"I can feel it—their cycle of fate has finally come to an end."
As the progenitor of chakra, Kaguya could sense the bond between Asura and Indra's reincarnations. She knew that their centuries-old feud had finally faded.
Naruto and Sasuke were the vessels of Asura and Indra's souls. Now that Indra's soul had left Sasuke's body, Asura's lingering resentment would disappear as well. The fate that bound them was no more.
Kakuzu pulled out a talisman and placed it on Sasuke's forehead.
"The Rinne Rebirth ... Your 'good son' used one before."
At the mention of this, Kaguya's face turned slightly red. She gave Kakuzu a light tap on the arm.
"You don't have to remind me. He used it to save his brother—and in doing so, unlocked his new power."
As they spoke, the talisman began to glow. Sasuke's body stirred, and his eyes fluttered open. He hadn't even registered what had happened when Naruto pounced on him, sobbing uncontrollably.
With that, Kakuzu and Kaguya turned their gaze to the heavens, no longer concerning themselves with the affairs of the mortal world.
"Our enemies are still out there. Your clan is still looking for you."
"I know."
Kaguya shuddered slightly. But Kakuzu's strong hand grasped hers firmly, offering warmth and strength.
"It's fine. They may be powerful, but you have me."
His unwavering confidence eased her heart.
Life was a never-ending chain of problems, even for gods. But no matter how strong their enemies might be, they would face them together.
A progenitor of chakra, and a land-bound deity—hand in hand, they ascended into the sky.
A new era had begun.
The future Otsutsuki would soon face the true gods of this world.
...
The End
(T/N: That's it, the fanfic has come to an end! I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did translating it. Thanks for sticking with me through the whole journey. If you spot any mistakes, feel free to drop a comment under this or the first chapter so that future readers can have an even better experience.
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