The space was sealed, a scene of desolation.
In this space, there was only a vast, empty field, a low sky, and that irregular sphere.
Madara struggled within it.
He was unwilling to be sealed.
However, this was no ordinary Planetary Devastation, but a powerful sealing jutsu completed with the last of his visual prowess.
Never mind the current Madara, who was already sealed inside; even if he weren't, unless he could control the Truth-Seeking Orbs to directly collide with the core.
Otherwise...
Even if he were outside, he would have difficulty escaping for a time.
The most desperate one should be Black Zetsu.
He had a trick up his sleeve on Madara, but as it turned out, some unknown fellow had a trick up their sleeve on Kyohiko.
Hateful!
He furiously wanted to break free.
But, the thought that this was a completely sealed space, unless he could control Madara's body and use Obito's dojutsu to escape...
Otherwise.
He would never be able to revive "Mother" in this lifetime. His heart was filled with despair.
Madara was silent for a long while.
Finally, he chuckled softly.
"So be it!"
"Losing to a brat like this is not so disgraceful. It's just a pity that my grand ambition can no longer be completed."
Madara felt quite regretful.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi.
He truly believed that it was better for everyone to live happily in an illusory genjutsu than to suffer in reality.
And now.
This wish could never be fulfilled.
Madara sighed.
Just as he was speechless, a voice suddenly sounded from the side.
"Senior Madara, you seem to have something you want to say."
"How are you here?"
Madara's voice came from within the sphere.
The one he was talking to was Kyohiko.
Of course.
Not the main body, just a wood clone.
"I didn't expect that in the end, you would still be willing to take this thing out of the ninja world to avoid causing trouble. I was very moved, so I came over to answer some of your questions."
Kyohiko said with a faint smile.
Madara was silent for a while.
His purpose in coming to this space was certainly not to benefit the ninja world, but to use the alternate dimension to isolate Kyohiko's main body from the Planetary Devastation.
As it turned out.
He had never thought that the Six Paths: Planetary Devastation, unlike the regular version, did not need to be maintained by chakra.
This led to the current embarrassing scene.
"If you just want to be sarcastic, you can leave. I have lived a long time, and I won't lose my will to fight or go completely insane because of one failure."
Madara's tone was indifferent.
He regretted being unable to fulfill his long-cherished wish, but he would not resent or be angry because of it.
To put it bluntly.
In a struggle between two heroes, it's not bad whoever wins.
Kyohiko said, "The ability of the Rinnegan, you must have deciphered it from the stone tablet, right?"
"That's right."
Madara nodded.
At this point, there was no need for him to hide it.
On one hand, Kyohiko was indeed a genius, more so than he had imagined. He could actually excavate and refine his bloodline, fully developing the latent genes within it.
Even Senju Hashirama couldn't achieve such an ability.
But.
Kyohiko did it.
On the other hand, in Kyohiko, he saw another direction.
Unification.
Using interests as a link, making each other needed, making each other cooperate, to achieve a peaceful situation.
Although it would eventually fall apart, and there would be a war sooner or later, he felt that it was not an unreasonable approach.
Unification.
Madara had thought of it back then, but Senju Hashirama believed that everyone should belong to their own country and village, and should not be violated by authoritarian power.
Madara sneered at this.
In comparison, Kyohiko was more in line with his intentions.
Of course.
Madara was too lazy to explain. He was silent for a few seconds, then fully stated his ideals and wishes.
"So, I never felt that the Uchiha should be the Hokage, but I have my own aspirations for peace, and the Senju clan also has its own aspirations."
Uchiha Madara said faintly, "You, me, and Hashirama, it's all a conflict of ideals, with no right or wrong, at least in my opinion."
"You're wrong."
Kyohiko sighed.
His wood clone was also sealed by the Planetary Devastation and couldn't move.
Even.
Kyohiko's wood clone was actively using chakra to create amber, reinforcing the strength of the entire Planetary Devastation.
But.
This did not affect his answer to Madara's question.
"You and the First Hokage, it was indeed a conflict of ideals, but I am not."
"Hahahahaha!"
Uchiha Madara laughed wildly without changing his expression.
He laughed wildly for a few moments.
Then, Madara sneered, "This is only because I lost, and you won, that's all."
"No, no, no, you misunderstand. I'm not saying you're despicable, but that you're laughable."
Kyohiko sighed.
Then, he thought for a moment and shared his thoughts.
"If I were to erase everyone's memories, including yours, and then arrange for you and your enemy to live together, even fall in love and become a family, would you think that's appropriate?"
Madara fell silent.
He certainly knew what Kyohiko meant—
He and Senju Tobirama were such a pair of enemies.
Because Senju Tobirama killed his most beloved brother, Izuna.
"Illusion is ultimately illusion."
"Only the weak will seek answers for peace in illusion. This approach is completely self-deceiving."
Kyohiko answered faintly.
Following that, he paused and said, "In addition, I don't think this technique really points to the so-called path of peace."
"Oh?"
Madara didn't answer the first half of Kyohiko's sentence.
However.
He was very curious about the second half.
Kyohiko said, "The Sage of Six Paths created the ninja creed and divided the Tailed Beasts back then. Could it be because he couldn't agree with this ideology?"
Madara was silent, unable to answer for a moment.
Black Zetsu was anxious, very anxious.
But.
He had to pretend not to be anxious, otherwise a smart person like Madara would definitely notice something was wrong.
"My lord, don't pay attention to this brat."
"What do you want to say?"
Madara ignored Black Zetsu.
Kyohiko said, "That stone tablet was left by the Sage of Six Paths. If he didn't want future generations to do such a thing, why would he write it on the stone tablet?"
"If he wrote it, perhaps he hoped future generations would do it. Then why didn't he do it himself?"
"Was he unable to?"
His three questions sent Madara into deep thought.
Why did the Sage of Six Paths leave those words?
Indeed.
It was very contradictory.
From the standpoint of the Sage of Six Paths, he simply couldn't explain why the Sage would do such a thing. It was completely contradictory logically.
He thought for a long time.
"Perhaps, he hoped that the descendants of the Uchiha and Senju clans..."
Halfway through his sentence, Madara couldn't continue.
Simply impossible.
It was known that merging the nine Tailed Beasts could yield terrifying power. Normally, the Sage of Six Paths should have passed down this power.
Unless it had a hidden danger!
It was precisely this danger that forced the Sage of Six Paths not to leave it to future generations, but to divide the power of the Ten-Tails, splitting it into nine Tailed Beasts.
Is the Ten-Tails itself dangerous?
Madara sorted out his thoughts and was suddenly startled.
The Ten-Tails?
He was silent for a moment, then said with some difficulty, "Impossible..."
"It's alright. You can lie to me, but don't lie to yourself."
Kyohiko chuckled.
Madara was a bit tilted.
It wasn't that Kyohiko's sarcasm made him angry, but that he realized a goal he had believed in for so many years...
Was very likely fake!
Who forged it?
Madara was no fool.
Before, he just hadn't thought that something so secret could be forged, so he had never doubted it in his heart.
Once the seed of doubt was planted, many flaws naturally emerged.
For example—
Black Zetsu.
This fellow's appearance was too coincidental.
Just so happened!
He said he was his own clone, but in reality, he had no control over him. Instead, it had been Black Zetsu helping him do things all these years, being his "spokesperson."
If one day Madara passed away, he would definitely trust Black Zetsu very much.
But...
What if Black Zetsu wasn't on his side?
Madara broke out in a cold sweat.
If that were the case, what would be the result if he accommodated the Ten-Tails and projected it onto the moon?
His thoughts were in chaos.
Then, Madara asked his final question.
"When the Sage of Six Paths was alive, why could he maintain that state?"
"Obviously, merging the nine tails itself is not dangerous. It only becomes dangerous when two factors are combined."
Kyohiko stated his "conjecture." "One condition is the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. The second condition might be the one he wrote on the stone tablet."
The stone tablet...
Madara was silent for a few seconds, then secretly agreed in his heart.
Yes.
What the enemy does is what the enemy seeks.
The other party tampered with the stone tablet and left behind something like the "Infinite Tsukuyomi" that the Sage of Six Paths would not do. Obviously, this matter was dangerous.
If he did as it said, it was very likely...
He would die!
And.
A very terrifying existence would be released by him.
"So, is this your goal? Zetsu."
Madara's tone was chillingly calm.
Black Zetsu was silent.
He had never expected that Kyohiko would play this hand, and...
With just a few clues, he could follow the trail and guess his entire layout.
At this moment, what could he say?
When there is no doubt, everything is reasonable.
But once doubt arises...
Any explanation becomes a cover-up.
Black Zetsu knew this too well.
So, he simply didn't answer and played dead. Anyway, Madara couldn't do anything to him right now.
The lives of mortals are limited.
But he, was eternally immortal.
At least for now, he was still alive. There might not be a turning point in the future.
With Black Zetsu's silence, Madara already knew the answer.
He fell silent.
At this moment, Madara felt like a clown. After working so hard, he had only moved himself. In the eyes of others...
He no longer responded.
"Then, I wish you a good dream."
Kyohiko responded faintly.
Then, he used his last bit of chakra, using the full power of his wood clone to completely solidify the seal.
After Kyohiko disappeared...
"Hashirama, I should also walk the path you have walked."
Madara murmured to himself.
The next second, his body became still. He took his own life.
Such a life was simply...
Utterly disgraceful.
...
Outside, Kyohiko covered his eyes, feeling a wave of pain.
The consumption of his visual prowess was a bit large!
He blinked his eyes, then looked ahead.
Konoha was in ruins.
The vast number of White Zetsu might not have been one hundred thousand, but it was still an unimaginably large number.
This group of people drilled around in the ground, completely messing up the underground of Konoha.
What's more.
Kyohiko was not bad either.
The Planetary Devastation just now, although it was moved to another dimension because of Madara, preventing it from fully forming.
But.
A large area of houses and land was still torn out.
A scene of devastation.
Kyohiko sighed.
The next instant, a kunai was transmitted by the Flying Thunder God.
He instantly disappeared.
Not long after, inside the Forest of Death.
Orochimaru looked up at the giant demonic statue, his eyes filled with a trace of fanaticism.
"So this is the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path? Truly magnificent and terrifying!"
He could sense the powerful chakra within the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Just looking at it fascinated him.
However.
The more powerful the force, the more terrifying it is.
Orochimaru looked at Minato.
"Is Kyohiko alright?"
"To be able to receive the Flying Thunder God kunai, he should be fine. I just don't know how Uchiha Madara is doing. Also, Madara is really strong!"
Minato couldn't help but feel some lingering fear.
That moment was too dangerous.
If Kyohiko hadn't arrived in time, he might have already died under Uchiha Madara's series of attacks.
"If Kyohiko is fine against Madara, it means Kyohiko is stronger."
Orochimaru didn't care.
He walked closer, touched the demonic statue, and then took a step back.
"This is without completely absorbing all the Tailed Beasts. If it were fully absorbed, it's hard to imagine how powerful it would be."
Even harder to imagine...
What kind of strength the Sage of Six Paths had back then.
No wonder he could create the moon.
"This kind of power should not be controlled by humans."
Namikaze Minato's tone was serious.
Orochimaru glanced at him, then chuckled softly, "Minato, this is the difference between you and Kyohiko."
"Hmm?"
Namikaze Minato was momentarily puzzled as to why Orochimaru would suddenly say this.
Orochimaru smiled and said, "I am enthusiastic about ninjutsu research and exploring all mysteries. This in itself is neither good nor bad, but it depends on how you think and how you use it."
That kid Kyohiko...
He kept stuffing him with work, truly a scoundrel.
But a scoundrel is a scoundrel.
Kyohiko's approach was not wrong.
On the contrary, when Orochimaru cooperated with Kyohiko, most of the time, his inner loneliness and pursuit could be greatly satisfied.
He had no complaints. How could he now pursue a vague power like the Ten-Tails?
Can it make him immortal?
Orochimaru looked up at the demonic statue.
Minato was in deep thought.
He somewhat understood what Orochimaru meant. Just as he was pondering, a chakra fluctuation came.
Kyohiko appeared.
"Kyohiko, are you alright? What about Madara?"
"He's been sealed in the dimension of Obito's eye. The seal has succeeded. After I left, Madara might have already committed suicide."
Kyohiko sighed softly.
A proud person like Madara would not allow himself to live in disgrace after being deceived and defeated.
Orochimaru fell silent for a while upon hearing this.
Then, he said, "The person behind this, is it that black fellow?"
"From what Madara said, I estimate it is. Madara called the other party 'Zetsu'."
Kyohiko replied.
"Zetsu..."
Orochimaru recalled for a moment, then sighed.
That space was very mysterious and isolated from the outside. It was impossible for outsiders to enter.
Therefore.
Even if he wanted to study how the other party did it, he had no chance now.
Kyohiko smiled and said, "I know some of your thoughts. Hmm, I should be able to answer... He should be a creation of Yin-Yang Release."
"Yin-Yang Release?"
Orochimaru pondered for a long time upon hearing this. "Yang Release represents the power of the body, Yin Release leans towards the spiritual. Yin-Yang Release... a combination of two nature transformations?"
"Yes."
Kyohiko nodded.
Orochimaru was silent.
Obviously, this was a powerful and difficult to master Kekkei Genkai. With his ability, it would probably be very difficult to research.
However...
This is what makes it interesting.
The corner of Orochimaru's mouth raised slightly, and he said, "I understand. Thank you for your answer, Kyohiko-kun."
As he was speaking, he suddenly paused.
"Your eye..."
"This is one of Madara's eyes."