Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 544 The Undercurrents Surging Under the Moon

When the purple light appeared, the black Zetsu attached to Obito became agitated.

Of all the children of the same mother, he, the third son, was the only one left behind by his mother just before she was sealed away. His weakened mother could not leave him with great power; his only advantages were his long lifespan and a body that could be easily modified. He hated the culprit who caused his mother's sealing away, but he had no power to confront them directly. He could only lie low and wait for the enemy to reveal a weakness.

However, he was fortunate. He lacked human greed and desire, and he wouldn't grow old and senile; he would only pursue one goal: to rescue his mother. His enemies, on the other hand, were bound by primal desires and clouded by old age; with just a little guidance, they would split apart from each other.

His proudest achievement was instigating a thousand-year-long internal conflict between the Uchiha and Senju clans. If they hadn't broken ties from the beginning, he wouldn't have been able to make the Infinite Tsukuyomi his ultimate goal. Time was his best weapon; he endured until Hagoromo and Hamura passed away, until all history became legend, and finally, he created a reincarnated being with absolute execution power.

This is the closest he has been to his mother in thousands of years, except at the time of his birth. All the prerequisites have been met, and he only needs to take one last step to return to his mother's embrace.

But just then, the guy who had been dead for a thousand years actually crawled out of the Pure Land and entrusted the things that had sealed his mother to the next generation of reincarnated people! He guessed that the old man had more than one backup plan, but he really didn't expect that this guy could actually crawl out of the Pure Land himself. If he had known, he should have tried every means to kill this generation of reincarnated people instead of keeping them until they were at the age when their physical strength and energy were rising sharply, and letting them add unnecessary risks to this plan that was bound to be completed!

Sasuke Uchiha was relatively easy to guide, as his life had long been tainted by darkness. Naruto Uzumaki, however, inherited the unpredictability of the Ashura lineage, making him the second most difficult opponent after Hashirama Senju. An orphan without parents, the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki—this should have been the most hellish start, yet the reincarnation of Ashura walked into the light, even pulling in the reincarnation of Indra. Even more terrifying, this person resurrected three Hokage through Edo Tensei without the entire ninja world's knowledge! Someone capable of this technique likely wouldn't stop at just three; who knows what other fighting power he might unleash!

The Infinite Tsukuyomi failed to control the two reincarnated individuals. At this moment, Black Zetsu could only pray that Madara Uchiha, who had been cautious for half his life, would not be reckless and would stand in front of him as soon as he came down. As long as he could awaken his mother through resonance, these two mere reincarnated individuals would not be able to stop his mother's resurrection!

The night sky returned to darkness, and the Infinite Tsukuyomi had finally ceased. The surviving ninjas, still shaken, huddled under the giant tree the First Hokage had conjured. Just moments before, the two Jinchuriki who hadn't yet arrived, and the Tsuchikage, who habitually covered the rear, had been struck by a white light and frozen in place. As a precaution, the Kazekage used sand to pull the three into the shadows, but the jutsu had already been activated, and they still couldn't react, forced to watch helplessly as the three were swept away by branches sprouting from the ground.

"This...is Infinite Tsukuyomi?" Izuna's mind had been bombarded with information, giving him a clear picture of the situation around the world, making him even more shocked by the technique's effects. One cannot imagine what one has never seen before. Just a few minutes ago, he was skeptical that this technique could put the entire world to sleep, but now...it seemed there was no need to doubt it anymore.

"The Sage of Six Paths, truly an unimaginable existence." Tobirama also exclaimed. As a major inventor of ninjutsu, he knew all too well just how outrageous these miraculous techniques were.

"Was it because of the tree Grandpa forced to grow that we weren't affected by the genjutsu?" Tsunade tried various methods before her three allies were swept away, but she couldn't wake them up. She quickly realized a more serious problem, "Wait, Naruto and Sasuke rushed out! Could they have...?"

"They're alright. The Impure World Reincarnation isn't affected by genjutsu, so Naruto has a way to protect Sasuke." Tobirama reassured his grandniece, and then saw his brother get up from the ground.

"Has the technique been activated?" Don't doubt it, Hashirama was also forcibly awakened by the information bombardment. His body was still partially unrepaired, and he stood up in such a tattered state.

The three Cloud Village members who had been listening for a long time finally couldn't help but ask a question. Only the legends of Konoha could keep the irritable Raikage waiting for so long.

"Why are you so sure that the Impure World Reincarnation technique won't fall under genjutsu?"

"Because I've been keeping in touch with them." Naruto's voice came to the rescue at the right moment; explaining this question in detail would probably have been difficult to resolve.

[No response from headquarters. I'll temporarily assume the position of liaison center. Madara has descended from the sky. Hashirama-san, are you ready?]

Tobirama frowned. "Can my brother handle a legendary being like the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"Hahaha, Tobirama, don't underestimate me. Didn't I save you all from the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"

Hashirama tried to slip away with a laugh, but Tobirama grabbed his hair. Naruto and Hashirama were always a worry when they were apart, and now they seemed to be secretly discussing something new. How could anyone feel at ease with that?

"What exactly are you going to do?"

Hashirama stopped, grimacing, without turning around, but said very solemnly, "This is very important, Tobirama."

Tobirama frowned even more, and tightened his grip, but he quickly let go, because when his brother was determined to do something, there was really nothing he could do.

Just like back then, he could only watch his brother leave.

"Don't die." These were Tobirama's last words. They had lived for too long in their impure forms, and their concept of life and death had become distorted. When he said "don't die," he really meant "don't leave the human world," otherwise they would never see the day when "Hikaru" stepped onto the stage of history.

Hashirama laughed heartlessly, leaving everyone with a bright and sunny smile, before leaping off towards the final battlefield.

Possessing the Ten-Tails means becoming the Ten-Tails, and the current Ten-Tails Jinchuriki is Uchiha Madara. If the tailed beast is separated, Madara, who has finally come back to life, will probably die again. He will absolutely not let such a thing happen.

Although they are relics of the old era and will eventually have to give way to the younger generation, who says that the old guys don't deserve to experience the new era? He wants to see a little longer, and wait for true peace to arrive with Madara.

Of course, the sins he has committed over the years cannot be completely erased, and he must bear the punishment he deserves. But this time, he will not let go of Ban no matter what.