Chapter 310

"This is the truth of the shinobi world. Incredible, isn't it?

"No, you must be doubting it right now, thinking I'm lying.

Because it's too unbelievable, this interpretation completely overturns your understanding of the shinobi world.

"Not to mention, it spans over a millennium, a story stretching through the ages, yet I know it with such clarity.

"If I were in your position, I'd doubt it too," Hui said, his gaze locked onto Madara's eyes, while his mind-reading ability perceived everything happening within Madara's heart.

Indeed, Madara was doubting him.

Not that it was surprising, if Hui were in Madara's shoes, he would have doubted as well.

"So, how do you plan to prove that all of this is true?"

Madara asked, fixing his eyes on Hui.

Hui smiled.

His storytelling had indeed worked.

What kind of lie is most convincing? Of course, one that mixes truth and falsehood, half-truths interwoven with deception.

This method inspires the greatest trust.

"Through… ability," Hui said calmly.

"Ability?" Madara's heart skipped a beat as he processed the implication.

"Yes, ability. I possess a power that allows me to know the thoughts in someone's mind."

"For instance, I know…" Hui paused, letting his words hang in the air before continuing.

"You are doubting me right now.

"You are astonished.

"You just thought, 'How could such an ability exist?'

"And then you wondered, 'How does he know what I was just thinking?'

"You're thinking, 'This is impossible!'

"And now… Wait!!! Grandpa Hashirama had that kind of secrets?!!"

Hui spoke slowly, each sentence shifting the expression on Madara's face.

When Hui uttered the last line, he looked quite curious, while Madara abruptly stood up, visibly shaken.

The secret Madara had been thinking about was indeed an embarrassing incident involving Hashirama Senju, a story only Madara knew.

He had been thinking about it to test whether Hui's ability was real.

Now, he was convinced.

Mochizuki Hui's ability, to know the thoughts of others, was undeniably real.

"Now that you believe me, you must have guessed how I know these things," Hui said with a slight smirk.

He continued, "Yes, it's just as you're thinking, I learned it from Black Zetsu.

"This is the truth of the shinobi world, and also the truth of your life.

"From the moment Black Zetsu sensed Indra's chakra within your body, your life has been part of the script it orchestrated.

"Although you are unique and almost escaped Black Zetsu's manipulation, in the end, it used your own mindset to pull you back into its new narrative."

Hui sighed, shaking his head with feigned regret.

Madara, meanwhile, was caught in a whirlwind of emotions. He struggled to control his thoughts, aware that anything he considered could be immediately known.

This ability… was terrifying.

"Yes, it's a terrifying ability," Hui said, as though reading Madara's mind. "But the stronger the ability, the greater the price to wield it.

Do you think I can use such a power recklessly?"

His voice carried a hint of weariness, and his eyes seemed to dim, it was an act designed to reinforce the idea that his ability had limitations.

Sure enough, Madara, while still suppressing his thoughts, subconsciously relaxed a little.

"Now that you know the truth about this world and about yourself, what do you plan to do?" Hui asked, feigning exhaustion as he rubbed his temples.

Madara, upon hearing this, looked confused.

He had always been an extraordinarily confident person, his confidence bordering on arrogance.

But now, after hearing the truth about his life, he suddenly didn't know what to do.

His entire existence had been invalidated.

His thoughts, his ambitions, they were now shaken to their core.

"I will find Black Zetsu and verify your words," Madara finally said.

Despite believing most of what Hui had said, he wasn't fully convinced yet. He needed to confirm it himself.

Hui wasn't surprised.

If Madara had so easily accepted everything, it would have made Hui question the man's character.

Still, Hui wasn't worried about Madara discovering any inconsistencies.

Now that Hui truly possessed his mind-reading ability, his lies were no longer lies.

Although he hadn't learned the truth of the world from Black Zetsu, the truth itself was undeniable.

Even Black Zetsu would believe that Hui had read its mind and uncovered the truth.

"Go ahead. But I must be honest with you, what can you possibly do to Black Zetsu with your current abilities?

"Even when you found him before and managed to engage him for a while, didn't he still slip away in the end?

"Oh, and the reason Black Zetsu allowed you to engage him at that time was because he was tracking someone, someone from the organization created by Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who had fled long ago.

"Now that Black Zetsu is aware of Isshiki's existence, he must already be crafting new plans.

"The appearance of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki will place immense pressure on him, making him desperate to have you awaken the Rinnegan, capture the Tailed Beasts, and recreate the Ten-Tails to activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi and rescue Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.

"So, even if you don't seek him out, he will definitely come looking for you," Hui said, his calm voice cutting deep into Madara's thoughts.

Madara fell silent.

He knew Hui was right. With his frail, aging body, even if he found Black Zetsu, what could he do?

There was nothing he could do to Black Zetsu.

And if that were the case, how could he confirm the truth of Hui's words through Black Zetsu?

Madara's mind was in turmoil, overwhelmed with confusion and frustration.

In this moment, he felt powerless.

What could an old man like him possibly do?

"If it were the past, I wouldn't have told you all this.

"Even if your life was manipulated by Black Zetsu, and nothing was truly in your control, you still bore responsibility for Hashirama's death.

"And despite being one of Konoha's founders, you've never felt any real sense of belonging to it.

"So, while we might not be enemies, we were certainly not allies either," Hui said, his voice steady.

He rose to his feet, gazing down at Konoha below, before continuing:

"But things are different now. After learning the truth, you should understand, the greatest threat to the shinobi world is the Ōtsutsuki clan, who will eventually come to deal with Kaguya.

"And you are part of this world, Madara.

"That means we share the same enemy. Even if we cannot be companions, we can still be allies.

"The Ōtsutsuki clan is unimaginably powerful, each one of them far surpasses the level you and Hashirama once reached.

"Even though I have reached their level, my strength alone is not enough. I cannot guarantee the protection of the entire shinobi world.

"I need comrades who can stand alongside me, shoulder to shoulder, in the coming battles.

"But in the entire shinobi world, there are far too few people capable of reaching my level. Perhaps one emerges every hundred years.

"And you, Madara, are currently the shinobi with the greatest potential to step into this realm.

"That is why I need your strength.

"The shinobi world needs your strength.

"Look at Konoha below. Isn't this exactly what you once dreamed of?

"Isn't this the peace you've been pursuing all along?

"This world, this peace, it now faces an unprecedented crisis. It needs someone to protect it.

"I am one of those protectors.

"And you, Madara, should be one as well."

Hui finished his words and turned to face Madara, meeting his gaze. Even without using his mind-reading ability, Hui could clearly sense Madara's hesitation and the changes stirring in his heart.

Hui spoke again.

"As my future comrade, as one of the protectors of the shinobi world's future, you cannot simply die of old age.

"You cannot leave this world in vain, without purpose.

"So, today…

"I grant you the power of the Infinite!"

Hui raised a finger and pointed at Madara. A surge of immense vitality flowed from his fingertip into Madara's body.

Madara's body began to change.

It was as though time itself was reversing.

Sixty years old.

Fifty years old.

Forty years old.

Thirty years old!

In a matter of seconds, Madara transformed from a frail sixty-one-year-old elder into a robust man in his prime.

At that moment, his eyes changed as well.

Ripple-like patterns emerged in his irises, layer upon layer.

The Rinnegan had awakened.

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