Chapter 316

At that moment, Madara Uchiha smiled.

He could feel it. Black Zetsu's resistance to Mind Reading Dive was weakening.

All it would take was a few more attempts, and Madara would completely unlock Black Zetsu's memories.

Black Zetsu was panicking, terrified like never before.

"Now, I can tell you how Hui knows so much about you."

Madara spoke, his gaze cold and laced with a hint of mockery.

"It's because he has the ability to read the inner thoughts of others."

As Madara's words fell, Black Zetsu's eyes widened in realization.

No wonder. No wonder Hui knew everything about him.

An ability to read another's mind—how utterly terrifying!

Without him even realizing it, all of his secrets had been exposed to Hui.

"Surprising, isn't it? You, who thought you were the puppet master controlling the entire shinobi world from the shadows. Your innermost secrets have long been laid bare."

Madara's voice grew colder as he continued.

"From when Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and Ōtsutsuki Isshiki descended upon this planet...

To when Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura sealed Kaguya...

To when Kaguya created you...

To your attempts to recreate the Rinnegan, gather the nine Tailed Beasts, resurrect the Ten-Tails, and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi to free Kaguya...

Everything you've ever planned—everything you've ever done—Hui has known from the start."

Madara's voice was calm but deadly, shattering Black Zetsu's composure.

Everything Madara had said was true—proof that Hui really did possess such an ability.

These were things that had only ever existed in Black Zetsu's mind—he had never spoken of them aloud.

"Mochizuki Hui! Mochizuki Hui!!!"

Black Zetsu ground his teeth in fury.

He knew now—there was no escape for him today.

And it was all because of Hui!

The shinobi he once dismissed as irrelevant had grown into his greatest nightmare at a speed he couldn't comprehend.

At that moment, the regret in Black Zetsu's heart was enough to melt mountains and fill oceans.

If he could turn back time, he would have killed Hui the moment he was born!

If he could turn back time, he would have prevented Hui from ever rising!

But there was no such power in this world.

Now, all of his secrets had been exposed, and even his life was no longer his own.

"I haven't freed Mother yet... I can't die... I can't die!"

Black Zetsu muttered to himself, struggling madly in a futile attempt to escape from the Limbo: Border Jail shadows binding him.

But it was useless.

He was merely a creation Kaguya made moments before she was sealed. A mere shadow of her will, with no real combat strength.

Against Madara's Limbo shadows, he had no chance of escape.

"Damn it! You're just a part of the history I created! How dare you treat me like this!!!"

Having had another fragment of his soul, Kaguya's will, extracted, Black Zetsu broke down and shouted at Madara.

But Madara, unmoved, activated Soul Extraction once more.

"The history you created? Hah, what a joke."

Madara let out a cold, mocking laugh, a flicker of fury gleaming in his eyes.

He thought of his fallen brothers. He thought of his dear friend, Hashirama Senju.

The endless war between the Uchiha and Senju...

Because of Black Zetsu, his brothers had perished in battle.

Because of Black Zetsu, he and Hashirama had parted ways as enemies.

Because of Black Zetsu, he had become the man he was today.

Everything, the tragedies of the shinobi world, was orchestrated by Black Zetsu.

How could Madara not be enraged?

In that moment, Madara wanted nothing more than to tear Black Zetsu apart, piece by piece!

With that thought, Madara activated Soul Extraction once again.

"AHHH!!!"

Black Zetsu's scream reverberated as his form grew weaker and the pain became unbearable.

For the first time in millennia, he experienced true pain, searing and soul-rending.

But Black Zetsu's anguished cries only fueled Madara's wrath.

He continued to extract fragments of Black Zetsu's soul, torturing him relentlessly.

Finally, after reaching a certain point, Madara stopped.

He then activated Mind Reading Dive again.

This time, Madara's will easily broke through Black Zetsu's mental defenses and entered his spiritual world—his memories.

With his hand still resting on Black Zetsu's head, Madara stood still, silently watching.

He saw everything.

He saw the Sage of Six Paths, Indra, and Asura.

The Uchiha and the Senju.

Himself and Hashirama.

The shinobi world and the shinobi.

War and peace.

Everything, the entire truth, unfolded in Madara Uchiha's mind.

He saw everything he wanted to see.

After what seemed like an eternity, Madara finally removed his hand from Black Zetsu's head.

He looked weary. 

It wasn't clear whether it was due to the overwhelming flood of Black Zetsu's memories or for some other reason.

Finally, Madara composed himself.

Boom!

Suddenly, thunder rumbled across the sky. Unbeknownst to him, dark clouds had gathered overhead, and raindrops began to fall.

The rain poured down heavier and heavier until Madara's entire body was soaked.

He tilted his head slightly upward, staring blankly at the sky.

Raindrops trickled down his face.

Some of them slipped from the corners of his eyes.

It looked as though he was crying.

"What a ridiculous and tragic truth. What a pitiful and laughable fate for both of our clans."

Madara's voice was raspy, filled with self-mockery.

"Curse you! You dared to read my memories! Madara Uchiha, you were meant to be nothing more than a tool for resurrecting Mother! You were supposed to follow the script I wrote, to help me free her!"

Black Zetsu's frenzied roar echoed, the desperation of impending death and the collapse of all his plans driving him to madness.

"Why?! Why won't you all just obey? You're all just tools I created! Damn you, Mochizuki Hui! Damn you, Madara Uchiha! Damn all of you!!!"

Black Zetsu's voice was hysterical. The looming shadow of death, combined with the utter failure of his grand plan, had shattered his sanity.

Madara lowered his gaze, staring deeply at Black Zetsu.

"Someone like you... someone who only knows how to scheme from the shadows... dares to claim they created the shinobi?"

Madara's voice was cold, like ancient, unyielding ice that would never thaw.

In the next moment, Madara activated Soul Extraction at full power, relentlessly pulling every last fragment of Black Zetsu's soul from his body.

Even as the strain of the prolonged technique began to take its toll on his own body, causing backlash and injury, Madara did not stop.

Under the stormy sky, amid the relentless rain and crashing thunder, Madara Uchiha slowly, methodically erased the very existence of Black Zetsu.

The will of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya…

The mastermind who had manipulated the Uchiha and Senju clans for over a thousand years...

Black Zetsu...

Was dead.

Killed by Madara Uchiha.

The very pawn Black Zetsu had thought was perfectly under his control had turned the tables.

In the original timeline, Black Zetsu had pierced Madara's heart with ease.

But here, Madara had obliterated Black Zetsu's soul completely.

This was... a reversal of fate.

After killing Black Zetsu, Madara didn't move.

He simply stood there.

He remained motionless until the rain ceased.

The four Limbo: Border Jail shadows had long since disappeared.

Madara's entire body was drenched, his armor weighed down by the rainwater.

His mind was flooded with countless thoughts.

Finally, after a long silence, he spoke to himself softly:

"Uchiha... Senju... Ōtsutsuki... comrades who once fought side by side..."

He looked up at the sky as the dark clouds began to disperse.

Just like the Madara of the past...

The sunlight pierced through the sky, shining down upon the earth, illuminating the puddles left behind by the rain.

A breeze passed by, causing the surface of the water to ripple and shimmer.

Madara stared at the scattered flashes of light reflected by the water.

For the first time, a calmness settled in his heart.

The storm clouds had completely dissipated.

The rain that had fallen into the puddles would soon be evaporated by the sunlight, turning into vapor that would rise to the sky and become pure white clouds once more.

On this day, Madara Uchiha died. 

On this day, Madara Uchiha was reborn.

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