Chapter 364: Bayakushi—I'm Leaving Everything to You

Chapter 364: Bayakushi—I'm Leaving Everything to You

Whoosh…

A cool breeze swept through as Hashirama fell into silence.

Moments later, he let out a chuckle and said, "Madara, how about a cup of tea?"

Madara remained expressionless. "We're in Edo Tensei bodies. We can't drink tea."

"Uh…"

Hashirama awkwardly changed the subject. "Then how about a fight?"

"Why are you so determined to protect him?"

Hashirama sighed.

"Although he summoned me, he didn't impose many restrictions on me. In fact, he even helped me quite a bit. I can't just stand by and watch you kill him. Besides…"

Hashirama paused, his expression turning strange. "How did you even find out that your father and brother are in his hands?"

"I heard it from someone else." Madara glanced at Hashirama before shifting his gaze away.

Since Hashirama was in Orochimaru's hands, Madara had specifically investigated Orochimaru's activities.

That was when he stumbled upon some information from Konoha's wanted notices.

When Orochimaru defected, he had used Edo Tensei to summon two Uchiha shinobi. Because of this, Konoha had made sure to mark their identities in the bounty alert.

At first, Madara hadn't paid much attention to it—until he saw their portraits.

Only then did he realize that the two reanimated shinobi were none other than his father and younger brother…

What was there to say after that?

Revenge, of course.

But there was no need to explain all of this to Hashirama.

So, Madara simply gave a dismissive response before impatiently saying, "Hashirama, move aside. I have a score to settle with Orochimaru!"

"No can do. If you really want to get to him, you'll have to go through me first."

Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, Hashirama chose the simplest solution—force.

"Besides, I'm curious about your strength after awakening the Rinnegan. Let's have a match today."

Madara frowned slightly and studied Hashirama for a moment before nodding with understanding.

"So that's it… You want an excuse to stay out of this war, don't you?"

His lifelong rival could be impulsive at times, but in a situation where Orochimaru was clearly in the wrong, there was no reason for Hashirama to go out of his way to protect him.

If Madara were allowed to go after Orochimaru, Hashirama would naturally have a reason to step onto the battlefield.

But with the Fire Nation's inevitable defeat in this war, his actions seemed rather unusual.

Hashirama was clearly trying to stall Madara—and himself.

"I might say that the dead shouldn't interfere in the affairs of the living, but when I see my comrades falling in battle, how could I possibly hold myself back?"

Hashirama sighed, then smiled at Madara.

"So my only choice is to stop you—stop you and stop myself. Neither of us will take part in this war."

"It seems you think the same way I do."

"Hmph, I just don't want to help Tobirama."

Madara snorted and sat down cross-legged.

Seeing him settle down, Hashirama relaxed and followed suit.

"This is a rare opportunity. Last time, we parted too quickly. There were so many things I never got to ask you."

He looked at Madara and asked, "Where did you learn about the Rinnegan and the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"

"From the Uchiha's Historical Texts. Why, didn't Orochimaru tell you?" Madara replied absentmindedly.

He truly had no interest in participating in this war.

But he also genuinely wanted to punish Orochimaru.

More than anything, though, he was looking for a way to escape Edo Tensei's control.

This reanimated body was flawed—he needed to find a way to transfer into a different vessel.

Hashirama, on the other hand, was intrigued by the mention of historical records.

"I've heard there are four Historical Texts, but I've never known the Senju Clan to have one."

"Maybe it was lost." Madara thought for a moment before continuing, "The evolution of the Rinnegan was something I learned from the Historical Texts. Are you sure your clan never had one? I think it might be connected to Wood Release."

"I've never seen any stone tablets or records," Hashirama said, shaking his head.

Madara frowned.

That didn't seem right.

Wood Release was so powerful in Hashirama's hands that even Madara himself wasn't confident he could defeat it.

Yet, it had nothing to do with the Historical Texts?

Meanwhile, his own Rinnegan had required knowledge from the texts to develop—and the Sage of Six Paths had even left behind information about the Infinite Tsukuyomi within them.

Was the Sage of Six Paths biased?

Why was he so generous with the Uchiha?

Madara looked up at the sky, recalling his interactions with Tobirama.

Whenever Tobirama spoke about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, his eyes held a trace of pity.

That look had been infuriating.

At the time, Madara hadn't given it much thought.

But now… was there something more to the Infinite Tsukuyomi?

Seeing Hashirama's puzzled expression, Madara suddenly chuckled and shook his head.

"What's the point of thinking about all this now? The Infinite Tsukuyomi no longer has anything to do with me."

…

"You want me to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"

In the Kara Organization's base, Nagato frowned at Hakushiki.

"Do you understand what you're asking? Shinichi said that once the Infinite Tsukuyomi is activated, everyone will become puppets of the God Tree. Those without the Rinnegan will be trapped in a dream. You might not be able to resist it."

"Of course I understand."

Bayakushi nodded.

"But the Divine Art transplantation didn't yield the results I expected. Only by having you project chakra onto the moon and linking it with Kaguya's chakra can we ensure the Divine Art activates successfully and take her power."

"And only under those conditions will you be able to fight Hyuga Fuji on equal footing. Otherwise, some of the stronger shinobi in the Land of Snow could still pose a threat to you, wouldn't they?"

Nagato glanced at Kaguya, who stood silently in the corner, and fell into deep thought.

Casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi wouldn't harm him—only those caught in the genjutsu would be turned into White Zetsu.

If the battle ended quickly enough, he or Hyuga Fuji could dispel the technique afterward, so there was no real risk.

However, Bayakushi himself would likely fall into the illusion.

If he didn't wake up, he could be trapped in the dream forever.

This hesitation gave Nagato pause.

Was Bayakushi really willing to give up all control and entrust everything to him?

As if sensing his doubt, Bayakushi clenched his fists and said, "I know you're questioning my intentions. And yes, before this, I did want to use you to obtain Kaguya's power and avenge Lord Isshiki."

"But now… things have changed. I failed to protect what Lord Isshiki entrusted to me. Do I even have the right to seek revenge anymore?"

His expression was calm, his eyes devoid of hesitation.

"So, to avoid any further complications, I want to leave everything to you. If you can avenge Lord Isshiki, I'll give you my life!"

"I will order Shizuka to follow your commands and use the Divine Art to transfer Kaguya's power to you."

Hearing Bayakushi's sincere words, Nagato's expression shifted slightly.

After a moment of silence, he gave a slight nod.

"Very well. I will cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi immediately."

As the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, he had fully mastered its power over time.

Though he was missing the Seven-Tails, he could still activate the Eye of the Moon and unleash the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

From the side, Black Zetsu watched in delight.

He turned to Kaguya, and the two exchanged knowing smiles.

Everything was falling into place effortlessly…

(End of Chapter)