Chapter 65: Have You Ever Felt Despair?

Pain. Grief. Despair.

That was exactly what Black Zetsu was feeling now…

All he wanted was to stage a grand tale of the third son saving his mother. Why did everything have to go so horribly wrong?

Madara had clearly been several hundred meters away—a perfectly safe distance.

Yet somehow, using some unknown method, he had easily discovered Black Zetsu's hiding place and dragged him straight out from underground.

For the first time ever, he was forcibly exposed to the sunlight.

This was judgment from the Lord God.

"Finally caught you."

Staring at the black shadow frantically trying to burrow back underground like a panicked mole, Madara's eyes gleamed with killing intent.

He increased the force of Banshō Ten'in, yanking Black Zetsu and the chunk of rock fused to him violently out of the earth!

No matter how hard he struggled, Black Zetsu couldn't break free from the gravitational hold binding him to the stone.

The moment Madara laid eyes on the figure, he knew instantly who it was.

Kaguya's third child!

As someone with the Rinnegan, Madara naturally understood that using Yin–Yang Release could produce a special kind of black rod.

These rods contained the "power of the Outer Path," could seal chakra points, transmit chakra, and serve as weapons—versatile and powerful.

And this black figure—its body's composition was eerily similar to those rods.

It was clearly a lifeform created using Yin–Yang Release.

It perfectly matched the descriptions found in ancient texts: before her sealing, Kaguya had used Yin–Yang Release and her will to create a third son.

Now that Madara had identified Black Zetsu's true identity, his rage surged uncontrollably.

He had actually been fooled his entire life—utterly and completely.

He had blindly believed the words etched on that cursed stone tablet.

For the sake of so-called "true peace," he severed ties with Hashirama and abandoned the village they had built together.

To obtain Hashirama's flesh and blood, he fought him with everything he had—going so far as to die by his hand.

He waited a lifetime just to awaken the Rinnegan...

And in the end, someone had the audacity to whisper in his ear:

"Everything you've done was part of someone else's scheme."

Years of conviction and dreams collapsed in an instant.

"Tch."

Madara closed his eyes, his lips barely moving as he whispered words no one else could hear.

"Maybe this time... you were right, Hashirama."

Banshō Ten'in.

With a twist of his palm, Madara poured even more chakra into the technique.

The floating boulder that held Black Zetsu suddenly cracked under the crushing force—

It began to collapse from the base upward, inch by inch, until it crumbled into dust.

Fused into the rock, Black Zetsu let out a shrill, blood-curdling scream. A black head protruded from the surface, forcefully breaking out of his Earth Release state.

If he didn't dispel Earth Release now, he would really die.

Though his life force was abnormally strong, he wasn't truly immortal!

As the black figure surfaced from the rock, Madara's gaze grew colder.

He moved in a flash—somehow already holding his scythe—and swung down with brutal force.

Blades of light streaked through the air.

In a single moment, he slashed more than a dozen times, hacking Black Zetsu into dozens of pieces!

In front of Madara, Black Zetsu was as helpless as a child.

And that wasn't surprising.

Despite being Kaguya's "child," Black Zetsu was not like his two older brothers. He was a construct of Yin–Yang Release.

He hadn't inherited any of Kaguya's true power. All he had were abilities born from Yin–Yang Release, which allowed him to survive undetected for so long.

But now, with his true body exposed and caught—

He was utterly wretched.

Even worse, thanks to his terrifying vitality, even after being chopped into dozens of pieces, he still wasn't dead. His fragmented body even showed signs of recombining.

"Truly has the tenacity of a cockroach."

Watching the scene unfold, Nawaki couldn't help but sigh.

Still, he couldn't just stand there any longer. As tenacious as Black Zetsu was, even he wouldn't survive prolonged torture from Madara.

A corpse would serve him no purpose. Keeping him alive was far more valuable.

With a thought, Nawaki designated Black Zetsu as a Reincarnator.

[Setting successful. Target has been converted to a Reincarnator. Related missions have been canceled. You may now view his status.]

[Name: Black Zetsu

Age: ???

Overall Strength: A-

Skills: Spiritual Fusion, Spirit Possession…

Talents: Stealth, Longevity, Low-Level Immortality

Potential: ???

Evaluation: The manifested will of Kaguya. Possesses immense vitality. Can possess and manipulate other bodies. Driven by overwhelming ambition.]

Overwhelming ambition, huh…

This kind of person was exactly what the Lord God System needed!

Nawaki tapped on the intangible interface, and in the next instant, the mutilated Black Zetsu vanished from Madara's sight.

"He disappeared?"

Madara frowned, eyes flashing coldly.

That instantaneous disappearance—it had to be the Lord God's teleportation.

But why?

The Lord God had exposed the truth about Kaguya's third child—so why go out of their way to save him now?

Doubt and unease crept into Madara's heart.

After a long pause, he let out a cold snort and stowed away his scythe.

Anger wouldn't solve anything.

In front of the Lord God, Reincarnators were always at a disadvantage. What could he possibly do to resist?

Besides, now that his lifelong dream had been shattered—for the first time, Madara felt lost.

What was he supposed to do now?

What could he do?

Seeing Madara in that haze of uncertainty, Nawaki smiled faintly.

Wasn't this exactly what the Lord God existed for?

When Reincarnators had no desires—create them.

With a gentle tap of his finger—

A translucent interface unfolded before Madara's eyes.

It displayed the Lord God's exchange list. Right at the top was one option:

Create Life.

Madara blinked in surprise. He studied the details, and then—his lips curled in a cold smirk.

"Create a lifeform identical to one from memory? Hmph. A soulless shell of meat. Only cowards would choose something like that…"

And yet—

The moment he saw that option, Madara's spirit stirred. The fog in his heart instantly cleared.

After a long silence, he looked up at the sky.

"Lord God… if you're truly omnipotent… can you bring the dead back to life—perfectly?"

[Querying resurrection-related entries requires a fee of 500 points.]

The Lord God's calm voice echoed in his mind.

Madara didn't hesitate to pay.

Immediately, countless options with resurrection functions appeared before him.

A slow, rising smile formed on his lips.

Looking at those expensive options, he felt the same heady rush he'd once known in his youth.

He muttered softly to himself—

"Hashirama… If you still believe in your dream, then come back and convince me with your own words…"

"...Izuna…"

"Perhaps peace, like reincarnation, has no true end—but I will use these eyes… to see how far this road really goes."

~~~

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Remove the parentheses btw