Time was almost up, and Naraku closed his eyes, entering a light sleep.
After a long while, the strange mass of Chakra within his slowly approached, stopping about a meter behind him. Immediately, a peculiar fluctuation emanated from that spot.
Naraku relaxed his mind, allowing the genjutsu's Chakra to invade his brain.
Seeing that he was completely trapped in the genjutsu, Black Zetsu retracted his Sharingan and looked back, meeting Uchiha Madara's gaze, who had been disturbed by the Chakra fluctuation.
Madara returned a look that said, "I understand."
He had always trusted Black Zetsu's plans, as it was a product separated from his own consciousness and had rarely made mistakes from then until now.
This genjutsu was certainly not the Infinite Tsukuyomi, but it produced a similar effect. It could draw out the deepest desires in a person's heart, allowing the target to experience a brief, almost real, beautiful dream.
How could Uchiha Naraku, who had lost everything, resist such a sweet temptation?
As Black Zetsu's intended prey, Naraku, just as Black Zetsu had thought, was deeply immersed, seemingly wandering in the dream world, showing no suspicion about his surroundings.
Besides him, with his System, being able to deceive the heavens to a certain extent, the animator, who could see everything that had happened in this world, would surely also be able to observe his entire experience within the genjutsu.
Therefore, he still couldn't show any flaws.
Naraku bent down and plucked a wild flower from the roadside, holding it up to the sunlight. Its pure white petals and pale yellow pistil complemented each other perfectly. The intricate patterns and veins of its stem and leaves were incredibly delicate and clear, lifelike.
He was so engrossed that he didn't notice the person beside him had walked a few steps away, then turned back to stand in front of him, reaching out to take the small flower from his hand.
"Kakashi."
With the item taken, Naraku looked at the dream illusion in front of him, a slightly bewildered smile on his face.
Kakashi twirled the flower stem, and the round blossom tumbled and spun along with it.
"I never saw you interested in these flowers and plants before."
His tone seemed indifferent, yet the pressure in his hand was just right, not harming the delicate stem in the slightest.
"If you don't hurry, it'll be too late."
"I know."
Naraku placed the small flower into the basket he was carrying, which also held many fresh vegetables and fruits, seemingly for making dinner at home.
The two returned to the Hatake residence, prepared ingredients, and cooked, busy for an hour or two.
In a blink of an eye, night fell, and the lights of the house came on, welcoming the father who was rushing home.
"I'm home!"
Sakumo, covered in dust from his journey, rushed home. The moment he entered, he smelled the aroma of food, took a deep breath, paused for several seconds, and then exhaled.
Dispelling his fatigue with a sense of happiness, he drew a Chakra long sword from behind him, its sheath and hilt pure white with scattered gold accents, and handed it to Naraku.
Sakumo casually ruffled his apprentice's little head: "Happy birthday!"
"Thank you, Master."
Naraku took the ninja sword with both hands, his eyes filled with surprise and emotion, followed by a hint of unease: "It must be expensive... this..."
"Don't want it?" Kakashi opened his characteristic Byakugan, extended his hand towards Naraku, and said in a joking tone, "Then give it to me."
Naraku subconsciously tightened his grip on the sheath, his expression hesitant for a few seconds. Just as he was about to reluctantly hand the sword to Kakashi, the latter gave him a hard rap on the head.
"Idiot!"
"S-Sorry..."
Naraku, with a large bump on his forehead, looked at Kakashi pitifully, which made the latter's heart soften and ache. He rubbed Naraku's face vigorously with both hands.
"Just use what Father gave you properly; don't think about unnecessary things."
"Mmm mmm... I know..."
Sakumo, who had entered the kitchen at some point, poked his head out: "The soup is ready, oh."
"Time to eat, time to eat." Kakashi released Naraku's already reddened cheeks, clasped his hands behind his head, and urged him to hurry: "The bowls and chopsticks aren't set yet."
Naraku stood still, holding the sword, watching Kakashi and Sakumo busy at the stove. The father and son occasionally bickered.
-- How wonderful, just like before.
He smiled nostalgically, placed the long sword on the rack, and turned to enter the kitchen to help.
-- Let's finish this dream first.
"I'm here to help!"
... The night passed, and Naraku slept soundly, with no sign of struggling to wake up.
Black Zetsu became even more convinced that this boy was inseparable from the dream world, perhaps currently immersed in it, utterly enchanted.
It was time to make him realize the cruelty of reality.
Grinning and sneering twice, Black Zetsu was about to release the genjutsu, allowing Naraku to break free from that illusion and return to the real world.
Just then, Naraku woke up on his own, sat up in bed, stared straight at it, and then showed an incredibly natural smile.
Black Zetsu had been hairless since birth, but at that moment, it felt its nonexistent hairs stand on end.
Something was wrong; Uchiha Naraku looked very wrong.
"Y-You're awake?"
Black Zetsu quickly adjusted its mindset and began to introduce its identity: "I am Black Zetsu, an consciousness separated from Lord Madara. If you have anything to say, you can tell me."
"Then please wake him up."
Naraku got out of bed barefoot, smiling with a gentle and kind expression, just like his former self who had everything not long ago.
"I am very interested in that 'real world' he told me about."
Madara had already woken from his slumber. Hearing this, he opened his eyes and stared at Naraku, asking in a deep voice, "Have you come to your senses?"
"Of course," Naraku took a few steps forward, his movements and habits no different from the previous night. The only difference was that he could smile again. "In this hellish world, no one can find happiness. Therefore, letting 'reality' descend is the only way to save everyone."
His enacted smile was extremely sincere, but in the deepest part of his eyes, a hysterical cold light flickered. Madness and obsession quietly lurked there, waiting for the moment to break free from their chains.
"Hmph," Madara scoffed, his old, withered body erupting with astonishing momentum, pressing down on Naraku like a collapsing mountain. "Brat, no one can lie in front of me!"
He rebuked, "Who are you!?"
"Grandpa is truly sharp. There's nothing different about me compared to him."
The superficial gentle expression of [Uchiha Naraku] didn't waver. He blinked at Madara: "He's still in that dream; he'll probably sleep for a long time, oh."
Madara was well-experienced, and the current situation couldn't be clearer.
Uchiha Naraku's collapsing mind had been shattered by the impact of the illusion, splitting into another personality.
The sub-personality had seized control of the body while the main personality was still weak.
"Let Naraku come out and talk to me."
"Why?" Hearing this request, a hint of confusion appeared on [Uchiha Naraku]'s face: "Does it matter if it's me or him?"
"Can you maintain control of this body for a long time? I don't need an unstable successor."
"But if I'm here, he can't either. And he hasn't made up his mind to help you yet, Grandpa. Why don't you talk to me first?"
[Uchiha Naraku] knelt beside the chair, looking at him with a face Madara couldn't tear his eyes away from, even his coquettish tone was identical.
"This world is as false as hell; I no longer care about anything."
"So, I prefer that 'real world' you spoke of."
"I will kill him, soon."