It was at this exact moment that Sasuke and Naruto arrived at Madara's location.
Seeing Madara pinned down by the Gracious Deity Gates, the two landed right beside Hashirama.
Across the field, a massive scroll unfurled as Sai prepared his Sealing Jutsu: Crouched Tiger Bullet to seal Madara once and for all.
The corners of Madara's mouth curled up slightly. He completely ignored the looming tiger ink construct, keeping his gaze fixed solely on Naruto and Sasuke.
"You have my gratitude."
"Thank you for extracting the Tailed Beasts from Obito's body."
"Because of that, Kanon and I didn't have to waste our own efforts wearing him down."
Meanwhile, on the other battlefield, the Chidori Current was still crackling violently. Kanon's execution of this move had been breathtakingly swift; using the Flying Raijin Technique to blink right next to Obito, she had incapacitated Minato and Kakashi in a single breath.
Now, a mocking smirk played on her lips as she said in a playful tone, "Obito, what you did to Izumi-nee back then... it's time to pay it back with your own life."
"The only reason you were allowed to live up to this point was to serve this exact purpose."
"Or, if you prefer old man Madara's version… you only existed to bring about his resurrection."
Obito's body trembled as Black Zetsu's dark matter steadily spread across his skin. His Rinnegan and three-tomoe Sharingan glared daggers at Kanon.
Yet, his heart was filled with a deep, hollow sorrow. This alliance had always been a gamble between him and Kanon from the very beginning.
The stronger side would inevitably devour the weaker one. Seeing things end like this, Obito knew with absolute certainty that Kanon had won.
He was finally going to pay the ultimate price for orchestrating the Uchiha clan's downfall and murdering Izumi.
"Black Zetsu... Kanon..."
Obito croaked, his voice shaking. At that exact microsecond, as the ink tiger from the Crouched Tiger Bullet bit into Madara's physical form, Madara spoke across the distance in perfect synchronicity:
"Outer Path: Rinne Rebirth!"
Instantly, Madara's physical form underwent a radical transformation. White smoke erupted from his body as the cracked, papery debris of the Rinne Rebirth began to slough off and disintegrate.
"Finally, a real fight." Madara's voice grew deep and ominous.
BOOM!
A violent plume of scorching steam blasted outward from Madara. Watching from afar, Kanon's smile widened slightly.
Madara could feel the thumping rhythm of his own heartbeat. Staring at the palms of his hands, his pupils trembled with raw exhilaration.
The moment the Rinne Rebirth was fully executed, Kanon's Chidori Current detonated into a concussive shockwave, violently blasting Kakashi and Minato away from her.
Kanon gazed down at Obito with a placid expression. Had this man, whose tragic, singular devotion was almost enviable, never moved her?
In truth, Kanon had even felt a fleeting spark of jealousy. If someone were willing to tear the entire world apart just for her sake, then no matter how broken this world was, she would undoubtedly be the happiest girl alive.
However, to reach that distant flower field of her dreams, she was prepared to shoulder any sin. Even if this choice was entirely twisted, Kanon would never allow herself to harbor a single shred of doubt.
Nagato had once questioned her about the true nature of justice. To Kanon, justice meant one thing: believing blindly and unflinchingly in oneself!
As Black Zetsu's dark mass continued to envelop Obito's form, Kanon knelt down. A fluidic black hand emerged from the shadows, offering a single Rinnegan up to her.
"Black Zetsu, where is the other Rinnegan?" Kanon questioned.
"It's still inside this guy's socket. It needs to be gouged out," Black Zetsu replied in a low, gravelly voice.
"Then I'll handle the extraction," Kanon began, but Black Zetsu shook his head.
"You leave first. Madara-sama has been resurrected. Deliver that Rinnegan to him immediately."
"Fine. Let's see if old man Madara still has what it takes."
On the other side of the battlefield, Madara's smile grew wider as he felt the surge of life returning to his veins. He nodded in immense satisfaction:
"Yes! This is what a real body feels like."
"My blood is boiling!"
"This is what it means to fight!" As Madara spoke, his artificial Reanimation Rinnegan crumbled into dust and fell away from his sockets.
At that exact fraction of a second, the black flames of Amaterasu erupted across his back.
Sasuke, standing atop an ink beast from the Super Beast Imitating Drawing, remarked coldly, "A mere relic of the old era shouldn't be out here making a fool of himself!"
Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun furiously, locking onto Madara in the distance.
"A mere speck of dust like you doesn't possess a fraction of my worth."
"Those words should be mine to say," Madara countered smoothly.
At that moment, Naruto bellowed, "Sasuke, standard ninjutsu attacks won't work on him! He can absorb ninjutsu!"
The warning had barely left Naruto's mouth when Madara shed his burning armor and outer tunic, casting them aside before the Amaterasu flames could spread to his actual flesh.
"When two opposing forces cooperate, true happiness is found... Hashirama, do you remember what I told you in front of the Uchiha stone tablet?"
"Did you honestly think the inscription meant that two conflicting clans working together would bring about true peace?"
"But I also told you back then that there was another interpretation, didn't I?"
Hashirama stared at his own face grafted onto Madara's chest, falling into a grim silence.
"Uchiha and Senju, the one who unifies these two forces shall find true happiness. Can it not be interpreted that way, Hashirama?"
"It seems you orchestrated quite a few schemes after you abandoned the village," Hashirama remarked heavily.
"No, it was a stroke of luck achieved by one of my subordinates' comrades."
"It appears someone out there shares my exact vision."
With that, Madara bit deep into his own arm, letting the fresh blood trickle down his wrist as he stated with absolute coldness:
"However, this rebirth..."
"Is proceeding entirely according to my plan!"
In the next instant, Madara's hands blurred into a series of hand signs. Hashirama found himself completely immobilized by the black receivers embedded in his back, while Naruto was violently sent flying by a sudden, brutal kick from Madara.
Sai suffered a similar fate; Madara closed the distance in a flash, driving his knee squarely into Sai's jaw before blasting him away with a heavy follow-up punch.
With the path cleared, Madara materialized directly in front of Hashirama, clamping a single hand around his throat.
Hashirama's Sage Chakra began to drain rapidly, surging directly into Madara's body.
"You know, Hashirama... fighting alongside Kanon really brings back the feeling of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you."
"It feels as though the you from our childhood, the you from when we founded Konoha together, has been right by my side this entire time."
"Therefore, you are no longer of any use to me. The sequence might be a bit reversed, but it doesn't matter. I originally intended to have Kanon infuse me with some Sage Chakra, but using yours directly is far better. After all, these are your cells."
On Madara's chest, the facial features of Hashirama suddenly manifested the distinct pigmentation of the Sage Mode markings.
"So this is Sage Chakra? The power is trivial at best; controlling it seems to present no real difficulty."
But in the next heartbeat, Sasuke dropped from the sky, his blade flashing as he closed in on Madara with incredible speed.
Madara leapt back, narrowly evading Sasuke's slashing trajectory. Sasuke's movements were blistering, keeping tight to Madara's heels without giving him room to breathe.
"Now that you have a physical body of flesh and blood, this is my golden opportunity."
"I can kill you permanently right here, sending you straight back to the afterlife. Die with absolute regret!"
"Regret the fact that you ever abandoned your immortal Reanimation form!"
With a swift thrust, Sasuke drove his sword straight through Madara's right arm, but Madara simply clamped his hand over the blade, stopping it dead.
"I can feel it. Your Mangekyō is a straight-tomoe type, just like Kanon's. Kanon must have transplanted it for you. Before my own Rinnegan are recovered, taking your eyes might not be a bad alternative."
"However, you are Kanon's brother. It would be a pity to ruin these eyes by killing you."
"Why not join me? As fellow survivors of the Uchiha clan, and with your sister already on my side, we could join forces."
Sasuke spat back with pure disdain, "Don't flatter yourself. You're already a dead man, and I will definitely put a stop to Kanon as well."
"Very well. It's not as if you have much time left anyway."
"Fire Release: Hiding in Ash and Dust Jutsu!"
Instantly, a massive cloud of scorching ash erupted across the clearing, blinding their vision as a wall of fire flared up. Sasuke and Naruto's expressions shifted in shock as they realized Madara had completely vanished from the area.
Kneeling on the ground, Hashirama warned softly, "Madara has reclaimed his former power."
"This is bad... his next target is—!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Kanon spoke with flat indifference:
"Obito, you've outlived your usefulness as well."
"Kanon, what have you done?!" Kakashi roared in desperation.
Kanon merely cast a mocking glance at Minato and Kakashi, remaining completely silent.
"Madara... has been resurrected," Obito wheezed, his voice fading.
Beside him, Black Zetsu remarked smoothly, "Having used the Rinne Rebirth, your life is forfeit anyway."
"Kanon, his final mission is complete."
"Now then, hand that left eye over to me."
Minato and Kakashi made a desperate move to intercept them, but Kanon paid them no attention. At that very moment, Black Zetsu's fluidic mass poured itself completely into Obito's physical frame.
"While I am possessing his body, I should be able to keep him alive a bit longer, along with this eye," Black Zetsu noted in a deep, gravelly voice. Obito was now hovering on the absolute brink of death.
"Who are you? You're definitely not human," Minato demanded.
"I am the manifestation of Madara's will."
"I will eliminate anyone who stands in Madara-sama's way."
Controlling Obito's head to glance back, Black Zetsu hissed, "Why haven't you left yet?"
Kanon stared coldly at Black Zetsu. She felt a powerful urge to execute him right then and there, because she had never trusted Zetsu from the very beginning. A manifestation of Madara's will? She had been keeping a close eye on him for ages.
Back in the Akatsuki, he had been thick as thieves with Obito, yet now he was betraying Obito without a second thought. That meant he was just as likely to betray Madara, and by extension, her.
Madara had been dead for decades, yet this creature claimed to be his living will? Every single member of the Akatsuki had a traceable lineage and background, save for Black Zetsu, who remained an absolute enigma.
She had no idea where he came from or what he truly was, which was precisely why she had always maintained her guard around him.
Black Zetsu seemed to catch a hint of her lingering hesitation, his brow furrowing deeply.
"Go, quickly! I'll hold them off here!" Black Zetsu urged loudly.
Kanon gave a subtle nod, turning on her heel to depart.
"Wait! Kanon!" Minato called out, halting her in her tracks. He knew that with his current physical restrictions, he had no way of physically stopping her from leaving; trying to force a confrontation was less effective than finding another angle.
Kanon glanced over her shoulder at Minato.
"Thank you... for keeping Naruto company during his childhood on behalf of Kushina and me."
Kanon shook her head smoothly. "It was nothing. Out of the four Hokage, you are the one I dislike the least. In fact, I quite admire you. But... you are a terrible father."
The moment the words left her mouth, Kanon dissolved into a swirling vortex of spectral roses, vanishing entirely from the forest.
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NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]