"Forgive me, Sasuke... This is the last time."
The living warmth of Itachi's voice suddenly echoed from within his mind.
It caused Sasuke to look toward his own Susanoo, while his own past words reverberated through his memories:
"Whenever you cry or need your big brother, no matter what I'm doing, I'll come rushing to you right away."
"Little sister, your brother isn't strong enough right now. But once I get stronger, I will definitely make you the happiest girl in the world."
Such promises continued to echo in Sasuke's mind. His past vows felt utterly ironic in the face of the revolution he had just conceptualized.
Now that the Infinite Tsukuyomi bathed the earth in its light, he, as an older brother, had actually allowed his own little sister to sink into a dream, completely powerless to stop it. Sasuke felt entirely useless.
He had neither fulfilled his resolve to avenge his brother and inherit his will, nor had he given his sister the love an older brother should provide. Instead, he had hurt her time and time again.
Perhaps only within that beautiful dream could Kanon find a moment of peace, and truly feel the love bestowed upon her by others.
But Sasuke had already resolved to carry out his revolution. Standing alongside Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, his expression was unyielding.
"I've made my decision, Niisan..."
The light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi still shone brilliantly, illuminating Madara's figure. His expression carried a hint of loneliness, and tears glistened at the corners of his eyes.
The entire world had fallen silent. He was like the protagonist of a heroic epic, having overcome countless trials and sacrificed numerous lives, he had finally realized the grand ambition of his youth.
His original intention had never changed; this world was about to welcome its most perfect ending.
At this moment, though Madara's heart was a tempest of complex emotions, his face remained profoundly calm. If nothing unexpected happened, this would be the last time he spoke to Kanon before she fully submerged into the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
The child who longingly yearned for a peaceful field of flowers was finally drifting into slumber within her own shimmering, dream-born flower realm. Madara, who had once promised that Kanon would assist him, had absolutely no intention of waking her.
Because he wanted Kanon to live like this, carefree within the dream world, with her father, her mother, and even Itachi and Sasuke.
Everyone she loved would appear in her dream, including the dream-version of himself, old man Madara.
Thinking of this, Madara's lips twitched slightly. He cast his gaze toward the ground where he stood.
Madara descended, walking over to Kanon's side. She had not been enveloped by the Nativity of a World of Trees; instead, she simply sat on the ground, a solitary figure. Her pupils had been replaced by the Rinnegan, but they were not her own.
Rather, they bore the distinct pattern of Madara's Rinnegan, the ultimate proof that she had fallen under the genjutsu and entered the dreamscape of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"Kanon-chan... live well in this new world."
"I will watch over you for the rest of eternity..."
"This is my responsibility as your grandfather..." Madara gently caressed Kanon's cheek, two streams of clear tears tracing down his face. This fifteen-year-old girl, upon whom he had placed such high hopes, had finally entered the Infinite Tsukuyomi just as intended.
Madara felt joy for her, yet he wept for her. In his eyes, for a shattered young girl who had endured so much trauma at a mere fifteen years of age, only the Infinite Tsukuyomi could ever fill the immense void within her heart.
"Kanon-chan... truth be told, whenever you called me 'Madara-jiichan,' I was truly happy."
"Perhaps we really were like family. You acknowledged and understood everything about me. It was truly good to have you along this journey..."
As his words faded, Madara turned his head slightly, peering toward the distant Susanoo.
"Now, only they remain."
Sure enough, the distant purple Susanoo dissipated; the light had failed to penetrate it.
"The light really couldn't pierce through. If Kanon wanted to, she wouldn't have fallen victim to the Infinite Tsukuyomi either..." Black Zetsu glanced at Kanon, who was a considerable distance away.
This girl was the entity he feared most. From beginning to end, she had kept a watchful eye on his every move; the moment he showed even a glimpse of his true colors, he would have been instantly killed.
However, the activation of the Infinite Tsukuyomi meant she had succumbed to the dreamworld, meaning his sole threat had finally vanished.
Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi stepped back out into the open.
"It's finally over," Sasuke said flatly.
"Looks like that black guy is completely fine," Naruto remarked, looking over at Black Zetsu.
But Sasuke's expression suddenly froze. Naruto followed Sasuke's gaze, and he, too, stiffened.
They simultaneously stared at the distant Kanon. She sat entirely alone atop a stone, motionless, her eyes replaced by the Rinnegan of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, just like everyone else trapped in the genjutsu.
"Kanon..." Sasuke's voice trembled. In truth, seeing his own flesh-and-blood sister reduced to this broke his heart.
To say nothing of Naruto; looking at Kanon, he felt an overwhelming wave of heartache.
"Sasuke, how do we snap everyone out of this genjutsu?" Naruto asked.
"A genjutsu cast by the Rinnegan can likely only be dispelled by the Rinnegan. Kanon has already entered the dreamworld, so the only ones left with the Rinnegan are Madara and myself."
Hearing Sasuke's words, Kakashi nodded. "Which means we'll need to rely on your left eye, Sasuke."
"In your dreams!" Black Zetsu sneered coldly. "All that's left is to dispose of you all, and it will be finished."
Boom!
Madara touched down right in front of Black Zetsu. Lowering his eyes toward Sasuke and the others, he spoke coldly, "Kanon has already entered her peaceful field of flowers."
"No matter what, I will not allow you to ruin it."
"As for disposing of you all... that task will be executed by me, the savior of this world."
Naruto glared heavily at him. "Madara!"
"The eye on his forehead!" Sakura pointed at Madara.
"Watch out. His four shadows have already surrounded us," Sasuke warned.
"I know," Naruto nodded.
Madara looked at the four before him, Team 7, now missing Kanon, and said indifferently:
"I will not permit you to make another move."
"I have severed the karma of this world, untethering humanity from its suffering, pain, and emptiness."
"Look. Kanon is already blissfully immersed within her peaceful flower realm."
"Naruto, you are definitely in her dream. Who knows, perhaps she'll even marry you in there!" Madara shouted.
Naruto gritted his teeth, shifting his gaze from the distant, slumbering Kanon back to Madara, who was staring intently at him. He bellowed, "That's absolute garbage!"
"I'll use my own strength to make Kanon marry me, not in some dream!"
Madara countered coldly, "Naruto, you are standing in the way of everyone's happiness!"
"Look at this world where shinobi no longer fight; everyone is peacefully cradled within their own beautiful dreams."
"Even Kanon has fallen asleep under the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Is that still not proof enough?!"
"I have transformed hell into heaven. The mistake Hashirama made has finally been corrected by my hands. With Kanon's assistance, I have at last achieved this goal."
"Just what mistake did the First Hokage make?!" Sakura yelled back.
"You shinobi of Konoha are naturally loath to admit it, but in the end, Hashirama truly failed."
"He failed in reforming the shinobi world!"
"Had Kanon lived in my era, the Five Great Shinobi Nations would never have come to be. The entire history of the shinobi world would have been unified, with all bowing down to Konoha!"
"Exactly. What Hashirama failed to achieve is the very 'unification' Kanon spoke of!"
"In the beginning, Hashirama and I shared the exact same goal, and we took action together."
"We wanted to change a shinobi world where even young children were forced onto the battlefield."
"And so, the two of us founded a shinobi village, we created Konoha."
"Yet, it failed to bring true peace, because it did not unify everyone."
"Because of that, people could never truly open their hearts to one another."
"Hex, suspicion, and hatred... they can never be stopped."
"But when I met Kanon, I finally understood that people can open up and share a deep, mutual understanding, just as Kanon and I did."
"Back then, my ideals were rejected, and the shinobi world marched forward according to Hashirama's vision."
"But what happened after that?"
"The conflicts between shinobi never ceased. Not only did they persist, but the establishment of hidden villages only served to escalate military power."
"The fighting expanded to the scale of global wars, resulting in countless casualties."
"The First Shinobi World War."
"The Second Shinobi World War."
"The Third Shinobi World War."
"War never stopped. That is the shinobi world Hashirama created."
"Though, when all is said and done, this Fourth Shinobi World War was instigated by Kanon and myself," Madara added indifferently.
"That's right! You and Kanon are the ones responsible for the deaths of so many people!" Sakura shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Madara.
"How laughable. For the sake of a revolution, for the sake of a dream, such sacrifices are inevitable."
"Besides, I did give you the option to hand over the Tailed Beasts quietly."
Madara remained completely unaware that behind him, Black Zetsu was slowly creeping closer.
As Kanon slumbered deeply within the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Naruto and Sasuke stood listening intently to Madara's speech.
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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]