Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

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"The direct fusion of the Senju and Uchiha powers... this is probably the key to unlocking the Rinnegan. But..."

He glanced at his almost transparent hands, then looked outwards: "It's too late to say all this now."

"In my current state, even if I had your flesh and blood, let alone without it, with this remnant soul, I would be no match for the 'me' outside who has already collected all the tailed beasts and possesses the Rinnegan."

Hashirama suddenly laughed, patting Madara's shoulder forcefully. His cheerful laugh seemed to dispel all gloom: "Madara, have you forgotten?"

"This is no longer our era!"

"The only right choice for us two old folks, who should have long ago returned to the Pure Land, is to devote everything we have to supporting and inspiring the next generation."

Looking at Hashirama's untroubled smile, Madara, unusually, also showed a hint of relief on his tense face.

With a hint of self-deprecation and a touch of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and reflection): "Heh... that's exactly the kind of thing you would say, Hashirama."

But his smile vanished immediately, replaced by an extremely serious expression: "However, Hashirama, you need to think this through."

"If we were to use all of our remaining essential chakra to guide and awaken the dormant potential within Naruto and Sasuke... our last remaining traces might..."

Hashirama chimed in, his tone as casual as if discussing what to have for dinner: "It will disappear, right? Completely merge into their chakra, and return to nothingness."

Ban glared at him: "So you know that too!"

Hashirama laughed and retorted, "What? Are you scared?"

Madara snorted coldly, raised his head arrogantly, and that arrogance belonging to the Asura of the ninja world reappeared: "You may be afraid, but I am not afraid."

The two spoke in a relaxed tone, as if they were having a casual conversation, but the content of their dialogue concerned their own survival.

This completely stunned Minato, Kushina, and Kurama (the Nine-Tails) standing nearby.

They could sense that Madara and Hashirama were serious!

"Mr. Madara! Lord Hashirama! You..." Minato hurriedly tried to dissuade them.

"There's no need for this!" Kushina exclaimed anxiously.

However, Madara raised his hand to stop them, his gaze sweeping over the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke.

The image finally settled on Hashirama's face, a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on his lips: "Who said... he would definitely disappear?"

"Perhaps this is the beginning of a 'turning point'?"

Hashirama shrugged helplessly, a fatalistic smile on his face: "Perhaps it was because I had a premonition that I would be doing this big thing with you that I came into Sasuke's body."

The decision has been made; no further explanation is needed.

Madara turned to Minato and Kushina, his tone returning to its usual calm.

But it carried an undeniable sense of entrustment: "Tell that brat Naruto..."

He paused, seemingly unaccustomed to saying such things, but still said it: "...I will come back."

This was not a consolation, but a declaration from Uchiha Madara.

Hashirama smiled and looked at Minato and his wife: "Then please tell Sasuke that I'm very happy to be his 'temporary roommate' for the time being!"

"It's my good fortune to have met such an outstanding and interesting junior like him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Madara and Hashirama exchanged a smile.

That smile contained so much.

Decades of grudges and affections, the bond between enemies and friends, and a shared hope for the future of the ninja world.

Immediately afterwards, the two people's illusory soul images began to emit an incomparably dazzling light!

That light was not destructive, but rather the most primal and purest chakra radiance!

Two legendary ninja powers have transcended countless years and the cycle of life and death.

At this moment, they merged together perfectly and without reservation, transforming into a magnificent pillar of light containing infinite possibilities and creative power!

Then, the beam of light, which contained the last traces of Madara and Hashirama, was suddenly injected into the ocean of chakra in the consciousness space below, which represented the life origins of Naruto and Sasuke!

"boom--!!!"

The entire space of consciousness began to tremble violently!

The once calm water surface was suddenly churned into towering waves, and the sky was painted with a chaotic yet magnificent color!

Chapter 502 Kakashi's Last Stand

The battlefield has become a true hell on earth.

The Five Kage, who once symbolized the last hope of the Allied Shinobi Forces—Tsunade, Onoki, Mei Terumi, A, and Gaara.

They all collapsed onto the shattered earth.

They may be trapped in a giant pit.

Or the body was pierced by twisted trees.

Or lying in the ruins, their bodies charred black.

Each person's breath was extremely weak, and their clothes were stained red with blood.

They gave it their all, and at one point even thought they saw the light of victory.

But in the face of Madara, who was resurrected and whose strength surpassed that of the Edo Tensei era, all efforts were as fragile as bubbles.

Shisui and Itachi, two powerful individuals with the Mangekyou Sharingan, were also not spared.

Their Susanoo was shattered, their chakra was exhausted, and they were severely injured, collapsing not far from the Five Kage.

Uchiha Hikaru, who possessed the ability of "Eight Thousand Spears," was a particular target of Madara's attention.

Her chakra transmission network poses a potential threat to Madara's plans.

She was unconscious at this moment, her chakra was disordered, and she had obviously suffered a powerful mental shock.

In contrast, Ban was suspended in mid-air, his body spotless, and even his breathing was perfectly steady.

The Rinnegan coldly swept across the ravaged battlefield below, like a god looking down on struggling ants.

The overwhelming disparity in strength turned the war into a one-sided performance by him.

"It's barely a warm-up."

Ban's deep voice echoed across the deathly silent battlefield.

Then, he formed a hand seal, and the Gedo Mazo behind him, which had absorbed all the chakra from the One-Tailed to the Nine-Tailed, let out a deafening roar!

The golem's enormous body began to twist and shrink violently.

Ultimately, it transformed into a massive pillar of chakra light, which surged into Madara's body!

Almost instantly, his physical form began to undergo a dramatic transformation!

A white substance covered his entire body like armor, while black Truth-Seeking Jewels slowly emerged and arranged behind him.

A six-stranded staff, radiating terrifying energy, materialized in his hand.

At this moment, Madara's posture was exactly like that of a god descended to earth!

An overwhelming, ocean-like pressure swept across the entire battlefield.

"This is... the power of God..."

Madara felt an unprecedented power within his body, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

He could sense that with just a single thought, he could easily destroy everything before him.

However, he quickly frowned slightly.

"Not even close..."

He touched the empty socket of his right eye: "I'm still missing an eye."

Just then, a White Zetsu emerged from the ground and reported in its distinctive tone: "Lord Madara, according to intelligence, the other Rinnegan should be in the direction of Konoha, and Nagato is most likely active there."

"Konoha Village... Nagato..."

A cold glint flashed in Ban's eyes.

That eye was originally a tool he temporarily placed there to nurture and collect the tailed beast Charak; now, it's time to return it to its rightful owner.

"Hmph, then go and get it back."

Liudao Ban no longer paid any attention to the dying "minor fish" below.

His figure transformed into a white streak of light, instantly disappearing into the horizon, and sped off towards Konoha Village.

For him, the ultimate goal was to reclaim the eyes and complete the Infinite Tsukuyomi; these remnants were no longer a concern.

The battlefield fell into a deathly silence, with only the howling wind and the faint groans of the wounded remaining.

After a long time...

A huge pile of rubble trembled slightly, and a hand covered in mud and blood struggled to emerge from a crevice.

Immediately afterward, the rubble was pushed aside, and a silver-haired figure crawled out in a very disheveled state.

It was Hatake Kakashi.

His Jonin vest was already tattered, and his signature mask was stained with large patches of blood.

He knelt on one knee, coughing violently, each breath aggravating the pain throughout his body.

When he looked up and saw the apocalyptic scene before him...

That heart, hardened by war, still couldn't help but convulse violently.

Corpses lay strewn across the fields, and cries of anguish filled the air.

The Five Kage fell, Shisui, Itachi, and Hikaru also fell... but he could do nothing.

He not only failed to completely finish off Obito in the Kamui dimension and prevent him from becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki;

They were unable to prevent Madara's resurrection from the outside world;

Even when Madara leaves, he can only watch helplessly, powerless to stop him.

"Maybe... I really am a useless person..."

Kakashi muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and full of self-mockery.