"But these things alone still aren't enough to determine whether they were originally human. Perhaps they had looked like this from the moment they began to grow. Maybe they weren't transformed from pitiful people, as we imagined," Uchiha Madara said with a smile.
Looking at the tree before him, which was not much different from a human, Uchiha Madara fell into thought.
Uchiha Madara stepped closer and carefully examined the great tree before him. He even felt that while he was observing it, the tree was observing him as well.
Though the facial features on the tree were indistinct, they could still be made out. Moreover, as Uchiha Madara looked at its branches and trunk, they were scarcely any different from human limbs. Even the joints could be vaguely distinguished.
The longer he looked, the more terrifying it seemed. It looked far too much like a human—like a tree sculpted by an artist using a human being as the model.
Belaque and Carter Binda also walked over. Since they had confirmed that the two trees they had encountered earlier posed no danger, they could now examine the tree before them without concern.
Belaque slowly circled around to the back of the tree.
"You two, come take a look. Carter Binda, you can open your eyes now. This really is a human," Belaque said to Uchiha Madara and Carter Binda.
The two of them stepped around to the back of the tree as well.
Looking where Belaque pointed, Uchiha Madara shook his head. This really was a human—or rather, it really had once been a human.
At the spot Belaque indicated, Uchiha Madara actually saw clothing. Though it was only a corner of it, there was no way such fabric could have grown from a tree.
"It really is a person..."