Brotherhood

You could tell from how every time someone possessed him, his strength suddenly increased and he gained all sorts of strange powers.

Before, he hadn't been nearly this proficient with Wood Release. But after Hashirama Senju possessed him, using it had suddenly become incredibly easy.

If he went by the Type-Moon World's rules, a Heroic Spirit's possession would enhance the host's talents. But if they left...

"I wonder how much of this boost will remain after Hashirama Senju and Senju Tobirama leave. Then again... I have a feeling mine is different. A Heroic Spirit's possession in the Type-Moon World wouldn't just give me new powers out of nowhere."

Li Ke wasn't too worried about it. Even without the boost, once his body matured, he'd still be able to crush these people.

"The real question is whether I can summon Madara Uchiha."

So, while Senju Tobirama continued rushing toward Rin Nohara, Li Ke spoke up.

"Lord Hashirama, I'd like to summon Lord Madara and have a chat with him. Could you lend me some chakra?"

Hashirama Senju paused, then fell silent in thought.

"I can, but can your body take it? Qingtan, you've already got far too many Kekkei Genkai. It's all right while you have our chakra, but if we're gone, will your body be able to handle them?"

A Kekkei Genkai was both a power and a burden. Many people couldn't bear the power of their Kekkei Genkai and died young from illness. That was why Hashirama Senju was so concerned.

"Exactly, Qingtan. There's no need for you to take that risk. Don't forget, you had plenty of injuries before. If it weren't for me, you'd be dead by now."

Senju Tobirama joined in, trying to dissuade him.

"Seeking power is a good thing, but crossing the limits of your body is not."

Li Ke agreed. If he didn't have the Shared Space, he would have stopped there, too.

After all, he didn't need the power of the Sharingan that badly. He could keep developing his Byakugan. He hadn't even gotten used to its power yet, so why covet another?

But he had the Shared Space.

"Still, I want to try. First, Second, my ideals demand that I have this kind of courage."

Senju Tobirama and Hashirama Senju fell silent for a while. In the end, Hashirama Senju spoke.

"All right. Just be careful."

The moment he finished, Senju Tobirama roared.

"Big brother!"

"It's all right, Tobirama. We have to trust the people of the future."

"..."

Senju Tobirama said nothing more and simply sped up toward Rin Nohara.

Li Ke promptly began chanting, offering Hashirama Senju's chakra as a sacrifice to activate his talent once more.

"Creator of Konoha, one who saw through the falsehoods of the Ninja World, come to my side. I, and the shinobi known as Hashirama Senju, have something we wish to discuss with you!"

Li Ke wanted to talk to Madara Uchiha. If Madara could stop being so obsessed and join them in opposing the Otsutsuki Clan, the Ninja World would have far fewer problems.

After all, when it came to fighting the Otsutsuki Clan, Madara Uchiha was a force they could win over.

But—

"Was I rejected?"

Li Ke clearly sensed a rejection, but, strangely, he also felt that perhaps he could use chakra to drag the other party here.

"Is it a problem with my Type-Moon talent, or with me?"

Li Ke didn't know, but he decided to try.

So he poured a huge amount of his chakra into his summoning talent!

The next moment, the chakra that had been fighting within him appeared inside his body! And Madara Uchiha's furious voice rang in his ears.

"Brat! Didn't I reject you? You really are Tobirama's disciple!"

In the Mind Space, Madara Uchiha glared at Li Ke with hostility. Li Ke checked his chakra. Thanks to these three great figures, he had only half of it left, but this was about Madara Uchiha's attitude, so he decided to push himself a little further.

But just then, in a Mind Space he had never entered before, the pattern in Madara Uchiha's eyes abruptly transformed into the many-ringed Rinnegan!

The Rinnegan, the eyes of a Sage, was the most important part of all Madara Uchiha's plans. While he was alive, he had given away his eyes to carry out his plan, but in the form of the dead, he could activate them directly!

Hashirama Senju tried to play peacemaker. He had been determined to kill Madara Uchiha just moments ago, but that was because Madara wanted to destroy humanity. Now they could talk things out again.

"Um, Madara, Qingtan has something to tell you. And, technically speaking, Qingtan is my disciple. Besides, you and Tobirama—"

Before he could finish, Madara Uchiha glared at him furiously. Senju Tobirama, who was controlling Li Ke's body, glared at Hashirama Senju as well.

"Hashirama, shut up!"

"Big brother, shut up! I taught Qingtan a lot more!"

Yelled at by both of them, Hashirama Senju immediately crouched down in the Mind Space, turned his back to them, hugged his knees, and sulked.

"Sorry. I really am annoying..."

Seeing him so dejected, neither Senju Tobirama nor Madara Uchiha wanted to say anything. But after glancing at each other, they both found the other utterly repulsive.

"Hmph... Looks like this brat's Yin Release really is pathetic. Senju Tobirama, our grudge—"

As he spoke, Li Ke hurriedly recited his shortened summoning chant and performed another summoning.

"...The one Madara Uchiha loves most, and the one who loves Madara Uchiha most, come to my side."

So, just as Madara Uchiha was stretching his limbs, preparing to attack Senju Tobirama, another figure appeared.

"Senju Tobirama! You bastard! Don't think you can win me over with words like that! Huh? Big brother! You're here too! That's great!"

The instant Izuna Uchiha appeared, he started cursing at Senju Tobirama, then spotted his big brother, Madara Uchiha.

Madara Uchiha froze. His chakra spilled out a torrent of emotions, but a smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Ah, Izuna, you're just in time. Now we can settle things with Senju Tobirama properly!"

Senju Tobirama: "..."

Feeling Li Ke's chakra, Senju Tobirama was a little disheartened. He thought Li Ke was getting back at him for beating him up in a dream with Li Ke's Kekkei Genkai.

He'd only done it a few times. Did Li Ke really have to be so petty?

Fortunately, his big brother was always his big brother. Just as the Uchiha brothers were about to attack, Hashirama Senju quickly stood up.

"Um, Qingtan said he wanted to talk things out. Why fight?"

Madara Uchiha snorted.

"Hmph. I've got nothing to discuss with a naïve brat like him! But since he beat me once, I suppose I can hear whatever joke he has to tell!"

Even as he spoke, he rested a hand on Izuna Uchiha's shoulder, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

You're clearly happy because you saw your little brother!

Li Ke, Hashirama Senju, and Senju Tobirama all grumbled inwardly at the same time.

But Li Ke was having a hard time, too. After summoning Izuna Uchiha, he had only one-fifth of his chakra left.

His body also felt horribly full, as if it were about to burst. His eyes were growing more and more uncomfortable, too, as if they were moving toward some other state.

Still—

His body could hold out, but Li Ke didn't plan to maintain this state for long. In fact, he didn't intend to keep Senju Tobirama and Hashirama Senju around, either.

He was destined to fight on his own.

After thinking it over, he immediately spoke.

"Lord Madara, Lord Izuna, I only wanted to discuss your plan with you."

As soon as Li Ke finished speaking, the entire Mind Space fell silent. Madara Uchiha narrowed his eyes and looked up, unable to stop himself from speaking.

"You have the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, yet you don't even know how to enter the Mind Space?! What a foolish, arrogant brat! Do you expect me to look up at you while we talk?!"

As he spoke, his ocular power erupted. The next moment, Li Ke felt his mind lurch into a pure white space. Before him stood Senju Tobirama, forming Hand Seals, along with Madara Uchiha and the others.

And because Madara Uchiha had moved so slowly, Li Ke had learned how to do it himself.

"Mm... Thank you, Lord Madara."

Madara Uchiha merely snorted and turned his head away.

"Hmph! I just didn't want to see you waste the Uchiha's power!"

Having already gotten his hands on Madara Uchiha's power, Li Ke didn't hold back.

"Lord Madara, a man being tsundere isn't cute, you know."

He'd been wanting to tease the Uchiha Clan about this for ages!

Senju Tobirama immediately laughed triumphantly, while the Uchiha brothers glared at Li Ke. Izuna Uchiha even lunged straight at him.

"How dare you insult my big brother!"

But with a mere thought from Li Ke, Izuna Uchiha froze in place. Madara Uchiha realized something was wrong and tried to move, but Li Ke froze him in place as well.

If these people didn't take up so much of his chakra, Li Ke would have loved to keep Madara Uchiha trapped in his body. That way, even if he couldn't find the Rinnegan, Black Zetsu wouldn't be able to cause too much trouble.

But there was no need.

He'd beaten Madara Uchiha once. He could do it again!

"Everything about those I summon is under my control. Lord Madara, I can't order you to help me, but I can control your chakra."

At Li Ke's words, Madara Uchiha's eyes turned cold.

"Let Izuna go, brat... What exactly are you trying to do?"

If Li Ke kept him under control like this, Madara Uchiha would rather be dead.

"What I'm saying is, Lord Madara, your plan has a huge flaw. Do you really intend to destroy humanity? To wipe out mankind? People under genjutsu can't reproduce or eat."

Madara Uchiha snorted.

"You underestimate me, and you underestimate the Uchiha's power. Of course I've thought of that. I only need to supply the people's bodies with Tailed Beast Chakra, and they can live forever without eating or drinking. As for the next generation, I'll manipulate those who still love each other in the genjutsu space and have them bear children. The children's Tsukuyomi Spaces will be linked together until they grow up."

He certainly wouldn't do something as foolish as destroying humanity to save it. He was Madara Uchiha, not an idiot!

"Sounds airtight. But did you come up with this plan yourself, or was it someone else's idea?"

Li Ke asked again. Madara Uchiha paused, then chose not to hide the truth. He had told Hashirama Senju about it before, and he had no interest in lying.

"It was carved into a Uchiha monument. It held the Sage of Six Paths' words..."

"Then how can you be sure the Sage of Six Paths really left them there? And how can you be sure the thing you're using to store the Tailed Beast Chakra won't turn into some kind of monster?"

Madara Uchiha didn't care in the least. He even snorted disdainfully.

"Of course I checked. The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path is nothing more than a mindless tool. It can't develop a will of its own. Besides, why should I answer questions like that from a brat like you?"

Madara Uchiha was quite displeased. He found it strange to be answering questions from the person who had defeated him, at a time and place like this. But Li Ke had raised the crucial question.

"Then, Lord Madara, why wasn't this technique used in the Sage of Six Paths' era? If everything you've said is correct, then this technology should already have existed back then. Why didn't the Sage of Six Paths use it? And why have no legends about it survived to this day? Or did he disapprove of this technique? But if he did, why leave it behind? Lord Madara, there are a lot of things here that simply don't add up."

Li Ke's question left Madara Uchiha completely stunned. But at that moment, Senju Tobirama, his Sharingan eyes wide open, landed beside Rin Nohara.

Facing the Mist Shinobi from Kirigakure's Anbu and Sealing Squad, his expression turned slightly excited. Then he brought his hands together.

Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!

In an instant, countless trees swallowed the Kirigakure shinobi who had restrained the Three-Tails. Freed from their control, the Three-Tails was just about to roar and send them all flying with a Tailed Beast Bomb when it saw Li Ke grinning wickedly as he activated the Mangekyō Sharingan!

Or, more accurately, Senju Tobirama was grinning wickedly as he activated the Mangekyō Sharingan!

The Three-Tails froze in place. Senju Tobirama immediately manipulated Wood Release to cover its body, and even took advantage of Li Ke's body to enter Sage Mode. As he drew chakra from the Three-Tails, he roared excitedly.

Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique!

The Mist Shinobi were thrown into disarray. They couldn't put up any resistance before Wood Release bound them and drained their chakra. The Wood Golem pinned the Three-Tails firmly beneath it, while countless sealing runes and senjutsu fell upon the beast.

With Rin Nohara staring in bewilderment, Li Ke, possessed by the Spirit Tool, effortlessly brought most of the events of Naruto to an end!

"Just as I thought. This feeling..."

In the Mind Space, where everyone was focused on interrogating Madara Uchiha and no one was paying attention to the outside world, the Second, Senju Tobirama, controlled Li Ke's body and unleashed one Kekkei Genkai after another. The corners of his mouth curved upward.

"...It's wonderful!"