Half a month had passed since that earth-shaking battle on Saikawara.
Madara still showed no sign of waking.
Outside a cave deep in the wilderness of the Unnamed Small Country, rain poured down.
Izuna stayed by his side without leaving for a moment.
Black Zetsu had gone out to find food.
After days of tossing and turning, Izuna gradually untangled his chaotic thoughts amid the ceaseless sound of rain.
"When I was alive, my brother took life and death in stride. He once said, live when it is time to live, and live when it is time to die. If he could choose how he died, he would surely shed his last drop of blood for Uchiha Flow!"
"But if that was the brother I knew, how could he remain alive and let the Uchiha be persecuted to death by the Senju's Konoha?"
"Black Zetsu couldn't have told me everything. My brother must have gone through things no one knew about!"
"Of course. I'm such an idiot!! How could someone as proud as my brother willingly live inside some brat?"
"He couldn't have chosen that himself!!"
"And that question the bastard Itachi threw back at him bothers me even more. What did he mean by 'join forces with you and make the whole world dream a dream they'll never wake from'?"
Izuna turned his lone eye toward the sleeping face that still felt so wrong to him!
He reached out, hesitated and withdrew his hand, then finally reached forward again with resolve. Trembling slightly, he lifted "Naruto's" right eyelid.
The Azure pupil was unfocused.
Zzt!
Izuna's left eye changed into a Mangekyo.
"Forgive me, brother. I really want to know what happened to you!"
"Izuna, you'd better not do that..."
A low, somber voice sounded amid the patter of rain.