The Valley of the End lay on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass. Two stone statues, each a hundred meters tall, faced each other across a waterfall-Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Their duel had been frozen into an eternal landscape, and with it, the history of the shinobi world.
Lin Ye's team reached the valley entrance in the early morning. The waterfall's deafening roar filled the air, and sunlight turned its spray into rainbows. Sasuke looked up at Madara Uchiha's statue, his Sharingan activating involuntarily.
"So this is where the Uchiha ancestor... fought the First Hokage."
"And where fate began," Lin Ye said. Through his transparent world, he saw a complex chakra field shrouding the entire valley. There was the vitality of Hashirama's Yang Release, the resentment of Madara's Yin Release, and something deeper still-something like a barrier, yet also like a seal.
"System, scan for the exact location of Madara Uchiha's remains."
[Scanning... multiple sources of interference detected] [Analysis results: the remains are located fifty meters beneath Madara Uchiha's statue, protected by seven layers of sealing barriers] [Warning: the barriers contain Rinnegan eye power. Forcing entry may trigger countermeasures]
"Seven layers of seals, and Rinnegan eye power..." Lin Ye frowned. Who had placed the seals after Madara's death? Obito? Or Black Zetsu?
"Naruto, use Shadow Clones to scout ahead. Sasuke, Sakura, keep watch."
Naruto formed hand seals and created a hundred Shadow Clones, sending them into the valley in different directions. But the moment they crossed an invisible line, they vanished one after another with a pop, as though something had swallowed them.
"What's going on?" The real Naruto took a step back.
"It's a barrier." Lin Ye activated his Mangekyo and saw black formulas appear on the ground-a variant of the Rinnegan's Chibaku Tensei that sucked intruders into miniature Chibaku Tensei cores and crushed them.
"This barrier... is alive." Sasuke saw it with his Sharingan too. "It's absorbing natural energy to keep running. To destroy it, we either need eye power greater than the caster's, or we need to find the barrier's 'eye.'"
"Where's the eye?"
Lin Ye looked toward the two statues. Through his transparent world, he saw Hashirama's statue forming the Snake seal with its left hand, while Madara's statue formed the Goat seal with its right. A chakra connection between the two seals formed a closed loop.
"The barrier's eye is between the statues, directly beneath the waterfall," Lin Ye said. "We need to strike two points at the same time to break the loop. Naruto, Sasuke, can you do it?"
"We can!" Naruto formed a Rasengan.
Sasuke nodded, Chidori chirping in his hand.
"On my command. Three, two, one-attack!"
The Rasengan and Chidori slammed into the statues' seal-forming hands at the same instant. Both statues shook, their stone surfaces flaking away to reveal what lay inside-not stone, but a structure of wood and metal covered in sealing formulas.
"This is... the Senju Clan's Wood Release, combined with seals powered by the Uchiha's Sharingan," Lin Ye said, recognizing them. "Hashirama and Madara set up this barrier together before they died. They didn't want later generations to find their bodies so easily."
The barrier shattered, and the ground split open, revealing a staircase leading down. Its depths were lost in darkness, and a cold, sinister air rose from below.
"I'll take the lead. Sasuke, bring up the rear. Naruto and Sakura, stay in the middle." Lin Ye went down first.
The staircase was long, descending at least a hundred meters. At its end lay an enormous underground chamber, the size of a soccer field. In the center stood a stone platform, with a body lying on it.
Madara Uchiha.
Though he had been dead for years, his body remained perfectly preserved. Pale skin, long black hair, a forehead protector, and... those closed eyes. Even shut, Lin Ye could feel the terrifying eye power lingering within them.
"So this is Madara Uchiha..." Sasuke murmured. His Sharingan spun wildly, as though answering a summons.
"Don't go near him!" Lin Ye stopped him. "There's something wrong with the body."
He activated his transparent world and examined Madara's body. At its heart lay a black crystal-a fragment of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Countless Chakra Threads extended from the crystal, connecting to the entire chamber and forming an enormous Reanimation Formula.
"This is... a reverse application of Rinne Rebirth." Lin Ye was stunned. "Someone placed a Reanimation Formula on Madara's body. Once someone approaches, or certain conditions are met, Madara will come back to life!"
"Come back to life?!" Sakura exclaimed.
"That's right." A voice rang out from the shadows.
Obito stepped out of the Kamui Dimension with Zetsu beside him. Wearing the Spiral Mask, he fixed his single eye on Lin Ye. "Uchiha Ye, you came after all. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
"Obito..." Lin Ye tightened his grip on his kunai. "Was all of this your trap?"
"Yes and no," Obito said. "Madara's body really is here, and his final wish is real too. But I've also been waiting for someone who can break the barrier, someone worthy of inheriting his will. You're a good fit."
"Inherit Madara's will? The Eye of the Moon Plan? Trap the whole world in an illusion?"
"It's the only path to peace," Obito said. "The real world is full of pain, war, and betrayal. Only in the Eye of the Moon's dream can everyone have what they want, without loss or suffering. Rin... can come back to life too."
"You're fooling yourself," Lin Ye said coldly. "Besides, do you really believe the Eye of the Moon is meant to bring peace? Black Zetsu, don't you have anything to say?"
Zetsu's black half froze for a moment. "You know who I am?"
"I know you're Kaguya's will, and that the Eye of the Moon's true purpose is to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki. Madara and Obito are both nothing more than your pawns."
Obito whipped his head toward Zetsu. "What is he talking about?"
"He's trying to turn us against each other," Black Zetsu said. "Obito, don't listen to his nonsense. Complete the Eye of the Moon Plan, and you'll be able to see Rin."
"See an illusion?" Lin Ye said. "Obito, you saw Rin die with your own eyes. You saw Kakashi-sensei's pain. Do you really think replacing reality with a dream would make Rin happy? Would she want to see you destroy the real world for a false dream?"
"Shut up!" Obito roared. "What do you know?! You've never lost the person who mattered most to you!"
"I lost my entire clan," Lin Ye said. "But I won't numb myself with an illusion. I'll change reality, break the curse, and stop the tragedy from repeating. That's the Uchiha's final wish I've inherited-not destruction, but salvation."
"Naive." Obito sneered. "Then go ahead and try. Let's see if you can fulfill Madara's final wish with me standing in your way. Zetsu, do it!"
Zetsu merged into the ground, and the Reanimation Formula throughout the chamber lit up. Madara's body began absorbing natural energy. The black crystal in his heart pulsed, as though he were about to return to life.
"Stop him!" Lin Ye charged toward Madara's body, but Obito blocked him with Kamui.
"I'm your opponent," Obito said. "Let's see how far your Mangekyo has evolved."
"Kamui!"
Both used Kamui at the same time, their spatial distortions colliding. But Obito's Kamui was more complete, and Lin Ye was overwhelmed.
"Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, destroy the Reanimation Formula!" Lin Ye shouted.
The three rushed toward Madara's body. But Zetsu emerged from the ground, splitting into countless White Zetsu who blocked their path.
"No getting through here," the White Zetsu laughed.
"Rasengan!"
"Chidori!"
Naruto and Sasuke fought their way through, but there were too many White Zetsu to kill. Sakura cleared the area with her Monster Strength Fist, but Zetsu's true body-Black Zetsu-had already merged into the Reanimation Formula, and its operation was accelerating.
Madara's finger twitched.
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