Madara Uchiha sat atop the tall, airy roots of the God Tree.
He rested his chin on his right hand, tilting his head to look at the God Tree that reached into the clouds.
He let the spiky hair on his back be blown about by the strong wind.
The Chakra Fruit growing atop the God Tree are far from ripe.
At times like these, he cannot afford to relax.
Who knows when that brat Shinsei might suddenly attack and destroy this God Tree, thus ruining his plan to receive the Chakra Fruit.
The wind blew across the wasteland, carrying the smells of scorched earth and dried tree bark.
Suddenly, the air carried the scent of Natural Energy.
Ban didn't turn around, but a happy grin spread across his face.
He glanced behind him with the corner of his Rinnegan and saw more than twenty figures approaching from the edge of the wasteland.
The gods were subtly divided into two groups, clearly separated.
They walked very slowly, as if afraid of startling something.
Are they these so-called gods again?
This is wonderful! My eyes can feast on this!
Those people stopped at the outer edge of the God Tree.
From the group of gods that were closer together, an old god with a short horn on his forehead stepped forward.
He raised his hand, signaling the people behind him to push something forward.
Ban's gaze fell upon it; it was a woman.
Not tall, and not fair-skinned.
His skin had a sun-kissed tan.
Her hair was tied up haphazardly with straw rope, hanging crookedly at the back of her head, with a few stray strands sticking to her forehead.
She was wearing the roughest Mabui, with frayed edges on the cuffs and trouser legs, and a pair of straw sandals covered in mud.
Her hands were tied behind her back, held down by two gods, one on each side.
But she stood there, neither bowing her head nor trembling.
Those eyes were dark and bright, staring intently at Ban, as if he were sizing up a stranger.
" Lord Madara." The old god bowed deeply to Madara. "We are former subordinates of Takamagahara."
Now the kingdom of gods has fallen, and the gods have gone their separate ways.
After much deliberation, we believe that your place is the only viable solution.
Ban didn't say anything; he found it rather interesting.
They were not in a hurry to kill these gods.
It simply tilted its head back, looking down upon all living beings.
"I've heard that Lord Madara is able to absorb the power of us gods."
This is our gift to you.
This woman is called Kushinadahime, the goddess of grain, who can ripen crops.
We'll capture her and present her to Lord Madara. Her abilities will certainly be of use to you.
Whether you use it for your own consumption or for something else, it's fine.
Madara glanced at Kushinadahime.
He glanced at the old man again. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up, not in a smile, but more like a chilling amusement.
"You kidnapped her and brought her here just to give her to me?"
"Yes," the old god said, "We all know that Lord Madara is able to absorb the power of the gods."
We dare not keep such a good thing to ourselves.
Therefore, we offer her to Lord Madara, asking only that you grant us one request.
Madara Uchiha tilted his head, but did not speak.
After a moment of hesitation, the old man forced himself to continue.
"The existence of the God Tree is the foundation that will destroy Takamagahara."
Without Takamagahara, all of us gods would disappear.
Therefore, we hope that Lord Madara will allow us to destroy the God Tree.
And they helped us defend against the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Ban did not answer, nor could his face reveal any emotion, and he leaped down from the air pier.
He landed silently, yet it caused the dozen or so gods to simultaneously take a step back.
He slowly walked up to Kushinadahime and looked down at her.
Kushinadahime also looked up at him, without flinching.
"Are you afraid of me?" Ban asked.
"What am I afraid of?" Kushinadahime said. "It's just death."
Ban stared at her for a long time; this woman was different from the immortals of Takamagahara.
She didn't have that air of superiority, nor that of fawning or fear.
She stood there as if she were in her own field, unafraid of anyone who came.
Ban suddenly laughed, a laugh even colder than before.
He turned around and looked at the gods standing on the other side.
"And you? Are you here to destroy the God Tree too?"
From another group of gods, a person stepped forward, bowed slightly to Madara Uchiha, and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Don't misunderstand, Lord Madara. We are different from them."
We have come to seek refuge with you.
The fruit on the God Tree is far from ripe, so we are not in a hurry to resolve the matter in Takamagahara.
I just hope there's something I can do for Lord Madara.
Ban slowly turned around and looked at the group of gods who said they wanted to destroy the God Tree.
The corners of his mouth still held a hint of coldness, but his eyes had changed, turning from mockery to endless iciness.
"You think you can destroy the God Tree?"
When asked this question, the old man straightened his back.
The short horn on his forehead glowed slightly, and the dozen or so gods behind him also lit up with the light of Natural Energy.
Some turned bluish-white all over, some gathered fireballs in their palms, and some sprouted vines from their feet.
They stood in a semicircle, surrounding the spot in the middle.
" Lord Madara, we respect you as a strongman. But Takamagahara our home."
As long as the God Tree is not destroyed, it will continue to absorb Natural Energy. Without Natural Energy, we cannot survive.
If you don't give in, we'll have to force you.
"You think you can force me to dance?" Ban laughed loudly.
Without wasting words, the old god clasped his hands together, and a transparent burst of Natural Energy exploded from his body, pushing towards Ban like a shockwave.
Ban didn't dodge. He raised his left hand, and a spear gleaming with dark lightning materialized from his palm.
Amenonuhoko!
He thrust his spear forward, striking the very center of the shockwave.
Natural Energy, like water crashing against a reef, parted to both sides, scattering the withered roots of several God Tree nearby.
Madara Uchiha even had the leisure to examine the newly acquired divine weapon in his hand.
Although he hadn't fully mastered it yet, he was fairly satisfied with the power of this divine artifact.
Behind the old god, a Valkyrie suddenly leaped up, conjuring a bluish-white light blade in her hand, and slashed at Ban's neck from the side.
Ban tilted his head slightly. The blade grazed the end of his hair, severing a strand of black hair.
He swung his hand back, and the Amenonuhoko swept horizontally, which the Valkyrie blocked with her sword.
The spear clashed with the blade, and lightning exploded. The Valkyrie's hands split open, the light blade shattered in two, and she was sent flying backward, crashing into a dry tree root.
"You gods have disappointed me greatly! With such power, you dare to destroy the God Tree?"
Another god emerged from the ground, pressing his hands to the ground.
The entire wasteland seemed to come alive, with countless stone spikes piercing towards the spots from the ground.
With a light tap of his toes, Ban leaped into the air.
The stone spikes closed up beneath his feet, missing their target. He landed in mid-air and swung his right hand downwards.
The Amenonuhoko vanished from his hand in an instant, and the next moment, it appeared behind the god.
The spear pierced the god's body and then exploded with a bang.
A loud cracking sound.
The blood mist dissipated, and a large crater instantly appeared in the field.
The Amenonuhoko was firmly planted in the center of the pit. Beside it, a point of dazzling white light floated.
Madara Uchiha landed in the center of the crater and reached out to pinch the white light in his hand.
"You guys have at least been somewhat useful."
As Madara Uchiha spoke, he pressed the point of white light into his eye.
Seeing his companion killed, the old god's eyes turned red. He let out a hoarse roar, and his entire Natural Energy surged.
His body began to grow larger, like a withered tree sprouting new branches in a very short time.
His arms transformed into thick vines, his legs dug into the earth, and his entire being became a monster that was half human and half tree.
This is his power: the Mountain God's Wrath.
Using itself as the seed and the earth as the root, the power gained is enough to shake mountains.
"You despicable outsider! Die!"
The remaining gods behind them also moved. They no longer held back.
A fiery male god rushed up, crashing into Madara like a shooting star.
A petite goddess showered countless silver needles from the sky, each needle coated with a paralyzing poison.
Another deity stood in the distance, his hands Hand Seals, drawing away the air around the deity to create a vacuum.
Ban stood still, not moving.
When the fire god rushed in front of him, he stepped aside to let it pass.
The Amenonuhoko pierced upwards, piercing through the Fire God's chest.
The fire god's flames suddenly contracted, as if they had been extinguished. His body transformed into crimson light and was swallowed whole by Madara's Rinnegan.
A faint red glow appeared on Ban's left hand, like he was wearing a glove.
With a casual wave of his hand, the layer of red light transformed into a curtain of fire, burning all the poisoned needles he had scattered to ashes.
He jumped up, placed one foot on the edge of the vacuum zone, and used the momentum to propel himself towards the god who was pumping out the air.
Before the god could react, the Amenonuhoko had already pierced his throat.
He vanished in a flash of white light, only to be absorbed into Ban's eyes.
The half-tree giant that the old god had transformed into roared, and his vine arms slammed down towards Madara. Madara did not use the Amenonuhoko.
He raised his left hand, fingers spread, palm facing the vine that was crashing down.
The power of the fire god that he had just absorbed exploded in his palm, and a thick pillar of fire shot into the sky, burning the vines to ashes, and then pierced through the old god's chest with undiminished force.
The old man froze.
His enormous body began to split open from the middle, splinters of wood and Natural Energy gushing out like blood.
"For... Takamagahara..."
The old god uttered a few final words before his body disintegrated.
A sliver of white light remained in place. Madara Uchiha also caught this sliver of white light in his hand and pressed it into his eye.
He closed his eyes, feeling the power sink into his body.
The remaining gods who wanted to destroy the God Tree went completely mad watching the old god being swallowed up.
They no longer followed any rules, and they no longer cooperated.
Someone rushed forward crying, only to be swept in two by Ban's spear.
Someone knelt on the ground, unleashing all of their Natural Energy, intending to perish together with Ban.
The shockwave from the explosion ripped up the withered roots around the God Tree, but Ban only took two steps back.
Madara Uchiha moved among the remaining gods like a butterfly entering a flower garden.
After killing two waves, there were no gods left standing on the battlefield, except for another group of gods who said they wanted to pledge allegiance to them.
The abilities of various gods reside within his Rinnegan, giving it a sense of fullness Rinnegan the first time.
But he had no intention of stopping there; instead, he looked longingly at the trembling gods.
Madara raised the Amenonuhoko, preparing to strike the remaining gods.
A girl stood before Madara; she was none other than Kushinadahime, who had just been given as a gift.
"Stop!"