Naruto: I Roamed the Ninja World as a Woman

Chapter 256 Madara Uchiha's Last Song

In April, spring returns to the earth.

Because of the warmer weather, Madara Uchiha, unable to resist the stubborn Kushina Uzumaki, emerged from the dark underground, a rare occurrence.

He is now incredibly old.

The old man sat in a wheelchair, his body thin and bony under the thin blanket, his dry white hair drooping limply, no longer possessing the arrogant spirit of the Uchiha hedgehog hairstyle.

A gentle spring breeze blew in my face.

The air was filled with the damp scent of earth, a freshness that allowed him to barely open his tightly closed eyelids a crack.

That vibrant, flourishing scene is still vivid in my mind.

But Madara Uchiha is now too weak to open his eyes and see clearly.

"I'm going to die."

Ban's tone was calm, as if he were talking about something trivial.

Kushina Uzumaki, pushing the wheelchair, gave a muffled "hmm".

She would never say those self-deceiving things.

Moreover, Kushina was well aware of Madara's physical condition.

Since returning from Wuyin in the second half of last year, the old man's health has been deteriorating rapidly, with the functions of various organs in his body declining significantly and his energy becoming increasingly strained.

This is due to the exhaustion of one's lifespan, which is beyond human control.

"After I die, there are three things I will not be able to let go of, and I need you to complete them for me."

Madara Uchiha was not afraid of death.

Although his time was drawing near, he remained calm and unhurried as he recounted his plans.

"Firstly, there's the Eye of the Moon project, which I've been preparing for most of my life, and I'm still worried about it."

Ban said calmly, "There needs to be someone who will continue to walk this path steadfastly for me."

The so-called Eye of the Moon Project.

Kushina Uzumaki, having been by Madara's side for so long, already knew the general outline of the situation.

She glanced at Madara, who was already in his twilight years, and although she felt a pang of pity, she still pursed her lips and objected, "But I still believe that the peace in the Infinite Tsukuyomi is not true peace."

"Oh----"

Madara smiled and countered, "What's wrong with Infinite Tsukuyomi?"

His initial intention was to use the negative chakra within the Box of Elysium to corrupt and bewitch Kushina Uzumaki, thus making her the executor of his plans after his death.

But the plans couldn't keep up with the changes.

After retrieving the Box of Elysium from Hozuki Castle in the Land of Grass, before he could even take action, Urashiki Ōtsutsuki unexpectedly appeared in the Loulan Desert through the Dragon Vein.

The golden Rinnegan between their eyebrows, Black Zetsu's failure to report the information, and the intelligence Kushina Uzumaki brought back from Konoha—

These suspicious signs.

This all indicates that there are still some things in the ninja world that we are unaware of!

Therefore, after much deliberation, Madara Uchiha ultimately abandoned the "Box of Elysium" plan.

Hearing Madara's question, Kushina Uzumaki remained resolute and unmoved: "The peace within the Infinite Tsukuyomi may be desirable, but in the end, it's nothing but a mirage, a lie is still a lie!"

"Truth and falsehood—who can truly distinguish between them sometimes?"

Madara Uchiha murmured, giving up on arguing with the girl, and instead looked into the distance: "Kushina, you are still young and cannot understand this kind of helplessness, so I will not force you to agree with my plan."

"but----"

He flipped his fingers, suddenly forming more than a dozen hand seals in succession, and deliberately slowed down his movements.

Kushina Uzumaki watched the old man's actions and asked in confusion, "But what?"

"But people always change."

Madara Uchiha said softly, "The hand gestures I made just now were the hand seals required for the Rinne Rebirth Technique."

He looked at the girl intently: "If one day you realize how naive you were today and regret the choices you made today—then you will probably need this technique."

C

Kushina Uzumaki remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he nodded and said, "I understand."

These few sentences of conversation, though brief, consumed a great deal of Madara Uchiha's energy.

After resting for a while, the old man continued, "There is a second matter."

Kushina Uzumaki listened silently.

"After noon, you shouldn't stay here any longer."

"7

Madara calmly said, "Take that clansman you found in the Land of Grass, whether you go to Konoha, return to Kirigakure, or go to the Land of Rivers you've always wanted to go—in short, don't stay here any longer!"

Before the girl could speak, the old man quickly continued, "I didn't leave much in the cave, but it's all useful. Take the Uchiha Flame Fan, and my Yin-Yang Release training manual as well—"

"Just leave the Gedo Mazo here. You can't summon it without the Rinnegan anyway."

"in addition!"

"Don't trust anyone, whether it's Black Zetsu or White Zetsu!"

Madara Uchiha covered his mouth, coughed a few times, and instructed, "Only Tobi is reliable. Remember to take him with you when you leave! He may be a bit talkative, but he's loyal. You're a girl traveling in the ninja world alone; he can run errands for you. He's a reliable helper. I only feel at ease with him around."

'

Kushina Uzumaki was momentarily dazed.

In that instant, she felt as if she had returned to the night before she left Konoha.

Just like Madara Uchiha is now, Grandma Mito back then gave me countless words of advice and instructions.

Overwhelmed with grief, her nose stung, and it felt as if something was about to spill from the corner of her eye.

"As for the last thing—"

"After you leave, use this to replace my body and bury it in Konoha!"

Ban took out a rusty headband from his pocket.

That was Konoha's headband.

However, someone carved a deep knife mark on the vortex pattern, thus turning it into a symbol of the rogue ninja.

Upon hearing this, Kushina Uzumaki felt a surge of surprise amidst her sorrow: Wasn't Lord Madara at odds with both Konoha and the Uchiha clan who had abandoned him?

She asked, "Will he be buried at the memorial stone? Or at the Namakawa Shrine?"

"Neither of those—"

Madara shook his head slightly and explained, "The place I'm referring to is the forest above the Hokage Rock."

That was the place where he and the young Hashirama Senju reached a consensus on their dream.

There, the two got to know each other and confirmed each other's feelings.

It was there that the two decided on the name "Konoha" as the future name of the village.

Still there, he rode the Nine-Tails, activated his Susanoo Armor, and challenged Hashirama to a duel.

The past events, like fleeting moments, were now drifting through his mind again.

Madara Uchiha suppressed the floating memories. Naturally, he wouldn't explain the reasons to Kushina. Instead, he murmured softly, "Hashirama, let my life end where it all began—"

The sun has passed its zenith.

After giving his last words, Madara Uchiha sat in his wheelchair and watched Kushina Uzumaki leave.

I don't know how much time passed.

The surrounding sky turned from bright to dark.

Madara Uchiha, who had been feeling drowsy, finally perked up. He opened his eyes, feeling his still relatively abundant energy, and looked at the ground in front of him, coldly saying, "Zetsu."

The shadows wriggle.

Black Zetsu poked its head out of the soil.

A white Zetsu was attached to his other side, its body half black and half white.

"Lord Madara." Black Zetsu bowed respectfully, his posture impeccable.

But as soon as he looked up, he was shocked to find that the familiar black tubes behind Ban were gone!

Black Zetsu exclaimed in shock, "Lord Madara! Why did you sever the connection with the Gedo Mazo?"

I was only away for half a day.

Why would Madara attempt suicide?!

"Absolutely brilliant."

"Aren't you a manifestation of my will?"

Instead of answering his question, Madara Uchiha turned the tables on him: "Can't you guess what I'm thinking right now?"

Black Zetsu was momentarily stunned, almost imperceptibly.

His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly knelt down, explaining, "Lord Ban, although I am the embodiment of your will, it does not mean that I am completely equal to you, much less that I can understand your thoughts—"

Madara Uchiha watched him silently.

The old man was silent for a moment, then suddenly got up from his wheelchair.

The setting sun cast its shadow on him, giving him a heavy and solemn silhouette.

An invisible aura rose.

Madara Uchiha removed the blanket he was wearing to keep warm, revealing crimson Sengoku-style armor underneath.

It's hard to imagine where he got the strength to support this armor weighing dozens of kilograms in his emaciated state.

But it must be admitted that...

At this moment, Madara Uchiha was bursting with power, as if the spirited and invincible Madara had returned to his current body!

"If you are truly the embodiment of my will."

"Then why didn't you tell me about Loulan?"

Madara Uchiha took a few steps closer, lowered his head, and said coldly, "Or are you saying that you've been selectively revealing information to me all along, trying to deceive and mislead me?"

Black Zetsu was instantly drenched in sweat.

Ban actually bypassed me and learned about Loulan!

It was clear that he controlled all the intelligence he had collected.

That's right, it's Ah Fei!

Black Zetsu suddenly realized.

"There's no time to settle scores with A-Fei, this traitor." He racked his brains, trying to find a plausible and reasonable explanation.

But Madara Uchiha didn't give him any time to think.

"Absolutely, you should be able to see that."

"I'm going to die."

The old man frankly stated, "If you want to prove your loyalty to me, it's actually very simple—"

Madara Uchiha grabbed Black Zetsu by the neck, lifted him high in front of his eyes, and stared at him coldly, saying, "As long as you're willing to come with me!"

Click!

As soon as he finished speaking, he began to exert force with his palm, and his bony knuckles cracked.

"Bandit's for real!"

The blackness was utterly terrifying.

He felt the intense killing intent, undisguised and overwhelming, like a raging giant wave at sea!

In fact, this kind of purely physical harm cannot kill you at all.

But freckles are different.

Although he doesn't currently possess the Rinnegan, Madara has successfully mastered Yin-Yang Release after consuming Hashirama Senju's flesh and blood, gathering the initial power of all things in the universe, just as described on the Naga Stone Tablet.

If he really had murderous intent towards himself—

Upon realizing this, Black Zetsu immediately twisted his body and struggled violently.

A cold light flashed in Madara Uchiha's eyes.

He is an extremely domineering person.

Black Zetsu's resistance may have been merely a survival instinct, but in his eyes, it was tantamount to admitting disloyalty!

Madara Uchiha held nothing back.

He suddenly increased his strength, trying to crush Black Zetsu to death on the spot, but the other's body suddenly twisted and, in a strange way, slipped out of his palm like a slippery noodle!

Yin-Yang Escape!

It's a completely new way of using this technology that I've never seen before!

Madara Uchiha felt a chill run down his spine.

"Uchiha Madara, who do you think you are?" Black Zetsu revealed his abilities and stopped pretending.

The only backup plan left before "the mother" was sealed away.

Black Zetsu had been lurking in the ninja world for so many years, not only devising all sorts of conspiracies but also carefully avoiding the attention of the Sage of Six Paths.

Such days lasted for a full thousand years!

He was so repressed!

Now that Madara Uchiha has exposed his identity, a series of emotions surged up: shock, confusion, anger, and frustration.

A mix of emotions.

This caused the usually cautious Black Zetsu to lose some of his composure for the first time ever.

"Hahaha, Uchiha Madara!"

Black Zetsu laughed loudly, his tone mocking: "My dear nephew, do you know? If we're really talking about seniority, you and that idiot Hashirama Senju should both call me uncle!"

Madara Uchiha showed neither joy nor sorrow upon hearing this.

The old man looked at him and said calmly, "So, you, this ghostly thing, are also a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths, just like me and Hashirama?"

"Don't mention that name to me!"

Black Zetsu roared, "The Sage of Six Paths—that rebellious beast, does he even deserve to be compared to me?"

He grinned menacingly and sneered, "As for you, no wonder you have that beast's blood flowing through your veins. No wonder you love to disregard hierarchy and act lawlessly towards your elders!"

The laughter was particularly grating, but Madara Uchiha seemed not to hear it.

He stood motionless, the three tomoe in his Sharingan constantly rotating, with evil chakra surging within them—

A huge, deep blue skeletal arm materialized out of thin air and swung violently, grabbing Black Zetsu in its hand!

Susanoo!

Despite being the most basic skeletal form, not even reaching the size of half a body, its domineering power already surpasses that of most ninjutsu!

"It's just a three-tomoe Sharingan, yet it can activate Susanoo—"

Black Zetsu, witnessing this familiar scene, gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, fine, Madara Uchiha, you truly are that guy's reincarnation!"

His body suddenly lunged forward, then transformed into a black shadow, and in a bizarre way, he actually burrowed into the bones of Susanoo!

His brows furrowed.

His Sharingan activated, and his ocular power surged.

With his superb control over Susanoo, he continuously compressed his chakra arm, attempting to completely block Black Zetsu inside.

But this method was completely useless.

Black Zetsu's speed was completely unaffected, and he pounced directly towards Madara's main body!

*Sizzle!*

A tearing sound rang out.

"Anyway, you've already evolved the Rinnegan—"

"Your mission is now complete—"

Black Zetsu plunged his hand into Madara Uchiha's chest, his fingers gripping the burning heart, and whispered, "Did you really think that without you, Madara Uchiha, I couldn't save Mother?"

Rescue—the mother?

Ban's gaze held both doubt and relief.

Sure enough, this guy had another scheme in mind!

He is really too old.

Even if there are still some ways to cope, his aging body can no longer support his actions.

The old man glanced again in the direction Kushina had left, and sighed softly: "At least, outside of the Eye of the Moon Project, I've left something behind."

With a forceful pull of Black Jue's palm.

With a thud.

Madara Uchiha's body collapsed to the ground.

In this season when the snow has not yet completely melted, the last rose of the Warring States period—

And so it withered away.