"Run?"
"What a joke!"
"You're just a pawn in someone else's game."
"Do you really think you're the one in control?"
"Think carefully—who's truly pulling the strings behind everything happening right now?"
Kawakaze had managed to hold out until Limbo: Border Jail's cooldown ended again. Defeating him completely wasn't going to be easy for Madara.
As for Zetsu, the real snake in the shadows, Kawakaze had no intention of letting him walk away unscathed.
"What are you getting at?"
Madara continued clashing with the Great Buddha, as if testing how long Kawakaze could last in this battle of endurance.
But at the same time, his eyes flicked toward Zetsu, a flicker of doubt surfacing in his mind.
"What do I mean?" Kawakaze scoffed. "Why don't you ask the one standing right next to you?"
His voice was calm now, his control over the Great Buddha keeping the fight against the armored Susanoo evenly matched.
The shockwaves from their battle sent Hashirama and the others flying back once more.
"Lord Madara, don't listen to this kid's nonsense."
"Everything is playing out exactly as you planned, isn't it?"
On the surface, Zetsu remained composed, but internally, a storm was raging.
Was Kawakaze simply trying to sow discord, or did he actually know something?
That shouldn't be possible, right?
Kawakaze was far too young—how could he possibly understand the plan that had been in motion for over a thousand years?
Zetsu shot him a glance, then quickly turned back to Madara, his voice smooth and reassuring.
"Did he even say anything of value?"
Madara paused for a moment, forced back several steps by the Buddha's strikes. Without making it obvious, he subtly put some distance between himself and Zetsu.
"I'm the only one by your side, aren't I?"
"Who else could he possibly be referring to?"
Zetsu was quick to cover his tracks, spinning a reasonable excuse for his momentary slip.
"Was your revival really something you planned?" Kawakaze pressed.
"Your setup wasn't completed before you died. You were still missing the most crucial piece."
"With only Nagato, your chances of resurrection were next to none."
"And I think you know that better than anyone."
Kawakaze had all the proof he needed to make Madara start questioning things.
And once that happened, Zetsu's time would be up.
If not for him, none of this would be happening right now.
In Kawakaze's mind, everything should have ended the moment Madara died.
"I've only ever carried out your will," Zetsu argued before Madara could respond.
"Even if you didn't get to complete your final step, I made sure you came back."
"Isn't that what you wanted?"
Zetsu's words were well-crafted, calculated.
And given how Madara thought, they made perfect sense.
After all, Zetsu was supposed to be an extension of his own will—everything he had done should have aligned with Madara's best interests.
As for the details of the Impure World Reincarnation?
Madara had never cared much to investigate it before, and he certainly wasn't going to bother now.
Without a word, he turned his gaze to Kawakaze.
It was clear—he still chose to believe in Zetsu.
Kawakaze narrowed his eyes.
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
"That name… it sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
He knew that if he didn't go all in, Zetsu would never crack.
The moment those words left his mouth, he saw it—
Zetsu tensed.
A chill ran through him, as if ice had settled into his core.
He swallowed hard, his expression tightening.
And in that instant, all he could do was pray that Kawakaze didn't know more.
"Something wrong?"
Madara frowned, unsure of what Kawakaze was getting at.
"What you saw on the Uchiha Stone Tablet is real," Kawakaze said. "But the Eye of the Moon Plan wasn't meant to create a peaceful world."
"A world where people die after living in an illusion for a few days—how could that possibly be called peace?"
"Only an idiot like you would actually believe that."
Kawakaze had to admit, he was disappointed in Madara. How could someone so powerful be this stupid?
"What do you know?" Madara's eyes narrowed. "Then tell me, what is the true purpose of the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
Frustration laced his voice as the mighty Susanoo inched forward, its long sword slashing at the Great Buddha twice in quick succession.
Kawakaze smirked.
"Why don't you ask the one standing right next to you?" He nodded toward Zetsu. "After all, he's the one who rewrote the Uchiha Stone Tablet."
Madara's gaze flickered to Zetsu, suspicion creeping into his eyes.
Zetsu stiffened.
"How could I have rewritten it?" he scoffed. "That's ridiculous. I haven't even been alive for that long."
If he had a heart, it would've been pounding.
He forced himself to stay calm, but with his black-and-white face, the expression only made him look more ridiculous.
Kawakaze sneered.
"You're too modest."
"A thousand-year-old monster willingly playing the loyal servant?" He shook his head. "I don't buy it. You've got an agenda, and it's a big one."
He turned back to Madara.
"What do you think, Lord Madara?"
"A thousand years…?" Madara muttered. His brows furrowed, recalling past events that had never quite added up.
The doubts that had once been small cracks in his mind now widened into deep fractures.
His voice dropped into a dangerous growl.
"What are you?"
His sharp gaze locked onto Zetsu, his suspicion now fully ignited.
"Don't listen to his nonsense!" Zetsu blurted. "I'm a product of your will! How could I have been alive for a thousand years?"
His tone was firm—he was not going to admit anything.
There was no way Kawakaze could actually prove how old he was… right?
Kawakaze's smirk widened.
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had two sons," he said. "One became the Sage of the Six Paths."
"The other?" His eyes gleamed as he stared directly at Zetsu.
"He's standing right beside you."
"The Eye of the Moon Plan isn't about peace. It's the final step in reviving Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
"And you—" Kawakaze gestured at Zetsu. "You've been using Madara's life to bring your mother back."
"So tell me, Madara—who's the real pawn here?"
Madara's mind reeled. His thoughts raced so fast they nearly shut down altogether.
Zetsu—Kaguya's son?
Could Zetsu even be considered a person?
Madara knew the Sage of the Six Paths and his brother were human, but Zetsu…?
And reviving Kaguya?
Had his entire existence—the entire plan—been manipulated from the very start?
His thoughts were cut short by Zetsu's outburst.
"I would never seal Mother away like those two traitorous scum!"
"They don't deserve to be called her sons!"
The words had barely left his mouth before he froze.
His face darkened.
He had fallen for it.
The moment he said those words, he knew—
Kawakaze knew everything.
And just like that, Zetsu realized—he was finished. Completely and utterly finished.
Madara's red eyes gleamed coldly.
"You're a creation of Kaguya's will?" he asked, his voice eerily calm.
"You manipulated me into the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
At that moment, Madara's intelligence was fully engaged.
His mind pieced it all together.
The Sage of the Six Paths and his brother had sealed Kaguya away.
Under unknown circumstances, Zetsu had been born from Kaguya's will.
He had outlived the Sage of the Six Paths, scheming endlessly for centuries.
And now, he had latched onto Madara, using him as a pawn to bring Kaguya back.
Madara scoffed.
His resurrection had been inevitable—he had thought he was the mastermind.
But Zetsu never intended for him to stay in control.
And Madara wasn't about to let him live long enough to see his plan succeed.
Zetsu didn't wait for him to finish thinking.
"Kawakaze Hatake, you bastard!!" he roared.
Without a second thought, he abandoned his white half, morphing into a mass of black sludge in an attempt to escape.
"Trying to run?"
Madara raised his hand.
Several black rods shot out, piercing straight through Zetsu, pinning him to the side of his Susanoo.
No matter how hard he struggled—he wasn't going anywhere.