Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 325: A Final Goodbye

The cold wind howled, blowing away the clouds overhead and making the blood-red moon even more prominent.

Senju Tobirama and Namikaze Minato looked ahead at Hagoromo Gengetsu, who stood unscathed, and at Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, who lay fallen on the ground. They surveyed the surroundings.

The battlefield was silent.

The Allied Shinobi Forces had completely disbanded and fled.

Seeing this, Minato let out a deep sigh but still tightened his grip on the Sword of Shinobi Love, his gaze sharp as he aimed it at Hagoromo Gengetsu.

Senju Tobirama, who had anticipated this scene, showed no change in his expression but also drew out his Flying Thunder God kunai.

"It's your turn now," said Hagoromo Gengetsu, still with his back to the two. As he spoke, a barrier that sealed off the Flying Thunder God technique rose around them.

Seeing this, Tobirama and Minato exchanged a glance, then in a flash, charged toward Hagoromo Gengetsu.

The cleanup operation had begun.

Uchiha Madara, who still had some awareness, didn't bother to watch the battle, knowing the outcome was already determined.

His face darkened as he scanned the surroundings.

Where was Black Zetsu?

What happened to the planned possession?

During the previous battle, Madara had painstakingly created an opportunity for Black Zetsu to possess Hagoromo Gengetsu, yet Black Zetsu never showed up, wasting the perfect moment!

Why? Could Black Zetsu have betrayed him?

As his will incarnate, Black Zetsu should have obeyed him completely!

Madara couldn't understand it and felt utterly resentful.

He never imagined that his plan would fail due to Black Zetsu, who should have been the most reliable.

But now, it was too late.

Far too late!

Outside the battlefield.

While Madara was fuming over Black Zetsu's failure to follow the plan, Black Zetsu himself slowly emerged from the ground, looking towards the battlefield and sighing deeply.

"Lord Madara, you really overestimated me."

When Madara had proposed the possession plan earlier, a slew of curses had run through Black Zetsu's mind.

He had wanted to refuse, but as the supposed will of Madara, he had reluctantly agreed.

Of course, agreeing was one thing, but doing it was another matter entirely.

In the original timeline, Black Zetsu had managed to betray Madara not only because Madara trusted him, but also because Kaguya's power had already started to influence Madara.

But now, Madara was asking Black Zetsu to deal with Hagoromo Gengetsu, who hadn't been affected by Kaguya's power and had been at his peak, dominating everyone.

Black Zetsu could only conclude that Madara had thought too much.

Unlike others, Hagoromo Gengetsu's Truth-Seeking balls posed a real threat to Black Zetsu. On top of that, Gengetsu had a firm will.

Even if he succeeded in possessing him, he probably wouldn't be able to control him for even a moment, and his life would be at risk.

This was something that Black Zetsu, who had survived for a thousand years, absolutely couldn't accept.

After all, if Madara was gone, there would still be Hagoromo Gengetsu.

Although Black Zetsu had some reservations about Gengetsu, ultimately, Gengetsu would still become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.

So, Black Zetsu only needed to watch from the sidelines. Why take such a big risk?

"Goodbye… no, farewell forever, Lord Madara~~"

As if imagining Madara's enraged and bewildered face, Black Zetsu smiled and waved before sinking back into the ground.

Now it was time to consider the various arrangements for his mother's reawakening.

...

The battle between Senju Tobirama, Namikaze Minato, and Hagoromo Gengetsu ended quickly.

Watching as the two's reanimated bodies were completely obliterated by the collision with the Truth-Seeking balls, leaving only tiny bits of paper fluttering in the air, Gengetsu turned back for one last look at Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, waving farewell as he said:

"Goodbye forever, both of you."

Madara looked at Gengetsu, filled with resentment. "If I were at my peak, you'd be the one lying here, Gengetsu."

All his plans had failed.

The person he intended to carry out his plan, Obito, had died; the Rinnegan he prepared for his resurrection was lost; his lifelong pursuit, the Eye of the Moon Plan, had become controlled by someone else; and Black Zetsu had failed at the crucial moment.

Madara felt as if fate itself had conspired against him.

If only he could have succeeded in one aspect of his plan or had been reanimated earlier, the outcome wouldn't have been this.

Hagoromo Gengetsu, who knew Madara's entire scheme well, could understand his current discontent.

Though he had indeed stolen Madara's thunder, when he thought about Madara's downfall, being backstabbed by Black Zetsu and realizing that everything he had worked for was a lie, Gengetsu felt he had actually done Madara a favor.

This could be considered a good deed left unacknowledged.

As the victor, Gengetsu, magnanimous in his triumph, didn't take Madara's resentment to heart. He merely nodded and then turned his gaze to Senju Hashirama.

Hashirama sighed.

He had many things he wanted to say, but in the end, he only managed to utter one sentence:

"Gengetsu, the shinobi world is in your hands now. The future… it's up to you."

Gengetsu nodded, and without further ado, with a wave of his hand, two Truth-Seeking balls flew forward.

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara's reanimated bodies were reduced to ashes.

The entire battlefield fell silent.

Hagoromo Gengetsu surveyed the area.

With the strongest forces of the Allied Shinobi Forces gone, their main strength was broken.

The only remaining force was at the main base of the Allied Shinobi Forces.

The Hagoromo unit was currently attacking aggressively and making significant progress.

There was no need for Gengetsu to worry about it.

At this moment, only one thing truly concerned him.

Gengetsu raised his head, his gaze shifting from the blood-red moon to the endless sky.

For certain entities, death is never the end, and awakening is never a challenge.

Whenever they are needed, they always appear at the critical moment to stop you, claiming it's for your own good.

Having grown up hearing "it's for your own good" from an early age, Hagoromo Gengetsu no longer needed this kind of presumptuous care.

Because he knew, the things that those who said "for your own good" couldn't accomplish, he could.

People, even gods, eventually grow old.

Now, it was time for them to be completely replaced.

After glancing at his hands, Gengetsu strode towards the main base of the Allied Shinobi Forces.

...

At the main base of the Allied Shinobi Forces, as the smoke cleared from the other battlefields, the fighting here was also drawing to a close.

Kakashi had a normal eye reinstalled in his left eye socket, but because the time was so short, he found it difficult to adjust his combat style, making the fight against the Hagoromo forces challenging.

Currently, he watched as Hanare, who also had a new eye, scanned the area, causing group after group of Allied Shinobi Forces to fall; the dark gray Susanoo rampaged among the crowd; the ancient-looking Hagoromo ancestors precisely and efficiently cleaned up the battlefield…

Kakashi tightened his grip on his kunai, ready to continue the fight.

But orders to retreat came from Jiraiya and the Third Hokage.

If the fight continued, the Allied Shinobi Forces here would be completely wiped out.

Shinobi are not samurai; it's normal to temporarily avoid the edge.

Now, it was a matter of finding the right opportunity.

Soon, Kakashi and the others began an orderly retreat.

As the commander of the Hagoromo forces, Hagoromo Mu saw this and immediately instructed his men:

"Report to Gengetsu that the Allied Shinobi Forces' main base has been captured."

"Apart from those left to guard, the rest of our forces should continue to pursue them."

"Remember! The primary target is the middle-aged shinobi in a green jumpsuit with a bowl haircut named Might Guy!"