Last Time .....
Sasori's chakra threads manipulated a dozen or so relatively powerful ninja puppets he had recently collected from the Fourth Shinobi World War, launching a physical attack.
Wind, water, lightning, and fire elemental ninjutsu attacks, along with a physical attack, simultaneously struck the pink flowering tree. However, the next moment, something astonishing happened: these attacks landed on the pink flowering tree, yet the tree remained completely unharmed. This wasn't because the attacks missed or penetrated; rather, the chakra contained within the attacks was directly extracted and absorbed by the flowering tree."
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"This flowering tree can absorb the chakra carried in our attacks; they're completely nullified," Minato exclaimed in surprise.
"We can't attack the flowering tree anymore. The more chakra it absorbs, the stronger its attraction to the Divine Tree becomes," Tobirama said decisively, looking up at the pink flowering tree, which had grown even larger under their attacks, swaying without wind, its petals scattering everywhere. It had instantly established a link with the Divine Tree upon contact.
"Obito, try transferring Haruno into your Kamui dimension."
This was how they had blocked the Divine Tree's attacks on Haruno Sakura last time; hopefully, it would work this time too.
Obito nodded, activating Kamui. However, the chakra was absorbed by the flowering tree as soon as it touched the girl. Although he continuously poured chakra into the tree, the transfer took too long, and the absorption rate far exceeded his input. Obito couldn't maintain Kamui at all, his expression changing slightly.
"No, I can't transfer Sakura into the Kamui dimension. All her chakra has been absorbed by the Flower Tree."
Kakashi clenched his fist, then suddenly strode resolutely towards Sakura. Minato immediately stopped him, asking anxiously.
"Kakashi, what are you trying to do?"
"Sensei, I want to try and see if I can directly awaken Sakura." Kakashi's eyes were determined.
Minato disagreed. "No, that's too dangerous. You're still in a physical body. If you enter the area around the flowering tree, your chakra will be absorbed. I'll go instead."
"But..." Kakashi wasn't reassured. Besides, even though he said he was going to awaken Sakura, he wasn't entirely confident. Could Minato really awaken her?
"Alright, stop arguing. Neither of you should go near Haruno!" Tobirama stopped the two from pulling at each other. He looked at Sakura, who was still lost in thought, and said in a deep voice, "If we can't solve it from the outside, we'll solve it from within her mind."
"You mean Madara's Resurrection Technique?" Izuna immediately understood. Since he could see her memories before, he could naturally communicate with Sakura's mental world.
"Yes, as long as we can withstand the chakra drain from the flowering tree, it'll be fine. Madara has unlimited chakra anyway." Having made his decision, Tobirama acted swiftly, immediately activating the Flying Thunder God Technique to find Madara.
A short while later, after another barrage from the Great Buddha and Susanoo, clearing most of the links between the Divine Tree and the flowering tree, Tobirama returned with Madara and Hashirama.
Madara didn't hesitate, activating the Rinnegan: Resurrection Technique again. However, his chakra was completely drained by the flowering tree upon contact with Sakura. But Madara continuously poured a large amount of chakra into maintaining the ninjutsu's operation; his chakra circulation efficiency and release speed were far superior to Obito's. He finally managed to withstand the pressure of chakra draining and enter Sakura's mental world.
Unlike when they checked the Infinite Tsukuyomi memories last time, when they quickly entered a scene that seemed like the real world, this time it was a pitch-black, empty world.
Madara walked through this pitch-black world, searching for Sakura's spiritual form. Just then, a pink petal drifted past his eyes. He looked up and saw a faint glow in the distance, with sparse petals falling from that direction.
Madara ran forward, and the faster he ran, the more astonished he became. He saw the flowering tree again in Sakura's spiritual world, but this time the scene was even more astonishing, making Madara doubt his own eyes.
This flowering tree covered the entire planet, yet it continued to expand, growing ever larger. The ethereal, transparent tree enveloped planet after planet, world after world, until finally, it seemed to have expanded to the size of the entire universe. Those worlds and planets, like decorations on a Christmas tree, hung from the tree's flowering branches. The glowing pink petals filled the pitch-black universe, while the planets and worlds shimmered with bright light, gleaming brilliantly.
Madara stared in shock at the scene before him. Was this Sakura's imagination, or something else? If not imagination, then what was it? He almost thought he had seen the composition and ultimate truth of the entire universe.
Just then, Madara suddenly sensed something. He abruptly looked up, and in the next moment, he felt himself gradually growing larger, becoming infinitely large, while the vast universe formed by the flowering tree slowly shrank, finally shrinking to the size of a miniature toy, held steadily in a pair of gleaming white hands.
Those hands were exquisitely beautiful. Madara's gaze was unconsciously fixed on them. Even without a hand fetish, he couldn't look away, for they represented an ultimate perfection impossible in the mortal world. After a long while, Madara finally mustered his willpower and looked up at the owner of those hands.
As expected, yet unexpectedly, the hands belonged to Sakura Haruno, but it didn't quite resemble her. While still possessing pink hair and Green eyes, and similar features, the already stunningly beautiful Sakura Haruno paled in comparison to the girl before him, like the difference between the moon and a tortoise—a world apart in an instant. This was an ultimate beauty, a beauty that couldn't be surpassed, vibrant and radiant, evoking images of cherry blossoms blooming across the land, a riot of colors in spring, yet also ethereal and otherworldly, like the moon in the sky or a flower in the water, untouchable.
The girl's long, flowing pink hair, thick as seaweed and soft as waves, swayed gently in this ethereal world, making Madara even feel that the petals of flowering trees might be transformed from these strands of hair.
Those green eyes were like the first hint of spring, like an endless forest, and like all the hope of life.
She wore layers upon layers of white, pink, and gold-red robes, more magnificent, more ethereal, and softer than a twelve-layered kimono. A light blue shawl and gauze fluttered in the air, like a celestial maiden descending to earth—no, even a celestial maiden seemed barely touching her instep.
This beauty was utterly otherworldly. In that instant, Madara could only think of one word: divine. Not a false god like Kaguya, revered for her power, but a true goddess.
Madara was stunned, his heart pounding. The woman before him had struck a chord with all his aesthetic senses. No, it wasn't just a matter of aesthetics; no human, male or female, could resist such beauty.
Madara had never been particularly interested in women; he preferred the thrill of battle. Of course, he did appreciate beautiful women, but in all the years since his death, he had never seen a woman who could stir his heart or leave him breathless. He himself was more beautiful than most women. But now, he clearly had.
Madara suddenly didn't know what to say. He could only watch as the girl gently lifted the pink flowering tree in her hands. Her eyes were like a god surveying and admiring the universe she had created.
Drawn by the girl's focused gaze, Madara involuntarily followed her gaze to the flowering tree. Then, whether it was an illusion or not, Madara suddenly felt as if he had gained the ability to see into the depths of the universe. Despite the flowering tree being no bigger than his palm, Madara seemed to be able to continuously delve into this universe of flowers, constantly magnifying its minute details.
Madara didn't know what he was looking for, but subconsciously his gaze followed a certain direction. Then, he discovered that among the countless bright worlds hanging from the branches of the flowering tree, there was a place that was dim and without light. Without careful observation, one might even miss it, thinking it didn't exist. It was a world like a beehive, its perimeter covered with countless strange characters, like a shell enveloping the world, or perhaps these characters were blocking the world's own light from shining through.
A sense of familiarity washed over him instinctively. He stared intently, peering beyond the dense array of characters, and saw the world behind them—a series of desolate, uninhabited spaces or miniature worlds: desert worlds, glacial worlds, lava worlds, acidic sea worlds, gravity worlds, dark worlds, and blank worlds. They nested one another like hexagons, layer upon layer. Ban's expression slowly hardened. Two months of repeatedly traversing and randomly landing in any world had made these worlds incredibly familiar. He continued to look, and finally, at the center of the hive, he saw a green world. The scenery there held a familiarity ingrained in his very being.
This was their world!
Ban almost immediately looked up in astonishment. As his gaze shifted, his vision also rapidly receded, leaving their world behind, traversing thirty worlds, and finally arriving at the critical point world that had been troubling them. Outside this world lay the dense array of characters that blocked the hive world from radiating light.
In an instant, Madara realized that these characters must be the seal that Tobirama had guessed was sealing off thirty worlds and spaces!
Madara was stunned, excited, and incredulous. Why was he seeing this in Sakura Haruno's mental world? Was it real? Or was it her imagination?
But before Madara could figure it out, he saw a pair of flawless, delicate hands slowly extend, and a jade-like finger gently touched down. The fingertip seemed to traverse countless spaces, finally landing on the densely packed characters. With just a light touch, the characters shattered and vanished completely.
Madara was astonished. What was this? The seal disappeared? Shattered with just a single finger? This was a seal spanning thirty worlds and spaces! What kind of person could break it with just one finger? Was this a god? Only a god could do that, right?
Madara was always arrogant, believing that no one in the world was stronger than him except for Hashirama, but that was still within the realm of humanity. This was clearly beyond his comprehension.
No, wait, this might just be Sakura Haruno's imagination; it shouldn't be something that actually happened. Madara rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit confused.
Just then, a clear, incredibly beautiful voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
"Reality and illusion shatter at this moment, the laws converge, and the dream will cease at this instant."
Madara immediately looked up at the girl before him, hesitatingly asking, "Was that you speaking? Are you... Sakura Haruno?"
The girl didn't speak, lowering her gaze back to the world of flowers and trees in her hands. Then, a sudden pressure struck, making Madara dizzy. When he regained his senses, he realized he had already dispelled the Resurrection Jutsu.
Hashirama patted Madara's shoulder. "Oh, Madara, well done! That strange flower tree next to Sakura has disappeared."
Madara looked blankly at Hashirama, then at Sakura Haruno. She had fainted, and Kakashi was holding her.
Madara stared at the unconscious girl's face in a daze, silent. His gaze was too long and too strange. Kakashi almost immediately instinctively pulled Sakura's face closer to his chest, then moved to the side, trying to avoid Madara's direct gaze.
Madara's gaze unconsciously followed Sakura Haruno, yet he seemed lost in his own thoughts, a strange behavior that everyone noticed.
"Madara-nii?" Izuna asked.
Hashirama's expression also turned worried. "Madara, what's wrong? Why are you staring at Sakura-chan? Did something happen in the spiritual world? Is Sakura-chan in danger?"
Kakashi tensed up immediately. Sakura was unconscious; could it be because something went wrong in the spiritual world?
Madara finally forced himself to calm down, but he needed to verify something immediately.
"No, she's fine, but I need to return to the Critical Point World immediately. Kakashi, leave this little girl to me."
Madara reached out to hug Sakura, but Kakashi dodged him. His eyes held suspicion, distrust, and a barely perceptible possessiveness, which Madara somehow sensed.
"What do you need Sakura for? What does this have to do with the Critical Point World?" Kakashi asked suspiciously.
"I have something to verify, and this little girl is key," Madara said directly.
"What do you want to verify? What does it have to do with Haruno?" Tobirama asked, arms crossed. Madara's attitude seemed strange, as if he had suffered something unbelievable and was somewhat dazed. But what could possibly shock him in Haruno Sakura's mental world? Could it be the flowering tree?
Minato had obviously thought of that too. "Madara, is what you want to verify related to that flowering tree?"
Madara himself didn't know whether he should let them see what he saw in Haruno Sakura's mental world. After all, it was too incredible. Perhaps only by personally going to the critical point world and seeing if that invisible barrier had truly been broken could he understand.
He said impatiently, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you now. Kakashi, give me Sakura."
Kakashi noticed that this was the first time Madara had called Sakura by her name directly, and his attitude had subtly changed. Kakashi didn't know why, but Madara's attitude was unusually resolute, even suggesting he would attack if he didn't give her the gift.
Kakashi didn't want to clash with Madara over such a small matter. After a moment's hesitation, he handed Sakura to Madara, giving him a stern warning.
"I don't know what you need Sakura for, but I won't allow you to hurt her. I'm going with you to the Critical Point World to see what you're up to."
"What can I do to her?" Madara chuckled, hugging Sakura tightly.
Seeing Madara and Kakashi heading to the Critical Point World, the others, curious about their plans, followed.
They used the same three Susanoo, but this time Madara's Susanoo included Sakura in addition to the four members of the Sengoku group. The rest of the team remained the same.
After traversing thirty worlds, they arrived at the Critical Point World.
Hashirama looked at the unchanged world before him, tilting his head in confusion. "So, Madara, what are you going to do now?"
Madara took a deep breath and then said, "I'm going to travel through time again to see the next world."
"Huh? Is this any different from before?" Hashirama scratched his face, confused.
"Same or different? You'll find out once you get there." Madara's answer was enigmatic.
Tobirama was getting increasingly annoyed by Madara's cryptic behavior. "Madara, what on earth are you up to?"
"Madara has his reasons," Izuna retorted habitually.
Madara glanced at Obito and Kakashi and said directly, "You guys come with me."
Obito and Kakashi looked bewildered. Minato, Itachi, and Sasori didn't know what Madara was cryptic about, but anyway, so be it. They'd experimented so many times already, one more time wouldn't hurt, even if they didn't know how this time would be different from before.
The three Susanoo simultaneously opened portals, and soon Madara, Obito, and Kakashi all sensed something was different.
"Huh? Why does it feel like the distance to this world is shorter than the next one?" Obito exclaimed in surprise.
"And this time, we can clearly see the mountainous forest world on the other side of the portal," Kakashi added, equally puzzled.
"Why is this? Has something changed?" Tobirama was also astonished. He looked at Madara and said confidently, "Madara, you know the reason, right?"
"I'll tell you after we've passed through," Madara said, then piloted his Susanoo into the portal.
Obito and Kakashi quickly followed.
The three Susanoo appeared almost simultaneously in a lush, verdant forest surrounded by mountains.
Everyone stared at this world in shock.
"We've passed through? Why?" Tobirama, after his initial surprise, suddenly looked at Madara. "Madara, explain!"
"The invisible barrier really disappeared?" Minato also felt like he was dreaming, but ultimately, he was overjoyed. Just as everyone was about to ask Madara what had happened, suddenly, everyone except Kakashi felt a strange heat rising within them. Their senses and perceptions became incredibly active, a vividness and vitality completely absent in their Edo Tensei forms.
Kakashi watched as a white mist rose from everyone's bodies. After the mist cleared, his eyes widened in shock as he looked at everyone's faces.
"Obito, Minato-sensei, you...you've been resurrected? This is Rinne Rebirth?"
To Be Continued ...