Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

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He paused, his tone carrying a familiar threat, yet seemingly different: "Don't force me to beat you up."

Faced with this familiar yet unfamiliar "greeting," Yin Jiuwei exhaled two streams of white vapor from its enormous nostrils.

With a hint of doubt, it slowly raised one of its front paws and curled up its sharp toe.

It also formed a huge fist, which cautiously and tentatively touched Ban's relatively small but firm fist.

At the very moment their fists made contact—

"Om-!"

A massive flow of information, mixed with countless fragments of memories, surged into Yin Jiuwei's mind like a flood bursting its banks, connected by chakra!

That wasn't a one-way indoctrination, but a two-way, resonant memory!

"What a beast! He's even starting to bewitch children!"

"Uchiha... Madara!!!"

"This is the student you taught? The most vicious ninja of the Warring States period, and you produced a bottom-of-the-class student who only got 12 points on his theory test?"

"Shut up! I didn't go to that kind of play-acting school back in the day."

"If all else fails, I'll send the Nine-Tails out for a spin and raze Konoha and the Uchiha clan to the ground. Rebuilding is much easier than reforming, anyway."

"Hey! Why should I listen to you?"

"The history of Konoha? What do you mean Hashirama Senju founded it all by himself? It was clearly founded by Hashirama and me. What is all this nonsense?"

"After all, you defected from Konoha. It's already good enough that they didn't call you a rogue ninja."

"Serves you right for laughing! Serves you right for gloating! When I get out of here... I'll definitely find that bastard who wrote the book... and with Susanoo... I'll cut him a hundred times! No! A thousand times!!"

"Holy crap! Old man! I wasn't the one who smeared you! What are you doing?! Taking revenge for personal reasons?!"

Countless images—fucked, joyful, painful, warm—intertwined and impacted Yin Jiuwei's mind.

The contact of the fist was brief but profound.

As Yin Jiuwei slowly retracted its front paws, its vertical pupils, which were originally filled with violence and hatred, underwent a dramatic change.

That look was no longer one of disdain and anger.

Instead, it became complicated, carrying a hint of realization, a touch of emotion, and even... a touch of awkward recognition, like reuniting with an old friend.

Nine-Tails grinned, revealing an extremely irritating yet somewhat relieved smile: "Heh... Old Madara, I didn't realize you... still care about me quite a bit!"

Ban withdrew his fist, and upon hearing the familiar address and tone, he snorted.

A barely perceptible hint of relaxation flashed in his eyes: "I think you're just as itchy as that yang-attribute version of yourself!"

On the other side, the water gates merged.

As the memories and chakra of the two Minatos completely merged into one.

In Edo Minato's mind, everything that his other self had experienced was clearly presented.

He lived with Madara, Kushina, and Kurama until the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War, until Naruto's tailed beast was removed...

All the information coming together gave him a complete understanding of the current situation.

It also filled his heart with complex feelings for his son, his wife, and Madara Uchiha, who was both his enemy and friend.

Kushina floated to Minato's side, watching the countless streams of information flashing in her husband's eyes.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask about the situation, but for a moment he didn't know where to begin.

Minato turned to look at his wife, a warm, slightly apologetic smile on his face, exactly as he remembered her, and said softly:

"Yes, I'm back, Kushina. Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

A simple sentence, yet it contains a thousand words.

The next second, Kushina Uzumaki's soul could no longer suppress her emotions.

Just like back then, with a sob in her voice and a heart full of longing, she suddenly threw herself into Minato's arms.

Let's celebrate reaching chapter 500! I'm a little excited to have reached 500 chapters for the first time!

Chapter 501 Everything Entrusted to the Next Generation

The immense and icy chakra of the Nine-Tails poured into Naruto's parched body like sweet rain, forcibly halting the rapid loss of his life force.

The face, which had been as pale as paper, finally regained a faint trace of color.

The almost stagnant rise and fall of her chest became slightly more noticeable.

On the other side, Sasuke suffered severe internal organ damage and internal bleeding.

Nourished by the vibrant life force of the Nine-Tails' chakra, it began to repair and heal at a visible speed.

The severed chakra pathways were forcibly reconnected, and the chaotic energy gradually stabilized.

However, the crisis has not been completely resolved.

The two boys remained with their eyes closed, showing no signs of waking up, as if their consciousness was still hovering on the border between life and death.

This unusual situation caused Ban, who was in the consciousness space, to frown.

The Yin Nine-Tails has returned, and its chakra is being steadily transferred. Why haven't Naruto and Sasuke woken up yet?

It seems they've done all they could.

Just then, a gentle and familiar voice, tinged with a hint of doubt, rang out from the darkness at the edge of the consciousness space.

Everyone followed the sound.

From the darkness that symbolized Sasuke's realm of consciousness, Hashirama, clad in layered red armor, slowly emerged.

His figure was even more ethereal than Ban's, clearly indicating that he had consumed far more energy.

Madara temporarily shifted his attention from Naruto and looked at his old friend, his tone tinged with impatience: "Hashirama? What are you doing here?"

"Sasuke hasn't woken up yet, has he? What are you doing here?"

He thought Hashirama had come to inquire about Sasuke's condition.

Hashirama shook his head, his face filled with confusion: "Madara, I've been thinking about something."

"Whether it's the 'you' who's wreaking havoc outside or the 'you' standing here right now, you are essentially Uchiha Madara."

"Why... does the 'you' outside have the Rinnegan, while the 'you' in front of me doesn't?"

Madara, preoccupied with Naruto, retorted irritably, "How would I know?!"

"What happened after I died is completely absent from this fragmented memory of mine..."

However, he suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence.

Hashirama's reminder brought a detail he had previously overlooked to his mind like a flash of lightning!

When fighting against the reanimated version of himself outside, the opponent not only used the power of the Rinnegan, but also used Wood Release!

Although its scale and sophistication were far inferior to Hashirama's, it was indeed a genuine Wood Release technique!

Wood Release can be considered Hashirama Senju's exclusive bloodline limit.

It is the ultimate bloodline that combines the nature transformations of earth and water chakra.

Of all the ninjas Madara has ever encountered who can use Wood Release, besides Hashirama himself, there is only Shimura Danzo, and... the resurrected version of himself outside!

Danzo was only able to function with minimal effort thanks to the transplantation of Hashirama's cells.

So, what gives this other self the right to do it?

At this moment, Hashirama, seeing Madara deep in thought, asked another crucial question: "Madara, back then... what was your reason for attacking Konoha alone? Was it really just to prove yourself superior to me?"

This question, like a key, instantly unlocked the long-sealed, cracked door deep within Ban's memory.

Originally, Madara's memory of this past event was always fragmented and incomplete.

He vividly remembered the earth-shattering battle at the Valley of the End.

I remember my last conversation with Hashirama.

Remember when you "died"...

However, many details remain unclear.

When exactly was the Eye of the Moon project conceived?

When facing Hashirama, who was clearly stronger than him, was he really without any chance of winning?

Or...did they leave behind some backup plan?

Did that almost suicidal mentality at the time conceal a deeper purpose?

And how were those two Rinnegan eyes activated?

In an instant, countless fragments of chaotic information flooded Ban's mind like a tidal wave.

The intense headache made him groan and clutch his forehead.

But amidst that chaotic pain, some forgotten, crucial fragments of memory, like shards of a sunken ship, surfaced!

Madara suddenly raised his head, a look of realization and shock flashing in his eyes: "I remember now... When I attacked Konoha back then, it wasn't just to fight you and settle the score... there was another, deeper purpose."

"What's the purpose?" Minato, Kushina, and even the Nine-Tails pricked up their ears.

Madara's gaze sharpened as he looked at Hashirama: "I've collected your muscle tissue, or more accurately, your cellular tissue."

Hashirama was stunned: "My...cells?"

Madara affirmed, "Because I know your strength well, Hashirama."

"At that time, my strength had reached the limit of my bloodline and talent, and conventional training could not overcome the gap between us."

"Therefore, I had to find another way."

The final scene of the battle at the Valley of the End flashed through his mind: "In that battle, I did not leave empty-handed... I bit off a piece of your flesh!"

"I think I eventually managed to transplant that piece of flesh onto my own body!"

Hashirama suddenly realized: "So... because you transplanted part of my flesh and blood, you were able to awaken the legendary Rinnegan in the later stages of your life?"

Ban stroked his chin, lost in deeper thought: "It's probably pretty close."