Chapter 312 – The Calm Before the Heavenly Storm
"Unless the Sage of Six Paths himself appears to turn the tide…"
When Tsunade said this, a teasing smile curved her lips.
"After the Great Toad Sage knelt down and kowtowed," she continued, "I wondered whether the Sage of Six Paths would show up. Now, it seems he won't."
Deep down, Tsunade's heart was overflowing with confidence — confidence in the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yuta.
Ever since the ancient Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku had been frightened into bowing and apologizing, Tsunade had no more doubts. She believed completely in the man who led Konoha.
Now everything was clear.
The Great Toad Sage had knelt.
Uchiha Madara's aura had been shattered in an instant.
Even heaven itself seemed to be aiding the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yuta.
"Victory… victory is already in our hands!"
"Madara's momentum was broken in a single heartbeat!"
"Hahaha! The Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yuta, is an eternal god! First he crushed the Great Toad Sage, and now even Madara Uchiha can't stand before him!"
The citizens of Konoha were filled with fiery excitement.
"The so-called Ninja Alliance? Just a rabble! And they dare to attack our Konoha? What a joke!"
"Indeed! Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Otogakure — all of them are fools to challenge the divine might of our Hokage!"
The once-worried villagers now laughed in pure pride.
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Meanwhile, among Konoha's young elites — Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru, and the rest of the original twelve — disbelief filled their eyes.
No, not twelve. Eleven.
Because Hyūga Hinata had long surpassed them all. Ever since her Byakugan had evolved into the Tenseigan, her strength had transcended the limits of the younger generation.
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At the same time, far away within a secret dimensional space, fury erupted like thunder.
"Damn it! Both the Great Toad Sage and Uchiha Madara — trash among trash!"
The usually calm and wise Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, finally roared in frustration. His fury rippled through the dimension, cracks spreading across the space itself as if it were about to collapse.
He had never imagined that his once-prized pawns — the Great Toad Sage and Madara Uchiha — would prove so utterly useless.
"They're worse than dogs! Raising two hounds might have been more effective!"
"Brother!"
Ōtsutsuki Hamura, startled by the violent fluctuation of chakra, quickly tried to calm him.
"Don't lose yourself! Uchiha Madara and the Toad Sage were only appetizers. The true main course has yet to arrive — the powerful ones from our Ōtsutsuki clan. Don't act rashly."
"Hmph… I know."
Hagoromo's tone cooled as he forced his rage down. "Madara has lost his value. The defeat of the Ninja Alliance is already decided. We must be patient… until the true Ōtsutsuki arrive."
Even in his anger, the Sage of Six Paths returned to caution — suppressing his instincts, hiding his strength, and waiting.
It was a cold, almost mechanical restraint — the calm of a god who had forgotten how to be human.
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If Uchiha Yuta, the Fifth Hokage, could see the Sage of Six Paths now, he would probably laugh.
Because the Sage — the legendary ancestor of chakra — had lost the passion and drive that once defined him.
Only patience remained.
Only hesitation.
When one endures too long… one eventually becomes a turtle hiding in its shell.
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"Still… I never expected Uchiha Madara to be crushed so quickly," murmured Hamura, sighing in disbelief. "How did the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yuta, reach this level? It's only been a few short years, and he already threatens our rule over the shinobi world."
"He… is an anomaly," said Hagoromo quietly.
He paused, eyes filled with a mixture of regret and reluctant admiration.
"From the very beginning, I felt something unusual about that man's existence. But I ignored it… and that mistake changed everything. The one I dismissed as insignificant has now grown into someone who stands equal to me."
"Yes…" Hamura nodded, his voice low.
Neither of them could deny it anymore.
In such a short span, the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yuta, had risen beyond control — beyond destiny itself.
Once, everything in the shinobi world had danced in their palms. Indra, Asura, Black Zetsu — all of them were merely pieces in their long game to maintain dominion over the Earth.
But now?
With the rise of the Fifth Hokage, that control had crumbled.
Nations like Konoha, Sunagakure, and Amegakure had all abandoned their faith in the Sage of Six Paths — turning instead to believe in Uchiha Yuta, the god who now ruled the shinobi world.
In their eyes, the Sage of Six Paths was a distant myth.
But the Fifth Hokage was real. He was the god who walked among them.
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"Forget it," Hagoromo finally sighed after a long silence. "Let's continue watching the show. If my calculations are correct, the true powerhouses of the Ōtsutsuki clan should soon descend upon the Earth. When they arrive… that's when the real fun begins."
"Coming?"
A spark lit up in Hamura's eyes — excitement replacing his gloom.
He knew well how terrifying the true Ōtsutsuki were. Compared to them, even the Great Toad Sage or Uchiha Madara were nothing more than insects.
The heavens themselves would tremble once those beings appeared.
And for the shinobi world below…
The era of peace might soon shatter again.
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