As Kitagawa Minamoto and Uchiha Madara briefly discussed the "truth" of this world, the Sage of Six Paths, though feeling awkward, explained his side of the story as well.
"So, to put it in simple terms..." Naruto crossed his arms, struggling to translate the Sage's complicated, almost inhuman explanation into something understandable. "You're actually part of the Ōtsutsuki clan, but your mother chose to rebel. Fearing being hunted down, she wanted to turn everyone into warriors through a special method, and you stopped her."
Sasuke followed Naruto's words, his expression both curious and strange as he added, "In the end, you sealed her away to prevent her from destroying this world, right?"
"That's about right..." The Sage of Six Paths nodded expressionlessly, though his mood was far from good. Especially when he noticed the looks of "reverence," "fear," and suspicion from the ninja alliance, as if they saw him as some kind of "puppet master." It made his scalp tingle—this was not the impression he wanted to leave at all.
"I deeply apologize for causing such trouble..." The Sage sighed inwardly before speaking softly. "But my mother's fears were justified. The Ōtsutsuki clan has indeed descended upon this world, posing a terrifying crisis for the entire ninja realm. I believe you've already felt it."
"We've definitely felt it..." Upon hearing the Sage's words, everyone instinctively turned their gaze to the distance. On one side, Kitagawa Minamoto was battling three "Ōtsutsuki reincarnates," while on the other, Ōtsutsuki Minamoto was brutally overpowering Uchiha Madara. These battles, far beyond their comprehension, sent chills down their spines. Even Gamamaru couldn't help but shake his head.
"So, old man, what exactly are you planning to do now?" Naruto couldn't help but ask curiously. He genuinely didn't sense any malice from the old man. In fact, there was an inexplicable sense of closeness—not just for him, but for Sasuke as well. Even Hashirama looked at the Sage with a peculiar expression.
"Are you going to act again and deal with them?"
"..." The Sage was momentarily speechless, then forced a bitter smile as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I fear I can no longer do that..."
"What?!" This statement left the entire ninja alliance dumbfounded. Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't do it? Then what were they supposed to do? What was the point of his appearance?
"But you don't need to worry. I have made some preparations." The Sage spoke calmly, genuinely unconcerned about the chaos outside. After all, Kitagawa Minamoto was on their side. Taking this opportunity, he decided to reveal the truth about this world. "Moreover, there are some things I hope you will understand."
"Preparations?" The ninja alliance perked up upon hearing this, but his next words made them frown.
"Why not wait until everything is over to explain?" Sasuke frowned, and Naruto quickly nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah, the battle outside is so intense. If this continues, we might not even have a chance, old man!"
"I..." The Sage smiled faintly, but before he could respond, the ground suddenly shifted. In the next moment, a black figure emerged from the earth.
"Because he's waiting for Mother to be released!" Accompanied by an angry shout, everyone stared in shock at the black figure, momentarily unable to grasp what was happening. Facing the Sage of Six Paths, even if they had grievances, no one dared to speak out. Not only was he the Sage of Six Paths, but he was also an Ōtsutsuki capable of "destroying the world"! The rare sight of such an Ōtsutsuki standing on their side gave them hope, so they didn't dare to say anything rash. Now, with this unexpected individual appearing, how could they not feel bewildered and uneasy?
"Also, what does 'Mother' mean?" Someone couldn't help but ask, but most were more curious about the identity of this figure.
"Hah, isn't this the guy who was always around Obito Uchiha?" The Akatsuki members recognized him immediately. Given the current situation, they couldn't act recklessly, but they were familiar with Black Zetsu.
"Has this guy gone mad? Does he dare speak like this to the terrifying Sage of Six Paths?"
"Is he trying to get us all killed?"
"Seriously, what's going on here?"
The Akatsuki members whispered among themselves. The Sage frowned slightly, but Zetsu fearlessly stared at him.
"Hagoromo, don't pretend you don't know who I am, or act like you're unaware of my existence!"
"..." The Sage felt slightly numb. Since he wasn't good at lying, he stiffly nodded.
"I know you. You're the embodiment of Mother's will, and also my brother."
"Brother?!" Sasuke and Naruto's eyes widened. This guy who delivered eyes to Uchiha Madara had such a status? The Akatsuki members were equally incredulous. This "lackey" of Obito Uchiha was actually the Sage of Six Paths' brother?
"Can this world get any crazier?"
"Wait a minute, when he said 'Mother,' could it mean..."
Suddenly, everyone realized something, and their eyes turned to the Sage in disbelief. He had personally sealed his mother, and now he was about to release her?
"Could it be..."
A terrifying thought crossed their minds, and they looked at the Sage in shock.
"I appreciate you acknowledging my identity, Hagoromo." Amidst the collective fear, Zetsu spoke again. "I admit, I'm not on the same side as you. I also admit that over the millennia, I've done many things—for example, the issue between Indra and Asura."
"Indra and Asura?" Sasuke and Naruto raised their eyebrows, while Hashirama looked puzzled. Tobirama directly asked.
"What do you mean? What's the story with Indra and Asura?"
"Don't you understand yet? I am Mother's will. My mission is to release her." Zetsu, now unrestrained, gritted his teeth and spoke loudly. "To achieve this, I found Indra, whose heart was troubled by the inheritance of Ninshu, and guided his hatred toward Asura!"
"You..." This revelation left the ninja alliance wide-eyed. Was there such a story behind it all?
"Creating conflict isn't that simple, and I was the one who made it all happen." Zetsu clenched his fists and spoke in a low voice. "I ignited the conflict between Indra and Asura, and I continuously sought out their reincarnations, perpetuating war between their reincarnations and descendants!"
"It was I who expanded their conflicts, I who allowed the wars to continue for a thousand years!"
Everyone fell silent at this moment, as no one had imagined there was such a story behind everything. Who could have thought that this black figure had caused so much chaos in the ninja world?!
"What's going on here?" Hashirama asked in disbelief, while Tobirama grasped the key point.
"Reincarnations? What does that mean?"
"It's simple. The hatred between Indra and Asura reached such extremes that even after death, their chakra continued, carrying their will to fight!" Zetsu snorted coldly, his voice icy. "Haven't you noticed? Hashirama Senju, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha—haven't you felt that your chakra is somehow different?"
"We..." This statement left the three of them stunned. They looked at each other. They had indeed noticed something different about their chakra. Even though the feeling wasn't strong, they could still sense something. And the figures standing behind their chakra, previously faint, now became exceptionally clear!
"Not just you, but Madara Uchiha as well." Zetsu spoke flatly, then shook his head painfully. "As for what's going on? You should ask my dear brother! I've always wondered why everything went so smoothly."
"Now I understand. It was all permitted by my brother; he supported my actions. Without him, how could I have succeeded so easily? Without him, how could I have accomplished all this!"
"I was nothing but his pawn!"
As he said this, Zetsu felt incredibly frustrated. In the past, he had treated Indra and Asura as pawns, manipulating the entire ninja world. But now it seemed he had been outmaneuvered by his own brother—he was the most pitiful one of all!
His words were deafening, plunging the entire ninja world into silence.
If the Sage of Six Paths had merely allowed all this to happen, that would be one thing.
But...
Had he actually secretly endorsed others to push, expand, and develop these conflicts?
And the person he used was his own brother?
Even his own children weren't spared?
And reincarnations?
This Sage of Six Paths seemed even more cruel than they had imagined.
"..." The Sage's gaze darkened. He felt he should have silenced his "brother" long ago. After all, he had more than one brother!
"You should stop this nonsense—" After a long pause, the Sage finally spoke, his voice tinged with pain, but he was interrupted again.
"Doesn't the Hyūga clan's 'bookmark' already explain it? Wasn't that written by you?!"
"I—"
"What is the Eye of the Moon Plan? Don't you know? What is the purpose of Infinite Tsukuyomi? How could you not know?!"
"You—"
"This is the jutsu to release Mother! You've allowed me to act all this time for this very purpose, haven't you?!"
At this point, Zetsu paused, staring at his "good brother," and finally shouted with a voice that seemed to tear his throat:
"But she is our mother, Hagoromo! How could you do this to her?"
"..."
"You've already won, so please spare her!"
"..."
"You've tempered the ninja world for a thousand years. Indra and Asura have been trained, and you've even created the Pure Land, allowing countless powerful warriors to be summoned!"
"..."
"Isn't that enough? Do you really want Mother to face Ōtsutsuki Minamoto? Don't you know what that madman will do?"
"..."
"Do you truly want Mother to die, to become just another pile of bones on that man's 'Ascending God's Long Path'?!"
"..."
"I admit I've lost. Even if everything was arranged by you, I'm willing to pay the price for what I've done. But please, spare Mother!"
These heart-wrenching cries, these soul-stirring pleas, echoed across the battlefield.
In that moment, everyone's gaze toward Black Zetsu changed.
Similarly, their view of the Sage of Six Paths underwent a subtle transformation.
Not sparing his own brother, not sparing his sons, and even...
Not sparing his own mother?!
Although everything was supposedly for the sake of the ninja world, this Sage of Six Paths...
Wasn't he too cold-blooded, too terrifying?
"Is this what they call 'divinity'?"
The Sage of Six Paths was rendered speechless. What the hell was going on? His mother and Kitagawa Minamoto were on good terms; they had already met and, from what he knew, had even become allies.
How had the situation turned into this mess when it came to him?
"Old man, this doesn't seem right..." As everyone stared at the Sage with horrified eyes, Naruto cautiously spoke up.
"Besides, shouldn't the ninja world rely on us, rather than resorting to such methods?"
"That's right." Sasuke swallowed hard but nodded. His gaze toward the Sage was filled with unease and a hint of 'disdain.'
"I think we can handle it ourselves. After all, this is our ninja world's problem, and we've received enough training, so..."
"Exactly, I think we should at least try."
"Right, and don't we have the Pure Land? That's also our place of rest."
"If necessary, we could summon everyone from the past and fight together."
"Though I understand such sacrifices might be necessary, this is just too..."
The ninja alliance couldn't help but speak up. Although many still seemed deeply worried, and some even thought this approach might work, the cruelty of the method was hard to accept. They preferred to believe in themselves.
Whoosh—
As they spoke, a vast surge of chakra suddenly shot skyward, instantly tinting the moonlight with a crimson frost. The full moon in the sky transformed into a pair of blood-red Rinnegan eyes, with mysterious power continuously erupting!
"It's too late! Infinite Tsukuyomi has been activated!" Black Zetsu screamed. If this continued, his mother would surely descend!
"Great Sage." Tobirama pondered for a moment, then turned to the Sage of Six Paths with respect and admiration. He bowed slightly.
Such respectful behavior left everyone dumbfounded, but Hashirama knew his younger brother had been completely won over by the Sage of Six Paths.
"Although I greatly approve of your methods, we should now consider that Ōtsutsuki Minamoto has grown stronger again. You mentioned you had other measures—so now..."
"..." The Sage looked at Tobirama with a mix of anger and amusement. This bastard had put him in an impossible position!
This overly respectful demeanor was almost too much to bear.
But before he could speak, another violent chakra eruption occurred elsewhere. In the next moment, three strange chakra signatures began to resonate.
"Those three are about to emerge as well?" The Sage could only sigh, speaking weakly and painfully.
"I understand. Then it will be up to you to protect my mother..." ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
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