"Truth Contract?"
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo stared at the white light on the back of Imu's hand, his expression shifting with confusion and uncertainty.
Imu proceeded to explain what "Truth" truly was.
A moment later—
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had gained a relatively clear understanding of what "Truth" meant.
A god of knowledge and alchemy hailing from the universe where the "Teigu World" resided—also a god of fairness and justice who strictly upheld the principle of equivalent exchange.
But what Hagoromo cared more about was what this Lord Imu had mentioned: that such a great being had entered into an equal partnership with his true body.
Truth had granted Imu unrestricted privileges to use Stigmata Alchemy.
In return, Imu had opened the Dimensional Gate, allowing Truth to absorb knowledge from other universes.
At the same time, they had formed a strategic alliance:
Should either side fall into crisis, the other must provide full support.
To Hagoromo, the implicit message was clear—
Even if he were to one day face the Ōtsutsuki God himself, Imu's true body would join forces with "Truth." There was no need to fear.
Whatever the case,
The mere existence of "Truth" significantly eased the pressure weighing on his heart.
"To obtain something, one must offer something of equal value."
"I am also an alchemist—and I must abide by the law of equivalent exchange."
Imu held up his glowing left hand, his sharp gaze locked onto Hagoromo's Rinnegan.
"What I seek—is your submission. Your eternal loyalty!"
Hagoromo's heart trembled.
"And what I am willing to offer in return is to help you become the new Ōtsutsuki God—"
"—to stand beside you in facing Ōtsutsuki Shibai and the Ōtsutsuki Civilization."
"So—will you accept?"
After Imu finished speaking, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo hesitated for a moment before asking, "When you say eternal loyalty... does that include after I've become the Ōtsutsuki God?"
"When you are a man, you shall be my loyal vassal."
"When you are a god, you shall be my divine follower!"
Imu, too, responded directly and unequivocally.
Hagoromo fell silent.
Imu didn't press him, simply waited with patience.
Time passed slowly.
Until Hagoromo finally raised his head again.
"I am willing to accept your Truth Contract, and offer you my loyalty. But before that—"
"—I wish to know the specific method by which you intend to help me become a god."
A faint curl lifted at the corner of Imu's lips, his mood brightening.
"Sit down and listen carefully."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo was momentarily taken aback.
But then he smiled with understanding, and without hesitation, followed Imu's command—cross-legged, he sat in midair about 3 meters above the red carpet, assuming a posture of focused attention.
"There is only one way to become an Ōtsutsuki God—by using a God Tree to absorb the natural energy of a planet, producing a Chakra Fruit, and consuming it."
Imu began with what seemed like an obvious statement.
But what followed was the real crux.
"I can provide you with a suitable natural planet for planting the God Tree."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's spirit stirred.
"But… I don't have a Ten-Tails right now. And even if I did have a God Tree, I could only plant it on one world. I'd have to wait a thousand years for it to bear fruit. Am I supposed to wait several millennia?"
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo asked reluctantly, unwilling to accept it.
Imu didn't immediately answer Hagoromo.
He simply stared coldly at him, silently.
Hagoromo froze. Gradually, under the growing pressure of the silence, his overheated mind began to settle.
'What am I even saying? The key here is that I actually have a chance at godhood now.
Whether it takes a thousand years or three thousand—it's still far better than having no chance at all!'
Hagoromo silently scolded himself.
"My deepest apologies, Lord Imu. I allowed desire to cloud my reason. I've made a fool of myself."
Imu merely gave a slight nod.
"As for the issue of the God Tree—I will also show you the solution."
Hagoromo smiled and asked, "You're willing to return the Tailed Beasts to me?"
"No."
"They are now part of my collection. They have nothing to do with you."
Faced with Imu's firm refusal, Hagoromo could only sigh.
"But without them, I can't synthesize the Ten-Tails… and without the Ten-Tails, I can't produce a God Tree."
"There is a second Ten-Tails in the Shinobi World."
Imu's tone was calm, but in Hagoromo's ears, it boomed like thunder.
"What?!"
Hagoromo couldn't stop himself from shouting.
"Or rather," Imu clarified, "someone in the Shinobi World possesses a second Ten-Tails. You can use it to cultivate a fruit."
"Who?!"
Hagoromo asked urgently.
He was completely stunned—
There was a second Ten-Tails in the Shinobi World, and yet he, the Sage of Six Paths, had no idea?
"Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Oh—right now, he should be possessing a monk named Jigen."
Imu's lips curled slightly—this was something he had long wanted to do.
Unhurriedly, he recounted the events following the arrival of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and Ōtsutsuki Isshiki in the Shinobi World.
Upon hearing it all, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo was struck with sudden clarity—and a bitter taste in his heart.
To think that the hidden truths of his own world's history had come to him from the mouth of an outsider.
"So you want me to find this monk, Jigen, who carries Ōtsutsuki Isshiki inside him—and seize the second Ten-Tails from him?"
"The path to godhood is a struggle against the heavens, the earth, and other men."
Imu's sharp gaze bore down on Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo below.
"I will give you the faces of Jigen and Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, along with full intel on Isshiki's abilities. From there, you will find him on your own. And if, upon finding him, you lose—then it simply proves that your worth amounts to nothing."
As his words fell, Imu waved his hand casually.
A stream of black light shot forth.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's body tensed on instinct.
But he forced himself to remain calm, not resisting in the slightest, allowing the dark stream to pierce into his mind.
Instantly, two vivid figures emerged in his consciousness.
And what followed was even more shocking—
Because it wasn't just still images—it was moving footage!
It showed Ōtsutsuki Isshiki—clearly not a normal human—locked in battle with two opponents.
One of them appeared to be a ninja of the Uchiha Clan?
He even had the Rinnegan!
Regardless—
With this information, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo now had a complete understanding of Isshiki.
Just as Imu had said earlier: with such an overwhelming advantage in intel, if he were still to lose—then he would have no choice but to admit that he was worthless.
But first, he needed to locate the target—
and clearly, this man was intentionally hiding himself.
"Let us sign the contract."
Imu spoke at that moment, reminding him—
as the back of his left hand once again burst forth with radiant white light.
From Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's perspective, looking upward—
—it was as if a brilliant sun had appeared above.
"Yes, Lord Imu!" Hagoromo bowed his head low.
...
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had returned—Imu had sent him back to the Shinobi World.
Next, this Sage of Six Paths would begin searching all over the world for Black Zetsu and Jigen.
That said, Hagoromo did leave him with something rather interesting.
With keen curiosity, Imu gazed at the bizarre floating box before him.
It was none other than the Box of Ultimate Bliss—the seal that contained Satori.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had said it would be safer for the World Government to keep this devil in custody.
But Imu suspected Hagoromo's real motivation was fear of the Underworld—he didn't want this devil lingering in the Shinobi World any longer.
One Ōtsutsuki civilization was already terrifying enough.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had clearly abandoned any thoughts of provoking the Underworld as well.
Still, Imu didn't refuse.
In the future, the World Government would be dealing with more and more powerful forces and enemies.
What was one more—like the Underworld from the "Black Clover" world?
Besides, having a high-ranking devil in hand opened up countless opportunities.
However, to actually release it… they'd first have to solve the problem of how to restrain it.
Not just physically—but also prevent it from using any magic.
And that was no small feat.
Imu couldn't think of any good solutions for now. Better to let the departments below brainstorm for options.
As for the Box of Ultimate Bliss, for the time being, he'd keep it by his side.
Once the Academy of Sciences figured out how to suppress magic in captured low- and mid-tier devils, then he'd have it transferred.
"Hah—looks like the affairs of the Shinobi World are mostly wrapped up. As for the Western Continent, the Gelel ore mines, the large-scale illusion projectors with geothermal capabilities in the Land of Snow, and the meteorite embedded with Ten-Tails chakra in Hoshigakure… I'll leave all that for the others to investigate slowly."
Seated upon the Empty Throne, Imu let out a soft sigh.
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