Puh~
Far away, Satsuki suddenly spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
Even with the Ōtsutsuki clan's formidable body, forcing the foreign Ōtsutsuki sage chakra back out of herself took its toll.
Sage chakra could certainly strengthen the body, but with her current reserves, she was far from qualifying to cultivate Sage Mode. Moreover, considering the delicate stance between the Ōtsutsuki clan and the will of this planet itself, she did not fully trust natural energy.
She had other paths to reach the Six Paths level. Sage Mode, while excellent, was not essential.
Until she was certain she could eliminate all hidden risks, she would not set the foundation of her future strength on a potentially dangerous path.
Still, she did not waste the Ōtsutsuki sage chakra she had absorbed. Instead, she slowly channeled it into five humanoid puppets.
These human puppets had already been cut off from absorbing natural energy; the fish-scale-like transformations on their bodies had completely vanished. Yet the natural energy they had absorbed earlier was so immense that only two retained even the faintest biological activity.
The Ōtsutsuki sage chakra Satsuki returned to them amounted to barely one or two percent of the total she had wielded earlier, yet its nature was vastly superior to anything they could produce.
One of the two remaining human puppets developed strange black lines crisscrossing its body—at the corners of its eyes, between the brows, along the jawline, and over the shoulders.
It opened its mouth and let out a bestial roar, drool spilling from its lips as its face twisted into a grotesque mask. A sharp bone spike jutted from its forehead.
The appearance was eerily similar to the later "Curse Seal of Heaven" transformations.
Wiping the blood from the corner of her lips, Satsuki regarded the sage chakra-corrupted puppet with icy detachment.
Under her intervention, the Ōtsutsuki sage chakra within it went completely berserk. The once-dominant body, driven by pure killing instinct, erupted in lumps and ridges across its flesh. Wracked with agony, it writhed on the ground, rolling and howling.
Her unfeeling white eyes watched the convulsing figure. Then her right hand clenched gently.
The raging energy, freed of all restraint, burst from the body in all directions. The puppet—once of near-Sage physical strength—shattered utterly.
"Failures are destroyed," Satsuki said without looking back, her voice colder still. "Do you understand?"
"I understand, Mother."
The reply came from the sole remaining human puppet—also the only female among them. Her face was doll-like in its delicate perfection, framed by long golden hair. Even in the agony of sage chakra's searing baptism, her serene smile had never faltered.
By appearance, she looked no older than Satsuki, perhaps even younger given the latter's usual expressionless countenance.
Because the chakra Satsuki had infused into these puppets had once been elevated to golden Tenseigan energy, when returned to this puppet, it had sparked a new consciousness within a body whose original mind had been erased.
Strictly speaking, this new consciousness was born because of Satsuki. Calling her "Mother" was an instinct.
"Just call me Satsuki," she corrected lightly, unconcerned by such titles. Catching the hopeful look in the puppet's eyes, she hesitated briefly, then said, "From now on, your name will be Ranzuki."
At the name, the puppet's smile bloomed more radiantly, her doll-like beauty shining even brighter.
"Thank you, Lady Satsuki~"
"Stay here and attune yourself to natural energy," Satsuki instructed. "After receiving even a fraction of my Ōtsutsuki sage chakra, your body has improved greatly. Now is the perfect time to absorb it."
Moments later, a human-sized black spatial rift opened near Satsuki. Understanding instantly, Ranzuki flickered into motion, tossing the other four human puppets into the spatial passage before obediently seating herself in the center of the array Satsuki had inscribed, beginning to slowly absorb natural energy.
"Remember, if you fail, you will end up like them." With that warning, Satsuki vanished from the secluded space.
...
At the Uchiha compound in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning—
Against the protests of his clansmen, Tajima Uchiha personally escorted Kiyomaru into the clan's main hall.
This grand chamber was reserved for hosting nobles, the highest form of diplomatic courtesy the Uchiha extended.
Yet today, this honor was extended to an unknown shinobi. Those aware of the meeting whispered in disbelief, wondering if their clan head had taken leave of his senses.
Only two were present at this meeting: Tajima Uchiha and Kiyomaru.
It was only as the sun set that the main hall's doors finally opened, and Kiyomaru departed. Immediately afterward, Tajima convened an internal clan meeting to announce two shocking decisions:
"First—the Uchiha clan will withdraw from the Kōga shinobi alliance and leave the Valley of Clouds and Lightning. We will move into the territory of Musashi Province to confront the Iga shinobi alliance directly. Second—we will form an offensive and defensive alliance with the Hagoromo clan. From this day on, our two clans' shinobi will aid each other and act in concert against all other foes."
The orders sparked a storm within the clan. No Uchiha could understand why their leader would abandon their long-held domain to ally with a little-known clan.
Was this a joke?
Yet Tajima's authority was absolute; those dissatisfied did not voice their opposition—at least, not immediately.
Days later, however, the discontent boiled over. Representatives were chosen to confront Tajima: none other than his two sons, Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha.
When they met their father, Izuna—hoping to prevent Madara from souring the discussion immediately—spoke first. "Father, what was your reason for making those two decisions?"
Tajima appeared as calm as ever—if not for the trembling of his right hand concealed within his sleeve.
"Madara, Izuna… I understand why you've come, and I'm glad you carry the trust of the clan enough to stand before me yourselves." His voice carried the weariness of age.
"You want to know my reasons?"
"Father," Izuna pressed, "this land has been our home for generations, the foundation of our clan. Moving to a new domain carries enormous risk."
Izuna's reasoning echoed the sentiment of the clan. Of course, Tajima knew this already.
"Madara, what about you?"
Silent until now, Madara's answer was awaited with interest. Known for his fierce temper and quick reactions to displeasure, he seldom paused to think before acting. Such passion fueled his strength but also bound him in chains.
"Father," Madara said, narrowing his eyes. There was a strange light within them. "You acted under the influence of that outsider. Judging by your second order, that outsider must represent the Hagoromo clan."
"To make you take such a risk…"
He raised two fingers.
"There are only two possibilities. One: they possess power so overwhelming we cannot resist. But I doubt any such clan exists in the shinobi world today."
"That leaves only one possibility." He lowered a finger. "They offered you terms we could not refuse—enough to make you willing to take the gamble."
A flicker of surprise crossed Tajima's gaze. "Go on, Madara."
"What kind of profit would make you risk everything—abandoning our decades-old base in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning? It would have to be something vast enough to alter the balance of power in the shinobi world. And if they chose us as partners, unafraid of betrayal, it means they cannot obtain it without us."
"The conclusion is obvious."
Madara's voice rang firm. "The only thing that could change the shinobi world's balance and require the Uchiha to obtain… is information about the tailed beasts."
"Hahaha…" Tajima laughed heartily. "As expected of my son. You're correct—they did indeed give me information on the tailed beasts."
"But Father," Madara countered, "even with that information, we need not work with them. As the strongest clan, we can act alone."
The strongest clan?
A shadow crossed Tajima's eyes. If only, my son. You've only guessed half the truth… and I pray you never discover the other half.