Chapter 280 – Kaguya's Hypothesis: The Arrival of Momoshiki and Kinshiki
Prejudice—a mountain that stands in the heart of every being.
No matter how hard you try, it's almost impossible to move.
Gen had never truly understood that saying before.
But now, after speaking with the so-called Rabbit Goddess, he understood it all too well.
Just look at Kaguya's expression—it said everything.
"I understand," Gen sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It must have been unbearable, being sealed by your own children. But you can't really blame them for everything, especially Hagoromo."
"Hmph. What kind of parent does that to their own children?"
Kaguya rarely spoke much. She preferred to observe in silence.
But this time, she was clearly irritated—her voice colder, but sharper.
"Even after they died, he didn't let their souls rest! He bound them through chakra, forcing their reincarnations to fight again and again!"
"Uh… maybe they volunteered?" Gen offered cautiously.
"Volunteered?" Kaguya snapped. "Letting them stew in hatred for millennia—whose fault is that?!"
"Well," Gen coughed lightly, "if I recall correctly, you and your 'brother' fought hard enough to nearly destroy the sky and earth…"
"At least I won," she said flatly.
"…"
Gen rubbed his forehead, feeling a migraine coming on.
To her, everything was Hagoromo's fault.
Every war, every curse, every tear—it all traced back to that one son of hers.
So much for the Sage of Six Paths, huh, Gen thought silently. This family really needs therapy.
But then he frowned.
Wait… hadn't they been talking about Sasuke's eyes a moment ago?
"Hold on," he said, half-exasperated. "Weren't we discussing that kid's eyes? How did we end up on your family drama again?"
"Merely… a passing thought."
Kaguya's tone softened slightly, though her anger still lingered.
"Right," Gen muttered. "Let's stick to the topic. Those two might be special cases, but I'm focused on fixing Sasuke's eyes."
"I've already told you the answer," Kaguya replied coolly, regaining her composure. "His lineage has weakened over time. He possesses only half the power. Replace it—or restore the other half."
"So it is that kind of problem," Gen murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Just as he suspected—the Uchiha's eyes couldn't simply be swapped.
To truly restore them, one would have to extract the latent power from another pair…
Or fuse two Sharingan into one perfect, unified form—balancing the chakra so no energy was lost.
That, of course, would take experimentation—and a lot of care.
"Hmm?"
His thoughts were interrupted as two ANBU appeared before him, bowing deeply.
"Lord Gen," one reported, "the Third Hokage requests your presence in the office. Lord Sasuke and Naruto are also to accompany you."
"Oh?" Gen blinked. "What's going on this time?"
The ANBU didn't hesitate.
"My lord… there's been an attack on the Hidden Sand."
"What?" Gen's eyes narrowed. "Sunagakure?"
"Yes. The village was struck by members of the Akatsuki. The Kazekage himself has been taken."
"…"
Gen's expression stiffened.
Seriously? he thought. I warned them. Deidara hadn't even joined the organization yet—they were supposed to be on alert!
Still, he didn't waste time.
"Got it. We're heading out now."
Within minutes, he, Naruto, and Sasuke arrived at the Hokage's office—
and it was already packed.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Sakumo Hatake were quietly discussing something in the corner.
Minato and Kushina stood beside Kakashi and Rin; the latter still looked a bit shy and out of place.
The First and Second Hokage were there as well, their faces set in grim seriousness.
The Third sat silently behind his desk, his pipe resting unused beside the reports.
The air was heavy.
"You're here," Tobirama said immediately, looking up. "Fifth Hokage—are you aware of the Sand's situation?"
"…"
Gen froze for a beat.
He glanced awkwardly at the Third Hokage, whose expression didn't change at all.
Naruto blinked, jaw dropping as he looked between them.
So we're just… not pretending anymore?
Gen coughed.
"I've been informed," he said smoothly. "Though the details are still fuzzy. I heard the Akatsuki made a move, and Gaara might've been captured."
"That's close enough," Jiraiya sighed, rubbing his temples.
He stepped forward.
"The culprit is Sasori—the Scorpion of the Red Sand. You know he was once in line to become the next Kazekage. Knows the village inside out."
Kakashi picked up where Jiraiya left off.
"According to our intel, Sasori still has spies in Sunagakure. They opened the gates from the inside."
His tone darkened.
"With help from within, the Fifth Kazekage was taken down. The Sand has officially requested Konoha's aid."
"I see…"
Gen nodded slowly.
Honestly, he wasn't even surprised.
As Jiraiya said, Sasori had once been a prime candidate for Kazekage.
If he hadn't defected, he would've been the perfect choice.
But, somehow, every single 'future Kage' candidate seemed to share one fatal flaw—
they all ended up running away from the village.
He exhaled softly, half amused, half exasperated.
"Another crisis, huh," he murmured.
"Guess the world's never short on work for us… or headaches for me."
There were always those types of people—
like Orochimaru, like Sasori,
and even Deidara, whom Gen still remembered vividly.
Troubled souls, brilliant minds, but all driven by obsession.
"So," Tobirama asked, voice sharp and direct, "what now? Should we send reinforcements?"
Gen blinked, taken aback.
"Eh? You're asking me?"
"You're the Fifth Hokage."
Tobirama cut him off bluntly.
Even Minato, still adjusting after his revival, gave a calm nod of agreement.
"It's your call now, Gen," he said with a faint smile.
Gen chuckled, half amused, half exasperated.
"You guys sure are quick to toss me onto the throne, huh?"
Still, he thought for a moment—
and then remembered his less-than-pleasant experiences in Sunagakure.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Alright then. This time, I'll trouble you a bit, Kakashi-sensei."
"No problem."
Kakashi's response was easy and confident.
He didn't mind taking orders—if anything, he was quietly proud that his student had become Hokage.
"I'll take Naruto and Sasuke with me," Kakashi added.
"Wait," Gen interrupted immediately. "Missions are done in teams of four. You're short one person."
He turned toward another figure in the room.
"Sakumo-senpai, I'd like you to accompany them."
"Huh?"
The legendary White Fang blinked, visibly stunned.
"Me, Lord Fifth?"
"Yes."
Gen smiled sincerely.
"I've been meaning to thank you, actually. Kakashi-sensei passed your blade down to me."
Sakumo's expression softened, and he quickly waved his hand.
"No need for thanks. That sword found a good successor in you. Kakashi hasn't used a blade in years—it's better this way."
"That sword's legacy gave me a new name," Gen said, smiling wistfully. "People started calling me the Next White Fang."
He looked between father and son.
"And funny enough, Kakashi-sensei and I once ran into Chiyo while on a mission in the Sand…"
Kakashi's face froze.
He still remembered that chaotic encounter—
and Gen teasing him afterward, calling him "White Fang Jr."
"I understand," Sakumo said, his tone resolute. "I'll go with Kakashi."
His eyes shone with quiet pride.
"I know Sunagakure well. And truth be told… I've always wanted to fight alongside my son. I'll prepare right away."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Gen smiled. Everything was aligning perfectly.
The opponent was Sasori, and the Sand's advisor, Chiyo, would likely be involved too.
There was no better person to send than the original White Fang himself.
"It's decided, then," Tobirama said, nodding approvingly. "We'll stand by as backup if anything goes wrong."
"Do as you like," Gen said, stretching casually. "If things really get out of hand, I'll step in myself."
Truth be told, he had no intention of going in person—
not unless an Ōtsutsuki, Nagato, or Madara suddenly appeared.
He had bigger priorities right now.
After all, there was still Kaguya Ōtsutsuki quietly watching from within him.
And her "value," as he put it, had to be maximized.
---
"It seems," came Kaguya's calm, distant voice in his mind,
"that you truly have the power to command this entire 'village of shinobi.'"
Her tone carried an edge of curiosity.
"But that man…" she continued, her focus narrowing,
"the one with the silver hair—why does he carry a faint trace of a familiar aura? It's almost gone, but I can feel it…"
Gen groaned inwardly.
"Don't start guessing again," he muttered under his breath. "Not everything's what you think it is."
Her "theories" were usually logical—
and completely insane.
At this rate, Hagoromo's reputation might not just crumble—it'd be obliterated.
Then again… it was probably already halfway there.
"Think whatever you want," Kaguya said icily. "I'll never forget what Hagoromo did."
Her tone softened just a little.
"But tell me, you said you defeated Isshiki and Urashiki, right? Do you know where their Karma marks are now?"
"I know a bit," Gen replied. "They're hiding, and both are terrified of me. Isshiki's mark even uses a space-time ocular technique."
He knew what she was worried about, but he wasn't.
Smirking slightly, he added—
"Catching them won't be easy. And before that—I did say I needed your help, didn't I?"
"You did," Kaguya said cautiously. "But you still haven't told me what exactly you want. A fight? A ritual?"
"Nothing like that—at least not yet."
Gen chuckled softly.
"You can't leave the seal anyway. But when the fighting starts, you won't be able to sit it out. Too many people want your head."
"Then what kind of help do you want?" she pressed.
Gen smiled faintly.
"Remember what I said about Urashiki? After I beat him, I condensed his energy into a pill—a chakra core—and kept his body."
There was a long pause.
"…So?"
"So I wanted to ask—back when you ambushed Isshiki, that half of his body… was it alive or dead?"
The question caught Kaguya off guard.
Her tone faltered for the first time.
"How… how do you know about that?"
"I extracted the chakra from his Karma mark and read the memory traces," Gen replied casually, as if discussing the weather.
"So, was it alive?"
Kaguya didn't answer immediately.
Instead, her voice turned strangely thoughtful.
"I see now. No wonder you kept Urashiki's corpse."
Gen raised a brow.
"Oh?"
"You're planning to use his body to grow a Divine Tree, aren't you?"
"That's right."
"Then do you have a Ten-Tails? And where do you plan to plant it?"
"Those details," Gen said, smiling thinly, "I'll handle myself."
"Don't tell me… here?"
Gen froze.
"If that's the case," Kaguya said softly, almost amused,
"then congratulations. You truly are a proper Ōtsutsuki now."
Gen's lips twitched.
This woman really can't let a conversation end normally…
---
Meanwhile – Inside the Akatsuki Base
Madara, Obito, and Black Zetsu gathered once again around the dimly lit table.
"Sasori succeeded," Obito reported coldly, holding a scroll of intel.
"Only the Three-Tails remains. But that one's tricky."
"Don't worry about the Three-Tails," Zetsu said quietly.
"Konoha's planning a Five Kage Summit. That's our opportunity."
Obito frowned.
"You mean to strike during the summit?"
Zetsu shook his head.
"No. The Fourth Mizukage won't attend personally, which means the meeting won't be held in the Leaf. While they're distracted…"
Madara's crimson eyes glinted in the shadows.
"I see. You want me to infiltrate Konoha again—and search for the relics of Hagoromo's younger brother."
"Exactly," Zetsu said. "A rare chance."
Madara smirked.
"Then it's settled. If we can uncover the missing fragments, we'll finally understand what's been hidden all this time."
Obito hesitated, his voice lowering.
"Should we declare war now? The Eye of the Moon Plan can't be delayed forever. The Tailed Beast chakra's nearly gathered, and both our Edo Tensei and White Zetsu armies are ready…"
His words made both Madara and Zetsu fall silent.
They exchanged glances—each weighing very different concerns.
Madara wanted to see the Sage's legacy for himself.
Zetsu, on the other hand, wanted to delay everything—to keep his mother from being hurt again.
Neither truly wanted the final act to begin yet.
"What's wrong?" Obito asked, confused by their silence. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
---
Beyond the Stars
Two figures hovered before a vast, blue planet—Earth, shimmering like a sapphire in the void.
One of them—pale-skinned, elegant, with eyes like cold suns—smiled faintly.
"So this is the place," Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki murmured. "It really wasn't easy to find… but now, the timing's perfect."
He turned to his companion.
"Let's go, Kinshiki."
"Understood."
Their bodies flared with blinding light as they descended toward the world below.
"Let's see," Momoshiki whispered, his smile widening,
"what secrets this planet is hiding."