Within Mount Myōboku.
The Great Toad Sage stared at the crystal ball before him, his entire body appearing exceptionally grave.
At his side, several enormous toads stood there, not daring to make a single sound.
Facing the Great Toad Sage, even the usually arrogant and domineering Gamabunta behaved himself at this moment.
Let alone Gamaken and Gamahiro—those comparatively more well-behaved toads.
"Old man, what's going on?"
Gamakichi hesitated for a moment, but in the end could not help asking.
"The Great Toad Sage is so tense—is it because of that chakra?"
The burst of chakra that had erupted outside was simply far too powerful. Even within Mount Myōboku, they could clearly sense it.
Gamakichi had already grown up now; his size was not even inferior to that of his own father.
Even so, that power still made them feel deeply uneasy. That kind of fear rising from the depths of one's heart was something even Gamakichi had never imagined.
"What exactly is that thing outside?"
Gamakichi could not help feeling confused, but his old man shot him a fierce glare.
"Shut up. Now is not the time to discuss this!"
Gamabunta was actually just as confused, but he could see that the situation was not looking good, so at this moment he behaved himself as well.
"Let's wait for the Great Toad Sage's arrangements. This time, the situation is probably not ordinary."
"Oh."
Gamakichi nodded helplessly. He could only look eagerly at the Great Toad Sage, waiting for his further instructions.
"Is everyone here?"
No one knew how much time had passed before the Great Toad Sage finally spoke in his aged voice.
His previously drowsy eyes now showed not the slightest trace of sleepiness. Those large eyes of his swept across all the toads present.
"They've all arrived, Great Sage."
Fukasaku spoke up immediately, which made the Great Toad Sage nod.
"Has there been any response from Jiraiya's side?"
"Not yet for the time being. He is probably in the middle of a battle right now, so—"
"Continue trying to contact him. You must make sure he understands the seriousness of the situation."
"Yes, but what exactly is going on this time?"
Fukasaku was genuinely curious. He glanced at all the toads present, and in the end asked the question everyone was concerned about.
"And also—what exactly is going on with that chakra?"
"Telling you all isn't a bad thing. At the very least, you can prepare yourselves mentally."
The Great Toad Sage let out a faint sigh, his tone becoming exceptionally grave.
"This may very well be a life-or-death moment for the entire shinobi world. That burst of chakra just now, if nothing unexpected has occurred, came from the Ten-Tails."
"What?!"
"The Ten-Tails?"
"The legendary Ten-Tails?"
As soon as this news came out, all the toads present were instantly stunned.
Being in Mount Myōboku, they naturally knew more than other forms of life. The appearance of something as terrifying as the Ten-Tails immediately made them unable to stay composed.
"Great Sage, that aura really was the Ten-Tails?"
Shima could not help but ask, and the Great Toad Sage nodded helplessly.
"That's right. It was the Ten-Tails. And the reason for gathering everyone this time is precisely because of this."
At this point, his gaze grew somewhat complicated, but it quickly returned to calm.
"The threat the Ten-Tails poses to the entire shinobi world is beyond imagination, so no matter what, we have to do something."
"Moreover, the shinobi world has once again fallen into war—and this time, it is a massive war beyond what the entire shinobi world can imagine."
"For everyone's peace, we must also make certain choices, in order to protect this world!"
"War?"
Gamaken looked a little dull, but showed not the slightest trace of fear, while Gamahiro nodded, seeming to harbor a faint sense of anticipation.
"War, huh. Tch, what a hassle—but just cutting them all down will do!"
Gamabunta was the most direct. He clenched his pipe and shouted a line. Although he looked somewhat annoyed by the trouble, he also seemed a little excited.
"Protecting the world!"
Gamakichi blinked. Having grown so big, he also longed to go out and see more of the world.
And it wasn't just them—other toads were also starting to feel faintly excited.
This was the Great Toad Sage speaking personally. Even if there might be danger, it was absolutely something worth looking forward to.
"War…"
Only Fukasaku and Shima, the two sages, vaguely sensed that something was off. However, since the Great Toad Sage did not speak further, it was not easy for them to ask.
"Then prepare properly. When Jiraiya summons us, we'll be ready to set out."
Seeing this, the Great Toad Sage forced himself to think for a moment, then closed his eyes and began to rest.
Only, he himself did not even notice that his body was faintly trembling.
'Those three Ōtsutsuki auras that are already on the 'Divine Ascension Stairway' have manifested, and they continue to grow stronger...'
'At the same time, there's also the Rabbit Goddess—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—who was sealed away and once nearly destroyed the world…'
'And then there's this Ten-Tails aura that suddenly emerged, far more terrifying than back then…'
'And also Ōtsutsuki Genshiki, hidden in this world, ready at any time to hunt other Ōtsutsuki and accomplish himself!'
'What exactly is wrong with this world?'
'Hagoromo, Hamura—if this keeps going…'
'This world is really going to be finished!'
...
The great toads within Mount Myōboku fell into fear. And it wasn't only them— the entire shinobi world had fallen into chaos.
"Big brother, Gen, that child—he…"
And within the Pure Land, the Six Paths brothers, who had been watching all of this the whole time, also became somewhat dazed.
The Ten-Tails—they were all too familiar with it.
Back then, they defeated their mother, sealed away the Ten-Tails, and the Sage of Six Paths even personally split the Ten-Tails apart, and only then did the tailed beasts of today come into being.
Now that a Ten-Tails stronger than back then, with an even more terrifying aura, had appeared, how could they not feel panic?
"I don't know. Don't ask me."
Hearing his little brother's question, the Sage of Six Paths also felt somewhat numb.
He felt that, in recent times, the words he said the most were: "I don't know."
In fact, this could not really be blamed on him, because he truly did not understand these matters very well.
He did not even know where Kitagawa Gen got a Ten-Tails from.
And now, this aura erupting from his avatar—most likely, he had probably caught another Ten-Tails!
"Perhaps, after he awakened his bloodline, he came with a Ten-Tails that belonged to him?"
The Sage of Six Paths had no choice. He could only make up a story himself—what he wanted was merely a reason to convince himself.
"And just now you also saw it: he opened space and seemed to enter somewhere else, and inside that…"
"There was also a Ten-Tails, and it belongs to those foreign Ōtsutsuki's Ten-Tails?"
Hamura immediately understood what his big brother meant, but he could not help feeling even more puzzled.
"Could it be that he fed the other Ōtsutsuki's Ten-Tails to his own?"
"I really don't know."
The Sage of Six Paths looked somewhat pained. He truly did not want to talk about these issues.
"And besides, rather than talking about this, it would be better to do something proper. Right now, everyone has been drawn by that chakra aura and has already begun to converge, so—"
"Oh? Big brother, are you preparing to take action?"
Hamura immediately understood what his older brother meant. He clearly could no longer sit still—he was ready to move in earnest.
"Yes. It really is time to take action. After all, things have already descended into chaos like this."
The Sage of Six Paths gave a bitter smile and nodded. He stood up and gazed into the distance.
"In truth, I have always believed in Gen. After all, this world has bonds that belong to him. But I also hope that this matter will proceed more smoothly, and that at the same time I can resolve a millennium-old unresolved wish."
"A millennium-old unresolved wish?"
Hamura blinked, immediately grasping what the Sage of Six Paths meant.
"You mean the issue of Indra and Asura?"
"Yes. A thousand years have passed. This is the best era, and some problems should finally be settled."
The Sage of Six Paths nodded. Yet even as he said this, his heart still felt somewhat heavy.
He also wanted to figure out what Kitagawa Gen was really thinking, but going to ask directly would most likely come across as quite impolite.
It would be better to use the resolution of the Indra and Asura issue as an opportunity, and then find a chance to ask this Ōtsutsuki who was born of the shinobi world.
He truly believed in Kitagawa Gen—there was no falsehood in that—but Kitagawa Gen now was honestly a bit too outrageous.
"Shall we go take a look together?"
After thinking for a moment, he looked again at his good younger brother.
"Since you're already awake, don't you plan to move around a bit?"
"With the greatest pleasure."
Hamura thought for a moment, then nodded decisively.
"Just right—there are still my descendants in the shinobi world, and they are descendants with exceptionally pure Byakugan. Besides that, I also want to verify one thing."
"Hm? You—"
"That is, I want to see whether the will and techniques you've accumulated over a thousand years of manipulating the shinobi world—built upon the bleached bones of countless living beings—are really as effective as they're said to be."
"..."
"And once the reincarnations of Indra and Asura learn the truth, how exactly will they face you then?"
"..."
"Ah, right—and there's also mother, and Kitagawa Gen. When they see you, I wonder what they'll think?"
"..."
The Sage of Six Paths took a deep breath. At this moment, he truly regretted calling his younger brother.
For an instant, he even wanted to strangle this damn younger brother on the spot and be done with it.
...
"So it really is… it really is this lord. It really is the remains of Ōtsutsuki Shibai.
The entire shinobi world had fallen into utter chaos, and even as the Sage of Six Paths was already preparing to take action—
Within Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's Ame-no-Minaka, Kaguya saw the man in that hidden space—who looked like a god himself—and her whole being fell into panic.
What made her even more panicked was that she actually saw Kitagawa Gen preparing to take this person away. This truly frightened her badly!
"Are you crazy? What are you trying to do? Do you know what he represents?"
"Of course I know. But so what?"
Kitagawa Gen asked with some confusion, yet the work in his hands did not pause in the slightest. He had already opened his own Ame-no-Minaka.
He knew exactly what Kaguya was trying to say, but he did not care—because this time, it really was 'Isshiki dealt with as well'!
And what's more, it was even 'Isshiki dealt with first.'
He admitted it: Ōtsutsuki Shibai was an existence like a god, and his remains were an unimaginable treasure.
Even merely sensing his aura was enough to make Kitagawa Gen feel fear—yet what of it?
He had long since completed his transcendence; he probably did not even care about this body of his.
'Because Isshiki had people extract his blood, conduct research using his body, and even replicate his Shinjutsu and transplant it into others!'
After undergoing so much research and experimentation, this so-called 'Ōtsutsuki God' showed absolutely no response or reaction at all.
This alone was enough to show that this fellow had completely transcended—he truly no longer cared, in the real sense of the word, about the body he had already "abandoned."
He had truly soared into a higher dimension and become a genuine "god"!
'Since Isshiki dared to do it, why can't I do it?'
Kitagawa Gen raised an eyebrow. This was a crucial step for him on the "Divine Ascension Stairway," and there was no way he would give it up.
"Do you really think Isshiki locked him away here without having other intentions in mind?"
Only after transferring the remains of Ōtsutsuki Shibai into his own Ame-no-Minaka did Kitagawa Gen speak with disdain.
"He dared to do it—so why wouldn't I dare? Are you joking?"
"You—you—how do you know he dared?"
Kaguya hesitated for a moment, then still asked with some fear. But this question actually left Kitagawa Gen momentarily at a loss.
It seemed that, for now, Isshiki hadn't actually done it yet?
However, Kitagawa Gen had no time to dwell on it. In the next instant, he saw that his God Tree Source had already returned to the form of a colossal tree.
That towering tree was radiating an aura beyond compare; its majestic branches looked as though they were about to pierce the heavens!
And atop the tree's crown, the flower bud that had previously been tightly closed had now opened slightly, with a hint of crimson faintly visible within.
"Has it already reached this stage?"
Kitagawa Gen looked at his God Tree Source, and a trace of a smile could not help but appear on his face.
"Then next comes the second Ten-Tails. Things outside have also begun to gather—looks like everything isn't far off now."
Seeing that Kitagawa Gen was once again ignoring her, Kaguya originally wanted to say something more.
But when she saw that incomparably massive God Tree, as well as the remains of Ōtsutsuki Shibai that Kitagawa Gen had brought in—
At that instant, she did not dare say a single word. Only fear remained in her heart, terrified that if she said even one more sentence, she would be the one to suffer.
Moreover, she became increasingly certain of one thing.
'Ōtsutsuki Shibai—even the remains of such a godlike existence, he dares to use them…'
'Hagoromo, the reason you all abandoned your bodies really was because of this!'
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---