"The truth of the ninja world?"
Uchiha Madara's words made everyone's expressions turn somewhat strange. None of them were quite sure what Uchiha Madara actually meant by this.
Could it be that there were still secrets of the ninja world that everyone was unaware of?
Or perhaps… was this the reason these people had started the war?
Such an eerie scene plunged everyone into silence. Even Nagato and Kimimaro were completely baffled.
"Have you seen what's inside?"
Only Obito spoke in a low voice. Still, he felt deeply displeased inside, because this meant that Uchiha Madara was likely going to disrupt his plans.
"If you haven't seen it, then there's no need to take it out and make a fool of yourself. We should just proceed according to our original plan!"
"Hmph. I know what you're thinking, Obito. But there are some things I need to verify."
Uchiha Madara took the bookmark handed to him by the newcomer, then placed the piece of tree bark onto the ground.
"Senju Hashirama, what you said earlier made a lot of sense. However, there are still some questions that confuse me. So let us prove together whether what you said is truly correct!"
"Huh?"
Kitagawa Gen found this rather strange as well. His gaze turned toward Hashirama and the others.
"What exactly did you say to him?"
"Hmph. Nothing more than talking about the truth of this world. Who knows what's gotten into this guy's head."
Tobirama was somewhat irritated. Just moments ago, he had mentioned some topics regarding the "truth of the Sage of Six Paths," and before he knew it, Uchiha Madara was already about to take action.
Moreover, this guy seemed to have obtained the "relic of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother," which only gave him an even bigger headache.
"I never imagined that the Hyūga Clan would have concealed such a history. Damn it."
"Don't rush. Let's take a look first."
Minato couldn't help but speak up. He stared ahead and said quietly, "Some things may not be as complicated as we imagine. And we can also figure out what he's really thinking."
Everyone on the battlefield was drawn in by Uchiha Madara's words. Likewise, the various liaison officers at the command post were also somewhat baffled.
"Uchiha Madara."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura all wore expressions of confusion. The Third Hokage had originally planned to retire, but Kitagawa Gen's wandering about had resulted in him being dragged over here.
He had simply brought along his two companions as well, yet the situation now seemed to have become even more complicated.
"What exactly are they planning to do?"
"I suggest we listen for now. However, the troops still need to keep operating and be ready to launch an attack at any moment."
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance and then spoke, prompting Nara Shikaku to nod.
"That's right. This might allow us to figure out what their true objective is. Yamanaka Inoichi, and everyone else, we'll be counting on you."
"No problem."
Yamanaka Inoichi and the others nodded in unison. They were all extremely curious about what kind of spectacle Uchiha Madara was about to pull this time.
On the battlefield itself, Uchiha Madara stood with his arms crossed over his chest. His gaze swept across everyone present, and only then did he speak in a calm voice.
"I know you're all confused. But the situation in the ninja world is rather different. In fact, you probably don't even know the truth about the Uchiha and Senju clans."
"The Uchiha and Senju?"
"What kind of secret could there possibly be here?"
"Aren't they just two clans that have been fighting and opposing each other since the Warring States period?"
"But wasn't it the First Hokage who—Uchiha already—"
There were still quite a few people in the ninja world who knew something about the history of those years, and Uchiha Madara's words made all of them feel uneasy.
But very soon, Uchiha Madara continued speaking.
"That's right. It seems you do remember some things from back then. But do you really think the relationship between the Uchiha and the Senju was merely that of sworn enemies?"
"The two clans, Uchiha and Senju—the names of their ancient ancestors were Indra and Asura."
"And those two—"
"—were both sons of the Sage of Six Paths!"
Uchiha Madara's words rang out like a great bell, echoing across the entire battlefield. His voice instantly plunged the whole ninja world into silence.
Indra.
Asura.
The sons of the Sage of Six Paths?
These two clans inherited their lineage from the Sage of Six Paths' two sons?
What kind of joke was this?
All the ninja—on every side, even those over with the Akatsuki, including the Impure World Reincarnation—were staring at Uchiha Madara with faces full of disbelief.
Then they looked toward Kitagawa Gen again in the same disbelief. This news was simply far too horrifying, wasn't it?
"That's right. This is the truth."
Kitagawa Gen looked at Hashirama, who did not really want to speak, and Tobirama, whose face was also full of disgust. He simply nodded and began to explain.
"What Uchiha Madara said is correct. The Uchiha and the Senju are both descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, and their ancestors were brothers. And they both have relics left behind by the Sage of Six Paths."
"Relics left behind by the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Brothers?!"
At this moment, every ninja completely lost it.
People might not really believe Uchiha Madara's words, but everyone would believe Kitagawa Gen's words.
They truly had not expected that the formerly hostile Senju and Uchiha—these two clans—were, in essence, brothers.
"However, that was more than a thousand years ago. It's just that some things happened, which caused Indra and Asura to turn against each other and become mortal enemies."
Seeing that everyone present already believed, Uchiha Madara let out a cold laugh and continued speaking.
"Of course, we can talk about that later. In fact, it's not only the Sage of Six Paths who left behind relics—the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother also left behind relics."
"The Sage of Six Paths' younger brother?"
Nagato's eyes immediately lit up. Obito remained silent, not knowing what he was thinking. Orochimaru licked his lips, his face full of amusement.
As for the rest of the ninja, one after another, they all went numb. They realized that this ninja world was truly becoming far too unfamiliar to them!
"And the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother have, in fact, continued down to the present day. And they…"
Uchiha Madara continued speaking. His gaze swept over Kitagawa Gen. Looking at Kitagawa Gen's white eyes in his Sage Mode state, he let out a sigh and continued.
"—are the present-day Hyūga Clan."
Before everyone present could even react, the Hyūga clan members who were participating in the battle were themselves completely stunned.
Neji and Hinata couldn't help but exchange a look, and within the allied forces, Hyūga Hiashi couldn't help but speak in shock. "What?!"
Among the Impure World Reincarnation, those revived Hyūga clansmen wore faces full of astonishment. Even Hyūga Hizashi looked utterly unbelieving.
"The Hyūga clan… are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother?"
"That's right. Although I also look down on the Hyūga bunch, they do indeed have something similar to us."
Uchiha Madara let out an indifferent light snort, while Nagato's expression showed some astonishment.
Kitagawa Gen—no matter how one looked at him, he did not seem like a descendant of the Hyūga Clan, did he?
"And now that all of those relics are in hand, we can properly talk about the key points."
"I once kept wondering how the ninja world could possibly achieve peace. After all, everything we experienced back then was exceptionally painful."
"Even after villages were established, Senju Hashirama still refused to let me pacify the chaos of the entire world. That left me feeling lost and angry."
"I foresaw it long ago—once the ninja villages were established, the ninja world was bound to fall into great turmoil."
"So I always yearned to personally destroy the source of sin that I myself had created back then!"
Uchiha Madara's voice turned cold, and these words caused all the ninja to grit their teeth.
Uchiha Madara's presence was already overwhelming, and his words were indeed extremely persuasive.
No one could deny that the establishment of the ninja villages had, in fact, brought about larger wars of far greater intensity.
And no one could deny how many people had died in the ninja world since such wars began—something far beyond anything from the Warring States period!
Only—
This seemed to be drifting a bit off topic?
"However, at my most confused moment, I saw the relic that the Sage of Six Paths left behind for Indra's descendants."
Uchiha Madara spoke again, and his words immediately made everyone grow serious.
"This stone tablet told us some secrets of the ninja world that had remained unknown for countless years—for example, how the ninja world once came close to collapse."
"For example, how the Sage of Six Paths and his younger brother once worked together to save the ninja world from the hands of a 'God'!"
"And this 'God' is the legendary Rabbit Goddess. And this goddess's true name—"
"—is Ōtsutsuki Kaguya!"
Uchiha Madara's words this time sounded like a mythological tale, leaving quite a few people present feeling bewildered.
However, even more people wore grim expressions—especially those from Konohagakure's side. They had heard quite a bit of information about Ōtsutsuki Genshiki.
First the Fire Temple, then outside Konohagakure, and now even the Rabbit Goddess was an Ōtsutsuki. Did this mean—
"Damn it. Could that guy be an existence on the same level as the Rabbit Goddess?"
This news immediately began to spread through the Allied Shinobi Forces—especially when they realized that their own "Kage" did not seem surprised at all.
This made them realize even more clearly that the crisis facing the ninja world seemed far greater than they had imagined.
"The Sage of Six Paths was clearly full of concern for the future of the ninja world."
Just as everyone was growing alarmed, Uchiha Madara spoke once again.
"Therefore, he left behind certain methods within the Uchiha relic, and at the same time left warnings within the Senju relic."
"However, to see all of this, one needs the 'power of all things.' I'm not wrong, am I, Senju Hashirama?"
"That's right."
Hashirama gave a somewhat bitter smile, but still nodded.
"There is indeed mention of the 'power of all things,' but I didn't see what came after."
"That's because you were rigid and inflexible—whereas I saw it."
Uchiha Madara continued speaking indifferently. He swept his gaze over everyone and let out a cold laugh.
"You can also rest assured. I have no need to deceive you. The relic the Sage of Six Paths left to the Senju was not only a warning; it also contained a message urging reconciliation with the Uchiha."
"That's true."
Tobirama snorted coldly, speaking with irritation and displeasure.
"So then, what exactly did you see?"
"I saw his concern for the future of the ninja world. And that concern, in all likelihood, came from those Ōtsutsuki."
Uchiha Madara's expression grew solemn. Looking at the bookmark in his hand, he spoke slowly.
"The method he left behind was not meant to deal with the Ōtsutsuki, and he also did not face Ōtsutsuki Kaguya alone. So I arrived at a conjecture."
"The Hyūga clan's relic?"
Suddenly, Hashirama seemed to realize something and asked in confusion.
"He left the information for dealing with the Ōtsutsuki there?"
"To be precise, the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother also have to shoulder the responsibility of confronting the Ōtsutsuki crisis."
Uchiha Madara spoke calmly, gently shaking his head.
"The normal order of reading would be for either the Senju or the Uchiha to see the relics, reconcile with one another, and obtain the power of all things."
"And when that power is fully awakened, they would seek out information about the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother, and obtain a deeper method of response."
"Finally, they would see the Senju clan's warning, and—after the great battle—the Uchiha's method for bringing peace to the world. That is the proper sequence!"
Uchiha Madara's words once again plunged everyone present into silence—especially the members of the Hyūga Clan, who looked at one another in bewilderment.
Hadn't they already seen the battles involving Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?
Did they also have to shoulder such a responsibility?
Were their ancestors actually that powerful?
But as they were now—could they really do it?
"There's even something like this?"
The other ninja felt their minds buzzing as well. Even though more information had yet to be revealed, this alone was already enough to overturn their understanding.
"How lively this is."
And in a place they could not see, the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Hamura quietly appeared.
Both of them wore rather strange expressions. Needless to say, the Sage of Six Paths was having a headache—his information had been tampered with and even fabricated.
Hamura was much the same, because he had inexplicably been dragged into this as well.
"Tell me—what do you think my 'relic' is supposed to be?"
Hamura blinked and asked with curiosity, while the Sage of Six Paths shook his head.
"I don't know. Let's watch. Hopefully things won't become too bad."
That said, he still had a feeling that events were about to develop in a direction that would be difficult to control.
...
"So—can you see the Hyūga clan's relic?"
At this moment, Hashirama couldn't help but ask. Uchiha Madara let out a light laugh, raised one hand, and a wooden branch instantly broke through the ground.
"Wood Release?"
Everyone who saw this couldn't help but murmur. Uchiha Madara then smiled and said, "This is one manifestation of the 'power of all things.' Whether what I said is true or not—you can see for yourselves."
"Especially you people of the Hyūga Clan—and you as well, Kitagawa Gen!"
As his words fell, the "bookmark" was lifted to a sufficient height. The Hyūga clan members instantly opened their Byakugan.
Kitagawa Gen likewise cooperated and raised his head to look. With just a single glance, he confirmed that the information was still the same as what he had left behind.
"As expected, the beginning is the same—still describing how the Sage of Six Paths and his younger brother defeated Ōtsutsuki Kaguya together?"
Uchiha Madara glanced over it and spoke, but very quickly his expression turned strange.
"Huh? The Sage of Six Paths' younger brother led his clan to the moon? But—just as I said—the Sage of Six Paths established Ninshū because he foresaw the descent of the Ōtsutsuki!"
"Hmm?!"
Uchiha Madara's words immediately made the expressions of the Hyūga clan members grow even more peculiar.
In fact, they had already seen it long ago, but they truly did not know this part!
However, this point was still easy to explain—perhaps it was for the sake of protecting the ninja world that they went down there, but then why was there no further information?
The one whose expression grew even uglier was Black Zetsu. He blankly raised his head to look at that damn "bookmark." At this moment, he felt as if his blood was about to turn cold!
'Wait—no, that's not right! This isn't the information I left back then?! How was it changed again?! Who the hell did this?!'
Black Zetsu could not make sense of what was going on at all. The last time it was altered, he could still think that it was the people on the moon.
But this time—
Who was it?
Who the hell was it?!
"Ninshū?"
Tobirama seized on the key point. He suddenly realized something.
"Could it be that Indra and Asura's war was because of this Ninshū?"
"You bastard—you really are as sinister and crafty as ever. But this time, you really did say it right. Your judgment is even correct."
Uchiha Madara nodded. He looked at Kitagawa Gen and asked in a low voice, "You can see it all clearly too, can't you? After all, you've already reached this level."
"I can see it."
Kitagawa Gen nodded awkwardly, and Uchiha Madara directly continued.
"Although I have always detested Senju Tobirama beyond measure, I have to say that he really did get one thing right: Indra and Asura's war was because of Ninshū."
"Or, to be more precise, all of this was the Sage of Six Paths' scheme."
"What?!"
The people of the ninja world, who had already been dazed, were now even more dazed. They seemed to have no idea what was going on at all.
The Sage of Six Paths—
Had him make his own two children fall into war?
What the hell even was this?!
"In fact, it wasn't only Indra and Asura, or even their clans—rather, the entire ninja world was within the Sage of Six Paths' calculations."
When Uchiha Madara saw this part of the contents, he himself could not help but suck in a cold breath.
Fortunately, with Tobirama laying the groundwork beforehand, at this moment his thoughts did not fluctuate too much. He was simply even more certain of what kind of person the Sage of Six Paths was.
"It was he who deliberately handed Ninshū to the relatively mediocre Asura, making the more outstanding Indra extremely angry, and thus leading to the war between the two sides."
"Hmph. No wonder the Senju relic even deliberately left instructions for Asura to actively seek out Indra and reconcile with him!"
"You bastard, you—"
Tobirama could no longer hold it in. Although this was not what he had imagined, this was even worse than the Sage of Six Paths favoring Indra!
Even if Asura was relatively mediocre, didn't that simply mean Asura was inferior and Indra was stronger?
Turning his head, his gaze locked onto the members of the Hyūga Clan, causing those Hyūga clan members to immediately feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Enough, Tobirama."
Hashirama was comparatively calm, though this matter still made him feel somewhat awkward.
"This is something left behind by the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother. The era is already different."
"Hmph."
Tobirama clenched his fists, not knowing what he was thinking, while Minato could not help but ask curiously, "But why would the Sage of Six Paths make his own two children fall into war? Why would he let the Ninshū he founded be torn apart? Could it really be that—"
"Haven't you already found the answer?"
Uchiha Madara looked at Minato indifferently. At this moment, his voice grew even heavier.
"Because that is exactly what he wanted. Because he intended to use the war between Indra and Asura to drive the entire ninja world!"
"Because what he wanted was not merely a war between these two clans, but for the entire ninja world to be plunged into chaotic conflict—what he wanted was for the whole ninja world to move!"
"What he wanted was an unending war—a great war that could span centuries, even millennia!"
Uchiha Madara's words grew sharper with each sentence, his voice louder each time, and his words pierced straight through the hearts of everyone in the ninja world.
"What?"
"How is that possible?"
"What kind of joke is this—this can't be the Sage of Six Paths, can it?"
"What on earth is going on?!"
If the previous revelations had already left the people of the ninja world incredulous, then this information directly caused everyone to completely shut down.
All wars were because of the Sage of Six Paths?
The millennium-long calamity of the ninja world—was the mastermind behind it all the Sage of Six Paths?
How could that possibly be?
The Sage of Six Paths—wasn't he supposed to show compassion toward all living beings?
Wasn't it he who saved this world from the Rabbit Goddess, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?
Then why, in the records left by the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother, did he become such a cold-blooded and cruel figure?
Where did it all go wrong?!
"How could it… be like this?"
Nagato's eyes lost focus somewhat. He had always longed to walk the "Six Paths" again; he had always longed to save this world just like the Sage of Six Paths.
Yet in the end, the world that plunged him into suffering had actually been created by the Sage of Six Paths?
"How could it be like this…"
Uchiha Obito was completely stunned. He stared blankly at the information on that "bookmark," looking as though he had lost all sense of direction.
What about the promised peaceful world?
What about the method that was supposed to restore peace to the world?
How did it turn out that the true source of all suffering was created by the Sage of Six Paths?
What exactly was going on?
"The Sage of Six Paths… was all of this really done by him?"
All of those revived through Impure World Reincarnation were equally bewildered. Like the Allied Shinobi Forces, they had collectively gone numb—this time, the information they had obtained was simply too horrifying.
"But even so, none of this can be blamed on the Sage of Six Paths."
Just as everyone stood in a daze, beginning to doubt existence itself, Uchiha Madara spoke once again.
"The Sage of Six Paths' actions also puzzled his younger brother. Even his own brother felt that he might have gone too far."
"However, the answer he gave was very clear."
These words pulled everyone back to reality once more. Uchiha Madara cast a deep look at Hashirama and Tobirama before letting out a sigh and continuing, "In the Sage of Six Paths' own words: only by experiencing such cruelty would the countless beings of the ninja world develop unyielding will and powerful strength."
"Even if countless lives were lost, for the sake of protecting this world—even if the fighting lasted for a thousand years, ten thousand years, even if blood soaked the land and corpses lay everywhere—it would still be worth it."
"Because, compared to all life in the entire world being destroyed by the Ōtsutsuki, ensuring that life in this world could continue was far more important."
Ōtsutsuki.
At this moment, everyone seemed to understand.
Back then there was Ōtsutsuki Kaguya; now there was Ōtsutsuki Genshiki—these were all existences akin to "gods."
Especially those shinobi who had personally witnessed the might of the Ōtsutsuki clan fell silent at this moment.
The casual summoning of meteors, attacks unleashed at will that seemed to make heaven and earth collapse, and that figure drifting in the sky, radiating an overwhelming, godlike might—
All of it was impossible for them to forget.
Moreover, the destruction they caused was far beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Without sufficient strength, then—
"Would this world… only be destroyed?"
At the thought of this outcome, cold sweat poured down everyone's backs. Uchiha Madara also let out a sigh at this moment.
"Therefore, the Sage of Six Paths laid out his plan. Even without knowing how long the wars would last, how many lives would be buried, or how much hatred would be accumulated."
"Even without knowing whether the descendants of Indra and Asura would ultimately achieve reconciliation, he still chose to do this without hesitation."
"I now seem to understand him somewhat. After all, life can continue, but lives without power simply cannot resist those Ōtsutsuki."
"The Sage of Six Paths—truly a cold-blooded and cruel, yet far-seeing and compassionate man."
Uchiha Madara's words plunged everyone into silence once more.
Because, upon careful reflection, the ninja world really did seem to require constant tempering in order to continue progressing.
And the Sage of Six Paths did indeed love this world deeply. It was just that, for the sake of this world's future, he could only coldly abandon some people.
"So it turns out the Sage of Six Paths was the greatest mastermind behind the ninja world."
"He created Ninshū, yet carried out righteous destruction of his own kin."
"He orchestrated a millennium of bloody war in the ninja world—cold and ruthless to the extreme—yet all for the sake of this world's future."
"So… is this the true Sage of Six Paths?"
At this moment, the entire ninja world fell into silence.
Only within an unseen space did a furious roar suddenly erupt.
"I didn't! That's not me!"
"..."
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