The Sage of Six Paths could no longer hold himself together.
He had never felt the malice of the entire world directed at him—yet it was actually this deep!
Was this really done by him?
It wasn't!
Granted, he had also once doubted whether, when he acted that way back then, he truly harbored a similar mindset.
But after thinking it over again and again, he felt that he had been misled. He clearly was not like this!
Originally, he thought that if only a small number of people thought this way, it wouldn't matter—it wasn't a big deal.
But now, Indra's reincarnation was actually acting like a madman, saying such things in front of nearly the entire fighting force of the shinobi world!
Who could possibly accept this?!
"Damn it, it wasn't me! I didn't do it!"
The Sage of Six Paths roared in fury. His hysterical appearance made Hamura's eyelids twitch as he stood to the side, and the corners of his mouth were also twitching.
Because he himself was finding it hard to keep it together as well—he never expected his admirable elder brother to end up like this.
But then, unexpectedly—
"All right, big brother. What they said can be considered reasonably supported, can't it?"
Hamura displayed his own "professionalism," striving to keep himself looking calm.
"After all, judging from everything that has happened so far, it does seem that all of this—"
Before he could finish speaking, Hamura did not dare to continue, because he saw his elder brother's icy gaze already glaring at him.
"All of this is very unreasonable!"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Hamura gave an awkward smile, then turned his gaze outward.
"So, what should we do now?"
What should they do?
This question put the Sage of Six Paths in a bind for a moment. But before he could think further, another change occurred outside.
...
"It seems all of my conjectures were correct."
Just as everyone had fallen into silence, seemingly still immersed in this sudden and terrifying news, Senju Tobirama's voice suddenly rang out.
His voice immediately made everyone turn to look at him, while he folded his arms across his chest and spoke calmly.
"Although it looks cruel, making a rational choice for the sake of the entire world does not seem to be something completely unacceptable."
"..."
The Sage of Six Paths drew in a sharp breath—why was this still continuing?
The people of the shinobi world also looked at one another in dismay, while Senju Tobirama continued speaking.
"After all, what he has to face is the life and death of the entire world. Even we 'Kage,' for the sake of our villages, sometimes have to make difficult choices!"
"Tch. Even though it really pisses me off to hear this from a bastard like you, what you're saying isn't wrong."
The Second Mizukage had already arrived at the battlefield. He smacked his lips disdainfully, then looked toward the Second Tsuchikage beside him.
"Zombie, back when we were fighting, wasn't it all basically for the sake of letting our villages develop better?"
"Hmph. That's actually true."
The Second Tsuchikage shot a glance at the guy who had died together with him. Even though he was displeased, he still nodded.
"When a village's development reaches a certain limit, you have to find a way to break through it. Expansion and plunder become inevitable, and war becomes the means. Even if people have to die—"
"That's right. Even if there's only a sliver of hope, even if the probability of losing is extremely high, I would still choose that."
Hanzō of the Salamander spoke up as well. But after his gaze landed on Nagato, he added another sentence.
"And moreover, for the village to obtain greater stability and benefits, sometimes even sacrificing some people is not out of the question!"
Nagato's fists clenched slightly. How could he not understand what that bastard Hanzō of the Salamander was implying?
It was just that he felt especially uncomfortable right now. He felt that what the Sage of Six Paths had done was correct, yet this seemed to run directly counter to his own dream of peace.
"How could it be like this…"
Obito was also utterly confused, because he realized that all of his tragedies seemed to have been created by the Sage of Six Paths with his own hands?
And yet he had been pursuing the path of peace created by the Sage of Six Paths, constantly striving for it?
"And moreover, I suspect that even the Pure Land was most likely created by the Sage of Six Paths."
At this moment, Senju Tobirama suddenly spoke again.
"Perhaps he felt that he owed something for the millennia of war he caused, so he created the Pure Land to allow all beings to rest after death. Of course, it could also be for another reason."
The Sage of Six Paths: "..."
Kitagawa Gen: "..."
"To continue fighting after death?"
Uchiha Madara instantly understood Senju Tobirama's meaning. Although he still looked at Tobirama with disdain, he nevertheless, for once, went along with him.
"Right. After a person dies, their soul is preserved—aside from being put into dormancy, when necessary it can also be made to fight. As expected of the Sage of Six Paths!"
The Sage of Six Paths: "..."
Was this me too?!
And the people who had been brought back by Impure World Reincarnation also froze. Thinking about it carefully, it really did seem like it wasn't impossible.
After all, when they were awakened, they had retained their will to fight and their fighting skills from back then.
"Um, aren't you taking it a bit too far?"
Kitagawa Gen finally could not hold it together anymore.
"Maybe it isn't that complicated?"
"Complicated? No. You think it's complicated because you're human—you still possess complex human nature. But the Sage of Six Paths is a God!"
Although Uchiha Madara still looked at Senju Tobirama with disdain, this time he nevertheless added a line in agreement.
"The concepts of gods and humans are completely different. For the continuation of the entire world, for the world not to be destroyed, whatever he does is only natural!"
"..."
Kitagawa Gen fell silent. Especially when he saw Senju Tobirama beside him nodding, he really could not hold it together.
Divinity and humanity?
So this was directly stripping away the Sage of Six Paths' humanity, wasn't it?
The one who truly has only divinity seems to be Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, right?
And what that woman wants to do is hang all of your ancestors up on trees.
"..."
The Sage of Six Paths' fists were even harder. They were spreading rumors right in front of him?!
But everywhere his gaze reached, all the shinobi seemed to have completely accepted this line of reasoning, and that made his expression turn pained.
Everything that happened in the shinobi world was because of him?
The thousand years of suffering in the shinobi world were all created by him?
And all of this was for the sake of the shinobi world's survival—and he no longer had humanity?
"Damn it, you're slandering me—this is slander!"
"..."
Hamura also fell somewhat silent. He felt that at a time like this, it would be better for him not to speak.
Because he felt that his admirable elder brother was already on the edge of fury.
This kind of situation—he had only seen it a thousand years ago.
"All right, stop talking about this."
Kitagawa Gen rubbed his brow. He felt he could not let it continue, so he simply spoke up.
"Let's talk about what comes after the 'bookmark.' As for what the Sage of Six Paths really is like, that's not something we can judge."
"Indeed, he is a great person—but also a cold-blooded and unfeeling one."
Senju Hashirama also seemed unwilling to continue dwelling on these issues. Still, his words showed that he had completely believed it.
"As for what follows, it's relatively simple."
Uchiha Madara continued speaking, his gaze unconsciously turning toward the Hyūga clan.
"Hmph. The appearance of the Hyūga in the shinobi world has its reasons. The Sage of Six Paths' younger brother was unwilling to let his elder brother bear everything alone."
"Therefore, he made certain arrangements—and those arrangements are likely the Hyūga clan's arrival in the shinobi world, as well as—"
At this point, Uchiha Madara paused slightly, but every member of the Hyūga clan widened their eyes.
They really were from the moon?
Their arrival in the shinobi world really had been arranged by their ancestors?
All of this filled them with a certain joy, yet at the same time that joy was mixed with confusion.
"Can we… now deal with the Ōtsutsuki?"
Hyūga Hiashi could not help murmuring in a low voice. Even if they were confident, they were not foolish.
What exactly did they count as right now?
Could it be that when they came to the moon, they had lost something important?
Otherwise, how could it be that they no longer even knew who their ancestors were?
They did not even know that their ancestors had left behind relics for them?
However, they also noticed that Uchiha Madara seemed to be implying something more, which made them fix their gaze tightly on him.
"And the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother also deliberately arranged for one person to descend upon the shinobi world—and he even gave that person a prophecy."
Uchiha Madara's eyes settled on Kitagawa Gen, and only then did he speak quietly.
"When natural energy becomes abundant, and a youth whose eyes turn white under its saturation appears, bearing the trait of 'evolution,' there will also be a possibility of saving the world."
"!!!"
These words immediately caused everyone's gaze to turn toward Kitagawa Gen.
This was not a prophecy at all—this was practically a direct statement!
In truth, none of the shinobi were particularly surprised. Kitagawa Gen being a 'savior' was simply too fitting, because he was truly too powerful.
However, the Hyūga were in a somewhat different situation.
"Senior Gen, he—"
Hinata's face was filled with disbelief, while Neji, amid his shock, showed a trace of wild joy.
"So it turns out that Senior and we share the same origin?"
"And he's actually the Fifth Hokage?!"
It wasn't just the two of them. The rest of the Hyūga clan members were also left dizzy by this news.
Yet at this moment, they were all incomparably excited. What Kitagawa Gen represented was something they understood all too clearly.
Even if this Fifth Hokage probably would not pay much attention to such matters, they still felt an immeasurable sense of honor.
"He's actually the Fifth?"
Hyūga Hizashi murmured softly, while on the other side Hyūga Hiashi was also somewhat dazed.
"It seems something must indeed have gone terribly wrong. Otherwise, why wouldn't the Fifth be within the Hyūga clan—"
Suddenly, his eyes sharpened, as if he were thinking of something.
Their most crucial "prophetic bloodline" was not within the clan. This clearly meant that something had gone wrong in the past.
Now, trying to turn Kitagawa Gen into "Hyūga Gen" was no longer very realistic. Then could they attempt to reestablish this bloodline connection?
"Tch, Jiraiya, take a good look—this is the real Child of Prophecy."
At the rear, Tsunade was also somewhat dazed. Aside from the truth about the Sage of Six Paths, she realized that her "relatives" had suddenly increased again.
Moreover, Kitagawa Gen's "special identity" also made her find it a bit amusing. Wasn't this precisely the "Child of Prophecy"?
"Tch, he's the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother—how can that be compared?"
Jiraiya pursed his lips, but as he looked at Kitagawa Gen, he could not help muttering inwardly.
"The Child of Prophecy… could this also be the Child of Prophecy I've been searching for all this time?"
"That's right. Kitagawa Gen, you are the one who inherited the power of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother. No wonder even Ōtsutsuki Genshiki calls you an 'Evolver.'"
Uchiha Madara let out a sigh, then continued speaking.
"As for the last part, it explains that the Sage of Six Paths also left behind one crucial piece of information. Hm? This information is actually connected to the Uchiha's information?"
Uchiha Madara was somewhat puzzled. Obito immediately perked up, and all the other shinobi focused their attention.
Yet not a single one of them noticed Black Zetsu, whose complexion had already turned ashen to the extreme.
'It's over… it's really over…'
Although his "good big brother" had been completely smeared, he did not think there was any problem with it.
After all, all of this was about saving this world—what problem was there with using every means necessary?
Therefore, in his view, this was completely his "good big brother's" own confession!
'No wonder you could quietly change all of this. So it really was you who did it—so everything I did was part of your plan?'
His face turned ashen. Although he himself had laid out plans for a thousand years, now it truly seemed exactly as he had suspected: he had been working entirely for his older brother all along!
He had even once felt smug, believing that he had deceived everyone, believing that he had taken revenge on his "good big brother's" two sons.
He made them suffer through wars and battles, dragging the entire shinobi world into chaos.
And yet now it seemed that he was nothing more than a complete clown.
Meanwhile, his "good big brother" sat high above the clouds, looking down upon all living beings, watching him make a fool of himself again and again while still being self-satisfied!
But just as he was drowning in pain and regret, Uchiha Madara's next words pushed his already "shattered heart" to the brink of collapse.
"Behind the 'Eye of the Moon,' there is a tremendous secret. At a critical moment, perhaps the 'Eye of the Moon' can save all living beings?"
Uchiha Madara's voice carried a hint of doubt. This did not quite match what he had been thinking.
And when Obito heard this, his eyes immediately lit up. He seemed to have gained some ideas.
Nagato, Kimimaro, and the others were all full of confusion, unsure what exactly Uchiha Madara was referring to.
But at this very moment, Black Zetsu's eyes widened to the extreme.
"No—impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"?"
"Fake—this is all fake!"
Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Black Zetsu let out a heart-rending roar.
"Don't believe it! This is all fake!"
Hagoromo, you are truly vicious to the extreme!
You have already won, and yet you still want to completely deal with Mother—turning her into Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's "Divine Ascension Stairway"?!
"Hiss!"
Within the hidden space, the Sage of Six Paths also sucked in a sharp breath.
He realized something as well, and Hamura cast him a puzzled look.
"Big brother?"
"..."
"It can't be real, can it?"
"..."
For a brief moment, the Sage of Six Paths felt that perhaps the destruction of this world would actually make things better.
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