"Big Brother, the development of the situation seems to have gone a bit beyond expectations."
The ninja world was in utter chaos, while within the dimensional space, Hamura looked awkwardly at his somewhat withdrawn elder brother.
In his memory, this was truly the first time he had ever seen his good elder brother show such an expression.
Of course, he understood the reason very clearly, and yet the whole matter left him both amused and helpless.
Because if one did not know the truth, no matter how one looked at it, it really did seem exactly like what those kids of the ninja world were saying!
After all, even Kitagawa Gen thought the same way—so if others understood it like that, it did not really seem to be a problem, did it?
To be honest, even he himself had begun to guess whether the truth might really be like that.
However, he absolutely did not dare say such a thing out loud. The look his elder brother had given him just now was simply far too terrifying!
'Big Brother's reputation… seems to be completely ruined.'
Hamura was still holding back his laughter, but what was happening outside made it hard for him to keep laughing. He felt it was necessary to remind his elder brother.
If this withdrawal continued, the elite of the ninja world would probably really end up having to rely entirely on Impure World Reincarnation.
"Shouldn't we take action? If we don't act soon, the situation might become even worse."
"I know."
The Sage of Six Paths remained silent for a long while before finally speaking stiffly.
His mind was still buzzing. Even in his dreams, he had never been able to understand how the situation had developed into this.
How had he somehow been stripped of his "human status," even losing his humanity altogether?
Leaving behind only coldness, cruelty, bloodshed, and a whole series of negative reactions—so-called "divinity"?
And moreover, if nothing unexpected happened, from now on he would become—
'The greatest mastermind behind the scenes of the ninja world, one who killed his own kin for the sake of righteousness, the founder of Ninshū and the Pure Land, the father of Indra and Asura, the cold-blooded and merciless Sage of Six Paths!'
'Back then… was that really what I was thinking, and that's why I did those things?!'
Even the Sage of Six Paths himself felt dazed. He was no longer even sure what he had actually been thinking at the time.
"Big Brother, since you already know, shouldn't we move now?"
Watching his elder brother reply with a single sentence and then fall back into silence, Hamura felt a headache coming on.
"If there's any problem, you can just personally appear and explain it later. This isn't the time to get hung up on these things."
"Personally appear to explain?"
Hearing this, the Sage of Six Paths felt another wave of pain in his teeth. Could this really be explained clearly?
However, now indeed did not seem to be the time to dwell on it. He rubbed the center of his brow and spoke.
"Perhaps I really do need to personally appear. After all, in the final battle I may need to summon some souls—but now is still not the time."
"Still not the time?"
Hamura's eyelids twitched slightly, and the Sage of Six Paths nodded as he explained.
"Their trials are not sufficient yet. They have not reached the boundary between life and death. Right now, I cannot lightly hand power over to them—especially since the Ōtsutsuki have not yet appeared, so…"
Whether it was that the trials had not yet reached the required level, or that the Ōtsutsuki had not yet appeared, these were all crucial factors.
Lightly handing over the power of Indra and Asura would not necessarily be good for Sasuke and Naruto.
These powers were meant to face even stronger enemies. Taking them out too easily at this point might not be a good thing.
"Is that so?"
However, Hamura's thinking was not quite the same as the Sage of Six Paths'. He felt that handing it over earlier might actually be better.
He mulled over his elder brother's words for a moment, and in the end could not help but ask, half doubtful.
"The trials aren't enough, Big Brother—you really—"
"Hiss!"
The Sage of Six Paths sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. Again?
"And earlier you even said you would need to summon some souls, so the Pure Land—"
"…"
"Big Brother, so you really did do it."
"…"
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent. He was already considering whether he should try the so-called "Divine Ascension Stairway."
After all, the world in the past had been beautiful. As for now—
"Hm?"
Just as he was "gathering strength," he suddenly sensed something. At the same time, Hamura's eyes widened.
Not only them—even outside, Kitagawa Gen, who was currently fighting Obito, Kimimaro, and Nagato, immediately raised an eyebrow.
Whoosh—
Black chakra, dark as ink, instantly splashed toward Nagato. The speed was such that Nagato, who had just been struck by Kitagawa Gen's heavy punch, had no time at all to react!
"What is this?"
Nagato's expression changed, and in the next instant he discovered that the chakra had already adhered to his body.
And the chakra spread at an astonishing speed—within the blink of an eye, half of his body had already been stained with a layer of ink-black chakra!
"What is this?"
This sudden turn of events sent a wave of shock through everyone around them. They had absolutely no idea what was happening.
"Isn't that the guy who was beside Uchiha Madara?"
Minato had already recognized him, and after Kakashi used a Chidori kunai to take down an Impure World Reincarnation ninja, he could not help but look over as well.
"That's right—but what exactly is going on with them?"
...
"You—"
Kimimaro spoke with a face full of confusion. A subtle change flickered in his gaze, and even Obito frowned deeply.
"Is it time?"
Obito, however, knew some of the details. After all, Nagato's situation was far more critical than it appeared.
The Rinnegan was on his body, and those eyes were the key to controlling the Ten-Tails!
"What are you doing?"
Nagato also knew who had ambushed him, and his expression turned extremely ugly. Worse still, he discovered that his body was completely out of his control!
"Don't be nervous. This is something inevitable."
Black Zetsu laughed hoarsely, though his gaze never left Kitagawa Gen, wary that this man might suddenly make a move.
However, he discovered that Kitagawa Gen seemed to have no intention of acting at all. Instead, he was watching them with an amused expression.
This made Black Zetsu somewhat puzzled. He pondered for a moment before speaking in a low, eerie tone.
"Kitagawa Gen, you don't seem surprised at all. I take it you know quite a lot."
"You could say I know a few things."
Kitagawa Gen shrugged indifferently, then smiled calmly.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Nagato should also be a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths—and specifically from Asura's line. Therefore, the Rinnegan should not really be able to appear on him."
"Asura's line."
Hearing this, Nagato could not help but freeze. He had already learned quite a bit about the so-called 'truth of the ninja world' just moments ago.
Asura's line—that would be the lineage of Senju Hashirama. Then that would mean—
"That's right. Those Rinnegan are not Nagato's to begin with."
Black Zetsu revealed a sinister half-smile and spoke slowly.
"Since Madara-sama already made the situation of Indra and Asura clear, how did you not think of the difference between the Uchiha and the Senju?"
"The difference…"
Nagato seemed to want to struggle, but those words suddenly made him realize something.
"So you mean—the eyes?"
"That's right. Indra inherited the power of the Sage of Six Paths' eyes. As a descendant of Asura, how could you possibly possess these eyes?"
Black Zetsu continued to sneer. At this moment, he had already completely taken control of Nagato.
"These eyes of yours actually belong to Madara-sama. You were nothing more than a tool used by Madara-sama to nurture the Rinnegan and carry out his plan!"
"You—"
Nagato clenched his teeth in fury, yet strangely, Black Zetsu's restraints made it difficult for him to break free for the moment.
What Nagato did not know was that Black Zetsu himself was not having an easy time either. His Yin–Yang Release came from Kaguya, and even a sneak attack against an Ōtsutsuki would be extremely taxing.
Yet Nagato was still able to struggle, which made Black Zetsu sense that something was not quite right.
However, he did not dwell on it. He still needed to remain wary of Kitagawa Gen, while continuing to strike at Nagato's mind so that he could maintain better control.
"I have to say, you really are somewhat special. You possess both Uzumaki and Senju bloodlines—this is precisely why you were chosen."
"Madara-sama feared that after his death, the Rinnegan would lose its vitality. That is why he transplanted them into you when you were still a child."
"And your bloodline gave you exceptionally abundant chakra and vitality. This allowed you to nourish the Rinnegan, and also to sustain the Outer Path Demonic Statue…"
"To ensure that you walked down the correct path, I have been toiling all along, manipulating your life from the shadows."
"Do you think your parents died by coincidence? Do you think you and Yahiko were able to successfully establish the first generation of Akatsuki by chance?"
"All of that was my doing! And I must also thank Shimura Danzō and Hanzō of the Salamander—for the sake of self-interest, they chose to join forces."
"And that gave Obito and me the opportunity to wipe out every member of your first-generation Akatsuki. Only by doing so—"
"Would you experience pain, obediently do what we wanted you to do, and ultimately give rise to the Akatsuki that exists today!"
Black Zetsu's words continued to stab at Nagato, causing his eyes to widen in utter disbelief.
Not only Nagato—everyone else present was the same. They had never imagined that Nagato carried such a complex and tragic background.
"This man's life was completely written in advance by someone else?"
Such a miserable fate weighed heavily on the heart—especially now that they had learned of the so-called "truth of the world," it stirred an inexplicable sense of resonance within them.
After all, everything about them had already been arranged by the Sage of Six Paths, and Nagato was simply a more tragic existence.
"What on earth are you talking about?!"
Nagato felt as though he was about to suffocate—not only because of Black Zetsu's control over his body, but even more because of the words Black Zetsu was saying!
"You damned bastard—stop spouting this nonsense!"
"The facts are exactly as I say."
Black Zetsu shook his head and spoke with a gloomy smile.
"Everything about you has already been manipulated. The Rinnegan is like this, and so is your fate. Do you really think you are some god walking among humans?"
"I'm sorry, but you have never been any kind of god. Your reality is nothing more than a chess piece of ours!"
"The meaning of your existence is simply to protect the Rinnegan, to nurture the Outer Path Demonic Statue, and—"
"To revive Uchiha Madara, nothing more!"
Black Zetsu's words pushed Nagato's mind to the brink of collapse. He had never imagined that this would be the reality he would face.
And it was something he simply could not accept.
He clenched his teeth tightly. In those Rinnegan eyes surged nothing but a suppressed, furious despair. Suddenly, his gaze turned toward Kitagawa Gen.
"Kill me! I will never accept any of this—kill me now!"
"Gen, can you do it?"
Senju Tobirama also frowned deeply and could not help but speak in a low voice.
"We absolutely cannot allow Uchiha Madara to be revived. This can never be allowed to happen!"
"Sorry—I'm afraid it's already too late."
Black Zetsu's hoarse voice rang out once more, and this time there was unmistakable satisfaction in it.
"If you had acted earlier, I truly might not have been able to control Nagato—but now everything is already too late, because—"
"You've misunderstood one thing. If I truly wanted to act, you wouldn't have lasted until now."
At that moment, however, Kitagawa Gen smiled and shook his head, cutting off Black Zetsu's words.
Then his gaze lingered quietly on Black Zetsu, Obito, and the others, before he smiled.
"Do you still remember a question I once asked you? Did you really think this so-called 'evolution' was exactly as you imagined?"
"What do you mean?"
Obito's expression immediately turned grave, while Black Zetsu's face changed abruptly at that very instant.
Because at that moment, he suddenly realized that Nagato's power was beginning to grow stronger—so much so that it seemed he could no longer control it at all!
"And more importantly—"
Kitagawa Gen continued speaking with a smile, his gaze now fixed on Obito.
"Do you really think this power belongs to you?"
"Ah!"
As soon as the words fell, Nagato let out a furious roar.
The black markings on his body grew even more pronounced, and a horn even emerged from his forehead!
He panted heavily, and at the same time one hand seized Black Zetsu on his body. His eyes, at that moment, also took on a distinctly cruel look.
"Indeed, this power does not belong to you—lower life-forms."
"Lower life-forms?"
The instant he heard that term, Obito reacted violently, while Black Zetsu was utterly terrified. He realized that he could not move at all now!
But before he could think any further, "Nagato" spoke once again.
"And also—thank you. Otherwise—"
"I wouldn't have been able to come out this quickly!"
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