"Black Zetsu, you look really ugly like this. Once the Ten-Tails is reclaimed, I'll create a new body for you."
Upon hearing this, Black Zetsu's mood immediately became excited. He couldn't help imagining the day itself.
His eyes sparkled with anticipation. He felt more energetic and motivated than ever before.
"T-then what about me?" White Zetsu asked weakly.
"As for you..." Kaguya's face showed a faint smile, then she remained silent.
White Zesku wanted to ask something else, but was urged by Black Zetsu to depart quickly.
After leaving Konoha, he couldn't help complaining, "Come on, why wouldn't you let me chat with our master a bit longer?"
"Now isn't the time for daydreaming," Black Zetsu replied calmly.
The next day.
Kaguya urged Hiroki to head toward the Moon.
"Why the rush?"
"You don't want to stay here any longer, do you?"
"No, there are still many things left undone..."
"Tell me what needs to be done."
"For instance, the Orochimaru I met earlier seems capable of using corpses to retrieve chakra from the Pure Land..."
"The Pure Land?" Kaguya mused.
"There's more, too..."
"I understand," Kaguya glanced at him and said in a calm voice, "Now hurry up. You'll find everything you need inside Toneri's palace."
Hiroki muttered to himself, feeling Kaguya looked like someone who wanted to confine him on the Moon forever.
He stepped forward and nuzzled her cheek, teasing, "Goodbye, darling."
Kaguya hesitated slightly. By the time she came back to herself, Hiroki had already vanished.
She touched her cheek gently, sighed with complicated emotions flickering across her face, then turned around and walked away.
On her way back, she encountered Tsunade. Looking in the direction of the Konoha Cemetery, Kaguya softly asked, "Tsunade, hasn't someone already dug through Konoha's graveyard?"
"Not that I know of," Tsunade answered uncertainly, puzzled why Kaguya would care about such matters.
"Really not?" Kaguya turned to look at her directly.
Under Kaguya's gaze, Tsunade felt uneasy but firmly responded, "No."
They stood in silence briefly, then Kaguya suddenly smiled. "Tsunade, you must be working awfully hard every day, right?"
Combined with their previous conversation, Tsunade oddly sensed some sarcasm in Kaguya's words but confidently nodded anyway, "Of course! Because I'm the Hokage!"
"If that's true, then delegate everything else to Hyuga and focus solely on Sage Art cultivation. Some people are destined to go their separate ways no matter how much effort we put into them."
Confused and clueless, Tsunade just stared at her.
Kaguya gazed far away while continuing, "What if I say I want to reclaim the very thing they're proud of?"
"What exactly do you mean?"
"Once this generation passes away, stop teaching chakra cultivation and cease its spread entirely — I will no longer allow it."
"This... Why?" Tsunade questioned suspiciously.
"Chakra is the source of chaos, so I will reclaim it."
Tsunade gave her a puzzled look, opened her mouth as if to speak, then hesitated.
What was she even going on about? That's not like her at all—she never cared about stuff like this. Wars or the future of the ninja world? She didn't care one bit about any of that.
How could she be so righteous?
Kaguya ignored her thoughts and continued, "As a ninja yourself, you should clearly understand what chakra has brought to this world. Chakra allows someone, after just three or five years of cultivation, to reach a level unattainable by ordinary people."
"There's an old saying: 'Once power is gained, arrogance follows.' Perhaps some may believe they belong to a different class than others—which is especially ridiculous."
"Birth, aging, sickness, death—everything remains equal for everyone."
"Chakra only amplifies the evil in people's hearts. Their inner virtue doesn't match their strength, leading to losing control and causing chaos."
"Then ninjas should simply cultivate their minds," Tsunade replied.
"Desire never stops. The human heart is unpredictable. If those who break rules can obtain what they want faster than those who follow them, would anyone willingly obey order? Would anyone waste time on the mind cultivation you mentioned?"
"...Is this truly your sincere belief?" After a long silence, Tsunade stared at her profile and asked.
Without answering, Kaguya calmly said, "Human life barely lasts a century. I allow current humans to temporarily possess chakra. Afterwards, if anyone secretly spreads chakra, they will be eliminated. No one can stop this—not even you."
"But..." Tsunade desperately wanted to say something else.
"If you really want to leave something behind for them, then [Sage Art] would work..." Kaguya teased lightly.
"[Sage Art] isn't easy to master; I haven't fully learned it myself..." Tsunade instinctively responded.
Even just learning to channel natural energy alone would baffle countless people.
And if overwhelmed by natural energy, one would die before knowing what hit them.
"Perfect then. It filters out trash and nurtures elites."
Tsunade fell silent again.
"Oh right, go fetch Shimon Hiruko."
With that, Kaguya turned and strode away.
Returning to the Hyuga Residence, passing the home of Hei Hiroki, Yugito and Karin were there too.
Kaguya told the two, "Hiroki has gone out for training. You need to take care of yourselves now."
Yugito and Karin nodded blankly.
Still reeling from everything, Tsunade let out a sigh and made her way toward Mount Shumisen.
Footsteps echoed as Shimon Hiruko turned his head and saw her arrival. He mocked, "Well, here comes Lady Fifth Hokage."
Glancing indifferently at the surrounding experimental equipment, Tsunade said, "Move all this stuff to Konoha. That includes you."
Shimon showed some surprise, "You mean you want me to return to Konoha with you?"
Tsunade nodded.
Shimon snorted lightly, "[Kinjutsu] got me exiled from the village. Can Konoha really accept me back?"
"I am the Hokage. If I accept you, Konoha will accept you."
Tsunade said calmly, "And Hidan too. Bring him back to Konoha as well. If necessary, I can assign someone to assist your research and speed up the process."
Tsunade didn't say it out loud, but inside, she was already figuring out where to put him so he wouldn't draw attention from the villagers.
Hiruko looked at her with slight surprise but still shook his head in refusal, saying, "Mount Shumisen is the most suitable place for absorbing Kekkei Genkai."
After a long pause, Tsunade said, "Although I don't know what your previous plans were, your current research seems to be all at the cellular level, right? What difference does it make where the laboratory is built?"
Hiruko was instantly at a loss for words.
She's got a point.
After a while, he agreed to go back to Konoha with Tsunade.
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