The "civil war" between Kitagawa Minamoto and Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki had finally come to an end. Although their battle had drastically altered the geography and landscape of the Land of Earth, the news still brought a sense of relief to many.
"I didn't expect Jiraiya's prediction to be correct. Minamoto truly can contend with Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki."
In a base of the Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was filled with excitement as he spoke to the First and Second Hokage.
"Yin-Yang Release is truly incredible. Even against a being akin to a god, it can hold its ground."
"Monkey, I think you shouldn't be too optimistic."
Seeing Hiruzen's jubilant expression, Tobirama Senju shook his head.
"Jiraiya clearly stated in his report that Minamoto can only 'contend,' not truly defeat him. Moreover, Momoshiki's attitude is quite peculiar."
"Evolution? What does he mean by that?"
Hashirama Senju couldn't help but ask, his curiosity piqued by Jiraiya's detailed report.
"Minamoto is constantly evolving? And that guy seems to be enticing Minamoto to do something bad?"
"The path of the strong is lonely. In some sense, we've indeed become burdens to Minamoto."
Tobirama glanced at his elder brother, shaking his head in frustration.
"I don't know what he means either. Perhaps he finds this world too dull and hopes someone can bring him some amusement, or maybe he has other motives."
"Regardless, Jiraiya made it clear: Minamoto hasn't wavered in the slightest."
Hiruzen smiled as he spoke, prompting Tobirama to glare at him.
"Even if he did waver, what could we do about it?"
"Hey, you bastard, why are you always so annoying?"
Hashirama grew irritated, slamming the table as he questioned Tobirama.
"Are you doubting Minamoto? You bastard!"
"Doubt him? Do I even have the qualifications?"
Tobirama scoffed at his elder brother, then shook his head.
"What I mean is, Minamoto is resolute, but we must also strive not to drag him down, so we don't become obstacles in his path."
"Tch, so that's what you meant."
"What else? He's our Fifth Hokage! I think we should do our best to support all his ideas."
"All of them? That's a bit excessive, isn't it?"
"Excessive? Even if you were alive again, you wouldn't be his match!"
"..."
Hashirama was momentarily speechless, glancing at the documents before him. He could only sigh.
Leaving aside Momoshiki's battle, the fact that Minamoto had shattered Susano'o with a single kick, and had pummeled Madara Uchiha using True Several Thousand Hands, was already beyond astonishing.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Hashirama seemed to recall something.
"How rare, you didn't bring up Madara this time?"
"What's the point of mentioning him?"
Tobirama glanced at Hashirama, then shook his head.
"He's merely a relic of the old era. I disdain wasting too many words on him. Let's wait for them to return. Minamoto mentioned he had gained quite a few other rewards."
"Tch."
Hashirama snorted lightly, but couldn't help laughing afterward.
"Madara, you've finally met your match, haven't you?"
"..."
Tobirama paused briefly, his face cold as he turned to leave. Yet internally, he was overjoyed.
"Madara Uchiha, you've finally met your match!"
"How about the 'Uchiha Izuna' I trained? Satisfied?"
Meanwhile, within the shrine at Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage's hazy eyes had fully opened.
"Did you just say 'evolution'?"
"Hey, you senile old fool, didn't you hear what I said?"
Shima's face darkened, barely containing her frustration.
"I've already explained it three times—three times! And you're still asking?"
"Well, repeating it three times makes it more significant."
The Great Toad Sage chuckled indifferently.
"Besides, cut me some slack. I'm over a thousand years old."
"Tch."
Shima snorted in annoyance, while Fukasaku quickly stepped in as the peacemaker.
"Alright, alright, it's not a big deal. This time, we've witnessed Kitagawa Minamoto's abilities, but Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki remains rather peculiar. Great Sage, what's your take?"
"I don't know either."
To Fukasaku's dismay, the Great Toad Sage shook his head in confusion.
Fortunately, after pondering for a moment, he finally spoke slowly.
"The so-called 'evolution' in the eyes of the Ōtsutsuki likely refers to a transcendence of life's levels. To them, everything other than the Ōtsutsuki is merely inferior beings."
"Inferior beings? They're arrogant to that extent?"
"Indeed. Only Kitagawa Minamoto, who seems to have unexpectedly undergone a transformation—his life advancing to a higher level—could earn Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki's respect."
"No wonder he alone can master so many Kekkei Genkai, even Kekkei Tōta, and can even wield Yin-Yang Release..."
The Great Toad Sage, with his millennia of wisdom, quickly grasped the key points.
This prompted Fukasaku and Shima to nod in agreement, though neither noticed the Great Toad Sage's troubled expression.
Evolution was never a simple matter. The most crucial point was that human evolution—even after a thousand years—had never been seen.
So what did Minamoto's evolution truly signify?
"What a pity he dislikes toads. Otherwise, if he came to Mount Myōboku, I could learn much more."
The Great Toad Sage sighed, but soon his gaze turned serious.
"But so what? Hamura and Hagoromo were once the children of the Rabbit Goddess!"
"No matter what happens to Minamoto, he is one of us, and Mount Myōboku will offer him everything to support him."
"That child, truly..."
Meanwhile, within the Pure Land, two old men's expressions appeared far more peculiar.
They had always been curious about what Minamoto would do next. Would he continue causing trouble under the identity of Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, or stir up something entirely different?
But when they saw that the kid had actually fought "himself," they were dumbfounded.
The "spectacular" clash, the tidal wave-like bursts of energy, left both men speechless.
Even in a fake match, no one would fight like this.
It was fortunate that others couldn't approach the battlefield and couldn't see clearly.
While the two fought impressively, it was utter chaos!
For a moment, neither of the old men knew what to say. After a while, Hamura finally spoke.
"Perhaps we truly can't keep up with the times anymore."
"Young people, perhaps, just enjoy playing around."
After a moment of silence, Hagoromo replied through gritted teeth.
"But no matter what, with him here, Indra and Asura have undergone significant changes, and his power continues to grow."
"I imagine this is the result of continuously developing his bloodline abilities. With such strength..."
"Whether it's Mother or an even greater crisis in the future, we'll have a better chance of overcoming it."
The ninja world had always faced its own crises. Leaving aside their mother, those "beings from the heavens" were constantly descending.
Perhaps it wouldn't be long before these celestial beings fully arrived, and when that time came, it would be another calamity for the entire ninja world.
The stronger Minamoto became, the more peace he could bring to the world!
Thus, his "little antics" weren't even worth considering.
"Maybe it's to make the eventual merger of Kitagawa Minamoto and Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki more intriguing."
After a while, Hamura chuckled, then glanced at his elder brother.
"By the way, aren't you a bit biased toward Indra?"
"?"
Hagoromo froze, then looked utterly baffled.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Those two children, I..."
"Then why did you leave only Indra a stone tablet?"
"..."
"Why did you guide Indra but not Asura?"
"..."
"Even your advice wasn't evenly distributed. Why did you do that? Isn't it because you secretly prefer Indra?"
"..."
Hagoromo stared at his younger brother's smiling face. He didn't need to ask to know where this ridiculous rumor originated.
No doubt, it was that troublemaker who loved spreading nonsense!
At this moment, Hagoromo's fists clenched, and he couldn't help but sigh internally.
"In just a thousand years, has the ninja world's education system deteriorated this much?"
"Such promising children, yet they've been educated like this?"
"The ninja world's education system is truly doomed."
Throughout the ninja world, various regions had received some intelligence about the battle. Villages allied with Konoha had also received information directly from them.
Their reactions ranged from surprise to deep contemplation, from disbelief to excitement.
But everyone realized one thing: Konoha was likely returning to its "Era of Twin Gods."
Of course, this was merely speculation from those who hadn't actually witnessed the battlefield, and no one was willing to explain it to them.
"How much longer will it take Naruto to figure it out?"
On a high platform in Iwagakure, Minamoto leaned back to rest while Jiraiya handed him a bottle of lemon water.
"I don't know. It might take some more time. Naruto's situation is complex—after all, he has quite a few 'tenants' inside him, so..."
"It's not that complicated. I don't understand why it's taking so long."
Minamoto yawned, casually inserting the straw and taking a sip.
"We should head back soon. Sasuke isn't doing well right now, neither is Naruto. They need extra training, they need to improve, they need a heavy dose of tough love!"
"..."
Jiraiya swallowed hard, suspecting that since he hadn't ended up in the hospital this time, Minamoto had shifted his focus to those two youngsters.
After all, he couldn't use the excuse that "the Second Hokage is already dead, so he can't be angered into the hospital" anymore.
"Sigh, I'll go check on them. We do need to speed things up—I want to get back too."
After thinking it over, Jiraiya decided it might be better to let Minamoto send those two boys to the hospital instead.
His old bones couldn't handle that kind of stress. But then he remembered something.
"By the way, there's something I'd like your support with when we return."
"What is it?"
"The Akatsuki. I want to thoroughly investigate them. Though you're not afraid of them, they're extremely dangerous right now."
Speaking of this, Jiraiya's expression grew solemn.
"Obito Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, Nagato, and several others—just because you're not afraid of them doesn't mean others are safe. So..."
"That kind of thing?"
Minamoto's expression turned peculiar. He couldn't understand why Jiraiya had suddenly brought up the Akatsuki again.
After thinking for a while, he ultimately didn't make any promises.
"We'll discuss it when we get back. This isn't a simple matter. Besides, what can you accomplish alone?"
"Fine, whatever."
Not getting the answer he wanted, Jiraiya didn't press further. He stood up and headed toward Naruto.
Minamoto remained where he was, watching Jiraiya's retreating figure. After a moment, he shook his head, and suddenly vanished.
Inside the Divine Realm, his figure appeared atop a massive tree. At the same time, he took out two scrolls.
"Time to check the spoils of war. After all, this time's harvest wasn't small..."
As he murmured, his status panel appeared before his eyes.
[Special Side Quest Completed: Who Dares Claim Invincibility, Who Dares Declare Undefeated]
[Reward Obtained: Information on Isshiki's 'White Kāma']
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