The Patriarch of the Hagoromo clan and Uchiha Yui each stepped forward, slowly walking to opposite sides of the stone table and sitting down calmly.
The two clan leaders of great ninja families carried an overwhelming pressure around them, their gazes heavy and sharp, fully displaying the aura of overlords in a chaotic era.
Senju Syura, standing beside the stone table, remained expressionless the whole time.
His back was straight, and he faced the scrutiny of the two clan leaders with a calm and composed look, without the slightest hint of panic.
He flawlessly acted out the steady posture Black Zetsu had taught him.
Uchiha Yui gave Senju Syura a faint glance. After watching him quietly for a few seconds, she shifted her gaze to the Hagoromo Patriarch across from her.
"Long time no see, Clan Leader Yui!"
The Hagoromo Patriarch was the first to pull out a smile, speaking to break the deadlock.
Uchiha Yui gave a slight nod, her tone cold and decisive, "Let's skip the nonsense and quickly discuss the battle plan. If the Senju clan reacts, all our ambush arrangements will be wasted."
"Agreed!", The Hagoromo Patriarch nodded heavily, his expression instantly turning serious.
He immediately lowered his voice with Uchiha Yui and began plotting the specific tactics for a surprise attack on the Senju.
Standing nearby, Senju Syura pricked up his ears and listened silently, while a storm surged in his heart.
So Uchiha and Hagoromo had never planned to attack Kikyo Mountain as originally arranged. They had secretly changed their plan and were going to launch a surprise attack on the Senju.
His father was probably still foolishly stationed at Kikyo Mountain right now, completely unaware of this deadly scheme.
At this thought, Senju Syura grew extremely anxious, his fingertips trembling slightly.
"Syura, don't panic."
Black Zetsu's voice slipped into his mind at just the right moment, calm and steady, "While they're fully focused on discussing the battle, pretend to step back and slowly move toward the rear. Take the chance to escape."
Senju Syura's face remained calm and unchanged as he slowly shifted his steps, acting like a servant withdrawing. Naturally, he began to move toward the back of the canyon at a slow pace.
The Hagoromo Patriarch and Uchiha Yui, completely absorbed in discussing their battle plans, didn't pay any attention to this "insignificant small character." They let him move freely, never speaking to stop him.
Senju Syura felt a surge of joy. The plan worked. Just a few more steps and he would be completely out of danger.
But just as he was about to step into the crowd...
The Hagoromo Patriarch suddenly looked up and casually called out to him, "Hey, that Uchiha youngster over there, come help Clan Leader Yui and me pour a cup of water."
The moment those words came out, the atmosphere in the canyon froze instantly.
Uchiha Yui's brows tightened sharply, and she said coldly, "Isn't he one of your Hagoromo clan?"
The Hagoromo Patriarch froze on the spot, his face full of shock. "What? I thought he was a servant arranged in advance by your Uchiha clan!"
In that instant, both of them realized at the same time.
Uchiha Yui's eyes turned icy, killing intent surging.
The next second, she suddenly activated her chakra, and her scarlet Sharingan snapped open.
"Who are you?!", Uchiha Yui's aura erupted as she shouted coldly.
"Run! Hurry and run!!", Black Zetsu's voice exploded in Senju Syura's mind, urgent beyond delay.
———
[Mount Myoboku]
Inside the great hall, Arisu stood with his hands behind his back, faint sage light surrounding his body. After hearing the report from the White Zetsu who came to deliver news, he frowned slightly.
"You couldn't find the plow?", Arisu asked lightly.
"Yes, Great Sage."
"We searched all the bases. Every White Zetsu clone spread across the land has not detected any trace of the item you mentioned."
White Zetsu lowered his head respectfully, his voice humble.
"I see…"
Hearing this, Arisu's brows furrowed even tighter, and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.
"Alright, you may go rest."
Arisu waved his hand and gave the order calmly.
"Yes."
White Zetsu bowed respectfully, then his body turned white and silently withdrew from the hall.
In the vast and empty sage hall, only Arisu remained in an instant. The only sound was the soft wind from the mountains passing through the building, lingering in the air.
With his hands behind his back, Arisu's gaze turned contemplative.
"Could it be that Kaguya hid the plow in the Origin Ball Space? Or… did she destroy it herself?"
Standing in the hall, Arisu murmured softly, his mind rapidly analyzing all kinds of possibilities.
By now, he had already comprehended and mastered most ninjutsu and senjutsu in the world. Only the secret techniques of traveling through different dimensions remained something he had yet to grasp fully.
He had invented the Flying Thunder God Technique hundreds of years ago.
The Sage Mist Body Flicker was an advanced version of the Flying Thunder God.
Although Sage Body Flicker could achieve instant movement, it could only travel within the same space and was not truly cross-dimensional movement.
What Arisu truly wanted was power like Yomotsu Hirasaka or Amenominaka, the kind that could freely tear open space and travel across dimensions at will.
"If Kaguya really hid the spacetime turtle plow in the Origin Ball Space, then with my current abilities, I truly have no way to reach it…"
Arisu let out a light sigh, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
He had put in great effort to search for the spacetime plow for two reasons.
First, he feared that this spacetime treasure might be discovered by future generations and used by those with ill intent, relying on its ability to penetrate time and space to throw the world into chaos.
Second, he wanted to use the unique properties of the spacetime plow to reverse-engineer and develop an ultimate secret technique that could truly control space and time.
"But now, where should I even begin looking…"
Arisu raised his hand to stroke his chin, his brows tightly locked, his heart full of frustration.
He wanted to subdue the small Ten-Tails, but Isshiki had hidden it in a dimension no one could reach.
He wanted to find the spacetime plow, yet he couldn't locate it no matter how hard he searched.
After pondering for a moment...
Arisu's mind suddenly stirred, "Perhaps the spacetime plow wasn't hidden in another dimension at all, but is still somewhere in this world, only its hiding place known to Kaguya alone."
A thought surfaced in his mind.
Perhaps he could use a special method to summon a powerless Kaguya to Mount Myoboku and personally ask her about the whereabouts of the spacetime plow. That might reveal a breakthrough.
With his current abilities, Arisu could "revive" Kaguya.
However, the revived Kaguya would have no power, no Otsutsuki bloodline, just an ordinary person.
But then, Arisu fell into hesitation again, his fingers lightly rubbing his chin. "But would that woman Kaguya really tell me where the spacetime plow is?"
Arisu stood silently in the hall for a moment. His tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and a decisive glint flashed through his eyes as he made up his mind in an instant.
"At this point, there's nothing to hesitate about."
Arisu nodded slightly.
Since searching for the spacetime plow had yielded no results, he would simply summon Kaguya directly and ask her face to face about the treasure's location.
Even if it turned out that the spacetime plow had been hidden in the unreachable Origin Ball Space, or had already been destroyed by her, he could just send Kaguya back safely afterward. There would be no loss for him.
More importantly, what he would summon this time would not be the complete Otsutsuki Kaguya.
He would only summon Kaguya herself.
At that time, the one who appeared before him would merely be an ordinary mortal with no chakra and no combat ability.
Without the Rinne Sharingan, without Amenominaka, without that terrifying pressure, such a Kaguya posed no threat to him at all. There was no need for any caution.
"However… what should I say when I meet Kaguya…"
Arisu narrowed his eyes slightly. If Kaguya refused to cooperate even unto death, then he would just lock her back up again.
If she told him…
Then after making use of her, he could take the opportunity to ask about Otsutsuki Isshiki's dimension, or the whereabouts of Otsutsuki Yamai's corpse.
After using her, he would lock her back up again.