The Slug Sage told Hashirama a story: "Once upon a time, there was a Rabbit Goddess who descended from the heavens. She consumed the chakra fruit and obtained supreme divine power."
"She wiped out all the nations in this world, ended all wars, and brought the entire Shinobi World under the dominion of her own will."
Hashirama was puzzled: "The story of the Rabbit Goddess... this is different from the one Mother told Tobirama and me. Master, did you make this up?"
The story of Kaguya circulating in the Shinobi World was a different version.
Legend has it that an old bamboo cutter found a glowing stalk of bamboo in a bamboo forest. Upon splitting it open, he found a three-inch-long, radiant baby girl inside.
The old man took her home and raised her. In three months, she grew into a peerless beauty whose radiance lit up the entire house. He named her Kaguya, meaning—the Princess of the Shining Night.
Kaguya's beauty enchanted every man in the world to the point of calling out for their mothers; they all wanted to take Kaguya as their wife.
Her peerless appearance attracted noble princes and ministers.
Kaguya did not want to marry, so she proposed impossible tasks...
This was the version of the story taken from "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter."
But in the mouth of the Slug Sage, the Kaguya from "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter" was a dictator who dominated the entire world.
The Slug Sage said: "'The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter' is adapted from the story of the Rabbit Goddess. Her true name is Kaguya Otsutsuki."
"She had two sons. One was the ancestor of the Hyuga Clan, named Otsutsuki Hamura. The other was the ancestor of the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan—Hagoromo."
"That is, the father of Indra and Asura, whom you Shinobi call—the Sage of Six Paths!"
Hashirama was shocked: "The mother of the Sage of Six Paths... the Sage of Six Paths actually has a mother?"
It wasn't that Hashirama was being disrespectful to the Sage of Six Paths, but rather he believed that a god-like person such as the Sage of Six Paths shouldn't have a mother; he should have just popped out of a rock.
Having a mother to call for made him lose a layer of his sanctity.
The Slug Sage said: "Lord Hashirama, don't be anxious, listen to me!"
"What Madara is doing now is consistent with what Kaguya did. Kaguya used absolute power to pacify all the nations and turmoil in the world."
"However, Kaguya feared human rebellion and her sons seizing power, so she became extremely autocratic, suspicious, and cold-blooded."
"She used the Divine Tree to turn the humans who opposed her into living weapons without a sense of self, who only obeyed Kaguya. Those living weapons are the White Zetsu."
"Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan is a scam. The Divine Tree will turn humanity into White Zetsu without a sense of self."
"Ah?!"
Hashirama was pale with shock: "Master, how do you know so much?"
The Slug Sage smiled: "Lord Hashirama, I am one of the Three Great Sages who has existed since ancient times. I am the past, and I know everything that happened in the past."
"I was recording all the history of the land even before the era when Kaguya descended."
"Originally, I didn't want to tell you this, Lord Hashirama, but now you must understand that your dear friend is destroying the world. Only you can stop him."
Not much is known about Kaguya in the Shinobi World, but Kaguya's sons, the brothers Hagoromo and Hamura, and Black Zetsu certainly know.
The members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon, who guard the Gedo Statue and Kaguya's seal, also know that what is sealed on the moon is the progenitor of chakra—Kaguya Otsutsuki.
The history of the Three Great Sage Regions is even older than the history of Kaguya's descent. It was the Great Toad Sage who initially warned the Sage of Six Paths that Kaguya was destroying humanity.
The Great Sages of the Three Great Sage Regions certainly know about Kaguya.
After hearing the Slug Sage's comfort, Hashirama clenched his fists, his fighting spirit becoming high.
"I never agreed with Madara's ideology. He wants to trap everyone in a dream and erase their lives."
"I didn't expect it to be a literal erasure. Now I must stop him!"
"By the way, Slug Sage, does Madara know that the Eye of the Moon Plan turns humans into White Zetsu?"
The Slug Sage shook its head: "I don't know that. Although I represent the past, I only record the past that has happened. Many things were told to me by the successive reincarnations of Asura."
"Whether Madara is implementing a plan to dominate the Shinobi World under the name of the Eye of the Moon Plan is something only the Great Toad Sage can predict."
"However, Madara's power is close to that of the Sage of Six Paths, and it is not something we Great Sages can observe."
The Great Sages are not omnipotent.
For example, the Three Great Sages are unaware of Black Zetsu, the one who secretly incited the successive generations of Asura and Indra to be hostile toward each other.
The future observed by the Great Toad Sage is disordered; it cannot observe the specific future it wants to see on its own.
Hashirama rubbed his chin and said: "Madara's family all died in the war. Madara loved his younger brothers very much, and his hatred for war is greater than mine."
"I don't believe Madara would wipe everyone out just to dominate the Shinobi World."
The Slug Sage looked at Hashirama and said: "Does Lord Hashirama think Madara was deceived?"
Hashirama nodded: "It must be so. Oh, I remember now. Madara once asked me to meet him at the Uchiha Clan's stone tablet, and he explained part of its contents to me."
"He said he found a more correct pursuit than the answer of Konoha. I think the description of the Eye of the Moon Plan is recorded on the Uchiha stone tablet!"
"But this is very strange. Madara said the Uchiha stone tablet was left by the Sage of Six Paths. Master, did the Sage of Six Paths ever think about using the Eye of the Moon Plan to dominate the world?"
The Slug Sage shook its head: "No, Lord Hashirama. The Sage of Six Paths and Lord Hamura broke with Kaguya after discovering her practice of turning humans into White Zetsu."
"They teamed up to seal Kaguya on the moon and released the humans who were controlled by the Eye of the Moon."
"They would never pass down the Eye of the Moon Plan! The Uchiha stone tablet has been tampered with."
Hashirama rubbed his head, feeling a bit of a headache: "I really wish Tobirama were here. He's better at these brain-racking matters."
"Master, since it wasn't the Sage of Six Paths or the ancestor of the Hyuga Clan, then who could it be? Who is inducing Madara to execute the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
The Slug Sage's antennae shook: "I don't know. However, in past history, I have signed summoning contracts with Asura or the successive reincarnations of Asura."
"Almost every generation of Asura and Indra would meet mysteriously, and then break up and fight for no apparent reason."
"I always feel that it's not all due to the bonds of fate. Perhaps there is a shadow in the dark provoking Indra."
"He tampered with the stone tablet left by the Sage of Six Paths. Such a person is certainly no ordinary person; he is likely Kaguya's backup plan, or perhaps an ultimate evil who fears the world will not be in chaos."
Why would the Slug Sage think that the shadow behind the scenes would only provoke Indra?
Because most of Asura's reincarnations were single-celled organisms—positive and sunny. It is very difficult to provoke such people into becoming evil."
Indra was different. The Sharingan is an extreme power that awakens because of hatred. The successive generations of Indra had to experience loss to obtain power.
Becoming extreme because of loss and believing in power, such people are very easy to provoke.
Hashirama was somewhat pleasantly surprised: "Then in that case, Madara is being deceived! Master, please let me go see Madara. I want to tell him that the contents of the stone tablet have been tampered with."
"Madara has been tricked!"