"The Ōtsutsuki Clan? Is this the truth about ninjas?"
When Orochimaru returned to the village, he immediately heard the information passed on by Jiraiya.
To be honest, he wasn't very surprised.
After all, some of this information had already been partially obtained by him and Tsunade from the White Snake Sage and the Slug Sage.
What Jiraiya got from the Great Toad Sage only confirmed some of the facts and added many details.
Both the White Snake and Slug Sages admitted that the Great Toad from Mount Myōboku knew the most about the Ōtsutsuki and the Sage of Six Paths.
After all, the Sage of Six Paths once practiced Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku, and his relationship with the Great Toad Sage was like that of close partners walking side by side.
"Yes. At first, the Great Toad Sage didn't want to reveal this information to me. But for some reason, when I asked him again this time, he gave me the answers," Jiraiya's tone grew heavier.
He had realized there was a bigger problem in the ninja world than just war.
"So, the peak of ninja power... is the so-called Ōtsutsuki?"
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed sharply.
Unfortunately for him, his current goal was immortality of the soul, not reaching the peak of ninja power.
But that didn't mean he wasn't interested in the Ōtsutsuki.
His earlier plans were made together with Kagetsu and others after learning this information.
He really wanted an Ōtsutsuki specimen in front of him, so he could study it freely and see how powerful their body was.
That might even inspire new ideas for his experiment with the cursed seal.
But now, the closest bloodlines to the Ōtsutsuki were the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha clans.
Among these three clans, most of the Senju had given up being ninjas and became nobles in the Fire Capital.
The Uzumaki clan's country was destroyed, and the survivors scattered across the ninja world.
Although Konoha had started searching for and protecting the remaining Uzumaki, the results were limited, and only a few survivors had been found.
Only the Uchiha clan had a complete heritage and remained active in the ninja world.
But in another world, the once thriving Uchiha seemed to have been wiped out. They were slaughtered by their own clan members.
Thinking about this, Orochimaru suspected there might be some force targeting these three ninja clans.
On the other hand, the Hyuga clan, who had inherited their legacy alongside the Senju, remained stable.
"The Sage of Six Paths was named Otsutsuki Hagoromo. He had a younger brother named Otsutsuki Hamura. According to the Great Toad Sage, Hamura is the ancestor of the Hyuga clan."
Jiraiya revealed a secret, then another hidden truth.
"Hyuga, huh?"
Fugaku, who was allowed to listen nearby, was surprised to hear this information.
After all, the Hyuga and Uchiha were known as the two great dojutsu clans, each with strengths and weaknesses in their eye techniques.
However, because the Hyuga's Byakugan did not evolve like the Uchiha's Sharingan, Fugaku had always underestimated them.
Especially after learning that the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha bloodlines all originated from the Sage of Six Paths, he was even more indifferent to the relatively secluded and low-profile Hyuga.
But hearing now that their bloodline also came from the so-called Otsutsuki made Fugaku feel surprised.
"However, in the legends, there is no information about Hamura. No, maybe the Hyuga clan has some."
Orochimaru said thoughtfully, then denied his own conclusion.
"Who are their father and mother?" Tsunade crossed her arms, leaned forward on the table, and frowned. "They can't have just appeared out of nowhere, right?"
"Their father is unknown, but their mother is called the Rabbit Goddess, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. Because she wanted to destroy the world, the Six Paths Sage and his younger brother Hamura joined forces to seal her away, trapping her on the moon.
Hamura was responsible for guarding the seal, along with some descendants he left behind on the moon. By bloodline, they should be related to the Hyūga clan in our village."
Jiraiya answered.
"Chibaku Tensei!" Kagetsu suddenly interrupted from the side. Seeing everyone's eyes turn to him, he explained, "It's a powerful sealing technique of the Rinnegan. Nagato has roughly mastered how to use this jutsu, but his ability can't create a moon like this."
"This ninja world has become so confusing to me," Jiraiya sighed in frustration.
"What about the origin of the Rabbit Goddess? For the Six Paths Sage and his brother to work together to seal her, her power must be even greater than theirs, right?" Orochimaru's gaze flicked to Jiraiya, a strange eagerness burning in his eyes.
"The Great Toad Sage didn't tell me. He only said this much," Jiraiya shrugged helplessly.
"Honestly, I'm already very surprised he told me this much information. Before, when I asked him questions like this, he just pretended not to hear."
"Didn't you say the Great Toad Sage has the power of prophecy? Maybe he saw something in the future and thought it necessary to tell you some information," Tsunade raised her eyebrows.
Our own slug sage is better—gentle-tempered and answers questions well.
The only pity is that she's a shut-in. She doesn't pay much attention to outside information and depends on the contractors and the other two old comrades in the Three Sage Regions to provide her with news. Compared to Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave, her knowledge of hidden history is weaker. She can only act as a witness.
"Maybe that's possible," Jiraiya nodded in agreement.
According to what Orochimaru and Kagetsu said earlier, the place most concerned with outside changes among the Three Sage Regions is Myōboku.
"Now we are very close to the truth, aren't we, Fugaku-kun?" Orochimaru said with satisfaction as his eyes scanned Fugaku, who was sitting nearby.
"Hokage-sama!" Fugaku stood up from his seat, his face serious under Orochimaru's gaze.
"Nagato has already escorted Yahiko back to the Rain Village. According to the agreement, he should arrive in Konoha by tomorrow at the latest. Then you will take him to the Uchiha clan's territory to look at that stone monument," Orochimaru said, glancing at Kagetsu. "Let Kagetsu represent the village alongside you."
"Yes!" Fugaku nodded without any objection to Orochimaru's order.
Although the stone monument held secrets related to the Uchiha clan's Sharingan evolution, in the current situation, Fugaku had no desire to resist.
He was also very curious about what the ancestor Madara saw on that monument that allowed him to develop his eyes to the Rinnegan level.
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