Just like that, Uchiha Kirin had effortlessly entered the inner circle of the true top-tier powerhouses of the shinobi world.
Although he was believed to be a resurrected ancient god reborn with overwhelming power, the Slug Sage still placed certain restrictions on him.
For example, from now on, he should avoid interfering in the shinobi world as much as possible.
Ideally, he should erase his presence from the world entirely.
The reason for this was simple: maximizing overall benefit.
According to the Toad Sage's prophecy, only by following the plan to gradually guide Naruto into becoming the Child of Prophecy could they all continue to strengthen together...
When Kirin asked what "strengthening together" truly meant, he was told of how the Sage of Six Paths had long been cultivating the shinobi world like a garden—raising Indra and Asura reincarnations, refining their chakra into fruit to reconstruct his physical form.
This wasn't a secret among the highest echelon of powerhouses in the shinobi world. While disagreements existed, negotiations were still possible.
The shinobi world, especially the ninja society, was essentially just a breeding ground for these top entities to further their own ends.
And the crops being raised?
To ordinary people, they were superhuman beings—ninjas.
Every time a Great Ninja War broke out, the Sage of Six Paths would harvest a massive number of souls while also cultivating the fruit of Indra and Asura's Yin-Yang chakra.
After the war, the Slug Sage would then manipulate the energy of the Dragon Vein to recover the bodies of the dead ninjas, continually strengthening the Dragon Vein.
Once those two supreme beings had taken their lion's share, the toads of Mount Myōboku and the snakes of Ryūchi Cave would also get their cut.
Some did it to refine their control over rules and laws, some to condense divine arts and influence the outcome of the war, and others to absorb specific sacrificial offerings to grow stronger...
In short, to the sages, individual shinobi were irrelevant. What truly mattered was the overall trajectory of the shinobi world's fate and the final result—its value and utility.
...
Beyond that, the shinobi world was also the first battleground in the effort to portray weakness to threats from beyond the stars.
As a world once invaded by the Ōtsutsuki Clan, even though their original legacy had been cut off, the sages had still devised a contingency for their eventual return.
They reached a consensus:
When the Ōtsutsuki inevitably returned, the shinobi world must first show its weakest face.
That way, the Ōtsutsuki wouldn't immediately send elite shock troops, but instead just some average clansmen or low-level vassals.
At that point, the sacred lands and summoning beast realms would secretly support the shinobi, helping them barely repel the invasion.
This would cause the Ōtsutsuki to underestimate the world's strength, misjudging its true potential.
It was a way to buy precious time and opportunities—to study the Ōtsutsuki's abilities through prolonged conflict, and to cultivate factions within the shinobi world capable of standing against them.
The ultimate goal was to gain more chances... and survive longer.
As for everything else sacrificed in the process?
As long as the Dragon Vein remained stable, and the Pure Land stayed undisturbed, even the deaths of billions of lives would merely be deemed a necessary sacrifice.
...
And the Toad Sage really could see the future.
But Kirin's future was always beyond his grasp.
That was why Uchiha Kirin had been mistaken for the resurrection of some ancient god—because the prophecy simply couldn't see through him.
According to the Toad Sage's predictions, the most favorable outcome for the sages could only be achieved in a world after the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
So, naturally, all the sages present turned to ask Uchiha Kirin's opinion.
After all, even if he was a god, he was currently reborn from the Uchiha Clan. His memories hadn't returned—he might still harbor feelings for the Uchiha.
But Kirin flatly refused.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
All four sages were present. The Sage of Six Paths and the Slug Sage were on the same level as Kirin—no, even stronger than him, especially now, when he had only activated ten layers of the Battle Saint Scripture.
If a fight broke out, even if he gave everything he had, he wouldn't win.
Not unless he activated self-destruction mode to go down with them.
"Still, the Dragon Vein is right beneath us. I imagine none of you would want to see the collapse of the shinobi world either..."
Kirin suddenly smiled.
After all, he was playing the part of a resurrecting ancient god. Even if he looked like a mere three-year-old child and had no memory of his divine past, he wasn't some soft pushover.
His mind was sharper than most.
When he mentioned the Dragon Vein, the Slug Sage's intense pressure began to ease slightly.
"Besides," Kirin added, his gaze sweeping across the Toad and White Snake Sages, "I believe at least two among us aren't capable of surviving long-term in the vacuum of space, are they?"
The moment he said that, the White Snake Sage's body visibly sagged—and just like that, turned on the Toad Sage.
The old toad wasn't slow either. He quickly cradled his crystal ball and began adding Kirin, the unknown variable, into his visions—constantly recalculating the future's trajectory...
"If you still had a Divine Tree seed," the Sage of Six Paths said, "I could guarantee the Uchiha Clan wouldn't need to be sacrificed. They carry my bloodline too. Severing it is... unfortunate."
Kirin looked at his false sincerity and spread his hands.
"I don't have one."
He had only ever had a single Divine Tree seed. It had appeared beside him the moment he was resurrected.
Maybe it was a trump card from the ancient past—his backup plan to start from scratch.
At any rate, he had already consumed it by using the White Ape Sage as its fruit, allowing him to regain part of his strength.
It was gone. Completely spent.
...
Just as the atmosphere was teetering on the edge of collapse, the Toad Sage finally had a breakthrough.
After running his vision again, he discovered that—so long as the Uchiha Massacre was carried out within the next year and followed the original sequence, with additional adjustment efforts by the other sages—the future could still align with the optimal outcome.
The one where the Sage of Six Paths would achieve his goal of mass harvest.
...
Given that one-year buffer, Uchiha Kirin told everyone present:
The Uchiha Clan could be exterminated—but it had to be led by him personally.
Also, the entire year ahead had to be handed to him—to plan, to prepare.
And, within the Uchiha, there were a few individuals he had to take away. They wouldn't be part of the massacre.
"Fine."
Since the one to benefit most from this whole plan—the Sage of Six Paths himself—agreed, there was no more room for disagreement.
Both sides compromised and made concessions.
With a one-year grace period, Uchiha Kirin was allowed to return to the Uchiha Clan, complete the matters he wanted, and take away whoever he wished.
After that year, everything would proceed as intended. The massacre would go on. The plans would be set into motion.
Kirin would be responsible for releasing the imprisoned Obito and restoring him.
Black Zetsu, too—since he was a crucial part of the plan—had to be set free.
...
"You hold up your end, I'll do my simulations. A year's time—there's so much I can get done!"
Uchiha Kirin cloaked himself in stealth and soared through the sky, flying toward a remote island where he had sensed the White Ape's fruit formation.
Breaking through a seal and entering a cavern, he retrieved the relic used in his previous simulation that the White Ape Sage had used to reconstruct his body.
Sleepiness began to creep in.
After simulating for such a long time... after negotiating face-to-face with the strongest beings in the shinobi world while maintaining the Battle Saint Scripture...
Uchiha Kirin decided it was time to return to the Dragon Vein deep beneath the Water Curtain Cave—and get some well-earned rest.