The Sage of Six Paths could no longer hold it in.
He had never before felt such deep hostility from the entire world toward him!
Was this really his doing?
It wasn't!
True, he had doubted himself before, wondering if his actions back then had been driven by such intentions.
But after much thought, he felt he had been misled—he was definitely not like that!
Initially, he thought it didn't matter if only a few people misunderstood him; it wasn't a big deal.
But now, Indra's reincarnation had gone mad, spouting such claims in front of nearly the entire combat force of the ninja world!
Who could accept this?
"Damn it, I'm not like that! I didn't do it!"
The Sage of Six Paths roared in fury, his hysterical outburst causing Hamura, standing beside him, to blink nervously. Hamura's lips twitched as well, for he hadn't expected his elder brother to end up like this.
But unfortunately...
"Alright, big brother, their arguments are somewhat logical, aren't they?"
Hamura tried to maintain his composure, showcasing his "professionalism" as he spoke calmly.
"After all, based on everything that's happened so far, it seems like..."
Hamura didn't finish his sentence, because he saw his elder brother's icy gaze already fixed on him.
"It's all completely unreasonable!"
"Y-yes, yes..."
Hamura forced an awkward smile, then turned his attention to the outside world.
"So, what should we do now?"
What should they do?
This question momentarily stumped the Sage of Six Paths. But before he could think further, another change occurred in the outside world.
"It seems all my guesses were correct."
Amidst the eerie silence, as everyone was still reeling from the terrifying revelations, Tobirama Senju's voice suddenly rang out. His words immediately drew everyone's attention, and with his arms crossed, he spoke calmly.
"Though it seems cruel, making reasonable sacrifices for the survival of the world doesn't seem so hard to accept."
"..."
The Sage of Six Paths inhaled sharply. How could this keep happening?
The ninjas of the world exchanged uneasy glances, while Tobirama continued speaking.
"After all, he was dealing with the survival of the entire world. Even we 'Kage' sometimes have to make tough decisions for the sake of our villages!"
"Tch, as much as I dislike you, you're not wrong about this."
The Second Mizukage had already arrived on the battlefield. He smirked disdainfully, then glanced at the Second Tsuchikage beside him.
"Zombie, back when we fought, wasn't it all for the betterment of our villages?"
"Hmph, you're right."
The Second Tsuchikage glared at the man who had perished alongside him, but despite his irritation, he nodded.
"When a village reaches a certain limit in development, it must find ways to break through. Expansion and plundering become inevitable, and war is the means—even if it costs lives."
"Exactly. Even if there's only a sliver of hope, even if the odds of losing are high, I would still choose this path."
Hanzo of the Salamander spoke up as well, but his gaze shifted to Nagato, and he added another remark.
"And to ensure greater stability and benefits for the village, sometimes sacrificing a few people is unavoidable!"
Nagato clenched his fists tightly. He knew exactly what Hanzo was implying. But now, he felt deeply conflicted. He believed the Sage of Six Paths' actions were justified, but they seemed completely at odds with his dream of peace.
"Why is it like this..."
Obito was equally bewildered, realizing that all his tragedies seemed to stem from the Sage of Six Paths' actions. And yet, he had been pursuing the very path of peace created by the Sage of Six Paths, striving endlessly toward it.
"Furthermore, I suspect even the Pure Land was created by the Sage of Six Paths."
At this moment, Tobirama Senju spoke again.
"Perhaps he felt guilty about the thousand-year war he caused, so he created the Pure Land to allow souls to rest after death. Of course, there might be another reason..."
The Sage of Six Paths: "..."
Kitagawa Minamoto: "..."
"To continue fighting after death?"
Madara Uchiha immediately grasped Tobirama's meaning. Although he still looked at Tobirama with disdain, he surprisingly agreed this time.
"Indeed, souls preserved after death could be awakened to fight when necessary. Truly worthy of the Sage of Six Paths!"
The Sage of Six Paths: "..."
Is this really being attributed to me?
Even the resurrected individuals from the Impure World Reincarnation were stunned. Upon reflection, it didn't seem impossible. After all, they had been revived with their combat instincts and techniques intact.
"Um, aren't you all thinking too extremely?"
Kitagawa Minamoto finally couldn't hold back. If this continued, the Sage of Six Paths would end up being labeled the "Sage of Blame." Even though he could perform "Almighty Push," it didn't mean he deserved this level of slander.
"Perhaps it's not as complicated as you think?"
"Complicated? No, you think it's complicated because you're human, and you still have complex human emotions. But the Sage of Six Paths is a god!"
Madara Uchiha, though still disdainful of Tobirama, surprisingly agreed with him this time.
"The perspectives of gods and humans are completely different. For the continuation of the world, for its survival against destruction, anything he does is justified!"
"..."
Kitagawa Minamoto fell silent, especially when he saw Tobirama nodding in agreement. He couldn't hold back anymore.
Godlike detachment from humanity?
Wasn't that more like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?
And what Kaguya wanted was to hang everyone's ancestors on a tree!
"..."
The Sage of Six Paths clenched his fists tightly. Were they slandering him right to his face?!
But as he scanned the ninjas before him, he realized they had already accepted this narrative. This left him visibly distressed.
All the suffering in the ninja world—was it truly his fault?
The thousand years of hardship in the ninja world—was it all his doing?
And all of this was for the survival of the ninja world, because he had no humanity left...
"Damn it, you're slandering me! This is slander!"
"..."
Hamura chose to remain silent, feeling it was best not to speak at this moment. He felt his elder brother was already on the verge of exploding. He hadn't seen him like this since a thousand years ago...
"Enough of this talk."
Kitagawa Minamoto rubbed his temples, feeling they couldn't continue down this path. So he simply said:
"Let's discuss what's written on the 'bookmark' instead. We're in no position to judge the Sage of Six Paths, whoever he truly was."
"Indeed, he was a great man, but also a cold-blooded and ruthless one..."
Hashirama Senju seemed unwilling to dwell on these issues any longer, but his words confirmed he had completely believed the narrative!
"As for what follows, it's relatively simple..."
Madara Uchiha continued, his gaze turning toward the Hyūga clan.
"Hmph, the Hyūga's appearance in the ninja world has a reason. The Sage's younger brother didn't want his elder brother to bear everything alone."
"So he made certain arrangements, and these arrangements likely included the Hyūga clan coming to the ninja world, and..."
Madara paused briefly at this point, but all the Hyūga clan members' eyes had widened.
They really did come from the moon?
Their arrival in the ninja world was indeed arranged by their ancestors?
This realization brought them a measure of joy, but with that joy came confusion.
"Can we... really face the Ōtsutsuki now?"
Hiashi Hyūga couldn't help but murmur softly. Despite their confidence, they weren't fools.
What exactly were they now?
Had they lost something important when they came from the moon?
Otherwise, how could they not know who their ancestor was?
How could they not know that their ancestor had left them relics?
But they also noticed that Madara Uchiha seemed to be implying something more, so they fixed their gaze intently on him.
"And the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother also specifically arranged for someone to descend to the ninja world, and he gave a prophecy about this person."
Madara Uchiha's gaze fixed on Kitagawa Minamoto, and he finally spoke softly:
"When a youth with white eyes filled with natural energy appears, bearing the quality of 'evolution,' there may be a chance to save the world."
"!!!"
These words immediately drew everyone's attention to Kitagawa Minamoto.
This wasn't just a prophecy—it was a direct indication!
Most ninjas weren't particularly surprised; Kitagawa Minamoto was perfectly suited to be a "savior" because he was truly that powerful.
But for the Hyūga clan, the situation was quite different.
"Senior Minamoto, he—"
Hinata's face was filled with disbelief, while Neji, amid his shock, felt a surge of wild joy.
"So, Senior is of the same origin as us?"
"It's actually the Fifth Hokage?!"
Not just these two, but other Hyūga clan members were also stunned by this revelation.
Yet they were also incredibly excited. They knew exactly what Kitagawa Minamoto represented.
Even if this Fifth Hokage might not care much about such matters, they still felt an immense sense of pride!
"It's actually the Fifth Hokage?"
Hizashi Hyūga murmured, while Hiashi Hyūga on the other side seemed dazed.
"It seems something went terribly wrong, otherwise why wouldn't the Fifth be within the Hyūga clan..."
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, as if he was contemplating something.
Their critical "prophesied bloodline" wasn't within the clan, which meant something had definitely gone wrong in the past.
It was now impossible to turn Kitagawa Minamoto into "Hyūga Minamoto," but perhaps they could try to reestablish a connection with this bloodline?
"Hmph, Jiraiya, take a good look—this is the true child of prophecy."
Tsunade in the rear also felt a moment of bewilderment. Beyond the truth about the Sage of Six Paths, she discovered she had gained more "relatives."
Additionally, Kitagawa Minamoto's "special identity" amused her. Wasn't he essentially the "child of prophecy"?
"Tch, he's connected to the Sage of Six Paths' brother—how can that be compared?"
Jiraiya pursed his lips, but looking at Kitagawa Minamoto, he couldn't help but think:
"A child of prophecy... could he be the one I've been searching for all along?"
"That's right, Kitagawa Minamoto, you are the inheritor of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother's power. No wonder even Ōtsutsuki Minamoto called you the 'Evolver.'"
Madara Uchiha sighed, then continued:
"As for the final part, it explains a crucial piece of information left by the Sage of Six Paths. Wait, this information is actually connected to the Uchiha's message?"
Madara Uchiha seemed puzzled, while Obito immediately perked up. All the other ninjas listened attentively.
But none of them noticed Black Zetsu, whose face had turned ashen.
"It's over, it's all over..."
Though his "elder brother" had been thoroughly vilified, he didn't see any problem with it.
After all, this was all about saving the world—what was wrong with using any means necessary?
Therefore, in his view, this was essentially his "elder brother's" confession!
"No wonder you could silently change all of this. So it was really you all along. So everything I've done was part of your plan?"
His face was as pale as death. Though he had been plotting for a thousand years, it now seemed that, just as he had suspected, he had been working for his brother all along!
He had once been smug, thinking he had deceived everyone, thinking he had taken revenge on his "elder brother's" two sons.
The painful wars and battles that engulfed them, the chaos that spread throughout the ninja world—all of it.
But now it appeared that he was nothing more than a complete fool.
And his "elder brother" sat high above the clouds, looking down on all creation, watching him make a fool of himself while thinking he was so clever!
But just as he was feeling miserable and regretful, Madara Uchiha's next words caused his already "shattered heart" to nearly collapse completely.
"Behind the 'Eye of the Moon,' there lies a great secret. In times of crisis, the 'Eye of the Moon' might save all living beings?"
Madara Uchiha's voice carried a hint of confusion, as if this didn't quite align with what he had expected.
Obito's eyes lit up upon hearing this, as if he had gained some new insight.
Nagato, Kimimaro, and others wore puzzled expressions, unsure of exactly what Madara Uchiha was referring to.
But at this moment, Black Zetsu's eyes bulged.
"No, impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"?"
"Fake, it's all fake!"
Under the puzzled gazes of everyone, Black Zetsu let out a heart-wrenching roar.
"Don't believe any of it! It's all fake!"
Hagoromo, you are truly ruthless to the extreme!
You've already won, yet you still want to completely eliminate Mother, using her as the "Ascension Stairway" for Ōtsutsuki Minamoto?!
"Hiss!"
In the hidden space, the Sage of Six Paths also drew a sharp breath.
He too had realized something, and Hamura gave him a puzzled look.
"Big brother?"
"..."
"It can't be true, can it?"
"..."
For a moment, the Sage of Six Paths thought that perhaps the destruction of this world might make everything more beautiful.
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