"Big Brother, it seems things are spiraling out of control."
While chaos engulfed the ninja world, in a dimensional space, Hamura looked awkwardly at his elder brother, who had withdrawn into himself.
In his memory, this was the first time he had seen his big brother with such an expression.
Of course, he understood the reason, though he couldn't help but find the situation amusing.
Because...
If one didn't know the truth, everything happening seemed to align perfectly with the interpretation of the children in the ninja world!
Even Kitagawa Minamoto thought so, and if even he believed it, then it wasn't surprising that others would interpret it the same way.
To be honest, even Hamura had begun to suspect whether the truth might actually be just that.
But he dared not voice such thoughts, especially after seeing the terrifying look in his elder brother's eyes earlier.
"Big Brother's reputation seems to be completely ruined now."
Hamura tried to stifle his laughter, but the unfolding events outside made it hard for him to maintain his amusement. He felt compelled to remind his elder brother.
If he continued to isolate himself like this, the elite forces of the ninja world might truly end up relying entirely on Impure World Reincarnation.
"Shouldn't we act now? If we delay any further, things might get even worse."
"I know."
The Sage of Six Paths remained silent for a long time before stiffly replying.
His mind was still buzzing. He couldn't fathom how events had taken such a turn.
How had he suddenly been stripped of his "humanity," left with only cold, ruthless, and bloody "divinity"—a collection of negative traits?
And if nothing changed, he would inevitably become—
"The ninja world's greatest puppet master, the one who sacrifices family for the greater good, founder of the ninja sect and the Pure Land, father to Indra and Asura, the cold-blooded and unfeeling Sage of Six Paths!"
"Was that really my intention back then? Is that why I acted as I did?"
The Sage of Six Paths was dazed, uncertain whether his past decisions had truly been guided by such thoughts.
"Big Brother, if you understand, shouldn't we act now?"
Seeing his elder brother respond only to lapse back into silence, Hamura grew more frustrated.
"Whatever the issue is, you can explain it yourself when you appear later. Now isn't the time to dwell on these things."
"Explain it myself?"
The Sage of Six Paths winced at the suggestion. Could he really explain everything clearly?
Still, now wasn't the time for hesitation. He rubbed his temples and finally spoke.
"Perhaps I do need to appear personally. After all, I might need to summon some souls for the final battle. But now is not the right time."
"Not the right time?"
Hamura raised an eyebrow, and the Sage of Six Paths nodded, offering an explanation.
"Their training isn't complete yet; they haven't reached the brink of life and death. I can't grant them power so easily, especially since the Ōtsutsuki haven't appeared yet."
Whether it was incomplete training or the absence of the Ōtsutsuki, these factors were critical.
Recklessly granting Indra and Asura's power to Sasuke and Naruto wouldn't necessarily benefit them. Those powers were meant to confront even stronger enemies, and handing them out prematurely might cause more harm than good.
"Is that so?"
Hamura didn't entirely agree with his elder brother's reasoning. He felt that granting the powers sooner might actually be better.
After pondering his brother's words, he couldn't help but ask skeptically:
"Training isn't complete, Big Brother, you really..."
"Hiss!"
The Sage of Six Paths sucked in a sharp breath. Was it starting again?
"And you mentioned summoning souls earlier. So the Pure Land..."
"..."
"Big Brother, so you really did it, huh."
"..."
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent, already contemplating whether he should attempt the "Stairway to Divinity."
After all, the world had once been beautiful, but now...
"Hmm?"
Just as he was "gathering strength," he suddenly sensed something. Hamura's eyes widened as well.
Not only them, but Kitagawa Minamoto, who was battling Obito, Kimimaro, and Nagato outside, also raised an eyebrow.
Swish—
In an instant, black Chakra resembling ink splashed toward Nagato. The speed was so fast that Nagato, still reeling from Kitagawa Minamoto's heavy attack, had no time to react!
"What is this?"
Nagato's expression changed dramatically. In the next moment, he realized the Chakra had already begun to cling to his body.
The spread of this Chakra was alarmingly quick. In the blink of an eye, half of his body was covered in the black substance!
"This is..."
The sudden development left everyone around stunned. They couldn't make sense of what was happening.
"Isn't that the guy who's always by Madara Uchiha's side?"
Minato Namikaze had already recognized the culprit, and Kakashi, after dispatching an Impure World Reincarnated ninja with his Chidori Kunai, also turned to look.
"That's right. But what's going on here?"
"You..."
Kimimaro spoke with a puzzled tone, his gaze shifting slightly. Even Obito frowned deeply.
"Has the time come?"
Obito had some understanding of the situation, knowing that Nagato's condition was far more critical than it seemed.
After all, the Rinnegan was in Nagato's possession, and those eyes were the key to controlling the Ten-Tails!
"What are you doing?"
Nagato recognized who had ambushed him, and his face darkened. But most troubling was that he found his body completely out of his control!
"Don't panic. This is inevitable."
Black Zetsu's raspy voice carried a sinister laugh, though his gaze remained fixed on Kitagawa Minamoto, wary of any sudden moves.
However, he noticed Kitagawa Minamoto seemed entirely unbothered, watching the scene unfold with a playful expression.
This puzzled Black Zetsu, who paused before speaking again.
"Kitagawa Minamoto, you don't seem surprised at all. It seems you know quite a bit."
"I know a few things, sure."
Kitagawa Minamoto shrugged indifferently, then smiled calmly.
"If I'm not mistaken, Nagato should also be a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths, specifically from Asura's lineage. Thus, the Rinnegan shouldn't truly belong to him."
"Asura's lineage..."
Nagato was momentarily stunned. From the recent revelations about the "truth of the ninja world," he had already gleaned much information.
Asura's lineage was tied to Hashirama Senju's clan, which meant that he...
"That's right, these Rinnegan don't belong to Nagato."
Black Zetsu laughed sinisterly, his half-face emerging as he continued:
"Lord Madara has already explained the situation with Indra and Asura. How have you not considered the differences between the Uchiha and Senju?"
"Differences..."
Nagato tried to struggle, but these words made him suddenly realize something.
"You mean... the eyes?"
"Exactly. Indra inherited the power of the Sage of Six Paths' eyes. How could you, a descendant of Asura, possess these eyes?"
Black Zetsu continued his cold laughter, now in complete control of Nagato!
"These eyes actually belong to Lord Madara. You were merely a tool to nurture the Rinnegan and execute his plans!"
"You—"
Nagato gritted his teeth in anger, but strangely, he found Black Zetsu's restraints nearly impossible to break free from!
What Nagato didn't know was that Black Zetsu was also struggling. His Yin-Yang Release came from Kaguya, and even an Ōtsutsuki would find it difficult to resist a sneak attack.
Yet Nagato could still struggle, which made Black Zetsu uneasy.
Nevertheless, he focused on watching Kitagawa Minamoto while continuing to break Nagato's spirit, making him easier to control.
"I must say, you are somewhat unique. You possess both Uzumaki and Senju bloodlines, which is why you were chosen."
"Lord Madara feared that after his death, the Rinnegan would lose their vitality, so he transplanted them into you when you were a child."
"Your bloodline ensured your chakra and life force were exceptionally abundant, allowing you to nurture these Rinnegan and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path..."
"To ensure you followed the correct path, I've been working tirelessly, manipulating your life from the shadows."
"Why do you think your parents died? Why do you think you and Yahiko were able to establish the first generation of the Akatsuki so smoothly?"
"All of this was my doing! And I must thank Danzō Shimura and Hanzō the Salamander for their alliance in pursuit of their own interests."
"This gave Obito and me the opportunity to eliminate all members of your first-generation Akatsuki. After all, only through this..."
"Would you experience pain, would you obediently do what we wanted you to do, would the current Akatsuki exist!"
Black Zetsu's words continued to torment Nagato, causing his eyes to widen in disbelief.
Not just Nagato, but everyone nearby was shocked. They had no idea Nagato's past was so intricately manipulated!
"This guy's entire life was pre-written by someone else?"
Such a tragic fate weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, especially now that they knew the "truth of the world." They felt a strange empathy.
After all, their own lives had been arranged by the Sage of Six Paths, but Nagato's existence seemed even more tragic.
"What are you talking about?!"
Nagato felt like he was suffocating, not just from Black Zetsu's physical control, but from the devastating revelations!
"You damned creature, stop your nonsense!"
"This is the reality."
Black Zetsu shook his head, laughing darkly as he continued:
"Everything about you was manipulated. The Rinnegan, your destiny—did you truly believe you were a god walking among mortals?"
"I'm sorry to say, you were never a god. Your reality was merely that of our pawn!"
"Your purpose for existing was only to protect the Rinnegan, nurture the Demonic Statue, and..."
"Resurrect Madara Uchiha!"
Black Zetsu's words were pushing Nagato to the brink of mental collapse. He could never have imagined such a devastating truth.
It was completely unacceptable to him!
He clenched his teeth, his Rinnegan filled with suppressed rage. Suddenly, he looked toward Kitagawa Minamoto.
"Kill me! I will never accept any of this. Kill me now!"
"Minamoto, can you act?"
Tobirama Senju frowned deeply, whispering urgently:
"We absolutely cannot let him resurrect Madara Uchiha. This must not happen!"
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid it's already too late..."
Black Zetsu's raspy voice sounded again, this time filled with unmistakable triumph.
"If you had acted earlier, I might not have been able to control Nagato. But now everything is too late, because..."
"You've misunderstood something. If I had truly wanted to act, you wouldn't have lasted this long."
However, at that moment, Kitagawa Minamoto interrupted Black Zetsu with a shake of his head and a smile.
Then, with a penetrating gaze at Black Zetsu, Obito, and the others, he began to laugh.
"Do you remember a question I once asked you? Did you really think this so-called 'evolution' was exactly what you imagined it to be?"
"What do you mean?"
Obito's expression immediately grew serious, while Black Zetsu's face suddenly changed.
In that moment, he realized with horror that Nagato's power was growing stronger, as if he couldn't control him at all!
"And most crucially..."
Kitagawa Minamoto continued smiling as he spoke, his gaze now fixed on Obito.
"Did you truly believe this power belonged to you?"
"Ahhh!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Nagato let out a roar of fury.
The black markings on his body intensified, and a horn even sprouted from his forehead!
He gasped for breath while grabbing the Black Zetsu attached to him. His eyes had taken on a cruel gleam.
"Indeed, this power doesn't belong to you at all, inferior beings..."
"Inferior beings?"
Obito reacted instantly to this term, while Black Zetsu was filled with terror, discovering he could no longer move!
But before he could think further, "Nagato" spoke again:
"And also, thank you. Otherwise..."
"I wouldn't have been able to emerge so quickly!"
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