Prejudice is like a towering mountain in one's heart.
No matter how hard you try, you cannot move it.
Kitagawa Minamoto didn't fully grasp the depth of this idea before, but now he felt he understood it well. Just look at the reaction of the "Rabbit Goddess" herself.
"I can understand how upset you are about being sealed by those two," Kitagawa Minamoto spoke with some frustration, sensing that this conversation wasn't going well. "But you can't just blame everything on them—especially the Sage of Six Paths."
"Hmph, what kind of parent treats their children like that?" Kaguya Ōtsutsuki didn't enjoy talking much; she preferred silent observation. But now, she seemed irritated, and her words flowed more freely.
"Not even sparing their souls in the Pure Land—forcing them to reincarnate through Chakra again and again, endlessly fighting."
"Well..."
"Even letting them be worn down through such reincarnations—is that really what a father should do?"
"Could it be that they volunteered?"
"Volunteered? Hmph. Allowing them to act like that, letting hatred accumulate between brothers—whose fault is that?"
"Uh, didn't you all fight to the point of shaking the heavens back then?"
"At least I won. I wouldn't let them endure such millennia-long suffering through cycles of reincarnation."
"..."
Kitagawa Minamoto rubbed his temples, feeling at a loss for words. It seemed that, in Kaguya's eyes, everything was "Hagoromo's fault!"
But Minamoto quickly realized they weren't even discussing this topic originally.
"I wasn't talking to you about that kid's eyes—why did you suddenly steer the conversation here?"
"It was just a passing thought," Kaguya shook her head, while Minamoto's expression turned strange as he replied.
"Let's not dwell on these irrelevant things. They're just special cases, but they're still themselves. What I care about is Sasuke's eyes."
"I've already given you the answer—what more do you want to ask?" Kaguya seemed to regain some of her composure, her tone returning to its usual coldness.
"Time has worn down the part of his bloodline that belongs to us. Just replenish the other half of the power, and it will be fine."
"I see. It seems this procedure is going to be quite complex." Kitagawa Minamoto stroked his chin thoughtfully. Kaguya's explanation matched his own speculation.
The Uchiha's eyes weren't something that could be simply replaced; they likely required extraction of power from another pair of eyes, or perhaps complete fusion of two pairs of eyes, ensuring their energy wouldn't be lost in the purest way possible.
But all of this would require careful exploration before arriving at a definitive solution.
"Hmm?"
Just as Minamoto was deep in thought, two ANBU suddenly appeared before him and spoke respectfully.
"Lord... Lord Minamoto, the Third Hokage requests your presence in the Hokage's office. Sasuke and Naruto are also invited to come along."
"Oh? What's the matter now?" Minamoto blinked in curiosity and asked casually. One of the ANBU answered without hesitation.
"Lord, there's been an incident in Sunagakure."
"Huh? Sunagakure?"
"Yes. They've been attacked by the Akatsuki, and even the Kazekage..."
"Got it. Thank you for your efforts. We'll head over right away."
Minamoto was genuinely surprised. Despite their prior warnings, how did Sunagakure still end up in trouble? Not to mention, Deidara hadn't even officially joined Akatsuki yet. He was still preparing for the Fourth Tsuchikage position, wasn't he?
But Minamoto didn't dwell on it too much. He turned and quickly led Sasuke and Naruto to the Hokage's office.
The office was already packed with people. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Sakumo Hatake were whispering among themselves. Minato Namikaze and his wife stood with Kakashi and Rin Nohara, though Rin still seemed a bit uneasy. Hashirama and Tobirama Senju had arrived earlier, their expressions, along with the Third Hokage's, looking rather grave.
"Minamoto, you're here."
As soon as Minamoto entered, everyone stopped what they were doing. Tobirama Senju immediately spoke up.
"Fifth Hokage, have you heard about the situation in Sunagakure?"
"..."
Minamoto felt awkward hearing this, and glanced at the Third Hokage. Naruto, meanwhile, widened his eyes and stared at Minamoto—was he not even pretending anymore?
"I've heard about Sunagakure's situation," seeing that the Third Hokage didn't react, Minamoto decided to speak plainly. "But I don't know the specifics. I only heard that someone from Akatsuki took action, and Gaara seems to have been involved. Other than that..."
"That's basically correct," Jiraiya spoke up, rubbing his temples as he explained. "Akatsuki's Sasori launched a solo attack on Sunagakure. You know he was originally a candidate for Kazekage, so he's particularly familiar with Sunagakure. And..."
"According to our intel, it seems he has some spies within Sunagakure," Kakashi naturally picked up the conversation, sighing as he continued. "With inside help, the Fifth Kazekage was caught off guard. He's been captured, and Sunagakure has requested our assistance."
"I see." Minamoto nodded. He wasn't surprised that Sasori had more than one spy in Sunagakure besides Yūra. As Jiraiya had said, if Sasori hadn't defected, he would have been the next Kazekage without question.
But these "candidate Kage" types all seemed to have peculiar quirks—they always ended up defecting. Just look at Orochimaru. Or Sasori. And even Deidara, as Minamoto recalled...
"So, what now? Should we send reinforcements?" Minamoto was still pondering when Tobirama Senju directly asked him. This caught Minamoto off guard.
"Ask me? Aren't you..."
"You're the Fifth Hokage," Tobirama replied bluntly, and even Minato Namikaze, who had just "adjusted to normalcy" and familiarized himself with the current situation, nodded in agreement.
"It's time for you to make the decision, Minamoto."
"Alright then..." Minamoto chuckled. These guys were really eager to push him into the spotlight.
But recalling his last unpleasant experience in Sunagakure, Minamoto suddenly had an idea.
"For this mission, Kakashi-sensei, I'll have to trouble you."
"No problem." Kakashi was more than happy to follow Minamoto's orders. After all, his student becoming Hokage was a source of pride for him.
"I'll take Naruto and Sasuke with me."
"Wait, missions are carried out in four-person teams. Why just the three of you?" Minamoto immediately shook his head, speaking seriously.
"Sakumo-senpai, I hope you can accompany Kakashi-sensei on this mission."
"Huh?" Sakumo Hatake was taken aback, pointing incredulously at himself.
"Lord Fifth Hokage, me?"
"Yes." Minamoto nodded, speaking with heartfelt emotion. "Actually, senpai, I've always wanted to thank you because Kakashi-sensei entrusted your sword to me."
"Lord Fifth, there's no need for that," Sakumo Hatake immediately shook his head. He had heard about this from Kakashi.
"That sword having you as its master is its honor. Besides, Kakashi doesn't use a sword anymore, so it was the best choice."
"And because of that sword, I was unexpectedly regarded as the new White Fang," Minamoto continued with apparent gratitude, looking at the father and son. "In fact, when Kakashi-sensei and I were on a mission in Sunagakure, we even encountered Chiyo..."
"..."
Kakashi fell silent. He certainly remembered Chiyo's deranged attack on them. He also recalled how Minamoto had teased him using the "White Fang" title.
"I understand. I'll go with Kakashi," Sakumo Hatake immediately grasped the situation, and felt he had no reason to refuse.
"I'm quite familiar with Sunagakure, and going on a mission with Kakashi has always been a dream of mine. I'll prepare thoroughly."
"Thank you for your efforts," Minamoto smiled and nodded. The opponent was Sasori, and undoubtedly his teammate would be Chiyo. Having Sakumo Hatake handle this situation couldn't be more appropriate!
"Then it's settled," Tobirama Senju nodded decisively, though he still added a reminder. "Although there's only one confirmed enemy for now, with possible reinforcements later, my brother and I will stand by as backup."
"That's fine. If there's any real trouble, I'll step in myself," Minamoto replied with a smile. He definitely wouldn't go personally this time.
Unless a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan made a move, or someone like Nagato or Madara Uchiha appeared, it simply wasn't worth his effort to intervene.
Besides, with Kaguya now accompanying him, he naturally wanted to maximize her value!
"It seems you're the decision-maker in this so-called 'ninja village,'" as others chatted about mission details or the upcoming "Three Kage Summit," Kaguya's voice quietly emerged.
"But why does that person also have a familiar energy within him? Though it's almost dissipated, I..."
"Enough with the wild guesses. Some things might not be what you think," Minamoto felt a headache coming on hearing her voice. This woman was always making conjectures.
Though they sounded reasonable, he knew how absurd they truly were. If this continued, the Sage of Six Paths' reputation would be beyond salvation!
Though, to be fair, it already seemed nearly ruined...
"Whatever you say. I'll remember everything Hagoromo has done," Kaguya's voice remained flat, then she continued. "Didn't you want to prove you defeated Isshiki and Urashiki? Do you know where their Kāma are?"
"I know some details, but they're terrified of me, and Isshiki's Kāma possesses spatial dōjutsu," Minamoto understood Kaguya's concerns, but he wasn't particularly worried. After thinking for a moment, he replied with a smile.
"Capturing him isn't so easy. Besides, I mentioned earlier that I needed your help—did you forget?"
"I remember," Kaguya nodded, though she remained deeply puzzled. "But what exactly do you want me to help with? Is it combat or..."
"Combat is for later, since you can't leave the seal right now," Minamoto smiled casually. "Besides, you can't avoid future battles anyway. No one is likely to forgive what you've done."
"Then what kind of help are you asking for?"
"Remember I told you that after defeating Urashiki, I condensed his energy into a 'pill' and preserved his body?"
"So..."
"I want to ask you a question: when you ambushed Isshiki back then, was that half of his body alive or dead?"
Minamoto's question left Kaguya momentarily stunned before she responded in shock.
"You... how do you know about that?"
"I extracted Chakra from his Kāma to investigate, so I naturally learned quite a bit," Minamoto smiled, speaking casually. "So you haven't answered my question. Was he..."
"I see now. No wonder you preserved Urashiki's body," before Minamoto could finish, Kaguya spoke again. "I think I understand your purpose."
"Oh?"
"You want to use Urashiki's body to cultivate the Divine Tree, don't you?"
"That's right..."
"Then do you have the Ten-Tails? And where have you chosen to plant it?"
"I'll resolve these issues..."
"It couldn't be here, could it?"
"?"
"If that's truly the case, then you're a worthy Ōtsutsuki indeed."
"..."
Meanwhile, within the Akatsuki hideout, Madara Uchiha, Obito, and Black Zetsu had gathered once again.
"Sasori has succeeded," Obito looked at the report in his hand and spoke dispassionately. "Now only the Three-Tails remains, though that one will be troublesome."
"Don't worry about the Three-Tails. Didn't I mention that Konoha is organizing a Kage Summit?" Black Zetsu seemed confident about this, speaking in a low voice. "This is an excellent opportunity, especially since they're not holding it in Konoha."
"You mean to intercept the Three-Tails en route?" Obito asked with uncertainty, but Black Zetsu shook his head.
"The Fourth Mizukage probably won't attend this time—he'll likely stay in the village. And since the venue isn't in Konoha, it means..."
"You can safely enter Konoha to investigate matters concerning the Sage of Six Paths' brother?" Madara Uchiha immediately understood Black Zetsu's intention, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Indeed, this is an opportunity. We can clarify many things."
"So, should we use this chance to declare war?" Obito pondered for a moment before asking quietly. "The 'Eye of the Moon Plan' should move forward now. After all, we've collected the Tailed Beast Chakra, and the Edo Tensei forces and White Zetsu army are nearly ready, so..."
Obito's words plunged Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu into silence. They both instinctively looked at him.
Madara was contemplating how to find "the Sage of Six Paths' brother's relic" to discover what was missing.
Black Zetsu was thinking about how to delay the "Eye of the Moon Plan" to protect his mother from harm.
Neither of them wanted to proceed with everything right now, but Obito's enthusiasm far exceeded their expectations.
"Hmm?"
Obito's expression turned awkward as he looked at the two and asked in confusion.
"What's wrong with you two? Why aren't you saying anything?"
"..."
In the vastness of space, two figures stood silently before a blue planet.
"So this is the place," looking at the planet before him, Momoshiki revealed a smile. "It was quite difficult to find, but our timing is perfect!"
As he spoke, the Chakra within his body rippled slightly, and in the next moment, he moved forward.
"Let's go, Kinshiki."
"Let's see what secrets this planet is hiding!" ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
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