Chapter 52 – Return to the Village
After enjoying a few days of top-tier food and hospitality at Kirigakure, Hatake Kyūjō finally left the village, carrying with him two tailed beasts—Isobu, the Three-Tails, and Saiken, the Six-Tails.
However, his next destination wasn't Sunagakure, the last of the Five Great Villages he hadn't visited yet. Instead, Kyūjō turned his path toward the closer destination—Amegakure, the Hidden Rain Village.
There were no tailed beasts sealed in that land, true. But Kyūjō had his eyes on something else: the Rinnegan, which had already awakened in Nagato.
More importantly, he suspected that the ever-loyal "shadow child"—Black Zetsu—might be lurking somewhere near Nagato. After all, the Rinnegan was a key piece in the resurrection of their "mother," Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. There was no way Black Zetsu would leave it unattended.
For that reason alone, it was worth checking.
But despite traveling for half a month to reach the Land of Rain, Kyūjō found… nothing.
No sign of Nagato. No trace of Black Zetsu. Not even the slightest hint of Konan or Yahiko.
The reason was obvious.
His actions—gathering Bijū openly and causing waves across every major village—had spooked Black Zetsu. Rumors were already spreading that Kyūjō was the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths. If that were true, then Black Zetsu would absolutely view him as a threat and retreat from Amegakure entirely.
Realizing this, Kyūjō didn't linger. He immediately redirected his journey toward the border, heading straight for Sunagakure.
Let Black Zetsu hide all he wants.
Kyūjō had no intention of wasting precious time chasing shadows in the shinobi world. He had already secured nearly all the tailed beasts. And if Black Zetsu still wanted to revive Kaguya, then sooner or later, they'd have to confront each other.
As for Hanzo the Salamander—the so-called "Demi-God of the Shinobi World"—Kyūjō had no interest in meeting him.
Hanzo was too cautious, the exact opposite of someone like A, the hot-headed Fourth Raikage. Given Kyūjō's current reputation as the Sage's reincarnation, it was impossible that Hanzo would pick a fight like in the original timeline.
And since the Land of Rain had no Bijū to begin with, there was no reason to waste any more time flexing strength.
— — —
That day, just as Kyūjō crossed the border from the Land of Rain into the Wind Country, a blinding white light shot across the sky.
Moments later, a figure descended from the heavens—an old man dressed in a flowing white cloak over black robes, holding a dark staff in his hand.
Kyūjō studied the man floating before him. Pale gray skin. Horns protruding from his forehead. Eyes bearing concentric ripple patterns, filled with ancient wisdom.
There was no need for introductions. Kyūjō already knew who this was.
— — —
And yet, even when the so-called "false reincarnation" stood face to face with the original holder of the title, Hatake Kyūjō remained composed, completely unshaken.
He looked the old man straight in the eye and calmly spoke.
"Sage of Six Paths—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo. You took longer than I expected."
Hagoromo examined Kyūjō closely. After a brief silence, he slowly shook his head and responded.
"It seems I've slept too long… The shinobi world has changed much. You know who I am, but your aura… you're not of this world, are you? Were you too born from the stars?"
Kyūjō glanced up at the sky, then exhaled softly and answered with quiet weight.
"So what if I was? So what if I wasn't? I've lived in this world long enough, formed bonds, made choices. Does where I come from still matter?"
"Sage of Six Paths, aren't you already dead? What are you doing meddling with this world again? Just stay a spectator. Let me protect the shinobi world."
With that, Kyūjō turned and rose into the sky, flying toward Sunagakure without sparing another glance.
To him, Hagoromo's appearance was no surprise. But from the beginning, the ancient sage had never been part of his plans.
His path was already clear. The presence or absence of the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't change anything.
Unless, of course, Hagoromo decided to fight him.
Even then, Kyūjō would not back down.
The strong had every right to act freely.
— — —
Watching Kyūjō's form fade into the distance, Hagoromo smiled softly.
Though he didn't know every detail of Kyūjō's story, he could guess much of it. That was enough to understand the young man's "impudence."
But something else startled him even more...
From Kyūjō's body, he felt a familiar pulse. The Light-Weight Rock Technique that allowed him to fly carried a distinct energy signature.
Sage Mode.
And not just any. There was a faint aroma… of Mount Myōboku.
Remembering that, Hagoromo thought of an old friend he hadn't seen in ages—Gamamaru, the wise elder toad of Myōboku.
With a flicker of thought, the Sage of Six Paths vanished.
— — —
Half a month later, Hatake Kyūjō had finished sealing all the tailed beasts—from the One-Tail to the Eight-Tails—into his own body.
The whole process went far faster than originally planned, all thanks to a certain gift.
From Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, he'd acquired a special technique that drastically increased his travel speed.
Upon returning to the Hidden Leaf Village, the reception he received was... overwhelming.
In just one month since his departure, this so-called "New Generation Shinobi God" had brought the world's power to its knees.
Who among the Konoha shinobi could dare show him anything but respect?
Even the once-arrogant Uchiha clan had toned down their usual swagger. The incidents of them bullying civilians had come to a halt. And public opinion toward them had begun to soften.
In short, Kyūjō's journey hadn't just conquered the outer villages—it had stabilized Konoha from the inside.
Soon after his return, Kyūjō removed the Nine-Tails' chakra from Kushina and sealed it into himself.
Then, just like before, he returned to his usual ways—a lone wolf who rarely left home.
He buried himself in studying the ancient scroll of forbidden techniques he'd obtained earlier.
Most of the jutsu within it were no longer useful to him, but a few techniques still piqued his interest.
Among them:
Flying Thunder God Technique — a space-time ninjutsu pioneered by Tobirama Senju.
Eight Gates Release Technique — a method that trades one's life for unparalleled physical power.
— — —
Holding the scroll in his hands, Kyūjō couldn't help but let out a low murmur of admiration.
"I won't deny it… Tobirama Senju was a true genius."
"To create something like Edo Tensei—a jutsu that brings back the dead to fight for him... now that's genius."
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