"Yes, Mother."
Now that there was a way forward, Black Zetsu finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
He had not expected his mother to still have a backup plan, but this was an unexpected blessing.
All he needed to do now was quietly gather the Shinigami and the Evil God.
Then he could revive his mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Perfect.
With a sharp sound, Black Zetsu vanished from the moon.
"The shinobi world has changed after all…"
Watching Black Zetsu leave, Kaguya, still sealed within the hidden dimension, let out a faint sigh.
Originally, everything had been within her grasp.
Now, plans had failed to keep up with change.
Too many things had slipped beyond her control.
Those two unfilial sons, Hagoromo and Hamura, were truly useless. They could not even handle the most basic matters properly.
And when Kaguya thought of the Ōtsutsuki main family discovering Earth, even she felt a headache coming.
Others might not understand the strength of the Ōtsutsuki main family.
But she did.
After all, she was a traitor from that very clan.
If the main family truly descended upon Earth, even she might be suppressed with overwhelming force.
"Forget it. One step at a time."
After a long while, Kaguya shook her head.
For now, there was no point worrying too much.
She would let the so-called Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, stand at the front while she watched from behind.
Whatever came next, she would deal with it when it arrived.
At the same time—
inside a dimension near Earth.
"Our foolish third brother seems to have gone to ask Mother for help."
Hamura's eyes opened sharply.
"It seems Mother still has a backup plan."
"Hmph."
Hagoromo's expression shifted slightly before he snorted.
"If my guess is correct, Mother has also been scheming in secret."
"Does Mother still have a way to revive?"
Hamura shook his head.
"Eight of the nine tailed beasts are in Konoha. If our foolish third brother wants to revive the Ten-Tails and then revive Mother through it, that should be impossible."
"What if there is a third Ten-Tails?"
Hagoromo's words landed like thunder.
"What?"
Hamura could not help crying out.
A third Ten-Tails?
Was this some kind of joke?
If there really was a third Ten-Tails, Mother could have revived long ago. Why would she let Black Zetsu suffer in the shinobi world for so many years?
"Nothing is impossible."
Hagoromo sighed.
"If even Uchiha Ren can possess a Ten-Tails, then is it so strange for Mother to have had two?"
Hamura fell silent.
The thought made his scalp prickle.
If Kaguya truly had two Ten-Tails…
then did that mean even their betrayal back then had been something she deliberately allowed?
The more he thought about it, the colder he felt.
His soul almost trembled.
"Our mother is not as simple as we imagined."
A cold light passed through Hagoromo's deep Rinnegan.
"Since the shinobi world has become unpredictable, we will respond to change by remaining still."
"Good."
Hamura took a deep breath and nodded.
There was nothing more to say.
They had already betrayed their mother. There was no room for regret, and no path of retreat.
They could only continue forward.
All sides began to move.
As the two main factions of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Konoha's alliance and the alliance led by Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Otogakure started their final preparations.
After the forces of Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Otogakure began marching toward Konoha, the atmosphere across the shinobi world became tense and heavy.
Everyone understood.
The true Fourth Great Ninja War was about to begin.
The clash between the two sides could erupt at any moment, and the entire shinobi world trembled beneath that pressure.
Konoha.
Ever since accepting the war, the village's atmosphere had reached its peak.
After Uchiha Ren became the Fifth Hokage, Konoha had entered a period of explosive growth.
Its overall strength had risen at a visible speed.
However, because the Fifth Hokage was simply too powerful and ruthless, Konoha had gained terrifying strength but had no worthy opponent.
Even Kumogakure and Iwagakure had closed themselves off and avoided provoking Konoha.
Now, for some unknown reason, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Otogakure had lost their minds.
They had actually declared war on Konoha and even boasted that they would defeat it.
For countless Konoha shinobi, this was exactly what they had been waiting for.
Finally, there would be a battle.
It had not been easy.
Because war was approaching, elite forces from Amegakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Takigakure, the Land of Demons, and other allied powers had already arrived in Konoha.
Officially, they were here to participate in the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Ren silently allowed it.
After all, the shinobi alliance of Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Otogakure was nothing more than a collection of small fry.
What he truly cared about was Madara and the Edo Tensei army.
In truth, after the graves of Sunagakure and Kirigakure's previous Kage had been dug up, Ren already knew Madara, Black Zetsu, and the others were plotting something in the dark.
Once the war began, he would show Madara one simple truth.
Before absolute power, all schemes were useless.
At that moment—
inside the Hyūga Clan compound.
"Quickly, kneel before Lord Fifth Hokage."
Hiashi looked at Hinata and Hanabi standing in front of him. His old face was nearly split by his smile, and his voice trembled with excitement.
Ever since the meeting, when he learned that Uchiha Ren intended to evolve Hinata and Hanabi's Byakugan, Hiashi's heart had been filled with joy.
All he could think about was how terrifying his daughters would become once they possessed the Tenseigan.
Now, Lord Fifth Hokage had finally come to the Hyūga Clan.
"Yes, Father."
"Yes, Father."
Before Hiashi could even finish, Hinata and Hanabi knelt neatly on the ground.
Their bright eyes stared at the Fifth Hokage, filled with open admiration.
Hinata, especially, needed no explanation.
Ever since Uchiha Ren had saved her from the moon, she had treated him like the prince from a legend.
As for Hanabi, she had long been stunned by the Fifth Hokage's many deeds.
Now that she was finally seeing him in person, her heart trembled with excitement.
"Stand up."
Ren looked at Hinata and Hanabi, the corners of his lips rising slightly.
"The Fourth Great Ninja War is about to break out."
"I am evolving your Byakugan into Tenseigan so that you will have the strength to protect the Hyūga Clan."
"Do you understand?"
"Protect the Hyūga Clan?"
"Is the Tenseigan really that strong?"
Hanabi widened her pale eyes in surprise.
She had not expected the Fifth Hokage to place such expectations on them.
"Can I really do it?"
Hinata's cheeks flushed slightly, and her mind instinctively returned to what had happened on the moon.
The Tenseigan was indeed powerful.
But could she truly control it?
No.
She had to.
She could not betray Lord Fifth Hokage's expectations.
The next moment, Hinata clenched her small fists.
She was the girl chosen by Lord Fifth Hokage.
How could she fail at such an important moment?
It was only the Tenseigan.
As the eldest daughter of the Hyūga Clan, she refused to believe she could not master it.
Seeing this, Ren nodded in satisfaction.
Compared with the original story, this world had already changed beyond recognition.
Hinata and Hanabi's destinies had shifted completely.
At the very least—
Hinata would never become the Crown Princess.
The woman he had chosen was not someone another man could touch.
As for Uzumaki Naruto?
He could stay far away.
( I've launched a new book: Naruto x One Piece: Konoha's Mihawk.
A Konoha orphan with no clan, no bloodline, and no tailed beast awakens the sword path of Dracule Mihawk.
If you like Naruto crossovers, swordsmanship, Haki, systems, and slow-burn power growth, please check it out and add it to your library.)
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