Next Bonus, 100PS!!
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The Hagoromo clan head and Uchiha Sa stepped forward from opposite sides and sat down at the stone table.
The two clan heads had the presence of warlords who had survived a harsh era. Their stares were intense, and the air felt tense around them.
Standing by the table, Senju Tsuru kept his face blank and his back straight. He met both clan heads' eyes calmly, showing no panic. He acted just as Black Zetsu had taught him.
Uchiha Sa glanced at Tsuru for a moment, then looked over at the Hagoromo clan head.
"It's been a while, Clan Head Sa!" The Hagoromo clan head forced out a smile and broke the silence first.
Uchiha Sa nodded slightly. "Let's skip the small talk. We need to settle the battle plan quickly. If the Senju find out, this whole surprise attack is ruined."
"Agreed!"
The Hagoromo clan head nodded seriously. He lowered his voice and started discussing the details of the Senju ambush with Uchiha Sa.
Beside them, Tsuru listened in silence, and his heart sank.
So the Uchiha and Hagoromo were not attacking Kikyō Mountain according to the expected battlefield layout. They had changed the plan in secret and were preparing a surprise attack on the Senju.
His father was probably still guarding Kikyō Mountain, unaware of the deadly trap closing in.
Thinking about it made Tsuru anxious, and even his fingertips began to shake.
"Tsuru, don't panic." Black Zetsu's calm voice spoke in his mind at just the right moment. "While they're busy talking, act like you're stepping back as an attendant. Move slowly toward the back, then run when you get the chance."
Tsuru kept his face calm. He slowly stepped back, acting like a servant leaving the conversation as he edged toward the back of the canyon.
The Hagoromo clan head and Uchiha Sa were focused on their plans. Neither noticed this "irrelevant minor figure," so no one stopped him.
Tsuru felt quietly relieved.
It was working. Just a few more steps and he'd be safe.
But just as he was about to slip back into the crowd—
The Hagoromo clan head suddenly raised his eyes and called out, "Hey, you there. Uchiha boy. Come pour Clan Head Sa and me some water."
The canyon went silent.
Uchiha Sa's brow snapped down. "Isn't he one of your Hagoromo?"
The Hagoromo clan head stared at her, stunned. "What? I thought he was an attendant your Uchiha sent ahead!"
In that moment, both of them understood.
Uchiha Sa's eyes grew cold, and her killing intent filled the air.
A moment later, she sent chakra through her body, and her scarlet Sharingan lit up.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU??" Uchiha Sa's full power burst out as she shouted.
"Run! Run now!!"
Black Zetsu's voice detonated inside Tsuru's mind.
........
Mount Myōboku
Inside the great hall, Manji stood with his hands clasped behind his back, faint sage light circling him. After hearing White Zetsu's report, he frowned.
"You couldn't find Karasuki?" Manji asked.
"Yes, Grand Sage."
"We searched every known location. All White Zetsu clones spread across the earth were mobilized, but none found any trace of the object you described." White Zetsu lowered his head with deep respect.
"I see..." Manji's brow tightened, thought flashing through his eyes. "Good. Go rest."
"As you command."
White Zetsu bowed respectfully, then his body faded into white as he withdrew from the hall without a sound.
In the huge Grand Sage Hall, Manji was soon alone again. Only the faint sound of mountain wind drifting through the building remained.
Manji stood with his hands behind his back, deep in thought.
"Did Kaguya hide Karasuki inside her core dimension? Or did she destroy it herself?"
He stood in the hall, murmuring to himself as he considered every possibility.
By now, he had learned and mastered most ninjutsu and Sage Arts in the world. But the secret arts for traveling between dimensions were still out of reach.
He had invented the Flying Thunder God Technique hundreds of years ago.
The Sage Mist Body Flicker was an advanced form of Flying Thunder God.
The Sage Body Flicker allowed instant movement, but only within the same space. It was not true cross-dimensional travel.
What Manji really wanted was power like Yomotsu Hirasaka or Amenominaka—the ability to tear open space at will and move freely between dimensions.
"If Kaguya really hid the time-space turtle Karasuki inside her core dimension, then with my current methods, I truly can't reach it..."
Manji sighed, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
He had spent so much effort searching for Karasuki for two reasons.
First, he feared this time-space treasure would be discovered by later generations and used by someone with bad intentions to throw the world into chaos.
Second, he wanted to study Karasuki's unique traits in reverse and use them to develop a true ultimate technique for controlling space and time.
"But now, where do I even begin looking...?" Manji raised a hand and rubbed his chin.
He wanted to subdue the juvenile Ten-Tails, but Isshiki had hidden it in a dimension no one could reach.
He wanted to find Karasuki, but that search had turned up nothing.
After a moment's thought, an idea came to him. "Maybe Karasuki isn't hidden in another dimension. Perhaps it's still somewhere on this earth, in a place only Kaguya knows..."
A new possibility came to mind.
Perhaps he could use special means to summon a powerless Kaguya to Mount Myōboku and ask her directly where Karasuki was. That might give him a breakthrough.
With his current methods, Manji could "Revive" Kaguya.
But the revived Kaguya would have no power, no Ōtsutsuki bloodline—only the body of an ordinary human woman.
Then Manji hesitated again, fingers lightly rubbing his chin. "But would Kaguya really tell me where Karasuki is?"
He stood in silence for a while. Then his brow relaxed, and determination showed in his eyes.
There was no need to hesitate anymore.
Manji nodded.
Since searching for Karasuki had failed, he would summon Kaguya directly and ask her where the secret treasure was.
Even if he found out that Kaguya had hidden Karasuki in an unreachable dimension or destroyed it long ago, he could just send Kaguya back safely afterward. He had nothing to lose.
More importantly, he was not summoning the complete Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
He would only summon Kaguya herself.
What appeared before him would be a powerless civilian woman with no chakra and no combat ability.
No Rinne Sharingan. No Amenominaka. No terrifying pressure.
That version of Kaguya posed no threat to him at all. There was nothing to fear.
"The only problem is... what should I say when I see her?" Manji narrowed his eyes.
If Kaguya refused to cooperate no matter what, he would just lock her back up.
If she told him...
Then, after using her, he could take the chance to ask about Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's dimension, or the whereabouts of Ōtsutsuki Shibai's remains.
And once he was done using her, he would lock her back up anyway.
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