Two days later.
The squad led by Jiraiya had returned.
But one person was missing.
—Sarutobi Asuma.
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was extremely heavy.
Jiraiya stood before Tsunade, looking disheveled, his clothes covered in dirt and dried blood. His usual joking demeanor was completely gone.
"When we reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, the Akatsuki sent someone to take over."
Jiraiya's voice was hoarse and low.
"Asuma... died at the hands of an immortal Missing-Nin from Yugakure."
Tsunade sat behind her desk, hands crossed supporting her chin. After a long silence, she said slowly:
"Protect the last remaining blood of the old man then."
"What about the others?"
Tsunade asked again.
"Although the others were all injured to some extent, fortunately nothing fatal..."
Jiraiya took a deep breath, somewhat self-deprecatingly. "In the end, we owe it to the Nine-Tails inside Naruto."
Tsunade closed her eyes and was silent for a moment. "I see."
After letting out a long breath, Tsunade opened her eyes again. "You go rest too. This isn't your fault."
Jiraiya nodded and turned to leave the office.
The Ino-Shika-Cho team was deeply devastated by this incident.
Shikamaru stood in the hospital corridor, leaning against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.
Ino and Choji stood beside him, not knowing what to say.
When Makoto heard about this, he showed an 'I knew it' expression.
When he saw that Tsunade had dispatched a team consisting of Asuma and Konoha's two gatekeepers, he had guessed this outcome.
But Makoto didn't sympathize much.
He was just a little regretful.
He remembered that when he was with Kurenai, he liked to put a photo of Asuma on the bedside table, letting Asuma have a little participation.
Although Kurenai didn't know why, since her young man liked it, it was fine. And she herself didn't know why, but seeing Asuma in the photo also made her strangely more excited.
…
A few days later.
Night fell.
The streets of Konoha Village had fewer pedestrians. From the izakaya came occasional discussions about Asuma's death.
Makoto stood alone on the cliff edge behind the Ninja World Government Mountain, looking up at the full moon in the night sky.
Behind him came the faint sound of moving earth.
A black shadow emerged from the ground.
"Sasuke has successfully joined the Akatsuki."
Black Zetsu's voice was low as he spoke.
Makoto didn't look back. He shook his crossed leg and asked:
"And then?"
"According to the plan, we will let Sasuke grow for a few years. Once he has the strength to capture Tailed Beasts, we will formally act."
Black Zetsu's beady eyes stared at the back of Makoto.
"Regarding Nagato, we are still working on him. He remains suspicious of Obito, but it shouldn't affect the overall plan."
Makoto nodded.
"Fine. Sasuke needs to grow, and my wives need to grow as well. Then the Akatsuki will capture the Tailed Beasts, and I will lead Konoha in launching the Fourth Great Ninja War. It's settled."
Black Zetsu was silent for a moment, then spoke again:
"Then you must at least hand over the One-Tail to us when the time comes. The Tailed Beasts must be sealed in order from One-Tail to Nine-Tails."
Makoto blinked and answered ambiguously: "We'll talk about it then."
Black Zetsu frowned but didn't press further.
However, Black Zetsu did not know the hesitation in Makoto's heart.
To be honest, if this plan was carried out, he would have to hand over those two kids, Naruto and Gaara.
Makoto was still a bit hesitant about this.
After all, those two kids had suffered quite a bit.
Although Makoto didn't consider himself a good person, he still felt a little reluctant.
Okay, while all the Jinchuriki had suffered, he didn't know those other people, so of course he didn't care about them.
But he had a decent relationship with Naruto, and he couldn't quite bear to send him to his death.
"Hancock-sensei, we're here for our lesson."
Just then, the voice of Hanabi came from the courtyard outside the gate.
Makoto turned his head. Through the windows of the government palace, he could see two white figures standing in the courtyard.
Hanabi, wearing a light training outfit, bowed to Hancock.
"Excuse, excuse me..."
Then came a more timid voice, that of Hinata.
Hinata wore a light purple coat over a fishnet top, outlining her slender, just-budding figure. Her face was red, like a little rabbit.
Hancock stood in the center of the courtyard, arms crossed, looking somewhat impatient.
"Mm."
She clicked her tongue, responding reluctantly.
Although she didn't like teaching, since Makoto had asked, she couldn't refuse.
Hearing the Hyuga sisters' voices, Makoto suddenly remembered something. He turned to Black Zetsu and asked:
"Do you know about something called the Tenseigan?"
A look of confusion appeared on Black Zetsu's face again.
He remembered that the Tenseigan was the power possessed by his brother, Otsutsuki Hamura.
But after Hamura moved with his clan to the moon, the Tenseigan had disappeared from this world.
'People only knew of the existence of the Rinnegan... there were no records of the Tenseigan.'
'How did this guy know about this?'
But since Makoto had already brought up his mother Kaguya, Black Zetsu felt that knowing about the Tenseigan wasn't that surprising anymore.
"The last person to possess the Tenseigan was Hamura."
Black Zetsu nodded, his tone regaining its calm. "Why do you ask?"
Makoto raised his thumb and pointed towards the Hyuga sisters outside the window.
"Do you think there's a possibility of them awakening it?"
Without even glancing at Hinata and Hanabi, Black Zetsu responded directly:
"Impossible."
His tone was firm, without a moment's hesitation.
The conditions for evolving the Tenseigan were extremely harsh, no less than those for the Rinnegan.
Then, Black Zetsu and Makoto discussed in detail the situation of the younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths… Otsutsuki Hamura's lineage.
Back then, when Hamura led his clan away from this planet to guard the moon, where Otsutsuki Kaguya and the Gedo Statue were sealed, he left a tenth of his descendants on Earth.
That was the current Hyuga Clan.
This situation was somewhat similar to the Sage of Six Paths' two descendants, Indra and Asura.
One inherited the Yin attribute, the other the Yang attribute.
And the two lineages of Hamura that remained on the moon and on Earth respectively inherited his two powers… body and eyes.
The descendants of Hamura on the moon inherited his powerful physical strength.
While the Hyuga Clan on Earth inherited his eyes.
Just as awakening the Rinnegan requires the fusion of the blood of Indra and Asura's reincarnations…
To awaken the Tenseigan, one needs the fusion of the body of the clan on the moon and the eyes of the Hyuga Clan on Earth, and they must be the purest body and purest eyes.
That is, the Otsutsuki Toneri and Hyuga sisters of the original work.
In the Movie Version, Toneri, as a direct bloodline of Hamura, fused the Byakugan of Hanabi, the heiress of the Hyuga main family with the highest purity, thereby evolving the Tenseigan.
And Makoto also thought of this point.
Conversely, if Hinata and Hanabi could obtain Toneri's cells, they might also be able to awaken the Tenseigan.
This is the same principle as Madara transplanting Hashirama's cells to awaken the Rinnegan, but conversely, if Hashirama had transplanted Madara's Eternal Mangekyo, he would also have been able to awaken the Rinnegan.
"But although the Tenseigan's combat ability is comparable to the Rinnegan, it has a major drawback."
Black Zetsu's voice carried a hint of disdain. "It cannot cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
That was precisely why the possessor of the Tenseigan could not serve as a vessel to revive his mother.
Therefore, Black Zetsu, the thousand-year-old schemer, had never paid attention to the situation of Hamura's descendants.
Makoto looked at Black Zetsu with an ambiguous smile. "So, you know how to get to the moon, right?"
Black Zetsu felt that this guy Makoto was up to no good.
But in the end, he told Makoto what he knew.
After all, for the current plan to revive his mother, the other party's power was essential.