"Otsutsuki Kaguya?" Minato repeated the name slowly, his voice carrying a note of recognition mixed with profound uncertainty.
This was indeed the first time he had ever encountered this particular name in any of his extensive studies of ninja history and ancient lore. While the ninja profession possessed a long and complex history stretching back many centuries, the earliest practitioners had operated primarily as individual families or small clans, working as hired mercenaries and taking on various missions as the foundation of their survival.
The era when ninja villages and organized ninja nations had become the dominant political structure was relatively recent in historical terms. The most prosperous and influential period had naturally begun after the First Hokage established Konoha, inspiring other nations to follow suit and create the system of five major ninja countries that defined the modern world.
As the very first human being to possess chakra, the name Otsutsuki Kaguya would likely be absent from most of the ancient texts and historical records that survived to the present day. Such distant history would have been passed down primarily through oral tradition and carefully guarded secrets.
"According to what is written on the stone tablet," Sasuke continued, his voice carrying the weight of terrible knowledge, "all chakra in the world originally belonged to the sacred tree."
He paused to ensure that Minato understood the full implications before continuing his revelation. "Kaguya gained unprecedented power and successfully ended the war that was consuming humanity. However, the historical record shows that mankind did not achieve lasting peace as a result of her intervention."
"On the contrary, the emergence of such a powerful force as chakra actually made the situation progressively worse over time."
The irony was devastating—the very power that had been intended to bring peace to the world had instead become the source of even greater conflicts and suffering.
"Kaguya had two sons, one of whom was named Otsutsuki Hagoromo," Sasuke explained, his voice growing more somber as he approached the most significant revelations.
"Both of her sons were born with the natural ability to manipulate chakra."
"This development caused the sacred tree, whose energy had been stolen, to experience something approaching panic, and it transformed itself into the Ten-Tails, unleashing tremendous disasters upon the world."
"The one who eventually sealed the Ten-Tails was the grown-up Otsutsuki Hagoromo."
At this point, Minato's eyes suddenly flickered with recognition as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.
"Otsutsuki Hagoromo... that explains everything," he murmured with growing understanding.
Sasuke nodded gravely and confirmed what Minato had already begun to suspect. "People of that era called him the Sage of Six Paths."
Minato possessed additional information about the Sage of Six Paths that had come from his conversations with the Nine-Tails, particularly regarding the two sons of the legendary figure and their ultimate fate.
Sasuke's expression at this moment showed deep contemplation, and it was clear that he had already noticed that the stone tablet contained detailed records about the two sons of the Sage of Six Paths and their respective descendants.
"The Sage of Six Paths seemed to have anticipated that the descendants of his two sons would continue the cycle of conflict and warfare that had plagued humanity," Sasuke continued with growing gravity.
"Therefore, at the conclusion of this stone tablet, there is described a method that could completely eliminate all fighting and conflict from the human world."
"A way to stop all conflict permanently?" Minato asked, his brow furrowing with deep concern.
Even the legendary Sage of Six Paths, with all of his incredible power and wisdom, had not been able to achieve such a goal during his own lifetime. If he truly possessed such a method, why hadn't he implemented it while he was still alive to oversee its execution?
Sasuke's face grew heavy with the burden of what he was about to reveal. "The method involves using the power of the Ten-Tails as a foundation, projecting one's enhanced ocular abilities onto the moon, and releasing a massive genjutsu that would encompass the entire world."
"Infinite Tsukuyomi," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Minato's expression underwent a dramatic transformation as the full horror of what Sasuke was describing became clear.
"The technique would cause everyone in the world to fall into a permanent state of illusion, thereby ensuring that all conflict and struggle would cease completely," Sasuke explained in a voice heavy with revulsion.
"This must be the plan that Madara intends to implement."
The revelation struck Minato like a physical blow as he realized the true scope of what they were facing. Madara had never intended to simply destroy the ninja world through conventional warfare. His goals were far more ambitious and terrifying than anyone had imagined.
Madara's ultimate objective was to use the Infinite Tsukuyomi to trap the entire world's population in a state of permanent illusion, effectively ending human consciousness and free will as they knew it.
At this moment, Sasuke found himself unconsciously imagining what Madara must have experienced when he first read these contents on the stone tablet. What kind of absolute despair would drive someone to decide that such a plan represented the only viable solution to humanity's problems?
The moment Madara had decided to rebel against his own village had marked the beginning of decades of hatred and suppression directed against the Uchiha clan by Konoha's leadership. The accumulated resentment and isolation would have been overwhelming for anyone to bear alone.
Minato stared intently at the stone tablet, also attempting to understand the psychological journey that had led Madara to embrace such a radical and destructive solution.
The First Hokage, who had been both Madara's greatest rival and closest friend, had known nothing about these plans or the despair that had driven them.
One person's crushing loneliness. One person's elaborate conspiracy. One person's descent into madness.
This was the true nature of Uchiha Madara—beneath his incomparable power lay a profound despair for the world and everything it represented.
However, Minato immediately rejected this approach in his mind with every fiber of his being. He turned to look at Sasuke and asked in a low, serious voice, "What are your thoughts about these revelations?"
Sasuke understood that Minato was testing both his comprehension and his moral judgment. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully before responding with conviction.
"Infinite Tsukuyomi can never bring genuine, permanent peace to this world," he declared firmly.
"Those who fall into such illusions might find temporary spiritual satisfaction and freedom from suffering, but they will eventually die as their physical bodies waste away from neglect."
"I will never allow his plan to succeed," Sasuke continued, his voice growing stronger with determination. "For the sake of my father, my mother, my brother, and our entire clan—for everyone who has suffered because of this endless cycle of hatred—I will stop him."
Minato recognized that Sasuke still harbored certain prejudices against the village leadership and its historical policies, particularly those established during the Second Hokage's tenure that had systematically marginalized the Uchiha clan.
He could understand these feelings completely. There had indeed been many unjust and discriminatory policies implemented against the Uchiha over the decades, creating legitimate grievances that couldn't simply be ignored or dismissed.
As Hokage, Minato was committed to changing this unfortunate status quo and restoring the Uchiha clan to the position of respect and integration they had enjoyed when Konoha was first established.
However, such fundamental social change could not be accomplished through the actions of a single individual, no matter how well-intentioned. It would require the combined efforts of the Uchiha clan and every member of the village working together toward mutual understanding.
Fortunately, this process of reconciliation had been showing quite promising results so far, giving Minato hope that lasting change was possible.
"This is very strange," Minato said suddenly, his voice carrying a note of growing confusion as he studied the ancient stone tablet.
"The Sage of Six Paths would never advocate for such a solution!"
"What do you mean?" the Nine-Tails asked from within Minato's consciousness, sensing his troubled thoughts and growing uncertainty.
"Because you told me yourself that the Sage of Six Paths founded the Ninja Sect and shared the knowledge of chakra manipulation with the world specifically in order to connect people's hearts and help everyone achieve mutual understanding," Minato explained.
"That's precisely why he chose his younger son to inherit his legacy before his death—because the younger son possessed different possibilities and believed deeply in the power of love to unite people."
Based on what the Nine-Tails had revealed during their previous conversations and what was now written on the stone tablet, it was clear that the Sage of Six Paths had selected his youngest son as his successor because the younger man's life experiences had led him to believe that love and compassion could truly connect people's hearts.
Compared to his elder son, who believed that power and strength were the ultimate solutions to human problems, the Sage of Six Paths had ultimately chosen to place his faith in a more hopeful but seemingly less tangible possibility.
This philosophical choice was remarkably similar to Minato's own decision to divide the Nine-Tails' chakra and seal a portion of it within Naruto's body, trusting in his son's potential to find a better way forward.
"So what's your point?" the Nine-Tails pressed, intrigued by Minato's line of reasoning.
Minato continued to stare at the stone tablet as he formulated his response. "The problem is that the contents of this stone tablet can only be interpreted by individuals who possess extremely powerful ocular abilities."
"This effectively means that after the Sage of Six Paths' death, the only people capable of reading the tablet's contents were his elder son and the subsequent descendants of that bloodline."
"But the information recorded on the tablet would only serve to intensify the conflict and deepen the elder son's prejudices against his younger brother and that branch of the family."
"Moreover, this approach of putting destruction before creation would ultimately lead to the complete extinction of all humanity. It directly contradicts everything the Sage of Six Paths worked toward throughout his life and the choice he made before his death."
Minato's voice grew more passionate as he continued his analysis. "He died with the fervent hope that the world would one day achieve mutual understanding and peace. How could he possibly have left behind such a dangerous method that would essentially guarantee his elder son or his descendants would eventually destroy the world according to the instructions recorded on the tablet?"
The logical inconsistency was glaring once it was pointed out. If the content on the stone tablet was accurate, then the Sage of Six Paths had essentially ensured that his greatest fears would eventually come to pass.
"Then do you have an alternative explanation?" the Nine-Tails asked with genuine curiosity.
This type of analytical thinking was what the Nine-Tails found most impressive about Minato. When the masked man had manipulated it to attack Konoha years earlier, Minato had relied on exactly this kind of calm analysis and logical judgment to turn an extremely disadvantageous situation around and ultimately protect the village.
After hearing Minato's explanation, the Nine-Tails realized that the content described on the stone tablet was indeed completely inconsistent with everything it knew about the Sage of Six Paths' character and philosophy.
Minato smiled grimly as he prepared to voice his suspicions. "I do have a theory, though for now it remains only speculation."
"I believe it's possible that someone has deliberately modified the contents of this stone tablet."