"Why would the Sage of Six Paths target you?"
Tsunade asked in confusion. A figure who had been dead for thousands of years still wouldn't stay put in the Pure Land, instead using her grandfather after his Edo Tensei resurrection to deal with Hyuga Mirai. Thinking of this, Tsunade gained no goodwill toward the legendary sage.
"Because of Mount Myoboku's prophecy? Ever since Jiraiya, Mount Myoboku has been picking fights with me. And that Sage of Six Paths guy is clearly from the Otsutsuki Clan, yet he believes a toad's words. Either there's something wrong with his head, or it's because I cut off the reincarnation of his son's chakra."
When Hyuga Mirai said this, he noticed the worry in Tsunade's eyes, smiled lightly, and continued.
"Relax. Why would a dead man who's been gone for years be able to deal with me? Even if he came personally, I wouldn't be afraid, let alone having the previous Indra and Asura come at me."
After speaking, Hyuga Mirai released a portion of the power of the Six Paths within his body. A sage's robe appeared on him, nine tomoe patterns formed around the collar, his hair instantly turned snow-white, and a nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan emerged on his forehead.
He had originally planned to explore the Pure Land after unifying the shinobi world, but now it seemed that once Uchiha Madara was dealt with, he could move that plan forward. Hyuga Mirai did not want a being who had lived for thousands of years constantly watching him, and he was also quite curious about the secrets of the Pure Land.
There was an enormous difference between the Six Paths level and everything below it. After Hyuga Mirai released just a trace of Six Paths aura, both Tsunade and Senju Hashirama felt an oppressive pressure on the soul itself. Even with her Rinnegan active, Tsunade could not be compared to Six Paths Hyuga Mirai.
'The Sage of Six Paths probably made a mistake. Even if Madara and I joined forces, we likely wouldn't be his match.'
Senju Hashirama thought in shock. Hyuga Mirai's Six Paths Mode did not display overwhelming chakra, yet it gave him immense pressure.
Precisely because of her Rinnegan, Tsunade could sense how vast the ocular power contained within Hyuga Mirai's deep blue eyes was. If he did not restrain himself, merely meeting his gaze made her feel pressured, instinctively wanting to turn her head away.
Yakushi Kabuto's legs were already trembling slightly. The strongest power he commanded was Sage Mode, but that insignificant senjutsu chakra was like a drop in the ocean before Hyuga Mirai's strength, unable to stir even the slightest ripple.
'So this is Lord Mirai's true strength… No wonder Orochimaru-sama admires him the most. Whether wisdom or power, he already stands at the pinnacle of the shinobi world…'
Yakushi Kabuto was stunned. He had never seen Hyuga Mirai fight before and thus did not fully understand his strength. Now, however, he clearly recognized it as an unattainable, towering existence.
Tsunade turned her head and said to Hyuga Mirai, "Who's worried about you? I'm worried that the peace that's about to come will be ruined."
"If you really care about peace, then stop slacking off. No alcohol and no gambling for three years, and peace in the shinobi world will arrive," Hyuga Mirai bluntly exposed her.
Yakushi Kabuto nodded vigorously at the side. The reason he still couldn't return to Orochimaru-sama was because Tsunade kept slacking off. Not long ago, she even wanted to hand the Hokage position to him. Everyone knew Konoha was about to merge with the Sand Federation; whether the Hokage would even continue to exist afterward was uncertain. Tsunade-sama's move was clearly just to make him take the blame for a while.
"You bastard…"
Tsunade immediately flushed with embarrassment and anger. Her grandfather was still here, yet he gave her no face at all.
"First Hokage, what do you plan to do now?" Hyuga Mirai asked.
He was not Otsutsuki Kaguya. Just the subordinates and enforcers around him were enough to send Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara back to the Pure Land, even if they truly revived.
"As for me… I plan to stay and watch for a while. If everything develops in a good direction, then this won't be a place for me to remain," Senju Hashirama said after thinking for a moment, smiling. "But listening to what little Tsunade said, even the Sage of Six Paths can misjudge things. It seems I may need to return to the Pure Land sooner rather than later."
Hearing this, a trace of reluctance appeared on Tsunade's face. She recalled the days when her grandfather secretly took her to casinos when she was young and said, "Grandfather, why don't you stay a little longer? That way you can really see Konoha properly. After Konoha merges into the Sand Federation, the village's name may disappear, but peace in the shinobi world and a stable, prosperous life for civilians will be fully realized."
If her grandfather stayed, there would be one more Hokage to help process documents.
And she could also use her grandfather's name to go to casinos and izakaya outside.
At first, seeing the reluctance on Tsunade's face, Senju Hashirama sighed softly, satisfied that little Tsunade had grown up. But her expression afterward became increasingly strange, faintly carrying… the feeling that she was scheming against her own grandfather?
Glancing at the mountain of documents piled on the floor, Senju Hashirama immediately understood. He waved his hands repeatedly and said,
"Little Tsunade, don't even think about dumping document work on me. When I was Hokage, most village affairs were handled by Tobirama. I'm not very good at that."
Tsunade immediately retorted, "Grandfather, how can a Hokage not know how to handle official duties?"
Hyuga Mirai sighed and said to Tsunade, "I'll find you two more assistants. The progress here is indeed a bit slow."
Hearing this, the first to relax was Yakushi Kabuto. He was far busier than Tsunade. Everyone usable in Konoha had been dispatched by him. Although Konoha had plenty of talent, back then it was just a village. Now the area to manage had expanded to the entire Land of Fire, and Konoha was instantly stretched thin.
"First Hokage, let Tsunade host you properly for now. If you want to visit the Sand Federation, she can arrange it. We're very close."
Hyuga Mirai slightly emphasized the last sentence, hoping the First Hokage would not tell Tsunade about the years he spent being used as an old farmer, or it would damage their relationship.
"Leave Uchiha Madara to me. I roughly know what he plans to do next."
After speaking, Hyuga Mirai created a clone. The original and the clone then used Yomotsu Hirasaka to leave, one heading to the Land of Rain, the other returning to the Sand Federation.
Ayaka, Naruto, Gaara, and Nohara Rin were all in the Sand Federation. He needed to send a clone back to protect Ayaka.
"So that's the Akatsuki? The place is built pretty well. Relying on the power of the Rinnegan to call himself a god? That's not entirely wrong. He is indeed using the power of a god."
Uchiha Madara stood on a rooftop in Amegakure, looking at the tall tower located at the very center of the village.
Since the constant rain climate of the Land of Rain had been changed, Nagato rarely used the Rain Tiger at Will technique. The Akatsuki had already been exposed to the eyes of various countries, and six tailed beasts had been collected, so there was no longer any need for Amegakure to hide itself.
"It looks like the village has developed quite well. Did that brat Nagato put all his energy into the village?"
Uchiha Madara observed the situation in Amegakure. There were many stalls and many residents coming and going. At a glance, it was clear the village was very prosperous, a sight Madara had never seen before his death.
"It has nothing to do with Nagato at all. He's just an idiot immersed in the power of Lord Madara's Rinnegan. The Land of Rain became like this because the Akatsuki cooperated with the Hyakusa Trade Association of the Sand Federation…"
White Zetsu explained. "Right now, aside from the Three-Tails, the One-Tails and Nine-Tails are both in the Sand Federation."
"The Nine-Tails isn't in Konoha? Hmph, but it doesn't really matter. White Zetsu, is there still no clue about the Three-Tails?"
Uchiha Madara snorted indifferently. He believed he had already seen through the truth and thus felt nothing about the current false peace.
Madara had seen too little in the past. After learning about ancient events from the Sage of Six Paths, he decided to overturn the former false Eye of the Moon and rebuild a new world of peace.
"There's a bit of a guess, but it's not very certain. Lord Madara, guess what I discovered…"
White Zetsu grew playful again and spoke in riddles, but after being glared at by Madara, he obediently continued.
"Lord Madara, do you remember that after sealing the Three-Tails into Obito's teammate, Nohara Rin, just before the plan was executed, she was taken away by a red, metal-shelled man?"
Madara recalled it and nodded. "That did happen. Are you saying Nohara Rin didn't die and you found her?"
"Wrong answer. I didn't find Nohara Rin, but during the Sand Federation's battle against the Shinobi Alliance, they deployed hundreds of puppets very similar to those flying red metal men. If Nohara Rin is still alive, then she must be there."
In fact, White Zetsu hadn't seen it during the last war. He was too far away to see clearly. This intelligence came from his clones scouting the Federation's southwestern mining area. Afterward, Black Zetsu went there and possessed a participating shinobi to read their memories, confirming it.
"Then send more clones to that country to gather information on the Three-Tails. If there's news, just follow for now."
For Uchiha Madara, revival was the most important thing right now. Only by truly coming back to life could he fully absorb the Six Paths Yin Power granted by the Sage of Six Paths. Otherwise, as an Edo Tensei body, he could only borrow it; once used, the Six Paths Yin Power would dissipate.
White Zetsu replied, "Well, they've already been sent. If there's news, the clones will report back. But Lord Madara, Obito has gone missing. Should I send clones to find him?"
"No need. Since he chose to use Edo Tensei to revive me, it means he had no intention of following my plan in the first place. Heh, but he also didn't expect things to change this much. Once I fully revive, Obito won't be able to stir up any waves."
Uchiha Madara did not mention the Pure Land. From the Sage of Six Paths, he learned that someone had been provoking Indra and Asura. Although Madara felt it was Black Zetsu, whom he himself had created, the many anomalies made him decide to test it after reviving.
"Let's go. We're going to find that brat Nagato."
After speaking, Madara leapt directly toward the central tower of Amegakure.
"You've used my eyes to play god for several years. It's time to return them!"
(End of chapter)