Konohagakure, Anbu base.
Senju Tobirama looked to be in much better spirits. On his cold face, a rare smile appeared.
"Hmph, brat, you saw that, didn't you? Your assumption was completely wrong. How could it possibly be that Asura envied Indra? The Sage of Six Paths left something for us too!"
These past days had been tormenting for him.
Whether it was the relationship between the Senju and the Uchiha, or Kitagawa Gen's earlier words, all of it had been gnawing at him.
He had already prepared to dig through the clan's records to write a "Chronicle of the Ages," but fortunately, he found it in the end!
"This thing was buried way too deep. It really wasn't easy to find."
Tsunade couldn't help complaining from the side, and Senju Hashirama nodded as well.
"Indeed. Strange though—who could've taken it down underground with him?"
"Doesn't matter who it was; at least we found it."
Senju Tobirama didn't care about the details—what mattered was that they had it at all!
"Besides, it requires special chakra to reveal its contents, just like the Uchiha's. That alone proves it's genuine."
"There really is such a thing, huh…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen examined it curiously, while Kakashi and Jiraiya looked astonished.
Only Guy and Naruto, who had come along, looked completely confused—they had no idea what this was supposed to mean.
Sasuke, however, gave a cold snort. He had thought the Sage of Six Paths favored his clan, only to have that notion overturned in an instant.
"Hey, do you know what that is?"
Naruto tugged on Sasuke's sleeve and whispered. Sasuke merely snorted again.
"Idiot. Now's not the time to ask that. I'll tell you later."
"Tch."
Naruto muttered under his breath but didn't press further.
Under his parents' discipline, while he could get carried away sometimes, he had generally turned out quite well.
"This time, the reason I called everyone here is twofold. One is to look at the information on this."
Sweeping his gaze over those present, Senju Tobirama spoke directly.
"The other is to conduct the Reanimation. The list has already been decided. We can properly test it."
"No problem with the Reanimation. I have some ideas myself."
Kitagawa Gen spoke up at that moment. As he studied the "project" he had joined, he suddenly asked in puzzlement, "Strange. Why is your relic a piece of tree bark? Could it be—"
"Nonsense! Just by looking at it you can tell it's thousands of years old!"
Although excited, Senju Tobirama hadn't lost his composure.
Using tree bark as a token did sound absurd, but Kitagawa Gen's expression—"Could this be a fake?"—was even more infuriating.
"And since it needs chakra to be read, forgery is impossible. Besides, only something like this could have gone missing in the first place."
"Can you even see the information on it? You're both reanimated."
Kitagawa Gen's reminder went unheeded, and seeing no point in continuing, he fell silent. Senju Tobirama, however, shook his head at the question.
"We can't see it clearly. Our current bodies are too weak. That's exactly why we need to test the new Reanimation."
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama hadn't changed their vessels—partly because there were no suitable hosts, and partly because, to them, it didn't really matter.
On the other hand, Senju Hashirama naturally disagreed—especially since Konohagakure currently had no need for them to fight. This left Senju Tobirama rather troubled.
He didn't want to keep using such a body, but fortunately, now he had an excuse.
"Although it's still difficult to find a vessel capable of bearing our power, at least we'd be able to see more. Right now, we can see far too little."
"Sensei, what have you seen?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with curiosity, while Tsunade's expression grew solemn at his side.
"Just like the Uchiha's, the earlier parts are legendary tales—but there's one crucial piece of information: we learned the name of the Rabbit Goddess."
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama's faces both turned grave, and at the mention of that name, everyone present changed their expression.
The Rabbit Goddess was a being of legend—one said to have destroyed the world.
To share the same surname as such a terrifying entity…
"No wonder he can be that powerful!"
Jiraiya took a deep breath, as though suddenly understanding something.
"No wonder the Great Toad Sage reacted so violently when he heard the name Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
"Then… could it be that the two of them are—"
Kakashi couldn't help but speak up, but before he could finish, Kitagawa Gen—sensing the wrong direction of his thought—immediately interrupted.
"Their relationship doesn't matter. What matters is that an existence like that suddenly appeared. That can only mean trouble."
"Indeed. Nothing but trouble!"
Senju Tobirama nodded, his expression particularly grave.
"To share a surname with the Rabbit Goddess—and to be targeting the Tailed Beasts—our position is already set in stone."
"Sigh…"
Senju Hashirama couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and everyone present fell into a deathly silence.
When Kitagawa Gen and Senju Tobirama first began investigating in the direction of myth, they had thought it somewhat far-fetched.
But considering even the Rinnegan had appeared, checking into it didn't seem unreasonable—and who could have guessed they'd actually uncover the one thing they least wanted to believe?
"The Rabbit Goddess…"
In the legends, this goddess had sought to destroy the Shinobi World, and it was the Sage of Six Paths who defeated her, saving everything and creating the world of shinobi.
Now the Sage of Six Paths was gone, yet a being as terrifying as the Rabbit Goddess had appeared once more.
What were they supposed to do now…?
"That kid with the Rinnegan—could he…"
As everyone wore grim expressions—even Kitagawa Gen, despite feeling awkward, kept up the act—Senju Hashirama asked curiously. But Senju Tobirama only sneered and shook his head.
"Forget it. That Rinnegan brat is our enemy. And besides, that boy was beaten by Gen—"
Senju Tobirama stopped mid-sentence, suddenly freezing as his eyes locked on Kitagawa Gen.
Not just him—everyone present couldn't help turning to look as well.
Kitagawa Gen's beating of Nagato had been nothing short of absolute.
Three years ago, and even three years later—it was the same!
No matter how Nagato resisted, even with the Rinnegan, he still wasn't Gen's match.
And with Kitagawa Gen's talent placed before them, everyone knew just how absurd his potential truly was.
"Could it be… Gen is the key?"
Senju Hashirama couldn't help voicing the thought, and at once, everyone nodded. Even Jiraiya let out a sigh.
"No wonder Gen never went to Mount Myōboku, and even showed such disdain for the toad clan. The Great Toad Sage was willing to offer his full support—it turns out Gen had already 'seen it.'"
"Besides, Gen's talent is one of a kind. Whether it's Dust Release or Wood Release, he can wield them with ease."
Kakashi couldn't help speaking up, and Guy nodded in agreement.
"His will is also remarkably strong. No matter how harsh or difficult the training, he always perseveres and completes it."
"And despite all those achievements, he's never forgotten his original intent."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed softly, concluding, "Gen truly is unique—and the one most capable of confronting that Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
Although everyone had already thought the same, this was the first time anyone had said it outright.
After all, Kitagawa Gen's record was far too terrifying.
Even Naruto and Sasuke nodded at that moment. Though this guy could be overbearing, he did seem like a genuinely good person!
And no matter how they looked at it, he really seemed like their only hope.
But Kitagawa Gen himself felt awkward—wasn't this basically "me fighting myself" being officially confirmed?
"Um… could we not talk about that?"
After thinking for a moment, Kitagawa Gen finally spoke.
"Did that piece of bark of yours mention anything else?"
"It also advises Asura to face Indra with a peaceful heart, in order to achieve peace."
Though Tsunade still felt emotional, she immediately focused when this question was raised.
"As for the rest, I can't see it. It's probably the same as Sasuke and Kakashi—I lack the strength."
"That's why we need Reanimation—to find a way to restore ourselves."
Senju Tobirama glanced at his elder brother and spoke directly.
"Not only to read more information, but also to plan what we can do next—our enemy is too terrifying."
"Tch."
Senju Hashirama gave a small snort. This time he didn't argue, but Kitagawa Gen rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So it only told your ancestor to approach Indra peacefully? Nothing else?"
"Nothing else."
"Then doesn't that suggest Asura was the one who grew jealous of Indra, which led to war? Otherwise, why would the Sage of Six Paths advise Asura instead of Indra?"
"…"
"Also, Indra's message was carved on stone, while Ashura's was written on a piece of tree bark. Isn't that a sign of favoritism?"
"Hiss—"
Everyone fell silent. The three Senju, in particular, looked at one another in astonishment. Could it really be interpreted that way?
But the more they thought about it… the more it actually seemed possible.
For a moment, even Senju Tobirama regretted bringing it up.
He regretted ever digging that thing up—regretted his own lack of strength, regretted not having the power to tear that brat's mouth off right then and there!
Sasuke couldn't help showing a faint smile beside him, but at that moment, Kitagawa Gen spoke again.
"Also, about the Reanimation—I have an idea. Let's summon Sasuke's parents."
"Huh?"
Sasuke froze, while Senju Tobirama's fists clenched even tighter. Kitagawa Gen, however, remained completely unfazed.
"Sasuke killed Uchiha Itachi, so it's only proper he report to the souls of the departed. Besides, this could count as a family visit of sorts—I have a few things I'd like to discuss with his parents as well."
As he said this, Kitagawa Gen swept his gaze across Sasuke, a faint smile curving his lips.
"After all, restoring the Uchiha's glory is Sasuke's inescapable duty!"
In that instant, Sasuke's face darkened completely. He finally understood what this bastard was planning.
Yet right then, Kitagawa Gen suddenly lifted his head toward the sky, his eyes flickering with a strange look.
...
Meanwhile, within Konohagakure—at the Hyūga compound—Obito had already gathered his forces.
"This time, I'm sure you all know the objective."
Raising his head toward the moonlit sky, Obito spoke in an even tone.
"I need you to cause a major disturbance. Only then will we draw Kitagawa Gen here. And you needn't worry about life or death—you're all Reanimations."
"Tch, so that's how it is."
Sasori shook his head but didn't care much, while Kakuzu sounded somewhat displeased.
"Even if we're Reanimations, going up against that guy isn't exactly pleasant."
"I don't mind. I've always wanted to do something about the Hyūga clan anyway."
Kurotsuchi Raiga looked toward the distant Hyūga compound, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. Even Biwa Jūzō nodded.
"The Hyūga were the main force during the battles with Kirigakure. I've heard they had close ties with the Kaguya clan as well."
"Another battle, huh?"
Only Uchiha Itachi gave a slight shake of his head. This kind of situation was never something he wished to face again.
"All right, that's enough chatter."
Obito glanced at the Black Zetsu beside him. Seeing it nod, he took a deep breath.
"Begin the operation. This time, it's our key opportunity!"
After saying this, Obito's figure vanished silently—he still needed to search for the Senju relic.
But his eyes couldn't help drifting toward the moon. For some reason, he felt that its light tonight was… off.
Elsewhere, a monk-like figure also raised his head, his gaze fixed on the same bright moon.
Then he closed his eyes. After a long moment, he suddenly opened them again.
"Not far from here… though not quite the same as before, it seems to be an even better vessel than Jigen."
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