Inside the Raikage's office in Kumogakure.
Knock… knock…
The thick fingers of the Fourth Raikage tapped against the desk, the dull sounds making the atmosphere increasingly oppressive.
His gaze first swept over the ancient fragments of varying shapes and materials laid before him before lifting toward Mabui and several veteran Tokubetsu Jōnin from scientific and academic backgrounds.
"And based on this junk, you want me to send Yugito back to that damned place again?"
The Fourth Raikage frowned, though he did not immediately lose his temper.
"Explain. What exactly did you discover?"
Not long ago, after Samui's squad returned from the Land of Hot Water, they reported everything they had witnessed to the Fourth Raikage.
Including the bottomless abyss.
After hearing Samui's description, the Fourth Raikage's first reaction was that it absolutely could not have been Konoha's doing.
That terrifying power capable of reshaping the terrain itself was not something ordinary ninja could achieve.
The only explanation was that some other existence had emerged from below and casually slaughtered both Konoha and Kumogakure's forces along the way.
Following Mabui's suggestion, the Fourth Raikage made the same choice as Hiruzen Sarutobi,
Dispatch another team to investigate.
Originally, Hatake Kakashi had departed several days earlier than Kumogakure's team.
Even with a detour through the Land of Rain to gather intelligence, he should have arrived first under normal circumstances.
But no one expected Kakashi's entire squad to be wiped out in Amegakure.
Dragging the heavily wounded Yamato back to Konoha for treatment instead caused Kumogakure to arrive at the abyss first.
According to the returning squad, they discovered the existence of an underground palace,
But were stopped by a massive gate.
And when one of them attempted to push it open…
Recalling the dried corpse whose flesh and blood had been completely drained away, a shadow crossed the Fourth Raikage's eyes.
The man had merely touched the gate, yet within a single second, all his chakra was absorbed.
Two seconds later, even his flesh and blood had been sucked dry.
That had been a living Tokubetsu Jonin.
Not killed by an enemy, but dead before a gate.
Such a bizarre death sent chills down one's spine.
And yet these research-obsessed scholars actually wanted him to send the Two-Tails Jinchūriki back there again?
He had sent Yugito to the Land of Hot Water to flank Konoha's base from the rear, not to investigate some inexplicable hellhole.
"Raikage-sama, we truly did discover something."
A bespectacled middle-aged ninja stepped forward and said solemnly:
"Although the previous team failed to enter the underground palace, we deciphered the text they copied down."
The Fourth Raikage paused.
"You mean the writing they transcribed from the stone monument outside the palace?"
"Yes."
The middle-aged ninja nodded.
"We discovered that the underground palace is actually a tomb."
"The owner of the tomb was a clansman of the Sage of Six Paths,
A being who survived from the era of Ninshū, or perhaps an even more ancient age."
"?"
The Fourth Raikage stared at him with eyes like bronze bells, utterly bewildered.
'A clansman of the Sage of Six Paths?'
'The era of Ninshu?'
'Survived?'
'A tomb?'
He understood every individual word, but once put together, he couldn't understand a thing.
Leaving aside what "a clansman of the Sage of Six Paths" even meant, if the person was alive, why did they have a tomb?
"Before I explain further, I need to confirm one thing with you first."
Adjusting his glasses, the middle-aged ninja calmly asked, "Raikage-sama, do you believe the Sage of Six Paths and Ninshu truly existed?"
The Fourth Raikage frowned, but ultimately nodded.
Although the Treasured Tools of the Sage, the Gold and Silver Brothers' treasures, were already gone, Kumogakure still possessed one of the Six Paths Ninja Tools: The Amber Purifying Pot.
In truth, when it came to historical inheritance and ancient records, aside from places like the Land of Demons that preserved old traditions.
Only Kumogakure and Konoha retained significant remnants of ancient history.
After all, even during the Warring States Period, the Uchiha Clan had contact with the Land of Lightning.
Back then, the Uchiha were responsible for guarding the Blood Pond Clan within the Land of Lightning.
That history was even older than the era when Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara crossed blades.
Which meant the Land of Lightning likely existed during or even before the Warring States Era.
Yet even the Gold and Silver Brothers, who claimed descent from the Sage of Six Paths,
Knew only of the Sage's existence and Ninshu.
They knew nothing of his true name or clan, much less the existence of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
But now, things were different.
"Deciphering the text was extremely difficult," the middle-aged ninja continued.
"But by comparing repeated phrases with ancient texts, we pieced together fragmented information."
"Information?"
The Fourth Raikage leaned slightly forward in his chair.
"What information?"
Mabui, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and handed him a scroll.
The Fourth Raikage frowned as he opened it, his eyes scanning the contents.
{The Ōtsutsuki Clan, descendants from beyond the stars. Their appearance differs from mortals, with horns upon their foreheads. Within the clan, distinctions between main and branch families are absolute…}
{They regard the "Kama" as a reincarnation secret art. Even if body and soul perish, they may reside within a "vessel," and through the vessel, be reborn…}
{Our clan views the universe as a nursery. Clan members travel among the stars in pairs of main and branch family members, selecting fertile planets. One sacrifices themselves to feed the "Ten-Tails," whose flesh transforms into a "Divine Tree"; the other guards it for a thousand years until the fruit ripens…}
{I have remained within this world for a thousand years and have grown sympathetic toward its living beings. Unwilling to sacrifice the branch family member ■■, I did not plant the "Ten-Tails," instead seeking another path through the world's natural energy. Yet my prolonged absence has already aroused suspicion from the main family…}
{The branch family member Kaguya, under orders from the main family, pursued me together with the main family member ■■. Though both sides suffered grievous injuries, Kaguya feared death and betrayed the clan, attacking both myself and Isshiki in secret, monopolizing the "Divine Tree." She later called herself the Rabbit Goddess, giving birth to two sons, Hagoromo and Hamura. She was eventually sealed by those two sons within ■■. Her son ■■ later called himself the Sage of Six Paths…}
{Though I survived, my life hangs by a thread. Fearing I may never reincarnate in time, I constructed this tomb myself and imprisoned myself here. When this tomb once again sees the light of day, the world shall know my name…}
Without question, Arata had once again fabricated a history that was two parts false and eight parts true, silently implanting his own existence into real historical events.
If that were all, then to the current Fourth Raikage, it would merely sound like an absurd legend.
But the problem was, Arata had not only described the extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki Clan.
He had also calmly described using the Divine Tree to reduce other worlds to barren wastelands.
And casually recounted some of the things he had done while hidden behind the curtain of shinobi civilization for thousands of years.
For example, planting medicinal herbs under the name "Xu Fu."
Or feeding a turtle with natural energy.
Or collecting strange animals and plants.
Or accidentally dripping blood while wounded, causing an entire valley to become filled with poisonous miasma and devoid of life, while lamenting humanity's weakness…
Or discarding the "Heavenly Spear" he forged.
Or casually teaching forging techniques to a blacksmith…
Arata wrote these things without the slightest concern about exposing himself.
Because those so-called legends were already mixtures of truth and fiction, and the real truth had long since been buried beneath the flow of history.
As for whether anyone would deny those legends or his existence…
The same principle applied: Only the words spoken by those with power and authority could become absolute truth.
No matter how outrageous they sounded.
Humanity inherently worshiped strength.
Unless Ōtsutsuki Isshiki himself personally appeared to deny it.
After all, not even the Sage of Six Paths had lived through that era.
Thus, the more the Fourth Raikage read, the more he felt an indescribable chill creeping over him.
Slowly raising his head stiffly, he looked toward the middle-aged ninja.
"That Xu Fu…"
"At the border of the Land of Fire, the Xu Fu Mountain and the miraculous 'Xu Fu Grass' said to cure all illness."
The middle-aged ninja answered calmly.
"And that turtle… and the animals and plants…"
"The Island Turtle currently used as Kumogakure's mobile fortress and Killer B-sama's training ground."
The ninja's tone became heavier.
The Island Turtle, even before Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning were founded, that colossal turtle the size of an island already existed.
Its back was a paradise for countless beasts and rare creatures.
"And that miasma-filled valley… the so-called Heavenly Spear…"
The Fourth Raikage's voice had already become hoarse.
"And the blacksmith who inherited those forging techniques…"
"The valley is Hell Valley, where the Blood Pond Clan was once exiled and imprisoned. The 'Heavenly Spear' is the legendary artifact said to have been created by an ancient god."
The middle-aged ninja carefully replied:
"And the blacksmith was most likely the legendary founder of the Land of Crafts, 'Seimei,' who was said to have created reincarnation ninja tools."
"..."
An invisible chill swept through the room.
The office fell into complete silence.
After a long pause, the Fourth Raikage licked his dry lips.
"How credible is this?"
The room went silent once more as everyone exchanged glances.
Finally, another elderly man with a sharp face stepped forward.
"Raikage-sama, ever since deciphering these texts, we began collecting ancient records and relics from the places mentioned on the monument."
He took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly.
"In texts and artifacts from different periods, we truly found scattered mentions of things such as the 'Divine Tree,' the 'Rabbit Goddess,' and 'Hagoromo.'"
"I stake the honor and reputation of generations of my family, who have studied ninja world history, on this: Those records and artifacts absolutely come from different historical eras and are not forgeries."
If only the monument's text existed, one could still dismiss it as insufficient evidence.
But once fragments from other ancient relics corroborated it.
The credibility of the monument's contents increased drastically.
"..."
The Fourth Raikage fell into silence once more.
Or rather, shock and uncertainty.
He lowered his head to the deciphered text again.
But this time, his feelings were entirely different from before.
All that remained was awe and fear cold enough to seep into the bone marrow.
These were words written across a timescale far exceeding the rise and fall of shinobi civilization,
Spanning thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of years.
Behind every dark, forgotten, mysterious legend and fragment of history lurked the shadow of that being,
So vast it seemed to stretch across and obscure the entirety of ninja civilization itself.
A being from beyond the stars that viewed the universe as a nursery.
A being that consumed planets as nourishment.
A being that transcended death itself.
A single drop of blood capable of turning entire regions into wastelands…
Even titles such as "god" or "sage" seemed insufficient to fully describe the immensity of such power and authority.
The oppressive weight of the unknown lingered through the ages.
Even the flood of a thousand years of history could not wash it away.
"So in other words…"
After a long silence, the Fourth Raikage muttered slowly:
"That underground palace… was left behind by a being even stronger than the Sage of Six Paths?"
"What might be inside?"
"Ancient secrets?"
"Divine artifacts forged by that being?"
"Or inheritances of techniques?"
"Or perhaps…"
"The remains left behind after that being's 'death'?"
His voice gradually deepened with growing force.
Each word struck everyone's hearts like a hammer.
By the end, the Fourth Raikage's eyes had become incredibly deep and intense.
The aura erupting from his body made the air itself feel heavy.
"Send a message."
Without hesitation, he declared word by word: "Tell Yugito Nii to suspend the assault plan against Konoha. No matter what method is used, she must open that gate for me-"
"No. That's still not enough!"
Before anyone could react, the Fourth Raikage suddenly stood up.
His towering figure cast a massive shadow while Lightning Release chakra surged around him unconsciously, arcs of electricity crackling through the air.
Crack! Crack!
His clenched fists popped audibly.
"I'll go there myself."
Normally cautious, Mabui opened her mouth,
Yet found herself unable to voice any objection.
Because to the Fourth Raikage, and indeed all of Kumogakure,
The fundamental reason they lost the First, Second, and Third Great Ninja Wars to Konoha was not because Kumogakure ninja lacked talent, nor because they lacked unity.
It was because they did not possess Konoha's vast ninjutsu foundation.
That obsession had practically become ingrained into the entire village.
Which was why Kumogakure constantly stole techniques from others in secret, bullying the weak with overwhelming force.
Eventually, the Fourth Raikage himself personally stole secret techniques from the Land of Cedars.
If that underground palace truly contained inheritances left behind by such a being.
Then even something equivalent to the Sage's ninja tools would be enough to drive Kumogakure mad with desire.
It represented a possibility capable of changing Kumogakure's future.
"Mabui."
The Fourth Raikage turned toward her and ordered seriously:
"Have Killer B guard the village. Everything discussed here today must never leak out!"
Yet as he spoke, no one noticed one particular person standing behind the bespectacled ninja,
Their eyes flickering slightly.
"Yes, Raikage-sama. Please rest assured."
Mabui lowered her head slightly.
"And please make certain that you, "
BOOM!!
Before she could finish, the Fourth Raikage turned and smashed through the wall with a single punch.
Then he leapt out directly.
Mabui raised her head at the sound.
Seeing the massive hole in the wall and the shattered desk, she covered her face helplessly while the corner of her mouth twitched.
"…Haa."
After a moment, she let out a long breath.
While anticipation rose within her, an inexplicable unease also surfaced.
But she quickly suppressed it, her expression becoming calm once more.
With the Raikage personally taking action, and Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, present as well,
Nothing should go wrong.
"I hope everything goes smoothly."
She murmured while watching the streak of lightning vanish into the distance.