Next Bonus, 100PS!!
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Kurama drew in a deep breath and spoke up right away.
"Master!"
"The human world has already become a living hell. As the Sage of Six Paths, why do you keep standing by and doing nothing?"
Kurama's voice was sharp with anger as he demanded an answer.
Gamamaru shrank back quietly, blinking his froglike eyes and staying silent. He glanced at Manji, who stayed calm.
"I can understand why you refuse to interfere in the wars between shinobi clans. That is the destined conflict between Asura and Indra. But the nations of the human world are tearing each other apart as well. Refugees wander everywhere, corpses line the roads, and none of it has anything to do with Ninshu's Karmic feud. Why do you watch that with the same indifference?"
"Temples have been built in your name all across the human world. Incense has burned for you year after year. People worship you as the true god who protects all things, and they pray to you with complete devotion. Yet you have never reached out to help them even once!"
As Kurama kept talking, his voice grew more urgent. His fur bristled, and his whole posture showed the honesty of someone willing to risk everything to speak up.
Manji stayed quiet. He didn't argue, just listened to Kurama's questions.
He understood Kurama well. The Nine-Tails had always had a strong sense of justice. In the original story, humans coveted Kurama's power and treated him as a harbinger of disaster, so naturally he never cared whether the human world lived or died.
But after Manji changed things, everything was different. People now respected and honored him, seeing him as a sign of good luck. Watching the world fall apart, Kurama couldn't hold back his anger anymore.
The other Tailed Beasts probably felt the same way. They just weren't as blunt as Kurama and were too afraid of Manji's power to speak up.
Out of everyone in the shinobi world, only Kurama was brave enough to speak his mind to Manji.
"Kurama, watch your mouth! Are you lodging a complaint against the Grand Sage??" Gamamaru barked, shooting Kurama a look that clearly said, Leave. Stop talking. Now.
Kurama's eyes widened, his vertical pupils locking onto Gamamaru as he shouted back, "I'm not accusing the Grand Sage! I'm bringing this matter to the Grand Sage!"
His voice boomed through the Sage-power barrier, full of haste and sheer honesty.
"Master, this..." Gamamaru looked at Manji uneasily.
He didn't care much about the human world himself. Gamamaru's life and experiences had shaped him, and he had rarely visited there. The last time he was active in the human world was during the Infinite Tsukuyomi, when almost everyone was trapped and only a few people were still awake.
It was only natural that he felt little attachment to humanity.
Kurama was different. He had spent much more time with humans and had even been worshipped by them.
Manji stood still. His eyes, which had watched over the Shinobi world for a thousand years, softened just a little.
The old indifference in his eyes faded, replaced by a trace of warmth.
Manji looked at the tense Nine-Tails inside the barrier and spoke slowly. "I understand, Kurama."
"You have carried the suffering of the human world in your heart all this time. You have done well. When the time comes to act, I will act. Until then, do what you can in the mortal world. Help where you are able."
After hearing those words, the urgency left Kurama's eyes. His body relaxed, and he finally felt the weight on his heart lift.
Master still cares about the Shinobi world. He hasn't lost himself or become blind to the people below, even after all these years.
"Master, please forgive what I said earlier. I was too anxious, and I spoke out of turn." Kurama quickly lowered his head, his voice full of guilt.
"Heh..." Manji smiled faintly and shook his head. "It's fine. I'm not so easily angered. You were only speaking honestly."
After a brief pause, Manji waved a sleeve. "If there is nothing else, go. Patrol the human world for me and keep watch over the movements of the Shinobi world."
With that, Manji ended the connection.
Kurama disappeared, leaving just Manji and Gamamaru facing each other.
Gamamaru stepped forward, his froglike face full of confusion. "Master, what do we do next?"
Manji put his hands behind his back, his sleeves moving quietly in the mountain breeze.
A mild smile appeared on his face.
"Come. Let's have some tea."
With that, Manji turned and walked toward the tea room.
"Eh!" Gamamaru's eyes lit up, and he hurried after him, sounding delighted. "Master, I was just getting thirsty!"
—————
Meanwhile, deep in a thick forest at the center of the Shinobi world, the smell of rotting leaves and damp earth mixed with the fresh fragrance of grass and wood.
A pitch-black figure slowly rose from the damp ground.
It was Black Zetsu, newly returned to the human world.
"So this is the human world. It's been a while..." Black Zetsu stood in the clearing and looked up at the thick canopy above, blocking out the sky. For a moment, something flickered in his eyes.
The Senju Clan's territory lay near the center of the Shinobi world.
Black Zetsu knew the Senju Clan's history inside and out. He even understood their secrets better than the current clan leader.
After all, he had devoted centuries recording history. But now, standing in this strange forest, he felt lost.
Black Zetsu scratched at his dark body and muttered, "So... which way is the Senju Clan?"
"Black Zetsu!"
"Senior Black Zetsu!"
Suddenly, a sharp voice called out from behind him. Black Zetsu turned right away.
Two figures remained on the trunk of a thick tree.
Shima wore the simple white uniform of the Intelligence Bureau, her face calm and steady.
Next to her, Tobi swayed and waved at him.
"Huh? Shima? Tobi?" Black Zetsu stepped under the tree and stared at them, surprised. "Tobi, weren't you supposed to be working in the Historical Records Hall? What are you doing here?"
"Hehe, about that..."
Tobi laughed, jumped down from the tree, and scratched his head. "That was the plan, but after one day of recording history, Sage Fukasaku kicked me out. So now I'm following Senior Shima and working in the Intelligence Bureau instead."
"You must have messed up the records. That's why Fukasaku threw you out."
Black Zetsu called him out with a dark look, sounding helpless.
"Hahaha, nothing gets past Senior Black Zetsu!" Tobi bounced closer and lowered his voice. "It wasn't that bad... I just secretly wrote a few unofficial histories behind Sage Fukasaku's back. Just a little gossip about Ninshu, Asura, and Indra. That's all."
Black Zetsu's body tensed up, as if dark lines had just appeared on his forehead.
The Historical Records Hall demanded total accuracy, but this kid had the nerve to write his own gossip stories. It was no surprise he got kicked out.
"Enough, Tobi. We're here to work, not chat." Shima jumped down from the tree and gave Tobi a light smack on the head, her voice calm.
Tobi straightened up right away, stood at attention, and answered clearly.
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