"You're too dangerous. You must be sealed!"
Hashirama Senju slammed his palms together.
Boom!
The reinforced floor of the base shattered instantly. Several thick wooden beams erupted from the ground like giant pythons, whistling through the air as they lunged toward the shadow where Black Zetsu's upper half was exposed.
This wasn't a probing attack; it was a killing blow.
A flash of golden light flickered.
Minato Namikaze appeared instantly in the path of the wooden beams. A Rasengan spiraled in his palm, momentarily bracing against the front of the Wood Style attack that hummed with terrifying, monstrous strength.
"First Hokage, wait!"
Minato's feet plowed two deep furrows into the ground. He spoke with urgent speed. "This creature is known as Black Zetsu. While he is a threat, he is currently a vital piece in Konoha's plan to resist the celestial Otsutsuki. We need his help to save the shinobi world."
Hashirama's movements stiffened.
The wooden beams, which had been seconds away from grinding Black Zetsu into dust, froze in place. They then receded into the ground like a retreating tide, leaving a mess of debris behind.
Hashirama stood tall, the oppressive pressure of his chakra vanishing instantly. He looked at Minato standing before him, then at the solemn faces of his juniors, and finally, his gaze swept toward the black-and-white monster huddled in the corner.
"An enemy from the heavens, huh..."
Hashirama scratched his head and let out a long sigh. "It seems no matter the era, there are always difficult problems to face."
In the shadows of the corner, Black Zetsu's fluid body relaxed against the floor. A glimmer of relief flashed in its eyes.
Asura's reincarnations really are all such simple-minded meatheads, it thought mockingly. As long as someone talks them down, they'll drop their blade just as quickly as they drew it.
As long as they didn't kill it now, it was confident it could navigate this group and even exploit this so-called "cooperation" to achieve its own ends.
"However..."
Hashirama spoke again.
But with those simple words, his tone shifted entirely. It was no longer the boisterous, life-filled voice from moments ago. It was ancient, distant, and carried a weight like history itself—as if echoing from the far side of a thousand-year river.
Black Zetsu's eye bulged, its pupil shrinking to the size of a pinprick.
That voice.
It was etched into the very depths of its soul. Even after a millennium, even if the man had turned to ash, it would recognize it.
This was the man who had sealed Mother all those years ago! The unfilial son who had betrayed her. The old fossil who founded Ninshu.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo!
Before the eyes of everyone present, Hashirama's reanimated body began to mutate. The cracks characteristic of the Reanimation Jutsu no longer drifted with dust; instead, they began to glow with a white chakra aura. His red layered armor dissolved like melting snow.
In its place, a broad white robe appeared, its collar adorned with nine black magatama symbols. Hashirama's long black hair turned snow-white instantly, floating backward and spreading out. Two prominent horns sprouted from the sides of his forehead.
A black tin staff appeared in his hand, the rings at its tip emitting a crisp, metallic clatter. The body drifted off the ground, hovering in mid-air.
He opened his eyes.
They were no longer the pitch-black eyes of a reanimated corpse, but deep purple ripples spiraling outward.
The Rinnegan.
Clatter.
The pen in Jiraiya's hand hit the floor. He stared at those eyes, his mind racing. Those eyes! I saw them on Nagato... could this person be...
The legendary Sage of Six Paths!
Minato Namikaze's grip on his kunai tightened, his breath hitching. Though he had never seen the Sage's true face, this image and those eyes matched the descriptions in the ancient texts perfectly.
Orochimaru's tongue darted out, but he forgot to pull it back. He stared greedily at the manifested figure, his pupils burning with obsessive curiosity.
Only Gamakon remained sprawled on the table, letting out a casual whistle, completely unfazed.
Black Zetsu, however, reacted violently. It immediately tried to summon a White Zetsu to possess so it could dive into the earth and flee. Its earlier arrogance and schemes had vanished, replaced by an instinctive, primal terror.
The elder floating in the air didn't look at Black Zetsu. He turned those purple Rinnegan eyes toward everyone in the room, his gaze seemingly piercing through flesh to stare directly at their souls. Finally, his sight moved past the others and landed on the purple toad.
"But, how can you prove the truth of what you claim?" Hagoromo asked.
The atmosphere in the lab turned silent. Everyone's eyes focused on Gamakon. While they knew his prophetic abilities were powerful, they didn't know the source. Hearing the question, they couldn't help but feel curious themselves. Orochimaru, in particular, looked like he was about to burst with questions.
Gamakon wasn't nervous at all. For one, his own strength gave him plenty of confidence. When he first crossed over into this world, he had seen his reflection in a pond. He'd thought he looked familiar, like the "Information Toad" from the Calabash Brothers. Later, meeting Jiraiya almost broke that theory, making him think he was just a toad reincarnated at Mount Myoboku.
But everything changed after he absorbed natural energy to condense a Sage Energy Core.
He was a Yokai! A monster capable of condensing a core.
After forming the core, his power boost was staggering. One flick of my tongue could shatter a mountain!
No wonder the natural energy here was so potent. No wonder the Otsutsuki wanted to seize it. If he kept absorbing it, he could eventually drain the world dry just like a God Tree. But there was no need for that; a body strengthened by natural energy alone was practically invulnerable to blades, fire, or water.
Given his affinity for natural energy and the time that had passed, his abilities surpassed anything he'd imagined. After all, Sage Chakra was one of the few things that could actually hurt an Otsutsuki.
If I attacked using only the raw natural energy in my core, what would happen? he wondered. I have a feeling I'd probably peel back the entire crust of the planet.
The second reason for his confidence was the endorsement of the Great Toad Sage. With Gamamaru backing him, he could push every prophecy onto the old toad's shoulders and save himself the breath of explaining.
Gamakon replied, "Sage of Six Paths, do you know Mount Myoboku?"
Otsutsuki Hagoromo lowered his eyelids slightly, the ripples in his Rinnegan fluctuating.
"Mount Myoboku..." Hagoromo tapped his staff against the void, producing a clear chime. "That is where Gamamaru cultivates. In my youth, I received his guidance and studied Sage Arts there to oppose my mother."
He looked at Gamakon, his gaze becoming more inquisitive. "The natural energy within you shares a source with Mount Myoboku, yet it is far more violent and condensed."
Gamakon grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. He didn't deny it; he simply stood up from the table, paws on his hips, looking quite smug.
"The old man's got a good eye," Gamakon said. "Since you know the Great Toad Sage, this makes things easy. All this intel came from that old toad's dreams."
"Dreams?" Hagoromo frowned.
"Exactly. Prophetic dreams." Gamakon pointed to his own head. "Gamamaru is getting up there in years and his memory isn't what it used to be, but he dreamed of a disaster descending from the stars. People calling themselves the Otsutsuki main family, coming to reclaim the Chakra Fruit."
"They'll plant a God Tree and suck every drop of energy out of this planet. Humans, toads, even that Ninshu you left behind—everything will be turned to bone."
Hagoromo fell silent. He knew Gamamaru's power. A thousand years ago, it was Gamamaru who predicted the fallout between him and his mother, and guided him toward the method to break the stalemate.
If it was a prophecy from his old friend...
"Evidence." Hagoromo pointed his staff toward Gamakon. "The name of Gamamaru alone isn't enough for me to believe this mad plan of yours to revive my mother."
"The evidence is right at your feet," Gamakon said, tossing the responsibility toward Black Zetsu to draw Hagoromo's attention.
Gamakon pointed a paw at the creature shrinking into the corner shadows. "Ask this black smudge here. Is he called Black Zetsu? Was he born the second before your mother was sealed? Hasn't he been playing your two sons and their reincarnations like fiddles for centuries just to save his mommy?"
Black Zetsu's body trembled violently. Its eye glared at Gamakon, wishing it could rush forward and tear that toad's mouth apart.
Hagoromo turned his head, his gaze landing on Black Zetsu.
"You..." Hagoromo's voice held a hint of hesitation. "Are you Mother's will?"
Black Zetsu didn't speak. It was frantically looking for an escape route. But in the presence of the Sage of Six Paths, space itself seemed frozen. Its vaunted Mayfly Jutsu wouldn't even trigger.
"Silence is a confession," Gamakon said, hopping onto Orochimaru's shoulder and looking down at Black Zetsu. "Old man, take a look at the Uchiha Stone Tablet. It originally said the Uchiha and Senju should cooperate, right? Now this guy changed it to say 'Only the Infinite Tsukuyomi can save the Uchiha.'"
"He provoked the fight between Indra and Asura, making your sons and their reincarnations slaughter each other for a millennium, all for this moment."
Hagoromo's grip on his staff tightened. He looked at Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku hesitated for a moment before activating his Mangekyo Sharingan. Now, while he still felt unsteady before the Sage of Six Paths, he wasn't quite as overwhelmed.
"Ancestor... the contents of the stone tablet do indeed mention the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Hagoromo closed his eyes. A thousand years of time flashed through his mind. Indra's rebellion, Asura's persistence, the endless wars...
So there had been a hand pushing from behind the scenes all along.
"I see." Hagoromo reopened his eyes. A flash of anger flickered in the Rinnegan, followed by deep sorrow. "Mother... even after being sealed, you refuse to let go of your obsession with chakra?"
He looked at Black Zetsu and raised his staff.
"No! Wait!" Black Zetsu finally spoke, its voice shrill and piercing. "Hagoromo! You unfilial son! The Otsutsuki main family is coming... they really are! If you don't revive Mother, this planet is finished!"
It spoke in a desperate rush.
This caused Hagoromo's movement to pause in mid-air. As Kaguya's son, he had naturally heard of the Otsutsuki main family from his mother's lips. They were her greatest nightmare and the reason she had created the White Zetsu army in the first place.
He had once thought the Otsutsuki were no greater than his mother, but if even Gamamaru predicted the destruction of the shinobi world, how powerful must the main family be? He had believed his own strength was enough to protect the world, but now, that seemed uncertain.
"The main family..." Hagoromo murmured to himself. "Have they finally discovered this place?"
"Bingo!" Gamakon interjected. "That's why we need your mom's power. But we don't want her fully revived to go pulling that Infinite Tsukuyomi nonsense again. So, we built a vessel."
Gamakon pointed to the massive cultivation tank.
"We let Black Zetsu take your mom's chakra and will and slide into this body. That way, she can come out to fight, but she won't go out of control. We call it the 'Controllable Kaguya Otsutsuki'."
"Old man, you don't want the planet sucked dry by space-gardeners, do you?"
Hagoromo floated to the cultivation tank, staring at the pale body inside through the glass. He reached out, his fingertip touching the surface. A soft pulse of chakra seeped inside, inspecting the vessel's construction.
"Hashirama's cells, Indra's Yin Style, Hamura's Byakugan..." Hagoromo withdrew his hand and looked at Orochimaru. "Human wisdom has actually reached this level. Crude, but it has indeed constructed the prototype of 'All of Creation'."
Orochimaru licked his lips, a look of fanatical joy in his eyes. To be praised by the founder of Ninshu was the highest form of validation he could receive.
"Then, Lord Ancestor," Minato stepped forward, speaking with respectful resolve, "do you approve of this plan?"
Hagoromo turned back to the group. The Hokage of Konoha, the Legendary Sannin, the heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, and a profound, mysterious toad. This collective force might actually be enough to change destiny.
"I am a man of the dead; I should not interfere with the living," Hagoromo said slowly. "But if the Otsutsuki main family descends, even the Pure Land will find no peace. Since you have this resolve, I shall lend you a hand."
He slammed his staff against the floor.
An invisible wave expanded, instantly locking onto Black Zetsu in the corner.
"Come here," Hagoromo commanded.
Black Zetsu's body flew up uncontrollably, as if grabbed by an invisible giant hand, and hovered before Hagoromo.
"Let me go! Hagoromo! What are you doing?!" Black Zetsu struggled madly, but before the Power of Six Paths, it was as helpless as an insect.
"Since you are Mother's will, you shall bear this karmic burden." Hagoromo extended a finger, tapping Black Zetsu on the forehead.
Hum!
A complex sealing formula manifested on Black Zetsu's body before sinking into its core.
"This is a miniature variant of the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei seal," Hagoromo said calmly. "I have placed a restriction on your core. If you or Mother attempt to use this vessel to harm the shinobi world, the seal will detonate instantly, sealing both the vessel and yourselves permanently."
Black Zetsu went limp in the air, its eyes filled with despair. Its thousand-year plot, its plan to use Konoha to revive its mother—it had all been ruined by this traitor!
"Put it in." Hagoromo pointed to the tank. "I will watch over the process."
Orochimaru immediately opened the valve at the top of the cultivation tank.
Black Zetsu glanced at Hagoromo, then at Gamakon, and finally bit its lip—or the equivalent thereof. It dissolved into a puddle of black liquid and dove into the tank.
It had no choice. If it didn't comply, Hagoromo would destroy it right now.
The black liquid rapidly enveloped the pale synthetic body, seeping into its pores.
Glub, glub.
The nutrient solution churned violently.
The vessel's previously shut eyes snapped open.
The left eye manifested a pure Byakugan, while the right was a piercing crimson that quickly shifted into a purple Rinnegan, finally settling into the form of a Nine-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan.
It was a projection of Kaguya's power.
A terrifying wave of chakra erupted from the vessel.
Crack!
The specialized blast-resistant glass shattered. Green nutrient solution poured out across the floor.
The body stepped out, bare feet pressing into the wet ground. Long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, trailing all the way to her ankles. She slowly raised her head, her eyes carrying the blurred confusion of a fresh awakening and the cold indifference of a god.
"Hagoromo..." the woman's voice was chillingly clear, echoing through the lab. "Why... are you here?"
Hagoromo looked at this "Mother" who was both familiar and strange, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. He bowed slightly.
"Mother, it has been a long time."