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"Ah—I played my last trump card and managed to escape. After that, I used a Toad Sage Talisman to pull myself back from the brink. As for why the genjutsu didn't affect me—I'm guessing it's because of my Sage Body. Mount Myōboku wasn't affected at all either, right?"
Manji sank into a chair and drained a cup of tea in one long gulp.
White-Brow Toad let out a deep, weary sigh.
"The outside world… it's a nightmare."
"That woman unleashed some kind of massive genjutsu—every living person on the planet has been enslaved by it. The only places left untouched are the Sage Regions and the Summoning Realms."
White-Brow's face was etched with worry.
Manji nodded slowly, then—a flash of cold steel passed through his eyes. "This is on me."
"That technique is called the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"I didn't see the betrayal coming. The fault is mine."
He truly hadn't expected Kaguya to stab him in the back.
All he could say was—he'd been too naive. If he'd been a seasoned veteran, his first instinct would've been to figure out how to eliminate Kaguya before she could turn on him.
"So what do we do now?"
White-Brow asked.
Manji's expression hardened. "We hold steady. The enemy is powerful and ruthless—we need to avoid a direct confrontation. Lay low. Bide our time."
"Well said! I, White-Brow Toad, am in complete agreement!"
White-Brow pressed his palms together and nodded firmly. "I haven't read many human books—but I still remember the saying you kept repeating when you first arrived at Mount Myōboku: Endurance means keeping your head clear and your spine straight."
Manji couldn't help but chuckle. "Grandpa White-Brow… you've got one hell of a memory."
He used to say that constantly during his early days on Mount Myōboku.
Back then, training in Sage Arts had been brutal. Eating bugs for every meal. Waking up every morning to the sound of croaking toads. The only thing that kept him going was sheer, stubborn willpower—gritting his teeth and pushing through.
Ah, those days of working his way through Mount Myōboku on blood, sweat, and determination… what a glorious, miserable chapter of his life that was.
"Oh—Grandpa White-Brow, I lost the Concealment Cloak. Any chance you can make another one?"
Manji winced at the thought. After his resurrection, everything had been stripped away—the Toad Sage Talismans, the Concealment Cloak, all of it. Gone.
Those were his most valuable tools!
"Good thing I prepared a spare."
White-Brow handed the cloak to Manji, then added: "You should go see the White Monkey King. He's the one who came to Mount Myōboku to deliver the news of your death. When he finds out you're alive—he'll be overjoyed."
Manji nodded, a wave of genuine admiration washing over him.
The All-Killing Ash Bone—arguably the single most lethal attack in the entire Naruto universe.
His Sage Body had crumbled to dust within seconds of being hit. Even Isshiki would flinch at the sight of that technique.
And the White Monkey King—without a moment's hesitation—had tried to catch it with his bare hands.
Kaguya: "All-Killing Ash Bone—catch or dodge?"
White Monkey King: "CATCH!"
"Is that old ape seriously indestructible? Has he actually achieved true physical transcendence?"
Manji shook his head with an incredulous laugh, pulled several jugs of liquor from a summoning scroll, and headed for the Monkey King's Summoning Realm.
.....
Inside the Monkey Cavern.
The cave was suffused with the Summoning Realm's signature cool, spiritual mist.
Dark green vines hung limply from the stone walls. Dried tufts of white fur lay scattered around the stone table and benches.
And in the center of the cavern—a grey stone grave marker stood in solemn silence.
The inscription was simple—no ornate carvings, just four characters etched in ancient summoning script: "THE GRAVE OF MANJI." The brushstrokes were powerful yet hurried, carrying an unmistakable weight of grief.
"Goodnight, Manji."
"Sob… Manji… if only I'd thrown myself in front of you… if only I'd shielded you in time…"
The White Monkey King sat with his back to the cave entrance, his massive frame hunched with sorrow.
His normally proud, fluffy silver-white fur was matted and disheveled, clinging to his back. Choked sobs echoed off the hollow cavern walls.
One enormous, fur-covered hand rested on the tombstone, calloused fingers tracing the carved letters. The other clutched a dirt-stained scrap of cloth—occasionally rising to wipe his face.
"Good men never live long enough…"
His voice was raw and hoarse, thick with grief. "Goddammit—Kaguya, you treacherous BITCH—I'll kill you myself! Backstabbing piece of—"
Just then—quiet footsteps echoed from the cave entrance, carrying the faint scent of fresh greenery and a familiar, unmistakable Sage energy.
The silence shattered.
"White Monkey King."
A warm voice—tinged with the rasp of someone who'd recently brushed against death—yet still carrying that steady, reassuring tone.
"Huh??"
The White Monkey King froze mid-sob. Every hair on his body stood on end as he whipped around.
There—standing in the cave entrance—
A young man in a pristine new Concealment Cloak, dark hair drifting lightly in the cave's draft. Fair skin, striking features, a face that still held traces of recent pallor. In one hand, he held several sealed jugs of liquor.
And he was smiling.
"WHO??"
The White Monkey King's amber eyes sharpened into blades, his aura erupting with violent intensity.
"Who the hell are you?? How dare you impersonate Manji!"
He locked onto the young man, every muscle coiled, eyes burning with suspicion and disbelief.
"I watched him die—right there, under that woman's hand! Even his Sage Body couldn't withstand it! And the entire world outside is trapped in that genjutsu—no one survives except those in the Sage Regions and the Summoning Realms!"
"So tell me—are you one of Kaguya's agents, or just some delusional genjutsu user with a death wish??"
His fists were already clenched, power surging through his frame. One wrong move from this stranger—and he'd strike without mercy.
After all—Manji's death was the deepest wound in his heart. For anyone to show up wearing that face, in this place, was tantamount to touching his most sacred nerve.
"Easy there, old friend."
Manji sighed, making no move to approach. He gently set the jugs of liquor down at his feet—and let his aura unfurl naturally.
That signature energy—the fusion of Mount Myōboku Sage Arts, the essence of a true Sage Body, and the lingering spiritual resonance of decades spent alongside the creatures of the Summoning Realm. It was his—and his alone. Impossible to replicate.
"This aura… it's really Manji??"
The White Monkey King's pupils contracted sharply. Suspicion crumbled into raw shock.
He took two instinctive steps forward, nostrils flaring as he breathed in desperately—drinking in every trace of that achingly familiar scent.
It's him.
That's the real thing. That exact smell.
"It's really…"
His voice cracked. The razor-sharp edge in his eyes melted into something soft—something overwhelmed with disbelief and wild, uncontainable joy.
The White Monkey King threw his head back and roared with laughter:
"MANJI! IT'S REALLY YOU! HAHAHAHA—OH MAN!!!"
"Yeah, yeah—I'm not dead. That genjutsu out there is called the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Doesn't work on me."
Manji settled onto a stone bench and took a sip of cool spring water from the cavern's natural stream.
The White Monkey King plopped down eagerly. "The outside world is completely wrecked! Ever since that woman ate the fruit, her power became insane!"
"Tell me about it… That fruit was supposed to be mine. I just never saw the betrayal coming."
Manji sighed softly.
After hearing the full explanation, the White Monkey King's expression sank with understanding.
"So that's what happened… Damn it all—if only you'd eaten it the second you grabbed it!"
The old ape shook his head with bitter regret.
But then—
Manji's lips curled into a sly, knowing grin. "Who said I didn't eat any?"
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