Thank you all so much for your support!!
--------------------------------------------------
"When the time is right, I'll tell you everything."
Manji sipped his tea, voice perfectly even.
Hagoromo read the room and dropped the subject. After living this many centuries, his emotional intelligence was more than sufficient.
Besides—Manji was his master. He could hardly chase after him demanding, "Master, how come you're not dead yet?"
That would be… rude.
"I should be going."
Manji rose.
Hagoromo immediately offered a respectful bow. "I'll see you off, Master."
Manji nodded—then his form dissolved into mist, vanishing through his signature technique.
After Manji departed, Hagoromo stood alone, eyes deep with thought.
"That man is truly impossible to figure out…"
He stroked his chin, murmuring to himself.
..............
Meanwhile—
"Both Indra and Asura have been born. Which means Hagoromo is going to age rapidly from here on out—he doesn't have many years left."
Manji reflected quietly as he traveled.
According to canon, by the time Indra and Asura were in their thirties or forties, Hagoromo would already be on his deathbed.
And it wasn't just knowledge from the original story—Manji could feel it. Hagoromo's vitality had noticeably diminished compared to their previous meeting.
"Hagoromo's Rinnegan…"
Manji's brow creased.
"We share a bond as master and student—but if those eyes are simply wasted when he dies… that would be an unforgivable loss."
"In canon, Asura cremated Hagoromo's body. The Rinnegan burned with it. An absolute tragedy of waste."
"Rather than let them turn to ash… I should claim them."
The decision crystallized. The moment Hagoromo died, Manji would secure the Rinnegan.
"Cheep cheep…"
A small monkey materialized beside him.
"Another messenger from the White Monkey King."
Manji accepted the letter. Unfolded it. And his expression shifted.
"I'm almost done."
Four words. And they hit like a hammer.
Manji stood motionless for a heartbeat—then immediately changed course, racing toward the Monkey King Clan's domain.
..............
Inside the White Monkey Cavern.
The White Monkey King lay on his stone bed. Manji's heart sank the instant he saw him—eyes heavy with a complicated tangle of emotions as he approached.
The friend who'd once been invincible—now a withered, fragile shadow.
"Manji… you came."
The White Monkey King turned his head, and there it was—that same grin. The one from centuries ago.
"How bad is it? I could extend your life—ten more years, easily."
Manji spoke gently.
"Nah—don't bother. Several hundred years is plenty. I've lived enough."
The White Monkey King laughed it off.
Manji sighed quietly. He knew this old ape's spirit—too proud and at peace to cling to borrowed time.
"Have you chosen a successor for the Monkey King Clan?"
"Done. Name's Black Monkey King. He doesn't have my Diamond Body or my Sage Arts, but… he's decent enough."
The White Monkey King gave a rueful shrug. What can you do? The next generation didn't inherit the good stuff.
Manji nodded. The next Monkey King to possess the Diamond Body wouldn't appear until Hiruzen Sarutobi's era—Enma.
Suddenly, the White Monkey King's eyes flew wide. His mouth opened, straining.
Manji's pulse spiked. The old ape had something to say.
"Tell me—whatever it is. I'll do my best to make it happen."
"Man… Manji…"
The White Monkey King gasped, gripping Manji's hand with trembling fingers.
"Mon…" He wheezed.
"The Monkey Clan? What about them?" Manji leaned closer, brow furrowed, assuming it was clan business.
"Mon… Monte… Monte Cristo is peak fiction!"
The White Monkey King got the words out—then closed his eyes. His breathing stopped.
"YOU—"
Manji's eyes went wide. Pupils dilated.
YOUR DYING WORDS AND YOU PULL THIS??
"White Monkey King—you absolute LEGEND!"
Manji couldn't hold it together—his face was an impossible collision of grief and barely suppressed laughter. 'Why the HELL did I teach him all those references??'
"In your next life, please stop with the memes."
"Especially at moments like THIS. I genuinely cannot keep a straight face right now."
He stared at the still form—heart aching, lips twitching.
Then—without warning—the White Monkey King's eyes snapped open.
"Gotcha—you're already crying!"
He delivered the final line—
Then his legs went stiff. And this time, he was truly gone.
Manji: "...…"
..............
The White Monkey King had departed.
Manji stood in silence for a long time.
Eventually, a voice spoke from behind him.
"Sage—Lord White Monkey King has… passed."
Manji turned slowly. A medium-built monkey with jet-black fur stood behind him, head bowed deeply.
"You're the successor?"
"Yes, Lord Sage of Six Paths. White Monkey King appointed me personally. I grew up hearing stories about you—if you need me, I'd be honored to sign a contract."
The Black Monkey King's deference was absolute.
"No need… I don't require summoning beasts anymore."
Manji sighed and shook his head. At his current level, summons were unnecessary. And one glance told him everything about the Black Monkey King's capabilities—respectable, but nothing extraordinary.
"Give him a proper send-off. His Diamond Body has faded with his passing—cremation will do."
Manji gestured toward the still form.
The Black Monkey King nodded solemnly.
Manji didn't linger.
"Another old friend… gone."
"White-Brow Toad and the White Monkey King—the two who stood beside me at the very beginning. Both of them are gone now."
"Perhaps… this is the price of immortality."
A quiet lament—and then he departed.
'Though if I'm counting companions who can match my lifespan… there IS one.'
Black Zetsu.
..............
Mount Myōboku—the Toad Cemetery.
This was the mountain's great necropolis, where generations of departed toads were laid to rest.
Manji arrived to find a familiar figure sweeping between the graves.
Black Zetsu spotted him and scrambled over immediately.
"Sage—you're FINALLY here! I've been tending this graveyard for centuries! I'm not asking to be set free—but could you at LEAST transfer me to a different department??"
Black Zetsu looked utterly, cosmically miserable.
Manji raised an eyebrow.
After capturing Black Zetsu all those years ago, he'd dumped the creature on Mount Myōboku. The mountain's barrier made escape impossible, so Manji had simply… given Black Zetsu a job.
He'd also placed a seal on the creature—Manji's chakra embedded within. One activation and Black Zetsu would be instantly immobilized.
Looking at this thoroughly defeated, hollowed-out entity—
Manji smiled.
"Black Zetsu—how have the years been treating you? I never restricted your freedom, you're welcome to chat with the toads, enjoy the scenery…"
Black Zetsu's expression somehow became even more despairing.
"Sage—please stop teasing me…"
He clutched his broom in resignation.
Manji chuckled. Truthfully, Black Zetsu posed zero threat to him.
As an immortal with overwhelming power, Manji could ensure that—no matter what—Kaguya would never be revived. Black Zetsu was essentially neutralized by Manji's mere existence.
"Do you miss your mother?"
Manji gestured for Black Zetsu to sit beside him.
Black Zetsu obeyed, settling down meekly.
"No." The lie was transparent.
"Liar. Of course you miss her."
Manji's tone brooked no argument.
"..."
Black Zetsu had nothing.
"It's fine to admit it. That's just human nature."
Manji rested his hand on the Six Paths Sword, studying Black Zetsu with patient, unhurried eyes.
Black Zetsu stared back helplessly. This man knew everything—that he was the manifestation of Kaguya's will, that he didn't need food, that he possessed no real power.
Against Manji, he was completely, utterly countered.
"Black Zetsu—are you still planning anything? Still got fight left in you?"
Manji's gaze was piercing.
Black Zetsu dropped to his knees instantly. "Lord Sage—ABSOLUTELY NOT! I wouldn't DARE! I will never attempt to revive my mother again!"
"Your mother's sealing was the inevitable tide of history. The wheel of progress cannot be turned backward. Stop dreaming of reversal."
Black Zetsu nodded frantically, bowing his head to the ground.
--------------------------------------------------
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
--------------------------------------------------
~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Every 10 Reviews = Bonus Chapter!
~ Add to your Library!