Next Bonus, 100PS!!
--------------------------------------------------
"Good news! Huge news!"
Uzumaki Shiromaki clutched a scroll in his hands, his face red with excitement as he shouted at the top of his lungs.
The moment Black Zetsu saw it was him, his expression darkened by several degrees.
This Uzumaki Shiromaki was the clingiest of the White Zetsu, spending his days chasing after Black Zetsu and asking what the urge to poop felt like. It was, frankly, exhausting.
Black Zetsu snapped, "This is the Historical Records Hall. Keep your voice down. Say what you came to say. If this is about bowel movements again, get out."
Shiromaki immediately lowered his voice, scratched his spiral head, and gave an embarrassed laugh before hurrying forward with the scroll. "This time, I came specifically to congratulate you!"
The scroll unfurled, revealing the flowing golden pattern of a sage decree.
Shiromaki announced brightly, "The Grand Sage has issued an order. Black Zetsu has been approved to train in Sage Arts!"
The words landed, and Black Zetsu froze. His pupils shrank, disbelief spreading across his face as he stood there for a long moment, unable to react.
"Hahaha, that's great news!" Fukasaku slapped the desk and laughed. "Looks like my promotion luck rubbed off on you! Once you learn Sage Arts, with your seniority, becoming a Sage is practically a done deal. Congratulations!"
Black Zetsu slowly came back to himself, his heart shaken.
The Grand Sage... agreed?
The trust the Grand Sage had placed in him back then had never been empty words.
Gratitude and emotion surged through Black Zetsu's eyes.
He stood, walked quickly out of the records hall, faced the direction of the Grand Sage Hall, and dropped to both knees. His expression was solemn as he bowed deeply.
"Black Zetsu thanks the Grand Sage for his trust, and thanks the Grand Sage for this grace!"
His formal words echoed through the sacred mountain. Black Zetsu bowed three times with full respect before slowly rising.
Inside the hall, the light suddenly warped.
It was like a stone had been dropped into water, sending ripples across the air.
Without warning, a white figure appeared from nowhere.
It was Mount Myōboku's only living Grand Sage—
Manji.
The atmosphere inside the Historical Records Hall instantly froze.
Sage Fukasaku, who had been smiling a moment ago, snapped upright.
Black Zetsu paused halfway through standing.
Even Uzumaki Shiromaki, still clutching the scroll, dropped every trace of mischief. Only awe remained in his eyes.
The three of them bowed almost at the same time, their voices ringing through the quiet hall in perfect unison.
"Welcome, Grand Sage!"
"Greetings, Grand Sage!"
"Mm." Manji's gaze swept lightly over the three of them. He lifted his fingers and gave a small wave. "No need for ceremony."
His eyes finally settled on Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu's throat tightened. Looking at the Grand Sage before him, his gratitude nearly spilled out of him. His lips moved, but only a few words came out. "Grand Sage... you..."
A thousand things he wanted to say became that one halting, unfinished sentence.
Manji saw this and gave a faint smile.
He had already seen through Black Zetsu's thoughts.
"I personally approved your application for Sage Arts," Manji said slowly, explaining his reasons in an even voice. "First, after several centuries together, I have long since seen what kind of person you are. The current you is no threat to Mount Myōboku or the Shinobi world."
"Second, I remember the promise I made back then. For hundreds of years, you have managed the Historical Records Hall with diligence and respect, recording the history of the Shinobi world. That service is enough to settle the past."
"Third, the mortal world is still locked in chaos, and the Shinobi world's situation grows more unpredictable by the day. Mount Myōboku could use more strength."
When he finished, Manji looked at Black Zetsu with a trace of expectation. "You don't need to thank me. Train well."
"I examined your constitution. It suits Mount Myōboku's Sage Arts quite well. Not only can you train in them, but after mastering Myōboku Sage Arts, you may even combine them with your own traits and create more varied Sage techniques."
"I understand, Grand Sage!" Black Zetsu nodded hard, his eyes full of resolve and gratitude.
Seeing this, Manji gave a slight nod. The light around him rippled again, clearly preparing to leave.
"Grand Sage! Please wait!"
An urgent, excited voice suddenly rang out.
Uzumaki Shiromaki quickly moved forward with three swift steps, careful not to get too close. He bowed, looked up with a tilted head, and had an expression full of anticipation.
Manji paused, one brow lifting slightly as he looked at this unusually lively spiral-headed White Zetsu. "What is it?"
"I-I wanted to ask, when can I train in Sage Arts?"
Shiromaki clenched his fists, his face full of sincerity. "I want to train hard too, so I can serve Mount Myōboku! And... I've already come up with my Sage title!"
The moment he mentioned the title, his voice filled with pride, as if he had thought of something brilliant.
A hint of curiosity flashed through Manji's eyes. "And what title would that be?"
"Mount Myōboku's Call-of-Nature Sage!"
Shiromaki clapped his hands and grinned, as if the title carried immense dignity. "What do you think?"
The Historical Records Hall went quiet.
Sage Fukasaku's mouth twitched. Black Zetsu looked completely helpless, with invisible dark lines practically forming over his forehead.
Manji's face tightened slightly. "When you go outside, don't tell anyone you're from Mount Myōboku."
As soon as he finished, the light around him fully twisted, and his figure dissolved into the air, vanishing from the Historical Records Hall.
..............
Back in the Grand Sage Hall, Manji sat before his desk, flipping lightly through yellowed historical records. His gaze moved across the dense lines of dated text before suddenly stopping.
"Around what year was Uchiha Hikari born again?"
He focused slightly, his brows drawing together. After so many long years, many minor timelines had blurred.
Fragments from the original story passed through his mind. Uchiha Hikari never had a clearly stated birth year.
His life should roughly belong to the era of Shinobi turmoil.
The period after Uchiha Kitsune's death, but before Uchiha Tajima's birth.
"Uchiha Hikari still needs attention. His plotline is unusual. I can't afford to be careless."
Manji slowly stood, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced through the hall.
He raised a hand and counted the years in silence. The deadline of the thousand-year pact became clear in his mind. By his calculation, there were now less than eight hundred years left before the Boruto era.
"In other words, I have eight hundred years to prepare for the Ōtsutsuki Clan's invasion."
Manji narrowed his eyes. A trace of gravity passed through them, and the aura around him grew solemn.
This was the reason he had been planning step by step for so many years.
Preserving the bodies and souls of each generation of Indra and Asura's reincarnations, and agreeing to Black Zetsu's request to train in Sage Arts, were both part of building strength for the Ōtsutsuki attack that could come at any time.
In Manji's eyes, Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki were nothing special. He could handle them alone.
After developing Sage techniques that the Ōtsutsuki could not absorb, he had complete confidence in dealing with that trio.
But Manji's true imagined enemy had never been those minor players.
It was the supreme God of the Ōtsutsuki, hidden deep in the stars.
That was the ultimate threat.
And that was the reason he had to spend the next eight hundred years preparing with everything he had.
--------------------------------------------------
~ Every 100 PS => Bonus Chapter!
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)