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"What did you come to see me for?" Kaguya lifted her eyes toward Manji, her voice still carrying a trace of grievance and confusion.
"I need you to take me to the Ōtsutsuki time-space treasure tool. Black Zetsu will likely take a while to return, and I cannot keep waiting. I want to see whether I can crack the seal you placed on it myself."
Manji kept a calm look on his face.
"..." Kaguya stared at him for a moment, then shook her head and spoke frankly. "With your current strength, you are not stronger than I was at my peak."
Manji did not argue. He only said, "In raw power, perhaps not... But in methods and techniques, I far surpass you. Even at your peak, you would not compare to me in that regard."
"Heh..."
Kaguya curled her lip, clearly not believing him.
Back then, she was an Ōtsutsuki with a Kekkei Mōra. She could not believe she was weaker than the Manji standing before her now.
Manji said nothing more. He raised a hand and lightly placed it on Kaguya's shoulder. The next second, both of them vanished from the courtyard without leaving a trace.
When they appeared again, they were already in the shinobi world.
Manji and Kaguya floated next to each other in the air. Manji wore a long cyan robe and stood tall and calm, looking just like an immortal sage.
Kaguya, meanwhile, still wore an oversized modern T-shirt and short denim shorts. Her clothes stood out against the old-fashioned scenery below, making it clear she did not belong to this time.
Manji lowered his gaze to the ground beneath them. His senses spread outward in an instant, sweeping across the entire region before he asked, "Is this the place?"
"Mm."
Kaguya nodded. "The shinobi world has really changed. Only the land looks the same as before. Everything else is different now..."
With her confirmation, Manji's sage perception quickly locked onto an anomaly deep beneath the earth.
He narrowed his eyes.
Many of his sage techniques were too risky to use freely in the shinobi world. Even a small mistake could shake the whole planet, just like when his power leaked out before.
Thinking of this, Manji stopped hesitating. He used his sage art without any hand signs, moving by will alone as he spoke quietly.
"Summoning Jutsu."
The land quaked.
The flat ground caved in. A huge piece of land, several miles wide, was torn from the earth, taking the rock layers and the hidden treasure tool with it. In a flash of light, it appeared in Mount Myōboku's space.
Only a huge pit remained in the ground, with traces of dust still drifting at the bottom.
The next second, Manji and Kaguya had already returned to Mount Myōboku.
"You can go back now."
Manji glanced at Kaguya beside him and gave the order in an aloof tone.
There were some powers he did not want to reveal in front of her.
Certain cards were better kept hidden.
The Dragon Vein. The Tenseigan. The Rinnegan.
It never hurts to be careful.
Kaguya saw how cold he was and realized Manji was being cautious around her. She let out a quiet snort.
"As if I wanted to stay with you... I still have dramas to watch."
She said nothing else and turned to leave.
As soon as Kaguya was gone, Manji focused all his attention on the Ōtsutsuki time-space treasure tool.
His aura surged. One after another, he drew upon the Dragon Vein's power, the ocular force of the Rinnegan, and the Tenseigan Chakra Mode. Three layers of power pressed toward the treasure tool's seal, each one stronger than the last, as he attempted to break it open.
It took him half a month. During that time, Manji focused completely on the task and let nothing distract him.
........
While Manji worked on breaking the seal, the Shinobi world was thrown into chaos.
Under Black Zetsu's full planning and assistance, Senju Tsuru officially allied with the Uzumaki Clan and launched a full-scale offensive against the Uchiha and Hagoromo Clans.
Black Zetsu first laid a wedge between Uchiha Sa and the Hagoromo Clan Head, striking precisely at the tensions between them. Mutual suspicion grew, trust collapsed, and the already fragile alliance between the two clans split apart.
After that, Black Zetsu personally went to negotiate with the Fūma Clan, who occupied the region near the future Land of Rain. Through careful persuasion, he successfully drew them into the conflict and urged the Fūma Clan to attack the Uchiha first.
The Uchiha Clan was caught off guard and had to split its forces to defend itself, quickly ending up on the defensive.
Black Zetsu then continued his alliance-building strategy, pulling the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans into the fold as well. The Senju, Uzumaki, Sarutobi, and Shimura Clans joined forces and launched the first major assault against the isolated Hagoromo Clan.
Without outside support, the Hagoromo Clan could not withstand them. In a short time, the clan was completely destroyed.
Even though Tsuru was reluctant, he still went through with the extermination for his clan's sake.
Still, he did not kill them all. In secret, he made sure the surviving Hagoromo children were hidden among regular families, telling them to give up being shinobi and live as civilians.
After the Hagoromo Clan was destroyed, the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans quickly broke away from the Senju and Uzumaki. They focused on splitting up the Hagoromo's leftover lands and resources.
Both clans were clever and did not want to fight the Uchiha Clan head-on, since the Uchiha were still strong.
Black Zetsu saw this coming and did not mind. For him, getting rid of the Hagoromo Clan was all that mattered.
By the time Uchiha Sa realized she had been tricked, it was already too late to fix things.
In the end, the Senju-Uzumaki alliance and the Uchiha Clan faced off at Mount Kikyo, where the final battle for the future of the Shinobi world began.
Killing intent surged around Uchiha Sa as she glared at Senju Tsuru and shouted, "SO THE BASTARD WHO ESCAPED FROM ME BACK THEN WAS YOU!"
She remembered that moment clearly and could never mistake the man standing before her.
"Mm. That's right. It was me." Senju Tsuru admitted it without hesitation.
"You really have the nerve to stand against the Uchiha?" Uchiha Sa shouted, her killing intent extending over the battlefield.
"Heh... You thought I was bluffing?" Tsuru gave a low laugh.
Before he finished speaking, strange black patterns appeared on his arm. Black Zetsu's immense power was revealed.
........
The Battle of Mount Kikyo.
From start to finish, Senju Tsuru completely overpowered Uchiha Sa.
With Black Zetsu's power, Tsuru had become the strongest shinobi of his time.
In the end, Uchiha Sa lost at Mount Kikyo. On the mountaintop, not wanting to be captured, she angrily cut her own throat.
Before she died, she had covered herself in explosive tags. As soon as the blade cut her neck, a huge explosion went off, destroying her body completely.
"Good! Take this opportunity to destroy the Uchiha Clan once and for all. We will remove this ancient threat to the Senju forever!"
When Tsuru saw the Uchiha Clan Head was dead, he felt a rush of ambition. He quickly ordered his forces to attack the Uchiha clan grounds, hoping to finish off his old enemy for good.
As soon as Black Zetsu heard this, his expression changed suddenly.
He remembered what happened to Uchiha Kitsune as if it were yesterday.
He saw it happen with his own eyes.
Back then, Uchiha Kitsune won a fight he should have lost, and he wanted to use that win to crush the Senju.
But the Sage stepped in and turned what should have been a sure win into a draw.
Black Zetsu could not let Senju Tsuru make the same mistake.
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