At this moment, Black Zetsu suddenly spoke out, sharply stopping him, "Wait! We absolutely cannot do this!"
Senju Syura paused, his face full of confusion as he looked at Black Zetsu. "Sage? Why is that? Right now is the perfect chance to wipe out the Uchiha. As long as we eliminate them, my Senju clan will be able to rest easy in the ninja world!"
Cold sweat ran down Black Zetsu's back, and he quickly explained in a deep voice, "The Uchiha clan has been passed down for generations. Their foundation is far deeper than what you see."
"Even if the clan leader dies, there are still a large number of elites and hidden forces within the clan. They are definitely not something that can be uprooted so easily."
"Furthermore, all the clans in the ninja world currently have their own schemes. If my Senju were to brazenly annihilate the Uchiha, we would instantly become the sole dominant clan in the ninja world."
"At that time, we would inevitably become the target of everyone and be jointly besieged by all the other clans!"
"Not to mention, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans already harbor ill intentions. After this battle, they are only concerned with dividing the spoils and preserving their strength."
"If we fight the Uchiha to the bitter end, they will definitely seize the opportunity to strike from behind and reap the benefits without lifting a finger!"
"The most crucial point is that after consecutive major battles, everyone in the Senju clan is already weary of fighting."
"If we forcibly launch a clan-destroying war again, it will only exhaust the clan's vitality and shake the foundation of people's hearts. It's simply not worth the cost!"
Senju Syura's pupils shrank slightly. After thinking it over carefully, he suddenly felt enlightened.
"Sage, hearing your words is like having everything suddenly make sense! I understand now!"
Senju Syura nodded repeatedly.
After speaking, he immediately withdrew the order to attack, completely abandoning the idea of taking advantage of the situation to wipe out the Uchiha.
Seeing this, Black Zetsu quietly let out a long breath of relief and felt secretly fortunate.
Luckily he stopped him in time. If they had really exterminated them completely and touched that person's bottom line, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Black Zetsu did not want to play games with Arisu countless times.
———
[On The Other Side]
"Black Zetsu does understand me. He knew to stop Senju Syura in time."
A trace of approval flashed in Arisu's eyes as he murmured to himself.
Black Zetsu's handling this time was just right, perfectly measured, neither too much nor too little, exactly what Arisu wanted.
He had already made up his mind. When Black Zetsu returned, he would directly tell him he had passed the test. This sense of balance alone was enough to prove Black Zetsu's ability.
"Huh, luckily I acted fast, otherwise Uchiha Yui would have been reduced to nothing but bones."
Arisu lowered his eyes to look at Uchiha Yui in front of him and let out a soft sigh.
He had taken Uchiha Yui away at the very instant the explosive tags detonated.
Otherwise, Arisu himself would have had to personally fight later.
As his voice fell, he raised his hand and gathered his divine sense. In an instant, he steadily captured the greater part of Uchiha Yui's soul that had already dissipated, collecting it into his palm.
"Although you previously teased this old man with your words, this old man is not angry."
Arisu looked at the faint soul in his palm, his tone calm, even carrying a hint of leniency.
Immediately after, the Rinnegan in Arisu's eyes slowly rotated. As his pupil power spread, a pitch-black portal appeared out of thin air.
The appearance of this doorway was somewhat similar to Sasuke's space-time portal in the original work.
In reality, it was something he had developed through dedicated research using an Otsutsuki space-time treasure, allowing him to freely travel between different dimensions.
Arisu stepped into the portal, and in the next second, he had already arrived at Mount Myoboku.
Arisu personally treated Uchiha Yui's remains to prevent decay, then buried them deep within Mount Myoboku at the burial grounds of the successive generations of Asura and Indra.
All the successive reincarnations of Indra were buried in this place.
After setting up a symbolic tomb,
Arisu raised his hand and took out a stone tablet, gathering strength at his fingertips.
On the "Asura" section of the tablet, at the tally mark, he slowly carved another mark.
He softly sighed, "Another generation…"
At this moment, the win-loss record between the Asura and Indra lineages had reached three to two.
"Year 237 of the Ninja Calendar, the Senju, Uzumaki, Sarutobi, and Shimura clans jointly attacked the Hagoromo clan. The Hagoromo clan was thus annihilated."
"Year 238 of the Ninja Calendar, the Battle of Kikyo Mountain broke out. The Senju clan greatly defeated the Uchiha. Uchiha Yui committed suicide at Kikyo Mountain."
"Year 240 of the Ninja Calendar, the Kaguya clan was squeezed by various clans and was forced to retreat into the southeastern sea region."
"Year 250 of the Ninja Calendar, Senju Syura took control of the Senju and initiated a policy of rest and recovery for the entire clan."
"Year 280 of the Ninja Calendar, Senju Syura, noble in character, stepped down and passed the position to a talented member of the clan."
Fukasaku Sage slowly set down the brush in his hand, writing the final stroke into the history book. He then took a deep breath and closed the heavy book of ninja world history.
"Senju Syura is already in his twilight years. Looking at it this way, Brother Black Zetsu should be returning soon as well…"
He looked at the bright silver utility poles stretching along the mountain path outside the study and softly sighed. Then he completely stopped writing and carefully stored the history book away.
———
Within the Senju clan grounds, inside a side hall of the clan leader's residence.
An old man with white hair and beard, his body hunched, lay slumped on a soft couch. His breathing was weak and rapid. It was Senju Syura, now in his declining years.
"Sage, how much longer do you think… I have left to live?"
Syura raised his eyes to look at Black Zetsu attached to his hand, his voice hoarse and dry as he asked.
Looking at Senju Syura, who had long since lost the sharpness of his youth and now appeared aged and frail, Black Zetsu felt a trace of indescribable emotion.
Over these years, he had always stayed by his side, helping Senju Syura manage clan affairs and balance the various clans of the ninja world.
He had also firmly stabilized the power balance between the Senju and Uchiha, allowing the Senju clan to remain among the top in the ninja world.
"With my secret protection, living to a hundred years old is by no means difficult for you."
Black Zetsu spoke slowly, his tone firm.
Senju Syura's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up, and a relieved smile gradually appeared at the corner of his mouth. "A hundred years… I would be satisfied."
In this chaotic ninja world where human life was as cheap as grass, the average lifespan of a ninja was not even thirty. Living to a hundred was already an unimaginable luxury.
He struggled to slightly raise himself, his gaze earnest as he looked at Black Zetsu, filled with reluctance. "Sage, do you really not plan to stay?"
His feelings for Black Zetsu had long surpassed that of master and disciple. He even wished to keep this unparalleled strategist within the clan to assist his descendants for generations.
After all, if not for Black Zetsu, that useless boy back then would never have been able to ascend to the position of clan leader, nor bring the Senju clan to shake the ninja world.
If someone as mediocre as himself could achieve such accomplishments, then if his talented, chakra-bearing descendants received Black Zetsu's support, the glory of the Senju clan would surely continue endlessly.
Black Zetsu's expression suddenly tightened, and an indescribable reluctance surged in his heart.
He had accompanied Senju Syura for decades, from a young and inexperienced clan leader to the frail old man he was now. They had long become kindred spirits who understood each other.
But Black Zetsu knew clearly that no feast lasts forever. He would eventually have to set off and return to Mount Myoboku.
"Sigh, the reason I came to your side in the first place was to assist you in accomplishing great things."
"Now you have already led the Senju clan to stabilize its foundation and move toward prosperity. The mission is complete, so it is only natural that I should leave."
Black Zetsu spoke slowly, his tone carrying a faint trace of melancholy that was hard to notice.
Hearing this, a gentle smile rippled in Senju Syura's cloudy eyes.
He looked at Black Zetsu and fell silent for a moment.
Finally, he asked the question that had been buried in his heart for decades.
"Sage, can you tell me honestly? Who exactly instructed you to come and assist me? In this world, is there really such a thing as fate arranged in the dark? Does a predetermined destiny truly exist?"
He had never been a foolish person. For all these years, he could never figure out why Black Zetsu, who had no ties to him, would suddenly appear by his side out of nowhere.
Why he would devote everything to helping someone like him, once looked down upon as useless. He had always wanted an answer for all of this.