NOVEL WEB Chapter 158: Chapter 168
So that's how it was.
Even though Uchiha Madara wanted to fight Senju Hashirama, it was clear he still couldn't get over losing to Kitahara Kaede.
And more importantly… he was smart.
He knew he couldn't win, so he chose to grow stronger.
Which meant—this was his own choice to be manipulated. He was willingly stepping into the trap.
Black Zetsu thought this to itself, then began its manipulation.
"Yes."
"The Moon contains the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother. The dojutsu of that bloodline—the Byakugan—was gathered and merged together into a massive Tenseigan."
"But there are actually two Tenseigan."
"One lies on the Moon's surface."
"And the other is hidden deep in the Moon's core."
"Rumor has it the core holds the full power of Ōtsutsuki Hamura, the Sage's brother," Black Zetsu explained.
The first part was true.
The second half?
Pure nonsense.
What Black Zetsu really wanted was to ignite Madara's greed—get him to split open the Moon. Once that happened, everything would be revealed.
"I see…" Uchiha Madara began to consider.
"Yes," Black Zetsu nodded.
There was no one left on the Moon. The only descendant—Ōtsutsuki Toneri—had already been sealed helplessly by Kitahara Kaede's Chibaku Tensei, floating pitifully near the Moon's edge.
Toneri couldn't speak up. Which meant Black Zetsu could say whatever it wanted.
"Then I must obtain the Tenseigan," Uchiha Madara took the bait. "Not just the one on the surface—I want the one in the core too!"
Madara raised his hand, fully committed—I want it all.
"However, with my current state… if I get the Rinnegan again in this Edo body, it'll collapse immediately."
"Maybe… this time I should let Obito handle it—" Madara suggested.
Black Zetsu had come to him. Then he would go to Obito.
And Obito would likely go to Nagato. Nagato was the most naïve of the bunch. Even if he was sent to the Moon, he'd obediently bring the Tenseigan back.
"…" Black Zetsu.
"…" Black Zetsu.
What Obito?
There's no way you can manipulate Obito like it manipulates you.
Black Zetsu didn't trust Obito. It trusted Madara more.
Madara was the kind of person who, as long as you told him someone was standing behind him, he'd never look back.
Plus, Madara's arrogance made him believe Black Zetsu was his own creation—a representation of his will. That's why he let his guard down completely.
Just like now.
So really… Black Zetsu's choice was obvious.
For something as insane as splitting open the Moon, Uchiha Madara was the best pick.
And considering it kept creating disasters lately, Black Zetsu now felt an urgent need to prove it was still useful.
No time to wait for Madara to call Obito, and then Obito to fetch Nagato.
"If you were to fight Kitahara Kaede right now, maybe you'd lose," said Black Zetsu. "But if it's just reaching the Moon, you can absolutely do it."
"Oh?"
"Are you suggesting Nagato use Rinne Tensei right now?" Madara asked.
"If necessary, I can possess Nagato and control him to use Rinne Tensei," Black Zetsu answered. "But there's an even easier solution."
"Oh?" Madara blinked.
"When I was on the Moon, I found out Ōtsutsuki Hamura had once been killed by his older brother—the Sage of Six Paths. Later, Mount Myōboku gave the Sage a Sage Art Talisman, which allowed him to revive Hamura," said Black Zetsu.
"A resurrection token… like Izanagi?" Madara mused. "No… Izanagi just preserves a set state, so it's more like a substitution jutsu."
"So I suggest heading to Mount Myōboku. Worth a shot," Black Zetsu encouraged. "Obito's too slow. Why not revive yourself?"
Meanwhile, at the sacred training ground of Mount Myōboku—
"Achoo—!"
The Great Toad Sage sneezed.
Chapter 088: Great Toad Sage: Tch, I knew Hagoromo's descendants would be unfilial! (Please auto-subscribe and support full access)
Mount Myōboku.
The Great Toad Sage slowly opened his drooping eyelids.
Currently, there were only three beings in the ninja world who called themselves Sages: the Slug Sage, the White Snake Sage, and finally—himself.
The Great Toad Sage had always considered himself the highest ranked of the three.
Because all three were over a thousand years old, ancient monsters who had lived since the era of legends—but he was different.
He had achievements.
Over a thousand years ago, when the Slug and Snake Sages were still young, they all noticed a God Tree absorbing the natural energy from its surroundings.
If this continued, the land itself would be drained dry.
Then the Great Toad Sage witnessed the arrival of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, and understood the God Tree was her creation.
But after consuming the chakra fruit—formed from a thousand years of natural energy—Kaguya didn't retract the Tree.
The Great Toad Sage feared their extinction. So he stepped forward and convinced the Sage of Six Paths and his brother to oppose their mother in the name of protecting nature.
The final result?
After a war that lasted several months, the Sage of Six Paths emerged victorious.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was sealed away—and ascended into the sky as the Moon.
Yes, the Moon.
So from the Great Toad Sage's perspective, he had saved the Shinobi World, allowing it to flourish for the next thousand years.
Sadly, he and Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo—the Sage—used to be close… but Hagoromo passed away long ago.
Time waits for no one.
Maybe it was because of these great achievements, but in recent years, he hadn't trained as diligently. He preferred to enjoy the rewards of his past efforts.
The younger generation served him, and he possessed a special ability: Prophetic Dreams.
Just like the name implied—dreams that foretold the future.
In those dreams, he saw the Shinobi World fall into chaos once again—but a Child of Prophecy would appear to restore peace.
In that vision, Mount Myōboku had no involvement.
So it didn't concern him.
But decades ago, a boy named Jiraiya stumbled into Mount Myōboku… and that boy appeared prominently in the dream.
So he allowed Jiraiya to train under them—and tasked him with finding the Child of Prophecy.
Though his dreams weren't perfect, he knew this much: the child would be Jiraiya's student.
Right now—
The Great Toad Sage sat on his throne, looking down at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya, once a kid, had grown into a fifty-something uncle.
The Great Toad Sage had grown used to it. Humans didn't live long.
That's why, after the prophecy, he left the task of searching to Jiraiya. He'd already saved the world once. He didn't want to move anymore.
"You're saying…"
The Great Toad Sage spoke. To his left was a green-skinned toad with a tuft of white hair on its head.
To his right was a purple-haired toad with matching lips.
They were his trusted subordinates—Fukasaku and Shima.
The Great Toad Sage normally remained in the depths of the temple at Mount Myōboku. These two passed on news and events.
In short, he hadn't been active for centuries. Just drinking and sleeping.
"You're saying there are two Children of Prophecy?"
The Great Toad Sage had just received Jiraiya's report.
Jiraiya said he had urgent news about the Child of Prophecy.
"Yes." Jiraiya nodded. "Around twenty years ago, one of my students—Nagato—awakened the Rinnegan. I thought he was the Child of Prophecy."
"But I mistakenly believed he had died."
"Turns out… he's alive. Still has the Rinnegan."
"But more importantly, now I know there's another boy from Konoha—his name is Kitahara Kaede. He also has the Rinnegan."
"Hahaha…"
Before Jiraiya could finish, the Great Toad Sage chuckled. "The Rinnegan's being handed out like cabbage now?"
"You think it's that easy to awaken?"
"Even in the Sage's era, I only ever saw Hagoromo with the Rinnegan. His brother didn't have it."
"So Jiraiya, you must be mistaken."
"I know you've worked hard these years to find the Child of Prophecy… but don't get ahead of yourself."
"And about Nagato… hmm…"
"You probably misjudged his Rinnegan too."
The Great Toad Sage clearly believed Jiraiya hadn't taken his mission seriously.
"That's not it…"
"Great Toad Sage…"
Jiraiya quickly tried to explain. "I have proof! Because I… the small group… ¥…%*eh…"
"Uh…"
He was about to say he had joined the Descendant Chat Group (^_-)… but suddenly clutched his head and crouched down.
A virtual system prompt appeared before him:
[You may not disclose the Small Group's existence to unrelated individuals.]
"…" Jiraiya.
???
He had joined the Small Group. Learned it was connected to the past and future. It linked the generations of Hokage—even Minato.
A supernatural force, just like prophecy.
He believed he had been chosen by the Great Toad Sage to fulfill a grand mission.
And yet…
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