Kazuki raised an eyebrow after hearing what Pakura said.
"You say I lured you into starting this war—but isn't that a bit unreasonable?"
"No matter how you look at it, I was the one who first proposed a peace agreement. It's the villages that launched the war—yours included—that are the real problem, no?"
"These past few years, every hidden village has been ramping up its military development. Was it only Konohagakure doing that? Or do you believe Konoha should've publicly laid out all its powerful jutsu, new ninja tools, and classified intel just to intimidate you all?"
Pakura was left speechless.
Intelligence was the single most valuable resource in the shinobi world—without exception.
When dealing with shinobi who were basically glass cannons, intelligence made all the difference. Just like what had happened to her earlier—Pakura's Scorch Release could instantly wipe out hundreds of enemy ninjas in the right conditions…
But in terms of defense, her own body was incredibly fragile compared to the power she wielded.
Just a ninja blade—just a handful of shuriken—was enough to take Pakura's life.
With proper intel on an opponent, even Kage like Ōnoki or Sarutobi Hiruzen could be easily killed with meticulous targeting.
"You… You're right… but so what?"
Pakura's aura of fearless defiance had weakened significantly, yet she still retorted stubbornly: "Did I guess wrong this time?"
"You're repeating your old tricks, aren't you? It's just another excuse to unify the shinobi world under the guise of some grand ideal. You're trying to ease your demonic reputation in the shinobi world, spreading rumors here and now, so that after we lose this war, the villages will start fighting again—giving you the perfect reason to go on a killing spree and swallow up every Hidden Village."
That was what Pakura truly believed.
But Kazuki simply laughed and waved it off. "Grand ideals? Reputation? I've never cared about those things..."
"You might think that, because I'm a Konohagakure shinobi, I hold the same ideals of peace established by the First Hokage. If so, you're wrong."
Kazuki raised one finger and spoke softly: "To kill one is a crime; to slaughter ten thousand makes you a hero. Slaughter nine million—and you become the mightiest of heroes."
"You think that after I've killed so many invaders in this war, there will still be voices in Konoha that oppose me? And even if there are—do you think I care?"
"As for reputation in the shinobi world... do you really believe your words can rival the power of my techniques?"
Kazuki narrowed his eyes mockingly.
"You don't seriously think... that I, like those other Kage, still show deference to the daimyōs, do you? I simply don't have time to deal with them. That doesn't mean I see them as worth my attention."
Pakura's heart pounded wildly.
She had assumed that, as someone from Konoha, Kazuki would have inherited those same inflexible ideals—
Like Senju Hashirama, who handed out tailed beasts to other villages at dirt-cheap prices...
Or like Sarutobi Hiruzen, who, despite winning the Second Great Ninja War, placed no demands on the defeated Sunagakure and Amegakure...
Otherwise, why hadn't Kazuki seized the chance during that war to finish off all his enemies in one fell swoop?
But this... this was the terrifying Uchiha who spoke of 'slaughtering nine million to become the mightiest hero'!
Compared to Kazuki's murderous intent, the so-called 'Shinobi World Shura', Uchiha Madara, felt like a kind red-eyed big brother...
What frightened Pakura even more was that, in this moment, she realized she didn't understand this enemy at all...
What was Kazuki really after?
If not reputation, if not ideals—was this demon enjoying the thrill of manipulating the hearts of everyone in the shinobi world?
"What... what do you really want?!" Pakura suddenly broke down, screaming in hysteria.
And at that moment—
Within Kazuki's body, Kaguya furrowed her brow as she looked at Pakura. Her voice brimmed with fury as she said, "Kazuki, you've endured enough. There's no need to waste words on an ungrateful insect like her—kill her already!"
In Kaguya's eyes—
Kazuki had made immense sacrifices for the shinobi world. He had given up his life, his future, and everything else just for the chance to seal away the Sage of Six Paths—and for that, he should be revered by all!
He shouldn't be treated like a walking demon, vilified and feared by the very people he saved.
It wasn't fair!
Compared to herself, Kaguya thought Kazuki was even more pitiful—and had even more reason to be enraged!
At least in her case, she had genuinely intended to drain the shinobi world dry with the God Tree. She deserved to be sealed by Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Hamura.
But Kazuki had given nearly everything—and was still completely misunderstood by the entire shinobi world. Kaguya couldn't stand it!
She couldn't help but imagine herself in Kazuki's place—
If she truly had been, as they claimed in their fabricated tale, a guardian goddess of the shinobi world who had awoken from her seal only to discover that the entire world now viewed her as the very source of its destruction—
Then Kaguya knew she would have gone mad… and annihilated every last one of those ungrateful mortals!
"Kaguya, I've told you before... If you want to accomplish something great—something truly good for the entire shinobi world and this planet—then you're bound to face storms and obstacles along the way."
Kazuki smiled gently as he spoke, his voice calm and steady: "Because of differences in ability, people naturally have different perspectives. I can't expect all these mortals to understand me. I only need to understand myself—'My heart and actions are clear as a mirror; everything I do is for the sake of justice'."
"I brought you to see this woman so you would understand that the path we're about to walk is destined to be misunderstood. I'll lead the way as the pioneer, but you must do your best to keep up..."
Kazuki finished speaking, then smiled and winked at Kaguya.
"But I've always believed in you—after all, you're the Rabbit Goddess who once saved the shinobi world, Kaguya!"
[From the target Otsutsuki Kaguya: You have acquired the technique—Yomotsu Hirasaka!]
Kaguya's heart stirred. She gazed at Kazuki and nodded solemnly.
"I understand now... Kazuki-kun!"
In that moment, a thought passed through her mind...
To awaken and accept the power of the planet's legendary Gaia consciousness was something exceedingly rare—even among the Ōtsutsuki clan, it was regarded as the stuff of myth.
But the Kazuki standing before her… might truly be capable of it!
Only someone like Kazuki—who could shoulder the entire future of the shinobi world, who didn't care about misunderstanding or condemnation, and who possessed power that rivaled the Ōtsutsuki despite being born a mortal—might hold the heart and strength worthy of the planet's recognition.
In other words—
If even someone like Kazuki couldn't awaken the Gaia consciousness, then Kaguya couldn't imagine anyone else who possibly could.
Under Kazuki's repeated insinuations…
Kaguya had begun to fall into the very narrative they had fabricated together—as if she truly were that mythical Rabbit Goddess who once fought the evil Sage of Six Paths to protect the world, and not an Ōtsutsuki who had sought to destroy it.
She had completely immersed herself in the role.
"...What I want to do, Pakura? I suppose there's no harm in telling you."
Kazuki let out a sigh.
"You must be wondering—if I'm this powerful, then why would the Kage of each village suddenly decide to launch a fresh assault on Konohagakure, based on some vague, baseless rumor?"
"It seems abnormal, doesn't it?"
Pakura nodded silently.
"When something is abnormal, there's always a reason… Your train of thought, actually, reflects the majority."
Kazuki gave her an encouraging look.
"That's also why I saved you. You're lucky—you weren't one of those whom the Ōtsutsuki managed to hypnotize. Maybe fortune was on your side."
Ōtsutsuki…
Pakura chewed on the name, frowning.
"What is that?"
"The so-called Ōtsutsuki… to put it simply, they're extraterrestrial invaders of the shinobi world. Each of them possesses power that far surpasses even mine—greater than Senju Hashirama, greater than Uchiha Madara."
"They clashed among themselves once a thousand years ago, and both sides ended up in a state of suspended animation."
"Some sided with the shinobi world… while others sought to destroy it."
Kazuki's voice lowered as he continued: "The one who represents destruction—you've probably heard his name. The legendary Sage of Six Paths."
Pakura was completely dazed.
Just moments ago, their conversation had been grounded—just shinobi matters.
But now, the entire tone had shifted into something far beyond—into the realm of ancient sages and celestial legends.
And yet… Pakura didn't think Kazuki was lying.
Given the overwhelming difference in their strength, Kazuki could've killed her or trapped her in genjutsu without the slightest effort. Why bother talking so much if it were a lie?
What Pakura didn't know was—
The emotions induced by genjutsu, while technically real, were like artificial flavor enhancers in food—quick and effective, but ultimately inferior.
Only those emotions born from the mind itself—from speculation, imagination, and self-derived reasoning—were the most potent and refined!
Among the Allied Shinobi Forces, the Kage were already beginning to question things, caught within Kazuki and Isshiki's layered genjutsu.
But for the mid- and lower-ranked shinobi, what they needed was a fellow ninja—someone they trusted—
To rise up at just the right moment, to call out with genuine conviction, and help them truly see the truth—
That Kazuki was a good person.
A man who only killed because he had no other choice—who did everything for the good of the shinobi world.
And Pakura… was the very shinobi Kazuki had chosen.
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