Chapter 174: Let's Save the World Together!
July 1st of Konoha Year 62.
This day, Konoha was exceptionally lively.
Because the second half of the Chūnin Exams had begun again.
These past few days, many unfamiliar faces had appeared in Konoha, all genin from various countries.
On these genin, one could see forehead protectors from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and even Amegakure.
Since the Five Great Nations signed the alliance treaty, although the Five Great Shinobi Villages had not yet laid down their hatred, they no longer repelled each other.
Previously, Konoha and Sunagakure had an allied relationship, so they would invite each other to the Chūnin Exams every year.
Now that the Five Great Nations were allies, they naturally had to send invitations to each other.
To avoid giving Amegakure a reason for war, the Five Great Shinobi Villages even implicitly agreed to send an invitation to Amegakure.
Nagato also didn't slap them in the face; he would always send Amegakure genin to participate.
At first glance, the Five Great Shinobi Villages and Amegakure seemed to get along very well.
But everyone knew that this peace was like a thin sheet of paper, ready to be torn at any moment.
When that happened, a war far exceeding the previous three Great Ninja Wars would erupt.
Fortunately, Konoha produced Izayoi, and the Five Great Shinobi Villages also had their own super-tier combatants. Otherwise, the genin of the Five Great Shinobi Villages wouldn't even be able to lift their heads in front of Amegakure's genin.
So, in this Chūnin Exam, two genin stole all the spotlight.
One was Hanabi Hyūga, the second person after Itachi Uchiha to participate in the Chūnin Exams alone, and who also graduated early, came from a prestigious clan, and was Izayoi's only disciple.
The other was Ajisai, the disciple of Amegakure's angel, proficient in Space-Time Ninjutsu, and who became a super rookie with her "Unsealing Jutsu: Paper Blizzard."
This Ajisai was the second Animal Path of the Pain Six Paths in the original story.
As Ajisai's teacher, Konan naturally also came to Konoha.
"Konan..."
Jiraiya, who was responsible for monitoring her, had a complicated expression as he watched the cold and beautiful young woman, who had just dropped off her disciple at the exam room, walk out of the Ninja Academy.
Konan, having resolved her inner turmoil, smiled and greeted him proactively, "It's been a long time, Jiraiya-sensei."
Looking at Konan, who smiled just as she did when she was a child, Jiraiya felt as if he had returned to the Second Great Ninja War, recalling the three years he spent with Yahiko and his two companions. He choked up, unable to speak.
After a long time, he finally smiled with relief, his voice hoarse, "It's truly wonderful that you all didn't die!"
Konan also didn't feel sad at the thought of Yahiko. Instead, she continued to smile, "Nagato actually wanted to come and see you too, but he is the leader of Amegakure. If he came without an invitation, he was afraid it would cause unnecessary misunderstandings."
"Hahaha... That kid, he's still so shy and gentle."
Jiraiya instantly realized that Nagato had let go of his extreme ideas and burst out laughing.
Then, he smiled at Konan, "You're an adult now. Would you be interested in having a drink with your sensei?"
"Okay," Konan nodded with a smile.
So the teacher and disciple walked towards the tavern.
Under the sunlight, the area where they stood seemed to shimmer like a mirage.
Konan, who had become a beautiful young woman, slowly reversed in time, turning back into a naive-looking little girl in simple clothes.
Jiraiya, who had entered middle age, seemed to return to his youth, his demeanor and smile unchanged.
The clear sky turned cloudy. The two walked along, chatting and laughing, just like when they used to go shopping and return home.
On the veranda of a traditional building.
Izayoi, who had sent Hanabi to the exam room and instantly returned home, was cultivating diligently as usual.
At this moment, Izayoi was in a meditative posture, but he wasn't sitting on the veranda floor; instead, he was suspended in the air.
Around him, nine black orbs floated. They looked ordinary, and Kagura Mind's Eye couldn't detect any chakra within them.
Only Izayoi and Six Paths-level individuals could sense the terrifying energy contained within these black orbs.
Izayoi made a Zen Seal with his hands, his eyes closed, his body seemingly merging with nature. Even the strongest perception, even the Uzumaki clan's Kagura Mind's Eye, couldn't sense his chakra signature.
Even if Hinata's Byakugan looked at him, she could only see Izayoi's silhouette but couldn't penetrate to see the chakra within him.
Just as Hinata's Byakugan couldn't see natural energy at all.
Only ultimate dōjutsu and those who mastered Sage Mode could discern how terrifying Izayoi's current state was.
For example, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki, who were currently training in Sage Mode, even though they had seen it countless times recently, still watched in awe towards Izayoi's home, their hearts fluctuating wildly.
"He's just activated Sage Mode, and natural energy from all directions is gathering. Is this guy the child of nature or something?"
"Like a vortex, the natural energy concentration in the village is even stronger than in Mount Myōboku!"
Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki exclaimed in admiration.
If they hadn't mastered Sage Mode, they would still feel unconvinced and frustrated.
But now that they had mastered Sage Mode, their strengths had both reached the ace combatant level. Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki no longer had any thoughts of catching up to Izayoi.
Because no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't catch up to Izayoi.
After all... how could a water jug compare to the ocean?
The Sage Art chakra they refined with all their might was merely the volume of a water jug.
Whereas Izayoi's Sage Art chakra was as vast as the ocean.
Simply being in the same village as Izayoi made it easier for them to refine chakra, and the quantity was also greater.
This showed just how vast the gap between them was.
Izayoi was currently performing the Onmyoton Jutsu, using the method of creating everything from nothing and imbuing form with life, to inject natural energy into every cell, attempting to transform all 130 trillion cells into entities containing physical energy, spiritual energy, and natural energy.
At that time, Izayoi's Sage Body (Red) would sublimate into Sage Body (Rainbow).
This physique could also be inherited by descendants, like a kekkei genkai.
This was the conclusion Izayoi reached after several months of cultivation.
Because now, Izayoi could enter Six Paths Sage Mode without relying on Shion's Miko power.
The difference between Sage Mode and Six Paths Sage Mode was the lack of the "Six Paths" modifier, which is Six Paths power.
Naruto Uzumaki lacked this, but Izayoi, who possessed the Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Rainbow) and the Tenseigan (Rainbow), lacked it not at all.
Izayoi only needed to sublimate his Sage Body (Red) into a rainbow-tier trait. Then, he could use the Tenseigan's chakra beads to extract energy from his cells and create Six Paths Sage Art chakra.
Izayoi's current Six Paths Sage Mode was entered using this method.
It was just that too few cells had been modified internally, so the duration was limited.
Just then, Izayoi, who was modifying his cells, suddenly opened his golden eyes.
Looking at Uchiha Madara, who had appeared in the courtyard, Izayoi said calmly, "What are you doing here?"
"Is this Six Paths Sage Mode?"
Uchiha Madara observed Izayoi's current state, his Rinnegan looking at the energy within him, exclaiming in wonder, "This quantity and quality of Sage Art chakra, even Hashirama was no match for it. And this thing..."
Staring at the Truth-Seeking Orbs around Izayoi, Uchiha Madara's eyes were filled with solemnity and apprehension. He had already activated Limbo: Border Jail, with a Limbo clone standing in front, behind, and on either side, to prevent those black orbs from suddenly attacking.
His Rinnegan saw energy within those orbs that was terrifyingly many times more powerful than a Tailed Beast Bomb.
This thing was an energy orb similar to those of Ōtsutsuki Toneri, but with an opposite nature!
Ōtsutsuki Toneri's was creation, while Izayoi's was destruction!
Seeing Uchiha Madara recognize his state at a glance, Izayoi's eyes immediately flickered, then he tentatively asked, "You've been to the Land of Demons temple too?"
"Of course, and I found something you overlooked," Uchiha Madara said with a playful smile. "Too bad you don't have ultimate dōjutsu, so you don't know what treasure you missed."
"What treasure?" Izayoi asked, inwardly relieved.
It seemed Uchiha Madara still didn't know he was Ōtsutsuki Toneri. The Sage of Six Paths probably hadn't met him; he merely used the now-vanished altar to bestow something upon Uchiha Madara.
Under the perception of Six Paths Sage Mode, there were no special energy fluctuations within Uchiha Madara's body. The Sage of Six Paths must have given him knowledge, not power.
More detailed world truth, or the Sage of Six Paths' inheritance?
Not explicitly telling Uchiha Madara to deal with him, could it be that the Sage of Six Paths' target wasn't him?
Or rather, was the Sage of Six Paths using Uchiha Madara to test him?
What was there about him that needed testing?
Izayoi couldn't help but analyze inwardly.
Suddenly, Izayoi seemed to realize something, and the corner of his mouth almost twitched.
Could it be that because he had horns, the Sage of Six Paths mistook him for an extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki?
Or did he also know about Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's existence?
And knowing about the Karma ability, suspected him of being Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's reincarnation vessel?
Izayoi didn't know the reason, but he didn't care either.
The Sage of Six Paths' early interference indeed greatly surprised Izayoi.
Being potentially on his opposing side also caused Izayoi a slight amount of pressure.
However, Izayoi's goal was to escape the limitations of lifespan, and he was destined to confront the Sage of Six Paths; it was only a matter of time.
Now that the Sage of Six Paths was helping Uchiha Madara, Izayoi actually felt a surge of excitement.
With Six Paths Sage Mode and Truth-Seeking Orbs in hand, Izayoi had taken a significant step in the realm of other dimensions.
The difficulty of revealing Uchiha Madara's rainbow-tier trait had increased slightly.
If Uchiha Madara had become stronger, it was exactly what Izayoi wanted.
So, Izayoi stared intently at Uchiha Madara, his gaze carrying a hint of fervor.
However, due to his golden pupils' immense authority, Uchiha Madara couldn't discern Izayoi's thoughts. Instead, he smiled triumphantly, "This treasure is something that complements your current state. Do you want to exchange?"
"What is it, and how do we exchange?" Izayoi asked.
"Let me absorb your current chakra, and I'll give you the item," Uchiha Madara said with a smile. "Your current state isn't perfect yet. If you get the other half of the inheritance, you can enter perfect Six Paths Sage Mode."
"Do you think that's possible?" Izayoi scoffed. "If I let you have my chakra, you might immediately gain even more perfect power. Then, who knows if what you give me is real or fake?"
Uchiha Madara didn't explain. Instead, he suddenly changed the subject, asking, "Do you know about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?"
"What?" Izayoi was stunned. This was a genuine reaction.
They were just talking about the Sage of Six Paths' inheritance; how did it suddenly turn to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?
"It seems your 'ally' hasn't told you the truth of the world."
Izayoi's reaction, in Uchiha Madara's eyes, became complete ignorance.
This made Uchiha Madara secretly relieved.
That arrogant 'god' on the moon indeed disdained teaming up with 'humans.'
The rumors in the ninja world about Izayoi and Ōtsutsuki Toneri teaming up were just fake news.
This brat, who possessed power similar to Hashirama and obtained the other half of the Sage of Six Paths' inheritance, had the potential to become his ally.
So, Uchiha Madara crossed his arms, his face arrogant, and said, "It seems you are also a frog in a well. Let me show you the truth of the world."
After speaking, Uchiha Madara released astonishing Rinnegan dōjutsu power, intending to pull Izayoi into a genjutsu world.
The next second, an awkward scene unfolded.
The invisible dōjutsu power attempted to infiltrate Izayoi's brain through his sensory organs.
But before it even touched Izayoi, it was repelled by an invisible force, like an object hitting Shinra Tensei.
"..."
Uchiha Madara and Izayoi fell silent.
Especially Uchiha Madara, with his arms crossed and an arrogant expression, once again experienced the feeling of being a clown.
The last time he felt this awkward was when he was a child.
"Heh..."
Izayoi mercilessly mocked, "Is this the dōjutsu power of the Sage Eye? It seems nothing special. Do you want me to cooperate?"
"N-no... Nonsense!"
Uchiha Madara, as if possessed by Sasuke Uchiha, shouted with a flushed face, "If you want to know the truth of the world, then let me pull you into the genjutsu world!"
"There's no helping you. Come on," Izayoi shook his head helplessly, stabilizing the Six Paths Sage Art chakra within him.
The Rinnegan's dōjutsu power came again, and Izayoi was finally pulled into the genjutsu world. He saw the "truth of the world" that he had shown to Uchiha Madara, which Uchiha Madara then showed to Nagato and Obito Uchiha. His expression was a bit strange.
Good grief, was this a boomerang of sorts?
Why was Uchiha Madara showing him this?
After the "truth of the world" scene finished playing, Uchiha Madara's figure appeared in the genjutsu world. He extended his palm to Izayoi, inviting him, "Izayoi, let's save the world together!"
"..."
It was just a genjutsu world; he was merely a product of chakra.
Otherwise, no matter how strong Izayoi's psychological fortitude, he wouldn't be able to resist showing a stifled laugh.
There was no helping it; his life in this world had been too smooth; he couldn't recall any sad scenes.
And Uchiha Madara's actions and words were simply too funny.
A villain turning into a savior, inviting someone who appears righteous and grand but is actually the true mastermind behind the scenes to save the world together... This kind of scene, Izayoi had never witnessed in both his lives.
....
Get advanced chapters ahead of everyone else.
👉 Join now: patreon.com/Chaos_God