Prejudice is a mountain in one's heart.
No matter how hard you try, you cannot move it.
Kitagawa Gen had never understood these two sentences deeply enough, but now he felt he understood them very well.
Just look at this "Rabbit Goddess" and her reaction.
"Although I completely understand how unpleasant it must have been for you to be sealed away by those two."
Kitagawa Gen spoke with some frustration. He felt this wasn't going in a good direction.
"It's just… you can't push everything onto them, especially the Sage of Six Paths."
"Hmph. What kind of parents treat their own children like that?"
Kaguya actually didn't like talking. She preferred to observe in silence.
But right now, she seemed somewhat upset, and she was talking more.
"Even after they went to the Pure Land, their souls weren't left alone—forced into endless reincarnation through chakra, fighting again and again."
"That…"
"Even letting them be worn down over and over through such reincarnation. Is that truly something a father should do?"
"Couldn't they have done it voluntarily?"
"Voluntarily? Hmph. Letting them act that way, allowing such hatred to build between brothers—whose fault do you think that is?"
"Uh… it seems like you two also fought until the heavens and earth collapsed back then?"
"At least I won. I would never let them suffer the agony of a cycle lasting millennia."
"…"
Kitagawa Gen rubbed his brow; he felt completely speechless.
Right now, in Kaguya's eyes, everything was "all Hagoromo's fault"!
But Kitagawa Gen quickly realized—they weren't even talking about this, were they?
"I was talking to you about that kid's eye problem. Why did you suddenly drag the topic over here?"
"I simply spoke from emotion."
Kaguya shook her head, while Kitagawa Gen spoke again with a strange expression.
"Let's not get into this messy stuff. Those two are just a bit special, but they're still themselves. What I'm more concerned about is Sasuke's eyes."
"I've already given you the answer. What else are you asking?"
Kaguya seemed to finally regain some of her calm and returned to her cold tone.
"The passage of time has worn down the part of our bloodline within him. He just needs the other half of that power replenished."
"I see. Looks like this operation is going to be rather complicated."
Kitagawa Gen rubbed his chin. What Kaguya said was more or less the same as what he had originally guessed.
The Uchiha eyes really weren't something as simple as swapping them out. They probably required extracting the power of another pair of eyes—or completely fusing the two pairs together so that, in the purest way, none of their energy would be lost.
But all of this would still have to be explored step by step before they could get a definite answer.
"Hm?"
Just as Kitagawa Gen was thinking, he suddenly saw two Anbu dash up in front of him, then speak with extreme respect.
"Fi—Lord Gen, Lord Third requests you in the Hokage's office. Sasuke and Naruto may come along as well."
"Oh? What is it this time?"
Kitagawa Gen blinked and asked curiously. One of the Anbu answered without holding anything back.
"Lord Gen, there's been an incident in Sunagakure."
"Huh? Sunagakure?"
"Yes. They were attacked by Akatsuki, and even the Kazekage…"
"I understand. Good work. We'll head over right away."
Kitagawa Gen was very surprised. They had clearly warned them already—so how had Sunagakure still run into trouble?
Besides, Deidara hadn't even joined Akatsuki yet; he was already getting ready to deal with the Fourth Tsuchikage.
However, he couldn't be bothered to think too much about it. He turned around and led Sasuke and Naruto straight to the Hokage's office.
By now, the Hokage's office was already packed. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Hatake Sakumo were huddled together, speaking in low voices about something.
The Namikaze couple were standing together with Kakashi and Nohara Rin; Rin still looked a bit ill at ease.
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had arrived long ago. Together with the Third, all of their expressions were rather grim.
"Gen, you're here."
As soon as they saw Kitagawa Gen, everyone immediately stopped talking, and Tobirama spoke up directly.
"Fifth, are you aware of what happened in Sunagakure?"
"…"
Hearing that shout, Kitagawa Gen glanced at the Third, feeling a bit awkward.
Naruto's eyes went wide as he stared hard at Kitagawa Gen. So he wasn't even going to pretend anymore?
"I've already heard about what happened in Sunagakure."
Seeing that the Third had absolutely no reaction, Kitagawa Gen simply spoke up.
"But the details still aren't clear. I only heard that someone from Akatsuki has made a move and that Gaara seems to be in trouble. As for the rest…"
"Actually, that's more or less the situation."
Jiraiya spoke up at this moment. He rubbed his brow as he continued.
"Akatsuki's Sasori launched a surprise attack on Sunagakure alone. You should know he was originally supposed to be a candidate for Kazekage, so he's extremely familiar with Sunagakure, and…"
"According to intelligence, it seems he has some spies inside Sunagakure."
Kakashi naturally took over the topic, letting out a quiet sigh as he spoke.
"With inside-outside coordination, the Fifth Kazekage fell into their trap. He's already been captured, and Sunagakure has asked us for assistance."
"So that's how it is."
Kitagawa Gen nodded. Honestly, he wasn't surprised at all that Sasori had more spies in Sunagakure besides Yūra.
Just as Jiraiya had said, if that guy hadn't defected, he would've been the next Kazekage without question.
It was just that all these "successor candidates" tended to have one strange problem—they ended up defecting.
Like Orochimaru, like Sasori, and like that Deidara in Kitagawa Gen's memories…
"So, what now? Are we going to send reinforcements?"
While Kitagawa Gen was still thinking, Senju Tobirama looked straight at him and asked. This startled Kitagawa Gen a little.
"You're asking me? Aren't you all—"
"You're the Fifth."
Tobirama stated it bluntly, and even Namikaze Minato—who had just "returned to normal" and gotten a grasp on the current situation—nodded as well.
"It's your decision now, Gen."
"I see…"
Kitagawa Gen couldn't help finding it amusing. These people really were eager to push him onto the stage.
But then he suddenly remembered his rather unpleasant experience in Sunagakure last time, and he immediately formed an idea.
"In that case, this time… Kakashi-sensei, I'll have to trouble you."
"No problem."
Kakashi was more than happy for Kitagawa Gen to give orders; after all, with his own student becoming Hokage, he felt proud too.
"Then I'll take Naruto and Sasuke with me."
"Hold on—mission squads operate with four members. How come it's just the three of you?"
Kitagawa Gen immediately shook his head. He spoke seriously.
"Sakumo-senpai, I hope you can accompany Kakashi-sensei."
"Huh?"
Hatake Sakumo froze for a moment, then pointed at himself in disbelief.
"Lord Fifth… me?"
"Yes."
Kitagawa Gen nodded and spoke with deep emotion.
"Actually, senpai, I've always wanted to thank you, because Kakashi-sensei entrusted your blade to me."
"Lord Fifth, there's no need for that."
Hatake Sakumo immediately shook his head. He had heard about this from Kakashi.
"For a blade to have an owner like you is its honor. Besides, Kakashi no longer uses a sword. This was the best choice."
"And because of that blade, I was unexpectedly treated as the new generation 'White Fang.'"
Kitagawa Gen still looked genuinely emotional, then turned his gaze to Kakashi and his father.
"We even ran into Chiyo once when Kakashi-sensei and I were on a mission in Sunagakure…"
"…"
Kakashi fell silent. He naturally remembered how Chiyo had attacked them in her frenzy back then.
And he remembered even more clearly how Kitagawa Gen had teased him with the title "White Fang."
"I understand. I'll go with Kakashi."
Hatake Sakumo caught on instantly, and he also felt he had no reason to refuse.
"I'm quite familiar with Sunagakure, and executing a mission together with Kakashi has always been my wish. I'll prepare properly."
"Then I'll leave it to you two."
Kitagawa Gen nodded with a smile. Their opponent was Sasori, and most likely the teammate would be Chiyo as well.
Letting Hatake Sakumo handle this was simply perfect.
"That settles it."
Senju Tobirama nodded when he saw their decision, though he still added a reminder.
"Right now we only know of one attacker. It's uncertain whether reinforcements will appear later. My brother and I will stay ready as backup."
"Anything's fine. If real trouble shows up, I'll step in too."
Kitagawa Gen said with a light laugh at the side. This time, he definitely wasn't going to go personally.
Unless there was some kind of Ōtsutsuki activity, or someone like Nagato or Uchiha Madara suddenly appeared—otherwise, it simply wasn't worth his time.
Especially since he still had Kaguya with him—he naturally had to maximize her value.
"It seems you truly are someone who can decide everything in this so-called 'Ninja Village.'"
While the others chatted, discussed mission details, or talked about the upcoming "Three Kage Conference," Kaguya's voice quietly echoed beside him.
"But why does that man also have a familiar aura inside him? Even though it has almost vanished, I still—"
"All right, stop making random guesses. Some things might not be what you think."
Kitagawa Gen felt a headache the moment he heard her voice. This woman was always guessing wildly.
Even if everything she said sounded reasonable, he still knew just how absurd it really was.
If this continued, the Sage of Six Paths' reputation truly wouldn't survive!
Although, judging by how things looked now, it was already almost beyond saving…
"Suit yourself. I remember everything Hagoromo has done anyway."
Kaguya's voice remained just as calm. Only then did she continue speaking.
"You said you wanted to prove you once defeated Isshiki and Urashiki. Do you know where their Kāma marks are?"
"I know a bit. It's just that they're both terrified of me, and Isshiki's Kāma can even use space dōjutsu."
Kitagawa Gen understood Kaguya's concern, but he wasn't nearly as worried. After thinking for a moment, he smiled.
"Catching him won't be that easy. Besides, I already told you before that I needed your help. Did you forget?"
"I remember."
Kaguya nodded, though now she was filled with confusion.
"But what exactly do you need my help with? Is it fighting, or…"
"Fighting is something for later. After all, you still can't leave the seal."
Kitagawa Gen smiled casually as he continued.
"Besides, you won't be able to avoid the battles to come. No one is going to let you off for what you've done."
"What is it you want help with, then?"
"You remember how I said that after defeating Urashiki, I condensed his energy into a 'pill,' and I also kept his body."
"So then…"
"I want to ask you something. Back then, when you ambushed Isshiki, was that half of his body alive or dead?"
Kitagawa Gen's question stunned Kaguya for a moment, and she spoke in shock.
"You… how do you know about that?"
"I extracted the chakra from his Kāma to investigate. Naturally, I learned quite a lot."
Kitagawa Gen smiled lightly and continued without hesitation.
"So you still haven't answered my question. Back then, was he—"
"I see. No wonder you kept Urashiki's corpse."
Before Kitagawa Gen could finish, Kaguya spoke again.
"I think I've roughly figured out what your goal is."
"Oh?"
"You want to plant a God Tree using Urashiki's body, don't you?"
"That's right."
"Then, do you have a Ten-Tails? And where have you chosen to do it?"
"I'll handle those issues."
"Don't tell me… you plan to do it here, right?"
"?"
"If that really is your plan, then you're already a qualified Ōtsutsuki."
"…"
...
Inside Akatsuki, Uchiha Madara, Obito, and Black Zetsu once again gathered together.
"Sasori has already succeeded."
Obito looked at the report in his hand and spoke with indifference.
"Then all that remains is the Three-Tails. But that one is a bit troublesome."
"There's no need to worry about the Three-Tails. Didn't I say earlier that Konohagakure is going to hold a Kage Summit?"
Black Zetsu was still confident about this. He spoke in a low voice.
"This is a good opportunity—especially since they're not hosting it inside Konoha."
"You mean… ambush the Three-Tails halfway?"
Obito asked in confusion, but Black Zetsu shook his head.
"This time it likely won't be the Fourth Mizukage going. He may stay in the village. And since the summit isn't in Konoha, that means—"
"You can safely enter Konohagakure and investigate the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother's matter in detail?"
Uchiha Madara naturally understood what Black Zetsu meant, and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.
"It seems this really is an opportunity. We may be able to figure out quite a lot."
"Then… should we take the chance to declare war?"
Obito paused for a moment, then suddenly asked in a low voice.
"The 'Eye of the Moon' Plan should move forward as well. After all, the tailed beasts' chakra is already collected, and the Impure World Reincarnation forces and White Zetsu army are nearly prepared. So…"
Obito's words made both Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu fall silent. They couldn't help but look at him.
Madara was currently focused on finding the "Sage of Six Paths' younger brother's relics" to see what part was missing.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu was only thinking about how to delay the "Eye of the Moon" Plan so his mother wouldn't be harmed.
Naturally, neither of them wanted to begin everything right now. But Obito's enthusiasm was far higher than they had expected.
"Hm?"
Obito's expression turned somewhat strange as he looked at the two, speaking in confusion.
"What's wrong with you two? Why aren't either of you saying anything?"
"…"
...
In the starry sky, two figures stood quietly before a blue planet.
"So this is the place."
Looking at the planet before him, Momoshiki revealed a faint smile.
"It really wasn't easy to find… but arriving now is perfect."
As he spoke, the chakra within him rippled slightly, and in the next moment he shot forward.
"Let's go, Kinshiki."
"Let's take a good look at what secrets this planet is hiding!"
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