In Kumogakure, inside the Raikage's office.
Thump... thump...
The Fourth Raikage's thick fingers drummed on the desk, the dull thudding making the atmosphere heavy.
His gaze swept over the ancient fragments of various shapes and materials before him, then rose to look at Mabui and several senior Special Jonin from a scientific and academic background.
"You want me to send Yugito back to that cursed place again, just with these scraps?"
The Fourth Raikage frowned, but didn't immediately lose his temper. He asked, "Tell me, what exactly have you found?"
Not long ago, Samui's team returned from the Land of Hot Water and reported everything they had seen to the Fourth Raikage, which naturally included that bottomless hollow.
Upon hearing Samui and the others' descriptions, the Fourth Raikage's first reaction was that this couldn't have been caused by Konoha. The terrifying power that completely altered the terrain couldn't possibly be wielded by ordinary shinobi. It could only be that some other entity emerged, casually killing both Konoha and Kumogakure's people.
At Mabui's suggestion, the Fourth Raikage made the same decision as Hiruzen Sarutobi, sending people to investigate again.
Initially, Kakashi Hatake had departed several days earlier than Kumogakure. Even if he had stopped in the Land of Rain to gather intelligence, he should normally have arrived before Kumogakure's people.
However, no one expected that all the people Kakashi brought were wiped out in Amegakure. He returned to Konoha dragging the heavily injured Yamato for treatment, which allowed Kumogakure, who was a step slower, to explore the depths of the hollow first.
According to that squad, they had seen an underground palace, but were blocked by a door. And when one of them tried to push the door...
Recalling the dried corpse whose flesh and blood had been forcibly drained, a somber look flashed in the Fourth Raikage's eyes. Simply touching that so-called door had drained all their chakra in just one second, and then all their flesh and blood in two seconds.
That was a living Special Jonin, who died not at the hands of an enemy, but in front of a door. The bizarre manner of death was utterly horrifying.
Yet, these guys, whose minds were apparently muddled by scientific and academic pursuits, actually wanted him to send the Two-Tails Jinchuriki again? He sent Yugito to the Land of Hot Water to flank and raid Konoha's base; he wouldn't let Yugito go back to that inexplicable, cursed place.
"Raikage-sama, we indeed found something."
A middle-aged shinobi wearing glasses stepped forward, stating gravely, "Although the people sent before couldn't enter that underground palace, we deciphered the texts they had rubbings of."
Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage paused, then asked, "You mean the texts they made rubbings of from the stone tablet outside the underground palace?"
"Yes." The middle-aged shinobi with glasses nodded. "We discovered that that underground palace is actually a tomb."
"The owner of the tomb is a kinsman of the Sage of Six Paths, an existence who lived from the era of the Shinobi Sect, or even a more distant time."
"?"
The Fourth Raikage's eyes, like copper bells, widened as he looked at the man before him with a bewildered expression.
A kinsman of the Sage of Six Paths? The Shinobi Sect era? Lived? A tomb?
He knew the meaning of every word, but when put together, why did it make absolutely no sense? Putting aside the situation of a kinsman of the Sage of Six Paths, just why would someone have a tomb if they were still alive?
"Before I explain, I first need to confirm one point with you."
The middle-aged shinobi adjusted his glasses, calmly asking, "Raikage-sama, do you believe that the Sage of Six Paths and the Shinobi Sect are real?"
The Fourth Raikage frowned, but eventually nodded. Although the Golden Rope, Crimson Gourd, Seven Star Sword, and Bashosen were gone, the Amber Purifying Bottle, one of the Six Paths Tools, was still in Kumogakure.
In terms of historical heritage and depth, apart from countries like the Land of Demons that maintained ancient traditions, only Kumogakure and Konoha in the entire shinobi world likely had a significant preservation of history. After all, the Uchiha clan had contact with the Land of Lightning as early as the Warring States period; the Uchiha clan was responsible for guarding the Land of Lightning's "Chinoike Clan" at that time. That was even further back than the conflict between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, which indicates that the Land of Lightning must have existed since the Warring States period or even earlier.
However, just like Kin and Gin, who claimed to have the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths, they only knew of the Sage of Six Paths and the Shinobi Sect's existence. They knew nothing of the Sage of Six Paths' surname or given name, let alone the existence and origin of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
But now, it was different.
"The decryption of the texts was extremely difficult," the middle-aged shinobi continued, "but by combining some ancient texts and certain repeatedly appearing characters, we pieced together some fragmented information."
"Information?" The Fourth Raikage leaned slightly forward in his chair, pressing, "What information?"
The usually silent Mabui stepped forward and handed the scroll in her hand to the Fourth Raikage.
The Fourth Raikage frowned as he opened it, his gaze sweeping over the contents of the scroll.
[The Ōtsutsuki Clan, extraterrestrial descendants from distant stars, their appearance different from mortals, horns growing from their foreheads, a clear distinction between main and branch families within the clan...]
[They honor the "Karma" as a secret reincarnation jutsu; even if their bodies perish, they can inhabit a "vessel," and even if their bodies perish, they can be reborn through a "vessel"...]
[Our clan views the cosmos as a nursery, dispatching kin to wander among the stars, always with two, a main and branch family member, journeying together. They select fertile planets; one nurtures the "Ten-Tails," its flesh and blood transforming into a "Divine Tree"; the other guards for a thousand years, returning only when the fruit ripens...]
[I have been in this world for a thousand years, developing compassion for its inhabitants. Moreover, I am unwilling to sacrifice the branch family member ■■, and thus have never planted the "Ten-Tails." I have sought other methods using this world's natural energy, but my prolonged absence has aroused suspicion from the main family...]
[The branch family member Kaguya, under orders from the main family, pursued me with the main family member ■■. However, Kaguya, fearing death, betrayed our clan, secretly striking me. She monopolized the "Divine Tree," then called herself the Rabbit Goddess, giving birth to Hagoromo and Hamura. She was later sealed by her two sons in ■■, and her son ■■ called himself the Six Paths...]
[■■ and I were both severely wounded. Though I survived, I am on the verge of death and fear I may not have time to reincarnate. Thus, I have established this tomb, imprisoning myself here. When this tomb sees the light of day again, the world shall know my name...]
Undoubtedly, Hyuga Kawa had once again fabricated a history that was two-tenths false and eight-tenths true, quietly embedding his own existence into actual historical events.
If it were merely this, in the Fourth Raikage's current view, it would be nothing more than a fantastical legend.
But precisely, Hyuga Kawa did not merely describe the Ōtsutsuki clan beyond the shinobi world. He also calmly described scenes of himself turning other worlds into barren lands with the Divine Tree, and even briefly recounted some of his actions while hidden behind the shinobi world's civilization for a thousand years.
For example, casually planting herbs under the name "Xu Fu," or feeding a turtle with natural energy, and collecting some strangely shaped animals and plants...
Or inadvertently dripping a bit of blood when wounded, causing a valley to be covered in miasma and devoid of all plant life, and lamenting the weakness of the humans in this world...
Or discarding a "Heavenly Spear" he forged, or even casually passing on forging techniques to a craftsman...
Hyuga Kawa wrote all of this without worrying about exposing himself, because these so-called legends were already half-truth, half-fiction, and the specific truths had long been lost in the river of history.
As for whether anyone would deny these legends and his authenticity...
It's still the same principle: words spoken by those with power and authority become the ultimate truth, no matter how outlandish. The essence of humanity is to admire strength.
Unless Ōtsutsuki Isshiki himself jumps out to deny it, after all, even the Sage of Six Paths didn't experience that era.
So the more he read, the more a strange chill ran down the Fourth Raikage's spine. He somewhat stiffly looked up at the middle-aged shinobi before him: "That Xu Fu..."
"Xu Fu Mountain on the border of the Land of Fire, and the 'Xu Fu Grass' that cures all ailments," the middle-aged shinobi said calmly.
"That turtle, and the animals and plants..." the Fourth Raikage spoke again.
"Precisely the 'Island Turtle' that we use as a mobile fortress and that Killer B-sama uses as a training ground," the middle-aged shinobi's tone grew deeper.
The Island Turtle existed even before Kumogakure or even the Land of Lightning was established. This enormous green turtle, as large as an island, housed everything from fierce beasts to rare and exotic creatures, a paradise for flora and fauna.
"Then, that miasma-filled valley, the so-called 'Heavenly Spear'..."
The Fourth Raikage's voice was already a little hoarse as he continued to ask, "And that craftsman who was taught forging techniques..."
"The valley is Hell Valley, formerly used to exile and detain the Chinoike clan. The 'Heavenly Spear' is the legendary 'Heavenly Spear' created by an ancient god."
The middle-aged shinobi answered cautiously, "And the craftsman, we speculate, is most likely 'Seimei,' the legendary ancestor from the Land of Tools, capable of creating 'Reincarnation Ninja Tools.'"
"..."
It was as if an invisible chill swept through the room, and the entire office fell into a deathly silence.
After a long silence, the Fourth Raikage moistened his dry lips and said, "What is the credibility?"
A brief silence fell in the room. Everyone exchanged glances, and finally, another shrewd-looking old man stepped forward.
"Raikage-sama, ever since we deciphered the meaning of these texts, we've gone to the places mentioned in the stone tablet and started collecting ancient texts and artifacts that we previously didn't pay attention to."
He took a deep breath, his voice slightly trembling as he answered, "On ancient texts and artifacts from different periods, we indeed found fragments like 'Divine Tree,' 'Rabbit Goddess,' and 'Hagoromo.'"
"I can confirm, with the honor and reputation of generations of my ancestors who studied the history of the shinobi world, that those ancient texts and artifacts are absolutely from different periods and were not artificially forged."
If there were only the texts copied from the stone tablet, it might still be explained as "a single piece of evidence does not stand."
But with verification from fragments in other ancient texts and artifacts, the credibility of the content on the stone tablet was greatly increased.
"..."
The Fourth Raikage once again fell into a long silence, or more accurately, a long state of shock and disbelief.
He lowered his head to look at the deciphered text; his feelings at this moment were completely different from the first time.
Only a bone-chilling awe and fear remained.
These were texts written across a timeline far exceeding the history of humanity's rise and fall in the shinobi world, on a scale of millennia or even longer.
Behind those dark, lost, and unknown legends and histories, the lingering shadow of that existence subtly floated, so vast that it seemed to span and overshadow the entire history of shinobi civilization.
An extraterrestrial being who viewed the cosmos as a nursery, planets as sustenance, transcending life and death, and terrifying power that could turn an entire region barren with just a single drop of blood...
Even titles like "Deity" or "Sage" could not fully describe the vastness of their power and authority.
That heart-stopping, profound sense of the unknown, which even the torrent of a thousand years of history could not completely wash away, could still be felt through mere fragments of words.
"So that means..."
After a long silence, the Fourth Raikage slowly and deeply murmured, "That underground palace... was left by an existence more powerful than the Sage of Six Paths?"
"What could be inside that underground palace?"
"Ancient secrets?"
"Or, the divine artifacts they forged?"
"Or perhaps, the legacy of their jutsu?"
"Or even, their remains left after their 'death'?"
His voice grew progressively deeper and more powerful, each word like a heavy hammer striking everyone's hearts.
By the end, the Fourth Raikage's eyes had become incredibly profound, and an uncontrollable aura emanated from his body, making the air in the entire room heavy.
"Send a message."
He no longer hesitated, saying word by word, "Tell Yugito Nii to postpone the plan to ambush Konoha. No matter what, you must open that door for me..."
"No! It's not enough!"
Before he could finish, the Fourth Raikage suddenly stood up, his tall figure casting a massive shadow, and his Lightning Release Chakra unconsciously surged, fine electrical arcs crackling in the air.
Crack!
His tightly clenched fists made a slight cracking sound as he said in a deep voice, "I will go personally."
The usually cautious Mabui opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words to dissuade him.
In the eyes of the Fourth Raikage, and indeed the entire Kumogakure, the fundamental reason they lost the First, Second, and Third Great Shinobi Wars to Konoha was not because Kumogakure shinobi's talent was inferior to Konoha shinobi's, nor could it possibly be because they were less united than Konoha shinobi. It was simply because they lacked Konoha's depth of ninjutsu!
This had almost become an obsession for everyone in Kumogakure.
That's why Kumogakure secretly engaged in strong-arming and ganging up to steal ninjutsu everywhere. Later, it even reached the point where the Fourth Raikage personally moved to seize the secret arts of the Land of Wood.
If that underground palace truly contained the legacy of such an existence, let alone whether it was secret arts or ninjutsu, even treasures like the Six Paths Tools would be enough to tempt them!
That was a possibility that could change the future of Kumogakure!
"Mabui." The Fourth Raikage turned to Mabui, instructing seriously, "Have Killer B guard the village. Everything that happened here today must not be leaked a single bit!"
And as he said this, no one noticed that behind the shinobi with glasses, one person's eyes flickered.
"Yes, Raikage-sama, please rest assured," Mabui bowed slightly and replied, "And please, you must also..."
Bang!!
Before she could finish speaking, the Fourth Raikage turned and punched straight through the wall, leaping out directly.
Mabui looked up at the sound, gazing at the large hole in the wall and the shattered office desk. She couldn't help but raise a hand to cover her face, the corner of her mouth twitching helplessly.
"...Hoo!"
A moment later, Mabui let out a long breath. While a sense of anticipation rose within her, an inexplicable unease also surged.
But she quickly forced this emotion away, her expression returning to calm.
With Raikage-sama personally taking action, coupled with Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, there would be no accidents.
"I hope everything goes smoothly," she murmured, looking at the lightning streak disappearing into the distance.