Chapter 411: For the Future of the Shinobi World

Not long after stepping into the Falls of Truth, Byakuya saw "himself" ahead.

It was a figure that looked exactly like him, shrouded in shadow.

The dark figure happened to glance over at that moment, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He walked up to Byakuya and said softly, "Isn't this the me from the outside world? Have you fulfilled the wish to rebuild Uzushiogakure?"

Hearing this, Byakuya frowned and shot back, "Why would I want to rebuild Uzushiogakure? What good would that do for me?"

The dark figure said slowly, "Naturally, it's for revenge against the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Have you forgotten what they did to Uzushiogakure back then? Our parents and clansmen all died in that battle."

At that, the dark figure sighed lightly, "Seems you've failed. In that case, why not give me the body? Let me complete these things for you. I'm not like you, I don't have that soft-hearted compassion."

Byakuya frowned again, then, as if something came to mind, he chuckled, "You've got it all wrong, haven't you? When was I ever a shinobi of the Uzumaki clan? Is it because of my bloodline, or because I align with their ideals?"

"Looks like you're out of touch…"

The dark figure's expression changed slightly, and then he vanished on the spot.

In the next moment, he appeared beside Byakuya, about to attack, but Byakuya drew a long sword crafted from Yin-Yang Release, and with a single strike, he ended the dark figure's life.

As he was instantly killed, the dark figure stared wide-eyed and muttered, "Aren't we supposed to be equally strong? Why are you so much more powerful than I am?"

Byakuya watched calmly as the figure disappeared without offering any explanation. At the same time, he gained a better understanding of the Falls of Truth.

The Falls of Truth definitely allowed one to see their other self.

Through the conversation with the dark figure, Byakuya realized that his opponent had an extensive amount of intel on him and had even replicated many of his abilities. The opponent's power was formidable, even by Kage-level standards. However, the Falls of Truth had one fatal flaw: the other self could only mimic one's actions, creating a replica based on observable behavior.

The power and inner thoughts that Byakuya had kept hidden from others were never revealed.

That's why he could defeat the replica instantly. After all, the opponent was merely a mirage created from his behavior, not the real him.

Thinking this far, Byakuya began to consider the origin of the Falls of Truth.

The Falls of Truth were on the Island Turtle, could it be the mental space of the Island Turtle? Byakuya didn't rule out the possibility immediately, but on closer thought, it didn't seem like something created by the Island Turtle.

Even though the Island Turtle's chakra rivaled a tailed beast's, it clearly couldn't gather intelligence on someone thousands of kilometers away and replicate them one-to-one in a genjutsu.

Eliminating that option, the truth became evident.

The power of the Falls of Truth came from the God Tree in its prime, or perhaps from the planet itself. Only the God Tree could peer into the planet's past, and only it could record everything in the Shinobi World.

The Island Turtle was likely a native creature influenced by the God Tree in the past, more deeply than any other summoning beast.

That explained why the Island Turtle had always been in a state of slumber. Affected by the God Tree, it had lost control of its own body and could only move by instinct.

Thinking of this, Byakuya sighed quietly, his desire for the God Tree growing stronger.

Those exalted Ōtsutsuki who could traverse space, plant God Trees on different worlds, and consume their fruit to gain immortality and divinity...

In reality, they were merely slaves to the Ten Tails, the God Tree.

The Ten Tails could live independently of the Ōtsutsuki, but the Ōtsutsuki couldn't live without the God Tree.

Taking a step forward, Byakuya exited the Falls of Truth. Brilliant sunlight shone down on him as he looked toward the nearby Jiraiya and asked with a smile, "Jiraiya-nii-san, how long was I in there?"

Jiraiya blinked in surprise and said, "It's been less than thirty seconds. Why did you come out so quickly?"

"Shouldn't it be thirty seconds?" Byakuya asked curiously.

Jiraiya paused for a few seconds and said helplessly, "I meant how long you were inside. I was in there for three days and three nights, but when I came out, I realized only a dozen minutes had passed outside."

"Three days and three nights?"

Byakuya froze, and in that moment, he understood why Jiraiya looked so worn out.

Spending three days and nights in a genjutsu without rest would certainly exhaust anyone.

Seeing Byakuya full of energy, Jiraiya said with a hint of resentment, "Byakuya, what did you face inside the Falls of Truth? Didn't you encounter your own dark side?"

Byakuya nodded. "I did… and I fought him."

Jiraiya continued, "Since you faced your dark side and even fought him, didn't he mention your past, say things to make you regret?"

Byakuya shrugged, then said, "Of course he did. But the past is the past. Why dwell on regret? Why try to make up for it? He talked too much, so I beat the crap out of him. He disappeared after getting pounded into the ground."

"…"

Jiraiya fell silent again. He had struggled with his dark side for a long time and only overcame it through sheer conviction. Yet Byakuya handled it so easily, was this kid really tougher than him?

Thinking it over, it made sense. Byakuya was a descendant of the Uzumaki, going from a war orphan to the commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces. The effort and determination required far exceeded his own. Maybe he really had been too indecisive.

After a moment's pause, Jiraiya asked his final question, "Byakuya, after coming out of the Falls of Truth, did you gain anything?"

Hearing this, Byakuya's expression turned serious. Looking at Jiraiya, he smiled and said, "I suppose I did. At the very least, I now know the path I'm walking is the right one."

Jiraiya smiled in return. "That's good. In battle, if you doubt yourself, you'll lose your edge. You have to give your all against any opponent."

Byakuya stared at Jiraiya for a few seconds. "You should say that to Naruto. He's the one who still needs guidance. I'm the commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces. I know when I should go all out."

A nearby jōnin from Kumogakure stood up straighter at the sight.

In that moment, he felt that Commander Byakuya's aura had already surpassed that of the Fourth Raikage. No wonder he had become the leader of the entire allied force.

---

After leaving the Falls of Truth, Byakuya and Jiraiya arrived at a clearing on the Island Turtle.

Jiraiya was about to fulfill his earlier promise, signing the summoning contract and introducing Byakuya to the sages of Mount Myōboku, and perhaps even inquiring about the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.

Taking out the summoning contract, Jiraiya handed it to Byakuya and explained, "Byakuya, this is the summoning contract for Mount Myōboku. Just sign your name in blood and you'll be able to use Reverse Summoning to travel there."

Byakuya glanced at the contract, looked over the names written on it, and chuckled, "Everyone on this contract is from the Hokage line in Konoha. If I sign it, does that mean I'm part of that lineage too?"

Jiraiya glanced at Byakuya and said seriously, "As long as you're willing, the gates of Konoha will always be open to you."

He knew very well what Byakuya was capable of. Not only did he rank among the top three in the entire ninja world, but he had also made an indelible contribution to the development of both Akatsuki and Amegakure.

If it hadn't been for Byakuya, Akatsuki likely wouldn't have gained Hanzo's trust back then and might have been crushed by Hanzo and Danzo working together. And without that, Amegakure wouldn't have achieved the growth it later did.

Sometimes, Jiraiya couldn't help but wonder if Byakuya had joined Konohagakure, perhaps the village wouldn't be in such a dire state now. It might've already returned to the peak it reached under the First Hokage, "But I'm not willing to take a demotion. Being the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces is better than being Hokage."

After saying that, Byakuya used chakra to sign his name on the summoning contract. He wasn't fond of the idea of bleeding on it, after all, the boss of Mount Myōboku, Gamamaru, had once deceived the Ōtsutsuki.

Jiraiya was momentarily stunned, just about to say something, then he saw the chakra-written signature on the contract and silently marveled at Byakuya's terrifying power. To be able to leave one's name on a summoning scroll using chakra alone. "Since you've signed the contract, I'll introduce you to Fukasaku-sama and Shima-sama."

Before he finished speaking, Jiraiya formed hand seals and pressed his hands to the ground.

With a puff of white smoke, Fukasaku and Shima appeared on his shoulders, speaking lazily, "Little Jiraiya, what are you dragging us out here for again?"

Jiraiya gestured toward Byakuya to introduce him, "Byakuya, this is Fukasaku and Shima. This is Byakuya, the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces."

"The leader of the Allied Forces?"

The two toad sages immediately turned their attention to Byakuya. He also studied them with a smile and said, "Greetings to both of you. Jiraiya-nii-san has mentioned you before. Both of you are immensely powerful sages who can use natural energy with ease."

Fukasaku frowned. "So, you've come here for Sage Mode?"

Byakuya nodded and replied, "I've hit a bottleneck with my current strength. I can't reach the level of the First Hokage or Asura of the Shinobi World. So I thought about the Sage Modes from the three great sacred lands and decided to give it a try, to see if I can push myself further. If I can't, then defeating Madara Uchiha will be extremely difficult."

"Madara Uchiha?" Fukasaku wasn't unfamiliar with the name. Wasn't he the one who caused the Nine-Tails' attack years ago, resulting in the Fourth Hokage's death? But... Madara shouldn't be that powerful, should he? Could he really threaten the entire ninja world?

Jiraiya saw the doubt in Fukasaku's eyes and quickly explained, "Fukasaku-sama, a lot has happened these past two weeks. I haven't had time to contact you. Let me explain everything."

About ten minutes later, Fukasaku finally understood what had transpired recently.

So, the masked man wasn't the real Madara Uchiha. The true Madara had only appeared within the past half-month, and the moment he emerged, he delivered a major blow to the entire ninja world.

After hearing this, Fukasaku let out a long sigh. "So that's how it is. If Madara really plans to collect all the tailed beasts and activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi... then yes, this is truly a world-ending threat."

After a pause, Fukasaku looked at Byakuya and said slowly, "Boy, I know you've hit a bottleneck, but don't expect too much from Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode. Over the years, many have learned our Sage Mode, but none of them surpassed your current power level. Especially this brat Jiraiya, if not for my wife and me assisting him, his Sage Mode wouldn't even stabilize."

Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly. "Fukasaku-sama, you didn't have to say that out loud. I may not have talent in senjutsu, but I still think I'm pretty strong!"

Fukasaku gave him a doubtful glance, full of suspicion.

Then as if something came to mind, he turned to ask, "By the way, Jiraiya, where did that brat Naruto run off to? Don't tell me he's been captured already?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "No, he hasn't. Naruto's training with the other Jinchūriki, working hard to become a perfect Jinchūriki. He's on this island right now."

"Perfect Jinchūriki?" Fukasaku frowned. "That brat hasn't even mastered Sage Mode yet, and now he's trying to become a perfect Jinchūriki? Isn't he rushing into things too fast?"

Byakuya interrupted him and said, "Fukasaku-dono, Naruto training to become a perfect Jinchūriki isn't necessarily a bad thing. Jiraiya can gather natural energy through both of you, and Naruto can use the Nine-Tails to help him do the same If the Nine-Tails assists Naruto, he may play a crucial role in the battle against Madara Uchiha. The future of the ninja world might very well rest on his shoulders."

"You sure know a lot, kid. So how come you didn't know a tailed beast can help gather natural energy too?" Fukasaku crossed his arms and said in mock irritation, "All right, all right, come with me to Mount Myōboku. For the sake of the ninja world, I'll do everything I can to help you master Sage Mode."

After speaking, Fukasaku exited Sage Mode and returned to Mount Myōboku with the summoning contract.

A few seconds later, Byakuya felt a force trying to summon him, but it seemed like the force was struggling. Apparently, he was too heavy to move easily.

Several more seconds passed before Fukasaku came back to the island, panting for breath. He looked at Byakuya and asked, "What the hell are you, kid? Your chakra's already almost as overwhelming as Naruto's!"

"In a bit, I'll use Reverse Summoning with a few others. Just don't resist the summoning."

Byakuya looked at him and nodded. Moments later, through the power of Reverse Summoning, Byakuya arrived at one of the legendary Three Great Sacred Lands, Mount Myōboku.