Chapter 217: I’ll Help You, The Giant Tenseigan Is in Hand

"To think that our chakra came about in such a way."

After watching the edited story of the origin of chakra and the founding of the shinobi way, Orochimaru sighed with a complex expression.

The myth was true—chakra was indeed distributed to the world by the Sage of Six Paths.

But the Sage of Six Paths was not the progenitor of chakra.

Above him was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, who hailed from another planet, and the man who seemed to hold a higher status than Kaguya, whom she had betrayed.

The fact that the two had come together, with clearly defined roles, made Orochimaru think of a possibility.

He looked at Yagyu and asked, "Yagyu-kun, do you know the origins of those two people?"

"I know a little," Yagyu nodded, mixing truth with fiction. "Their surname is Ōtsutsuki, a powerful race from another planet capable of traversing the universe with their physical bodies. Their duty is to search the vast cosmos for planets like Earth, rich with life force, and plant the God Tree there, then return to their homeland with the chakra fruit."

"But for some reason, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had a falling out with her superior, betrayed him and her homeland at a critical moment, and consumed the chakra fruit herself, becoming the progenitor of chakra on Earth."

"However, her actions would eventually be discovered by her clan and its leaders, and new members of the Ōtsutsuki clan would surely come to Earth."

"It's likely for this reason that she divided her chakra to create the two sons of the Sage of Six Paths. Later, perhaps due to conflicts with her sons or regret over her weakened state, she attempted to reclaim the distributed chakra through the Infinite Tsukuyomi, only to be sealed away by her two sons."

Hearing this, Orochimaru's pupils slightly contracted. "So, Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki aren't the end. You're saying you'll face new enemies in the future?"

"Not me, but us," Yagyu smiled. "It's been thousands of years since the chakra fruit was produced. Now, Earth has recovered enough to bear a second chakra fruit. Once the Ōtsutsuki clan from another planet arrives and discovers that Kaguya's mission failed and that someone stole the chakra fruit, they will undoubtedly cleanse this planet, eliminating all those who possess chakra, and then replant the God Tree."

Orochimaru's expression turned grim.

After all, anyone who learned that they might be killed by extraterrestrial beings one day would feel a heavy weight on their heart.

It was only because of Orochimaru's strong mental fortitude that he didn't break down. If the weaker members of the shinobi alliance had learned this, they would have been terrified out of their wits.

After all, they had witnessed the power of the Six Paths level, which was beyond human capability.

To them, the pure-blooded members of the Ōtsutsuki clan were like gods.

The thought that such gods could descend at any moment, likely to cleanse the shinobi world and eliminate all who possessed chakra, would keep anyone awake at night.

If the Ōtsutsuki clan were to arrive in a year, the fear would eventually subside, and people could prepare themselves mentally.

But the problem was that no one knew when the Ōtsutsuki clan would come.

It could be tomorrow, a month from now, a year, or even a decade or a century later…

This uncertainty would only breed unease.

"So, what do you need me to do?" Orochimaru asked Yagyu, while also questioning his own worth for the first time.

The war had ended yesterday, and Yagyu had come to see him today.

This meant that Yagyu had only shared this world-shattering truth with a select few—perhaps only with Orochimaru himself.

Orochimaru didn't believe Yagyu would tell him such information without a reason.

At the same time, he felt a rare sense of flattery.

With his current level of power, was he even qualified to know such things? Could he interfere with such otherworldly power?

To this, Yagyu chuckled lightly. "I hope Orochimaru-sama can return to Konoha, establish a scientific department, take charge of the former Root organization, continue to showcase your talents, and help me manage Konoha."

After saying this, Yagyu's expression turned serious. "I suspect that the person who came to Earth with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki may not be completely dead."

"What?!" Orochimaru's expression changed drastically. "He was eaten by the Ten-Tails and still didn't die? Is that true?"

"I originally thought the same," Yagyu said gravely. "But when I dispelled the Infinite Tsukuyomi, I sensed a fleeting burst of chakra in the white light that enveloped the world."

"This means there's still someone on Earth who wasn't affected by the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and they didn't expect it to be dispelled so quickly. They failed to evade the white light in time, allowing me to sense them."

"This person seemed to appear out of nowhere and then vanish, which suggests they hid in an alternate dimension."

"Someone capable of evading the Infinite Tsukuyomi and remaining unaffected by it must be on the same level. Unless the Sage of Six Paths has been revived, the only one who could do this is the person who came to Earth with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."

Hearing this, Orochimaru relaxed slightly and said thoughtfully, "If it's really that person, it means that while they're not dead, they're still severely injured and haven't recovered yet."

"After all, Kaguya was sealed a thousand years ago. If that person had fully recovered, with their otherworldly power, they could have cleansed this world after the Sage of Six Paths died. But they didn't."

"This means they're either still gravely injured or their power has significantly declined. They might not even be able to match Hashirama-sama, let alone the combined forces of the five great shinobi villages."

After listening to Orochimaru's analysis, Yagyu couldn't help but show a look of admiration. "You're absolutely right. That's what I think too."

"So, until we're sure whether the Ōtsutsuki clan will send more people or not, this mysterious individual is a potential enemy we must eliminate."

"Once the shinobi world stabilizes, I'll explore various alternate dimensions to find their hiding place."

"I see."

Orochimaru nodded slightly, then revealed a faint smile. "In that case, I'll lend you a hand, Yagyu-kun."

"However, I did kill the Third Hokage. Even with your power, which has reached the pinnacle of history, it might be difficult to change people's opinions of me. Should I change my appearance before returning to Konoha?"

"No need," Yagyu shook his head, smiling playfully. "During the war, everyone believed the Reanimation Jutsu army was the work of Hundred Faces from the Akatsuki. We can just pin the blame on him. I'll credit you with dispelling the Reanimation Jutsu, allowing you to return to Konoha as a reformed man."

"Additionally, I'll clear your name by exposing the crimes of Danzō Shimura and the council. If you want, I can even reveal all of the Third Hokage's misdeeds."

Seeing that Yagyu had already arranged everything for him, Orochimaru couldn't help but smile slightly.

After hearing the last part, however, he fell into thought and then shook his head. "No, that old man has already paid for everything he did."

Orochimaru had killed Hiruzen Sarutobi partly out of a desire to push Konoha's wheel of change.

He didn't harbor much hatred for the man who had trained him. Rather, he admired Hiruzen's strength and courage in his youth but couldn't stand his cowardice in old age.

Now, Hiruzen was not only dead, but his entire clan had been wiped out.

There was no need to further tarnish the reputation of his former teacher.

"Then prepare yourself. I'll come to pick you up in three days."

After leaving these words, Yagyu's back was enveloped by a web of spatial cracks, quickly forming a black portal.

Yagyu's figure floated into the air and flew backward into the black portal.

Watching the black portal disappear, Orochimaru's expression turned grave.

This gravity wasn't directed at Yagyu's strength or abilities.

Instead, it reminded him of Yagyu's earlier words.

This level of space-time ninjutsu was likely a standard ability of the Ōtsutsuki clan, just like their ability to fly.

If that were the case, then they would be invincible.

Aside from Yagyu, no one would be capable of killing a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan.

"It seems this savior truly deserves his title," Orochimaru couldn't help but sigh.

Through their conversation, Orochimaru had seen Yagyu's true nature.

He hadn't changed—he was still the same Yagyu.

Even though his power far surpassed Orochimaru's, he still addressed Orochimaru with respect, showing he was a polite young man.

At the same time, he had no desire to rule the shinobi world.

His vision had already expanded beyond the planet, into the universe.

The earlier thought that Yagyu might dispose of him after he was no longer useful was Orochimaru underestimating Yagyu.

With this realization, Orochimaru let go of his final reservations and prepared to pack up and return to Konoha.

He was willing to lend Yagyu a hand!

——————

The Moon.

Whether due to its artificial nature or the modifications made by Hamura Ōtsutsuki using Yin-Yang Release, the Moon wasn't a vacuum. It was filled with oxygen and had gravity.

Upon closer inspection, one could even see abandoned cities on its surface.

Moreover, above the Moon, there was a small artificial sun.

If one could see through it, they would find several landmasses of varying sizes inside the artificial sun.

On the largest landmass stood a palace.

This palace was where the high-ranking members of the Ōtsutsuki clan who had migrated to the Moon resided, and it was also the location of the clan's cemetery.

Originally, this artificial Moon and artificial sun were home to many members of the Ōtsutsuki clan.

After a millennium of reproduction, the clan's population had grown significantly, as evidenced by the cities on the landmasses.

They were also divided into the main family and the branch family based on bloodline purity and differing interpretations of Hamura's dying words.

These differing interpretations caused the once-unified Ōtsutsuki clan to splinter, leading to escalating conflicts.

In the end, the branch family took extreme measures, with all its members offering their Byakugan to create the Giant Tenseigan, using its supreme power to annihilate the main family.

But after this battle, the branch family was left with few survivors.

Without their eyes, they either regretted their actions, felt guilty, or were plagued by other reasons, leading to their physical and mental decline. Eventually, they all died, leaving only one child who was born without eyes but had a bloodline purity surpassing even the main family—a near return to their ancestors.

Now, this child had grown into a young man and resided in the palace within the artificial sun.

His name was Toneri Ōtsutsuki.

"The world created by the Sage of Six Paths is indeed a failure," Toneri murmured, holding a purple gemstone. His chakra, channeled through the gem, connected to the Giant Tenseigan hidden in the clan's hall. The Tenseigan's incredible long-range vision projected from the Moon to Earth, focusing on the desolate battlefield of the Fourth Great Shinobi War in the Land of Rain. "Even if they managed to win this time, once that man dies, this world will inevitably repeat this scene."

"However, that man's power is too great. I'll wait until my chakra has increased a bit more before I reset the shinobi world."

As he spoke these final words, a look of gravity crossed Toneri's handsome face.

But in the next moment, Toneri, who was sitting on the throne in the palace, suddenly felt his body drop as if he were falling.

Intense heat rushed up from below, and the connection between the purple gemstone and the Giant Tenseigan was instantly severed.

"What's going on?!"

Toneri shouted in disbelief, but the only response was the churning magma below.

Without the Giant Tenseigan, Toneri had not only lost his sight but also his immense power. He was left with a body full of chakra comparable to a Sage's but no ability to fly.

Thus, his body quickly plunged into the lava lake and was consumed in an instant.

Toneri, who was just a little more chakra and a pair of high-purity Byakugan away from awakening the supreme Tenseigan, a power rivaling the Rinnegan and the last hope of the Ōtsutsuki branch family, had died just like that.

From beginning to end, Yagyu never met or spoke to this 'rival' who, according to an ancient agreement, could have been his love rival.

Because Toneri wasn't worthy.

After using the Amenominaka to throw Toneri into the Lava Dimension, Yagyu, who had traveled from Earth to the Moon using the Yomotsu Hirasaka, appeared on a small landmass not far from the palace.

On this landmass stood a shrine.

Inside, instead of ancestral tablets, there was a Giant Tenseigan sealed with various techniques, accessible only to members of the Ōtsutsuki clan.

Flying out of the black portal, Yagyu ignored these restrictions and used his unique ocular technique, Outer Path Maru, to create a small black hole, devouring the entire Giant Tenseigan and making its power his own.