"Hamura, what do you think?"

Within a certain space, the Sage of Six Paths swept his gaze over the so-called Sage Regions sages present, then fixed his eyes on his younger brother and spoke: "As for this so-called technique… to me, it actually contains my own ideals!"

"To link everyone's chakra together, to erase the hatred and prejudice in people's hearts—that is the true purpose of chakra…"

The Sage of Six Paths stroked his beard, his expression heavy with sentiment.

Ōtsutsuki Hamura rolled his Byakugan and let out a cold chuckle.

What nonsense!

Just because chakra is linked together, you think it's the same as what you did back then? It's not the same at all!

The shinobi world gathered around Kazuki not out of obedience, but because they saw through his harsh exterior and recognized the gentleness within. They gathered willingly, not to waste the deep thought behind his resolve.

But you? You gave commands with the voice of a sage. As the leader of Ninshū, you even brought the Nine-Tails to stand at Asura's side. What choice did the others have?

It's not like they could openly side with Indra, could they? You called it "mutual understanding," but it was closer to coercion…

"Alright, brother, you can think whatever you like… In any case, as for this plan, I personally agree."

Ōtsutsuki Hamura sighed faintly, speaking slowly: "As for this thing called peace, I no longer wish to argue about which method is right…"

"In my eyes, as long as the shinobi world is prosperous and free of war, it is already better than what it was. Forgive my bluntness, but whether it's you or me—though we are called sages—we never truly had the ability to plan out the shinobi world's future."

"My own descendants, after witnessing the endless wars of the shinobi world, split into two factions. In the end, they slaughtered the entire Main Family, leaving only one survivor!"

"Yet in the shinobi world, because of Kazuki, even under the oppressive Caged Bird Curse Technique—this false art of the Main Family enslaving the Branch Family—once they overturned it, they still kept their composure. They did not wipe out the entire Main Family…"

Ōtsutsuki Hamura shook his head.

"Compared to the descendants on the moon, the descendants of the shinobi world have already done far better…"

At those words, Gamamaru's eyes narrowed sharply.

Was this a provocation against the Sage of Six Paths?

But Gamamaru still held his tongue. If it had been anyone else, as the Sage of Six Paths' loyal hound he would have spoken up to refute them.

But the one casting doubt was Ōtsutsuki Hamura—the Sage's own younger brother.

They were blood brothers, after all.

In such a setting, Gamamaru had no standing to speak…

And yet, under Hamura's Byakugan, even the tiniest flicker in Gamamaru's expression could not escape that piercing gaze.

"Gamamaru… I heard your prophecy said that Uchiha Kazuki was the Child of Prophecy, born amidst calamity?"

Hamura sneered as he spoke: "So then? Now that you've seen him, do you believe Kazuki will bring destruction to the shinobi world—or hope?"

A chill shot down Gamamaru's spine.

The Sage of Six Paths gave an awkward smile after Hamura's criticism, but upon hearing this topic, his interest immediately flared:

"Gamamaru, I was just about to ask you the same question. Hurry, tell us!"

"I know your nature—you'll definitely make a prophecy about Kazuki!"

He truly trusted Gamamaru's prophecies—not a false belief, but genuine faith…

"Ah, well…"

Inside, Gamamaru wore a mask of suffering. To be forced into making a prophecy under such circumstances—wasn't that basically demanding his life?

Prophecies, in the shinobi world, certainly existed as abilities of that sort.

But at their core, they were nothing more than glimpses into multiple branches of possible futures, extrapolated from existing information. From there, one would choose a path that seemed fitting, then push current events in that direction.

Who could ever know the definite future? No one.

Gamamaru was no exception. That was why his prophecies were always half-true, half-false—often even "modified" to align with the Sage of Six Paths' preferences…

But now—

To bend things toward the Sage's preference was no longer wise. Anyone could see it: Kazuki had already become the strongest in this world.

'No… it looks like even the Sage of Six Paths approves of this plan now… In that case, I can only declare Kazuki as the one who will bring great peace to the shinobi world!'

Gamamaru steadied his conflicted heart, put on a solemn expression, and spoke: "I did once make a prophecy concerning Kazuki… But what I saw was him bringing a certain measure of war to the shinobi world, so I misunderstood, thinking he was born from calamity…"

"Looking back now, it was my own misjudgment of Kazuki-sama. I will be sure to find a chance to beg his forgiveness… The flames of battle I saw back then were not disaster and destruction, but the phoenix fire of rebirth that would bring new life to the shinobi world!"

Gamamaru declared with an oath-bound certainty: "I firmly believe that Kazuki will bring peace to the shinobi world!"

Ōtsutsuki Hamura rolled his eyes wide, full of disdain.

What a marvelously flexible toad!

Afraid of being purged once Kazuki unites the shinobi world, are you? Truly, you know how to talk when the time comes!

Beside them, both the Slug and the White Snake shook their heads in silence. A thousand years had passed, yet Gamamaru was still the same schemer—ever ready to seize an opening, more cunning than humans themselves…

"I am Tsunade's summoned beast, and Tsunade and Kazuki…" The Slug's gentle voice rang out, making its stance clear: "In short, I support Kazuki-sama."

The White Snake let out a hearty laugh: "The Slug's view matches mine. Our Ryūchidō has long held a summoning contract with Kazuki-sama. Among us, three of the Snake Princesses even had the fortune of aiding him in training Sage Mode. Our bond is already too deep to ever be severed!"

"I too support Kazuki-sama!"

In that instant, the three Great Sage Regions all made their stance explicit: they supported Kazuki.

The Sage of Six Paths nodded.

"In that case, when the time comes, let us all join together! It is heartening indeed that the shinobi world has produced such a descendant…"

Ōtsutsuki Hamura silently studied the so-called sages before him.

He could not see through them—could not tell whether their support for Kazuki was truly sincere.

But after speaking with Hyūga Hizashi, and after witnessing the stark contrast between the fate of his own descendants on the moon and those in the shinobi world, Ōtsutsuki Hamura made his decision to lean toward Kazuki.

A man who could free the Branch Family from the torment of the Caged Bird Curse, and who, even after gaining freedom and power, could restrain his inner urge for revenge…

He was absolutely not someone blinded by a lust for power!

With Kazuki's talent and the prestige he held in the hearts of the Hyūga Branch Family, wiping out the entire Main Family to forge a giant Tenseigan would have been easy…

And yet, he never did it!

The only reason was that, in Kazuki's heart, there was something far more important than power itself…

'Forget it. As long as we support Kazuki, that's enough… At such a critical moment, if internal strife were to break out, I fear it would wear away Kazuki's patience with the shinobi world.'

Ōtsutsuki Hamura shook his head and spoke:

"In that case, brother, let's find a time to talk with Senju Tobirama."

...

Inside the special spiritual space of the Tailed Beasts.

All nine were gathered together.

"Everyone, since we're gathered here, as the strongest among us, it's my duty to remind you not to do anything foolish…"

The Nine-Tails puffed itself up with the air of a boss, about to speak further, when the One-Tail snapped in anger: "Damn fox, not that 'the more tails, the stronger you are' nonsense again! What makes you the strongest?!"

The Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes, its nine blazing red tails swaying.

"I've fought against Kazuki, and afterward, I even became his friend. He helped me break free from my seal…"

"And you?"

The One-Tail's tanuki mouth opened and closed, at a loss for words.

It too had fought against Kazuki, but only when nine Kage-level powerhouses hunted him down. Back then, its Jinchūriki, Bunpuku, had been one of them—killed instantly with a single strike.

If not for the Sage of Six Paths intervening to revive both Bunpuku and the One-Tail, one would still be lingering in the Pure Land while the other wandered the shinobi world, waiting to regain a body…

"Enough! Don't you dare argue with me!"

The Nine-Tails raised its paw and spoke in a stern tone: "I know some of you have fought Kazuki before, and maybe you hold a poor impression of him…"

"But I'll tell you this—given that man's heart, so long as, at this moment in time, you do what he wishes to see, he will, more likely than not, never make things difficult for you in the end!"

"Do you understand me? He wants to see the shinobi world united. So within the great formations these shinobi are setting up, we mustn't be stingy with our chakra. We must give it our all."

The Two-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Eight-Tails fell silent.

Each of them, together with their Jinchūriki, had fought against Kazuki before—and had even been slain by his hand…

But then, the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, both tailed beasts of Kirigakure, spoke up in agreement with the Nine-Tails' words.

"What Kurama says—I have no problem with it," the Three-Tails said lazily.

"Ever since Kisame became my Jinchūriki, he told me stories about Kazuki. I believe he is a man worth trusting."

"For a human to treat a Tailed Beast as if it were another human—that is rare indeed…"

The Six-Tails nodded in agreement: "Though Jinzaburo was an annoying guy with a strange personality… he told me that before, he had been someone who knew nothing but battle and slaughter. Yet after Kazuki's guidance, he developed the habit of basking in the sun, of admiring flowers and grass—he came to understand the beauty of life…"

In that instant, an image formed in the minds of all the Tailed Beasts—Kazuki, smiling gently, patiently teaching a battle-mad genius of the Kaguya clan…

It did seem reasonable!

Although the nine Tailed Beasts did not know how Kazuki had managed it, the gentle warmth hidden within the Six-Tails' story made a faint thread of goodwill stir in their hearts.

While the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail, Bunpuku, of the Eight-Tails, Killer B, or of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, Rōshi and Han—all of them were, in theory, compatible enough with their beasts to enter Perfect Jinchūriki form or complete Tailed Beast Transformation…

It was only the three who had been in close contact with Kazuki—the Three-Tails, the Six-Tails, and the Nine-Tails—whose seals had been undone from within, granting them freedom.

That in itself seemed to say something…

"I get it now, you damn fox!"

The One-Tail scowled, its voice sharp: "Do you really need to remind me? With my intelligence, I'd never make an enemy out of Uchiha Kazuki! You just got lucky being sealed inside Konoha. If it had been me in Konoha, I would've long since become his best friend!"

"Hah… you?"

The Nine-Tails sneered with undisguised disdain. "Enough. Meeting adjourned! I only bothered because I was afraid you lot, with your half-baked brains, might do something foolish!"

"As if I'd want to see your face, you damned fat tanuki!"

With a sharp bang, after cursing at the One-Tail one last time, the Nine-Tails swiftly withdrew from the Tailed Beasts' shared spiritual space.

"Damn it, I didn't even get to curse him back!"

The One-Tail roared in anger: "Not fair!"

The other Tailed Beasts roared with laughter, watching the bickering pair like a pair of eternal rivals and comic foils.

But regardless, all of them had clearly understood the Nine-Tails' meaning.

Do not go against the vision Kazuki wished to see—unite, and stand tightly together with the humans of the shinobi world.

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